By Jake Donovan
Photo © Chris Cozzone/FightWireImages.com
 
HBO's loss becomes Showtime's gain this weekend, when Juan Manuel Marquez squares off against Rocky Juarez a compelling junior lightweight battle headlining a full night of action in Tucson, AZ (Saturday, SHOWTIME 10PM ET/PT).

Of course, one glance at the schedule might leave many scratching their heads in disbelief. While Showtime is sweating in the desert, HBO travels across the pond to present the 168 lb. world title bout between Joe Calzaghe and Mikkel Kessler, a battle not only between the two best 168 lb. fighters in the world, both of whom are also undefeated, but the most significant in the division's 20+ year history.

Surely, the HBO brass isn't concerned with what's going on across the street this weekend.

Or are they?

The storyline behind this weekend's SHOWTIME card is not so much the televised doubleheader itself, though both bouts (Robert Guerrero-Martin Honorio appearing in the co-feature) should prove to be highly entertaining. What makes this weekend unique is that it marks the first time that Oscar de la Hoya and his Golden Boy Promotions outfit airs a card on America's #1 Fight Network, after having nearly his entire career (fighter and promoter) as HBO's favorite son.

To take it one step further, the debut comes with a fight that benefits of two months worth of promotions from HBO and its PPV arm.

Marquez-Juarez initially began as Marquez-Jorge Barrios, which was to headline a September 15 HBO PPV card. Rocky Juarez' original role was supporting act, as he was to square off against Robert Guerrero in the co-feature. The main event was compromised once pre-fight medical tests revealed detached retinas for Barrios, bouncing the free-swinging Argentinean from the show.

Juarez was elevated to main event, with Guerrero still in the co-feature, now against potential spoiler Martin Honorio, and the event still slated to appear September 15 on HBO PPV.

That was until Marquez suffered a cut on his knuckle a week before the fight, resulting in the perceived cancellation of the show. HBO gutted the card, moving one preliminary bout to an October PPV show, leaving the rest of the card in disarray.

With no dates left on their boxing calendar for 2007, Golden Boy and all of the fighting participants were left with two choices: seek other fights, or seek another home.

De la Hoya opted for the latter, much to the delight of Showtime, and perhaps to the chagrin of HBO. Though of course, the promoter insists it's strictly business, and that he did what he had to do for the sake of keeping his fighters active.

"I think it shows that Golden Boy really looks out for our fighters. We're very loyal promoters," insists de la Hoya, whose past trips to the Desert Diamond Casino have been limited to HBO Latino and Telefutura showcases.  "When the fight got cancelled because of Marquez's hand, we needed another date to make this fight happen.  HBO didn't have the date, as they were all booked up. But we needed Juan Manuel Marquez to have that last fight for this year.


"So we, as promoters, went to SHOWTIME, and we were able to work out a deal."

Naturally, the SHOWTIME crew welcomed the sport's most profitable promoter (and fighter) with open arms.

"Everyone has been thrilled about this venture with Golden Boy Promotions from the moment it became a possibility," said one SHOWTIME insider, on behalf of the network. "It was our honor to host a PPV-worthy show on our network for all of our viewers to see. We're looking forward to this great show, and hopefully engaging in future endeavors with Golden Boy Promotions, who have been absolutely wonderful and professional throughout this promotion."

Whether or not the Showtime-Golden Boy collaboration advances beyond a one shot deal remains to be seen. GBP already has their hands in three HBO telecasts between now and years end, as well as Oscar's own planned annual ring appearance in May 2008.

While de la Hoya claims the move to be "just business", HBO has already sent a warning shot for the 1992 Olympian and former multiple-division titlist to be careful not to bite the hand that has fed him for the past fifteen years. It came in the form of rescheduling the start time for this weekend's Calzaghe-Kessler telecast.

The original game plan called for the overseas bout to air live at 5PM ET/2PM PT on American airwaves to coincide with the traditional 11PM start time in Wales that comes with most main events, with a delayed rebroadcast coming five hours later. Those plans changed the moment Showtime filled its November slot, as HBO, Millennium Stadium and Frank Warren's Sports Network all agreed to advance the start time to 2AM local time, which is 9PM ET/6PM PT on this side of the pond.

As the HBO card is only one bout, the main event should be finished early enough to allow viewers to catch most of the action on SHOWTIME, but just long enough cause enough of a conflict, which has been HBO's specialty ever since Showtime changed up to its "Great fights, no rights" format, airing bouts on the first Saturday of every month. This weekend marks the eighth time this year the sport's two biggest powerhouses go head-to-head, with January, February and May the only three conflict-free months in 2007. Fittingly enough, May made the list only because SHOWTIME willingly conceded that the world should focus on the Floyd Mayweather-Oscar de la Hoya PPV that was scheduled on the month's first weekend.

Long story short, SHOWTIME is willing to co-exist for the greater good of the sport. That's all Golden Boy Promotions is looking to accomplish this weekend.

"Bottom line, I have to look out for my fighters," says the promoter. "In Juan Manuel Marquez, we're talking about a fighter who is possibly one of the all-time greats. I wanted the opportunity to keep him active, and SHOWTIME stepped up in a big way.

"So yes, our relationship with SHOWTIME can benefit our fighters and benefit us as promoters. Are we going to do more fights than SHOWTIME? Absolutely."

Here's to hoping SHOWTIME gets to make the most of its Golden opportunity.

SHOWTIME'S HOMECOMING DANCE

As Golden Boy Promotions makes their debut with "the enemy," two of Saturday night's key players get to celebrate a homecoming of sorts.

For 2000 Olympic silver medalist Ricardo "Rocky" Juarez, it's a return to the place that helped shape him in the early stages of his pro career. The lion's share of Rocky's run as a budding prospect took place on Showtime, ESPN2 and NBC, with HBO not entering the picture until 2004. Rocky's pro debut, January 13, 2001, came on the undercard of Zab Judah's 10 th round stoppage of Reggie Green on SHOWTIME, with half of his bouts either airing live on, or appearing on undercards affiliated with, the network. His last appearance on Showtime took place in November 2003, with a wide unanimous decision win in an uneven performance against Hector Velasquez.

Juarez is 8-3 in between Showtime appearances, with all four losses coming on HBO, as well as his most controversial win to date, a struggling unanimous decision win over Zahir Raheem in July 2004.

The only time Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero struggled on Showtime was his surprising split decision loss to Gamaliel Diaz in December 2005. The shocker came just eight months after his first SHOBOX main event, an impressive 12 th round stoppage over durable Adrian Valdez. Guerrero scored revenge in emphatic fashion, brutally knocking out Diaz six months later in the main event of a SHOBOX tripleheader.

Three months later, Guerrero's lifelong dream came true, obtaining his first world title. Where? You guessed it – SHOWTIME, where he dominated then-featherweight titlist Eric Aiken before forcing him to quit on his stool after eight brutally one-sided rounds.

The past fourteen months away from home had its up and downs. Guerrero went through what appeared to be a career-worst performance, dominated by Orlando Salido in a November 2006 HBO PPV co-feature bout. The decision was later reversed after Salido tested positive for significant amounts of banned substances.

Forced to fight for a vacant title he never truly lost in the ring, Guerrero took his anger out on Spend Abazi, brutalizing the Dane in his own backyard before stopping the previously unbeaten featherweight in nine rounds this past February, his last ring appearance.

This weekend, Guerrero gets to return to the place he's always considered home.

"Showtime has always had a special place in my heart," admits Guerrero, who is coming off of the second longest layoff of his career. "It's where I grew up, it's where the boxing world first became familiar with me, and of course where I won my first world title. Now I get to make my first title defense at home."

Though not looking past Martin Honorio in the least bit, Guerrero also admits that the main event holds his interest as much as his own bout.

"I know that Honorio represents a tough challenge. I've studied him hard, especially his win over Steve Luevano (who also holds a featherweight alphabet title). He's a crafty fighter, and knows what it takes to win at the top level.

"But what also motivates me is knowing that a big win here leads the way to bigger challenges. Until the top featherweights step up and unify the titles, it's up to one of us to take the lead and seek the biggest challenges. If I can't get the other champions, then I would love the opportunity to face the winner Marquez-Juarez, or even Manny Pacquiao. I have no problem making 126, but can just as easily move up to 130 for the right opportunity."

Of course, he first has to succeed in the opportunity right in front of him. One that he believes poses an all-too familiar scenario.

"Gamaliel Diaz fought like Honorio. He threw a lot of punches, came in great shape, and they're both crafty in the ring. I feel that they have a somewhat similar style.  Having that experience behind me and the study I did on him got me prepped and ready to go."

That he's in a position to lay claim as the world's best featherweight speaks volumes of his preparation and character. Guerrero being Guerrero, he offers a simple explanation as to why.

"Having a lot of heart; having a lot of heart and being dedicated to the sport. You don't just get a loss and hang it up and hide yourself.  It's about being a champion and wanting to be a great champion. Bouncing back and taking care of business and getting it back."

This weekend, Guerrero gets to bring it back to where it all began.

SHOWTIME'S CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

It's a busy weekend for Showtime. The night before the aforementioned edition of Showtime Championship Boxing, SHOWTIME's highly acclaimed ShoBox: The New Generation series celebrates its 100th telecast, and in huge fashion. This Friday's telecast features perhaps the most significant bout of the series' young history, as Eddie Chambers and Calvin Brock square off in a bout with major heavyweight implications.

The winner of the bout will square off early next year against undefeated prospect Alex Povetkin, who dominated former heavyweight titlist Chris Byrd last Saturday, stopping the faded former champ in eleven rounds in Germany. The last man standing in the series of heavyweight eliminators becomes the mandatory challenger to Wladimir Klitschko, believed by many to be the best heavyweight in the world.

Chambers appears on ShoBox for the second straight time, having scored a unanimous decision over former heavyweight contender Dominick Guinn this past May in his network debut. He is presently handled by Goossen Tutor Promotions, who will boast three fighters between the two telecasts. They also promote Guerrero, who appears on the Saturday card. Completing this weekend's trifecta is their latest signee, budding lightweight prospect Josesito Lopez, who makes his ShoBox debut in an eight-round co-feature battle against the credible Tyrone Harris.

Jake Donovan is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and presently serves on the Tennessee Boxing Advisory Board. His column runs every Tuesday on BoxingScene.