It’s heavyweight heaven this weekend in Las Vegas as not only will fight fans be treated to Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder’s third blockbuster showdown, the main event’s undercard will also include several mouthwatering match-ups from boxing’s marquee division.
Highlighting the Fury-Wilder III undercard is a trio of heavyweight bouts. Robert Helenius and Adam Kownacki take part in an intriguing rematch, Frank Sanchez puts his undefeated record on the line against Efe Ajagba, while the highly-touted Jared Anderson takes on Vladimir Tereshkin over eight rounds. Here’s everything you need to know about a hard-hitting night of action.
Robert Helenius vs Adam Kownacki II
A little over a year and a half since they first did battle in New York, ‘The Nordic Nightmare’ and ‘Babyface’ are set to go at it once again. Finland’s Robert Helenius, 30-3-0, won that first encounter by a fourth round TKO but Polish-born Brooklyn native Adam Kownacki, 20-1-0, had looked well ahead in the bout before the devastating stoppage, setting up an intriguing encounter in Sin City this weekend.
“I got a little reckless and I got caught cold,” Kownacki explained to PBC. “When you walk in and you get timed with a good shot, it stings. The 1-2 buzzed me on the knockdown and messed up my equilibrium. But you know I’m from Brooklyn and I have to get mine in the rematch. It was a lesson learned and I’ll be back.”
Betfred Odds: Helenius - 21/10, Kownacki - 4/11, Draw - 20/1
Frank Sanchez vs Efe Ajagba
Someone’s ‘0’ will have to go in Vegas this weekend when undefeated heavyweights Frank Sanchez and Efe Ajagba come to blows in Nevada. ‘ The Cuban Flash’ Sanchez, who trains alongside Mexican pound-for-pound superstar Canelo, is looking for a career-best win against Ajagba but the Texas-based Nigerian is no pushover, winning 12 of his 15 professional scraps so far by way of knockout.
“Everybody knows he’s got that really good straight right,” Sanchez told Boxing Scene. “That’s his best weapon. He’s managed to land that right hand on a lot of fighters, but none of those fighters have the kind of experience that I have. And I have all the other tools to win.”
Betfred Odds: Sanchez - 4/7, Ajagba - 11/8, Draw - 16/1
Jared Anderson vs Vladimir Tereshkin
Ohio’s Jared Anderson is widely considered the future of heavyweight boxing Stateside and with his speed, athleticism and the fact he’s won all nine of his fights so far inside the distance, you can see why fight fans across the pond are getting quite giddy about Big Baby’s prospects.
This weekend the 21-year-old, who has sparred with Tyson Fury, faces his sternest test yet when he takes on Vladimir Tereshkin, a bona fide veteran of the sport who’s been in the game for more than 14 years now. The undefeated Russian hasn’t fought in nearly two years though, so Anderson and his handlers will be feeling pretty confident in making it ten wins from ten on Saturday night.
Betfred Odds: Anderson - 1/16, Tereshkin - 7/1, Draw - 25/1
Full Fight Card:
Robert Helenius vs Adam Kownacki
Efe Ajagba vs Frank Sanchez
Robeisy Ramirez vs Orlando Gonzalez Ruiz
Edgar Berlanga vs Marcelo Esteban Coceres
Julian Williams vs Vladimir Hernandez
Jared Anderson vs Vladimir Tereshkin
Rances Barthelemy vs TBA
Viktor Vykhryst vs Mike Marshall
Bruce Carrington vs Cesar Cantu
