Whilst usually the main action of a weekend of boxing is on a Saturday night this weekend really is 50-50 with a lot of really good fights coming on Friday as well as Saturday.

The first set of bouts come from Russia where there is a really mouth watering card featuring a number of world class fighters and a main event that could end up being the fight of the year.

On paper the weakest bout on the Russian card is a Light Heavyweight bout between Dmitry Bivol (1-0, 1) and Konstantin Piternov (18-6, 9). This 6 rounder however is an amazing test for the unbeaten 24 year old who will be fast tracked if he can look impressive here. This is the sort of match making we love and it's a shame we don't see more of it.

In a 10 round Heavyweight bout we will see former Heavyweight world title challenger Manuel Charr (27-2, 16) take on the very capable Johann Duhaupas (31-2, 20) in a really good bout to see where both men are heading. The loser here likely falls off the radar somewhat whilst the winner should be moved towards a major bout, perhaps a Europe title fight or a world title eliminator. A second 10 round is set to take place at Cruiserweight as former world title challenger Rakhim Chakhkiev (21-1, 16) takes on former WBA “interim” champion Valery Brudov (42-5, 28). This should be a straight forward win for Chakhkiev, though we suspect he needs to do more than just “win” and instead he needs to look fantastic, if he wants his team to push him towards a world title bout later in the year.

Another fringe level Cruiserweight on this card is the monstrously hard hitting Dmitry Kudryashov (16-0, 16) who will be hoping to continue his run of destruction and retain the WBA International Cruiserweight title as he battles former world title challenger Francisco Palacios (23-2, 14). Palacious has never been stopped and twice ran Krzystof Wlodarczyk close, though is now 37 years old and has certainly seen better days.

We see another unbeaten puncher in action at 140lbs where Eduard Troyanovsky (20-0, 17) will be taking on the once beaten Aik Shakhnazaryan (15-1, 6). Shakhnazaryan lost his unbeaten record last time out when he was upset by the unheralded Abner Lopez and for some reason his team are really throwing him to the wolves here with Troyanovsky being a devastating puncher. This could be over quickly.

In the main event we will see the tough, exciting and heavy handed Denis Lebedev (26-2, 20) defending his WBA Cruiserweight title against the free swinging Youri Kayembre Kalenga (21-1, 14). This has the potential to be something very special and we'd be shocked if this was anything short of breath taking. Both guys have their limitations but both have styles that should gel to give us a engrossing war of attrition.

Staying with Cruiserweights we also get a brilliant match up in Argentina where the heavy handed Victor Emilio Ramirez (21-2, 17) takes on the highly skilled, though sometimes lazy, Ola Afolabi (21-3-4, 10) for the IBF interim title. This is probably not going to quite catch fire like the other bout but it should be equally as engrossing and we'd not be shocked if this was a brilliant back-and-forth bout between two men who are eager to score a bit win.

In the US there are two cards of note. The most interesting of those is on ESPN where fans get the semi-finals in this years Boxcino tournaments.

In the Light Middleweight tournament we'll see the very promising Stanyslav Skorokhod (9-0, 7) battle against John Thompson (15-1, 5) in a bout that looks good on paper. We've got to back the unbeaten Ukrainian here, especially considering how good he looked in the quarter final, though it's still a very solid match up. The other semi-final at 154lbs will see the exciting Brandon Adams (16-1, 11) take on US based Armenian Vito Gasparyan (15-3-5, 8) in what looks like a much more competitive match up than the other one. We favour Adams for this semi but Gasparyan is better than his record indicates.

The other tournament is at Heavyweight where we again see two interesting looking bouts. One of those will see veteran Andrey Fedosov (26-3, 21) battle against Lenroy Thomas (19-3, 9). In their quarter finals Thomas just sneaked past Jason Estrada after a tie-breaker round whilst Fedosov battered Nat Heaven in 173 seconds. It's fair to say Fedosov is the big favourite but it's a good for Thomas to make a name for himself. The other bout will see Razvan Cojanu (13-1, 7) battle against the big hitting Donovan Dennis (11-1, 9). Cojanu also needed an extra round to get through his quarter-final, narrowly out pointing Ed Fountain, whilst Dennis stopped the previously unbeaten Steve Vukosa in 4 rounds. Of these two bouts it's the Cojanu Vs Dennis bout that holds a lot more intrigue than the other semi-final.

On the other card there will be prospects galore as Showtime do one of their most interesting Shobox cards in recent memory.

In the most notable bouts we get Middleweight action with one of the two most notable match ups being a bout between the the hard hitting Ievgen Khytrov (9-0, 9) and fellow unbeaten Aaron Coley (9-0-1, 6). Khytrov, who famously beat Ryota Murata in the 2011 World Amateur Champions final, will be expected to destroy Coley but that says more about Khytrov than it does about Coley. If we're being totally honest Khytrov looks like the best Middleweight prospect on the planet and is going to be a nightmare for anyone but the truly elite.

The other Middleweight bout will see Sergiy Derevyanchenko (4-0, 3) battle the once beaten Alan Campa (13-1-0-1, 9). Whilst we think Khytrov is the better prospect it does seem like Derevyanchenko is being moved a bit faster, at 29 years old however he's not got a year or two to waste and at his current pace he'll be fighting to titles by the end of 2016 at the very latest. On paper this looks like a test but we can't see Campa lasting 8 rounds with Derevyanchenko.

Another notable prospect in action here is Frank Galarza (16-0-2, 10) who will be up against Sheldon Moore (13-2-1, 9). Galarza had a sensation 2014 with 5 wins, including an excellent KO against the then 14-0 John Thompson. Moore shouldn't be too tough for Galarza but could make for an interesting match up for the with the unbeaten power-puncher.

The most significant fight for us on Friday was in Argentina as Juan Carlos Reveco (34-1, 18) successfully defended his WBA Flyweight title with a very, very hard fought victory over Felix Alvarado (18-2, 15). The bout was almost everything we enjoy, it had action, it had both men unloading, it had exchanges and it had momentum shifts that saw the bout swinging one way and then the other.

Unfortunately for Alvarado he wasn't quite able to over-come Reveco's home field advantage and, after having 2 points deducted, he fell just short of the victory that would have boosted him into the mix at the top of the division.

Alvarado, who had previously lost in a world title fight last year to Kazuto Ioka, looked an improved fighter to the one who fought Ioka. Whilst still overly aggressive Alvarado seemed more refined here as he took the fight to Reveco and hurt him several times in a fight that will see some Nicaraguan fans calling for a rematch. For Reveco however a rematch will be the last thing on his mind and he has already been linked to fights with Kazuto Ioka, Yodmongkol Vor Saengthep, Noknoi Sithipraset and Suguru Muranaka. Certainly some options out there for the defending champion.

Whilst the Flyweight title bout was the most significant it was far from the only on of note with a notable Heavyweight bout taking place in France. This bout, for the WBC Heavyweight Silver title, saw the French based Carlos Takam (30-1-1, 23) announcing himself on the world stage with a very impressive victory over former 2-time world title challenger Tony Thompson (39-5, 26). Takam should the advantages of youth and aggression as he out worked Thompson who really did look his age for the first time. Thompson, who came into this bout on the back of a victory over Odlanier Solis, will now likely forget his dream of having another world title fight and instead look to get the best paydays before he waves good buy to the sport.

One other bout that caught our eye was in the US as former amateur stand out Ievgen Khytrov (5-0, 5) stopped Chris Chatman (12-4-1, 5). The knockout was a thing of beauty from the highly Khytrov, though we can't help but think he's regressed since turning professional. He still appears to be a very physically strong fighter but his skills have certainly gone backwards since his days of winning the 2011 World Amateur Champions, incidentally beating Ryota Murata in the final. We hope his team can work on his defensive flaws which are becoming more apparent after every fight.

Weekends in boxing are often strange things. Sometimes, as with last week, they are packed with more fights than we can possibly remember. Other weekends only a few bouts stand out as being genuinely significant. This weekend certainly falls between the two with very little of note on Friday and only one or two really interesting bouts on Saturday.

The only world title bout on Friday night takes place in Argentina as WBA Flyweight champion Juan Carlos Reveco (33-1, 18) takes on the exciting Felix Alvarado (18-1, 15). Reveco, who is somewhat known to Asian fans due to his victories over Nethra Sasiprapa and Masayuki Kuroda. Although not one of the elite Flyweights he is a very capable fighter with a nice body attack and he does a lot of things well without being exceptional at many things. As for Alvarado he's well known to Japanese fans for his loss, late last year, to Kazuto Ioka in a bout that was thoroughly compelling viewing. Of the two we tend to feel Reveco is the better all round boxer but Alvarado has the style in which he could make life difficult for the champion in what could be a thrilling contest.

As well as the world title bout we do have some very interesting contests, including a Heavyweight bout in France that will see the promising Carlos Takam (29-1-1, 23) taking on former 2-time world title challenger Tony Thompson (39-4, 26). Thompson is going though a bit of an Indian summer in his career with victories over David Price and Odlanier Solis in the last 18 months. As for Takam he proved his skills when he fought Mike Perez last year and was very unfortunate not to come away with a victory. With the merits of both men we cannot disagree with the way the WBC have put their "Silver" title on the line for this bout and we hope it will create a genuine contender for the WBC title.

In South Africa we get two IBF international title bouts with some significance. One of those bouts will see former IBF Super Featherweight champion Malcolm Klassen (27-6-2,14) battling against compatriot Jasper Seroka (23-4, 10) whilst the other will see emerging Cruiserweight contender Thabiso Mchunu (16-1, 11) fighting against Brazilian Julio Cesar Dos Santos (26-2, 23).

Whilst Klassen has to be favoured over Seroka we think this should be the more competitive bout and with the winner likely to get a fringe world ranking the bout could prove to be significant to a number of Asian fighters in and around the 130lb weight class.

As for Mchunu and Dos Santos it's hard to see Dos Sanots winning but he'll likely throw plenty of shots playing into the counter-punching ability of Mchunu who many are tipping as a future world champion in the Crusierweight division. We do like Mchunu a lot and think this really is little more than a showcase bout for him.

One bout in the US that we're interested in will be a Middleweight contest between former world amateur champion Ievgen Khytrov (4-0, 4) and Chris Chatman (12-3-1, 5). We were big fans of Khytrov when he was as wrecking ball amateur and he looked sensational when he beat Ryota Murata in the 2011 World Amateur Championships but we feel he has regressed since turning professional. This bout however is his first real test as a pro and should tell us a lot about where he's going in the future. He should beat Chatman but it's a very credible step up in class.

(Image courtesy of boxrec.com)

There wasn't much notable action in the US on Friday night though there was enough to get our interest for various reasons.

For us the stand out fighter to keep a note of was Ievgen Khytrov (3-0, 3) who stopped the more experienced Julius Kennedy (7-8-1, 3) in 5 rounds. Khytrov, who is gradually developing his traits as a professional, seemed very relaxed and although he took some shots he did really grind down Kennedy with solid shots to head and body. It's a shame Khytrov, who beat Ryota Murata in the 2011 World Amateur Championships final, is starting at such a low level but on the flipside he is re-styling himself slightly and being given time to adapt to that change rather than being put on the fast track like Murata.

Another notable set of bouts took place on ESPN's "Friday Night Fights" as part of a "Boxcino" tournament. The tournament pits 8 men in a small knockout competition in the hope of creating a notable name at the end of it.

One of those fights was an all Russian affair that saw Petr Petrov (33-4-2, 15) decisioning the previously unbeaten Fedor Papazov (14-1, 9). Petrov will find himself fighting Chris Rudd (13-1, 8) in his semi final after Rudd surprised everyone and defeated one of the tournament favourites Yakubu Amidu (21-5-2, 19) via a decision. The Rudd/Amidu bout went to an extra round to declare a winner with the men drawing after 6, unfortunately for Amidu he failed to convince the judges he deserved round 7.

The other semi final will pit Miguel Gonzalez (23-3, 16) up against the big punching Fernando Carcamo (16-5, 13).

Gonzalez booked his place in the semi finals by narrowly out pointing the big punching Miguel Angel Mendoza (21-3-2, 21) whilst Carcamo unexpectedly stopped the previously unbeaten Samuel Kotey Neequaye (21-1, 15) in just 2 rounds.

The only other fight of any real note saw the world ranked Henry "Hammerin' Hank" Lundy (24-3-1, 11) out point the once touted Angelo Santana (14-2, 11). Lundy, ranked by the WBC and IBF will likely see a boost in his ranking and may well climb above Min-Wook Kim in the next WBC rankings as a result of this victory.

We don't imagine Lundy will ever be a world champion but he has the skills to give many of the elite Light Welterweight's a very tough time if he's on form. If he's not using his skills he can be beaten by many of the top 25 guys at 140lbs and this inconsistency is a big problem for the talented and brash Light Welterweight.

This coming Friday is a busy one in Asian boxing with shows scattered about Asia though it's also a big one in the US with a number of fights that should interest our audience for various reasons.

The clearest reason is the Lightweight "Boxcino" tournament which gets under-way on ESPN Friday Night Fights in Nevada.

For us the most interesting bout is the quarter final that pits Fedor Papazov (14-0, 9) against Petr Petrov (32-5-2, 15) in an all Russian bout. As we've mentioned this in the upcoming bouts segment of our site we won't go into too much detail though we do expect this be a great fight between two men looking to prove their value to an American audience.

The Papazov/Petrov fight is one of 4 Lightweight contests on the show and amazingly the other 3 all look great. These include Miguel Gonzalez (22-3, 16) fighting against the big punching Miguel Angel Mendoza (21-2-2, 21). This bout is one where intuition makes you favour Mendoza though in reality we'd favour Gonzalez who has beaten better men that Mendoza. Another bout sees Mexican southpaw Fernando Carcamo (15-5, 12) fighting the unbeaten Samuel Kotey Neequaye (21-0, 15) in a very good match up, despite the difference in their record.

For us the the tournament favourite takes part in the remaining contest which sees the highly experienced Yakubu Amidu (21-4-2, 19) fighting Chris Rudd (12-1, 8). Amidu is, for us, the clear tournament favourite and although he has lost 2 of his last 4 he should go through Rudd relatively easily. Importantly for us, the winner of this fight will face the winner of the all Russian contest giving it a little bit of extra significance. 

On a separate US show Ukrainian former amateur sensation Ievgen Khytrov (2-0, 2) takes on Julius Kennedy (7-7-1, 3) in what we're going to guess will be a mismatch. Khytrov, who beat Ryota Murata in the 2011 World Amateur Championship final could do with much stiffer tests than this and is, in terms of ability, around the same level as Murata. There is little point in this sort of match up for the Ukrainian when you consider that Murata fights the following day against a former world title challenger.

In terms of female boxing, the only fight of notice is in Argentina as Fernanda Soledad Alegre (17-1-1, 8) defends her WBO Light Welterweight title against the over-matched Marisol Reyes (13-7-1, 6). Don't be shocked if this one is over early as it really is a border-line criminal mismatch.

It's not often that amateur fights leave fans going "wow" but in the 2011 World Amateur Championship's final we saw one of those bouts as Japan's Ryota Murata fought Ukrainian Ievgen Khytrov (1-0, 1) in an all out war.

Unfortunately for Murata he lost to Khytrov in the final bout and only took home the Silver medal. Despite the loss he had made his name well known in amateur circles and secured his place in the London 2012 Olympics.

We had hoped that Murata and Khytrov would meet again in the Olympics but instead Khytrov went out early on, albeit in controversial fashion, before Murata went on to claim the Gold and become a major star in Japan.

Despite the fact Khytrov "failed" in the Olympics many have tipped him to become a major success in the professional ranks. His career, which kicked off with an eye catching KO, continues this Friday as he takes on the limited Romon Barber (4-6, 3) in what is, really, a mismatch. It'd be a shock it Khytrov really even broke a sweat against Barber though we'll admit it's not the "now" that interests us about Khytrov but instead it's the future.

We'd love to see Khytrov v Murata II in the professional ranks. If it's half the fight their 2011 classic was then we'd be in for something special and with that in mind we'll be following Khytrov very carefully. Unfortunately however it seems they are on very different career trajectories with Murata being moved quickly and aggressively whilst Khytrov is being given a much slower and softer development.