Can Kurt Scoby pull off the upset and cement himself as a player at 140 pounds?
He’ll have his chance on Saturday when he faces rising English prospect
Adam Azim in a 10-round bout on the undercard of
Chris Eubank Jr. vs Conor Benn II at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Scoby (18-1, 16 KOs) is making a quick turnaround, as he’s coming off an
eighth-round stoppage of Alex Martin on Sept. 19. Since suffering the lone defeat of his career early last year, a sixth-round stoppage defeat to Dakota Linger, Scoby, 29, has won five straight fights – all by knockout.
Last fight: Stopped Martin in the eighth round on Sept. 19 at Sony Hall in New York, New York.
Odds: Scoby is a significant underdog at +540 odds on FanDuel.
How does Scoby win? Scoby’s jab is arguably his best weapon, and he’s going to have to establish it early and often against Azim.
Azim’s at his best when he’s able to close range and connect with power shots, particularly his left hook and right uppercut. Scoby’s jab will have to be what keeps Azim from closing the gap to land those punches.
Azim can also be caught between shots and has a tendency to not always bring his hands back right after he punches. That could pave the way for Scoby to find some success punching with Azim, but he might not want to make a habit of getting in exchanges.
Scoby also needs to control the pace and stay on the front foot. If Scoby is unable to do both, he’ll likely run into trouble similar to what he encountered against Linger.
What does it mean if he wins? Azim looks the part of an ascending prospect at 140 pounds. If Scoby can emerge victorious, he’ll immediately establish himself as a fighter to keep an eye on heading into 2026.
TV/Stream: DAZN Pay-Per-View; $59.99 in the U.S. (11:45 a.m. ET); £24.99 in the UK (4:45 p.m. BST).