By David P. Greisman

Summertime is here and finding championship fights is easy. The next couple months are full of wonderful nights of action, when titlists step into the ring to defend their crowns.

This month’s Championship Calendar contains updates on all the results from the month of May, and continues to follow the mission of keeping you, our faithful readers, knowledgeable and entertained.

At the beginning of every month, BoxingScene.com brings you a ledger full of all the upcoming bouts featuring the reigning titlists, as well as keeping you in the loop about what has gone on in any of the pugilists’ recent matches in the time prior.  To keep things simple, we will deal with only the four major sanctioning bodies, and only the true belts (none of the International or Continental Americas tripe).

This month, we move the actual calendar to the front of the article, and following that will be the division-by-division rundown. 

CHAMPIONSHIP CALENDAR DATES

June 4:
- Kostya Tszyu vs. Ricky Hatton, IBF Junior Welterweight

June 8:
- Mikkel Kessler vs. Anthony Mundine, WBA Super Middleweight

June 11:
- Miguel Cotto vs. Mohamad Abdullaev, WBO Junior Welterweight

June 17:
- Stefano Zoff vs. Levander Johnson, vacant IBF Lightweight

June 25:
- Mahyar Monshipour vs. Julio Zarate, WBA Super Bantamweight
- Arturo Gatti vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr., WBC Junior Welterweight
- Vivian Harris vs. Carlos Maussa, WBA Junior Welterweight
- Ivan Calderon vs. TBA, WBO Strawweight

June 26:
- Martin Castillo vs. Hideyasu Ishihara, WBA Super Flyweight

July 2:
- Zsolt Erdei vs. Mehdi Sahnoune, WBO Light Heavyweight

July 8:
- Ratanachai Sor Vorapin vs. Jose Luis Araiza, WBO Bantamweight

July 16:
- Bernard Hopkins vs. Jermain Taylor, WBC, WBO, WBA and IBF Middleweight
- Fernando Montiel vs. Eric Morel, WBO Super Flyweight
- Oscar Larios vs. Wayne McCullough, WBC Super Bantamweight

July 18:
- Katsushige Kawashima vs. Masamori Tokuyama, WBC Super Flyweight

July 27:
- Vic Darchinyan vs. Damaen Kelly, IBF Flyweight

July 30:
- Pongsaklek Wonjongkam vs. Jorge Arce, WBC Flyweight
- Eric Ortiz vs. Brian Viloria, WBC Junior Flyweight

August 6:
- Katsunari Takayama vs. Eagle Kyowa, WBC Strawweight
- Jeff Lacy vs. Robin Reid, IBF Super Middleweight

August 13:
- Hasim Rahman vs. Monte Barrett, interim WBC Heavyweight
- Chris Byrd vs. Sergei Lyakovich, IBF Heavyweight
- Luis Alberto Perez vs. Malcolm Tunacao, IBF Super Flyweight
- Zab Judah vs. TBA, WBC, WBA and IBF Welterweight

August 20:
- In Jin Chi vs. Rocky Juarez, WBC Featherweight

September 3:
- Markus Beyer vs. TBA, WBC Super Middleweight

September 17:
- Marco Antonio Barrera vs. Robbie Peden, to unify Barrera’s WBC and Peden’s IBF Super Featherweight belts

December 15:
- Lorenzo Parra vs. Brahim Asloum, WBA Flyweight

HEAVYWEIGHTS

Chris Byrd, the IBF champion, last left the ring with a split decision victory over good friend Jameel McCline in November.  After a frustrating period of inactivity, he is scheduled to meet Sergei Lyakovich on an August 13 Don King Productions card.

Lamon Brewster (WBO) knocked out Andrew Golota in the first round of his May 21 match, retaining his belt.

John Ruiz lost his WBA title to James Toney, only to regain it when Toney tested positive for steroids.  Ruiz is yet to find another willing suitor for twelve rounds of hugging.

Vitali Klitschko had been scheduled to defend his WBC championship against Hasim Rahman in April, and then in June, and then in July, only to push it back further thanks to injuries and surgery.  Klitschko will now meet the winner of the upcoming bout for the WBC interim title, which is being contested between Rahman and Monte Barrett.

CRUISERWEIGHTS

O’Neil Bell won a disputed decision over Dale Brown on May 20 to pick up the vacant IBF belt.

Of Jean-Marc Mormeck (WBC and WBA) and Johnny Nelson (WBO), neither pugilist has anything on their horizon at the moment.  Mormeck unified his titles by defeating Wayne Braithwaite in April, and Nelson hasn’t defended since winning with a TKO over Rudiger May in September.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS

While the two best fighters in the division, Glencoffe Johnson and Antonio Tarver, battle for the IBO (who?) and Ring Magazine belts on June 18, four other fighters hold their grips on the major sanctioning bodies’ belts.

Zsolt Erdei (WBO) hopes to remain undefeated after he faces Mehdi Sahnoune on July 2.  Erdei split a decision with Hugo Hernan Garay in February.

Clinton Woods (IBF) picked up his title by defeating Rico Hoye in March, and rumors have it that his next opponent may be a man he lost to in 2002, Roy Jones Jr.

Tomasz Adamek thrilled a crowded United Center on May 21 when he beat Paul Briggs for the vacant WBC belt.

WBA champ Fabrice Tiozzo beat down Darius Michalczewski in February, the latter of which has since re-retired. 

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Mikkel Kessler will defend his WBA belt against Anthony Mundine on June 8, an on-again off-again bout that is finally back on.  Kessler caused Manny Siaca to quit last November, resulting in an eighth-round TKO.

Jeff Lacy (IBF) is slated to meet Robin Reid on August 6, hoping to successfully follow his March victory over Rubin Williams.

The WBC’s Markus Beyer had been scheduled to face Eric Lucas on September 3, but currently Lucas is out, and in his place Beyer will meet the dreaded TBA.  Beyer won a majority decision over Danny Green in March.

Joe Calzaghe (WBO) continued his sixteen-fight reign with a TKO of Mario Veit on May 7.

MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Bernard Hopkins, who holds all four titles, will meet young gun Jermain Taylor on July 16 in Las Vegas.  The Philadelphian champion won a decision over Howard Eastman in February.

JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Recently, this weight class has had more drama than a typical episode of “Desperate Housewives,” and it all revolves around the vacant WBC belt that Javier Castillejo was given after former owner Winky Wright decided to step up to 160 to face Felix Trinidad.

Since then, both Ricardo Mayorga (a Don King Productions fighter) and Fernando Vargas (of Main Events) were seemingly scheduled to face Castillejo.  Legal wrangling and press releases followed, and, scurrying past all the maddening specifics, it now seems that the WBC has decided to strip Castillejo of the title.

Anyway…

No defenses are scheduled yet for Kassim Ouma (IBF), Daniel Santos (WBO) or Alejandro Garcia (WBA).  Ouma last fought in January, when he completely outboxed Kofi Jantuah en route to a unanimous decision.  Santos last stepped between the ropes in September, winning over Antonio Margarito by split technical decision.  Garcia picked up the interim title by knocking out Rhoshii Wells in May.

WELTERWEIGHTS

Zab Judah, who holds three of the four belts (WBA, WBA and IBF), whooped Cosme Rivera on May 14, retaining via third round TKO.  Judah is currently penciled in for an appearance (against whom is yet to be determined) on Don King’s August 13 PPV.

WBO champ Antonio Margarito had an impressive return to 147 on April 23, dispatching Kermit Cintron within five rounds.

JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHTS

All four titlists are active within a three-week span this June.

Kicking off the party on June 4 is the IBF’s Kostya Tszyu, who has traveled to Manchester to meet Ricky Hatton.  Although Tszyu has been plagued with injuries and thus inactivity in recent years, he looked impressive in rocking and socking Sharmba Mitchell last November.

The fun continues the following week on June 11 in Madison Square Garden, where Miguel Cotto (WBO) will meet the man who beat him in the 2000 Olympics, Mohamad Abdullaev.  In Cotto’s last appearance, he won with some help by way of a premature stoppage over DeMarcus Corley.

Wrapping it up with a double dose on June 25 are separate fights featuring Arturo Gatti (WBC) and Vivian Harris (WBA).  Gatti, whose last opponent was Jesse James Leija, will get it on with Floyd Mayweather Jr., while Harris finally gets some airtime while defending against Carlos Maussa.  Harris’ last two victories came over Oktay Urkal, the most recent coming last October.

LIGHTWEIGHTS

The IBF belt, vacated when Julio Diaz decided to challenge then-WBC champ Jose Luis Castillo, will find an owner on June 17, when Stefano Zoff and Levander Johnson step into a ring in Italy.  Zoff’s last showing was a unanimous decision victory against Martin Kristjansen in March, while Johnson hasn’t fought since beating Roque Cassiani in March of 2004.

Juan Diaz, the WBA beltholder, received a cut in training to defend against Ebo Elder, canceling their April 23 fight.  It appears that Diaz will not be facing Elder, and is yet to choose his next opponent.  Diaz’s last defense came against Billy Irwin in January.

After an amazing ten rounds with Jose Luis Castillo on May 7, unified champ Diego Corrales (WBC and WBO) deserves some time off.  If you didn’t see this fight, find it and watch it as soon as possible.

SUPER FEATHERWEIGHTS

Unification is a good thing: Robbie Peden (IBF) and Marco Antonio Barrera (WBC) are currently set to meet on a pay-per-view on September 17.  Peden picked up the formerly vacant belt when he knocked out Nate Campbell in February, while Barrera last retained his strap with an easy win over Mzonke Fana in April.

Nothing is on the ledger yet for the WBA’s Vicente Mosquera or the WBO’s Jorge Rodrigo Barrios, both of whom just won their titles in April, with Mosquera defeating Yodsanan Sor Nanthachai and Barrios knocking out Mike Anchondo.

FEATHERWEIGHTS

The first championship fight of the month was on June 3. WBO king Scott Harrison stopped Michael Brodie in four rounds to retain his title.  Harrison’s last fight was a draw against Victor Polo.

In Jin Chi (WBC) versus Rocky Juarez has been pushed back to August 20.  Chi made his last defense in January against Tommy Browne.

The aforementioned Polo was the designated victim for Juan Manuel Marquez, the WBA and IBF titlist, whom Marquez outpointed over twelve rounds in May.

SUPER BANTAMWEIGHTS

Mahyar Monshipour (WBA) looks to retain on June 5, when he will face Julio Zarate in France.  Monshipour won via TKO over Shigeru Nakazato in April.

Oscar Larios (WBC) will be giving Wayne McCullough a rematch on July 16, just about five months after their first bout, which Larios won by decision.

In April, Joan Guzman (WBO) outpointed Fernando Beltran Jr., while May ended with Israel Vasquez (IBF) retaining in similar fashion against Armando Guerrero.

BANTAMWEIGHTS

With seven non-title fights since his May 2004 win over Cruz Carbajal, Ratanachai Sor Vorapin (WBO) shall finally defend again on July 8 against Jose Luis Araiza.

Of the other three beltholders, the most recent action involved IBF champ Rafael Marquez, who won a gritty unanimous twelve round decision over Ricardo Vargas on May 28.  Wladimir Sidorenko (WBA) outpointed Julio Zarate in February, and Hozumi Hasegawa picked up the WBC belt with an April win over Veeraphol Sahaprom.

SUPER FLYWEIGHTS

Following an impressive March defeat of Eric Morel, WBA titlist Martin Castillo will next face off on June 26 against Hideyasu Ishihara.

WBO beltholder Fernando Montiel will have his own go at Eric Morel on July 16, a little over three months after regaining his title with a seventh round knockout of Ivan Hernandez.

Two days later on July 18, Katsushige Kawashima (WBC) will defend against Masamori Tokuyama.  Kawashima was last seen in January winning a controversial split decision over Jose Navarro.

Wrapping up the division is Luis Alberto Perez, the IBF king, who is making a PPV appearance on August 13 against Malcolm Tunacao.  Perez won via TKO over Luis Bolano on the undercard of Ruiz/Toney.

FLYWEIGHTS

July 27 will have the IBF’s Vic Darchinyan appearing in Australia opposite Damaen Kelly.  Darchinyan last retained in March by beating Mzukisi Sikali.

Just three days later on July 30, longtime WBC titlist Pongsaklek Wonjongkam will step between the ropes versus the whirling dervish known as Jorge Arce.  Wonjongkam was triumphant in a non-title match in April over Daniel Diolan.

Showing that he can plan far into the future, Lorenzo Parra will risk his belt and unblemished record on December 5 against Brahim Asloum.

Omar Navaez, who has not actually defended his WBO title since March 2004, knocked out Wellington Vicente and his glamorous 15-8 record in April.  It was Navaez’s third non-title bout in a row.

JUNIOR FLYWEIGHTS

All four of these belts changed hands in the past few months.

Eric Ortiz picked up Jorge Arce’s vacated WBC title in March with a TKO of Jose Antonio Aguirre, and his first defense will be on July 30 against Brian Viloria.

Will Grigsby beat Jose Victor Burgos on the Winky Wright/Felix Trinidad undercard in May, taking the IBF championship from Burgos, the first time Grigsby has held that belt since 1999.

In an April 30 fight that was stopped in the tenth round due to cuts, Hugo Cazares removed the WBO crown from Nelson Dieppa’s possession.

Just one day prior, Roberto Vasquez knocked out Beibis Mendoza in the tenth round, claiming the vacant WBA belt for himself.

STRAWWEIGHTS

Ivan Calderon (WBO) meets TBA on June 25, although not the same TBA that Markus Beyer is facing.  Calderon won via eighth round stoppage over Noel Tunacao in April.

Katsunari Takayama took Isaac Bustos’s WBC belt on April 4, and his first defense will come on August 6 against Eagle Kyowa.

The other two beltholders were active in April, with Muhammad Rahman (IBF) retaining due to a third-round draw with Fahlan Sakkreerin, and Yutaka Niida (WBA) outpointing Jae Won Kim.