Complete Viewer's Guide to Boxing's Biggest August Fights
You know it's going to be a weird month for boxing when the only pay-per-view features fighters with a combined age of 84 and HBO doesn't even bother coming out of its dressing room. The summer doldrums are real, and they are terrible.
Of course, thanks to Al Haymon and PBC, there is still plenty of boxing to watch this August, including two really good cards on ESPN. Two good cards in a row? On ESPN? After years of matchups charitably described as "dreadful," that's a pretty big deal.
The shifting fortunes at ESPN reflect broader changes to the boxing landscape. Things are shifting quickly, and it's hard to keep up with the ever-expanding outlets that are now showing the sweet science. That's why we're here.
What follows is a rundown of every boxing card televised in English on American television. Who's worth watching? Who's likely to win—and why? You'll find out here, monthly, in this regular feature.
Have some thoughts of your own about fights this August? Hit us up in the comments.
ESPN: Danny Garcia (30-0, 17 KOs) vs. Paul Malignaggi (33-6, 7 KOs)
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Key Info
Date: August 1
Network: ESPN
Promoter: DiBella Entertainment/Haymon Boxing
Undercard bouts: Danny Jacobs (29-1, 26 KOs) vs. Sergio Mora (28-3-2, 9 KOs)
Interest Level
High
Analysis
Promoters are still trying their best to sell Danny Garcia. As yet, no one really seems to be buying. The problem, in many ways, is one of momentum.
His best victory, a unanimous decision against Lucas Matthysse, came on the undercard of Mayweather vs. Canelo in front of what was then a record-setting pay-per-view audience. It was a huge moment. Since then, it seems, he's taken a step or two backward, more concerned about keeping himself in the Mayweather/Pacquiao picture than in establishing his own legacy.
In two of his last three fights, Garcia came in as the favorite and left with a peppering of boos for his lackluster performances. We last saw him in April, struggling badly with Lamont Peterson en route to a middling decision.
Looking to reignite interest, Garcia moves to the hotbed of stars, welterweight, and faces current TV analyst and former multi-division world titlist Paulie Malignaggi in this major contest on ESPN. Malignaggi isn't a bad choice for Garcia's first test at 147 pounds—he has a name but is also a light-punching and possibly washed-up aging fighter. At the very least, it will be interesting.
Main Event Prediction
For this to be considered a successful debut, Garcia has to stop Malignaggi. Period.
That’s not easy, and to be frank, it's probably not going to happen. But if he wants people to stop talking about his close calls with Mauricio Herrera and Lamont Peterson and start talking about his great promise, it's a must.
Malignaggi is willing to engage enough that he can get hurt and dropped, but for Garcia to blow away someone of The Magic Man's durable sort will take more than he's shown in recent years. Still, Malignaggi has been slowing down and taking more and more shots as the years have passed, and Garcia is still a good and quasi-elite fighter.
Malignaggi isn't fighting to win—his victory comes in the form of survival. I think he earns it.
Prediction: Danny Garcia by unanimous decision.
Bounce TV: Rau’shee Warren (13-0, 4 KOs) vs. Juan Carlos Payano (16-0, 8 KOs)
2 of 8Key Info
Date: August 2
Network: Bounce TV
Promoter: Warriors Boxing/Haymon Boxing
Undercard bouts: John Jackson vs. Dennis Laurente, Yudel Johnson vs. Jorge Cota
Interest Level
Low
Analysis
Warren is a three-time Olympian and a decorated amateur. Unfortunately, he lost in the first round in each of those Olympic Games and is often judged harshly for those failures. Payano was also a really good amateur, twice representing the Dominican Republic in the Olympics.
What does all that glittering pedigree mean? Basically nothing, because this is a professional boxing match.
Warren is undefeated—include his seven World Series of Boxing matches and he’s 20-0—but he’s failed to show much power as a pro and has been knocked down by questionable competition. Payano has actually fought the generally better opposition as a pro and looked much better. That means more than which man was the better fighter before anyone was getting paid.
Main Event Prediction
This is the end of the road for Warren. He spent too much time in the amateurs, he’s not a big enough puncher or slick enough to make a real dent in the pros, and he’s going to run headlong into a lot of punches from an athletically gifted and skilled boxer.
Prediction: Juan Carlos Payano by ninth-round KO.
Showtime: Sergiy Derevyanchenko (5-0, 4 KOs) vs. Elvin Ayala (28-6-1, 12 KOs)
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Key Info
Date: August 7
Network: Showtime
Promoter: DiBella Promotions
Undercard bouts: Regis Prograis vs. Amos Cowart, Ievgen Khytrov vs. Nick Brinson
Interest Level
Medium
Analysis
ShoBox is back with another quality card featuring fast-rising Eastern Europeans. Hey, if HBO can make it work, why not the guys a little further down the dial? Derevyanchenko, a 2008 Olympian, steps in against real competition in the form of Ayala, a veteran who's fought in many wars and even competed for world title belts.
Yes, Ayala is on the downswing, but even in that downswing, he’s won two straight against fighters with 11-0 and 27-1-1 records, respectively. This is a real fight.
Main Event Prediction
Coming into the fight, the safe bet is an early night for Derevyanchenko. But Ayala is a gifted and tough kid who’s seen pretty much everything there is to see in a boxing ring. He has everything to win and nothing to lose at this stage of his career, and this could become a tough, violent contest instead of a showcase.
Ultimately, Ayala is past his best and unlikely to win regardless of how well he performs. But he has pride. He'll come to fight.
Prediction: Derevyanchenko by unanimous decision.
Spike TV: Antonio Tarver (31-6, 22 KOs) vs. Steve Cunningham (28-7, 13 KOs)
4 of 8Key Info
Date: August 14
Network: Spike TV
Promoter: DiBella Promotions/Haymon Boxing
Undercard bouts: Marco Huck vs. Krzysztof Glowacki, Artur Szpilka vs. Yasmany Consuerga
Interest Level
High
Analysis
In 2007 a 23-year-old Marco Huck bit off more than he could chew against Steve Cunningham. It was one of the best fights of the year, culminating with a Cunningham uppercut that nearly took the young Serb's head clean off and forcing his corner to throw in the towel. In a perfect world, this would be a rematch of that bout.
Instead, divergent paths lead them here. Cunningham, who is now trying to make it as a heavyweight, faces old man Antonio Tarver in a “winner stays in the chase” scenario. Huck is still campaigning at cruiserweight and faces an undefeated Polish fighter in Glowacki. I’m not sure what the hook is for people who aren’t Polish to watch this card, but the show is good. Really good.
Main Event Prediction
To start with, let me be clear—Huck vs. Glowacki is the real reason to watch this show. Huck is never boring, ever, and he’s also capable of getting hit. Glowacki can bang. It’s an action fight in the making.
The main event is probably going to be less dramatic and a bit more technical. Tarver is a tall, rangy and skilled—and still a capable fighter despite being old enough to have a son competing as a professional boxer. Cunningham is younger, yes, and is the naturally bigger guy, sure, but Tarver is big enough to not get muscled around the ring and a more skilled combatant even at age 46.
Prediction: Antonio Tarver by split decision.
NBC Sports: Lucian Bute (31-2, 24 KOs) vs. Andrea Di Luisa (17-2, 13 KOs)
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Key Info
Date: August 15
Network: NBC Sports Network
Promoter: Interbox/GYM Promotions/Haymon Boxing
Undercard bouts: Eleider Alvarez vs. Isidro Prieto
Interest Level
Medium
Analysis
It sounds almost crazy now, but there was a short window of time when many boxing experts thought Lucian Bute was a significantly better fighter than anyone else at 168 pounds. Then Carl Froch came to town, and the rest is brutal history.
Bute is still trying to find himself again after that 2012 defeat, and this fight with Andrea Di Luisa is another building block in the long-term task of rebuilding Bute as a serious contender. Also in action is Alvarez, a good Colombian fighter, who faces a decent Argentine light heavyweight in Prieto. That bout is a lot better than the main event will probably be.
Main Event Prediction
In 2012, Bute faced a converted kickboxer named Denis Grachev in his first attempt at saving face and rebuilding his career. He probably should have lost that fight. Having learned from the decision to simply choose an inexperienced fighter to play the part of victim, Interbox has instead installed opponents who are no risk to Bute at all.
The fight will end in electric fashion, and the fans will cheer. Don’t be fooled, though—this is about rehabbing Bute just long enough to feed him to a bigger star. Such is boxing.
Prediction: Lucian Bute by sixth-round KO.
Showtime: Trevor Bryan (15-0, 11 KOs) vs. Derric Rossy (30-9, 14 KOs)
6 of 8Key Info
Date: August 28
Network: Showtime
Promoter: Don King Productions
Undercard bouts: Juan Ubaldo Cabrera vs. Mike Gavronski, Natu Visinia vs. Joey Dawejko
Interest Level
Medium/Low
Analysis
Yes, Don King is back with this card featuring not one but two heavyweight fights. What year is this again?
The main event features Trevor Bryan, a stablemate and friend of Amir Imam, taking on journeyman Derric Rossy in a scheduled 10-round fight.
Rossy might not be a star or anything approximating one, but he’s actually become an increasingly skilled and competent fighter as the years have moved along. The former Boston College football player has won two of his last three officially, and had the judges not screwed him, he’d probably have grabbed a win over the highly ranked Vyacheslav Glazkov in 2014.
The A-side Bryan? No one knows anything about him as a fighter yet. But so goes the heavyweight division in the year of our lord 2015.
Main Event Prediction
Why am I picking a guy I just said we don't know much about? Because Don King is involved, and you just get the sense something nefarious could go down. King may be old, a relic from a different time—but Don King fighters have a way of winning fights. What else do you need to know?
Prediction: Trevor Bryan by eighth-round KO.
ESPN: Leo Santa Cruz (30-0-1, 17 KOs) vs. Abner Mares (29-1-1, 15 KOs)
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Key Info
Date: August 29
Network: ESPN
Promoter: TGB Promotions/Haymon Boxing
Undercard bouts: Hugo Ruiz vs. Julio Ceja
Interest Level
High
Analysis
Two years ago, both Leo Santa Cruz and Abner Mares were riding high in their respective divisions, owners of world titles and undefeated records. Fighting on the same card in 2013, Santa Cruz demolished Victor Terrazas as he was supposed to. But minutes later, Mares and the crowd were stunned as he was floored twice and stopped in the first round by Jhonny Gonzalez.
It was an eye-opener for all involved, a lesson in how quickly fortunes can change. In the 24 months since then, both men’s careers have entered a sort of stasis, fighting largely nondescript opposition. Santa Cruz’s was often mocked, and justifiably so. Both fighters enter the ring, looking just to regain some momentum in what has accidentally become a crossroads battle.
Main Event Prediction
Santa Cruz, indisputably, is the taller and rangier of the two men. But fighters are forged in fire, and there’s no ignoring that Mares, for all his faults, has been in with much stiffer competition. Santa Cruz has simply never seen real adversity, while Mares has multiple times.
Santa Cruz isn’t the kind of puncher Gonzalez was and is unlikely to rock Mares early. Instead, despite his advantages in length, he'll allow Mares in close to engage. Santa Cruz will have his has moments early before eventually melting down.
All those mismatches and nothing fights? This is the day Santa Cruz finally pays the price.
Prediction: Abner Mares by unanimous decision.
PPV: Shane Mosley (47-9-1, 39 KOs) vs. Ricardo Mayorga (31-8-1, 25 KOs) II
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Key Info
Date: August 29
Network: Integrated Sports PPV
Promoter: Shane Mosley
Undercard bouts: ???
Interest Level
Disturbingly high
Analysis
Boxing is a tricky sport to cover. We all want bloodbaths and wars, the kind of dramatic fights you'll remember as your hair grays and you bad-mouth the current crop of stars who weren't as good as fighters back "in the old days." But, in time, you start to see the effect of those hard fights on the athletes themselves. And that's never pretty.
Analysts are quick to label a fighter as "washed up." We're quick to determine from the comfort of our couch whether an athlete is fit to fight. Sometimes, we’re right (Muhammad Ali); sometimes, we’re wrong (Bernard Hopkins). But boxing is a sport where the participants and their doctors have to be trusted to make the decision to stop fighting if they are being trusted enough to make the decision to start fighting in the first place.
Otherwise, how can anyone justify the existence of boxing?
Is that a good enough defense of Mosley vs. Mayorga II? They don’t like each other and want to fight. Let them do it.
Main Event Prediction
It doesn’t matter who wins, but assuming we have to pretend that it does, Mosley is going to win a decision. Mayorga is going to come forward, and there might be some hugging, but there will also be some punching. Some people are gonna get wobbled.
Mayorga is almost a specialist at this sort of fight, having played the part of Fernando Vargas’ last opponent and comeback punching bag for Felix Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya. He’ll be live. He’ll try. But Mosley is so much more skilled, I can’t realistically see him lose this fight. No way.
Prediction: Shane Mosley by unanimous decision.
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