Liam Davies vs. Ionut Baluta | BT Sport - 19 November 2022

[handsofstone]

[Ruthless-RKO]

ESPN Press Release

Upset-minded Ionut Baluta hopes to defy the odds again when he battles Liam Davies in the twelve-round main event for the vacant European junior featherweight title Saturday at Telford International Centre in Telford, England. In the ten-round co-feature, big-punching light heavyweight Anthony Yarde (22-2, 21 KOs) faces Stefani Koykov (14-1, 12 KOs) in a match that could have world title implications for the London native. Davies-Baluta and Yarde-Koykov top a loaded bill streaming live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ starting at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT.

Davies (12-0, 5 KOs) captured the British junior featherweight strap in his last outing with a hard-fought decision over Marc Leach at the same venue. He is a four-year pro who also holds a near-shutout win over Nicaragua’s Dixon Flores. Baluta (15-3, 3 KOs), a native of Romania who now trains in England, is no stranger to upsets. In 2020, he stunned former champion TJ Doheny by decision and knocked out Irish Olympian Davey Oliver Joyce in consecutive bouts. Following a razor-thin decision loss to Michael Conlan last April, Baluta rebounded to upset Brad Foster in May.

Yarde , the WBO #1 light heavyweight contender, is in line for a shot at unified champion Artur Beterbiev in early 2023. He hopes to shake off the ring rust following a nearly yearlong layoff. In his last outing, he knocked out Lyndon Arthur in four rounds, avenging a December 2020 split decision defeat. Koykov has won twelve straight bouts since the lone blemish on his record.

In other streaming action, Eithan James (9-0) steps up against southpaw boxer-puncher Connor Parker (14-1, 1 KO) in a ten-roun junior welterweight meeting... Irish lightweight William Hayden (4-0, 1 KO) is in a six-rounder versus Romania's Marian Marius Istrate (3-13)... In a ten-rounder at welterweight, Owen Cooper (6-0, 2 KOs) clashes with Jamie Stewart (3-2-2) and... light heavyweight Ezra Taylor (3-0, 2 KOs) is scheduled for a six-rounder against an opponent to be named.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[maverick23]

I like this main event.

I’d never been massively impressed with Davies but he did great to beat Leach last time out. I do wonder whether the early knockdown really impacted Leach as he never really seemed to get going. Perhaps though that’s more about Davies.

Baluta is a real tough test. His last 4 fights (3 wins) have come at a high level. He’s also had plenty of notice for this which he hasn’t always had.

I’m thinking Baluta wins a close one or Davies gets a bit of a home town decision. Baluta is the narrow outsider with the bookies at around 6/4.

[Dioufy]

I like this main event.

I’d never been massively impressed with Davies but he did great to beat Leach last time out. I do wonder whether the early knockdown really impacted Leach as he never really seemed to get going. Perhaps though that’s more about Davies.

Baluta is a real tough test. His last 4 fights (3 wins) have come at a high level. He’s also had plenty of notice for this which he hasn’t always had.

I’m thinking Baluta wins a close one or Davies gets a bit of a home town decision. Baluta is the narrow outsider with the bookies at around 6/4.

Was it the fight Davies had a bad nose injury early on or am I mistaken? I’m a big Leach fan but Davies did give him a lesson that night.

[maverick23]

I like this main event.

I’d never been massively impressed with Davies but he did great to beat Leach last time out. I do wonder whether the early knockdown really impacted Leach as he never really seemed to get going. Perhaps though that’s more about Davies.

Baluta is a real tough test. His last 4 fights (3 wins) have come at a high level. He’s also had plenty of notice for this which he hasn’t always had.

I’m thinking Baluta wins a close one or Davies gets a bit of a home town decision. Baluta is the narrow outsider with the bookies at around 6/4.

Was it the fight Davies had a bad nose injury early on or am I mistaken? I’m a big Leach fan but Davies did give him a lesson that night.

Yes - I’m pretty sure it was. He did well to keep up his level of performance.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Black Sam Bellamy]

Ethan James v Connor Parker has fallen apart I see.

[margaret thatcher]

tight squeeze for those dudes

also the bulgarian guys name is stefani.....hah, hah....ah

[maverick23]

tight squeeze for those dudes

also the bulgarian guys name is stefani.....hah, hah....ah

He’s also fought most of his career at super middleweight. Yarde is 1/100.

[TheLeprechaun]

Another fine opponent for Yarde. Gets done in 2 here. Legs gone several times in the fight. Bookies setting the over/under at 1.5 rounds. The only question seems to be how much TV time Yarde wants. It went horribly wrong vs Arthur the first time when he was doing a whole lot of his routine posing and admiring his work in the ring, which he usually does vs this cannon fodder, which is what his record mostly consists of.

[margaret thatcher]

wow that is bad even for a yarde opponent, even for a stay busy low risky fight, have some shame ffs

[maverick23]

I was listening to an interview with Tunde yesterday and they were just dismissing Buatsi as having fought no one. In reality his best 2 wins (Bolotniks and Richards) are better than Yarde’s best win (Arthur).

He deserves credit for fighting Kovalev but bar one round was pretty comprehensively outboxed and then stopped and then went 1-1 to Arthur who I don’t particularly rate.

Yet he’s been mandatory twice. Go figure.

[Ruthless-RKO]

I was listening to an interview with Tunde yesterday and they were just dismissing Buatsi as having fought no one. In reality his best 2 wins (Bolotniks and Richards) are better than Yarde’s best win (Arthur).

He deserves credit for fighting Kovalev but bar one round was pretty comprehensively outboxed and then stopped and then went 1-1 to Arthur who I don’t particularly rate.

Yet he’s been mandatory twice. Go figure.

He didn't earn a title shot really. I wouldn't really even give him credit for fighting Kovalev. Anyone in his position would have taken that world title fight.

Buatsi also have Quinlan who is probably better than anyone Yarde has fought, even though he seems to be on a bad streak!

[Ruthless-RKO]

Fight Night!!

[TheLeprechaun]

wow that is bad even for a yarde opponent, even for a stay busy low risky fight, have some shame ffs

Very poor indeed. Small for the division too. I could see a round 1 job but I'll predict round 2. Got to give Yarde some time to look good on camera before he goes for it. He's going to get a shock when he goes in against Beterbiev. I don't really like this system of 20-30 bums and then a world class opponent. The jump in class is just too much.