Usually I'd be doing a top 10 fights for the upcoming month, but due to fight cards being delayed or cancelled altogether, and bouts being scratched for various reasons, this slate is thinner than Sebastian Fundora on a fast.
(And Sebastian, you know we love ya, it's just a joke.)
OK, so with that said, here's a list of the top five fights taking place this September..
1- Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk ( Sept. 25, Tottenham, UK -- DAZN)
Joshua, who holds the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles, is facing the former undisputed cruiserweight champion Usyk, who is his WBO mandatory challenger. There is certainly a size advantage for 'AJ', and he is the much stronger puncher of the two. However, Usyk is a highly skilled boxer, who generally gets better as the fight goes on. It will be very intriguing to see what happens on the back end of this fight should Usyk get out of the early rounds relatively unscathed.
2- Brandon Figueroa vs. Stephen Fulton (Sept. 18, Las Vegas -- Showtime)
A good old-fashioned unification tilt at 122. The rough-and-rugged Figueroa captured the WBC belt by stopping Luis Nery with a well-placed body shot in the seventh round of their clash back in May. While the skilled Fulton won the WBO belt by clearly defeating Angelo Leo in January. This is a very enticing match-up, one that has the aggressive, free swinging brawler against the well-schooled technician. Fulton is rated third by Ring Magazine, with Figueroa right behind him at four.
Photo Credit: Showtime Sports/Fig-Fulton
3- Mauricio Lara vs. Josh Warrington ( Sept. 4, Leeds, UK -- DAZN)
This is a rematch of a February fight where Lara just simply overwhelmed Warrington with his power and never let off the gas pedal on his way to a ninth round TKO.
For Warrington, a former featherweight belt-holder, what was supposed to be a tune-up bout, instead became a brutal beat down. Can he overcome the firepower of the 23 year old Mexican who has to be brimming with confidence coming into this weekend?
4- Junto Nakatani vs. Angel Acosta ( Sept. 10, Tucson, Arizona -- ESPN+)
The undefeated Nakatani comes in as the defending WBO flyweight titlist. He is a sharp southpaw that is part of a strong roster of world-class boxers in the lower weight classes that hail from Japan. He is a solid all-around fighter, who can box effectively and has above average power. Acosta, is an aggressive fighter who will be pressing Nakatani from the very onset. Not too long ago he held the WBO 108 pound title but lost it to Elwin Soto, in what might have been a quick stoppage in the 12th round back in 2019. Ring Magazine has Nakatani rated fourth in the division, with Acosta eighth.
5- Conor Benn vs. Adrian Granados ( Sept 4, Leeds, UK -- DAZN)
Benn is a rapidly improving young welterweight who opened up some eyes halting the usually durable Samuel Vargas in one round in his most recent outing. In Granados he is facing an experienced veteran who has faced the likes of Robert Easter, Danny Garcia, Adrien Broner, Shawn Porter and Javier Fortuna throughout his career. He has looked shopworn recently, but Granados has never cheated the paying public. He may not have a lot left, but whatever he has, he'll let it all go this weekend.
Credit: Benn-Granados
PURSE BID DELAY
The last K9's Corner( Some Stuff) spoke of the upcoming WBO purse bid for the welterweight contest between their champion, Terence Crawford, and Shawn Porter, which was scheduled for Thursday.
Well, on Wednesday afternoon the WBO announced that it was being tabled for another two weeks.
https://twitter.com/WorldBoxingOrg/status/1433166699449262085
Honestly, nobody really knows if this is a good or bad thing in terms of actually consummating this fight. Word is that the two sides hadn't really made a lot of progress in the past month, since the WBO ordered these negotiations.
3KR
This week on 'the 3 Knockdown Rule', Mario Lopez and I discuss Manny Pacquiao's future after his loss to Yordenis Ugas, and the Jake Paul-Tyrone Woodley fight, along with the 'Ask Mario' segment and 'Final Flurries'...
https://dcs.megaphone.fm/HSW5262308453.mp3?key=ff4c83c5db670e6e220873e0ee8c2a5c
FINAL FLURRIES
WBO junior bantamweight titlist, Kazuto Ioka, retained his title in Toyko by scoring a decision over Francisco Rodriguez on Wednesday.... Still no word on if Oscar Valdez's scheduled bout next Friday will go on after he tested positive for a stimulant. He is scheduled to face Robson Conceicao. We'll have more on this situation next week....The above mentioned contest between Nakatani and Acosta are on that card...I can be reached at k9kim@yahoo.com.....
