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.
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.
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.
(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.
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.
This Saturday night, Danny Garcia meets Robert Guerrero in the main event, live on Fox from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The co-feature pits hot prospect Sammy Vasquez against hardened-vet Aron Martinez. Can Guerrero rekindle his skill set to trouble Garcia? Can Garcia get a clear win? All these questions and more will be answered on Saturday.
Many of folks across the boxing landscape feel Garcia vs. Guerrero is yet another mismatch coming out of the Al Haymon stable. Perception becomes a reality in this social media world that we live in causing this matchup to fall by the waste side from lack of buzz on fight week. But make no mistake about it this is a real fight, not just an afterthought to get to Amir Khan.
A pair of heavyweight title fights takes place this Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn after a span of 115-years since the last of its kind. In the main event unbeaten WBC champion Deontay Wilder faces Artur Szpilka and in the co-feature Vyacheslav Glazkov meets Charles Martin for a vacant IBF strap. Szpilka has a chance to become the first polish heavyweight in history. If Wilder wins it sets the stage for tremendous 2016 with the likes of Alexander Povetkin and Fury/Klitschko rematch winner waiting in the wings.
This Saturday night live on BoxNation (Showtime Extreme in U.S.) Andy Lee and Billy Joe Saunders take center stage at the Manchester Arena. Lee is the more accomplished fighter with real one-punch knockout power. Saunders is unbeaten and will need to use his skills rather than heart to secure the victory. Both fighters come from traveling backgrounds so the WBO belt comes secondary to pride and heritage.
This Saturday night, live on Showtime, Peter Quillin and Daniel Jacobs do battle for Brooklyn bragging rights. Quillin is the more experienced fighter inside the ring and a slight favorite. Daniel’s biggest challenge came outside the ring in his fight against cancer. Whatever friendship created between the two combatants will cease to exist once the bell rings.
Over the last few years Peter Quillin’s carved out a niche for himself in Brooklyn. Unbeaten in 33 bouts, the 32-year old was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan and his family origins come via Cuba. As a young man Quillin followed his dreams on a path to destiny that was nearly sidetracked numerous times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seBKtWZ4kYY
The faces change but the Klitschko name stays the same in the heavyweight division. Wladimir defends his heavyweight titles against an unbeaten contender in Tyson Fury. Many outside the U.K. assume it will be another day at the office for Wlad. Can Tyson Fury do what hasn’t been done in quite some time? At the very least it will be fun to watch these two giants square off.