The second part of an amazing weekend of fights comes on Saturday with wonderful action taking place in the US and Puerto Rico whilst a notable supporting bout is set to take place in Slovenia of all places.

On paper the most exciting match up comes in San Juan, Puerto Rico where WBO Super Featherweight champion Orlando Salido (42-12-2-1, 29) defends his title against former champion Roman Martinez (28-2-2, 17). Salido won the title last year in an up-and-down affair with Terdsak Kokietgym and will be hoping to have an easier time with Salido however the odds are that this will ignite in to complete slugfest with both men taking a lot of damage before one eventually stops the other.

A really good supporting bout on this card will see Jose A Gonzalez (23-1, 18) returning to the ring for his second bout since his loss against Ricky Burns in May 2013. Gonzalez, who looked really talented against Burns, will be fighting interesting Ugandan Sharif Bogere (26-1, 18), who suffered his only loss to Richar Abril. This essentially two class guys fighting for their chance to get another world title bout and it's hard to have any complaints about the match up.

Although we think the Salido/Martinez bout is going to be the bout of the day it's certainly not the highest profile contest of the day. That belongs to the controversial catchweight bout bout between Danny Garcia (29-0, 17) and Lamont Peterson (33-2-1, 17). Between them the men hold the WBC, WBA “super” and IBF Light Welterweight titles yet rather than unifying the crown they are fighting the contest at 143lbs. Notably Peterson will be stripped of his IBF title if he loses, giving a huge opportunity to Chinese slugger Ik Yang if that happens. What should have been a great bout for the Light Welterweight division remains a very interesting bout but one that should really have been for the gold.

One bout on this card that was supposed to be for the gold was a WBO Middleweight title bout between hard hitting Irishman Andy Lee (34-2, 24), the defending champion, and unbeaten American Peter Quillin (31-0, 22). Quillin enters this bout as a former champion who vacated his belt last year, rather than face Russian Matt Korobov. Lee took the Korobov bout and stopped the Russian to claim the title and now we've essentially gone full circle with Quillin get the first shot at Lee. Again there is a bad taste about this bout politically, but in the ring it should be enjoyable and explosive. Unfortunately however this bout has now been made a non-title bout following Quillin missing the weight

In supporting bouts we'll get the chance to see a several promising and unbeaten fighters including Light Welterweight contender Viktor Postol (26-0, 11), who fights Jake Giuericeo (17-2-1, 4) in a stay busy contest, the touted Felix Diaz (16-0, 8), who takes on the once beaten Gabriel Bracero (23-1, 4) in an interesting looking match up, and the very highly regarded Errol Spence Jr (15-0, 12), who takes on Samuel Vargas (20-1-1, 10) in a bout that looks good on paper but in reality should be a mismatch.

A second US card is again piled with prospects. The most interesting bout, other than the main event which actually features a Filipino, will feature Mexican Olympian Oscar Valdez (14-0, 13). Valdez will be fighting against Jose Ramirez (25-5, 15) in what looks a good bout until you realise Ramirez was stopped by the then debuting Vasyl Lomachenko and has since been stopped by Abner Mares, and will stepping up to Super Featherweight for this bout.

Another bout that looks good on paper will see Russian destroyer Oleksandr Gvozdyk (5-0, 4) battle against Rowland Bryant (18-5, 12). On paper this looks like a really good test for the Russian but Bryant has lost 4 of his last 6 and shouldn't really push Gvozdyk. Whilst it is a mismatch we would say a stoppage by the Russian should be considered impressive considering his lack of professional experience.

Yet another prospect we're excited about on this card is Lithuanian powerhouse Egidijus Kavaliauskas (9-0, 8), who will be up against Arman Ovsepyan (14-4, 11) in what looks likely to be another very impressive performance form the Oxnard based European fighter.

Sadly we've struggled to get excited about Brazilian Esquiva Falcao (7-0, 5) who is really talented but has been matched horribly here as he takes on Omar Rojas (3-2, 1) in what appears to be an horrific mismatch. Falcao, a nemesis of Ryota Murata's, is so much better than Rojas that this bout should be disappointing to the the fighter as well as fans.

As for the bout in Slovenia, that will see former IBF Welterweight champion Jan Zaveck (34-3, 19) battling against Belgian based Armenian Sasha Yengoyan (31-1-1, 21). This bout, for the WBF Light Middleweight title, as good a WBF title bout as you're likely to see and really could have been for the European title considering the ability of the two men in it. Whilst neither man is a “star” we do like both and it's hard to dislike either. This may not get the attention of some of the other bouts but it could be a very interesting contest all the same.


(Image courtesy of notifight.com)

This past weekend, for many fans, has been a write off and a chance to vent at Al Haymon, Showtime, Golden Boy Promotions and various other American boxing personnel. We're not going to rant and rave about how bad the action was and how badly matched up the 3 televised bouts on Showtime were, instead we're just going to give you the results in succinct manner. You've already read the rants and anyway, why should we waste your time and why should we pretend the card was actually worth caring about?

So here we go.

Daniel Jacobs (28-1, 25) claimed the WBA "regular" Middleweight title with an easy 5th round TKO over Australian Jarrod Fletcher (18-2, 10). Jacobs will now paraded around the world with a paper title whilst Fletcher will be feeling relieved that he wasn't forced into a fight with Gennady Golovkin, as was looking likely at one point early this year.

Lamont Peterson (33-2-1, 17) put on a 1-sided beating against Edgar Santana (29-5, 20) with Santana looking more like a punch bag than a legitimate challenger for the IBF Light Welterweight title. It was one-sided from the opening round and eventually the doctor stopped it to protect Santana from further punishment.

Danny Garcia (29-0, 17) almost beheaded the criminally over-matched Rod Salka (19-4, 3). This bout, fought at 142lbs, looked similar to seeing a college kid beating up a high school kid and Salka, despite being a really charming guy, had no real reason to be in the ring.

That's all we are going to say on that stinking, awful and ridiculous card.

Thankfully there was more action from the US as NBCSN put on an interesting card that featured a number of notable fighters. The most competitive of the action here saw Heavyweight hopeful Vyacheslav Glazkov (18-0-1, 11) struggle past journeyman Derric Rossy (29-9, 14) in a bout that was significantly more competitive than it looked on paper. The only black mark here in terms of the fight was the outlandish 98-92 score card from judge Pierre Benoist, a card that would have been shamed had it not been tucked away on a card many fans didn't seem to watch.

Another Heavyweight on the same card was Joseph Parker (10-0, 9) who again very deservedly got rave reviews. Parker, fighting for he second ime in he US, dismantled the over-matched Keith Thompson (7-3, 4). Parker did what he was supposed to do but still generated the great feedback from fans who appear to be warming to him more than many other Heavyweight prospects.

In female action we had a pair of world title bouts. At 105lbs fans in Mexico saw Victoria Argueta (13-1, 4) out point fellow Mexican Alondra Garcia (9-2, 1) in what appeared to be a relatively one sided bout, unless you were judge Joe Garcia who some how had Garcia winning 97-93, a scorecard even a close relative would have struggled to have had considering the dominance of Argueta.

The other female world title bout saw historic Chilean fighter Carolina Rodriguez (13-0, 1) become the first Chilean in history to successfully defend a world title as she took a split decision over Colombian teenager Dayana Cordero (13-5-1, 9). The bout was very close despite an outlandish scorecard of 99-91 to Rodriguez. We understand that Rodriguez is a national boxing icon in Chile but the least she should do is offer a rematch to Cordero who was very unfortunate here.

(Image courtesy http://foxsports.com.au)

One of the big problems with boxing today is the fact the promoters tend to think that fans are stupid and that the boxing media will just peddle what ever line they want us to. The problem for the promoters is that we, as fans and media, know what a fight isn't worth our time. Sadly the promoters have yet to cotton on to the fact that our loyalty does have it's limits and if you keep feeding up with mismatches we will take our business else where.

It's been his mentality that has seen boxing lose some fans to UFC, not as many fans as some reports suggest but still some fans.

Sadly this weekend is going to be one of those weekends where the main stream boxing public will feel a little bit ripped off due to a show in America that leaves a bitter taste before a punch is even thrown.

The show in question is a triple header on Showtime. The biggest name on the card is unified Light Welterweight champion Danny Garcia (28-0, 16) who will be fighting in a non title fight against Rod Salka (19-3, 3). Salka is a massive under-dog and rightfully so given that he's moving up in weight, lacks power and lacks much in terms of world class experience. We do believe Salka is better than his record but not good enough to give Garcia any problems.

Before we go any further let us just make everyone aware, we do not mind stay busy fights, in fact we're very supportive of fighters wanting to stay busy and fighting in "gimmes" as a result. What we're not fans of is a fighter who fights every 5 or 6 months having a "stay busy fight". A stay busy fight should be just that, a fight to stay busy, like Srisaket Sor Rungvisai's bouts against the likes of Joel Kwong. It shouldn't be a bout given air time on a major network in the US that customers are paying for. The Light Welterweight division is awash with better match ups but they've ended up bringing up a Lightweight who is unranked? Awful move from Garcia's team.

Thankfully non of the world bodies will be sanctioning the Garcia fight though the IBF will be sanctioning a different Light Welterweight bout on this card. That's because IBF champion Lamont Peterson (32-2-1, 16) will be facing Edgar Santana (29-4, 20). Santana is pretty fun watch and has very respectable power. He is not, however a world class Light Welterweight and he's certainly not come close to earning a shot at a title holder. Thankfully is a better bout than the Garcia bout, but only just.

We would all have loved to have seen Garcia Vs Peterson in a triple title unification bout and Santana Vs Salka in a show opener but instead we've ended up with 2 bouts that people really have shown a disdain for and are left wondering why the promoter is treating us like fools.

The third bout on the show is the highlight of the card as Daniel Jacobs (27-1, 24) fights against Jarrod Fletcher (18-1, 10) for the WBA Middleweight title. On paper this is an interesting fight and a chance for Jacobs to cap off an amazing story from being a cancer patient to a world champion. Sadly however it's a bout for one of the many numerous WBA paper belts that are going around pretending to be real title belts. The real champion, Gennady Golovkin, defended his belt just a few weeks ago against Daniel Geale yet the WBA, in their infinite wisdom, have managed to create a fake belt for this bout. It's a real shame that this, like a possible Salka/Santana bout, isn't being fought as an eliminator.

In Mexico we get a couple of notable bouts, though the first of those suffers from the same issue as the American card. That's because WBC #1 contender at 122lbs Andres Gutierrez (29-0-1, 22) will be fighting in a total mismatch against complete no-hoper Mario Macias (26-12, 13). Some of you may recall Macias as a former Koki Kameda opponent and you'd be right, you'd also be right if you said Macias was the last fighter Koki has stopped. It'd be a massive shock if Macias manages to survive more than 3 or 4 rounds.

The other bout will see IBF female Minimumweight champion Victoria Argueta (12-1, 4) defending her belt against Alondra Garcia (9-1, 1) in a much, much better match up than many of the others taking place over the weekend. Thankfully, for once, we have a relatively well matched bout!

(Image courtesy of http://explorebk.com)

This past Saturday was the biggest day in boxing so far this year. It may not have been the greatest day of boxing but it was certainly full of notably fighters.

For us the most interesting contest was the WBO Super Featherweight title fight between the very highly regarded Mikey Garcia (34-0, 28) and Mexican veteran Juan Carlos Burgos (30-2-2, 20). Garcia, although dominant over-all, wasn't as impressive as we'd have expected. Fair enough it was partly due to Burgos knowing how to survive though on this performance any dreams that Garcia has of fighting Pacquiao are a long way from reality. Garcia's talented for sure but we're not sure if he's actually one of the top 2 guys in his division. He looks small at Super Featherweight and his punch resistance doesn't seems that impressive.

Another champion who retained his title was WBO Cruiserweight kingpin Marco Huck (37-2-1, 26) who stopped the tough Firat Arslan (33-7-2, 21) in very impressive fashion. Arslan had controversially been beaten by Huck last year but this was a much better showing from Huck who has now requested to be considered a WBO super champion, an honour rarely bestowed on a fighter.

The final world champion who retained his title was Lamont Peterson (32-2-1, 16) who retained his claim as the IBF Light Welterweight champion. Peterson, one of the most fortunate fighters on the planet, managed to over-come the previously unbeaten Dierry Jean (25-1, 17). This bout certainly had it's entertaining moments early on but Jean's lack of world class power gave him little chance to beat the well schooled Peterson, who was fighting for the first time since being steam rolled by Lucas Martin Matthysse.

As well as the trio of title bouts there was also a selection of other interesting bouts.

These included Jermell Charlo (23-0, 11) dominating former Gennady Golovkin foe Gabriel Rosado (21-8-0-1, 12), British Heavyweight David Price (16-2, 14) stopping late replacement Istvan Ruzsinszky (12-10-1, 8) inside a round, Bryant Jennings (18-0, 10) stopping Artur Szpilka (16-1, 12) and most notably Brazilian Olympian Yamaguchi Falcao (0-0-0-1) being involved in a double disqualification with Martin Fidel Rios (10-0-2-1, 4).

As with most weekends the most notable action is in the US this Saturday, though it's given a good run from a show in Germany and there's also notable action in Brazil and Italy as we get a day to remember, thankfully hiding the fact that Asian action is quiet still.

The most notable single bout is in New York as WBO Super Featherweight champion Mikey Garcia (33-0, 28) looks to make the first defense of his title. The unbeaten Garcia, who some regard as the best fighter at 130lbs, will be taking on the very talented Juan Carlos Burgos (30-1-2, 20). To many Burgos is the man who should have the WBO belt around his waist though he was robbed by judges when he faced Roman Martinez, the man eventually dethroned by Garcia. To us this is a significant bout though unfortunately it sounds like it will be Garcia's last one at 130lbs.

On the same card as the Garcia/Burgos bout is a big Heavyweight clash between Poland's unbeaten Artur Szpilka (16-0, 12) and highly touted American Bryant Jennings (17-0, 9). Whilst the Garcia/Burgos is the main event we thing this Heavyweight clash has the potential to be the better bout to watch.

On a separate US card we get another world title fight as IBF Light Welterweight champion Lamont Peterson (31-2-1, 16) takes on the unbeaten Dierry Jean (25-0, 17). Whilst we will admit that Peterson is the luckiest champion on the planet he should still have a bit too much experienced for Jean, however a victory for Jean would see him throw his name into the big conversations at 140lbs.

A secondary bout on this card sees the unbeaten Jermell Charlo (22-0, 11) take on former Gennady Golovkin victim Gabriel Rosado (21-7, 3). Rodado, dubbed a "good boy" by Golovkin, is the toughest test on paper for the young Charlo who some stateside are tipping a future world champion at either Light Middleweight or Middleweight.

As well as the two world title bouts Stateside there is also one in Germany as WBO Cruiserweight kingpin Marco Huck (36-2-1, 25) looks to defend his title against Firat Arslan (33-6-2, 21). This is a rematch of a controversial contest from last year in a bout that many felt Arslan deserved to take the victory in, though Huck retained with somewhat "nice" unanimous decision. This promises to be a really entertaining battle, as every Huck bout is, though it's going to be something that cuts his career short.

Staying with the German card there is another interesting Heavyweight clash as Britain's David Price (15-2, 13) returns for the first time since back-to-back losses to Tony Thompson. Price will be expected to score an easy victory over Konstantin Airich (19-7-2, 15) but he will know that if he loses again that's his career over.

Not far from Germany, in Italy, there is a very good looking European Lightweight title fight between Emiliano Marsili (27-0-1, 12), the defending champion, and Pasquale Di Silvio (17-5-1, 5). Although this bout is only for the European title it's fair to suggest that the winner will feel that they deserve a world title fight and in a division that features Masayoshi Nakatani and Masao Nakamura it's fair to suggest that these two will also feel that they are deserving of a world title fight in the near future. We think we're on the verge of a very interesting period in the Lightweight division.

In Brazil fans get the first chance to see the very talented Yamaguchi Falcao (0-0) fight as a professional. The former amateur standout will be fighting unbeaten Argentinian Martin Fidel Rios (10-0-2, 4) in what will serve as an excellent introduction to the professional ranks for one of the two Falcao brothers. Yamaguchi's brother Esquiva, best known for fighting Ryota Murata in the 2012 Olympic final, is set to make his debut in just as few weeks as well.