March 2022 - Week II
Friday March 11, 2022
London, UK
BT Sport
Undercard - 1PM Main Event - 4PM (Central Time)
Hype for this Card - 2/10. Regional belt on this line. The only reason you’re watching this is if you’re from London, Manchester or you have nothing better to watch on a Friday afternoon.
Main Event - Super Bantam 122 pounds British Super Bantamweight Title
Chris Bourke #70 (10-0-0) Favorite
vs.
Marc Leach #43 (17-1-1) Underdog
What’s at Stake
The regional title of British Super Bantamweight Champion and the Lonsdale Belt is on the line. It may only be of interest to locals, but belts like this are usually seen as stepping stones before being able to move into the international scene.
Chris Bourke
27 years old from the UK, Bourke takes his undefeated record into this title fight. This will be another step up in class from his previous two fights with Beech Jr and Ramabeletsa whom he beat by a wide margin. A win here will put his name in the conversation for bigger international fights going forward.
Marc Leach
27 years old from the UK, this is easily the biggest fight of Leach’s career. While he’s been winning his fights recently, his opponents have been a bit underwhelming with records of 3-28-2 and 13-49-5 for example. In addition, he hasn’t been able to end fights convincingly with only 4 KOs in his 17 wins. An opportunity like this may not come around again for Leach, so he’ll need to capitalize.
Pick to Win
This is Bourke’s fight to win. He’s coming in with victories against higher quality opponents and fights with a bit more malice than Leach.
Bourke by KO in 7.
Saturday March 12, 2022
Nottingham, UK
DAZN
Undercard - 1PM Main Event - 4PM
Hype for this card - 3/10. Secondary belt on the line. Wood is someone to keep an eye on in the future as a title challenger if he wins, but not too much to be excited about here.
Main Event - Featherweight 126 pounds WBA Featherweight World Title (2nd tier belt)
Leigh Wood #7 (25-2-0)
vs.
Michael Conlan #19 (16-0-0)
What’s at Stake:
The WBA World Feather Title is on the line. One might argue that this is a made up belt and the only belt that matters is the WBA Super World Feather Title. Outside of being the #1 contender for the actual belt, one might be correct. Regardless, these fighters are attempting to stake a claim at a title shot against current WBA Feather Super Champion Leo Santa Cruz. He has not defended his belt in 3 years, so you’d think a challenger will be appointed sooner than later.
Leigh Wood
33 year old from the UK, Wood is fighting in his hometown of Nottinghamshire. Having just claimed the WBA World Feather Title, Wood is hoping to retain it long enough to challenge Santa Cruz for the Super World Feather Title. Wood has been on a tear lately, finishing 6 of his last 7 fights by knockout. The only loss being a very close decision to James Dickens.
Michael Conlan
30 yeard old from Northern Ireland, Conlan needs to seize this opportunity against a more accomplished fighter in Wood. While his record is unbeaten, he’s been shaky at times against lesser opponents. Can Conlan sneak out with a victory here? It’s worth noting that he’ll most likely need to score a knockout to win though. In light of recent favorable judging of local UK fighters, I would expect any close calls to go to Wood.
Pick to Win
Wood by Unanimous Decision.