Pacquiao’s Summer Vacation & Easter Jr. vs. Shafikov Prediction

07/01/201706/30/2017 Chris Carlson

Manny Pacquiao headlines a non-PPV broadcast for the first time in over a decade on ESPN this coming Saturday. The real fight of the weekend matches Robert Easter Jr. in his second title defense against mandatory challenger Denis Shafikov, Friday night on BounceTV.

Manny Pacquiao versus Jeff Horn is an infomercial for Australian tourism and the first stop on Pacquiao’s world tour. His promoter Bob Arum recently made reference of the Philippines as a possible landing spot for his next outing let’s hope a meaningful fight is on the horizon. Horn was obviously chosen solely due to his residency because he hasn’t beaten anyone remotely good enough to earn a Pacquiao fight let alone have a legit chance in beating him.

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Ward vs. Kovalev 2: Will The Drama Spill To The Ring?

06/17/201706/17/2017 Chris Carlson

Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev return to Sin City with a storm cloud of tension and drama lingering as they prepare to engage in the much anticipated rematch. Who will improve upon their performance from a razor-tight first meeting that drew a wide range of scoring throughout social media? Can Kovalev find a way to gain back the momentum he held? Will Ward’s versatility stifle Sergey ‘The Krusher’ Kovalev’s attack having already experienced it a full 12 rounds?

It’s too bad Ward vs. Kovalev 1 was on HBO PPV because the fight superseded expectations but had its exposure shrunk. Had the first run broadcasted on regular HBO it may have done a high enough rating to help sell a rematch on PPV. Instead many common or casual fans didn’t see it and currently focused on the recent Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor news.

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Stevenson vs. Fonfara 2: Sounds About Right for Adonis

06/02/2017 Chris Carlson

There’s not much buzz or anticipation floating around the boxing twitter-sphere about the Showtime doubleheader coming up this Saturday. There are a few reasons why mainly due to Adonis Stevenson career being stuck in neutral since he shocked the world via first round KO versus then respected Chad Dawson in 2013. Over the last few years Adonis failed to make his mark in a division that featured Bernard Hopkins, Jean Pascal, and Sergey Kovalev.

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Kell Brook vs. Errol Spence: You Can’t Hide From The Truth

05/26/201705/26/2017 Chris Carlson

Another month, another outdoor stadium event in the fertile grounds of the United Kingdom boxing scene comes to fruition as Kell Brook defends his IBF welterweight strap against Errol Spence. Some 27,000 fans will fill Bramall Lane Stadium in Sheffield, England to witness their hometown fighter dare to be great. Crossing the pond is an unbeaten American who looks the part and finally gets cast in a role of a lifetime.

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Terence Crawford vs. Felix Diaz: Is Bud In For A Test?

05/20/201705/19/2017 Chris Carlson

New York City’s Madison Square Garden will host a Top Rank Inc. event featuring pound for pound ranked Terrence Crawford and contender Felix Diaz in the main event. The matchup itself is flying under the radar as is Crawford’s opponent who sits around a +900 underdog on the betting books. Terence Crawford, a two-weight champion and Omaha, Nebraska native, is primed to carry the torch for the next generation. The problem is his resume lacks real depth and name recognition to spark a light to that heavy torch. Although Felix Diaz is not a name to heighten Terrence’s stature he may present problems to the 140-unified king as Yuriorkis Gamboa did almost three years ago.

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Canelo vs. Chavez Jr.: Will The Fight Match Late Buzz?

05/06/201705/06/2017 Chris Carlson

The city of sin Las Vegas, Nevada will be buzzing for this weekend’s bout between Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. It’s a fitting fight that will only heighten the Cinco de Mayo celebrations. Beyond the event, which has been promoted very well by Oscar De La Hoya and his Golden Boy Promotions, will the actual fight match the hype? It’s a fair and obvious question to ask given the lack of activity from Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in recent years.

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Anthony Joshua vs. Wladimir Klitschko: No Country for Old Men

04/28/2017 Chris Carlson

90,000 crazed fans will fill Wembley Stadium to root on their countryman Anthony Joshua in his quest to take the boxing world by the balls. Standing in his way is the former kingpin of the heavyweight division Wladimir Klitschko. It’s a classic tale of youth versus experience in a vintage match that could tilt the balance to the next generation.

If Joshua wins, especially convincingly a new era will be ushered in not just in the division but a new star will be born the world over. A Klitschko victory heightens his long-term legacy and at the same time cheapens the rest of the division to an extent moving forward besides Tyson Fury.

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Busy Boxing Weekend Stateside & Across the Pond

04/21/201704/21/2017 Chris Carlson

The upcoming fight schedule for this weekend is filled to the rim with action-packed fights and if we’re lucky we may even get a fight of the year candidate. Events being staged in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Liverpool, and Leicester involve different levels of meaning from stern challenges to stay-busy.

Let’s start in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center on leading network in the United States Showtime. Shawn Porter and Andre Berto face off in a fun welterweight matchup with a mandatory slot on the line for Keith Thurman’s WBC’s strap.

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Lomachenko’s Pound for Pound Path

04/14/201704/14/2017 Chris Carlson

Vasyl Lomachenko is a hot-button topic across many social media platforms and of course in boxing forums. Nobody can deny or argue against Vasyl’s skill-set, the main sticking point of this recent debate is just how great this two-time gold medalist from the Ukraine is.

Based off HBO’s broadcast team a casual boxing fan may assume Loma is the best fighter on the planet. HBO and Bob Arum will tell you he’s hands down the best fighter of this still developing generation. Arum loves to skip right on past Floyd Mayweather, Roy Jones, Pernell Whitaker, and unbelievably the four kings of the 1980’s. That’s right Bob has to journey all the way to the 1970’s to compare Lomachenko to the great Muhammad Ali. Let us not forget, at least Arum is the promoter so one can expect him being overzealous at times.

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Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Jason Sosa Tops HBO Rare Tripleheader

04/08/2017 Chris Carlson

By now everyone’s top 10 pound for pound list includes Vasyl Lomachenko and the majority of the boxing world agrees, Loma is a top 5 pugilist in the sport. Some go as far to say he’s the best based off eye test in the last year. If the main event doesn’t do much for you, the undercard has two fighters who potentially could do some damage at their respected division facing decent talent. This rare tripleheader on HBO will be broadcasted from the MGM National Harbor Hotel and Casino in Maryland.

Even as a sizable 8 to 1 underdog on the betting books, Jason Sosa is comfortable in that role. His disputed draw versus Nicholas Walters and knockout upset over Javier Fortuna gives him the confidence to make a run for the money. Once the bell rings it will show if Sosa can hang with the Ukraine native.

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