Big Fight Weekend Boxing Podcast

We are back and ready to go with a women's world title main event in Atlanta Saturday and the flamboyant Teofimo Lopez looks to rebound from being routed in his last fight in January and he joins us to discuss his welterweight title next weekend. It's all part of the "Big Fight Weekend Preview Poecast!"

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

First, they preview Saturday’s Salita Promotions DAZN card in Atlanta

Kaye Scott vs. Claressa Shields, 10 rounds, for Scott’s WBC/WBAwomen’s middleweight title. Shields is arguably the best female fighter in the sport but this fight is an apparent joke matchup for her. We go into the "why" on this one. In the co feature- Ernesto “Tito” Mercado vs. Emmanuel Tagoe, 10 rounds, junior welterweights. Mercado has potential but has had lots of promotional problems and not been that active.

Next, the guys recap Wednesday’s Matchroom Boxing DAZN main event in Broadbeach, Australia
Heavyweight hopeful Teremoana Teremoana (12-0, 12 KOs), 2024 Australian Olympian, in his first main event, blew away seemingly petrified DeAndre Savage by second-round knockout. Teremoana needs rounds and better opponents.

Then, it's former junior welterweight and lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez talking to Dan. He moves up to welterweight to challenge WBA titlist and good friend Rolando Romero on August 22 on DAZN PPV at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
 
Next, some news

The death of former welterweight up-and-comer Prichard Colon, who suffered a severe brain injury in an Oct. 17, 2015 PBC bout on NBC TV .Colon was 33, as his father announced his death on Thursday on social media. Dan remembers vividly what happened and covering the aftermath for years.

Also, Dan is reporting on the three-belt unification fight between WBO/IBF junior lightweight titlist Emanuel Navarrete and WBC titleholder O’Shaquie Foster being in the works but not done. Although, Top Rank Boxing has a probable date and a site on hold. We like this fight, but will it happen.

More Dan reporting on a possible Vasily Lomachenko opponent when he exits an over two year retirement later this year.

And, former two-time heavyweight titleholder Hasim Rahman, who is 53 and been retired since 2014, had his license denied by the New York commission and the comeback fight planned for Aug. 18 was canceled but now his team has announced a different fight for next month in Hammond, Indiana, where the commission sucks and it’s way easier to get a license. WHAT. ARE. WE. DOING. HERE?!

It's all part of the "Big Fight Weekend Preview" and make sure to follow/subscribe on Apple/Spreaker/Spotify, etc.!

Flamboyant WBA welterweight champ Rolly Romero is set to return later this month in a PPV main event, but first he stops be for a conversation on this special "Fight Freaks Unite Podcast" with insider Dan Rafael.

Romero is making his first WBA welterweight title defense vs. his good friend, Teofimo Lopez. on August 22nd on a DAZN/Prime Video PPV from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

He discusses that matchup and the future at 147 lb., especially since, he owns a win over current WBC champ, Ryan Garcia last year.

Hear it all as part of our coverage on the "Fight Freaks Unite Podcast" and make sure to follow/subscribe on Apple/Spreaker/Spotify, etc.

It was A "world title" fight in the middleweight division in Ireland, not THE title, but we're ready to go over what happened there and there's fight news and some Roy Jones nostalgia later, too on the newest "Fight Freaks Unite Recap Podcast!"

Host T.J. Rives and insider Dan Rafael return to go over it all. 

First a recap of Saturday’s Zuffa Boxing 10 in Dublin, Ireland

Aaron McKenna W12 Etinosa Oliha, wins vacant IBF middleweight title. This fight, being kind, lacked a lot, but we go over the win and the ramifications. Plus, a discussion on the "World Middleweight Championship" being portrayed on the broadcast.

Also on the card, Callum Walsh W10 Tyler Denny, middleweights. Walsh wins a snoozer and Dan is less than enthused by his future.  
Also, Saturday’s Boxxer card on DAZN in Leedsa, England

Callum Simpson W12 Troy Williamson, rematch, regains British and Commonwealth super middleweight titles
 
NEWS

Daniel Dubois-Fabio Wardley rematch penciled in for October 17th Co-op Live in Manchester, England, same site as the first epic battle. It's arguably the 2026 Fight of Year and we discuss the planned seqel.

Conor Benn says fight with Ryan Garcia on September 12th will be his last at welterweight and then will look to biggest fights from 154 to 168 lb.

Liam Paro seemingly pricing himself out of Devin Haney unification at welterweight, so now, Haney in talks with Jack Catterall for October. Is this to pressure Paro or for real?

Former welterweight titlist Kell Brook says he plans to end his retirement to return at middleweight or super middleweight. Been retired since stopping Amir Khan in their long-awaited welterweight fight in February 2022. T.J. believes this is sad and the boys debate.

Nostalgia

August 7, 1997 — 29 years ago on Friday – Roy Jones KO1 Montell Griffin their immediate rematch to regain the WBC light heavyweight title in perhaps the greatest performances of his legendary career. The boys discuss the legend of Roy and T.J. has a "Fish Story" to tell about Jones and a golf
tournament. 

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

We're back on a lighter weekend of action with a vacant middleweight world title fight in Ireland and a current world champion joins us to preview his upcoming title bout later in the month. It's all on the newest "Big Fight Weekend Previvew Podcast!"

Host T.J. Rives returns with insider Dan Rafael to go over it all on 

First, they preview the Zuffa Boxing Card on Saturday in Dublin, Ireland (Paramount+)

Aaron McKenna vs. Etinosa Oliha, 12 rounds, for vacant IBF middleweight title. Who are these guys and what has happened to our famed middleweight division that this is a title bout?

In the co-feature Callum Walsh vs. Tyler Denny, 10 rounds, middleweights. Can Walsh take step towards a title fight, himself?

Then, it's Rolly Romero with Dan, as he makes his first WBA welterweight title defense vs. good friend Teofimo Lopez on Aug. 22 on DAZN and Prime Video PPV at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas  
Then, fight news

The heavyweight clash between rising British star Moses Itauma and top contender Filip Hrgovic took on greater stakes Tuesday when it was upgraded to be for the vacant IBF world title. They are scheduled August 29 on DAZN PPV at The O2 Arena in London. Frank Sanchez took a step-aside deal and IBF signed off.

Former WBO heavyweight titlist Joseph Parker has had his provisional suspension lifted by the British Boxing Board of Control and can return to the ring following positive cocaine test after a dramatic and controversial 11th-round knockout loss to Fabio Wardley in London that cost him the WBO interim belt and a due mandatory shot at then-undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk.

Dan's reporting: It is probable that Jaime Munguia, who easily outpointed Armando Resendiz to win the WBA super middleweight title in May, will make his first defense against an opponent to be determined on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez’s challenge of WBC super middleweight titlist Christian Mbilli on the Oct. 31 “Mexico vs. the World” DAZN PPV card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

WBC interim junior welterweight titlist Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz will defend against Nestor Bravo in the Mexico-Puerto Rico main event of the first non-pay-per-view card of PBC’s new deal with DAZN on Sept. 19 at  Pechanga Arena in San Diego. In the co-feature, WBC interim middleweight titlist Jesus Ramos Jr. will face mandatory challenger Meiirim Nursultanov.

Lineal cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia will make his ninth defense against Noel Mikaelian on September12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Zuffa Boxing announced on Tuesday. The bout will serve as the co-feature on the card headlined by WBC welterweight titleholder Ryan Garcia’s first defense against Conor Benn but Mikaelian likely will be stripped of the WBC title and faces a  lawsuit from Don King.

And, more Dan reporting: one of the Golden Boy fights in the works for that same Ryan Garcia-Conor Benn undercard on September 12 would pit former unified junior welterweight titlist Jose Ramirez and Alexis Rocha in welterweight bout.

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

It was a lightweight championship doubleheader weekend in Las Vegas, there was.a wild Queensbery main event in Ireland and we have fight news, too, on the latestt "Fight Freaks Unite Recap Podcast."

Host T.J. Rives and Dan Rafael of his Fight Freaks Unite Recap Substack and Newslettter are back to give their insight on it all.

First, they recap Saturday’s Golden Boy “The Fight” card on DAZN, TNT, truTV in Las Vegas

Lightweight William Zepeda W12 Lamont Roach and wins the vacant WBC title. Great performance by Zepeda and what does it mean at 135 lb. for him.
Also, lightweight Raymond Muratalla W12 Robson Conceicao, retains IBF title. He wasn't tremendous and now wants to vacate and move up to 140 lb.

Also, on the undercard, welterweight Raul Curiel W10 majority Quinton Randall (Curiel had missed weight)with one card as a draw and another as a 10-0 SHUTOUT?! We have more on - What. Are. We. Doing. Here?!

Plus, Junior middleweight Charles Conwell TKO9 Paul Kroll . What is Conwell's future?

Recap Queensberry DAZN main event in Dublin, Ireland

Junior welterweight Mark Chamberlain TKO10 Pierce O’Leary – TERRIFIC FIGHT and the boys go into more detail.

News

Keyshawn Davis declines to abide by Top Rank’s winning purse bid and won’t fight WBO welterweight titlist Devin Haney. What is he doing with his career at this point? T.J. thinks Top Rank should delete him. What will they do?

Next, the WBA has stripped injured Rene Santiago of its junior flyweight title and re-classified him as its champion in recess. Dan disagrees with this. Also, the WBA finally orders the purse for the vacant lightweight title after stripping Gervonta Davis. August 11th bid scheduled for Floyd Schofield vs. Lucas Bahdi.

Lightweight contender Andy Cruz, who plans to drop down to junior lightweight, has become a promotional free agent with the recent expiration of his contract with Matchroom Boxing.

And, non-boxing sports media is now raising questions about Zuffa Boxing and their contradictory plans and floundering Paramount+ audience, etc. The guys discuss.

And, we finish with Nostalgia

August  2, 1980 – 46 years ago on Sunday – Thomas Hearns, age 21, KO2 fellow Hall of Famer Pipino Cuevas in devastating fashion to win the WBA welterweight title, the first of his any titles in 5 divisions (147 to 175). The guys have more on that fight and Hearns' lethal right hand.

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