It’s a short weekend of boxing for a long weekend of Memorializing.
The above is not an “Oscar De La Hoya’s in rehab” joke, by the way. I’m not above making cruel jokes, mind you. But I saw the video over the past weekend and didn’t get a chance to link to it; it’s totally mesmerizing in a bizarre way. It’s ironic that shortly thereafter, De La Hoya was in rehab, but again, not making a joke about it.
To the fights:
- Chris Arreola vs. Kendrick Releford/Tony Thompson vs. Maurice Harris, Friday, ESPN2/ESPN3/ESPN Deportes, Reno Nev. An all-heavyweight show. Arreola is fighting just a few weeks after his last bout, and once more is in shape, and always is good television. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Releford is a pretty shoddy opponent, having lost to far less capable men than Arreola has beaten. You’d think with Arreola’s connections to the all-powerful (in Imaginationland) Al Haymon, he’d not have four fights off HBO, right? Anyway, it’s the right move for Arreola to be staying busy — you just kind of wish he’d be in against better opposition for a Friday Night Fights headliner, is all. Thompson-Harris is the far more interesting fight of the two. I previewed that bout here, after interviewing Thompson.
- Jorge Linares vs. Francisco Cordero, Saturday, AT&T U-verse, Mazatlan Mexico. I’m so very pro-Linares. Now fighting at lightweight, Linares is three fights removed from that upset knockout loss and I’m not sure why he isn’t being spotlighted or pushed into better fights than this for his fourth-removed. Two bouts ago, Cordero got stopped by Jorge Solis in a bid for an interim junior lightweight strap and hasn’t faced much top competition besides. I’ll be watching just because I’m pro-Linares, and because this AT&T feed is gorgeous. All other fight-streamers should imitate it. Flyweight prospect Pedro Guevara actually headlines the card, by the way.
- Omar Chavez vs. Genaro Trazancos, Saturday, Fox Deportes/Fox Sports Net, Mexicali Mexico. This is one of those sons of Julio Cesar Chavez. Omar’s not as far along as Jr., and I haven’t seen as much of him. Trazancos has been in there with a million prospects, all losses, and even was one of Edwin Valero’s victims back when he was at junior lightweight. This fight is at junior middleweight, so it shouldn’t be much of a contest, but I bet Omar goes as slow as Jr., since he doesn’t have an amateur background just like his brother.
- The Rest. Bantamweight Jamie McDonnell fights in England, and that’s about it.
