This week’s big show is REALLY BIG and everything else is kind of average. Except that by average, I mean below average. That’s really saying something when you consider how much shitty boxing is on TV.
The big show is on HBO, a split site doubleheader featuring the long-awaited showdown between Tomasz Adamek and a Klitschko brother in Poland and featherweights YG and Daniel Ponce De Leon battling in AC. That’s right, bitches. It’s acronym time. Apart from that, Amir Khan conqueror Breidis Prescott takes on disappointed Amir Khan victim Paul McCloskey in England, there’s a Shobox card and some dross on channels that begin with “tele.” OD disappointing.
- Yuriorkis Gamboa vs. Daniel Ponce De Leon / Vitali Klitschko vs. Tomasz Adamek, Saturday, HBO, Wroclaw Poland and Atlantic City. As ever, Tim will be hitting you with the real previews of this bad boy later in the week. Klitschko-Adamek is being broadcast in the early afternoon, if you’re seeing things happen live. Or maybe you just prefer to drink tea, rather than beer, while you watch boxing. I aint gonna judge; I have to do it all the time due to the southern hemisphere time difference. Whatever happens, I have a feeling that it’s going to be a lot like the video at the top. Except at the end, the mum elephant knocks the shit out of the baby. I just don’t see any way Adamek (44-1) beats Klitschko (42-2). He’s skilled, tough and hasn’t been stopped – but I don’t see how he solves the fistic Rubik’s Cube that is V. Klitschko. Likewise, I’m not sure how featherweight Ponce De Leon (41-3) could possibly beat Yuriorkis Gamboa (20-0). That’s not entirely true; Ponce De Leon punches pretty damn hard, so he could always get lucky. I just see both these guys getting outclassed, bar something crazy happening. On the untelevised undercard, junior featherweight Jorge Diaz (15-1) is bouncing back from his loss against Teon Kennedy in an untelevised, but reportedly fight of the year candidate worthy bout earlier in the year. His opponent, Salvador Garcia (14-6), is coming off three straight losses. Diaz should do something about this untelevised thing. As well, Puerto Rican junior lightweight prospect Luis Cruz (18-0) takes a sideways step against Antonio Davis (28-6), after beating Martin Honorio in April.
- Breidis Prescott vs. Paul McCloskey, Friday, Belfast Northern Ireland. This junior welterweight stoush between dudes who’ve interacted in one way or another with Amir Khan should be kind of interesting. Columbia’s Prescott (24-2) famously KO’d Khan in the 1st round when they met back in 2008 and has spun his wheels since. He’s hoping that some sanctioning body black magic will lead him to a deserved rematch. Don’t mess with the dark side of the force, bro. Or something like that. McCloskey (22-1), on the other hand, lost to Khan on cuts in an awkward affair earlier in the year. This should be an interesting test for both guys. It’s unclear how much power Prescott actually has (especially at junior welter) and how much of his famous knockout was thanks to the bum fluff that Khan calls his beard. In his last fight he beat hapless Mongol Bayan Jargal around the ring for 10 rounds without ever hurting him. Still, he’s got pretty decent skills, a long jab and at least a little sting. McCloskey, on the other hand, has got nothing in the power department. Instead, he relies on his awkward southpawness and ability to make you miss. There’s a decent probability that this fight could be awkward and boring. Still, it could be all right and it’s a good match.
- Hector Sanchez vs. Vincent Arroyo / Lateef Kayode vs. Felix Cora Jr., Friday, Showtime, Hinckley Minnesota. Headlining this card is a battle between once beaten welterweights in Sanchez and Arroyo. Puerto Rico’s Sanchez (19-1), apart from being a future participant at awkwardfamilyphotos.com, is one big welterweight at 6’1”. Both him and Arroyo (11-1) have been lacking in activity recently. Arroyo, the shorter man, is a pretty sharp counterpuncher, but doesn’t have the experience of Sanchez, who beat DeMarcus Corley in 2009. If Sanchez gets sloppy, he could get caught. On the undercard, up and coming Freddy Roach-trained cruiserweight Kayode (17-0) continues his run of TV exposure. He’s up against Felix Cora, Jr. (22-5-2) who’s been in with, and lost to, a few top cruisers. Cora is coming off two losses, so he’s meant as a stepping stone for the Nigerian bomber.
- 24/7 Mayweather/Ortiz, Saturday, HBO. A new episode of 24/7 debuts on HBO Saturday. You know what to expect. Last week’s episode wasn’t anywhere near the quality of the week before, when we got to see a Mayweather family meltdown. Instead we got Floyd fooling around with blocks of money, again. And Ortiz being on a TV show in a TV show. All the way down.
- The Rest. Welterweight KO artist Antonio Pituala (52-5) takes on dubious competition in the form of Cosme Rivera (32-14-2) on Telemundo, Friday… Junior middleweight journeymen Gabriel Rosado (17-5) and Keenan Collins (13-6) are on Telefutura at more or less the same time.
