We Saw 'The Fight of the Year' Last Weekend and A Couple of Superstars Fighting In Times Square Tomorrow

It's been a GREAT couple of weeks for boxing fans. 

Last Saturday, two "sons of British boxing legends " met at the Tottenham Hotspur Arena when Chris Eubanks Jr. took on Conor Benn in front of a sold-out crowd in an iconic football stadium. 

There was drama at the presser after Eubanks smashed an egg on Benn's head.

Mark Robinson. Getty Images.

(First look at Dana White's new POWER EGG SLAP LEAGUE.)

Press Conference antics dont always come off as anything more than staged bullshit, but the egg thing (understandably) got under Conor's skin, and made headlines throughout Europe and beyond.

Alex Livesey. Getty Images.

(That shit's no yolk.)

The set-up also had drama, with both camps fighting over ring size, catch weights, and rehydration clauses.

There was drama at the weigh-in after Eubanks missed 160 by half a pound, which cost him $350,000 in penalties.

Philip Sharkey. Shutterstock Images.

(Fatty.)

And, finally, there was fucking MEGA-DRAMA in the ring after the fighters put on a SLUGFEST for the last six rounds of the fight that had spectators standing on their seats in the arena or standing on their couches at home.

Henning Von Jagow. Shutterstock Images.

I know the term "fought in a phone booth gets overused by idiots like me, but the second half of this bout looked like the fighter had their left ankles tied to one another's.

The fight didn't have a tremendous draw for casual US fans, but the event did well over a million PPVs and probably spurned a million fistfights between Brits who have supported Benn and his dad or Eubank and his dad for the past 30 years. 

Holly Stein. Getty Images.

(The dads fighting back in 1990.)

I spoke to Conor Benn earlier today at NYC HQ and attached that chat above. I had never spoken with Conor before, but I came away rooting for him when he and Eubank run it back (hopefully) in September.

But all that was then… What about this weekend?

I can't guarantee last week's fireworks, but this weekend has plenty for boxing fans in general and New York boxing fans, in particular.

First, let's look at the Saudi Card before we hit the Big Apple- In the Main Event of Saturday night's card in Saudi Arabia, Canelo Alvarez is taking on a guy you've never heard of named William Scull.

Sarah Stier. Getty Images.

The matchup infuriated people desperate to see Alvarez fight just about ANYONE else, but here's the deal- In October of last year, Scull won a vacant IBF super-middleweight title. That was the strap Canelo relinquished when he chose not to fight his mandatory challenger. 

Well, now Canelo wants that belt back to make his planned September super-fight versus Terrence Crawford a fight for the undisputed champion in the super-middleweight division.

So these two (Canelo and Scull) will "get it on" (RIP Mills Lane) in Saudi to set the table for later this year. 

Although Canelo is an OVERWHELMING favorite, Scull is much bigger than Canelo, so perhaps he can pull off the most significant upset in recent memory, but I doubt it. Looking at DraftKings, the only bet that jumps out at me is Canelo winning by decision (+160) because Canelo hasn't been putting guys away at the same clip as when he was younger. Canelo's last KO victory was against Caleb Plant in 2021, and even then, Caleb took Alvarez into deep water (11th Round).

Back to New York.

On Friday night, Ring Magazine has put together a very small card (2 prelims and 3 Main Card fights) that is PACKED with talent, and they are somehow doing the whole fucking thing in the middle of Times Square.

I just finished the weigh-in and then headed over to the newly constructed ring, and I am pumped to be one of The 300 with reserved seats for the event.

But the best seat in the house might be across the street from the second floor of Bubba Gump Shrimp.

Here is the full fight card…

- Teofimo Lopez vs. Arnold Barboza for Teo's WBO junior welterweight title

- Devin Haney vs. Jose Ramirez 

Adam DelGiudice. Shutterstock Images.

- Ryan Garcia vs Rolly Romero

Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy. Getty Images.

Like the Canelo fight, Friday's event will set the stage for a possible rematch between Garcia and Haney.  However, Rolly and Jose Ramirez are both former champions, so they cannot be considered mismatches or taken lightly by Devin or Ryan.

The Lopez vs. Barboza fight is a coin flip depending on which Teofimo Lopez shows up to fight. Right now, Teo seems to be in his luchador phase.

Adam DelGiudice. Shutterstock Images.

I am going to work with DraftKings to develop a parlay for smart people to fade… It'll be on my socials tomorrow. And you can catch all the action starting at 6 PM EST on DAZN.

Enjoy the fights and take a report.

-Large