By Rick Reeno
Golden Boy Promotions have finalized the entire Showtime pay-per-view card for December 14th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. And the card is expected to have fireworks from top to bottom.
In the main event, Adrien Broner (27-0, 22KOs) will make the first defense of his WBA welterweight title against Marcos Maidana (34-3, 31KOs). Broner, a high ratings draw on Showtime and HBO, will get his first opportunity to headline a pay-per-view. In June, Broner moved up by two weight divisions to capture the WBA title with a close split decision over Paulie Malignaggi.
In the co-feature, former welterweight champion Victor Ortiz (29-4-2, 22KOs) will make his long awaited return, as he moves up to 154-pounds to challenge IBF junior middleweight champion Carlos Molina (22-5-2, 6KOs). Ortiz has been out of the ring since breaking his jaw in a ninth round TKO loss to Josesito Lopez in June 2012. Molina captured the title with a decision win over Ishe Smith on last month's record-breaking Mayweather-Canelo pay-per-view.
A battle of tough welterweights, with Keith Thurman (21-0, 19KOs) defending his WBA interim-title against Jesus Soto Karass (28-8-3, 18KOs), who is riding a big streak with victories over Selcuk Aydin and Andre Berto.
Rounding things out, junior middleweight bangers Alfredo Angulo (22-3, 18KOs) and Jorge Melendez (27-3-2, 26KOs) will collide. Angulo is looking to rebound after suffering a TKO loss to Erislandy Lara in June. Angulo dropped Lara twice and appeared to be on his way to a win, but took a punch in the eye during the tenth round which forced him to turn away from Lara and start walking back to his corner, an action that made the referee wave off the contest. Melendez was back in the ring on the Cotto-Rodriguez undercard in Florida, where he stopped Jamaal Davis in two rounds.
