Squared Circle: Viewer's Guide for Broner, Adamek and this Week in Boxing
Squared Circle: Viewer's Guide for Broner, Adamek and this Week in Boxing
by Jonathan SnowdenFor a sport so often declared "dead," there's certainly a lot of boxing on television. Enough, frankly, to warrant a primer designed to h
by Jonathan Snowden
For a sport so often declared "dead," there's certainly a lot of boxing on television. Enough, frankly, to warrant a primer designed to help casual fans navigate what can often be tricky waters.
Which fighters actually matter and which shows are likely to deliver interesting bouts? That's not always easy to determine.
Every weekend multiple boxing events pop up on your channel guide, each claiming to be worthy of your valuable time.
I'm here to help distinguish fact from fantasy.
What follows is a rundown of every boxing card televised in English on American television. Who's worth checking out and who can you skip to binge watch Daredevil on Netflix? Who's likely to win—and why? You'll find that here, weekly, in this new running series.
Key Info
Date: April 1st
Network: Spike TV
Promoter:Haymon Boxing
Undercard bouts: Anthony Peterson (36-1, 24 KOs) vs. Samuel Kotey Neequaye (22-1, 15KOs), Algenis Mendez (23-3-1, 13 KOs) vs. Robert Easter Jr. (16-0, 13 KOs)
Interest Level: High
Back in the late 1970s, James Scott was a light heavyweight contender who rose through the ranks on national TV. What does that have to do with Adrien Broner you might ask? Well, he did it while serving time in Rahway State Prison.
Both CBS and NBC televised several of his bouts while Scott was locked up for armed robbery. In total, he fought 11 times while a ward of the state.
Broner, you may have heard, was recently charged with a number of crimes following an alleged robbery in Cincinnati after a high stakes bowling game turned ugly. While the show will go on Friday on Spike TV, it seems unlikely any network would repeat the Scott fiasco in today's law and order political climate. Unlike Scott, if Broner serves time he'll have to press pause on his boxing career.
In the ring, this isn't much of a fight. Theophane is an ordinary fighter. His only hope, and its slim, is that Broner is so distracted by his swirling legal drama that he makes a mistake. Unfortunately, Ashley doesn't have the power in his hands to make Broner pay for a misstep even if one comes.
That might sound like a damning indictment of this card. But there's something about Broner that keeps us interested. And, if 2016 is anything like the year that preceded it, a boxing event on Spike TV is must-see television. Add in a solid undercard featuring Anthony Peterson and you have a good excuse for spending Friday night on the couch.
Main Event Prediction: Ohio State Police by First Round KO (or Broner by Unanimous Decision)
Key Info
Date: April 1st
Network: Estrella TV
Promoter: Golden Boy Promotions
Undercard bouts: Gilberto Gonzalez (25-3, 21 KOs) vs. Luis Arceo (24-14-4, 18 KOs), other stuff you don’t want to see.
Interest Level: Low
While superstars like Canelo garner the headlines, it's shows like these that keep the lights on for Golden Boy Promotions. These club shows may be great for Oscar De La Hoya's bottom line, but as a television viewer, they can be pure punishment.
There is, however, some hope here. Rene Alvarado is generally a guy who brings the action. He'll challenge Avila, a young, clean shaven Chicano fighter who the promotion hopes will one day sell tickets in Southern California. Avila doesn't have the power to end this early, so a game Alvarado could make this interesting at the very least.
Gilberto Gonzalez will likely knock Luis Arceo out in the middle rounds of your chief undercard attraction.
Main Event Prediction: Manuel Avila by Unanimous Decision
Key Info
Date: April 2nd
Network: Integrated Sports PPV
Promoter: Ziggy Boxing
Undercard bouts: Andrzej Wawrzyk (31-1, 17KOs) vs. Marcin Rekowski (17-2, 14 KOs), Mateusz Masternak (36-4, 26 KOs) vs. Eric Fields (24-3, 16 KOs), Rafal Jackiewicz, Ewa Brodnicka, Michal Cieslak also in action
Interest Level: Medium/High
Is this the best card you can watch this weekend in the United States or Canada? Absolutely. For entertainment value, there’s pretty much no possibility that this will be a boring show. Big cruiserweights who can punch are followed by heavyweights who can hit and the main event features one of the best action fighters of the last 20 years.
Adamek’s prime is past, but I don’t think he’s slipped enough to lose to Eric Molina. But Molina is both skilled and big enough to make this interesting. You want to see this show even if you don't know it yet.
Main Event Prediction: Tomasz Adamek by Unanimous Decision
Key Info
Date: April 2nd
Network: Unimas
Promoter: Top Rank Boxing
Undercard bouts: Luis Ramos Jr. (25-2, 10 KOs) vs. Cristobal Cruz (40-19-4, 24 KOs)
Interest Level: Low
The most interesting fighter on the card is 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist Egor Mekhontsev, who is tragically trapped in a bout with human punching bag Victor Barragan that may not even make TV.
The main event, instead, is a weird matchup between two journeyman, neither of whom seem destined for bigger things. Santana, a failed prospect, somehow ended up on HBO opposite Sadam Ali last year and got throttled. Paredes took a pair of rough losses to Alfonso Gomez and Alan Sanchez in 2014, effectively ending his career as a fringe contender.
This is a fight entirely without consequence. That, however, may not be an entirely bad thing. With nothing left to lose, you have to hope the fists fly.
Ramos Jr./Cruz in the prime support slot would have been interesting 10 years ago when Cruz was an all action title contender. Now he's a walking reminder of what happens to old fighters. This one could be ugly.
Main Event Prediction: Francisco Santana by Unanimous Decision
For a sport so often declared "dead," there's certainly a lot of boxing on television. Enough, frankly, to warrant a primer designed to help casual fans navigate what can often be tricky waters.
Which fighters actually matter and which shows are likely to deliver interesting bouts? That's not always easy to determine.
Every weekend multiple boxing events pop up on your channel guide, each claiming to be worthy of your valuable time.
I'm here to help distinguish fact from fantasy.
What follows is a rundown of every boxing card televised in English on American television. Who's worth checking out and who can you skip to binge watch Daredevil on Netflix? Who's likely to win—and why? You'll find that here, weekly, in this new running series.
Adrien Broner (31-2, 23 KOs) vs. Ashley Theophane (39-6-1, 11 KOs)
Key Info
Date: April 1st
Network: Spike TV
Promoter:Haymon Boxing
Undercard bouts: Anthony Peterson (36-1, 24 KOs) vs. Samuel Kotey Neequaye (22-1, 15KOs), Algenis Mendez (23-3-1, 13 KOs) vs. Robert Easter Jr. (16-0, 13 KOs)
Interest Level: High
Back in the late 1970s, James Scott was a light heavyweight contender who rose through the ranks on national TV. What does that have to do with Adrien Broner you might ask? Well, he did it while serving time in Rahway State Prison.
Both CBS and NBC televised several of his bouts while Scott was locked up for armed robbery. In total, he fought 11 times while a ward of the state.
Broner, you may have heard, was recently charged with a number of crimes following an alleged robbery in Cincinnati after a high stakes bowling game turned ugly. While the show will go on Friday on Spike TV, it seems unlikely any network would repeat the Scott fiasco in today's law and order political climate. Unlike Scott, if Broner serves time he'll have to press pause on his boxing career.
In the ring, this isn't much of a fight. Theophane is an ordinary fighter. His only hope, and its slim, is that Broner is so distracted by his swirling legal drama that he makes a mistake. Unfortunately, Ashley doesn't have the power in his hands to make Broner pay for a misstep even if one comes.
That might sound like a damning indictment of this card. But there's something about Broner that keeps us interested. And, if 2016 is anything like the year that preceded it, a boxing event on Spike TV is must-see television. Add in a solid undercard featuring Anthony Peterson and you have a good excuse for spending Friday night on the couch.
Main Event Prediction: Ohio State Police by First Round KO (or Broner by Unanimous Decision)
Manuel Avila (19-0, 8 KOs) vs. Rene Alvarado (23-6, 16 KOs)
Key Info
Date: April 1st
Network: Estrella TV
Promoter: Golden Boy Promotions
Undercard bouts: Gilberto Gonzalez (25-3, 21 KOs) vs. Luis Arceo (24-14-4, 18 KOs), other stuff you don’t want to see.
Interest Level: Low
While superstars like Canelo garner the headlines, it's shows like these that keep the lights on for Golden Boy Promotions. These club shows may be great for Oscar De La Hoya's bottom line, but as a television viewer, they can be pure punishment.
There is, however, some hope here. Rene Alvarado is generally a guy who brings the action. He'll challenge Avila, a young, clean shaven Chicano fighter who the promotion hopes will one day sell tickets in Southern California. Avila doesn't have the power to end this early, so a game Alvarado could make this interesting at the very least.
Gilberto Gonzalez will likely knock Luis Arceo out in the middle rounds of your chief undercard attraction.
Main Event Prediction: Manuel Avila by Unanimous Decision
Tomasz Adamek (50-4, 30 KOs) vs. Eric Molina (24-3, 18 KOs)
Key Info
Date: April 2nd
Network: Integrated Sports PPV
Promoter: Ziggy Boxing
Undercard bouts: Andrzej Wawrzyk (31-1, 17KOs) vs. Marcin Rekowski (17-2, 14 KOs), Mateusz Masternak (36-4, 26 KOs) vs. Eric Fields (24-3, 16 KOs), Rafal Jackiewicz, Ewa Brodnicka, Michal Cieslak also in action
Interest Level: Medium/High
Is this the best card you can watch this weekend in the United States or Canada? Absolutely. For entertainment value, there’s pretty much no possibility that this will be a boring show. Big cruiserweights who can punch are followed by heavyweights who can hit and the main event features one of the best action fighters of the last 20 years.
Adamek’s prime is past, but I don’t think he’s slipped enough to lose to Eric Molina. But Molina is both skilled and big enough to make this interesting. You want to see this show even if you don't know it yet.
Main Event Prediction: Tomasz Adamek by Unanimous Decision
Francisco Santana (23-4-1, 12 KOs) vs. Ed Paredes (36-5-1, 24 KOs)
Key Info
Date: April 2nd
Network: Unimas
Promoter: Top Rank Boxing
Undercard bouts: Luis Ramos Jr. (25-2, 10 KOs) vs. Cristobal Cruz (40-19-4, 24 KOs)
Interest Level: Low
The most interesting fighter on the card is 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist Egor Mekhontsev, who is tragically trapped in a bout with human punching bag Victor Barragan that may not even make TV.
The main event, instead, is a weird matchup between two journeyman, neither of whom seem destined for bigger things. Santana, a failed prospect, somehow ended up on HBO opposite Sadam Ali last year and got throttled. Paredes took a pair of rough losses to Alfonso Gomez and Alan Sanchez in 2014, effectively ending his career as a fringe contender.
This is a fight entirely without consequence. That, however, may not be an entirely bad thing. With nothing left to lose, you have to hope the fists fly.
Ramos Jr./Cruz in the prime support slot would have been interesting 10 years ago when Cruz was an all action title contender. Now he's a walking reminder of what happens to old fighters. This one could be ugly.
Main Event Prediction: Francisco Santana by Unanimous Decision