By Cliff Rold

One good fight was a given.  Carl Froch vs. Glen Johnson was preordained.  Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Sebastian Zbik was a dicey proposition going in.  It exceeded expectation.  All in all, a good weekend for the sweet science.

This is a calm before the storm set-up with women’s boxing headlining on Telefutura Friday night and prospect shows on ESPN2 and Showtime.  Omar Narvaez will be defending at 115 lbs. but that’s way off U.S. TV.  For the first time in a long time, there’s no big New York City show (though there will be ShoBox) the weekend of the Hall of Fame induction so maybe that will allow a crowd commensurate with the class.

Not that this class needs help finding fans.

These are the picks of the week.

Pick It: Hall of Fame Induction Weekend, Canastota, New York

Sunday marks the induction in the modern category of two of the biggest stars in the sports history as well as one of the best Jr. Welterweights as well.  Mike Tyson is the main event and, frankly, when was he not?  Through highs and lows, the former Heavyweight Champion of the World, the youngest Heavyweight titlist ever, was captivating entertainment.  His rise and fall were mercurial, his comeback a roller coaster, his impact on the sport and the collective memory of fight fans immortal.  It is ironic he will enter with a man who once shared space on Tyson cards, the best fighter in the world for a time while Tyson was the best Heavyweight.  Julio Cesar Chavez ruled from 130 to 140 lbs., the biggest Mexican boxing star of them all.  His run at Jr. Welterweight from the late 1980s through the first half of the 1990s remains the standard for Jr. Welterweight champions.  It is strangely fitting he will go in with the man who ended his championship days for good, Kostya Tszyu.  Tszyu was one of the great amateurs of all time, unified at 140 before he was done, and was a model of professionalism and precision punching every step of the way.  Anyone that can be in Canastota this weekend should be.           

Pick Deuce: Kenny Galarza vs. Irving Garcia (Friday, ESPN2, 9 PM EST/6 PM PST)
 
This fight probably won’t set the world on fire.  Then again it might.  When one can crack like the 25-year old Welterweight Galarza (14-1, 14 KO) can, sparks fly.  So do opponents.  Only the highly skilled Brad Solomon avoided the deck, and picked up the duke, thus far.  Garcia (17-6-3, 8 KO) has been stopped three times already.  The real main event of this show is what promises to be a de facto preview show for the Hall of Fame.  Get ready for a trip down memory lane…and how awkward could the Teddy Atlas discussion of Tyson get?  Sounds like good TV.      

Pick Sho…Twice: ShoBox on Friday and Saturday

Friday night’s show might end up being the fight of the week as Cruiserweight Lateef Kayode (16-0, 14 KO) gets to test himself against former title challenger Matt Godfrey (20-2, 10 KO).  It starts at the standard ShoBox time of 11 PM EST/PST.  Saturday should have the hottest crowd with the Roseland Ballroom giving the New York its pre-Puerto Rican day parade show.  No, it’s not a Miguel Cotto show, but Vincent Arroyo (11-1, 7 KO) and Hector Sanchez (19-1, 9 KO) are capable of a memorable scrap on their own terms.  Look for that one at 10:35 PM EST/PST. 

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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