Complete Viewer's Guide to Boxing's Biggest Fights in April

March was one of the most exciting months in recent boxing history as manager extraordinaire Al Haymon entered the promotion game in a major way on channels up and down the dial. The result was a gluttony of boxing, fight after fight, each one relevant and interesting.

This month, and I'll forgive you a creeping sense of deja vu, Haymon's Premier Boxing Champions once again debuts on two different channels—CBS and ESPN. Both get solid cards, and PBC offers a second helping of great action on NBC and Spike.

This guy isn't playing around here, folks.

Showtime and HBO don't completely cede the field to their new rival of course, bringing Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Wladimir Klitschko back to pay television. The result is another big month for a sport that many foolishly declared dead.

But, even with Haymon's emergence as a serious force, not every card this month is worth watching. Being a boxing fan can be difficult—discerning between a good and bad fight card can be surprisingly tricky. Bleacher Report is here to help curate the experience.

What follows is a rundown of every boxing card televised in English on American television. Who's worth watching, and who can you skip? Who's likely to win—and why? You'll find that here, monthly, in this new running series.

Have some thoughts of your own about fights this April? Hit us up in the comments.

Julian Ramirez vs. Raul Hildago (FS1)

Key Info

Date: April 2

Network: Fox Sports 1

Promoter: Golden Boy Promotions

Undercard bouts: Everton Lopes, Joel Gonzalez, some other dudes probably

Interest Level

Low

Analysis 

LA Fight Club, Live from the Belasco Theater, is Golden Boy's latest offering; it's not much to get excited about. Downside: This card is terrible. Upside: At least the worst card of the month is the first one. It’s all uphill from here.

The main event dynamics are about what you'd expect—Julian Ramirez is a decent fighter, while Raul Hildago isn’t. Simple enough. On the undercard Lopes, a two-time Olympian, takes on Gonzalez, notable mostly for looking like he is 11 years old.

Main Event Prediction 

Ramirez doesn’t have a particularly high KO ratio, so expect it to drag on a little before the corner or ref forces a retirement. 

Julian Ramirez by Sixth-Round Stoppage

Petr Petrov vs. Gamaliel Diaz (ESPN2)

Key Info

Date: April 3

Network: ESPN2

Promoter: Banner Promotions/Thompson Boxing Promotions

Undercard bouts: Taras Shelestyuk vs. Juan Rodriguez Jr.

Interest Level

Low/Medium

Analysis

A long, long time ago, Gamaliel Diaz overwhelmed Robert Guerrero, briefly disrupting the future star's path to high-level contention. Now, nine years and change later, Diaz meets Boxcino lightweight champ Petr Petrov, while Guerrero basks in his final few moments in the limelight.

Diaz, at this point, is purely an opponent. I expect Petrov to dominate, but he'll probably get hit a few times en route. And that's what makes this, a standard ESPN2 blowout on paper, at least mildly intriguing. Two guys I know nothing about are the chief undercard attraction. Boxrec tells me that fight is at welterweight, so cross your fingers for random new contenders to emerge!

Main Event Prediction 

Diaz might not be spent—but I'm willing to bet he is. He’s taken a lot of punishment, and I expect that to continue here. No one will mistake this for a great fight, but it should be entertaining for however long it lasts.  

Petr Petrov by Seventh-Round KO

Adonis Stevenson vs. Sakio Bika (CBS)

Key Info

Date: April 4

Network: CBS

Promoter: GYM Promotions

Undercard bouts: Artur Beterbiev vs. Gabriel Campillo

Interest Level 

Medium/High

Analysis 

Adonis Stevenson was on top of the world in 2013, headlining HBO shows as the network's de facto light heavyweight champion and drawing crowds in his home province of Quebec.

2014 was a different story. A darker one. He struggled with Andrzej Fonfara in May, hurting his stock, and then came back to the ring at the end of the year in a fraud of a bout against Dmitry Sukhotsky.

We open 2015 hoping for a return to form for the 37-year-old Stevenson but hear echoes of last year as he faces off against Sakio Bika, a career super middleweight who is inexplicably making his debut at light heavyweight against the lineal champion.

Officially, Bika is 35 but doesn't look a day under 43. He has the experience to match too. Bika has been in with a number of high-level fighters—and lost to virtually all of them. It doesn't look good for him or for hopes Stevenson will make 2015 one to remember.

Main Event Prediction

Boy, this has the potential to be an ugly fight. If it is, the blame will fall on Bika, who has a tendency to maul and grab. The veteran is willing to get dirty and fight to survive rather than to win. If that's his plan, it could be a long night.

If anyone can stop a clinch machine in his tracks, however, it's Stevenson. The champ is a mammoth puncher capable of shaking the challenger to his core. I wouldn't be surprised if he drops Bika. But the native of Cameroon has never been stopped in a 15-year career—and Stevenson won't be the first to place that feather in his cap.  

Adonis Stevenson by Unanimous Decision

Gabriel Rosado vs. Curtis Stevens (BKB)

David Becker/Getty Images

Key Info

Date: April 4

Network: DirecTV PPV

Promoter: DirecTV

Bouts: Gabriel Rosado vs. Curtis Stevens, David Estrada vs. Khurshid Abdullaev, Ed Paredes vs. Jesus Soto-Karass

Interest Level

Medium

Analysis

BKB has morphed from weird pseudo-bare-knuckle fights in the YAMMA Pit to just plain old boxing—in that same YAMMA pit. That's a change for the better—but I still don't quite get it.

Real boxing, with Marquess of Queensberry rules, is making a huge comeback. It seems strange to push an alternate version of the sport right now. The premise underlying this whole thing, that traditional boxing is dying, is broken at its core. 

Quite honestly, despite those giant caveats, this is a good card. Rosado vs. Stevens would be one of the best ESPN2 main events in years. It might even be deserving of the ShoBox platform. Paredes vs. Soto-Karass is a pretty good fight too.

Would I suggest paying $30 for this, though? Not a chance.

Main Event Prediction

It's hard to get a feel for how these fights will work. It's boxing, sure, but conceptually different enough that it will reward different skills and strategies. Luckily, when all else fails, there's always a simple fallback when projecting boxing results—who hits harder?   

Curtis Stevens by KO

Boxcino Semifinals (ESPN2)

Key Info

Date: April 10

Network: ESPN2

Promoter: Banner Promotions

Bouts: Stanyslav Skorokhod vs. John Thompson, Brandon Adams vs. Vito Gasparyan, Andrey Fedosov vs. Lenroy Thomas, Razvan Cojanu vs. Donovan Dennis

Interest Level

Medium/Low

Analysis

Boxcino’s fighters may not be anything to get too amped about, but the bouts are competitive and should be exciting. Trust me, you’ll miss these when they’re gone and ESPN is reduced to showing fourth-tier Haymon prospects against local cab drivers.

Heck, Willie Monroe Jr. is fighting on HBO off the back of winning one of these tournaments. They're the best gimmick ESPN has come up with in years. Boxcino forever!

Main Event Prediction

Skorokhod, Adams, Fedosov, and Cojanu Advance.

Frank Galarza vs. Sheldon Moore (Showtime)

Credit: Tom Casino/SHOWTIME

Galarza

Key Info

Date: April 10

Network: Showtime

Promoter: DiBella Entertainment

Undercard bouts: Ievgen Khytrov vs. Aaron Coley, Sergiy Derevyanchenko vs. Alan Campa

Interest Level

Medium/Low

Analysis

I always fear the worst when a ShoBox card is announced, but this one is a pleasant surprise. It's the undercard that's of particular interest—we'll get some action out of the two Eastern Europeans for sure.

Derevyanchenko is already ranked in the top 25 by two sanctioning bodies a mere four fights into his pro career. Khytrov brings a 9-0 record to the table, with all nine wins coming by way of knockout. This isn't a card where it makes sense to be fashionably late.  

Main Event Prediction

Galarza is a decent fighter who got a late start in boxing and is figuring things out as he goes. He's promoted by Lou DiBella, who's helped create a number of mid-tier welterweight prospects in recent years. Galarza feels like another guy in that mold.

Galarza by Unanimous Decision

Orlando Salido vs. Roman Martinez (PPV)

Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Salido

Key Info

Date: April 11

Network: DirecTV PPV

Promoter: PR Best Boxing Promotions/Zanfer Promotions

Undercard bouts: Sharif Bogere vs. Jose Gonzalez

Interest Level

Low

Analysis

This is a great fight that no one will watch because it's inexplicably on pay-per-view with a $39.95 price tag. If you spring for the fight, you'll see a probable bloodbath as Salido marches forward into the jaws of hell yet again, attempting to steal the soul from Roman Martinez. This is not a fight for the faint of heart.

Salido won "Fight of the Year" honors last year from many hipster fans for the war with Terdsak Kokietgym and pulled off an upset win over current world titlist Vasyl Lomachenko. That's a pretty good year.

On the undercard, the talented Sharif Bogere returns against Jose A. Gonzalez. Bogere has untapped potential, and Gonzalez was looking solid against Ricky Burns in a title fight before quitting due to an injured wrist. This one has the chance to be interesting.

Main Event Prediction

Martinez is lucky just to be here. Had a few close decisions gone the other way, he’d probably be retired, working a real job or working as a journeyman boxer and professional opponent.

Instead, he’s here, hoping that Salido has slowed down enough that he can box circles around him and take a decision. Early on, he’ll be successful. By Round 5, Salido's assault will start taking its toll. Martinez won't make it the distance.

Salido by 11th-Round KO

Danny Garcia vs. Lamont Peterson (NBC)

Ed Mulholland/Getty Images

Key Info

Date: April 11

Network: NBC

Promoter: DiBella Entertainment?

Undercard bouts: Andy Lee/Peter Quillin

Interest Level

High

Analysis

Let’s get the bad part out of the way—this fight is at a 143-pound catchweight and only 10 rounds instead of a bona fide title fight.

Kind of a bummer.

But this is also the best fight at 140 that can be made right now, despite the weird weight and lack of sanctioning body approval. It's also quite likely the swan song in the division for both fighters. The winner and loser both probably go up to 147 to fight the big names there. They deserve the chance.

On the undercard, Peter Quillin fights for the belt he gave up against new champion Andy Lee. When Quillin refused to fight his mandatory challenger, Matt Korobov, Lee stepped up to take his turn at bat. He lit up the Russian with a left hook and won Quillin's vacated title. It's truly a small world.

Meanwhile, the growing shadow of Gennady Golovkin looms over both men from a distance.

Main Event Prediction

Whether or not you agree with the decision that went Garcia’s way against Mauricio Herrera, it's hard to bet against a guy who does nothing but pile up wins. Winning can be contagious—and the champion has seemingly caught the disease.

I expect a competitive bout from beginning to end. Neither fighter is great at anything. Both are good at everything. The difference-maker is natural power. Garcia has it, and Peterson does not. It won't be enough to stop a tough fighter, but it will be enough to rack up points—and yet another win.

Garcia by Unanimous Decision 

Dennis Hogan vs. Tyrone Brunson (CBS Sports Network)

Key Info

Date: April 17

Network: CBS Sports Network

Promoter: Greg Cohen Promotions

Undercard bouts: Tony Luis vs. Ira Terry

Interest Level

Low

Analysis

This is the worst card of the month. I probably won't even bother to watch this live, and I watch everything.

Tyrone Brunson was an undefeated prospect with a glitzy record before becoming an "opponent" after a series of devastating losses. He has gone 1-4 in his last five, only managing a win against a fighter with a single professional fight. I can't tell you anything about the man across the ring from him, Irish-Australian boxer Dennis Hogan, except this—he's not in there to lose.

Tony Luis, the undercard standout, gave Ivan Redkach a really strong fight and then whipped hyped prospect Karl Dargan in his last bout. Here he takes on Ira Terry, a failed prospect and professional punching bag who is unlikely to make it the distance.

Main Event Prediction

Brunson defines beatable. 

Hogan by Sixth-Round KO 

Murat Gassiev vs. Felix Cora Jr. (FS1)

Key Info

Date: April 17

Network: Fox Sports 1

Promoter: RocNation Sports

Undercard bouts: Dusty Hernandez Harrison vs. TBD, maybe Eve comes out and raps?

Interest Level

Low

Analysis

Is there such a thing as too much boxing? Well, RocNation has no fighters and a contract with FS1 to fulfill— so it looks like we may just find out.

Felix Cora Jr. was on a season of The Contender you definitely didn’t watch. There were cruiserweights.  It was in Singapore. Seriously, this happened.

Anyway, he got sparked by Troy Ross over there in one round, and it permanently cemented him as a glorified tomato can. Holding the rifle and pointing it at the can this time around is Gassiev. At 20-0, this is more or less an introduction to American audiences where he bodies up a guy who can't compete with him.

Main Event Prediction

This is not a competitive fight.

Gassiev by Second-Round KO.

Tony Harrison vs. Pablo Munguia (ESPN2)

Key Info

Date: April 17

Network: ESPN2

Promoter: DiBella Promotions/New Legend Boxing/Fight Promotions Inc.

Undercard bouts: Dunno, but Ryan Kielczewski vs. Danny Aquino, Tevin Farmer vs. Gabriel Tolmajyan, Sergiy Derevyanchenko vs. TBA are all on the card.

Interest Level

Low

Analysis

On March 6, Tony Harrison (20-0) destroyed the shell of a man called Antwone Smith, continuing a streak of early stoppages dating back to 2012. Just six weeks or so later, he returns to the ring against Pablo Munguia.

What hasn't been said about Pablo Munguia already? Everything. Because no one knows who he is.

Well, a brief primer: Munguia has faced both punchers and boxers before and survived rounds. Sometimes, he even won, like in 2012 when he defeated the ancient Antonio Pitalua. In the words of The Simpsons' Don King doppelganger Lucius Sweet, Al Haymon's people have gone searching for a person whose only skill needs to be "a body that can sustain verticality for three rounds."

Main Event Prediction

Harrison has won nine in a row by stoppage. That's pretty sweet. But you know what's sweeter? Ten in a row.

Harrison by Third-Round KO

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Andrzej Fonfara (Showtime)

Eric Gay/Associated Press

Key Info

Date: April 18

Network: Showtime

Promoter: Goossen-Tutor Promotions

Undercard bouts: Amir Imam vs. Walter Castillo, Oscar Escandon vs. Moises Flores

Interest Level

Medium/High

Analysis

This is the first Chavez Jr. fight for Al Haymon, and it provides more questions than answers, even before the bell rings. 

Why is Chavez Jr. facing a guy who’s in the lower tier of the light heavyweight top 10 instead of jumping in against a known commodity at 168 pounds? 

At first glance this fight doesn't make a lick of sense. On second glance, especially at Chavez's midsection? It starts to compute. Given his inclination to eat everything in sight, middleweight and super middleweight are just not options anymore. So light heavyweight it is.

This is a fight to see what Chavez Jr. has left. Haymon needs to find opponents for Adonis Stevenson, and the winner of this will be considered a reasonably strong candidate. Maybe it's Chavez Jr. in a fight that makes a splash, or maybe it's a surging Fonfara in a rematch that doesn't have quite the same appeal.

With either outcome, Haymon will find out, right away, whether Chavez Jr. is worth the time and effort to rebuild.

Main Event Prediction 

I can’t take Chavez Jr. I just don't believe in him.

Fonfara is nothing special. I know he’s ordinary. But Chavez Jr. turned to the judges and prayed at the end of fights against the likes of Sebastian Zbik, Brian Vera, Carlos Molina and Matt Vanda. Eventually one of those prayers won't get answered.

Fonfara is taller and has the longer reach—in addition to being battle-tested against strong light heavyweights. It's all way, way too much for a person of Chavez’s work ethic and skill set to overcome. 

Fonfara by Split Decision

Matthysse vs. Provodnikov and Dulorme vs. Crawford (HBO)

Key Info

Date: April 18

Network: HBO

Promoter: Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank

Undercard bouts: N/A

Interest Level

High

Analysis

HBO brings back the multi-location night of boxing with this pair of spectacular fights. Most fans are truly amped for the promise of extreme violence in the Lucas Matthysse vs. Ruslan Provodnikov bout. But the best fighter on display may well be Terence Crawford.

Crawford’s opponent, the 22-1 (14 KO) Thomas Dulorme, is the real unknown on the show. He's good enough to be approved by HBO but limited enough to get stopped by Luis Carlos Abregu and be mired in difficult, close fights with Henry Lundy and Karim Mayfield.

Still, it's HBO. Even if that fight turns into a stinker, you'll get to see the fabled production of HBO’s elite crew and hear the legendary dulcet tone of Jim Lampley's Hall of Fame voice. Or something.

Main Event Prediction

Provodnikov is one of the great action fighters, but he's been through the ringer in recent years. At some point that catches up with a man, and I doubt he can sustain much more punishment before plunging off a performance cliff.

Matthysse is such a devastating puncher and has such a degree of craft to go with his brawn that I can’t see Provodnikov actually beating him. Matthysse might even style on Provodnikov and stop him early with a massive barrage.

In Dulorme vs. Crawford, the challenger just doesn’t do anything as well as Crawford does. Whether it's hand speed, punching power or defense, the champion has the edge. This should be a cakewalk.

Matthysse by Eight-Round KO and Crawford by Unanimous Decision

Daniel Jacobs vs. Caleb Truax (Spike)

Key Info

Date: April 24

Network: Spike TV

Promoter: Warriors Boxing

Undercard bouts: Anthony Dirrell vs. Badou Jack, Artur Szpilka vs. Ty Cobb

Interest Level

High

Analysis

Two world title fights, one at middleweight and one at super middleweight, both on basic cable. What a great card for Spike TV.

No, these aren’t the top guys in either division. But neither are they chopped liver, as each man is just inches away from possible money fights.

Better still, these are actually competitive bouts. Caleb Truax may have the bigger name, but he was stopped by Jermain Taylor back when people were more concerned with Taylor's health than what he could do to an opponent's. Daniel Jacobs might just do the same.

Badou Jack wound up knocked out cold in one round by a decidedly ordinary Derek Edwards. Anthony Dirrell is no knockout artist, but his vertical, straight-up amateur style was built to pepper a fighter like Jack with jab-right hand combinations until Jack either falls down or just stops trying.

Main Event Prediction

Truax isn’t a bad fighter, but Jacobs’ athleticism and skill represent a dramatic upgrade over the sorts of people his record is built against. Jacobs has a huge hand-speed advantage and can also slip punches and keep his distance by moving his feet. Against a plodding Truax, that's more than enough to take the win.

Jacobs by Unanimous Decision

Wladimir Klitschko vs. Bryant Jennings (HBO)

Key Info

Date: April 25

Network: HBO

Promoter: K2/Gary Shaw Productions

Undercard bouts: Sadam Ali vs. Francisco Santana

Interest Level

Medium/High

Analysis

Wladimir Klitschko's 63 wins, 53 KOs, 17 title defenses and almost a full decade atop the heavyweight division are undeniable. So is his status as one of the game's true gentlemen. With his knockout win over top-ranked challenger Kubrat Pulev last year, Klitschko returned to HBO and the consciousness of American fans.

It was a long time coming for the champion whose career, despite taking place in an overseas vacuum, ranks among the all-time heavyweight greats. This fight, against American challenger and Philly native Bryant Jennings, seems positioned to underscore that fact and once again push Klitschko for stardom in the Good Ol’ USA.

Main Event Prediction

There's no sense in trying to minimize Klitschko’s many accomplishments. They are legendary. Nor does it make sense to pretend his isn't also a career full of boring, risk-averse performances. And we’re likely on the verge of seeing one against Jennings, who doesn't have the power or size to keep the champion from overwhelming him in the clinch.

Expect jabs and clinches from Klitschko. Lots of them. And then expect to see them again the next time he fights. And every time. 

Klitschko by Unanimous Decision

Mercito Gesta vs. Carlos Molina (FS1)

Key Info

Date: April 30

Network: Fox Sports 1

Promoter: Golden Boy Promotions

Undercard bouts: TBA

Interest Level

Medium/Low

Analysis

There's not much meat on the bones of this card yet—only the main event has been announced. It may not sound like much, but for a Fox Sports 1 card, it's darn near Mayweather vs. Pacquiao.

Molina got tossed in the deep and took two consecutive losses against household names Amir Khan and Adrien Broner. That, essentially, ended his career as a serious prospect.

Gesta is a bit of a grinder, a southpaw with just a single loss to Miguel Vazquez. That was an ugly, awful fight to watch—sort of like all of Vazquez’s fights. Gesta took two years off after that fight but came roaring back in 2014 with consecutive wins.

Main Event Prediction

Gesta is moving up in weight class, but I'm not concerned about his effectiveness here. Five extra pounds matters less than the level of opposition Gesta has beaten. The fighters he's beaten are better than the fighters Molina has beaten.

That kind of mathematical approach to picking fights isn't foolproof. But I think it works here. Expect an ugly fight—Molina isn't going to like Gesta walking him down and may resort to clinching or a defensive shell. That will be enough to make it the distance but not to win.

Gesta by Unanimous Decision

Mickey Bey vs. Denis Shafikov (ESPN2)

Key Info

Date: April 30

Network: ESPN2

Promoter: Mayweather Promotions/Top Rank

Undercard bouts: Unknown

Interest Level

Medium

Analysis

Meet the new Friday Night Fights—this will be the first PBC program for ESPN, and it is actually a good fight. That's faint praise perhaps, but it's more than most promoters deliver when they get the chance on the network. Whatever worries exist about what PBC might become, at this point it's been a boon for boxing.

Mickey Bey beat a tough Miguel Vazquez last year in a contested decision on the Mayweather vs. Maidana 2 undercard.

His reward?

A battle with Denis Shafikov in a legitimate title fight. Shafikov’s only loss was to Vazquez in Macau earlier in 2014, but he’s been in with, and defeated, plenty of legitimate opponents.

Main Event Prediction

Bey gets a really bad rap from hardcore boxing fans. Some of it is deserved. He can be boring. He has had long stretches of inactivity. He has been elevated to a world title level solely because of Floyd Mayweather Jr., and he probably didn’t deserve the title win he got over Vazquez.

I tend to think more positively. Bey is flawed in ways that make for drama. For a fan, that can be a good thing. Shafikov won’t be easy, but Bey’s reach, hand speed and skills as a boxer will make him a tough out for anybody. This might not be the most exciting fight, but it will validate Bey’s status in the division.

Bey by Unanimous Decision