Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury II - February 22, 2020

[Ruthless-RKO]

Undefeated Polish heavyweight contender Adam Kownacki will headline a show from the Barclays Center on March 7 on Fox against an opponent still to be determined, PBC announced on its flagship program “Inside PBC Boxing.”

The return marks the first time Kownacki (20-0, 15 KOs) will return to the ring since unanimously decisioning Chris Arreola in an all-out slugfest last August that set a new heavyweight record with 667 combined punches landed in a fight. It also catapulted the heavyweight record for combined punches thrown with 2,172. The previous record was 1,730, set by Ike Ibeabuchi and David Tua in 1997, per CompuBox.

The development also means that the Brooklyn-based Kownacki, a PBC fighter, won’t co-headline the Deontay Wilder versus Tyson Fury card on Feb. 23.

Source

[Ruthless-RKO]

Amir Imam To Fight On Wilder-Fury, Pulled From 1/18 ESPN+ Bill

Amir Imam will have to wait five weeks longer than expected to return to the ring, but will be well worth the delay.

BS.com has learned that the former title challenger will now appear on the undercard of the February 22 heavyweight title fight rematch between defending titlist Deontay Wilder (42-0-1, 41KOs) and England’s Tyson Fury (29-0-1, 20KOs). Imam is due to face 2008 U.S. Olympian and current welterweight Javier Molina, with the bout to take place at a catchweight of 142 pounds.

The Athletic’s Mike Coppinger was the first to reveal the development through social media.

With the agreed-upon bout in place, it means that Imam (22-2, 19KOs) will no longer appear on the undercard of the January 18 ESPN+ card in Verona, New York, roughly two hours from his Albany hometown. Imam was due to face journeyman Matthew Strode in his planned second fight since returning to the ring last fall, which would have served in supporting capacity to a still-scheduled light heavyweight clash between former titlist Eleider Alvarez and knockout artist Michael Seals.

Instead, he takes on a far more formidable challenge in Molina (21-2, 9KOs), who has won four straight since a hard-fought 10-round loss to bubble contender Jamal James nearly four years ago, The 30-year old from Norwalk, California native is coming off of a 1st round knockout of Hiroki Okada last November in Carson. The bout came one week prior to Imam’s debut under the Top Rank banner, having scored a 4th round knockout of Matthew Mojica last November on an ESPN+ undercard in Fresno, California. It was Imam’s first fight since a 12-round loss to Jose Ramirez in their March 2018 vacant title fight, his last under a suffocating contract with Don King, from whom he broke free last year along with a prior managerial contract with Stacy McKinley as he has since signed with high-powered manager Peter Kahn.

Imam benefits from the move in a big way, as his next fight will now play to a much larger audience as ticket sales continue to move at a rapid rate for the Wilder-Fury rematch. Imam and Fury are both promoted by Top Rank Inc., who is allotted a certain number of undercard slots along with one televised preliminary slot on the Pay-Per-View portion of the event, with the rest of the card going to Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), which represents Wilder.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Imam won’t be on the 3-fight PPV portion. He’ll be on the prelims.

Hopefully we’ll get good PPV fights.

I have a feeling all Arum is doing here is grooming Imam to be a future TC opponent. Another in-house fight.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Onetimeonly]

This Undercard is looking epically bad with nothing announced.

[squiggy]

What is this, a new Rocky movie?

[Ruthless-RKO]

This Undercard is looking epically bad with nothing announced.

Amir Imam has been announced for the prelim undercard.

[Onetimeonly]

This Undercard is looking epically bad with nothing announced.

Amir Imam has been announced for the prelim undercard.

I'm talking about the pay portion.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Amir Imam has been announced for the prelim undercard.

I'm talking about the pay portion.

Yeh, they need to announce the 2 fights ASAP.
You feel Wilder-Fury rematch isn’t reason alone to purchase the PPV?

[gilgamesh]

I'm talking about the pay portion.

Yeh, they need to announce the 2 fights ASAP.
You feel Wilder-Fury rematch isn’t reason alone to purchase the PPV?

It's kinda funny how all the drama of the 12th round has people eager to see a rematch, because the fight basically sucked ass for 10 and a half rounds.

[Onetimeonly]

I'm talking about the pay portion.

Yeh, they need to announce the 2 fights ASAP.
You feel Wilder-Fury rematch isn’t reason alone to purchase the PPV?

I'll buy it, it's going to lose money either way so I never expected much. The first fight sucked, gotta expect this to be better.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Yeh, they need to announce the 2 fights ASAP.
You feel Wilder-Fury rematch isn’t reason alone to purchase the PPV?

It's kinda funny how all the drama of the 12th round has people eager to see a rematch, because the fight basically sucked ass for 10 and a half rounds.

That’s true. Name wise, it’s a huge HW fight, but it’s likely gonna go the same way the first one did. Unless Wilder starts just throwing bombs early and just TKFO’s Fury.

[Onetimeonly]

It's kinda funny how all the drama of the 12th round has people eager to see a rematch, because the fight basically sucked ass for 10 and a half rounds.

That’s true. Name wise, it’s a huge HW fight, but it’s likely gonna go the same way the first one did. Unless Wilder starts just throwing bombs early and just TKFO’s Fury.

If fury doesn't throw more punches I hope every judge gives every Rd to wilder. He can win this, but more effort is needed.

[bigman1968]

Yeh, they need to announce the 2 fights ASAP.
You feel Wilder-Fury rematch isn’t reason alone to purchase the PPV?

I'll buy it, it's going to lose money either way so I never expected much. The first fight sucked, gotta expect this to be better.

That’s Fury style that stinks the joint...hope Wilder will hit him well fast enough...

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Onetimeonly]

Fury may be about to postpone.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Fury may be about to postpone.

What have you heard?

[Onetimeonly]

Fury may be about to postpone.

What have you heard?

Just rumors about on his shoulder, nothing over there?

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

What have you heard?

Just rumors about on his shoulder, nothing over there?

Isn’t the press conference tonight,

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Onetimeonly]

Just rumors about on his shoulder, nothing over there?

Isn’t the press conference tonight,

I wouldn't know, got no time to listen to these guys talk.

[Thomastearns]

Isn’t the press conference tonight,

I wouldn't know, got no time to listen to these guys talk.

I might find some time to watch the highlights of their chit chat - if there are any.

Of course by now nobody should take anything Fury says seriously.

It's quite clear that his only strategy will be to attempt a repeat of their first fight minus his two knock-downs. If he'd had it his way, his bout with Wilder would have been a big a snooze fest as was his one with Klitschko.

Still, this fight will be fascinating - with most of the fans hoping to see the deceptively slippery lineal serial-lying drug cheat creep get flattened for good this time.

Deontay Wilder now has a huge opportunity to step up and demonstrate that he is clearly the current no 1 in the division.

Then Boxing can finally get THE fight it's been demanding for years.

[Jeff_lacy_ko]

This is set for the perfect weekend and promotion. If fury postpones or pulls out he wont get another shot at a big fight.