Boxing, believe it or not, is a sport that takes place inside a ring — with gloves, punches and the occasional display of skill. I promise, that’s still the premise.
You could be forgiven for forgetting that this week. Lawsuits, contractual squabbles and recycled nostalgia have dominated the headlines, morphing the sport into something closer to reality television than prizefighting — all while a genuinely loaded weekend of action waits patiently in the wings.
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So, forget all that noise, and lets pick out some of the unmissable boxing action for this coming weekend:
1. Navarrete and Nuñez throw it down for the super featherweight IBF and WBO titles
When Emanuel Navarrete enters a boxing ring, you are guaranteed entertainment — and we expect no different this weekend when he attempts to unify the super featherweight division against his Mexican compatriot Eduardo «Sugar» Nuñez at Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
The 31-year-old Navarrete is a three-weight world champion with just two blemishes on his record, but will walk to the ring as a betting underdog (+160 with BetMGM) against Matchroom Boxing’s flavor of the month, «Sugar» Nuñez, after a few questionable performances of late.
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Both Navarette and Nuñez are come-forward, aggressive fighters who underpin the Mexican fighting philosophy and are all but guaranteed to throw down a classic in the 130-pound division on Saturday night.
This fight topped our February slate of five best fights for the month, so as if by design we have left the very best until last.
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2. Vazquez is due some good luck in Texas
Controversy has followed the career of Edward Vazquez.
Call it bad luck, incompetence, or a mix of the two, but the 30-year-old lost tight decisions to A-side fighters Raymond Ford (2022) and Joe Cordina (2023) before — fairly and squarely — getting starched by Rafael Espinoza this past May.
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But “Kid” Vazquez is on the comeback trail again, looking to build on a fifth-round TKO of Albiero Paredes by beating Grimardi Machuca this Saturday night in Arlington, Texas.
A lightweight clash between Rene Tellez Giron and Luis Torres was supposed to headline this weekend’s card, live on PROBOX TV, but an injury to Torres caused Vazquez’s latest outing to be bumped up into the headline slot.
3. Vacant British and Commonwealth welterweight titles up for grabs in Derby, England
Owen Cooper and Constantin Ursu are both attempting to achieve something that Zuffa Boxing’s latest acquisition Conor Benn hasn’t yet in the welterweight division — become a British and Commonwealth champion.
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Derby might not have too much to cheer about as of late due to their middling football team — sorry, County fans — but after Jeamie TKV and Frazer Clarke threw it down in November, and now this, the city has its eye back on the fight game.
Owen Cooper (right) punches Chris Kongo during their 2025 welterweight fight in Nottingham, England.
(Alex Livesey via Getty Images)
Cooper has just one defeat on his 12-fight record, but it’s the undefeated Ursu who is expected to enjoy something of a coming out party on Saturday night.
The Plymouth-based, Moldovan-born welterweight has enjoyed a strong rise through the domestic ranks and will relish the opportunity to headline live on DAZN this weekend.
4. Manny Pacquiao is back!!!
No, not that one.
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Well, he is, but not until September — for now you’ll have to deal with Manny Pacquiao’s 25-year-old son, Manny Pacquiao Jr., who returns this weekend for the second time as a professional, fighting on Saturday night inside Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, NY.
Pacquiao’s turning-into-the-pros-party ended in a four-round majority draw against Brendan Lally back in November, so the only reasonable course of action is to feed him a fighter who is also yet to win a professional contest: Enter Puerto Rico’s Luis Santana Figueroa (0-2).
Pacquiao Jr. was criticized for a lack of “hunger” following his pro debut — you know, the usual low-hanging fruit of questioning the fighting aspirations of a silver-spoon upbringing — so it’ll be interesting to keep tabs on his potential development and learnings out of the infamous Wild Card Boxing Club.
5. Paciones is pretty fly for a 112-pounder
Undefeated puncher Arvin Jhon Paciones is set to defend his WBO Oriental flyweight crown against fellow unbeaten contender Nathaniel Dorona on Saturday night in Manila, Philippines.
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The 21-year-old, nicknamed “The Sniper,” has seven stoppages in his 12 career wins to date and is stepping into the ring with an unbeaten fighter for the first time in his short professional run.
Paciones currently holds rankings with three of boxing’s four recognized sanctioning bodies. The only exception is the WBA, which notably installed him at No. 1 last year before puzzlingly dropping him from its top 15 altogether.
Somebody’s 0 has to go in Manila, and with two bangers at the table it might not take long for one to go.
