Big Fight Weekend Boxing Podcast

Off a weekend that had only one prominent card in California, we recap it, plus were joined by a world champ and we have lots of fight news, too, on the "Fight Freaks Unite Recap Podcast!"

Host T.J. Rives and insider Dan Rafael of his Fight Freaks Unite Substack are back with their insight and opinions.

First, they recap Saturday night’s Matchroom Boxing DAZN card in Carson, California

Super middleweight Diego Pacheco TKO11 Immanuwel Aleem. A mismatch and what's now for the talented Pacheco?

Next Lightweight Andy Cruz TKO3 Abraham Montoya for another overmatched bout and now Cruz wants to move down to 130 lb.? Apparently.

And, Dan has more on featherweight Albert Gonzalez KO2 Aaron Alameda, bantamweight Bruno Rios Jr. W10 Saul Sanchez and heavyweight Leo Atang TKO2 Glen Williams on the undercard. 
Then, an Interview with IBF lightweight champion Raymond Muratalla

He makes his first defense August 1 on “The Fight” co-feature on DAZN, TNT, truTV on the Lamont Roach Jr. vs. William Zepeda vacant WBC lightweight title fight card in Las Vegas. He has thoughts on opponent Robson Conceicao and wanting to unifiy the division titles, too.
 
Then, some news

Former middleweight and junior middleweight titleholder Jermall Charlo was denied a visa by the Australian government on Friday, causing his 10-round super middleweight fight against Koen Mazoudier on this coming Saturday’s Spence-Tszyu PPV card to be canceled. Dan has the latest.

Golden Boy Promotions, WBC interim junior middleweight titlist Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Rick Mirigian, Ortiz’s manager, announced on Friday that they “have reached an amicable settlement resolving all outstanding disputes.” Ortiz remains with Golden Boy and will be back this fall.  

Women’s featherweight champion Amanda Serrano is returns to defend against  Lucrecia Manzur seeking the all-time women’s knockout record on August 21 at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California, in the headliner of an MVP card that will stream onTikTok.  

Lineal cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia will return to the United States for his second fight in a row when he defends against an opponent to be determined on the undercard of WBC welterweight titlist Ryan Garcia’s first defense against Conor Benn on Sept. 12 (Paramount+) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, per a sources with direct knowledge of the plans to Dan.

And, former IBF featherweight titlist Luis Alberto Lopez has signed with ProBox and will debut for the company on Septtember 11 vs. TBA in the San Diego area.

Hear it all on the "Fight Freaks Unite Recap Podcast" and make sure to follow/subscribe on Apple/Spreaker/Spotify, etc.!

We are back on a little slower weekend with one prominent show in California, but we have plenty of fight news and great nostalgia, too on the "Big Fight Weekend Preview Podcast"

Host T.J. Rives is back with insider Dan Rafael of his Fight Freaks Unite Substack and Newsletter

First it's a preview of Saturday’s Matchroom Boxing DAZN card at Carson, CA
Diego Pacheco vs. Immanuwel Aleem, 12 rounds, super middleweights. Will Pacheco be more impressive than he's been recently?
Andy Cruz vs. Abraham Montoya, 10 rounds, lightweights in the co feature.
Plus,Albert Gonzalez vs. Aaron Lopez Alameda, 10 rounds, featherweights and Leo Atang vs. Glen Williams, 6 rounds, heavyweights down the undercard 

Then, NEWS:

Official and announced Wednesday: Ryan Garcia will defend the WBC welterweight title against Conor Benn on September 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and on Paramount+ on a Ring-branded card but also promoted by Golden Boy and Zuffa. It's finally done- how and why did it get worked out.

Next, Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Golden Boy have “reached a deal in principle” that will end their litigation and get the unbeaten WBC interim junior middleweight titlist back in the ring, Ortiz manager Rick Mirigian told Dan that.arbitration had been postponed until September already due the arbitrator’s schedule conflict but now won’t be needed.

Also, Errol Spence arrived in Australia for next week’s Tim Tszyu fight but with the weight changed from 158 lb. to the middleweight limit of 160. Meanwhile, Jermall Charlo remains in Houston awaiting a visa to go through. He was supposed to have already left. He fights  Koen Mazoudier at super middleweight in the co-feature.

Next Saturday’s Anthony Joshua-Kristian Prenga DAZN PPV undercard in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was finally announced and includes two world title bouts.  Making their first defenses will be WBO super middleweight titlist Hamzah Sheeraz against Simon Zachenhuber and IBF junior middleweight titleholder Josh Kelly against Caoimhin Agyarko.Why is Sheeraz fighting another joke fight just 60 days after the last one? Dan has more.

The third edition of “The Fight” on DAZN/TNT/truTV on Sept. 4 is official: Former unified heavyweight titlist Andy Ruiz Jr. returns for his first fight with Matchroom and a 25-month layoff to face Damian Knyba at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. In the co-feature, new Matchroom Boxing signee middleweight Vito Mielnicki Jr. will face Austin “Ammo” Williams and lightweight prospect Zaquin Moses, of Newark and cousin of Shakur Stevenson, will face an opponent to be determined in his first eight-rounder. We discuss it all.
And, finally some nostalgia -

July 13, 2001 — 25 years ago on Monday – the best fight in ESPN2 Friday Night Fights history, the epic Micky Ward-Emanuel Augustus (then Burton). Dan LOVES this bout.

Hear it all on the "Big Fight Weekend Preview Podcast" and make sure to follow/subscribe on Apple/Spreaker/Spotify, etc.!

Former unified world welterweight champ Errol Spence is set to return to the ring for the first time in three years and he's not taking an easy fight coming back. And, before that bout, he joined our insider Dan Rafael on this "Fight Freaks Unite Podcast!"

He and Dan discuss, whether Spence seroiusly contemplated never fighting again over the last three years after Terence Crawford wiped him out in July 2023 in their undisputed clash? Also, what about traveling to Australia to meet home country star Tim Tszyu in a PBC PPV broadcast on July 25th (USA time).

Will the Texan avoid the ring rust of 36 months away and can he withstand Tszyu's big punching at the heavier weight? And, if he is victorious,what would be next?

It's all part of this "Fight Freaks Unite Podcast" with Errol Spence and Big Dan and make sure to follow/subscribe on this feed on Apple/Spreaker/Spotify, etc.!

We're back off a lighter weekend with only one prominent fight card, in Russia of all places, too, to recap the world title fight there and have a prominent former world champ join us on the newest "Fight Freaks Unite Recap Podcast!"

Host T.J. Rives is joined by insider Dan Rafael of his Fight Freaks Unite Substack and Newsletter to go over ti all with their takes.

First, they recap Saturday’s IBA Pro card in Moscow

Heavyweight Murat Gassiev TKO6 Peter Kadiru, retains WBA title in a one sided fight. Afterwards, Derek Chisora was in the ring to challenge Gassiev to a fight. What. Are. We.Doing. Here?!

In the co-featuere heavyweight Artem Suslenkov TKO11 Joe Joyce, who is CLEARLY finished at this point. 

Then, it's former unified welterweight champ Errol Spence joining Big Dan for a conversation. It is his first fight in three years, as Spence will move up in weight and face fellow former world titleholder Tim Tszyu in a middleweight fight that headlines a PBC PPV card July 25th U.S. time. Hear them discuss his layoff, the challenge of fighting in Australia and more.

Then, some news

The Ryan Garcia-Conor Benn non-announcement at Friday’s UFC weigh-in and the latest on whether this fight is going to get signed and announced for September? 

Per source, Dan says WBO super middleweight titlist Hamzah Sheeraz will make his first defense on July 25th in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on the Anthony Joshua-Kristian Prenga DAZN PPV undercard.

Next, the WBC junior welterweight mandatory between titlist Dalton Smith and former titlist Alberto Puello, postponed from June 6 due to a Smith injury, will be rescheduled for Oct. 24 but Puello will have an interim bout this coming Saturday in his native Dominican Republic.

And, lightweight contender Andy Cruz has a new opponent replacing Alberto Bell in Abraham Montoya on this coming Saturday’s Matchroom Boxing card, but it won’t an IBF eliminator as the Bell fight was supposed to be.

Finally, Sunday is Julio Cesar Chavez's 64th birthday. So let’s celebrate and talk about his greatness.

It's all part of the "Fight Freaks Unite Recap Podcast" and make sure to follow/subscribe on Apple/Spreaker/Spotify, etc.!

It's the biggest signing by Zuffa Boxing to date, as four division world champ Shakur Stevenson has agreed to a multi-fight deal with them and also benefactor Turki Alashikh.

And, as part of the announcement, our insider Dan Rafael scored a one on one interview wtih Shakur to discuss why he's making this move now? Stevenson is one of the most talented pound for pound fighters in the sport with wins in his last two fights over William Zepeda and beating champ Teofimo Lopez in a Madison Square Garden PPV main event in January.

Plus, what does Stevenson prefer- defending his WBO junior welterweight crown or potentially moving up to the more competitive and lucrative welterweight division?

He's one of the biggest names in boxing and Shakur is part of this "Fight Freaks Unite Podcast" and make sure to follow/subscribe on Apple/Spreaker/Spotify, etc.!