By Cliff Rold
After a hectic four live, televised cards last Friday and a fifth card on the air Saturday night, things only sort of slow down this week. Two cards apiece, both overlapping, on Friday and Saturday night, will force some choices for the live viewers and put the DVRs to work.
But hey, at least it won’t be last week where one DVR couldn’t get the job done.
One of the most interesting fights of the week won’t even be on television (technically), but the most interesting will be. That always counts for something.
These are the picks of the week.
Pick It: #5 Glen Johnson-#8 Yusaf Mack (Friday, ESPN2, 10:30 PM EST/7:30 PM PST)
Despite his 41 years, the former Light Heavyweight titlist Johnson (49-13-2, 33 KO) remains one of the premiere men at 175 lbs. For how much longer is up for debate. In his last bout, he began to look his age against Chad Dawson. Now he steps in with the 30-year old Mack (28-2-2, 17 KO) and the New Yorker has never been hotter. Riding a five fight win streak, Mack beat fringe contender Chris Henry is a rugged battle two fights ago, following with a knockout of former title challenger DeAndrey Abron.
Johnson is something else altogether. It’s experience and controlled aggression against raw power and the winner gets a crack at IBF beltholder Tavoris Cloud (20-0, 18 KO). That’s right. This surefire action thriller is a stepping stone to more of the same with one of the most exciting young titlists in the game. This is must-see.
The undercard ain’t so bad either with the latest look at former Cuban amateur great Guillermo Rigondeaux (4-0, 3 KO). His opponent, Adolfo Landeros (20-12-1, 9 KO), has lost four of his last five but consider this. After Friday, in five professional fights, Rigondeaux will have yet to have wasted time with anyone who sports a losing record and his opposition to date will sport a record of 93-27-5. This is not cautious movement and there is no reason to think this 29-year old Jr. Featherweight can’t have a major title belt around his waist by year’s end.
Pick Power: #2 Edwin Valero-#10 Antonio DeMarco (Saturday, Showtime, 9 PM EST/PST)
Here’s the rule: when 28-year old WBA Lightweight beltholder Edwin Valero (26-0, 26 KO) fights, watch. Period. End of discussion. After all these years as a YouTube sensation akin for boxing fans to a Kimbo Slice with talent, it’s long past time to find out just how good Valero really is. The 24-year old DeMarco (23-1, 17 KO) is the sort of fighter who can find out. A serious, skilled Mexican, can DeMarco exploit was look like obscene defensive deficiencies in Valero? Or is Valero’s power just too much for anyone right now? It looked that way last year when Valero blitzed Antonio Pitalua; it had looked like that before as well. Lightweight showed a lot of promise last year but didn’t quite finish 2009 with the same aplomb it started with. Let’s hope momentum returns quickly.
Pick Net: World Cruiserweight Champion Tomasz Adamek-Jason Estrada (Saturday, gofightlive.tv, 8 PM EST/5 PM PST)
So maybe it’s not technically on television. There’s still no reason anyone has to miss this one. While it’s unlikely Adamek (39-1, 27 KO) will fight at Cruiserweight again if things continue to go well one division north, he still maintains some hold on the 200 lb. title. This weekend, he makes his second consecutive Heavyweight start. Last October, he went home to Poland and cracked Andrew Golota. Now he’s in with hefty former U.S. Olympian Jason Estrada (16-2, 4 KO). Estrada isn’t without talent and this could be a fast paced affair. On the undercard, Peter Quillin (20-0, 15 KO) and Fernando Zuniga (28-9, 20 KO) could end up being a scorching little Super Middleweight tilt. This show is definitely worth a look.
There will also be live action on Fox Sports Espanola Saturday night (10 PM EST) and a ShoBox Friday (11 PM EST) to fill out the viewing week. After some winter weeks of famine, feast it all in.
Back in seven.
For BoxingScene’s latest full divisional ratings, log on to: https://www.boxingscene.com/forums/view.php?pg=boxing-ratings
Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com