Collard opponent set in boxing; Westin to headline MMA card

Just a quick few notes: (UPDATE BELOW)

According to ESPN's Steve Kim, MMA/boxer Clay Collard has an opponent for an Aug. 22 boxing card in "The Bubble" MGM Grand in Las Vegas, promoted by Top Rank. Collard (8-2-3), winner of four bouts this year, will face middleweight Maurice Williams (7-1).

The bout will likely be broadcast on ESPN as Collard has gained a following as boxing's most consistent face, and winner, during this pandemic year. Collard is seen above stopping L.T. Nelson in his most recent win.  ... Noted also is that 17-year-old professional boxer Jesus Haro, of Merced, Calif., logged his first win last weekend in Tijuana, Mexico. Haro, a prominent amateur, has family in Utah. Also winning on the card was Miklo Arnold, a 16-year-old professional, of North Plains, Ore.

And in MMA news, Mountain Force MMA is planning a card in Evanston, Wyo., on Aug. 1. Utah professional Westin Wilson, of Orem, will headline the card, meeting Kurt Steinke. The card is here. Mountain Force's Facebook page is here. Its website is here. ... On the weekend of Aug. 21 and Aug. 22, FitCon 2020 is planning to have amateur MMA bouts. Its Facebook page is here. Utah amateur MMA fighter Brittany Guillemin is scheduled to fight on Aug. 21.

ALSO, on Friday, July 31, Utah MMA pro heavyweight, Zac Cavender, (3-1) fights in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Legacy Fighting Alliance 87 card, which is being broadcast on UFC Fight Pass. Cavender meets debuting Zac Pauga. The card starts at 7 p.m. MST.

UPDATE TO WESTIN and CAVENDER MMA bouts: Cavender, 3-2, lost a three-round decision in his streamed bout against Pauga, a highly touted amateur who was making his pro debut. Westin, 8-5, stopped the debuting Steinke in the first round.

This time as the favorite, Clay Collard scores a TKO win on ESPN

On a Top Rank card on ESPN on Tuesday, July 14, middleweight boxer Clay Collard (8-2-3) (seen above winning an earlier bout) continued his winning streak with a second round TKO over Lorawnt T. Nelson (5-4). It's Collard's fourth win of the year. His activity in this pandemic-plagued year has boosted the Utah/Idaho boxer to a near cult status in the boxing world.

His win over Nelson in Las Vegas, and on ESPN, was the semi-main bout of the card. It was also the first fight in a long while where Collard was the favorite going in. Nelson, a South African living in Colorado, like Collard, is a professional MMA fighter, with Bellator experience. He also has fought professionally as a kick boxer, with success on Glory promotions.

As a boxer Nelson had won three of his previous four bouts prior to July 14. His three losses in the sport had come against boxers with a combined record of 26-1. Nevertheless he was no match for Collard, who has won 7 of his last 8 bouts.

After 90 seconds of a feeling-out period, Collard walked right through his overmatched, one-dimensional opponent, flooring Nelson once in round one and hurting him just before the bell. In round two, Collard floored Nelson with a right hand punch, and then Nelson hit the canvas again from a counter left hook from Collard. With Nelson groggy and bleeding, the referee stopped the fight at 1:57 of round two.

Afterwards, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum announced Collard would be fighting again on a Top Rank card in August. The former UFC MMA fighter, unorthodox but effective as a boxer (with strong ring generalship), has gained quite a following. Nine months ago only this blog was noting Collard's success barnstorming the nation, defeating or drawing with opponents in their home towns or "home" promotions. But after his success on TV this year, Collard is a welcome fan favorite. Here's an ESPN feature by Steve Kim and a Sports Illustrated feature, both published very recently. Let's' give a nod to Collard's trainer, Ryan Ault, for his great work of late guiding his career.