Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
On Saturday, November 12, 2016, there will be a full day of boxing as both Danny Garcia and Luis Ortiz return in separate fights.
First, live from the Salle des Étoiles (Hall of Stars) in Monte Carlo, Monaco, Luis Ortiz (25-0, 22 KOs) will take on Malik Scott (38-2-1, 13 KOs)for the vacant WBA Inter-Continental Heavyweight title.
The scheduled 12-round fight will be televised on HBO at 4:00 pm, EST.
Ortiz, 37, is a Cuban native who was recently signed with Golden Boy Promotions.
In August, however, Ortiz bought out his promotional contract with Golden Boy Promotions, reportedly paying 1 million dollars to be a free agent.
Then, in October, Ortiz signed with Matchroom Boxing.
Ortiz’s fight with Scott, a 36-year-old native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, will be his first with Matchroom Boxing. Because he now shares a promoter with IBF Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, Ortiz may be headed for a clash with Joshua later in the year.
But first, Ortiz will have to get through Scott, which is likely when you compare odds from multiple betting sites.
Scott is best known for being the victim to much better fighters. In 2014, Scott lost via knockout to Deontay Wilder, while in 2013, he lost to Dereck Chisora, also by knockout.
The outcome will likely be the same with Ortiz, whose most important victory was against Bryant Jennings in December 2015. Ortiz stopped Jennings via TKO in Round 7.
Danny Garcia Returns
Photo by Ed Mulholland/Getty Images
A few hours later, beginning at 9:00 pm, EST on Spike TV, Danny Garcia (32-0, 18 KOs) will face Samuel Vargas (25-2-1, 13 KOs) in a 10-round, non-title fight at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The fight is a veritable showcase fight as Garcia already has a unification fight planned for March 4, 2017 against Keith Thurman. Garcia will defend his WBC Welterweight title, while Thurman will defend his WBA Welterweight title.
Vargas, a 27-year-old native of Colombia, hasn’t a chance in the world, though he is coming off five straight wins.
However, he is only coming off five straight wins because those opponents weren’t at the top of the division. Vargas’ last fight against a top-tier opponent was against Errol Spence Jr. in April 2015, where he was knocked out in four rounds.
Vargas’ fate will likely be the same this Saturday, though perhaps it may take a few rounds longer.
In the co-main event, which is much, much better than the main event, Jarrett Hurd (18-0, 12 KOs) will return in a Junior Middleweight fight against the Romanian-born Jo Jo Dan (35-3, 18 KOs).
Hurd is coming off a 10th-round stoppage victory against Carlos Molina. This was a fight in which he landed a brutal uppercut in Round 1.
Hurd is considered to have one of the best uppercuts in the sport of boxing.
Check out the early knockdown and the late stoppage below:
On the other hand, Dan is a former Welterweight contender whose most recent loss was against Kell Brook for the IBF Welterweight title in March of 2015. Dan lost via fourth-round knockout.
Dan is moving up in weight, and Hurd will go into the fight with a considerable height and reach advantage. Although Brook was more experienced than Hurd when facing Dan, one should not be surprised if Hurd stops Dan just as early.
The fight will another step toward title contention in a division that has fighters such as Jermall Charlo, Jermell Charlo and Julian Williams.
What do you think about this weekend’s action? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Make sure to stop by RBRBoxing.com as we will have a full results page with updates for each fight on both cards.
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