BoxingScene.com's Television Picks of The Week

by Cliff Rold

Like Arnold in the 1980s, Gennady Golovkin brings his special breed of international violence to the screen a few times a year.  Will this be the year he can finish cleaning out the Middleweight division? 

Probably not.

But he can be box office.

As Al Haymon seizes control of much of the US market, Golovkin is a powerful outlier.  Every ticket he sells, every ratings point he drives up, in a strike against monopoly.  That he strikes hard is a bonus.

These are the picks of the week.

Pick It: #1 Gennady Golovkin vs. #8 Martin Murray (HBO, Saturday, 5:45 PM EST/PST)

Note the early start time for this Monte Carlo show.  The biggest knock on the WBA titlist Golovkin (31-0, 28 KO) for a long time was a lack of contenders on his ledger. Murray will be his fourth legit top ten foe in his last six fights.  No other Middleweight has faced as many top ten guys since 2013.  Consider that question answered.  Murray (29-1-1, 12 KO) is a few ticks from undefeated, suffering a draw and loss on the road to Felix Sturm and Sergio Martinez.  Those were more unlucky than egregious.  Murray has a decent chin and fundamentals but does he have the power to make Golovkin respect him?  Golovkin hasn’t been the distance since an eight-rounder in 2008.  Murray lasting would almost be a win.  He’ll want an actual win this weekend. 

Pick Boxcino: The Heavyweights (ESPN2, Friday, 9 PM EST/6 PM PST)

After a so-so start at Jr. Middleweight last week, tournament action goes up the scale to the big boys this week.  It’s hard to say there is a future star in the bunch, but any new names at Heavyweight are welcome.  The field features two undefeated battlers.  If one of them can run the table, all the better.  Fans will get the following quarterfinal six-round affairs: Jason Estrada (20-5, 6 KO) vs. Lenroy Thomas (18-3, 9 KO); Donovan Denis (10-1, 8 KO) vs. Steve Vukosa (10-0, 4 KO); Razvan Cojanu (12-1, 7 KO) vs. Ed Fountain (10-0, 4 KO); and Andrey Fedosov (25-3, 20 KO) vs. Nat Heaven (9-1, 7 KO).  Let’s hope for some fireworks.  Big boys without them can be a slog.

Pick Showtime’s Return: Sammy Vasquez vs. Emmanuel Lartey (Showtime, Friday, 10 PM EST/PST)

The big Showtime/CBS announcement Tuesday should quiet the questions about the premium network’s future slate.  For now, we have ShoBox and an exciting young Welterweight.  Vasquez (17-0, 13 KO) should handle Lartey (16-2-1, 7 KO) well enough as he continues to creep towards contention.

Pick YouTube: #2 Arthur Abraham vs. Paul Smith (Germany, Saturday, ?)

So far, no US TV or web coverage here so lots will be looking for this rematch the following day on YouTube.  Abraham (41-4, 28 KO) got a tough night from Smith (35-4, 20 KO) last September.  While most felt Abraham did enough to win, the scoring was bad enough to make debate into controversy.  Abraham will defend the WBO belt at 168 for the third time since a rubber match win over Robert Stieglitz.
 
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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