They say that January showers bring February flowers, but we’re not seeing too much greenery in our boxing garden this weekend.
OK, they don’t actually say that, but April and May feel a mile away at the moment, so do me the courtesy of indulging a little poetic license.
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Let’s take a closer look at the five biggest things to look out for across this fairly limited weekend of boxing action.
1. Ball in an exciting matchup against overlooked Figueroa
Liverpool’s Nick Ball defends his WBA featherweight world title for the fourth time this weekend in what could be his sternest test to date.
In the opposite corner inside the Echo Arena in Liverpool stands the dogged, experienced and teak-tough Brandon Figueroa, who is looking to regain world honors at 126 pounds in his 30th pro outing.
Both Ball and Figueroa love marching forward, throwing bombs and working on the inside, and the fact that the challenger hasn’t lost to anyone not named Stephen Fulton — as well as never being stopped in his career — will be a cause for concern for Team Ball coming into Saturday night’s meeting.
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Ball is a better operator than Figueroa, but these fire-fights can often be won and lost on moments that come and go in the blink of an eye. Ball’s defense has never been his strong suit, and if the “Heartbreaker” can drag this fight into the latter stages, then don’t be surprised if we see an upset on the River Mersey.
Hopefully the referee for this bout has his eyes peeled as head clashes could be an issue …
2. A step too far for Curiel against Medina?
After dropping back-to-back losses to Sivenathi Nontshinga and Sunny Edwards in 2024 — at 108 pounds and 112 pounds, respectively — Mexico’s Adrien Curiel decided that bigger was better.
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The 27-year-old — with six losses on his slate — is now a 118-pounder, and in his second fight at the weight is being thrown in with countryman Christian Medina for the WBO bantamweight title.
Medina won his strap in September in shocking fashion, stopping Yoshiki Takei in Japan in front of Takei’s hometown fans, and has now been given a fairly light touch in his Friday night homecoming bout at the Domo Alcalde in Guadalajara.
Medina is a hard-hitting slugger who fights in dictionary-definition Mexican style, and the smaller Curiel could be in for a long — or possibly short — night. If Medina wins in style, he’ll further kick the door down in the 118-pound division in search of unification fights.
3. Cain’s comeback continues
If the Liverpudlians aren’t satisfied with their man Nick Ball on Saturday, then there’s a chance Andrew Cain could steal some headlines on the undercard.
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Cain, 29, is 4-0 since the first loss of his career to Ionut Baluta in 2023, but has since dropped down to his more natural bantamweight limit in search of some momentum toward a world title.
Liverpool is a proud fighting city with a long history of successful fighters, and against Alejandro Jair Gonzalez this weekend, Cain has the chance to jump a few rungs on the ladder in this WBC bantamweight title eliminator.
Impressive wins over Ashley Lane and Charlie Edwards over the past two years have gotten people talking about Cain’s ceiling, and with his power unquestionable as a bantamweight, the local lad has the chance to make another statement in his redemption story.
Nieky Holzken is somehow still at it at age 42.
(NurPhoto via Getty Images)
4. Who remembers Holzken?
Speaking of proud Liverpudlians, Callum Smith is probably one of the few guys who will remember Nieky Holzken in too much detail.
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“Mundo” beat the Dutch kickboxer/boxer in 2018 as part of the super middleweight World Boxing Super Series, edging Holzken closer to what would prove to be a temporary boxing retirement.
But the 42-year-old made a return to the sweet science last summer, and now, in his second fight since 2018, is taking on 36-year-old German Besir Ay for the WBF super middleweight title.
“How on earth did we get here?” you might rightly ask. But I couldn’t answer you. The WBF is an intriguing organization to say the least, but this esteemed title was held with pride by Britain’s Robin Reid in the early 2000s, so I won’t hear any disrespect, OK?
Holzken vs. Ay takes place in the Veca Sportcentrum in Helmond, Netherlands, on Saturday night and it’s anyone’s guess what goes down.
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5. Speaking of kickboxers … who will Usyk fight next?
Could unified heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk be on the verge of fighting kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven?
Well, it seems like Fabio Wardley, Deontay Wilder, Jarrell Miller and Andy Ruiz have all been dismissed in recent weeks, so I guess that only leaves the 36-year-old Dutchman Verhoeven, right?
I mean he has boxed before: A solitary 2014 win over Janos Finfera in a four-rounder is more than most of you have ever achieved in the ring!
Verhoeven was touted for a potential bout with Anthony Joshua earlier in the year, but his attention now appears to have shifted toward a surprise showdown with Usyk, with specifics of the proposed fight yet to emerge.
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Promotor Frank Warren added substantial fuel to this rumor by telling Seconds Out the following when asked about the Ukrainian’s imminent future:
“He’s going to have a fight against an MMA fighter, so he may not fight or defend his titles by the end of the year. All of these mandatories, and most of the guys are with us, they’re not going to sit around waiting.”
So, keep your eyes peeled on a potential announcement this weekend. You can roll your eyes, but when the former undisputed cruiserweight and heavyweight world champion steps back into a ring, you simply have to watch.
Even if he’s fighting me!