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🥊 Not Your Average Joe
Welcome to this week’s edition of The Fight With Teddy Atlas Newsletter, your one stop shop for all things combat sports related, brought to you by Teddy and The Fight team.
Teddy Atlas and co-host Ken Rideout breakdown Canelo vs GGG 3 with Canelo getting the decision of Gennady Golovkin. They also discuss the UFC Fight Night with Cory Sandhagen vs Song Yadong as the main event.
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Every Friday We Bring You:
A combat sports news digest with all the headlines you need to know from Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts.
Highlights from the podcast and across the fight world.
Fight times and information you need to know ahead of time.
How to’s and tips for Boxing from Teddy himself.
Fight News From Around The 🌍
Shakur Stripped Of Titles In Weight Drama
The prodigiously talented Shakur Stevenson was stripped of his WBC and WBO super-featherweight titles after he failed to make the 130lbs limit for his fight against Robson Conceição.
The fight will still go ahead tonight in Stevenson's hometown of Newark, New Jersey. However, the 25 year old will be ineligible to win the belts he owned as recently as yesterdays weigh in. He's hinted at a move to 135lbs following this fight, joining an already stellar line-up of young talent.
Conceição, a 2016 Olympic gold medallist at lightweight, will capture the now vacant titles should he overcome the young American, who is undefeated in 18 fights and has now been a champion in 2 weight classes.
Conceição will feel that at least one of the titles on the line should already have been his, following his controversial sole loss to Oscar Valdez back in September 2021 for the WBC title.
Against Stevenson, who dropped and dominated Valdez in his last fight, he is up against a very, very high level operator who shares his boxing pedigree, but also possesses good power and experience against high level fighters in the pro ranks.
Conceição's loss to Valdez is arguably his biggest achievement on the pro stage, whilst Stevenson has mixed it up with the top of the division and emerged victorious every time.
Not only has he won in dominant fashion, he has barely been rocked or hurt at all in his career so far, having faced big punchers like Valdez and Jeremiah Nakathila.
What to look for in the fight:
Conceição to start fast. The Brazilian made a quick start against Oscar Valdez and was sharpshooting for the first 6-7 rounds. He tailed off significantly towards the championship rounds, and this could happen again.
Shakur's lead hook. Stevenson's southpaw lead hook has been responsible for his last two knockdowns, and look for him to employ it as Conceição looks to advance into his guard.
The last 3 rounds. Conceição doesn't hit hard enough to keep Stevenson honest and Stevenson gets better as fights go on. Following a dominant display against Valdez, he may look to sign off from 130lbs with a stoppage victory between rounds 10-12.
An Underrated Heavyweight Clash
Joe Joyce and Joseph Parker will face off on Saturday for the interim WBO heavyweight title, with the winner being being positioned as the mandatory to unified champion Oleksandr Usyk.
You may be forgiven for thinking Joyce was the younger of the two here, given how long Parker has been operating on the scene at world level. He's actually 6 years older than him and closing in on 40, whilst Parker only turned 30 in January.
Joyce is in a 4 fight KO streak, with the most impressive being a 9th round KO of a young but still very hard hitting Daniel Dubois. He's dispatched lower level opposition such as Carlos Takam and Christian Hammer within 6 rounds, but Parker presents a very different challenge for "The Juggernaut".
Joseph Parker was only 25 when he became world champion, beating Andy Ruiz Jr in a razor close fight. He hasn't gone on to achieve the status as a dominant champion that his talent merits, and to his own honest admission that has been down to a lack of focus and desire.
Back to back losses to Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte in 2018 are now in the rear view mirror having won 6 fights since then, 3 within the distance.
A fully dialled in Joseph Parker is one of the best heavyweights in the world, and unlike Joyce, he has ample time to be able to get to the summit of the heavyweight mountain.
Joyce's race against the clock may make him even more dangerous going into this, knowing a win takes likely takes him to a fight with Oleksandr Usyk (who beat him in the amateurs).
What to look for in the fight:
Speed. Parker, alongside Usyk, has the quickest hands at heavyweight. Joyce on the other hand, sometimes looks like he's fighting in slow motion. Look for Joseph Parker to be accurate and fast in terms of point scoring and looking good to the judges.
Toughness. Both men have granite chins, particularly Joyce (whose bone density is allegedly six times that of a normal human being). Parker has been dropped before, recently by an ageing Derek Chisora, but he also is very tough, so a stoppage looks unlikely.
Bodywork. Joyce is a big investor to the body, so look for him to target Parker's body and collect dividends in the later rounds.
Fight ⏰ for this weekend
Boxing: Stevenson vs Conceição (Friday 23rd/Saturday 24th)
🇺🇸 Full Card: 8pm Eastern/ 5pm Pacific | Main Event: 10pm Eastern/ 7pm Pacific
🇬🇧 Full Card: 1am | Main Event: 3am
🇦🇺 Full Card: 10am Eastern/ 8am Western | Main Event: 12pm Eastern/ 10am Western
Boxing: Joyce vs Parker (Saturday 24th/Sunday 25th)
🇺🇸 Full Card: 2pm Eastern/ 11am Pacific | Main Event: 5pm Eastern/ 2pm Pacific
🇬🇧 Full Card: 7pm | Main Event: 10pm
🇦🇺 Full Card: 4am Eastern/ 2am Western | Main Event: 7am Eastern/ 5am Western