Fight Week: Jake Paul cedes center stage to Amanda Serrano in Puerto Rico

FIGHT WEEK

Jake Paul is scheduled to face boxer Ryan Bourland on the undercard of Amanda Serrano’s title protection towards Nina Meinke on Saturday within the champion’s native Puerto Rico.

JAKE PAUL (8-1, 5 KOs)VS. RYAN BOURLAND (17-2, 6 KOs)

Date: Saturday, March 2
Time: 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT (primary occasion later in present)
The place: Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot, San Juan, Puerto Rico
TV/Stream: DAZN
Division: Cruiserweight (200 kilos)
At stake: No main titles
Pound-for-pound: None
Odds: Paul 9-1 favourite (common of a number of retailers)
Significance (as much as 5 stars): *

Additionally on the cardboard: Amanda Serrano vs. Nina Meinke, featherweights, (for Serrano’s IBF, WBA and WBO titles); Jonathan Gonzalez vs. Rene Santiago, junior flyweights (for Gonzalez’s WBO title)
Background: YouTuber-turned-boxer-and-promoter Paul has taken a again seat to undisputed featherweight champion Amanada Serrano (see beneath) on this card however he stays its largest attraction. Paul can be dealing with his second consecutive boxer – versus blended martial artist or different sort of athlete – in Bourland, a 35-year-old from California. Nonetheless, the one-time Golden Gloves champion has fought solely obscure journeyman on minor playing cards, which means he most likely isn’t a severe menace to his extra well-known opponent. Paul has gained two consecutive fights since he misplaced a break up choice to rival Tommy Fury in February of final yr. He simply outpointed MMA star Nate Diaz final August after which knocked out boxer Andre August within the first spherical in December.

AMANDA SERRANO (46-2-1, 30 KOs)VS. NINA MEINKE (18-3, 4 KOs)

Date: Saturday, March 2
Time: 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT (primary occasion later in present)
The place: Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot, San Juan, Puerto Rico
TV/Stream: DAZN
Division: Featherweight (126 kilos)
At stake: Serrano’s IBF, WBA and WBO titles
Odds: NA
Significance (as much as 5 stars): ****

Additionally on the cardboard: Jake Paul vs. Ryan Bourland, cruiserweights; Jonathan Gonzalez vs. Rene Santiago, junior flyweights (for Gonzalez’s WBO title)
Background: This can be a homecoming for Serrano, who can be combating in her native nation for the primary time since early 2021. The seven-division titleholder has gained 4 consecutive fights since she misplaced a break up choice in a bid to take Katie Taylor’s 135-pound titles in April 2022. All 4 victories have been one-sided choices in protection of her 126-pound titles, over Sarah Mahfoud, Erika Cruz, Heather Hardy and Danila Ramos. The Ramos battle happened final Oct. 27. Meinke, 30, is a longtime contender from Berlin, Germany. She has gained six consecutive fights since she got here up quick in her solely main title battle, dropping a unanimous choice to Mahfoud in April 2022. She additionally was knocked out by Taylor in a non-title bout in 2017. Her most up-to-date battle happened on Oct. 28 in Munich, the place she simply outpointed Laura Ledezma. Meinke can be combating exterior of Europe for the primary time.

OTABEK KHOLMATOV (12-0, 11 KOs)VS. RAYMOND FORD (14-0-1, 7 KOs)

Date: Saturday, March 2
Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (primary occasion later in present)
The place: Turning Stone Resort & On line casino, Verona, New York
TV/Stream: ESPN+
Division: Featherweight (126 kilos)
At stake: Vacant WBA title
Odds: Kholmatov 1½-1 favourite (common of a number of retailers)
Significance (as much as 5 stars): ***

Additionally on the cardboard: Luis Alberto Lopez vs. Reiya Abe, featherweights (for Lopez’s IBF title); Brian Norman Jr. vs. Janelson Bocachica, welterweights

Background: We’ll see which rising younger contender is the actual deal. Kholmatov, a former youth newbie star from Uzbekistan, has stopped all however certainly one of his 12 opponents since turning professional in 2021. Just one fighter has made it previous the fifth spherical towards the 25-year-old, journeyman Balam Hernandez Acosta. The Mexican was stopped within the eighth and closing spherical in December. Kholmatov defeated two then-unbeaten opponents in his earlier two fights, simply outpointing Andranik Grigorian and stopping Thomas Patrick Ward within the fifth. Kholmatov fights out of Hollywood, Florida. Ford additionally was a profitable newbie in his nation, the USA. The 24-year-old southpaw from Camden, New Jersey, is a wonderful technician with distinctive velocity and athleticism. And he’s farther alongside than Kholmatov in his professional profession, having already fought a former world titleholder. He defeated Jessie Magdaleno by a one-sided choice in his most-recent bout, final April. Ford did not beat solely Aaron Perez, towards whom he fought to a attract 2021. Kholmatov and Ford are ranked Nos. 1 and a pair of by the WBA, respectively.

ALSO FIGHTING THIS WEEK

SATURDAY

Jaouad Belmehdi vs. Alfred Lamptey, junior lightweights, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates