Miguel Cotto vs. Daniel Geale: Catch Me If You Can

06/06/201506/05/2015 Chris Carlson

Live on HBO from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, Miguel Cotto and Daniel Geale meet for the lineal middleweight title. Instead of breaking down the X’s and O’s of the matchup the pugilist masses are mainly fixated on the number 157. That is the number Geale must hit to prevent a possible cancellation. Cotto’s image has taken a big hit of late and even if he does make a big statement this Saturday night the damage is deep. They might as well of called this fight Cotto vs. Geale: To Catch A Mockingbird.

Barring a minor roadblock the only major obstacle that stands in the way of an HBO PPV fight between Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez is Daniel Geale. The Aussie has middleweight contender pedigree it’s just too bad that this bout won’t be contested at 160. Instead, this bout will be fought at a catchweight of 157 pounds. Judging by the comments made by both camps in the lead-up it sounds as though sticking to their guns is the plan.

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Khan vs. Algieri: King Kong or King of the Con?

05/29/2015 Chris Carlson

Amir Khan and Chris Algieri meet in a game of high-speed chess not checkers in front of a Brooklyn based crowd at the Barclays Center on Spike this Friday night. Khan’s been busy the last few years lining up his ducks in a row in order to land a major fight. Can Algieri pull another rabbit out of his hat the way he did versus Ruslan Provodnikov about a year ago. The co-feature pits the explosive Javier Fortuna against a steady-rising Bryan Vazquez in a matchup that should start the broadcast out with a bang.

Nearly 3 years ago Amir Khan was ready to face Lamont Peterson in a rematch from a close bout. As fate would have it Lamont Peterson failed a random drug test after not informing the agency he’d implanted a testosterone pill in his hip the previous winter before their first meeting. In walks Danny Garcia for a July showdown with the highest of high stakes awaiting Amir in victory in the form of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather.

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Andre Dirrell and James Degale meet in Memorial Day Matinee on NBC

05/23/201505/21/2015 Chris Carlson

East meets West in a Memorial Day Matinee matchup between James Degale and Andre Dirrell. The card will be broadcast live on NBC from Agganis Arena on the Boston University campus. It pits two one-loss fighters hoping to standout as pros to match their amateur pedigree.

Rarely in life or in boxing do you get a second chance to improve upon your a first impression. Once a fighter loses as a favorite or puts on a poor performance, they can be casted away and shot down the ladder only to have to brush him or herself off and pick up pieces to climb back up again. This generally can be the case for non-popular boxers who don’t have a barn-burner style.

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Gennady Golovkin vs. Willie Monroe Jr: Good Boy Bad Politics

05/16/201505/15/2015 Chris Carlson

Gennady Golovkin returns to HBO and Southern California this time at The Forum in a showcase matchup against middleweight contender Willie Monroe Jr. The only unknowns heading into this bout is how long before Golovkin take’s out his man as he attempts to keep the streak of 19 KO’s in a row alive.

We last saw Gennady Golovkin in late February finishing off a pesky Martin Murray in the 11th round bringing him one step closer to a breakout fight he so rightfully deserves. At the moment Triple G is caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to boxing politics. Lucky for him his profile is on the rise as he knocks out all comers in front of a growing TV and live event audience.

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Canelo vs. Kirkland: Is the Mandingo Warrior ready to take the Cinnamon Challenge?

05/11/201505/09/2015 Chris Carlson

This Saturday night Saul “Canelo” Alvarez takes on James Kirkland live on HBO from Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. The matchup has been delayed over the last few years but the time has come to see if the Mandingo Warrior is ready take the cinnamon challenge. Unlike the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao PPV, which by the way will be replayed during Saturdays broadcast, the odds are in the fans favor of a two-way action fight!

Back in 2012, all systems seemed a go in terms of the likelihood for making Canelo vs. Kirkland a reality. Inter-turmoil on the James Kirkland’s side stopped this bout from being made, robbing fans of yet another potentially fun and meaningful matchup. Fast forward to late 2014, it took another super fight in Canelo vs. Cotto to fall thru in order to secure James Kirkland a date with destiny.

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Mayweather vs Pacquiao: Benjamins and Bragging Rights

05/01/201505/01/2015 Chris Carlson

This Saturday night Floyd Mayweather meets Manny Pacquiao in a legacy fight for the ages. Only a select number of privileged people will take in the fight live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, broadcasted by both Showtime and HBO on PPV for 100 smack-a-roos including HD. With an estimated 100,000 fans heading for Sin City the stakes are as high as they come for both of these 1st-ballot Hall of Famers. Can Pacman apply the type of pressure that’s needed in order to breakdown Floyd’s defensive wall? Or will Money Mayweather add another notch to his resume that will probably be more respect as time passes?

Instead of hashing out all of the details that got us to this place lets jump right into the deep-end. When the boxer vs. puncher style-clash is presented to the boxing public at an elite level it generally creates a debate. If truth be told it’s one of the oldest arguments on the books and the back and forth never truly goes away.

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Lucas Matthysse and Ruslan Provodnikov on a Highway to Hell

04/17/2015 Chris Carlson

This Saturday night Turning Stone Resort and Casino will host an HBO event that will likely be the leading candidate for fight of the year by night’s end. Stylistically speaking this is as close to a hardcore-fight fans dream matchup as any other on the busy spring fight schedule. Lucas “The Machine” is set to do battle against Ruslan “The Siberian Rocky” Provodnikov with the victor possibly facing the co-feature bout winner between Terrance Crawford and Thomas Dulorme. Who will survive this firefight that promises to produce enough electricity to light up all of New York City?

Ruslan Provodnikov came up the hard way both in and outside the ring. From his humble begins as a member of a communal tribe in Western Siberia to grinding his way up the ranks on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights. Ruslan has out kicked his coverage long ago and overachieved beyond his natural skill set. His coming out party was a war with Timothy Bradley now two summers ago. He followed that narrow-points loss to Bradley with an obliteration of Mike Alvarado.

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Garcia vs. Peterson/Quillin vs. Lee: Will either underdog upset the PBC apple-cart?

04/10/201504/10/2015 Chris Carlson

The PBC on NBC returns in primetime with a solid doubleheader to whet the appetites of us hardcore fans. The main event between Danny Garcia and Lamont Peterson is stylistically matched very well and should keep a channel-surfing mainstream-sports fan occupied. The co-feature matches power with power in the form of Peter Quillin versus Andy Lee with Lee’s middleweight belt at stake. Will either underdog knock-off one of the favorites and give the Premier Boxing Champions the surprise it’s been lacking?

The debut of the PBC on NBC was a smash-hit in the ratings department back on March 7th. Unfortunately the only real entertainment on that night was the second-half of an otherwise one-sided fight between Keith Thurman and Robert Guerrero. This card on Saturday night in Brooklyn, New York, live from the Barclays Center should be a lot more compelling.

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Stevenson vs. Bika/Beterbiev vs. Campillo: Saturday’s PBC on CBS Screams Premium Cable Showcase

04/04/201504/02/2015 Chris Carlson

(Photo credit: Amanda Kwok / PBC on CBS) Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions return on CBS for an 80’s-esque throwback this Saturday afternoon live from the Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City, Canada. The main event matches the current lineal light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson against tough-as-nails and former super middleweight titleholder Sakio Bika. The co-main event features another step in the promising career of Arthur Beterbiev when he faces Gabriel Campillo.

The CBS broadcast harkens back to the days when boxing was a staple on terrestrial television in the afternoon, a time when the general public recognized more than just a few big names in boxing. Considering the promotion behind this event on CBS it’s too bad the top of this card wasn’t put together with more effort. No disrespect to Sakio Bika, who cut his teeth against the best fighters in his weight class in the last ten years or so. Of late though it appears the best days are behind the iron-chinned Bika. In the first of his two fights versus Anthony Dirrell something seemed different. He didn’t have that same spunk and what became obvious to see only worsened in the rematch.

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Kovalev vs. Pascal: The Krusher takes the show on the road to face Pascal in Canada

03/15/201503/14/2015 Chris Carlson

This Saturday night live on HBO from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada, Sergey Kovalev takes his show on the road to face former lineal 175 pound champ Jean Pascal. Can Pascal pull off another upset on his home turf or will the Krusher continue his winning ways? Plus, heavyweight contenders collide in the co-feature when Steve Cunningham and Vyacheslav Glazkov meet in the squared circle.

If there was any question of his supremacy Sergey Kovalev made it crystal clear who the top light heavyweight in the world was in his last outing. In the process the “Krusher” delivered a performance for the ages dominating future hall of famer Bernard Hopkins.

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