A future date with Canelo is potentially at stake when former middleweight champion David Lemieux and Curtis Stevens meet in the main event on HBO this Saturday night. Could this be a setup bout to ensure a quality opponent for Canelo Alvarez in September assuming Golden Boy Promotions and K2 Promotions can’t seal the deal on a Canelo vs. Golovkin fight? Regardless of what the future holds for the winner, the matchup itself is worth watching.
Chris Carlson
Thurman vs. Garcia: A New Welterweight Chapter
The PBC puts a stamp on 2 years of business with a pair of fighters who’ve attracted the most exposure on terrestrial television. Danny Garcia meets Keith Thurman in a unification bout to start a new chapter at the welterweight division. Once again, Garcia is the underdog in this CBS main event live from Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center. Also, rising prospect Erickson Lubin takes on hard-punching Jorge Cota for a WBC Title Eliminator in the co-feature.
Wilder vs. Washington: The Gravy Train Continues
Deontay Wilder returns to his home state of Alabama for what’s sure to be some down-home, southern-cooking against yet another non-de script opponent in former USC football player Gerald Washington. In case the main event is a one-side debacle, Al Haymon added two intriguing bouts for Saturday’s PBC on Fox broadcast.
Dominic Breazeale attempts to put the pieces back after suffering a knockout loss to Anthony Joshua last June. On Saturday, Breazeale will try his hand against an unknown fighter, at least stateside, in Izuagbe Ugonoh. Ugonoh is a professional kick boxer and boxer from Poland with a record of 17-0, (14ko’s).
Broner vs. Granados: Where Art Thou Adrien?
The Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio plays host to a Showtime tripleheader themed with back to the wall urgency fights. Familiar foes in Adrien Broner and Adrian Granados meet in the main event that won’t lack drama. Lamont Peterson returns off a lengthy layoff to face David Avanesyan for his 147-pound WBA trinket. The opener should produce energy in the crowd in a bout between light heavyweight contenders Marcus Browne and Thomas Williams Jr.
The battle of Adrien’s should make for a good television fight and if Broner isn’t on his game he could get beat.
Sammy Vasquez and Luis Collazo meet at the Crossroads on FS1
This Thursday night the PBC on FS1 presents a fight card with depth beyond the main event between once beaten Sammy Vasquez and gate keeper Luis Collazo. It’s not as though the top of the bill isn’t important to each man’s career but you could make an argument the undercard has just as much on the line. Yordenis Ugas takes on Levan ‘The Wolfman’ Ghvamichava, a very fitting nickname when you see this guy’s body hair, in a scrap that is crucial at this stage for both. Also, in what I believe to be the opener, Ryan Karl meets Eddie Ramirez in a battle unbeaten junior welterweights.
Carl Frampton vs. Leo Santa Cruz 2: Preview & Prediction
Carl Frampton and Leo Santa Cruz square-off for the second time this Saturday from Las Vegas, Nevada at the MGM Grand Garden Arena live on Showtime. Can Leo make the necessary adjustments in the rematch or will Frampton’s overall skill be too much again? The co-feature matches former two-weight champion, former pound for pound fighter Mikey Garcia against WBC lightweight champion Dejan Zlaticanin.
Carl Frampton’s career skyrocketed in 2016 on the strength of two legit fights enough so he won the majority of ‘Fighter of the year’ awards giving out by the press. Just under a year ago Carl defeated previously unbeaten 122-pound champion Scott Quigg in a unification bout in Manchester, England. ‘The Jackal’ moved up to featherweight to face yet another undefeated boxer in Leo Santa Cruz.
Degale vs. Jack: Best Fight the Best in Brooklyn
James Degale and Badou Jack meet in Brooklyn to find out who is the best fighter in the super middleweight division. On paper, Degale is the more skilled pugilist of the two while Jack is more consistent overall. The co-feature matches junior lightweight champion Jose Pedraza with a prospect beaming with potential in Gervonta Davis. This card is perfect way for the 2017 year in boxing to kickoff on Showtime for the fans and media alike.
In the past two years both main event fighters forged a turnaround in their careers after facing sizable adversity. James Degale lost a close point’s decision to George Groves in a fight that probably happened too early at that stage. Badou Jack suffered a loss much more damaging via early knockout from a right hand by journeymen Derrick Edwards.
Jermall Charlo vs Julian Williams: Turning the page at 154
Prime and ready for battle, unbeaten junior middleweight’s Jermall Charlo and Julian Williams Jr. clash for one of the top spots at the division. Charlo is more experienced as a pro and Julian with a tad more potential. The process of splitting hairs is needed when attempting to separate who will be victorious this Saturday night.
Turning the page is what 2016 was supposed to be about for the many fighters waiting in line to become the next Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Or at least make a name as the new kids on the block at several weight classes that include featherweight, welterweight, and junior middleweight. Saturday’s co-feature bout will mark the 5th, 154-pound match made on Showtime of the year.
Abner Mares vs. Jesus Cuellar: Mexican vs. Argentinean Equals All Action
Featherweights lay it all on the line as three-weight division champion Abner Mares challenges 126-pound titleholder Jesus Cuellar, broadcasted live from the Galen Center in southern California, on Showtime. Abner finds himself in a make-or-break situation for the first time of an impressive career. Cuellar gets a chance to put a stamp on the resume and raise his profile significantly ensuring even bigger fights at featherweight or junior lightweight in the near future.
Dennis Lebedev vs. Murat Gassiev: From Russia with Blood
Mandatory challenger Murat Gassiev battles unified cruiserweight champion Denis Lebedev in bout that has explosive written all over it. The cruiserweight division is for the most part off the radar away from mainstream attention. Many of the sports long list of legends in the past reigned at middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight. Never a glamour division however in recent years it’s consistently produced great fights and top-ten matchups.
It’s been a nice alternative to many of the heavyweights nowadays, who are too large to keep an active punch rate and often end up gassing out midway thru a fight. The cruisers tend to be in better physical shape but still pack a punch which is the case in this unification dust-up. Take the two-belt champion in Denis Lebedev as example. He comes to fight, doesn’t lack power, and has a helluva chin. Murat Gassiev prefers to stalk his opponent and poses real one-punch knockout power which is evident by a nasty left hook ‘KO of the year’ candidate landed in his last fight in May.