Sheffield’s Kid Galahad makes the first defence of his IBF featherweight title this weekend when he takes on Kiko Martinez on Saturday evening.
The 31-year-old outclassed Jazza Dickens in August to win his first world title, and he will be confident of getting the job done on what is a big night of boxing.
In the early hours of Sunday morning, Jaime Munguia will look to extend his unbeaten record when he faces Gabriel Rosado, while David Benavidez takes on Kyrone Davis.
Father Time Should Catch up With Martinez
Kiko Martinez’s career has seen him travel the world, and he has every chance of entering the Hall of Fame in years to come.
The 35-year-old is a former world champion, but he has struggled to return to his former heights. Martinez has lost to Carl Frampton on two occasions, while Scott Quigg, Leo Santa Cruz, Josh Warrington, Gary Russell Jr and Zelfa Barrett have also got the better of him.
That list of names proves Martinez has shared a ring with some of the best of his era, but Galahad should be too slick for him when they meet at the Sheffield Arena.
Galahad’s only defeat came at the hands of Warrington in 2019, and he has come on leaps and bounds since then.
Martinez is a 13/2 outsider for a reason, and he will do well to withstand the barrage of punches Galahad will unload on him on Saturday.
Rosado to Go Down Swinging
Twelve months ago, Gabriel Rosado’s career looked to be over, but in typical Rosado fashion, he showed tremendous heart and courage to fight for another day.
Rosado lost via split decision to former world champion Daniel Jacobs, and his heroic display proved he could still mix it at the top.
He responded by beating the previously unbeaten Bektemir Melikuziev inside three rounds, and now he has another crack at trying to become a world champion. Rosado has said once he gets a world title, he will call it a day, but it looks like he could be waiting a while.
Munguia is as short as 2/17 to win this weekend, and his record is a perfect one, with 37 wins from as many fights, including 30 stoppage successes.
While Munguia’s CV is not as strong as it could be, he should have too much power for Rosado, who is likely to take on one war too many.
Superstardom Awaits Benavidez
Unbeaten former two-time WBC super-middleweight champion David Benavidez returns to the ring this weekend when he faces Kyrone Davis in Arizona.
Davis is a late replacement, with former IBF champion Jose Uzcategui forced to withdraw due to a failed drugs test.
In his previous fights, Davis has shown he is willing to trade, but that could be a risky game plan when he takes on Benavidez.
Benavidez has won 21 of his 24 fights without hearing the final bell and a potential bout against Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez is something he can look forward to if he wins.
That’s a life-changing fight, and Benavidez should get the job done nice and early.
*All odds correct at time of writing