Pick It: #1 Tim Tszyu vs. Carlos Ocampo (Saturday, Showtime, 11:30 PM EST)

A shot at the undisputed, lineal Jr. middleweight champion Jermell Charlo is so close that 28-year old Tim Tszyu (22-0, 16 KO) can taste it. 27-year old Carlos Ocampo (35-2, 23 KO) can hope to knock that taste right out of his mouth and give the division its second major upset in 2023 after Mendoza-Fundora.

It’s a solid enough main event from Australia between bigger fights for Showtime with a supporting bout that might end up better than the main event. 32-year old Jr. featherweight Ra’eese Aleem (20-0, 12 KO) faces off with a local favorite, 24-year old Sam Goodman (14-0, 7 KO), in a fight with major implications on who will be there when the dust settles from Stephen Fulton-Naoya Inoue.         

Additional Shows to Watch For

Friday - Clarke vs. Wach (FITE, 2:00 PM EST)

31-year old heavyweight Frazer Clarke (6-0, 5 KO) is moving right along, stepping up this weekend against an aged former title challenger. 43-year old Mariusz Wach (37-9, 20 KO) once went the distance with Wladimir Klitschko but that was more than a decade ago. Wach has been stopped four times since and has lost three of four entering this fight.

Friday - Hernandez vs. Irias (Fite, 8:00 PM EST)

2016 US Olympic bronze medalist Nico Hernandez (10-0, 4 KO) is competing at super flyweight as a professional and gradually working his way back into the sport after missing almost three years between 2019 and 2022. He will square off with 27-year old Ernesto Irias (15-7-1, 9 KO) in the main event here. Irias has never been stopped. 

Saturday - #1 Prograis vs. Zorrilla (DAZN, 8:00 PM EST)

34-year old WBC super lightweight titlist Regis Prograis (28-1, 24 KO) reminded everyone how good he can be with a win last year over Jose Zepeda. Can he capitalize? Time may not be long to do so but he will at least be active here. 29-year old Danielito Zorrilla (17-1, 13 KO) lost big two fights ago to Arnold Barboza but has a title shot and may not get another. Can he add an aftershock to the division one week after Teofimo Lopez upset Josh Taylor for the lineal crown? 

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, a member of the International Boxing Research Organization, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com