Three world title bouts live on SS
Big-time boxing returns to SuperSport this weekend with two separate world championship tournaments on offer.
The first, taking place in Germany on Saturday night, will be a rematch between Yoan Pablo Hernandez and Steve Cunningham for the IBF cruiserweight title. The action will be broadcast from 9:30pm CAT (SA, GMT+2) on SuperSport 2.
This will be followed on Sunday morning by the clash for the WBC middleweight title between Julio Cesar Chavez jnr and Marco Antonio Rubio. The broadcast starts at 4am CAT on SuperSport 7.
Hernandez and Cunningham faced off last year, but the fight was controversially stopped in the sixth round due to Hernandez sustaining a cut due to a headbutt. He was awarded a technical decision win.
Both fighters had their moments, with Hernandez putting the American on the canvas in the opening round.
Cunningham is well known to South Africans – he squeaked a decision over Sebastian Rothmann in Johannesburg eight years ago – and has been in in big fights against the like of Tomasz Adamek and Marco Huck.
Given that he is fighting in Hernandez’s backyard, though, the IBF champion is likely to start favourite.
In Texas, meanwhile, Chavez jnr will make his second title defence against Rubio. Chavez has had a charmed ride since turning to the pro ranks nine years ago, having smartly avoided the division’s best.
Rubio is a veteran of 58 fights, but looks tailormade for the Mexican star. Rubio is heavy-handed, but doesn’t shape terribly well against smooth hitters and is on the wrong side of 30.
Also on the card is a WBO junior-featherweight scrap between Wilfredo Vasquez and Nonito Donaire, another Filipino star and arguably the best-kept secret in world boxing.