By Jake Donovan

Make no mistake about this – the next two months are absolutely loaded. This Saturday alone is well worth upsetting the spouse or significant other in declaring that you’re staying in for the night.

Whether you watch Showtime and TiVo HBO or vice versa, your Saturday night is action packed.

Even better is the fact that there are plenty of gems to be found between now and December 18.

That has never been disputed. Both Showtime and HBO deserve credit for ending 2010 with a bang.

But let’s not get it twisted – boxing fans needn’t drop to our knees and bow down to the boxing gods for delivering such a loaded stretch of fights.

We’ve waited 10 months for something to look forward to. Quite frankly, we’re entitled – if not long overdue – for a payoff like this.

The very marquee attraction for this weekend is in fact a fight that was supposed to come seven weeks ago, and – though through circumstances beyond control – helped contribute to one of the worst droughts in recent boxing history.

If all goes as planned, then the featherweight crossroads bout between Juan Manuel Lopez and Rafael Marquez at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada (Saturday, SHOWTIME 10PM ET) should prove to be a hell of a welcome back party for boxing fans who have relied on webcasts and Spanish-speaking broadcasts to get them through most of the fall season.

Even if not by design, SHOWTIME couldn’t have picked a better fight to get itself back on track on the championship level. There’s little to suggest that Lopez-Marquez will be anything short of a guaranteed punch out, be it one-sided or a brutal two-way slugfest.

It’s an added bonus that in the co-feature slot, we are offered the first Stage Three match of the Showtime Super Six World Boxing Classic, as “Super” subs Allan Green and Glen Johnson collide in a fight that determines who will join – and most like face – Andre Ward in the tournament’s semifinals.

Just don’t ask us to be grateful for them – both bouts were owed to us, and are part of this stretch run only due to a series of postponements and cancellations.

Yes, it’s fantastic that the sport’s pound-for-pound king, Manny Pacquiao returns to the ring on November 13. His opponent, Antonio Margarito isn’t exactly the first choice for whom boxing fans want to see in the ring that evening, but have learned to accept the situation for what it is.

But why should we feel blessed that Pacquiao fights for the second time this year? Isn’t that his job? Doesn’t that go with being referred to as the best in the sport – actually fighting?

Perhaps we’ve grown too accustomed to lowering our standards once the sport’s previous pound-for-pound king, Floyd Mayweather chose to make boxing a part-time gig. There have been articles ranging from the sport thirsting for a fighter of Pacquiao’s ilk to once again grace us with his presence all the way to asking that we bow in the presence of the Filipino’s greatness and thank him for the star power in which he provides the sport.

Excuse me? This will be his second fight in 2011, neither resembling the very best fight he can take, but rather fights that suit his promoter’s best interests.

Granted, we’ll take it – regardless of your thoughts on Margarito and the in-ring crimes he attempted to commit, it’s tough to envision that their pay-per-view headliner next week at Cowboys Stadium won’t be action-packed.

Just don’t ask us to thank the boxing brass, when they should be thanking us for purchasing (or even considering) an event that wasn’t our first or even second choice for the blockbuster event in which we expected Pacquiao to be involved.

The same can be said for just about any other weekend on the docket between now and the end of December.

There are notable exceptions, primarily the four-man Showtime bantamweight tournament set to begin on December 11.

While a rematch between Yonnhy Perez and Joseph King Kong Agbeko was inevitable, neither had to agree to terms where the winner’s very next fight would be a defense against the last man standing between Vic Darchinyan and Abner Mares.

As he creeps towards the twilight of his career, Darchinyan could’ve pursued softer touches while holding out for one big cashout fight. Instead, he continues to call out and challenge the very best in the sport.

While a rematch with Nonito Donaire forever remains unlikely, the transplanted Armenian hardly disappoints in pursuing a young lion such as Mares, who also deserves credit for jumping into a knockout tournament like this. The 2008 Mexican Olympian could have easily waited on – depending on the outcome of Perez-Agbeko II – a rematch with Perez or a mandatory shot against Agbeko.

Not surprisingly, the Showtime tournament – whose first round airs on December 11, live from Leon, Mexico – is met with a programming conflict from its neighbors at HBO, who will unofficially emerge themselves in the 140 lb. division.

In store for the evening on HBO is a pair of fights featuring a quartet of junior welterweight contenders, as Amir Khan faces Marcos Maidana in the main event, and Victor Ortiz meeting former title challenger Lamont Peterson in the televised co-feature.

It’s the type of night in which you can’t possibly go wrong no matter what choice you make. It’s also the type of night in which network executives will break their arms patting themselves on the back.

But considering how long we’ve waited for the sport to once again get interesting, it’s ultimately the type of night that could’ve been avoided if the sport spread out its offense a little better.

That there are three scheduling conflicts in the next six Saturdays (November 6, November 27 and December 11) makes you wonder all the more why both networks loaded up for a big finish when they could’ve done a lot better to keep things steady.

Had either properly pursued that route, the sport wouldn’t constantly have to worry about bringing back fans, but rather increase the odds of retaining its base and building on that.

So the next report you read where it’s said that we should be giving thanks, do your best to remember the standards at which all other sports are held and consider this upcoming journey our overdue back pay.

 

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com and an award-winning member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Contact Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com .