By: Sean Crose

As almost every fight fan knows, two-time multi-title heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will be fighting Daniel Dubois this weekend for Dubois’ IBF heavyweight title at Wembley Stadium in London. A hugely critical clash of two substantial, powerful men, Joshua-Dubois is a huge deal in the UK and a hugely engaging one for those of us living overseas. Joshua has finally rebounded from a world-class career slump thanks to a recent trainer (Ben Davison) and some energetic performances. Dubois, on the other hand, arguably dropped Oleksandr Usyk with one punch when they fought a while back (the punch was deemed a low blow, allowing Usyk to win the fight). What’s more, Dubois has won two in a row in the same time frame.

So… who will win this 12-round fight? Joshua is the bigger favorite with the better resume, but Dubois holds the IBF title and nearly beat Usyk, a fighter who has beaten Joshua twice. Dubois has good jabs, solid footwork, and of course the power to knock down a wall. No one can erase the record in which all but two of the man’s many victories have come inside the distance.

Joshua has the advantage of height, though. As good as Dubois’ jab is, Joshua’s jab is probably better. What’s more, Davison has clearly shown Joshua how to avoid the massive punches that have hurt him throughout his career. Now, the man fights with a patience and confidence he’s lacked for some time. To win, Dubois will have to get inside… and get inside without being punished by Joshua, who can knock him out with one punch and who has some vicious body shots of his own.

Perhaps the most critical thing to consider is that Dubois hasn’t fought at this level. Sure, he’s had some substantial fights, but he’s never been on the other side of a London ring with Joshua on the other side. In other words, Joshua can fill them. Considering that close to 100,000 people are expected to show up this Saturday to watch the Joshua-Dubois fight live, it’s worth noting that Joshua will be here early. Dubois won’t. Things like that make a difference.

None of this is to say that Dubois can’t pull off a surprise. The talented and confident champion certainly can. I don’t think he’ll pull it off, though, which is why I’m predicting Joshua will win by knockout in the 11th round.

Tuckman Media will release The Featherweight, the directorial debut of Emmy Award winner Robert Kolodny (cinematographer on Procession and All the Beauty and the Bloodshed), telling the true story of legendary two-time world featherweight boxing champion Willie Pep.

The impressive cast is led by James Madio (Penguin, Band of Brothers), who gives a career-best performance as Pep, along with Ruby Wolf in her feature film debut, Keir Gilchrist (Love & Death, Atypical), Stephen Lang (Avatar franchise), Ron Livingston (The Flash, Loudermilk), Lawrence Gilliard Jr. (The Walking Dead, One Night in Miami), undefeated professional featherweight boxer Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington and Hartford native Imma Aiello in her own big-screen debut as Mama Papaleo, Willie Pep’s mother.

The film hits theaters in Pep’s home state of Connecticut on September 20. It had its world premiere last year at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, where the film received a six-minute standing ovation, and currently has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Set in the mid-1960s in Hartford, Connecticut, The Featherweight is a gripping chapter in the true story of Italian-American boxer Willie Pep (James Madio)—the most decorated boxer of all time—who, in his mid-40s and with his personal life in disarray, decides to return to the ring, at which point a film crew steps in. Meticulously researched and constructed, the film is a compelling portrait of the discontent with masculinity, fame, and self-esteem in 20th-century America.

Many of the film’s executive producers are from Connecticut, including Dan Adams, Greg Butler, Donna Collins, Mark Contreras, Manon Cox, Angelo DeFazio, Robert Feiner, Karl Krapek, Alan Lazowski, Robert Patricelli and John Wolfson. Hartford producer Joe Youthful was an associate producer. The film was fully supported by George Norfleet and Mark Dixon of the State Film Office and state representative James Sanchez. The production was supported and endorsed by former Mayor Luke Bronin and Governor Ned Lamont.

The film was shot at local institutions such as Pratalona Social Club, The Hartford Club, The Polish National Home, The West Indian Social Club, Carbone’s, Hartford PAL Gym on Broad Street, Four Ropes Boxing, and Bushnell Park, to name a few.

Real Art Ways will host a preview screening of the film on September 18. Also on September 18, Charter Oak Boxing Academy (COBA) — where James Madio trained for the role of Pep and where much of the fight choreography was rehearsed — will host a press conference with select cast and producers at 5:30 p.m. in front of the Willie Pep mural on Pope Park Highway. Producers and cast will also visit various filming locations throughout the day to promote the film’s September 20 premiere.

After premiering at the Venice Film Festival, The Featherweight toured internationally, including the Provincetown International Film Festival, where Kolodny received the John Schlesinger Award for Best Director of a Feature Film. The film was praised for its technical aspects, re-creating the 1960s in rich detail and interspersing staged and archival boxing footage, telling the story through the prism of a documentary crew following Pep as he comes out of retirement and returns to the ring. Madio prepared for the role by training with John “The Iceman” Scully, who had known Pep for over 30 years and had been trained by one of Pep’s training partners, Joe Barile. Scully put Madio through months of training so he could capture Pep’s techniques and moves.

“It’s thrilling to bring The Featherweight to audiences, a film that our outstanding cast and exceptional crew have so diligently poured their hearts into. Willie Pep’s story is an all-American tale, full of great highs and terrible lows. He is not only a world-class boxer on the brink of collapse, but also the quintessential mid-century man, with all his flaws and cracks exposed for the camera,” said Kolodny.

Executive producer Donna Collins of Rocky Hill stated, “Bringing The Featherweight to our beloved Hartford is a case study in how filming can create community pride, honor the legacy of a hometown hero and provide local economic impact. This is more than just a film production, it’s a community collaboration.”

“Producers have been trying to bring Willie Pep’s story to the substantial screen for decades, and we are thrilled and honored to finally do it. Pep has the most wins in boxing history, and most have never heard of him. We hope The Featherweight will change that while cementing his legacy as one of the greatest to ever have it,” added writer/producer Steve Loff.

Loff (Desert Rain) wrote and produced alongside Madio, Bennett Elliot, Robert Greene (who also edited the film), Asger Hussain and Abhayanand Singh. Two-time Oscar nominee Steve James, Jennifer Davisson, Michael Hampton, Brian Liebman and Mark Hantoot also serve as executive producers.

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Emiliano Vargas’ candidacy for Prospect of the Year took on a up-to-date dimension Friday after a well-rounded, diverse performance that saw him stop Irishman Larry Fryers in the fifth round.

Vargas (12-0, 10 KOs) showed off skills that were not expected from the 20-year-old, landing a powerful, deadly right hook, quick two-handed punches and relentless focus on the body and head.

“I had success with body shots,” he said. “I had to change that. I want to finish guys, but you can’t just do that.”

A powerful left hook split Fryers’ nose in the third round, and Vargas’ body blows opened up head combinations that dampened Fryers’ aggression and widened the points gap.

Fryers began bleeding under his left eye in the fourth round due to the sustained barrage. If Vargas continues to develop his knockout power, he compensates with a varied attack and activity that made Fryers suffer from body blows.

In the fifth round, the fighter was knocked down by left and right punches to the body, followed by a powerful left punch to the side of the head, which caused the referee to quickly end the fight.

“These Irish are like Mexicans,” Vargas said. “They have everything.”

Former champion Fernando Vargas’ son, Emiliano Vargas, said the evening was almost a complete success because he fought the way he wanted to.

“Never a numb moment,” Vargas said. “It’s such an incredible feeling to come out this early in my career and have a night like this.”

Vargas injured his right hand from landing so many punches.

“You have to do what you have to do to win. I’m a fighter,” he said. “Gaining experience… I have to go through this test. There’s no book, no instructional video. You have to go in and do it, get hit and experience things. This was one of my best fights, action-packed. I’m very excited.”

Following the stunning knockout of Top Rank prospect Alan Garcia by Spanish virtuoso Ricardo Fernandez earlier this month, the junior lightweight knockout victory of Philippine Charly Suarez over Texan Jorge Castaneda was a bit of a mixed bag.

Suarez (18-0, 10 KOs) knocked down Castaneda (17-4) early in the third round, then finished the fight with another powerful right hook at 2:22 of the third round.

Las Vegas junior lightweight DJ Zamora showed why he is nicknamed “The War Machine” by skillfully landing daunting left punches from a left-handed stance to win a unanimous decision over Gerardo Antonio Perez, 80-72, 80-72, 79-73.

The Argentine Perez (12-6-1) started the third round with aggression, which Zamora (14-0) endured, returning to his effective form. The success that Perez experienced encouraged him to keep up the pressure and in the fourth round he landed a hook that shook his head.

But Zamora was more attentive to defense, softening the impact of the brawl that Perez openly accepted. Zamora’s combinations to end the eighth round were decisive, and the pair embraced after an entertaining eight rounds, each raising a hand to the appreciative crowd.

Junior bantamweight contender Steven Navarro of Los Angeles knocked out Oscar Arroyo with a relentless series of blows to the head, earning a third-round technical knockout at 2 minutes and 35 seconds.

The 20-year-old Navarro (4-0, 2 KOs) first landed a quick jab to the head on Arroyo in the first half of the first round, then again unsettled him with powerful left hand strikes.

A combination that ended with a right hook and a challenging left punch to the top of the head knocked down Virginia’s Arroyo (3-3) again behind schedule in the second half.

Mexican Jorge Garcia Perez (31-4, 26 KOs) needed just 46 seconds to finish German Ilias Essaoudi (22-3), landing a right hook to the left side. As Essaoudi winced in pain, Perez added two powerful headbutts to force the stoppage of the super middleweight fight.

Perez and the substitute said they believed Essaoudi had broken a rib.

Tijuana’s Sebastian Hernandez (17-0, 16 KOs) punished Venezuelan Yonfrez Parejo (24-7-1) for four rounds, forcing Parejo’s corner to stop the junior featherweight fight after four rounds.