Boxing: April and May Bring Several Noteworthy Fights

College basketball just concluded its biggest event of the season and most sports fans are suffering a letdown. Baseball is only a few weeks in and NBA is still a week or two away from the playoffs, leaving fans with a void that needs to be filled.

So for all you fans looking for a fix, let me suggest the tremendous boxing that will be available without PPV. There are three great Saturdays in a row with some of the world's best boxers on HBO and Showtime.

Here is what to look for:

Saturday April 12 (HBO)

Miguel Cotto (31-0, 25 KOs) vs. Alfonso Gomez (18-3-2, 8 KOs). Welterweights

Kermit Cintron (29-1, 27 KOs) vs. Antonio Margarito (35-5, 25 KOs). Welterweights

Saturday April 12 (Showtime)

Chad Dawson (25-0, 17 KOs) vs. Glen Johnson (47-11-2, 32 KOs). Light heavyweights

Antonio Tarver (26-4, 19 KOs) vs. Clinton Woods (41-3-1, 24 KOs). Light heavyweights

Saturday April 19 (HBO) 

Joe Calzaghe (44-0, 32 KOs) vs. Bernard Hopkins (48-4-1, 32 KOs). Light heavyweights

Saturday May 3 (HBO)

Oscar De La Hoya (38-5, 30 KOs) vs. Steve Forbes (33-5, 9 KOs). Junior middleweights

That schedule is great for any boxing fan and I can promise some of those will be great fights.

*Expect Cotto to KO Gomez in the fifth round. Gomez is like a modern-day Rocky. He is charismatic and he has a lot of heart, but Cotto is one of the fastest, strongest boxers in the world today.

*Cintron via 10th-round stoppage.

I know Margarito dominated him the first time around, but Cintron is starting to reach his full potential. Cintron is much smarter and has learned to use his power while defending and boxing at the same time.

*Dawson via decision.

Should be a good old-school type of boxing match. The first six rounds should be good boxing and the next six should be a slugfest. I think Dawson has more in his tank at this point in their careers though.

*Tarver via eighth-round KO.

Woods is a good fighter but Tarver is a different type of boxer. Tarver has fought uninspired before, but I think he will be motivated and when he is, not many people can beat him. Woods will be overwhelmed.

*Calzaghe via decision.

They both have KO power but they both have strong chins as well. I think this will be like a boxing movie with both guys getting rattled, but never down for the 10. Calzaghe should be conditioned enough to outlast "X.”

*De La Hoya via sixth round KO.

I don't know if the Golden Boy has that golden left hand anymore, but he should be able to put Forbes down without many problems. This is a tune-up for an eventual rematch with Mayweather.

I hope everyone takes advantage of a great month of boxing and enjoys the sweet science.