A rematch of one of the upsets of 2024 takes place this Saturday night at Domo Alcalde in Guadalajara, Mexico, as Khalil Coe goes for redemption against Manuel Gallegos.
Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom promote Gallegos vs Coe 2, and DAZN televise worldwide.
Coe was a precocious amateur, but his start to life as a professional stuttered, as he was held to a draw by Aaron Casper in just his second bout.
He responded with eight straight wins, and a move to ten-round level saw him take the WBC USA belt with a second-round stoppage of Kwame Ritter last July.
Gallegos was expected to be a step up in class for Coe (9-1-1, KO7) last November, but one he would come up well short in, as Gallegos dominated, dropping New-Jersey based Coe four times, once each in rounds five, seven, eight and then the ninth, where he was stopped while on the brink of exhaustion.
Prior to that contest, Gallegos (21-2-1, KO18) was winless in his two previous fights, once a ten-round draw with Richard Vansiclen, and a fourth-round stoppage loss to Diego Pacheco in July 2023, both at super middleweight.
Prediction: Coe’s tank emptied alarmingly in the original meeting between the two, and he will need to improve his stamina to stand a chance in the sequel. I think Gallegos in his homeland can come through once again, this time more likely on the scorecards.
Murodjon Akhmadaliev vs Luis Castillo
The undercard sees former IBF super bantamweight champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev (13-1, KO10), and the Uzbek warms up for a September clash with Naoya Inoue with a contest against home fighter Luis Castillo (31-6, KO20).
Akhmadaliev became world champion in 2020 and made three defences before dropping a split decision to Marlon Tapales in April 2023.
He has recorded two stoppage wins since, the last a third-round win against Ricardo Espinoza Franco last December. Castillo has lost four of his last six, but is usually durable, stopped only once in six defeats to Tomoki Kameda in February 2023.
Prediction: Akhmadaliev can send a statement to the division by winning this one in the later rounds.
