DAZN and Social Media, 8:00 am ET, Whyte vs Franklin press conference.
DAZN and Social Media, 8:00 am ET, Whyte vs Franklin weigh-in.
Channel 5 (UK), 4:00 pm ET, Liam Williams vs Nizar Trimech. I think we can officially chalk “Wasserman Boxing” up to another venture that came in making promises and just can’t deliver, because the boxing business is simply not built for expansion. Williams is fighting a 9-3-2 French opponent in the main event as he looks to bounce back from losses to Demetrius Andrade and Chris Eubank Jr, and Harlem Eubank will take on Tom Farrell in another 10-rounder.
DAZN and Social Media, 12:30 pm ET, Whyte vs Franklin prelims. Cheavon Clarke and Pat McCormack are in action, plus George Liddard makes his pro debut.
DAZN, 2:00 pm ET, Dillian Whyte vs Jermaine Franklin. Whyte’s return after getting goomed by Tyson Fury in April. Jermaine Franklin was, for a minute, hyped a bit by ShoBox as the “next great American heavyweight,” but some uninspiring performances got the plug pulled on that push. This is his chance, though, and if Whyte doesn’t take this seriously, doesn’t come in shape, just isn’t really feeling it, Franklin is plenty competent, a solid boxer with decent power, and it’s the heavyweights, just about everyone is dangerous. I really like the Fabio Wardley vs Nathan Gorman undercard matchup, plus Craig Richards takes on Ricards Bolotniks, and Sandy Ryan faces Anahi Esther Sanchez in more aggressive matchmaking for Ryan, who took an “L,” bounced back, and keeps trying to move forward. Bad Left Hook will have live coverage.
ESPN+, 2:00 pm ET, Zach Parker vs John Ryder. Also airing on BT Sport in the UK. A good matchup, for the interim WBO title at 168 lbs, which is fair enough with Canelo sidelined due to injury and all that; I mean, you could just call it an “eliminator,” but either way, that’s the point of it. They get to take a belt home with the money they pay the organization instead of just a promise. Won’t have full live coverage because it’s up against a bigger event, but you’re welcome to come chat about this in the Whyte-Franklin post, too, because I’ll have it on in the background as well. Undercard has some Queensberry prospects — Hamzah Sheeraz, Dennis McCann (Warren loves that kid), Sam Noakes, etc.
PPV, 9:00 pm ET, Jose Zepeda vs Regis Prograis. A tremendous matchup for the vacant WBC 140 lb title, promoted by MarvNation, who won a purse bid for, being honest, more than the fight was going to command from anyone else. But it’s a move to see what they can do. Whether they can sell enough $60 PPVs to make it work is a problem for the promoters after; as long as the fighters get paid and the fight goes on, the rest of us move on either way. And it is a great fight on paper, could be a late year barnburner. The undercard is solid, really no worse than most major league PPVs. We’ll be here. Bad Left Hook will have live coverage.
Sky Sports (UK), 10:00 am ET, Adam Azim vs Rylan Charlton, Lerrone Richards vs Zak Chelli. A rare Sunday card for the UK, with Boxxer and Sky looking ready to go all-in with Adam Azim, positioning him as the main event in a fight against Rylan Charlton. It’s Azim’s seventh pro fight, and about what a seventh pro fight for him should be. Richards faces Chelli in a super middleweight matchup, plus more on the card.