The Ghost returns, a crossroads fight, and two decorated amateurs round out Showtime Triple

06/22/201406/20/2014 Chris Carlson

(Photo credit: Esther Lin/Showtime) Who will be left behind when Devon Alexander and Jesus Soto Karass meet at the crossroads? Decorated amateurs square off creating a Featherweight (contender) belt holder. Robert “the ghost” Guerrero returns after a 13 month hiatus to face a prospect from Japan. If they were playing night baseball it would be one, two, three strikes their out for the losers of this Saturday night’s Showtime Triple header.

Jesus Soto Karass has bounce back and forth from contender to gatekeeper, yet his performance is consistently worth the price of admission regardless the outcome.

Devon Alexander looks to right the ship after his career capsized the last time out versus Shawn Porter. The former junior welterweight and welterweight champion looks to get back into the picture at the 147 pound division with a win over Soto Karass.

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Provodnikov vs. Algieri: The Siberian Freight Train makes a stop in Brooklyn

06/14/201406/12/2014 Chris Carlson

2013 was a tremendous year for boxing and rise of Ruslan Provodnikov was well documented in the media with the most notable example being HBO’s 2 days. If scripted, his real life Rocky story would be hard to believe a few years ago when Ruslan was a crude one-dimensional fighter vying to become a contender at 140.

Teaming up with world renowned trainer Freddie Roach, has helped Ruslan sharpen his strengths offensively becoming a force to be reckon with for anybody at the junior welterweight division.

After losing a closely fought dual to Mauricio Herrera, Ruslan managed to string together five straight wins in a row setting up an opportunity of a lifetime. Timothy Bradley was put through hell in his FOTY war with Provodnikov. When the smoke cleared it didn’t really matter to the fans how judges had it scored.

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Cotto vs. Martinez: Will Sergio punch his ticket to Canastota with a win over Miguel Cotto?

06/06/201406/06/2014 Chris Carlson

So many questions linger in the lead up for the HBO PPV battle between Miguel Cotto and Sergio Martinez broadcasting live from Madison Square Garden this Saturday night.

Will Cotto’s face hold up under constant fire from accurate combination punching of Maravilla? Can Martinez make it through a whole fight without his knee flaring up? Is Sergio Martinez’s career already Hall of Fame worthy or does he need to secure a win against Miguel Cotto to help him get over that hump?

Age is more of a factor for Sergio but physically even with Martinez’s recent string of injuries, Miguel’s fighter body may be the more shopworn of the two having engaged in many brutal wars over the years.

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Froch vs. Groves II: A Prince plots to make history by dethroning the reigning King Carl the Cobra of Great Britain

05/30/2014 Chris Carlson

Two noble men battle in the modern day coliseum of Wembley Stadium for historic supremacy. The reigning King Carl Froch from Nottingham earned his kingship at war, with the blood running through his body from a long line of warriors representing proudly out of the house of Froch.

Prince George of London is plotting his revenge after claims of robbery by way of referee, being the sole the reason for his demise. The pouting Prince was jeered and booed on his way into the ring last November and received a hero’s exit on the way out.

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Stevenson vs. Fonfara: In one year ‘Superman’ goes from overnight Superstar to boxing fans Kryptonite

05/24/201405/23/2014 Chris Carlson

Oh what difference a year can make as Adonis Stevenson now setting his sights on the Legend of Longevity with dollar signs and legacy in mind. Much to the chagrin of hardcore fans after the ground work had already been laid out building anticipation for a fight with powerful puncher Sergei Kovalev.

One can hardly blame boxing fans who routinely get hosed year in a year out for getting angry at the outcome. But to blame just Stevenson or Al Haymon would not be fair either.

The blame can also be spread to HBO in a variety of ways for not closing the deal with Stevenson’s signature before the late November card, not kicking in another 100k for this fight, and for booting Golden Boy off their network in the first place. Don’t get me wrong both Golden Boy and HBO shoulder the blame for their split but the end result has only added fuel to the raging fire.

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Marquez vs. Alvarado: Can “Dinamita” keep his unbeaten streak alive at the reincarnated Forum?

05/16/2014 Chris Carlson

The fabulous Forum in Inglewood, California is ready to add to its already rich history after being refurnished in time for this Saturday, May 17th on HBO. Juan Manuel Marquez and Mike Alvarado are both attempting to reboot their careers after suffering losses in their last outing.

The biggest unknown heading into Saturday nights tilt is how much has the great Mexican boxer declined since his epic knockout of Manny Pacquaio in December 2012. From the sounds of it, Mike Alvarado is in a good mental state after a lackluster training camp in preparation for his war with Ruslan Provodnikov that resulted in him quitting on the stool in front of a ruckus hometown crowd in Denver last fall.

The Forum famously housed the 1980’s Showtime Lakers. It also became a hot spot for boxing diehards with monthly shows that drew legions of fans and legendary fighters. The Forums next chapter should start out with a bang when these two combatants faceoff. The proverbial dangling carrot for the winner is a fight with Manny Pacquiao later this year.

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Mayweather vs. Maidana: Will May 3 be a monumental moment or just a mirage?

05/02/201405/02/2014 Chris Carlson

We know Marcos Maidana will have his moments when facing Floyd Mayweather but will he have enough of them to get his hand raised. Mayweather is once again a heavy favorite heading into Saturday nights scrap so the real question outta be will the paying customer get a bang for their bucks. Along with the main event I will preview and predict the undercard fights that include big names like Amir Khan and Adrien Broner.

With so few weaknesses inside the ring for Floyd Mayweather it’s very difficult to pick against him. When my mainstream boxing fan friends ask me about an upcoming Mayweather fight I’m often left talking about how entertaining it will be rather than convincing them that he will lose.

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Is this Golden Boy/Showtime Tripleheader entertaining matchmaking or mismatches on premium cable?

04/25/201404/25/2014 Chris Carlson

This Saturday night from the fan friendly StubHub Center in Carson California, yet another Golden Boy Promotions Tripleheader will broadcasted by Showtime Sports.

The card has recognizable names in what some boxing fans, many media members, and all the betting websites, have labeled as showcase type action fights that will surely be a boom or bust on social media Saturday night.

As a team in 2013, Richard Schafer, Stephan Espinoza, and who else Al Haymon, saw increased ratings, huge PPV numbers, and quality fights that produced a banner year. Showtime has put all their chips in fueling the sport of boxing and creating real competition with HBO.

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Malignaggi vs. Porter: Which Shawn “Showtime” Porter will show up against the Magic Man in DC?

04/19/201404/18/2014 Chris Carlson

Paulie Malignaggi challenges Shawn Porter for Porter’s IBF Welterweight belt that he won off Devon Alexander last December. The inconsistent Porter looked much improved but can he put his skill and strengths together in back to back performances?

This co-feature fight could go either way with Porter being the betting favorite amongst fans, writers, and betting sites. The style matchup and how it will play out has been bouncing around my brain for some time now to the point that I’m still pulling my decision as I write this article.

Paulie Malignaggi’s career accomplishments fit the “Magic Man” nickname perfectly. A guy with no power to speak of yet still was able to make the fighters and fans respect him.

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Showtime Tripleheader gives BHOP a chance to add more legend to his longevity

04/19/201404/18/2014 Chris Carlson

The legend of longevity Bernard Hopkins returns to a familiar place of Washington D.C. to once again add more depth to an already legendary career.

Standing in his way of becoming the oldest unified champion is Beibut Shumenov, a fighter with one loss facing his first huge test. Will it be another day at the office for Hopkins? Or will power and youth be the deciding factor?

In the illustrious career of a living legend one can’t help to wonder how much longer Hopkins can stay on top of his game. Every current athlete is on a Hunger Games list of nature eventually taking course.

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