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Bryant Jennings
According to Dan Rafael of espm.com, an intriguing doubleheader has been set for May 24 on HBO that will feature a Heabyweight elimination bout between Bryant Jennings and Mike Perez as well as a Middleweight showdown between former champion Daniel Geale and Matthew Macklin.

“I honestly think Perez is more dangerous that Szpilka because he’s so used to being the bully,” Jennings told ESPN.com from his training camp in Houston. “Both of them are slick but Perez has this type of bully aspect and I always bully the bully. I would hope (Perez trainer) Abel Sanchez makes sure Perez is smart and they take their time to do everything correctly because they are dealing with someone who is well-skilled and well-conditioned and ready to fight. I hope Perez brings his A-game and please do not sleep on Bryant Jennings.”

“I think it’s the best matchup right now. We ain’t ducking nobody. We’re fighting for a position that we would both love to be in,” said Jennings, who turned pro in 2010. “It’s all about the position.”

Said Jennings and Geale promoter Gary Shaw, “This is a real heavyweight fight. It’s a really good fight between two top contenders. I know Jennings is ready. He trains all the time. I think it’s a 50-50 fight. The questions I have is can Jennings use the lateral movement that I believe Perez cannot handle? Will Jennings start off slowly and be a sitting duck for Mike Perez to tee off on, because Jennings is historically a slow starter? Can he start quicker with more movement like he was going into the fourth round not the first? I believe he can.”

“I think it’s a great matchup between two of the top undefeated fighters in the heavyweight division,” said Perez promoter Tom Loeffler said. “I believe the winner of this fight will ultimately go on to win the WBC heavyweight championship. Both fighters have already been featured on HBO and there is a lot of anticipation for this fight now.”

“Stylistically, it’s a great fight and the outcome is doubt. This isn’t one of those fights where you know who the winner is going to be,” said Lou DiBella, Macklin’s promoter. “Neither of these guys is a huge favorite in the fight. These are two guys who like to fight, who like to throw punches and they’ll go at each other. But I have confidence in my guy.

“This is a good, old-fashioned ‘Boxing After Dark’ fight and I think the winner will get a title fight or a fight as economically big or bigger than a title fight.” Geale (30-2, 16 KOs), 33, of Australia, won a world title in 2011, made four successful defenses, including outpointing Felix Sturm in a unification fight, before losing a split decision to Darren Barker in August. Geale has fought once since, scoring a sixth-round knockout of countryman Garth Wood in February.

“I believe Geale is the better fighter, a late bloomer, and will bring it all, no different then what he did in the Barker fight,” said Shaw, Geale’s promoter.

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