There’s not much buzz or anticipation floating around the boxing twitter-sphere about the Showtime doubleheader coming up this Saturday. There are a few reasons why mainly due to Adonis Stevenson career being stuck in neutral since he shocked the world via first round KO versus then respected Chad Dawson in 2013. Over the last few years Adonis failed to make his mark in a division that featured Bernard Hopkins, Jean Pascal, and Sergey Kovalev.
Chris Carlson
Kell Brook vs. Errol Spence: You Can’t Hide From The Truth
Another month, another outdoor stadium event in the fertile grounds of the United Kingdom boxing scene comes to fruition as Kell Brook defends his IBF welterweight strap against Errol Spence. Some 27,000 fans will fill Bramall Lane Stadium in Sheffield, England to witness their hometown fighter dare to be great. Crossing the pond is an unbeaten American who looks the part and finally gets cast in a role of a lifetime.
Terence Crawford vs. Felix Diaz: Is Bud In For A Test?
New York City’s Madison Square Garden will host a Top Rank Inc. event featuring pound for pound ranked Terrence Crawford and contender Felix Diaz in the main event. The matchup itself is flying under the radar as is Crawford’s opponent who sits around a +900 underdog on the betting books. Terence Crawford, a two-weight champion and Omaha, Nebraska native, is primed to carry the torch for the next generation. The problem is his resume lacks real depth and name recognition to spark a light to that heavy torch. Although Felix Diaz is not a name to heighten Terrence’s stature he may present problems to the 140-unified king as Yuriorkis Gamboa did almost three years ago.
Canelo vs. Chavez Jr.: Will The Fight Match Late Buzz?
The city of sin Las Vegas, Nevada will be buzzing for this weekend’s bout between Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. It’s a fitting fight that will only heighten the Cinco de Mayo celebrations. Beyond the event, which has been promoted very well by Oscar De La Hoya and his Golden Boy Promotions, will the actual fight match the hype? It’s a fair and obvious question to ask given the lack of activity from Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in recent years.
Anthony Joshua vs. Wladimir Klitschko: No Country for Old Men
90,000 crazed fans will fill Wembley Stadium to root on their countryman Anthony Joshua in his quest to take the boxing world by the balls. Standing in his way is the former kingpin of the heavyweight division Wladimir Klitschko. It’s a classic tale of youth versus experience in a vintage match that could tilt the balance to the next generation.
If Joshua wins, especially convincingly a new era will be ushered in not just in the division but a new star will be born the world over. A Klitschko victory heightens his long-term legacy and at the same time cheapens the rest of the division to an extent moving forward besides Tyson Fury.
Busy Boxing Weekend Stateside & Across the Pond
The upcoming fight schedule for this weekend is filled to the rim with action-packed fights and if we’re lucky we may even get a fight of the year candidate. Events being staged in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Liverpool, and Leicester involve different levels of meaning from stern challenges to stay-busy.
Let’s start in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center on leading network in the United States Showtime. Shawn Porter and Andre Berto face off in a fun welterweight matchup with a mandatory slot on the line for Keith Thurman’s WBC’s strap.
Lomachenko’s Pound for Pound Path
Vasyl Lomachenko is a hot-button topic across many social media platforms and of course in boxing forums. Nobody can deny or argue against Vasyl’s skill-set, the main sticking point of this recent debate is just how great this two-time gold medalist from the Ukraine is.
Based off HBO’s broadcast team a casual boxing fan may assume Loma is the best fighter on the planet. HBO and Bob Arum will tell you he’s hands down the best fighter of this still developing generation. Arum loves to skip right on past Floyd Mayweather, Roy Jones, Pernell Whitaker, and unbelievably the four kings of the 1980’s. That’s right Bob has to journey all the way to the 1970’s to compare Lomachenko to the great Muhammad Ali. Let us not forget, at least Arum is the promoter so one can expect him being overzealous at times.
Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Jason Sosa Tops HBO Rare Tripleheader
By now everyone’s top 10 pound for pound list includes Vasyl Lomachenko and the majority of the boxing world agrees, Loma is a top 5 pugilist in the sport. Some go as far to say he’s the best based off eye test in the last year. If the main event doesn’t do much for you, the undercard has two fighters who potentially could do some damage at their respected division facing decent talent. This rare tripleheader on HBO will be broadcasted from the MGM National Harbor Hotel and Casino in Maryland.
Even as a sizable 8 to 1 underdog on the betting books, Jason Sosa is comfortable in that role. His disputed draw versus Nicholas Walters and knockout upset over Javier Fortuna gives him the confidence to make a run for the money. Once the bell rings it will show if Sosa can hang with the Ukraine native.
Marco Huck vs. Mairis Briedis: Is Huck ready to pass the torch?
Former 200-pound limit champion Marco Huck meets the new kid on the block Mairis Briedis, for a WBC cruiserweight title fight. The fight being upgraded due to Tony Bellew’s absents is a nice boost for the fighters. More importantly, Huck’s career is on the line against what some have branded one of the next generation cruisers.
Jorge Linares and Anthony Crolla Run It Back
Manchester Arena in England will be jam-packed again for a rematch from an entertaining dust-up between Jorge Linares and Anthony Crolla this Saturday. In the states Showtime, currently leaving HBO in the dust, will be the broadcaster of this lightweight showdown in the afternoon. The big question heading into this rematch is what if anything can Crolla do differently?