On episode 270 of The Neutral Corner boxing podcast, host Michael Montero was joined by several guests. This Saturday night, inside the Buckhead Fight Club in Atlanta, Georgia, promoter (and former fighter) Terri “The Boss” Moss will be staging a fight card headlined by former junior middleweight titleholder Yuri Foreman (35-3, 10 knockouts). They both joined the show along with Atlanta-based featherweight prospect Abel Aparicio (8-0, 3 KOs), who fights in the co-main.

There will be a live stream broadcast of the fight card. Montero will be calling the action from ringside along with former fighter and 1996 USA Olympic team member Zahir Raheem.

Foreman, who retired in 2017 and is staging a comeback, says he feels better than ever. “Everybody tells me, “Yuri, you’ve done it all, why come back?” But you cannot ask somebody who really loves what he does, and does it well, why he wants to continue. That would be like asking an artist not to paint anymore just because they created great art in the past. Even at age 40 I feel great, I feel strong.”

For Aparacio, this will be his first professional fight in Atlanta, and he couldn’t be more excited. “I moved to Atlanta when I was 13-years-old. I was born in Mexico, but my life is here. This is a big deal for me, to fight here in front of my family and friends. Now the fight is here so I have to perform, I have to put in 100% into everything I do.”

NEWS AND NOTES:

The price tag for the upcoming Showtime PPV card headlined by the Gervonta Davis vs Mario Barrios fight was recently announced at $70. Montero argues that it’s a tough sell, especially when considering recent PPV that were priced closer to $50. Further, the reality is that fans weren’t exactly asking for Davis-Barrios matchup in the first place.

Former Olympic gold medalist and heavyweight contender Alexander Povetkin announced his retirement last week. The Russian captured gold in the 2004 Athens games. As a pro, Povetkin was ranked among the top ten heavyweights for years. He came up short in championship challenges and Wladimir Klitschko (2013) and Anthony Joshua (2018) though.

The day after record TNC 270, it was announced that Teofimo Lopez had tested positive for COVID-19. The entire Triller PPV show that he was set to headline against George Kambosos was rescheduled for August 14.

REVIEW:

Last Saturday June 12, there were two major cards of note. In the UK, Argentinian Jeremias Nicolas Ponce pulled an upset TKO10 win over Lewis Ritson. The fight headlined a Matchroom Boxing card in Newcastle. With the victory, Ponce earned mandatory status for the IBF junior welterweight title, currently held by undisputed champion Josh Taylor.

In Las Vegas, Shakur Stevenson pitched a shutout over Jeremiah Nakathila. All three judges scored the junior lightweight bout 120-107 for Stevenson, who dropped the Namibia native in the fourth round. The fight headlined a Top Rank show on ESPN. In the co-main, Puerto Rican veteran Jose Pedraza handed Julian Rodriguez his first professional loss. The New Jersey native retired on his stool after the eighth round of their junior welterweight bout.

PREVIEW:

Saturday, June 19

Borizteca Promotions, USA beIN Sports en Español

Estadio Jalisco, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

Julio Cesar Chavez Sr vs Hector Camacho Jr, 6rds, 160-pound exhibition

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr vs Anderson Silva, 10rds, 200 pounds

Golden Boy Promotions, DAZN

Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas

Jaime Munguia vs Kamil Szeremeta, 12rds, 160 pounds

Bektemir Melikuziev vs Gabriel Rosado, 12rds, 168 pounds

Ibeth Zamora vs Marlen Esparza, 10rds, 112-pound women’s title bout

Top Rank, ESPN/ESPN+

Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada

Naoya Inoue vs Michael Dasmarinas, 12rds, Ring/Unified 118-pound title bout

Mikaela Mayer vs Erica Farias, 10rds, 130-pound women’s title bout

TGB Promotions, PBC, Showtime

Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

Jermall Charlo vs Juan Montiel, 12rds, 160-pound title bout

Angelo Leo vs Aaron Alameda, 10rds, 122 pounds

Isaac Cruz Gonzalez vs Francisco Vargas, 10rds, 135 pounds

TIME STAMPS:

@7:05 Interview with Yuri Foreman

@19:15 Interview with Abel Aparicio and Terri Moss

@35:10 News and Notes

@49:35 Fight Review

@57:48 Fight Preview

Michael Montero can be found on social media via @MonteroOnBoxing. His podcast “The Neutral Corner” can be seen every Monday on TheRingDigital YouTube channel, and heard on audio podcast platforms around the world.