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Unbeaten heavyweights collide

Unbeaten heavyweight Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson (13-0, 13 KOs) will face fellow unbeaten George Arias (18-0, 7 KOs) in a 10-rounder Saturday, April 8, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Anderson-Arias will be the co-feature to the WBC lightweight title eliminator between Shakur Stevenson and Shuichiro Yoshino. Anderson said, “This is the kind of fight I’ve been waiting for, a big fight between two undefeated heavyweights. I’m excited to once again be fighting on the same card as Shakur Stevenson. Don’t miss this fight. April 8 is going to a special night in Newark.”

U.S. Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn Davis (7-0, 5 KOs) will face his stiffest challenge in the 10-round lightweight televised opener against former world title challenger Anthony Yigit (26-2-1, 10 KOs).

Stevenson-Yoshino, Anderson-Arias, and Davis-Yigit will be broadcast live on ESPN.

Zhang warns Joyce

Heavyweight Zhilei “Big Bang” Zhang (24-1-1, 19 KOs) promises that “Juggernaut” Joe Joyce (15-0, 14 KOs) will feel his power when the pair collide at London’s Copper Box Arena on April 15, live on ESPN+ and BT Sport. Joyce is renowned for walking through heavy fire without flinching, but Zhang warns that if Joyce thinks he can take punishment in this fight, it would be a risky strategy.

“Joe Joyce has good punch resistance but he has never felt Chinese power,” proclaimed the 39-year-old Zhang.

Joyce and Zhang will trade bombs with Joyce’s WBO interim heavyweight title at stake, with the pair fighting for the right to challenge for the full world championship, currently held by unified champion Oleksandr Usyk.

ESPN+ picks up Yoka-Takam

French Olympic gold medalist Tony Yoka will return in a 10-round main event this Saturday, March 11, against former world title challenger Carlos Takam at Zenith Paris in Paris, France. Yoka-Takam and undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+.

Yoka (11-1, 9 KOs) is coming off a majority decision loss to Martin Bakole last May. Gatekeeper Takam recently ended Arslanbek Makhmudov’s knockout streak by forcing him to go 10 rounds for the first time. He has lost two straight.

Tony Yoka vs. Carlos Takam: Card To Be Carried By ESPN+

French Olympic gold medalist Tony Yoka will return in a 10-round main event this Saturday, March 11, against former world title challenger Carlos Takam at Zenith Paris in Paris, France.

Yoka-Takam and undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ starting at 2:45 p.m. ET/11:45 a.m. PT.

Yoka (11-1, 9 KOs) had a decorated amateur career that included wins over Joseph Parker, Filip Hrgovic and Joe Joyce, the latter of whom he defeated to earn a gold medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Yoka turned pro in 2017 and notched 11 victories before suffering a majority decision loss to Martin Bakole last May. The 30-year-old contender is eager to regain his upward momentum in the heavyweight rankings. Takam (39-7-1, 28 KOs) is a Cameroonian-born contender who represented his homeland in the 2004 Olympics and challenged Anthony Joshua for the unified heavyweight crown in 2017. In his last fight, he ended Arslanbek Makhmudov’s knockout streak by forcing him to go 10 rounds for the first time.

In other streaming action from Paris:

British light heavyweight Dan Azeez (18-0, 12 KOs) puts his unbeaten record on the line in a 12-round battle against Frenchman Thomas Faure (21-4-1, 2 KOs) for the European title. The 33-year-old Azeez is inching closer to a world title shot and is coming off an eighth-round TKO win over former world champion Rocky Fielding last December.

Olympic gold medalist Lauren Price (2-0, 1 KO) makes her 2023 debut in an eight-round welterweight tilt against Naomi Mannes (6-1, 4 KOs). The Welsh standout is coming off a TKO win in October, while Mannes lost in a bid for the European title in November.

Undefeated middleweight Farrhad Saad (8-0-1) returns from a two-year layoff versus Britain’s Macaulay McGowan (17-3-1, 3 KOs).

Takam always comes to fight

That's a fight I'd like to see this weekend. Bart, put your tech team on it???

will do

Interesting:

https://www.boxingscene.com/usyk-promoter-says-fury-rejected-proposal-60-40-split-with-winner-taking-60--172968