BoxingScene.com's Television Picks of The Week
by Cliff Rold
It’s not the ‘biggest Heavyweight title fight in years’ or any other silly hyperbole.
Fight fans that have grown accustomed to seeing the title contested in stadiums overseas know the truth. This weekend will be lucky to draw an eighth of the homes World Champion (the only one that counts) Wladimir Klitschko does in Germany. They probably will be lucky to do the homes he does on HBO.
That doesn’t mean it isn’t big.
That doesn’t mean it won’t be fun.
Very soon, we are going to be talking about Klitschko versus the winner.
These are the picks of the week.
Pick It: #3 Bermane Stiverne vs. #7 Deontay Wilder (Saturday, Showtime, 10 PM EST/7 PM PST)
Making his first defense of the WBC Heavyweight belt, Stiverne (24-1-1, 21 KO) remains a question mark. His only really notable wins are over a Chris Arreola who never proved capable of beating a real contender. His other most noteworthy foe is Ray Austin. Stiverne stopped Austin, but he didn’t impress on the way there. That’s still eons more than we know about Wilder (32-0, 32 KO). The 2008 US Olympic Bronze Medalist looks and talks the part. He’s been managed with kid gloves to now. For all his knockout wins, it was a knockdown suffered against Harold Sconiers in 2010 that still defines him. Has he been protected for a reason? What happens if he lands first? It’s two punchers at Heavyweight with some stakes and plenty to prove. This is fun stuff. Leo Santa Cruz (28-0-1, 16 KO) defends a 122 lb. belt against Jesus Ruiz (33-5-5, 22 KO) as the warm-up act.
Pick Deuce: Monroe-Vera and Petrov-Lundy (Friday, ESPN2, 9 PM EST/6 PM PST)
ESPN2 has an excellent card to kick the weekend off. The ‘Boxcino’ tournaments were a highlight for them in 2014. The winners are back in action, both matched tough. Petr Petrov (35-4-2, 17 KO) won at Lightweight and faces his best foe since a loss to Marcos Maidana in 2011. Hank Lundy (25-4-1, 12 KO) enters off a split decision loss to Thomas Dulorme. This could be a technically proficient war. At Middleweight, Monroe (18-1, 6 KO) makes his first start since his tournament win against Brian Vera (23-8, 14 KO). It’s Vera’s first start since two losses, the first controversial, to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Pick Solo: Jose Zepeda vs. Rafael Cobbs (Saturday, UniMas, 11 PM EST)
This is the DVR special for diehards. Let’s be honest: no one outside the televised fighter’s families is watching this while Showtime is on unless they don’t have Showtime. For those that don’t, Zepeda (21-0, 18 KO) will be building his Welterweight bona fides against Rafael Cobbs (15-5-5, 3 KO). Cobbs has been stopped twice. Don’t blink.
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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
