Murat Gassiev, 22-0(16KO), meets one-loss Jordan Shimmell for a 12-round IBF cruiserweight eliminator in the main event on FS1 this Tuesday night. From its inception, Fox Sports 1’s Toe-To-Toe Tuesday fight series has matched prospects and contenders in real fights, exactly what the fans want to see. It features boxers climbing the ladder in development bouts and champion-level matchups. The Premier Boxing Champions series on FS1 has proved to be consistent in the absence of ESPN’s Friday Night Fights.
Chris Carlson
Canelo vs. Khan: For Real or Just A Formality?
Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez faces Amir Khan for the lineal middleweight title at Canelo’s made-up weight class of 155 pounds. The Cinco de Mayo matchup will be broadcasted by HBO PPV live from the brand new T-Mobile Arena, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bout’s original purpose was to help drum-up interest while building to a September PPV blockbuster on Mexican Independence weekend.
Now it looks as if fans will have to suffer through a marinating process that could last another year or two. The boxing faithful not only lose out on a super fight between Canelo and Gennady Golovkin. They also had to endure a Golovkin slaughter in yet another mismatch in a HBO main event that in hindsight was completely meaningless.
Ortiz vs. Berto 2: Better late than never at the StubHub
Andre Berto and Victor Ortiz square off once again in a rematch from their 2011 war. The second meeting will take place at the StubHub Center in Southern California, a fitting venue that ignites a certain magical spell almost guaranteeing a brawl on Saturday night. The tripleheader will be broadcasted on free-to-air Fox. Normally a rematch from nearly 5 years ago wouldn’t gander much interest amongst fans. All too often in this scenario, one fighter has slipped too far from grace making the second go around a mismatch. (fourth fight between Marquez vs. Vazquez) Unfortunately a chance does exist that this bout could fit the bill just described due to the unknown that surrounds Victor Ortiz.
Golovkin vs. Wade: Another Ho-Hum Main Event on HBO in 2016
Not many in the sport of boxing think unbeaten Dominic Wade has any real shot at victory versus Gennady Golovkin this Saturday. But that doesn’t stop the 15,000+ fans from attending this mismatch on HBO, at The Forum in Los Angeles. At this point Gennady could fight Roberto Duran and fans would still pay to watch this man perform. OK maybe not.
No hate coming out of this article, fact is power punchers tend to attract the biggest fanbase whether or not the fighter has proven their worth. And for the most part, besides Andre Ward, Golovkin’s team has done their due diligent to scour the earth in search of a suitable opponent at the top-heavy 160 pound division.
Spence vs. Algieri & Glowacki vs. Cunningham make for a solid NBC doubleheader
The Errol Spence and Chris Algieri bout will serve its purpose by tell us a lot more about each fighter when they meet in a 10-round main event live on NBC, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The co-feature pits Steve Cunningham against newly-crowned WBO Cruiserweight champion Krzysztof Glowacki in a potential barn-burner.
Two fights that make sense at the right time, a key ingredient the premier boxing champions has had some issues with.
Broner vs. Theophane: Broner Captain of a Sinking Ship
Photo: Paul Jones / ESB – Adrien Broner is back this Friday night to face Ashley Theophane in front of a sold-out Armory crowd in Washington, DC. Even if victorious, Broner will not be able retain his WBA junior lightweight belt on account of being .4 pounds over the 140 pound weight limit. To make matters worse, Broner didn’t even attempt to use the 2-hour window given to trim the remaining weight. It just another setback in a series of issues that seem stuck to “The Problem” like glue.
Ward vs. Barrera: The Return of the Prodigal Son
Andre Ward meets Sullivan Barrera this Saturday night live on HBO at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. If Ward’s successful it moves him one step closer to a meeting with Sergey Kovalev in the fall. Standing in his way is an unbeaten fighter with roots drawn from highly-touted Cuban amateur system. Does the unbeaten Barrera have what it takes to topple Ward? Will rust factor in for Ward having 8 months of more inactivity since his last bout?
Andre Ward signed a three-fight deal with HBO to prepare for a super fight with Sergey Kovalev. After he fought last June, Ward signed with a plan to fight on the Canelo vs. Cotto HBO PPV undercard. A swollen knee caused him to pull out which ended up slowing down the talks for this fight.
Sadam Ali vs. Jessie Vargas highlight busy weekend on HBO and Showtime
This weekend marks the second Saturday on the schedule were HBO and Showtime feature dueling fight cards. After a slow February, boxing fans get a plethora of fights this weekend. It would have been nice if either network could have placed one of these cards somewhere last month. Boxing fans are accustomed to taking one on the chin, so beggars can’t be choosy when it comes to a stacked schedule on March 5th.
Frampton vs. Quigg: Manchester Machismo
(Credit: Matchroom Boxing) The fight between Scott Quigg and Carl Frampton reached a fever pitch during the final presser of the week when the two men traded words and shoves. Manchester Arena is the place this U.K. super fight of sorts will take place and you can bet both fan bases equaling 20,000 strong, will let their voice be heard this Saturday night. The bout has been in the making for years and judging by the two camps the top is about to blow off with anticipation.
Kovalev vs. Pascal 2: Bad timing not a Bad matchup
Bitter sweet feelings surround this rematch bout from last March have spoiled much of the anticipation for Saturday night’s HBO main event fight between Sergey Kovalev and Jean Pascal. It’s not as if it’s a bad matchup per se, just bad timing considering the outcome of their first meeting and Pascal’s last performance, which was underwhelming to say the least. Regardless, thankfully the Bell Centre in Montreal will be ready to make noise for this redux that should be fought in an entertaining style.