Here’s this weekend’s fight preview:
Friday, July 15th 2016
Boxing: Sergey Lipinets Faces Walter Castillo in a title contention face-off
(Photo Credit: Nabeel Ahmad / Premier Boxing Champions)
Sergey Lipinets has seven KOs in nine career bouts, while Walter Castillo has never been stopped in 30 fights heading into their 140-pound showdown.
A 27-year-old from Kazakhstan who will be in his first fight with renowned trainer Buddy McGirt, Lipinets (9-0, 7 KOs) is coming off a fifth-round stoppage of Levan Ghvamichava, who doubled over to his right knee from a brutal left hook to the liver last March.
Castillo is 1-1-1 in his past three fights falling by 10-round unanimous decision to Amir Imam in April 2015, scoring a third-round knockout of Ammeth Diaz last July, and finally battling Keita Obara to a 12-round draw in November.
Castillo had won nine consecutive fights, six by knockout. The 27-year-olds only other career losses were a pair of split-decision setbacks to Edwin Palacios in his pro debut and Vicente Mosquera in February 2012.
Catch all the action tonight from the Horseshoe Tunica Hotel & Casino in Tunica, Mississippi live on ESPN at 9pm EST/6pm PST.
Saturday, July 16th 2016
Boxing: Deontay Wilder vs. Chris Arreola
Undefeated WBC Heavyweight Champion, Deontay The Bronze Bomber Wilder will take on veteran boxer, Chris The Nightmare Arreola in Birminghams Legacy Arena.
The event comes on the heels of a cancellation of his last bout, which was scheduled for last May 21st in Russia, when challenger Alexander Povetkin tested positive for the banned substance meldonium.
Wilder (36-0) has knocked out his last three opponents since wresting the belt from Bermane Stiverne back in January of 2015. The fight will be the Tuscaloosa natives second in the Legacy Arena, where he retained the belt after taking out game opponent, Johann Duhaupas in the 11th round.
Arreola (36-4-1) is a former champion that has sought the WBC heavyweight belt for a long time, losing to Bermane Stiverne for the then-vacant WBC title in 2014. His first time competing for the prized heavyweight belt was back in 2009 when his corner stepped in to stop a shutout by then champion Vitali Klitchko.
Many feel Arreola is not relevant for the title shot with his last majority decision win over Travis Kauffman having been turned into a no decision for testing positive for marijuana last December. He fought Fred Kassi to a draw in the fight before that last July.
With British Heavyweight sensation and IBF Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua now heating up the ranks, this fight is another stepping stone for Wilder to get to the bigger stage of his career.
Chris Arreola in boxing terminology is no soft touch and the event, which is a Premier Boxing Champions card live on FOX network television, looks to open many eyes to both Wilder and the new resurgence in heavyweight boxing action.
Catch all the action live from Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama on Fox at 8pm / 5pm PST
Bellator 158: Lima vs. Daley
Bellator heads to the cavernous O2 Arena for a coterie of great match-ups. However, the highlight of the night is a welterweight pairing of former Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima vs. British striking sensation Paul Daley.
Lima is one of the rare fighters that Bellator has actually groomed into a star. Having been with the promotion since 2011, Lima made it to the finals of Bellators season 5 welterweight tournament, only to lose to highly touted wrestler Ben Askren. He climbed back up the tournament ladder and stopped Rick Hawn at Bellator 117 to capture the welterweight belt.
With the new direction of Bellator being less focused on tournaments to decide championships, Lima lost his title last year to Andrey Koreshkov at Bellator 140 via unanimous decision.
Paul Daley is a true combat sports veteran and one of the fiercest strikers in all of mixed martial arts.
Daley is a star in the U.K., which started when he won the biggest local promotion, Cage Rages welterweight championship back in 2006. He then fought in Strikeforce and Elite XC until he finally made it to the UFC in 2009. Daley went undefeated in his first two outings against top tier competition like Martin Kampmann and Dustin Hazelett, finishing both via knockout until his run was derailed when he lost to Josh Koscheck in a welterweight title eliminator.
Daley was upset with Koscheck and hit him after the bell rung intentionally, prompting his release from the organization. This fight was originally scheduled as a rematch with Koscheck but after he suffered an injury, Lima stepped in as the two have had a war of words recently in social media.
After stints with the now defunct Strikeforce and other international organizations, Daley has found a home in Bellator. Fighting on his home turf should make for a vicious pairing.
Catch all the action live from the O2 Arena on Spike TV at 9pm EST
