LightWeight

Ryan Garcia is out to prove there's enough substance behind his style to make him a legitimate top boxer. The 22-year-old prospect will face the most significant test of his young career on Saturday when he fights Luke Campbell for the interim WBC world lightweight title.

Garcia (20-0, 17 KOs) has a huge following on social media and has been groomed for stardom by Golden Boy Promotions. He's impressed so far in his early career with his blazing fast hand speed, but it's going to take much more than that if he's going to hang around in an exciting lightweight division.

Campbell (20-3, 16 KOs) is a solid contender coming off a decision loss to Vasiliy Lomachenko. The 33-year-old southpaw hasn't yet won a world title in his career, but this could be his best chance to do it if Garcia doesn't bring his best stuff into the ring.

Although the fight is taking place on a Saturday in Dallas, it's actually an early-afternoon card. Here's how to watch.

     

Garcia vs. Campbell Fight Info

When: Saturday, Jan. 2 at 3 p.m. ET (6 p.m. ET for main event)

Where: American Airlines Center in Dallas

Live stream: DAZN (subscription required)

Odds: Garcia -435, Campbell +290 (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook)

    

It's been a long time since Garcia has spent more than a couple minutes inside of a professional boxing ring. His last two fights ended with first-round knockouts, both of them around the 90-second mark. The more recent of the two, against Francisco Fonseca last January, was particularly stunning in its swiftness and brutality.

Garcia hasn't gone to the judges since a win over Carlos Morales in September 2018. His quick hands and ability to wait patiently for an opening have served him well and made for great entertainment. The Southern California native is trained by Eddy Reynoso, who also trains Canelo Alvarez. If Garcia is the gem many believe him to be, Reynoso is going to make him shine. 

Garcia is already dreaming big, hoping he can line up a fight against Gervonta "Tank" Davis and some other big names if he's successful on Saturday, per DAZN:

Ryan Garcia gives us his 2021 fight wish list 📝 (including one name you definitely won't expect 👀) pic.twitter.com/jRpDSU5pkI

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) January 2, 2021

The danger for Garcia is that because success has come so quickly and easily for him, he might be exposed before he's had time to refine the weaker parts of his game. 

Campbell, in theory, should be able tease out the budding star's flaws, and perhaps exploit them enough to earn a victory. The 2012 Olympic gold medalist looked solid against Lomachenko in the early goings before the latter's pressure fighting and well-laid traps proved to be too much for him to handle.

Being a step or two below Lomachenko is nothing to be ashamed of, and for all we know, it means he's still going to be on a different level than the young Garcia. Campbell isn't fazed by the younger fighter's eye-catching social media clips.

"It all looks good on video, but there's plenty of kids out there who can hit the pads quickly—but not look good in the ring. You can throw 1,000 uppercuts in five seconds on the pads. But it's not real. There's no one in front of you trying to take your head [off], just someone holding the pads," he said, per ESPN.com's Nick Parkinson. 

Garcia has definitely looked good in the ring at times, but the competition has been lacking. If he can put together another highlight reel against a tough contender like Campbell, it will go a long way toward proving to his doubters that he's more than a pretty face.     

It's the kind of fight boxing fans live for, but it doesn't happen nearly often enough. On Saturday night, Vasiliy Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs), considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, will take on Teofimo Lopez Jr. (15-0, 12 KOs) in a lightweight world title unification bout. 

Both fighters have just 15 professional bouts under their belts, but they're at very different stages of their careers.

Lomachenko is 32 years old and holds the WBA and WBO world lightweight titles. After winning two Olympic gold medals as an amateur, he turned pro in 2013 and quickly established himself as one of the most skilled boxers around, dazzling fans with his impeccable timing, sublime combinations and defensive wizardry.  

Lopez, by contrast, is a 23-year-old IBF world titleholder who has demonstrated some great technical gifts to go along with his eye-catching power.

At an age when many top fighters are still carefully working to preserve their unblemished records, he is putting it all on the line as a solid underdog. He's been angling to take on the Ukrainian for some time now and is finally getting his wish.

This marquee bout will take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and has fight-of-the-year potential, so it's worth clearing the schedule for. Here's how to watch.

               

Lomachenko vs. Lopez Fight Info

When: Saturday, Oct. 17 at 10 p.m. ET

Where: MGM Grand in Las Vegas

TV: ESPN

Live stream: ESPN.com or ESPN+

Odds: Lomachenko -435 (bet $435 to win $100), Lopez +290 (bet $100 to win $290) (via Draftkings Sportsbook)

               

This is an ambitious undertaking for Lopez, as Lomachenko represents a major step up from any of his previous competition.

When we last saw the Honduran-American, he pummeled veteran Richard Commey for about four minutes to score a second-round knockout and win the IBF title in December.

The bout solidified him as Lomachenko's top contender, putting him in position to complete the "takeover" he and his father, Teofimo Lopez Sr., have been promoting for the last couple of years. To them, Lomachenko is just part of the plan. 

"This is the fight that's going to make my son a superhero," Lopez Sr. said in August, per ESPN.com's Steve Kim. "He's going to be like Superman."

Lopez has echoed his father's confidence every step of the way.

"You will see a 23-year-old become an undisputed world champ. Simple as that," said the young prizefighter, per Kim.

If only it were that simple. It's going to take more than raw power and youthful exuberance to defeat the crafty, disciplined Lomachenko.

The Ukrainian is a master at breaking down his opponents while taking minimal damage. He's not a perfect fit at lightweight and will give up size to Lopez, but his speed, accuracy and clever traps will give the younger boxer much to think about in the ring.

Bad Left Hook's Scott Christ thinks it would be unwise for Lopez to try to outbox Lomachenko, but he did offer one possible route to victory:

"What he may try to do is box with Lomachenko enough to set up his expected large advantage: pure, raw power. If he can get Lomachenko into trades, he might find a home for something huge. Lomachenko is not a natural lightweight. He is legitimately small at 135 pounds, and it’s reasonable enough to question if he can consistently take power shots from Lopez, a serious puncher at this weight."

Consistency will be key, but Lopez still has to worry about taking punishment as well. Lomachenko is adept at changing levels, equally capable of targeting the head or eroding an opponent's stamina and willpower by targeting the body.

After the years of chatter building up to this fight, the Ukrainian appears eager to do more than just safely box and move.

"I want to beat him very badly, very, very badly. I want to really beat him badly," Lomachenko told The Ring's Dan Rafael. "(Lopez's father) thinks (Lopez is) a big superstar like Tyson Fury. That's why they do the trash talk. They act like they're a big superstar, but they're not."

Lopez may not be a big superstar just yet, but he will be if he scores the upset on Saturday night. A win over Lomachenko at this stage would set him up for a long, lucrative career. Even if he loses, though, there's still plenty of time for him to establish himself.

Lomachenko, meanwhile, is nearing the end of his prime, and having started his professional career at the age of 25, he is going to want to wear the crown as long as he can.

Teofimo Lopez will reportedly face Vasiliy Lomachenko in a lightweight championship unification bout after all.

According to Mike Coppinger of The Athletic, the fight will take place on a Saturday after Oct. 3—which is the date it was scheduled for—inside MGM Grand in Las Vegas after Lopez agreed to terms with Top Rank.

Coppinger explained Lopez's manager, David McWater, negotiated with Top Rank "for weeks" when the fighter did not accept an initial offer of $1.25 million. He could make $1.5 million now after Lomachenko agreed to a reduced purse of $3.25 million from $3.5 million.

This is a highly anticipated bout, especially after an extended break because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

WBN noted Lomachenko has the WBC Franchise, WBA Super and WBO lightweight crowns, while Lopez holds the IBF lightweight crown.

It also shared comments Top Rank CEO Bob Arum made on The AK & Barak Show on SiriusXM explaining the lack of fans amid the pandemic changed the equation for the purses:

"Teofimo is a great guy and we will continue to promote his fights. But I think Teofimo is beginning to realize that his aspirations as far as how much his purse should be was based on selling tickets to an arena, to as much as two and a half or three million dollars. Plus the closed-circuit – another million dollars.

"Those revenue streams are gone. But that doesn't mean that he shouldn't get a big purse. And he is getting a big purse. But you obviously can't pay the man what you would be able to otherwise if you had a gate and closed-circuit revenue. It's as simple as that."

Lopez is 15-0 (12 KOs), and his last fight was a technical knockout win over Richard Commey in December.

Lomachenko is 14-1 (10 KOs), and his last fight was a unanimous-decision victory over Luke Campbell in August 2019.

Vasyl Lomachenko (12-1, 9 KOs) is back in the ring on Friday night, putting his WBA and WBO world lightweight titles on the line against England's Anthony "Million Dollar" Crolla (34-6-3, 13 KOs) at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. 

Lomachenko is peerless at 135 pounds, and perhaps in the sport of boxing as a whole. The Boxing Writers Association of America, Ring and ESPN all have him as their top pound-for-pound fighter.

The 31-year-old is already a three-division world champion and has thoroughly dominated everyone he's faced, save for a controversial loss to an over-the-limit Orlando Salido in his second professional bout. 

Few believe Crolla, the WBA mandatory challenger, can pull off what would be a massive upset. The Manchester native is an excellent boxer in his own right, but he's lost bouts to guys with far less talent than the Ukrainian. That includes back-to-back defeats against Jorge Linares, a boxer Lomachenko stopped with a 10th-round liver shot just last year. 

Lomachenko is looking to burnish his sterling credentials, while Crolla is aiming to make a miracle happen. Here's how to watch:

              

Lomachenko vs. Crolla Fight Info

When: Friday, April 12 at 11 p.m. ET

Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles

TV: Sky Sports (UK only)

Live Stream: ESPN+, Sky Go (UK only)

Odds: Lomachenko -5000 (bet $5,000 to win $100), Crolla +2200 (bet $100 to win $2,200)

            

We last saw Lomachenko in the ring in December, when he put on a clinic against a wildly out-of-his-depth Jose Pedraza. The southpaw champion cruised to a wide unanimous decision over the Puerto Rican.

The 11th round was particularly brutal, as the champion scored two knockdowns and landed 42 power punches, per ESPN:

Lomachenko landed *42 power punches* in Round 11 🥊 pic.twitter.com/SMw1bFsBlr

— ESPN (@espn) December 9, 2018

Footwork, timing, accuracy and power: Lomachenko has it all. While he hasn't had a ton of rest since fighting Pedraza, there's no reason to believe he won't be firing on all cylinders on Friday.

Even if the bout goes down in an entirely predictable way, Top Rank's Bob Arum is at least promising something out of the ordinary during Loma's ring walk:

Wait until you see the robe Lomachenko wears when he walks to the ring to face Anthony Crolla Friday night at STAPLES Center on ESPN+ (11 p.m. est/8 pst). There has never been anything comparable in the history of boxing

— Bob Arum (@BobArum) April 8, 2019

Crolla isn't the flashiest fighter, but he's a great competitor. Despite the overwhelming odds against him, expect the Mancunian to leave it all in the ring on Friday. 

"I'm not the most talented, but what I don't have in talent, I make up for in hard work," Crolla said, per ESPN.com's Nick Parkinson. "I'm certainly one of those fighters who work for their success. You also need a bit of luck."

The 32-year-old has worked his way up to this moment since successive decision losses to Linares. He has won three in a row, defeating Ricky Burns, Edson Ramirez and Daud Yordan in that order.

It's a solid string of wins, but none of them are anywhere near the level of the Ukrainian. Crolla doesn't possess the power to deter Lomachenko from getting in close. He is going to have to fight a perfect fight and probably get lucky in the process if he is to pull out a win. 

Assuming Lomachenko wins, it will be interesting to see what he does next. There aren't a ton of big names at 135 pounds.

One intriguing possibility, though, is Mikey Garcia. He held the IBF and WBC titles at lightweight before making a two-division leap to take on welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. in March, suffering his first career loss in lopsided fashion.

Garcia's pay-per-view was a big risk and turned out to be a huge disappointment in the end. If he wants to come back down to lightweight, he would make for an interesting opponent for Lomachenko.

         

Odds courtesy of Oddschecker and updated as of Wednesday, April 10 at 7 a.m. ET

Robert Guerrero announced Monday he has officially retired from professional boxing:

I am announcing my retirement. Thanks to everyone—especially the fans. I hope you appreciated the guts & glory I left in the ring. God Bless pic.twitter.com/InU3Bc2iys

— Robert Guerrero (@GHOSTBOXING) July 17, 2017

Guerrero is coming off a third-round TKO defeat to Omar Figueroa Jr. at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, on Saturday. He finishes his career with a 33-6-1 record.

While an exciting, aggressive boxer in his prime, many fans saw Saturday's loss as evidence the time for Guerrero to retire had arrived. Figueroa knocked him down five times, with Premier Boxing Champions sharing a replay of the final knockdown:

The Ghostbuster!

Former World Champ @OmarFigueroaJr punished @GHOSTBOXING before finally stopping him in RD 3 tonight on #PBConFOX. pic.twitter.com/5w4b5VckM2

— Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) July 16, 2017

It was his third straight defeat and fifth loss in his last seven fights.

The Los Angeles Times' Dylan Hernandez didn't see any need for Guerrero to continue in the ring:

Robert Guerrero announced his retirement from boxing. Multiple championships, several good paydays. Good time for him to walk away.

— Dylan Hernández (@dylanohernandez) July 17, 2017

Guerrero's most famous fight came against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in May 2013. It was Mayweather's first bout since serving a two-month jail sentence in 2012.

Although Guerrero looked good early on, he lost a unanimous decision.

The 34-year-old's biggest win came against Andre Berto in November 2012 as he retained the WBC interim welterweight title in a unanimous decision. He also beat Joel Casamayor in a unanimous decision in July 2010.

Terry Flanagan makes the fourth defence of his WBO lightweight title on Saturday when he takes on Orlando Cruz at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff.

With middleweight Billy Joe Saunders' long-overdue first defence of his WBO title against Artur Akavov pushed back to December 3, Flanagan and Cruz take over top billing in the Welsh capital.

Also on the card, Tommy Langford and Sam Sheedy meet for the British middleweight title vacated earlier this year by Chris Eubank Jr.

At lightweight, Thomas Stalker and Craig Evans continue their domestic rivalry. The pair drew twice in 2015, so both will be hoping to make it third time lucky in a contest for the WBO European lightweight strap.

       

When: Saturday, November 26, 10 p.m. GMT (5 p.m. ET)

Where: Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff, Wales

TV: BoxNation (UK)

Live stream: BoxNation (UK)

       

Grand Plans

That Flanagan uppercut 😳@terryflanagan5 pic.twitter.com/lnEIL4ycDV

— Queensberry Promotions (@Queensberry) November 12, 2016

Turbo Terry (31-0, 12 KOs) needs a boost. The Englishman had hoped 2016 would see him get the chance to fight the leading names at 135 pounds.

Instead, his career has flatlined. With all due respect to Derry Mathews and Mzonke Fana, his last two opponents, they weren't the names Flanagan hoped to face this year.

However, unification fights against world champions Anthony Crolla, Jorge Linares and Dejan Zlaticanin all failed to materialise—although it wasn't for a lack of effort on promoter Frank Warren's part.

"We did explore trying to get the Jorge Linares fight for him because it makes so much sense to determine who the No. 1 lightweight really is," Warren wrote on his own website. 

"Linares beat Anthony Crolla fairly comprehensively, and it wasn’t really such a close fight that it called for a rematch, but that is what they have gone with in March."

Flanagan now has to wait to see how the land lies. A defence against mandatory challenger Felix Verdejo was on the cards, only for the Puerto Rican to be injured in a motorcycle crash. That fight could still happen early in 2017 once Verdejo is fully healthy again.

However, there could also be the option to head in a new direction.

"I would jump at the chance of fighting for the world title at the next weight," Flanagan told Nick Parkinson of ESPN.co.uk. "If Terence Crawford is stepping up to welterweight then I would happily jump up."

For now, any grand plans for the future have to be put to one side.

Flanagan—a southpaw who, at the age of 27, may only just be reaching his peak years in the paid ranks—has to make sure he doesn't look beyond the dangerous Cruz.

Securing lucrative fights, either at home or abroad, has been a tricky enough task when in possession of a world title. Those negotiations become even tougher if he surrenders his main bargaining chip.

         

Stepping Up

Cruz (25-4-1, 13 KOs) wants to make a statement on Saturday, as the Puerto Rican aims to become boxing's first openly gay world champion.

"It’s a big moment for me, a big moment for my community, a big moment for my country, Puerto Rico," he told the Associated Press (h/t BoxingScene.com).

"I want that other (gay) athletes are not scared to walk into the society. Don’t be scared. Be happy with your life, and happy with your decision. All people are the same."

The problem for Cruz, however, is he's taking a huge leap of faith in agreeing to face Flanagan in Wales.

The 35-year-old's last four fights—all victories—were 10-rounders at super featherweight.

His only previous bid to win a world title came at featherweight in October 2013, and he was knocked out by Orlando Salido in Round 7 of their clash for the vacant WBO strap.

Cruz was also stopped by Cornelius Lock (in 2009) and Daniel Ponce De Leon (in 2010) in bouts for minor belts earlier in his career.

If you're looking for notable wins on his record, the very best of luck. In truth, considering his boxing CV, the southpaw is fortunate to be getting such a big opportunity in a completely new weight class.

That doesn't mean he has no chance of victory, though.

Cruz just needs to find a way to not only cope with the step up in weight but also a marked height difference. At 5'4" tall, the challenger is five-and-a-half inches shorter than his foe.

Flanagan is strong for the weight, too. In a real scrap against Mathews in March, he matched fire with fire to such an extent that he even had a point deducted in Round 8 for illegal use of the forearm.

Although he has a career knockout ratio of 43 per cent, Cruz needs to hope he hits hard enough up at lightweight to keep his bigger opponent at bay.

           

Prediction

In his column for the Daily Star at the end of October, promoter Warren claimed Cruz has the ability to give Flanagan a "tough fight."

While the visiting fighter may have the talent to cause problems in Warren's eyes, there's little to suggest he can cause an upset.

Salido broke Cruz down three years ago with a variety of body shots. Flanagan, who laboured to a points triumph over veteran Fana last time out, can do exactly the same.

Expect the champion to march through his foe as the rounds progress and eventually force a first stoppage win since flattening Diego Magdaleno 13 months ago.  

At the end of 2015, Luke Campbell's seemingly smooth progress in the paid ranks hit an unexpected rough patch. Having eased to a dozen victories as a pro, the lightweight lost contest No. 13.

A points defeat to Yvan Mendy last December wasn't part of his grand plan.

The split-decision verdict was generous; Campbell was comfortably second best against the Frenchman, who dropped his more illustrious opponent in Round 5 and was the tighter, more accurate of the two throughout.

Having cleared all previous hurdles comfortably, the 2012 Olympic gold medallist was suddenly tripped up by an opponent picked to give him rounds, not fits.

After one bad result, the question was being asked: Was Campbell more suited to the amateur game?

After responding with three successive wins in 2016, he has provided an emphatic answer. Under the guidance of respected trainer Jorge Rubio, the bandwagon is back on course—and seats on the vehicle are filling up at a rapid rate, too.

Well done @luke11campbell on a razor sharp performance..World titles coming in 2017! 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/gaBrB5aWgy

— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) October 16, 2016

The Englishman did exactly what Chumbawamba suggested in their 1997 song "Tubthumping." He got knocked down, so he got up again. It seems you're never going to keep him down.

There were mitigating personal circumstances that could explain the Mendy result, but Campbell has never used them as an excuse. Instead, he's become even more dedicated to his career, taking himself away from his young family in Hull to go through tough training camps at Rubio's Miami base.

His improved performances suggest the sacrifices are worthwhile.

In beating Gary Sykes, Argenis Mendez and now Derry Mathews in the last 10 months, Campbell has shown a little bit of everything required to go all the way to the top.

Against Sykes, who has since hung up his gloves, the 5'9" southpaw needed a fraction under six minutes to claim the vacant Commonwealth title. It appeared a routine win, yet he demolished an experienced domestic opponent, whose record includes a victory over former lightweight world champion Anthony Crolla.

The Mendez fight that followed was a complete contrast. Against a former super featherweight world champion, Cool Hand Luke quickly regained his composure after another trip to the canvas. The flash knockdown in Round 2 aside, he controlled the contest at range to triumph on points.

Mendez was admittedly hampered by a broken jaw, but Campbell won going away down the stretch.

Mathews, though, was seen as his acid test. Dirty Derry's plan was clear: drag his rival into deep waters to see if he could stay afloat. While he could not hope to win a boxing match, he could prevail in a battle.

Campbell's counter to the tactic was to settle matters before the bout at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England, had even reached the halfway stage.

If a knockdown of Mathews in Round 3 looked a little dubious, with the pair seemingly tangling feet as much as anything, there was no question surrounding the body shots that dropped the local man twice in the fourth.

A pair of left hooks to the body finished off Mathews, not just for the night, but possibly for good as a pro. Somehow, he managed to get up from the first one that landed flush in his midriff. The second soon after, however, left him sucking in air long after the fight had been waved off.

Knockout Kings captured footage of a finishing shot that would have made a Mortal Kombat character proud:

https://twitter.com/KOKINGS4/status/787393349028343809

So, in less than a year, Campbell has gone from serious contender to possible pretender and back again.

His target, however, has remained the same throughout the process: to win a world title.

"It was a great feeling of elation and relief and joy and everything when the final bell went; you don't get paid for overtime, so I was glad to get it done quickly," he told James Smailes of the Hull Daily Mail after stopping Mathews.

"I've got a lot of respect for Derry, and he's a tough opponent and a great guy too. It was a great night for me, and now we will look at taking the next step."

That next step is in the hands of his promoter, Eddie Hearn.

Campbell holds the WBC's Silver title and, according to the WBC's official website, is ranked No. 5 by the governing body. The problem is that the situation with the WBC belt is complicated.

Dejan Zlaticanin is the current holder, but former champion Jorge Linares—who had to surrender the strap when unable to defend it due to injury—is waiting for a chance to get it back.

That opportunity won't be anytime soon though. Linares suffered a hand injury during his points victory over Crolla last month, per Sky Sports.

Campbell will remain active while he waits to see what might unfold with the WBC title. Hearn told Frank Smith of the Mirror: "I'd like to go back to Hull in February. We've not been to Hull for a year and four months since beating Tommy Coyle, and we don't want to lose our support there."

In the same interview with Smith, Hearn also brings up WBO champion Terry Flanagan's name. Rather than wait for an opportunity with the WBC, Campbell could head down a different path entirely.

Although Turbo Terry is promoted by Frank Warren, he was once willing to work alongside Hearn to organise a potential unification clash between his man and Crolla, according to Boxing News.

The all-Manchester showdown between Flanagan and Crolla has yet to happen, but the former's desire to cash in on his current status should make Campbell an attractive alternative for 2017.

European champion Edis Tatli is another name Campbell might consider coming up against, while the Lonsdale belt, currently held by Scott Cardle, also holds some appeal. If he ever wants to be British champion, now is the time to do it.

Mendy's name was mentioned by some, including Adam Canavan on Twitter, as a potential future foe:

The Mendy rematch makes sense, Campbell is definitely improving under Rubio. Mathews is still a top 20/25 lightweight, it's a very good win

— Adam Canavan (@adam_canavan) October 15, 2016

But does going over old ground seem necessary? Pride comes before a fall, and perhaps Campbell should just learn the lessons from the loss to Mendy and make sure he doesn't make the same mistakes again. A rematch only makes sense if there is a big enough carrot dangled as a reward.

Whatever he chooses to do next, the outlook for the 29-year-old is much brighter than it was at the start of the year.

The solitary defeat on his CV looks more and more like a spot of turbulence on the journey rather than a reason to panic and suddenly reach for the switch marked "EJECT."

Although Campbell's talent was obvious to see during his golden run at the Olympics, Mathews wasn't alone in wondering if the former amateur star was having issues adapting to the pro game prior to their meeting.

However, by winning in such an emphatic manner, Campbell silenced Mathews and any other doubters. He didn't just manoeuvre his way beyond a gatekeeper in the division, as many expected him to do, he barged his way past.

By winning for the 12th time by knockout in 16 fights, Campbell delivered a statement of intent.

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Luke Campbell and Derry Mathews go head-to-head on Saturday in an intriguing lightweight clash in Liverpool, England.

The two Englishmen may be at different ends of the spectrum when it comes to their pro careers, but both are focused on the same target—getting a shot at a world title as soon as possible.

Campbell (14-1, 11 KOs) will be defending the WBC Silver belt he picked up in July with victory over Argenis Mendez, although he had to climb off the canvas that night to triumph on the scorecards.

For Mathews, this looks to be a must-win situation. Dirty Derry (38-10-2, 20 KOs) has home advantage at the Echo Arena, the same venue where he lost to WBO champion Terry Flanagan earlier this year.

BoxStat provided a statistical breakdown of the two rivals on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/box_stat/status/786062846165671936

The bout is the main support act to Tony Bellew's WBC cruiserweight title defence against BJ Flores.

Also on the card, Ryan Burnett and Ryan Farrag face each other for the British bantamweight belt, while super middleweight Rocky Fielding makes his first appearance since a split-decision win over Christopher Rebrasse back in April.

           

When: Saturday, October 15, 9:10 p.m. BST (4:10 p.m. ET)

Where: Echo Arena, Liverpool, England

TV: Sky Sports (UK)

Live Stream: Sky Go (UK)

           

Work in Progress

Monster night of world championship boxing in Liverpool this Saturday!
We are LIVE on SS3 from 6pm then LIVE on SS2 from 8pm. #BellewFlores pic.twitter.com/Ta4ZrVDhNn

— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) October 12, 2016

Campbell is talented—there's no doubting that. However, the southpaw still has a few hurdles to clear before he fulfils his obvious potential as a professional.

Like fellow Englishman Anthony Joshua, Campbell became a national hero when he struck gold at the 2012 Olympics in London. Unlike his old team-mate, however, the path to the top in the pros has not run smoothly.

While heavyweight Joshua has blasted his way to 17-0, becoming the IBF champion in the process, Campbell is still working his way up the rankings towards a world-title shot.

To remain on an upward curve he has to prove he can handle Mathews, a tough, experienced foe who aired his doubts about his domestic rival in Matchroom Boxing's press release to announce the bout.

"He was a fantastic amateur but the pro game is different and I don’t think that he’s settled in as a pro as he wanted to," Mathews said.

The Liverpudlian has a point. Campbell has looked good at times, particularly in producing a clinical display against fellow Hull fighter Tommy Coyle in August 2015, but he is yet to completely convince.

Personal issues have, admittedly, not helped the 29-year-old's progress, and he was not at the peak of his powers when suffering a shock points loss to Yvan Mendy at the end of 2015.

He has bounced back since with wins over the now-retired Gary Sykes and Mendez, whose hopes of building on a flash knockdown in Round 2 were hampered by a broken jaw.

Campbell told the Hull Daily Mail he has watched back the Mendez fight in an effort to discover the areas where he should look to improve:

I was making a few mistakes technically last time out, just little things but you see them more when you are in with a top level operator like he was.

I'm always striving to be better so it was about working on those little things and improving.

My feet, my balance, my defence, there were some things to work on and that's the areas we've tried to improve this camp.

He needs to be a quick learner, too. If offered the slightest window of opportunity, Mathews will barge right through it and do as much damage as possible.

With that in mind, Campbell—who is trained by Jorge Rubio and leaves his family before each fight to undertake his training camp in Florida—faces a test of both his mental and physical abilities on Saturday.

             

Major Ambitions

While Campbell may not have truly revealed himself in the paid ranks just yet, you know exactly what to expect from Mathews.

Dirty Derry has been around since 2003 and has now reached the milestone of 50 pro fights, during which time he has experienced plenty of ups and a fair few downs.

A former British and Commonwealth champion, he wants to win a world title before hanging up his gloves. He has held the interim WBA belt but missed out on the full WBO crown earlier this year.

Defeat to Flanagan could easily have been the end of the road, yet Mathews is back in a British ring again as the underdog (per Odds Shark, he is 7-2 for victory) determined to throw a spanner in the works.

The difference this time is, unlike with Flanagan, Campbell isn't quite so skilled in the darker arts of the sport.

While Mathews may have to give away the odd round to a fighter blessed with fast hands, the 33-year-old will know he can wipe away any deficit on the scorecards with just one punch.

Per Matchroom Boxing, he said:

Luke has changed trainers recently and everyone is going on about how fast and quick he looks on the pads with Jorge Rubio—but it doesn’t impress me; pads don’t hit back like I do.

He can have all the speed in the world but he is going to get tagged by me at some stage in the fight and he will be in serious trouble. I can’t wait for Saturday to go out there, get that ‘W’, win the WBC Silver and be knocking on the door for another world title shot.

Mathews has put a dent in a rising fighter's reputation before, too.

In 2012, he ended Anthony Crolla's reign as British champion by stopping his domestic rival in Round 6, with their rematch the following year ending in a split-decision draw.

Crolla has since gone on to win a world title at the weight limit—Mathews would like to follow suit.

To have any chance of another crack at a major belt, he needs to find a way to beat Campbell. That desperation, along with his experience and power, could be crucial in the final reckoning.

           

Prediction

Having fought, and lost, to both men before, Coyle is the ideal candidate to offer a forecast for the fight.

In an interview with Sky Sports News HQ, he said: "To predict the outcome, my head tells me that Campbell out-boxes him, but my heart is telling me different. This is the last-chance saloon for Derry and I have a feeling he will get the stoppage."

The bout could play out a lot like Coyle's meeting with Mathews in 2013. The former was on top, only to be sensationally stopped by the latter in Round 10.

Campbell cannot afford the kind of lapses that saw him dropped by Mendy and Mendez in the past. If he can stay out of trouble for 12 rounds, he can clinch a points triumph that will bolster his boxing CV.

           

Bleacher Report will provide live coverage of the main fights from Liverpool. Join our blog from 9 p.m. BST (4 p.m. ET) for updates on the action.

Anthony Crolla has recently made a habit of forgetting things.

At an August press conference to promote his fight with Jorge Linares, the then-WBA lightweight champion arrived in smart attire but minus a rather important belt.

On Saturday, as the local boy arrived at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, he was so focused on the task in hand he'd overlooked packing both his gum shield and shorts in his kit bag.

It’s a good job it wasn’t like P.E. lessons at secondary school, or else poor Crolla would have stepped out for the biggest night of his career in nothing but his pants and a protective cup.

At least the boxer nicknamed Million Dollar didn’t forget how to fight.

The talk before the first bell had been about how a clash between two of the best best lightweights in the world had all the ingredients to be a modern-day classic.

In one corner stood the skilful Linares, a three-weight world champion with an impressive CV and a point to prove after relinquishing his grip on the WBC title because of injury.

In the opposite corner stood Crolla, a smiling assassin dubbed the nicest man in British boxing—as Tony Bellew confirmed in a column for Metro—who never shirks away from a challenge, in or out of the ring.

Sometimes, the pre-fight hype can go too far, resulting in the main event falling short of the lofty expectations bestowed upon it.

Thankfully, that wasn’t the case with Crolla vs. Linares. We shouldn’t be surprised—they are two men who let their talents do the talking, and they served up a genuine fight-of-the-year contender.

It turned out rumours of Linares’ demise had been greatly exaggerated.

Fit again after recovering from the fractured hand that forced him to surrender his old belt, the Venezuelan proved there’s still plenty left in his tank. There was no ring rust after nearly a year out of action and no stamina issues in his 44th pro bout.

He was sharp from the outset, unleashing shots that were so fast you briefly doubted whether they’d actually been thrown. Did he just flick out a jab, or was it a figment of the imagination?

His punches came in bunches too, both to head and body. At the end of one barrage in the closing seconds of Round 6, Crolla wobbled back to his corner like a late-night reveller down Manchester's Oxford Road following one too many drinks.

Having survived to hear the bell, he sucked it up during the break and then got back to the plan—move forward, outwork his opponent with the aim of eventually weakening the defences to reveal a soft spot.

It had worked to perfection against Darleys Perez—the champion he dethroned to get hold of the WBA belt—in their rematch. It had worked against Ismael Barroso in his maiden defence too, even if Crolla had to go through some choppy waters in the early rounds to stay afloat.

With Linares, however, he just couldn’t create that crack. There were moments, albeit fleeting, when it looked like Golden Boy was feeling the pressure while being taken the distance for the first time.

However, by the final two rounds, it became clear the challenger had ridden out the storm. He would strike before taking a walk, allowing him to grab a breather and also show off to the watching judges.

While he valiantly fought his fight to the bitter end, Crolla just couldn’t avoid getting tagged on the way in. The scorecards read 115-114, 115-113 and 117-111.

The six-point margin from one official created plenty of debate on social media. What wasn't questioned, though, was the identity of the winner.

Jorge Linares #CrollaLinares pic.twitter.com/7OPKDH61sQ

— Boxing Register (@BoxingRegister) September 25, 2016

Just like against Kevin Mitchell last year in London, Linares had defeated an Englishman in his own backyard. He had done so with class and style, making it hard for the home crowd to hate him—although some needlessly felt the need to boo the new champion's post-fight interview with broadcasters Sky Sports.

There was talk of a rematch between Mitchell and Linares in the aftermath of their classic contest at the O2 Arena.

While that never materialised, Crolla may get an immediate shot at redemption. His promoter, Eddie Hearn, told Ben Dirs of BBC Sport:

There's a rematch clause. It's the biggest fight for Linares. I don't envisage any problems.

Because Anthony put up such a good fight the 12-13,000 that were in the Manchester Arena for the first fight will increase next time.

And because the money will be big and Linares will think he can win again, they'll be thinking 'bring it on'.

Crolla-Linares II would undoubtedly be another watchable fight, and all parties concerned would stand to make plenty of money by doing it all over again in front of another bumper crowd in Manchester.

But is it really the best idea for both men to go over old ground?

As well as having the WBA belt and The Ring magazine title, Linares is the WBC’s diamond champion. It’s a fancy way of saying he should still be the governing body's full champion, but somebody else has got the strap instead.

That someone is Dejan Zlaticanin, the mandatory challenger Linares wasn't fit to face earlier in the year. The unbeaten Montenegrin duly knocked out Franklin Mamani in June to claim the vacant title.

If Linares wants to reclaim what was once his, he’ll have to go through a seriously dangerous southpaw. A unification bout is a mouthwatering prospect to consider for the future.

Still, Crolla and Hearn have it in writing—or at least somewhere in the small print—that a rematch has to happen next.

Before taking up the option, they need to work out what Crolla can do differently to change the outcome second time around.

Therein lies a problem. The 29-year-old is a well-drilled fighter who is always in outstanding shape, both physically and mentally.

What he doesn’t have, though, is Linares’ hand speed and silky technique. He isn’t a heavy hitter, either. He’ll overpower you with his persistence, but he won’t power his way through you. Just 13 of his 31 pro victories have come inside the distance, giving him a career KO rate of 42 per cent.

Despite the unanimous points defeat, Crolla's stock is still high. Therefore, the next career move is crucial.

Perhaps instead of targeting Linares again, he could look a little closer to home for a new opponent.

WBO champion Terry Flanagan was in the crowd at the Manchester Arena. He knows Crolla well—the pair went to the same school—and there have been talks in the past, albeit without a great deal of success, about holding a reunion in a ring somewhere in a city they both call home.

Promoter Frank Warren, who looks after Flanagan, made a £500,000 offer to Crolla and his team at the start of the year, per James Robson of the Manchester Evening News. It was rejected, as the WBA champion faced mandatory challenger Barroso instead.

Warren then released a statement in May to explain how the complexities of the pair's contractual obligations to different television networks—Warren has his own BoxNation channel, while Hearn has a deal with Sky Sports—could be solved for one night only.

Hearn, however, felt the numbers suggested by his rival didn't quite add up.

He told George Gigney of Boxing News: "If you look at what the champions are earning, Flanagan’s on a quarter of that—and they know that. But it’s difficult because Flanagan’s not creating the revenue."

Turbo Terry doesn't have the fanbase to match Crolla's. Yet a bout between the pair would be a one-off occasion, as they would split the loyalties of many in an area of England that has always come out to support its own.

To add a little extra spice, Flanagan is a Manchester City supporter. Crolla, meanwhile, is a diehard Manchester United fan.  

Could one of their grounds stage a boxing derby dustup with ramifications ranging far beyond local bragging rights?

The non-stop football season makes that prospect tough, but we can dream. Just imagine the possibility of rival managers Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho working in each corner too.

For now, Crolla should take a step back and look at what he’s achieved. At one stage, it seemed he may not get far beyond domestic level—now he's mixing it with the best at 135 pounds.

He told Sky Sports in the immediate aftermath he couldn't celebrate a defeat. Thankfully, though, the nicest man in boxing didn't forget how to smile.

Jorge Linares dethroned Anthony Crolla in Manchester, England, winning a fight-of-the-year contender on points to become the new WBA lightweight champion.

Local boy Crolla had enjoyed a remarkable rise to the top, recovering from serious setbacks in and out of the ring—including suffering a broken ankle and fractured skull when trying to prevent a burglary—to progress through the ranks.

However, he fell short in the toughest test of his career to date.

Linares—who had to give up the WBC belt earlier this year due to injury—also claimed The Ring magazine title with a unanimous verdict.

Look back over an absorbing 12 rounds with Bleacher Report's blog: