While the start of the year has been a pretty down year for boxing, starting next week, it appears business is about to pick up. Next weekend kicks off a great stretch of boxing, for about 2 months, that will keep all boxing fans satisfied and help them get over the bad taste that boxing has given them for the 1st quarter of the year. Without anymore of a delay, let’s get to the exciting schedule of events.
March 26th
Andre Ward vs. Sullivan Barrera – This is a solid fight as this is arguably Ward’s biggest test since Chad Dawson all the way back in 2012. Barrera may not be a top tier boxer, but he is a legitimate light heavyweight fighter with solid skills, good pop, and a longer reach than Ward. This is a great prep fight for Ward before he faces his assumed fight in November against the king of the division, Sergey Kovalev.
April 1st
Adrien Broner vs. Ashley Theophane – I’ll be honest, I’m not really big on this fight, but Broner is a name. He shouldn’t have any problems beating Theophane, but it’s what Broner does next that will be the interesting part.
April 9th
Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley – It’s the trilogy of 2 of the best fighters of this generation. Although they are split in the record books, by anyone that watched both fights, Manny Pacquiao is up 2-0. Bradley seems to be a different fight with new trainer Teddy Atlas. Can Atlas be the missing piece to get Bradley over the top? I’m actually picking Bradley to win, but on;y one way to find out. Another great chess match.
Charles Martin vs. Anthony Joshua – Most people are picking Joshua to win his 1st world title, but Martin should not be discounted. Despite being a 7-1 underdog in some places, Martin is the champion, has more pro experience, and has that unknown factor in that we do not know exactly how good he is. Should be a telling fight. Time for the young guys to show and prove.
April 16th
Errol Spence Jr. vs. Chris Algieri – The entire card is actually a treat in this event that will be taking place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, but the main event will be the highlight. Spence Jr. probably has the potential of a top 3 star on the PBC roster, while Algieri has fought guys like Ruslan Provodnikov, Amir Khan, and Manny Pacquiao and none of them have stopped him. Spence Jr. has been turned down by some of the big boys, saying he needs to earn it, this is definitely a name to stamp on his resume. On the other hand, Algieri wants another shot at the big boys, and he’ll need to defeat the rising star, Spence, to get it.
April 23rd
Gennady Golovkin vs. Dominc Wade – This is not a fight that should be close, but it does 2 things for GGG, it keeps him busy and it checks off a mandatory fight. His real fight will either be in September or next May against Canelo Alvarez.
Roman Gonzalez vs. McWilliams Arroyo – Chocolatito will be headlining his own events later this year, so this is his final chance to impress the public and gain fans as everyone hopes for a potential rematch between him and Juan Francisco Estrada.
April 30th
Badou Jack vs. Lucian Bute – At this point in their careers, Jack should win this fight, but the bigger point is both him and James DeGale, who also fights on this same card against Rogelio Medina, both win so they can possibly face off in an unification bout later this year.
Andre Berto vs. Victor Ortiz – Newer boxing fans may say that this is a nothing fight, but true boxing fans remember the 1st fight from 5 years ago that was 1 of the most exciting fights you could imagine. It was a fight that was filled with knockdowns, great exchanges, and with all of that, it still went the distance. This fight is taking place later than it should have, but it’s still a fight that a lot of boxing fans are excited for.
May 7th
Canelo Alvarez vs. Amir Khan – Well, it’s happening, Amir Khan will finally get the big stage shot he has been saying he deserved for it seems like 10 years now. To most boxing fans, this is not a fair fight. This fight is at 155 catchweight when Khan is a 140-147 lbs guy, Canelo will rehydrate to probably 170-175 lbs, while Khan may peak at 155, and everyone knows that Khan is chinny. This could end ugly, for Khan, or it can be the greatest moment of his boxing career.
After the Canelo-Khan fight, there are still more than a few big fights to come in the future, including Deontay Wilder vs. Alexander Povetkin on May 21st, Francisco Vargas vs. Orlando Salido on June 4th, Keith Thurman vs. Shawn Porter, likely June 25th, and the rematch of Tyson Fury vs. Wladimir Klitschko, not to mention the possible big fights of GGG vs. Canelo and Kovalev vs. Ward. All in all, just be patient boxing fans, more fun is on the way.