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Former unified lightweight titlist Nate Campbell (33-6-1, 25 KOs), last seen losing a lopsided decision in May to Victor Ortiz in a junior welterweight bout on HBO, will return Nov. 27, adviser Terry Trekas told ESPN.com.
Campbell, who will fight at 137 pounds, is scheduled to face Walter Estrada (37-13-1, 25 KOs) on the undercard of lightweight champ Juan Manuel Marquez's defense against Michael Katsidis at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Campbell plans to move back down to the lightweight division, despite previous problems making weight.
"He's going back to 135, so I wanted to test him out at 137 first to make sure he's good at the weight," Trekas said.
After the Ortiz fight, Campbell was diagnosed with a sciatic nerve problem, which is what he said gave him trouble in the fight. The upcoming fight is "to get back in the win column and to see how successful the back rehab was," Trekas said. "I had concerns about him going back to 135, but he feels with the back rehab that it now allows him to do the things in camp that he hasn't been able to for the last few fights and that he can now make 135."
• Middleweight David Lemieux (23-0, 22 KOs), the biggest rising star on the Canadian boxing scene, faces Hector Camacho Jr. (52-3-1, 28 KOs) on Friday night -- a fight whose American rights ESPN secured in a deal Tuesday. ESPN3.com will carry live coverage of the 12-round bout from Montreal's Bell Centre starting at 10 p.m. ET. Although there won't be a network replay, the bout will be available on demand on ESPN3.com for a few days following the fight. ESPN3.com has picked up rights to several fights this fall, including recent heavyweight title defenses by Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko from Germany, a middleweight title defense by Felix Sturm from Germany, and a super middleweight title defense by Lucian Bute from Montreal. "Our plan was to continue having a boxing presence in the fall during the hiatus of [ESPN2's] 'Friday Night Fights,'" ESPN boxing programmer Doug Loughrey said. "And we've been able to consistently deliver our boxing fans exclusive fights until 'Friday Night Fights' returns on Jan. 7."
• Don King formally announced his Dec. 17 card Wednesday at American Airlines Arena in Miami. Odlanier Solis (16-0, 12 KOs) will meet Ray Austin (28-4-4, 18 KOs) in a heavyweight title eliminator in the main event, with the winner getting a mandatory shot at Vitali Klitschko. Light heavyweight titlist Tavoris Cloud (21-0, 18 KOs) will make his second defense against Fulgencio Zuniga (24-4-1, 21 KOs) in the co-feature. Also scheduled for the card is former welterweight champ and junior middleweight titlist Ricardo Mayorga (28-7-1, 22 KOs), who will make his return on the undercard in a 10-round middleweight bout against an opponent to be determined. Mayorga -- known for his relentless trash talk, beer drinking and cigar smoking, as well as his brawling style -- hasn't fought since Shane Mosley knocked him out in the 12th round in September 2008. Mayorga tried to make the jump to mixed martial arts earlier this year, but King got an injunction to prevent the move. Apparently, they have made up and Mayorga will resume his boxing career. Although King is based in South Florida, the card will be King's first at American Airlines Arena since he promoted Felix Trinidad's junior middleweight title defense against Mamadou Thiam there in July 2000.
Campbell, who will fight at 137 pounds, is scheduled to face Walter Estrada (37-13-1, 25 KOs) on the undercard of lightweight champ Juan Manuel Marquez's defense against Michael Katsidis at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Campbell plans to move back down to the lightweight division, despite previous problems making weight.
"He's going back to 135, so I wanted to test him out at 137 first to make sure he's good at the weight," Trekas said.
After the Ortiz fight, Campbell was diagnosed with a sciatic nerve problem, which is what he said gave him trouble in the fight. The upcoming fight is "to get back in the win column and to see how successful the back rehab was," Trekas said. "I had concerns about him going back to 135, but he feels with the back rehab that it now allows him to do the things in camp that he hasn't been able to for the last few fights and that he can now make 135."
• Middleweight David Lemieux (23-0, 22 KOs), the biggest rising star on the Canadian boxing scene, faces Hector Camacho Jr. (52-3-1, 28 KOs) on Friday night -- a fight whose American rights ESPN secured in a deal Tuesday. ESPN3.com will carry live coverage of the 12-round bout from Montreal's Bell Centre starting at 10 p.m. ET. Although there won't be a network replay, the bout will be available on demand on ESPN3.com for a few days following the fight. ESPN3.com has picked up rights to several fights this fall, including recent heavyweight title defenses by Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko from Germany, a middleweight title defense by Felix Sturm from Germany, and a super middleweight title defense by Lucian Bute from Montreal. "Our plan was to continue having a boxing presence in the fall during the hiatus of [ESPN2's] 'Friday Night Fights,'" ESPN boxing programmer Doug Loughrey said. "And we've been able to consistently deliver our boxing fans exclusive fights until 'Friday Night Fights' returns on Jan. 7."
• Don King formally announced his Dec. 17 card Wednesday at American Airlines Arena in Miami. Odlanier Solis (16-0, 12 KOs) will meet Ray Austin (28-4-4, 18 KOs) in a heavyweight title eliminator in the main event, with the winner getting a mandatory shot at Vitali Klitschko. Light heavyweight titlist Tavoris Cloud (21-0, 18 KOs) will make his second defense against Fulgencio Zuniga (24-4-1, 21 KOs) in the co-feature. Also scheduled for the card is former welterweight champ and junior middleweight titlist Ricardo Mayorga (28-7-1, 22 KOs), who will make his return on the undercard in a 10-round middleweight bout against an opponent to be determined. Mayorga -- known for his relentless trash talk, beer drinking and cigar smoking, as well as his brawling style -- hasn't fought since Shane Mosley knocked him out in the 12th round in September 2008. Mayorga tried to make the jump to mixed martial arts earlier this year, but King got an injunction to prevent the move. Apparently, they have made up and Mayorga will resume his boxing career. Although King is based in South Florida, the card will be King's first at American Airlines Arena since he promoted Felix Trinidad's junior middleweight title defense against Mamadou Thiam there in July 2000.
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