by Cliff Rold

Pick It: TBRB #4 Erislandy Lara vs. #6 Brian Castano (Saturday, Showtime, 9 PM EST)

As noted in a column earlier this week, what we know, and what we don’t know, about the two fighters in this main event make it one hell of a compelling fight on paper.

Will it be compelling in the ring? Cuba’s Erislandy Lara (25-3-2, 14 KO) is coming off a tough, Fight of the Year quality unification loss to Jarrett Hurd. Argentina’s Brian Castano (15-0, 11 KO) has a solid win over Michael Soro, a commendable amateur background, but nothing in the way of a universally seen elite win yet in the Jr. middleweight division. Heavyweight Luis Ortiz is on the undercard to make this a night well worth your time. 

Additional Shows to Watch For

Saturday – DAZN (2 PM PM EST): Gill vs. Dominguez

24-year old UK featherweight Jordan Gill (22-0, 6 KO) isn’t rated by any of the four major sanctioning bodies just yet. He could be after Saturday. His fight with Mexico’s 25-year old Emmanuel Dominguez (24-7-2, 16 KO) is a chance to change that. Gill and Dominguez are fighting for one of the many WBA belts that they have besides their catalog of world titles. It’s an afternoon DAZN broadcast so figure the main event for later in the day and a lengthy card.

Saturday – Live.DBE1.com (7 PM EST): Fa vs. Ouatah

The boxing portion of the Arnold Classic comes to fans online from Ohio with interesting action in the heavyweight division. Is 29-year old New Zealand native Junior Fa (16-0, 9 KO) a potential contender or just another guy? He had multiple amateur wins over future professional titlist Joseph Parker and, at 6’5 and around 250 lbs, Fa has plenty of size. Fa also has a number eight rating from the WBO as he faces Newfel Ouatah (16-2, 9 KO). Ouatah has been stopped in both his losses. Get a look at Fa who is slowly inching towards a potential mandatory position.

Saturday – TYC (9:30 PM EST): Veron vs. Liendo

Evening action from Argentina is led by a main event in the welterweight division. 30-year old Adrian Veron (23-3, 15 KO) has scored consecutive knockouts since being stopped in the first round by Cesar Barrionuevo two fights in a row. 24-year old Sergio Liendo (12-5, 3 KO) can’t punch much and has been stopped three times in his last six, including in his last start. This one might feel a little predictable going in.

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