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🥊 Superbad Intentions
The Fight Team
March 10, 2023
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.
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 🌍
🇦🇺 vs 🇺🇸 For A Shot At Undisputed
Tony "Superbad" Harrison couldn’t quite believe his luck when the call came from Tim Tszyu’s camp following Charlo pulling out of their scheduled undisputed clash.
The Detroit native represents a big risk for the young Aussie, with his imminent shot at the undisputed king on the line. Should he lose this, it's right to the back of the line. The same applies to Harrison.
Harrison snatched the WBC belt from Charlo back in December 2018. He lost it in their rematch a year later, but gave a good enough account for himself to suggest a trilogy could be on the cards. The animosity between the two would also help sell it, as their bad blood spilled over after both fights.
But before he can start thinking of what would be a lucrative trilogy, he needs to get past the hometown hero Tszyu.
His step up to world level contention has taken him out of the shadow of his hall of famer father Kostya, but Harrison comes in as the biggest test yet.
He was due to face Charlo earlier in the year, but had to reschedule due to the champion's injury issues. His successful, but one dimensional performance (he was dropped in the first) against Terrell Gausha prior to the scheduled bout caused a few to question whether he even would have been ready for Jermell.
The Harrison fight may look like a risk on paper, and it's definitely one of the toughest assignments in the division. However, it could be the young Aussie contenders chance to prove that he was indeed ready for a shot at undisputed, by beating the only man to defeat the undisputed champion so far.
That, as much as the #1 contender spot, is enough motivation for Tszyu to put on a commanding performance and establish himself firmly at the top of the very talented super-welterweight crowd. Tony Harrison won't make that easy though, and he'll be planning to spoil the prodigal son's party down under.
What to look for in the fight:
Pace. Harrison is a master boxer and very rarely loses rounds. Where he finds himself coming undone is often late in fights (all his losses have come by stoppage within rounds 9-12). Look for Tszyu to dig to the body in the early-mid rounds and go head hunting late as he's behind on the cards.
Inside game. Harrison is brilliant at smothering power shots and tying up his opponents. Tsyzu is more comfortable at distance than he is inside, so he'll need to be economical with his punches when he gets close to the 6"1 Harrison.
The Return Of Yan
The UFC goes to The Theater in Las Vegas this Saturday night, with a bantamweight showdown between former champion and No. 2-ranked Petr Yan and No. 3-ranked contender Merab Dvalishvili as the main attraction of the evening.
Prior to his first loss (a disqualification against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259) “No Mercy” was coming off seven straight wins, 4 of those by KO. His comeback victory over the super talented Cory Sandhagen for the interim belt further cemented his status as the "real" champion at the time.
Back to back losses to the champion and then Sugar Sean O'Malley have dented the momentum he had built over the years, even despite the controversial nature of the most recent loss. Beating Dvalishvili would be a step in the right direction towards regaining the crown that many in the sport were touting him to hold for years.
Beating Dvalishvili is easier said than done, as he hasn't lost in the UFC since April 2018, having beaten the likes Jose Aldo, Marlon Moraes and John Dodson on his way up the ranks.
Stylistically, he'll represent a challenge to the striking heavy Yan, as he's a phenomenal wrestler who is in the same camp as Aljamain Sterling, whose wrestling was key to defeating Yan in their rematch.
This Saturday's main event should be a great clash of styles, and it's part of a trio of great fights on the card. The co-main event sees Alexander Volkov battles No. 14-ranked Alexandr Romanov in a clash of heavyweights. Immediately before, Ryan Spann will take on Nikita Krylov in a rescheduled light-heavyweight clash from their original February 25th fight night.
What to look for in the fight:
Takedowns. Dvalishvili is a great wrestler, but the fact he went 0-16 in takedowns against Jose Aldo doesn't bode well for someone with as tight of a takedown defence as Yan. If Yan is able to keep the fight standing, he massively increases his chances not just of winning, but even forcing a stoppage.
Urgency. Yan can be accused of being too conservative in his output, especially early. Dvalishvili is the exact opposite, and will keep a constant pace throughout. Should Yan fail to manage his output properly, it swings the advantage in Merab's favour.
Fight ⏰ for this weekend
Boxing: Tyszu vs Harrison (Saturday 11th/Sunday 12th)
🇺🇸 Full Card: 10pm Eastern/ 7pm Pacific | Main Event: 11pm Eastern/ 8pm Pacific
🇬🇧 Full Card: 3am | Main Event: 4am
🇦🇺 Full Card: 2pm Eastern/ 12pm Western | Main event: 3pm Eastern/ 1pm Western
MMA: Yan vs Dvalishvili (Saturday 11th/Sunday 12th)
🇺🇸 Full Card: 6pm Eastern/ 3pm Pacific | Main Event: 8pm Eastern/ 5pm Pacific
🇬🇧 Full Card: 11pm | Main Event: 1am
🇦🇺 Full Card: 10am Eastern/ 8am Western | Main event: 12pm Eastern/ 10am Western