Complete Viewer's Guide to Boxing's Biggest September Fights

Floyd Mayweather is back this month—and he's not alone. Eight different television networks will be airing boxing at some point in September, giving fans plenty of options beyond Money's inevitable dismantling of poor Andre Berto.

Being a boxing fan, however, can be difficult. It's not always easy to tell the difference between a goof card and a bad one. Impressive-looking records are often built on flimsy foundations and even "world titles" aren't always worth the cheap metal they're made of. 

It can be surprisingly tricky, which is why Bleacher Report is here to help curate the experience. What follows is a rundown of every boxing card televised in English on American television. Which fights are worth watching? Who's likely to win—and why? You'll find out here, monthly, in this running series.

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

CBS: Jamie McDonnell (26-2-1, 12 KOs) vs. Tomoki Kameda (31-1, 19 KOs) II

Josh Hedges/Getty Images

Key Info

Date: September 6

Network: CBS

Promoter: TGB Boxing/Matchroom Boxing/Haymon Boxing

Undercard bouts: Anthony Dirrell (27-1, 22 KOs) vs. Marco Antonio Rubio (59-7-1, 51 KOs)

Interest Level

High

Analysis

The first rematch of the Premier Boxing Champions era is a good one, as McDonnell and Kameda run back one of the best fights in PBC's short history. McDonnell/Kameda I was an excellent back-and-forth bantamweight title fight that saw McDonnell pull out a narrow decision. Kameda, who was the favorite entering the first fight, looks for revenge and is never shy about dishing out violence.

In the undercard attraction, Anthony Dirrell looks to rebound from losing his light heavyweight title belt against middleweight Jobber-To-The-Stars Marco Antonio Rubio in what will likely one-sided contest. Rubio is most famous in the US for being stopped by good fighters and having vitiligo. Those aren't the best possible credentials for a prize fighter.

Main Event Prediction

While a win for Kameda would set up a natural third fight, a bout everyone would enjoy, I see more growth potential for McDonnell. Kameda is a finished product. McDonnell will actually bring more to the table in the rematch than he did in the first fight.  

Either way, we'll see a lot of trading and plenty of fireworks—no matter who emerges victorious, it will be a clear win for boxing fans.

Jamie McDonnell by unanimous decision.

Fox Sports 1: Austin Trout (29-2, 16 KOs) vs. Joey Hernandez (24-3-1, 14 KOs)

Key Info

Date: September 8

Network: Fox Sports 1

Promoter: TGB Promotions/Haymon Boxing

Undercard bouts: Jorge Lara (27-0-1, 19 KOs) vs. Jesus M Rojas (21-1-1, 15 KOs)

Interest Level

Medium/Low

Analysis

Just two years ago, Austin Trout gave Canelo Alvarez all he could handle in the biggest fight of Trout's career. A controversial decision opened the door for the Alvarez/Mayweather superfight. Alvarez became one of the sport's biggest stars.

Trout? Well, he did not.

His failure against Canelo was followed by another loss to Erislandy Lara, which was followed by a poor showing against Daniel Dawson. Further uninspiring performances against Luis Galarza and Luis Grajeda have led to yet another subpar opponent for a man who should be near the top of the super middleweight pile. At 29, the time is now for Trout to make a final run at greatness.

The undercard attraction has two super bantamweights with good records fighting one another, and that generally isn’t a bad thing.

Main Event Prediction

Trout hasn't been the same since the Canelo fight. What we’ve seen in the ring recently is a fighter who is both capable and disinterested. I don’t see anything in Joey Hernandez that is likely to change that dramatically. Trout will sleepwalk through this fight. But even a bored and unmotivated Trout should be more than enough to handle Hernandez.

Austin Trout by 9th-round KO.

TruTV: Oscar Valdez (16-0, 14 KOs) vs. Chris Avalos (26-3, 19KOs)

Key Info

Date: September 11

Network: TruTV

Promoter: Top Rank

Undercard bouts: Jesse Hart (17-0, 14 KOs) vs. Aaron Pryor Jr. (19-8-1, 9 KOs)

Interest Level

Medium/Low

Analysis

The weird and unloved TruTV programming from Top Rank has turned into a ShoBox-style prospect showcase. There are worse things to be.

Boxrec will tell you that Chris Avalos is the sixth-best super bantamweight in the world. I'm not sure I agree. And yet, either way, Avalos represents a quantum leap in opposition for Oscar Valdez.

The chief undercard attraction is a massacre, with Jesse Hart certain to demolish Aaron Pryor Jr. The only hope I have is that it opens enough time up that Egor Mekhontsev vs. Jackson Junior somehow makes air.

Main Event Prediction

Avalos has no defense and Valdez is an offensive fighter with stopping power. Put two and two together.  

Oscar Valdez by 7th-round KO.

Spike TV: Adonis Stevenson (26-1, 21 KOs) vs. Tommy Karpency (25-4-1, 14 KOs)

Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

Key Info

Date: September 11

Network: Spike TV

Promoter: GYM Promotions/Haymon Boxing

Undercard bouts: Errol Spence (17-0, 14 KOs) vs. Chris Van Heerden (23-1, 12 KOs)

Interest Level

Medium/High

Analysis

Is the main event a good fight? No. Not really. But it's not as bad as the July bout between Stevenson's rival Sergei Kovalev and the brutal Nadjib Mohammedi on HBO. If there's glory in being involved in regular mismatches instead of grotesque mismatches, Stevenson is bathing in it.

Tommy Karpency beat the physical being who carries a driver’s license reading “Chad Dawson.” Whatever you may think of Chad Dawson, beating him was better than anything Mohammedi has ever or probably will ever do.

Still, keep your eye on the undercard. Spence will be forced to really work hard in this one if he wants to win, and Van Heerden could establish himself as a breakout star.

Main Event Prediction

Stevenson really hasn’t looked electric in a while, and given his advanced age—he'll be 38 later this month—I guess you can’t be too surprised. Karpency is a man who’s come up in the sport the hard way with almost no protection from promoters. With that in mind, he’s managed to do a decent job of learning his craft. He’s going to be game. Against Stevenson, that's not enough.

Stevenson by 9th-round KO.

NBC: Peter Quillin (31-0-1, 22 KOs) vs. Michael Zerafa (17-1, 9 KOs)

Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

Key Info

Date: September 12

Network: NBC

Promoter: Lou DiBella/Haymon Boxing

Undercard bouts: Jermall Charlo (21-0, 16 KOs) vs. Cornelius Bundrage (34-5, 7 KOs); Hugo Centeno Jr. (22-0, 12 KOs) vs. Lukasz Maciec (22-2-1, 5 KOs)

Interest Level

Medium

Analysis

This is essentially an advertisement for the Mayweather pay-per-view later the same night. The main event consists of top middleweight Peter Quillin facing a club fighter who may or may not be a male stripper.

You read that right.

Elsewhere on the card the Charlo brother who actually punches people hard will take on the 42-year old Bundrage. Bundrage is actually a pretty good fighter and has an awkward style that could give Charlo problems.

It's not the best card in the world, but it beats re-runs of The Big Bang Theory. Probably.

Main Event Prediction

Quillin will be expected to dispatch his man early. Anything else is a failure. It should be a cake walk, but if anyone can miss an easy layup, it's Quillin, a fighter with the tendency to simply stare at his opponent instead of hitting him. He'll get the job done but not before managing to give everyone in his corner a good scare.

Quillin by 7th-round KO.

Showtime PPV: Floyd Mayweather Jr (48-0, 26 KOs) vs. Andre Berto (30-3, 23 KOs)

Key Info

Date: September 12

Network: Showtime PPV

Promoter: Mayweather Promotions/Haymon Boxing

Undercard bouts: Roman Martinez (29-2, 17 KOs) vs. Orlando Salido (42-13-2, 29 KOs); George Groves (21-2, 16 KOs) vs. Badou Jack (19-1-1, 12 KOs); Jhonny Gonzalez (58-9, 49 KOs) vs. Jonathan Oquendo (25-4, 16 KOs); Vanes Martirosyan (35-2-1, 21 KOs) vs. Ishe Smith (27-7, 12 KOs)

Interest Level

High

Analysis

This is it—maybe. If you believe him, Mayweather will ride off into the sunset against the unheralded Berto.  I don't believe in mincing words and won't. This fight is dreadful, and both Mayweather and fight fans deserve better.

The undercard is actually pretty good and promises the kind of action that Mayweather doesn't always deliver in the main event.

You’ll read much, much more about this fight in the coming days, I'm sure.

Main Event Prediction

I’d love to pick "Andre Berto by 1st-round KO" just for fun, but it won’t happen. Even if Berto is at his absolute best, he still has serious flaws Mayweather can exploit. His hand speed might buy him some early rounds while Floyd gets his timing down. But over 12 rounds, I can't imagine a scenario in which Mayweather manages to lose this gimme fight.

Floyd Mayweather by unanimous decision.

Fox Sports 1: Sammy Vasquez (19-0, 13 KOs) vs. Jose Lopez (25-3-1, 15 KOs)

Key Info

Date: September 16

Network: Fox Sports 1

Promoter: Team Vasquez Promotions/Haymon Boxing

Undercard bouts: Thomas Williams Jr. (18-1, 12 KOs) vs. Umberto Savigne (12-2, 9 KOs)

Interest Level

Medium/High

Analysis

Boxing needs more guys like Sammy Vasquez. He’s a regional draw, he’s fun to watch and he can fight a little. That's a winning package when a promoter is looking to sell tickets to locals.

Jose Lopez is pretty much the standard Sammy Vasquez opponent and that’s just fine. No one’s demanding a Sammy Vasquez/Mayweather fight.

The undercard fight features two failing light heavyweight prospects at light heavyweight. Both men can punch and will be fighting for their professional lives. I smell a knockout coming.

Main Event Prediction

Superior size and superior output give Vasquez the edge. He reminds me a little of Angel Manfredy. He's not going to be the best fighter in the world, but we’re going to keep watching anyway.

Sammy Vasquez by unanimous decision. 

CBS SN: Adam Lopez (13-0, 6 KOs) vs. TBA

Key Info

Date: September 18

Network: CBS Sports Network

Promoter: GH3 Promotions/Banner Promotions

Undercard bouts: The infinite grace of Stanyslav Skorokhod. Also, other dudes!

Interest Level

Low

Analysis

It’s boxing on TV! This would be much more interesting if it was 1953 and you hadn’t seen moving pictures in the comfort of your own home your entire life.

Main Event Prediction 

Lopez barely squeaked by last time he fought. Boxing logic asserts that he will fight someone even worse this time out to make up for it.

Adam Lopez by default.

Bounce TV: Caleb Truax (25-2-2, 15 KOs) vs. Fernando Guerrero (27-3, 19 KOs)

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Key Info

Date: September 18

Network: Bounce TV

Promoter: Warriors Boxing/Haymon Boxing

Undercard bouts: Jamal James (17-0, 9 KOs) vs. Juan Carlos Abreu (18-1-1, 17 KOs); Erickson Lubin (11-0, 8 KOs) vs. Orlando Lora (31-5-2, 19 KOs)

Interest Level

Medium/Low

Analysis

Truax has fans in Minnesota. Guerrero has fans in Maryland, especially around Salisbury. In either place, this fight sells.

So, where to put this crossroads attraction? Full Sail University, home of WWE’s NXT, just outside Orlando. Of course.

The undercard is good. Abreu is a fun fighter and James is yet another undefeated prospect hoping to put his name in the mix at welterweight. This is Lubin’s fifth fight of the year and his best opponent yet— Lora’s been in with top names and might push him a little.

Main Event Prediction

This is a well-matched fight between flawed competitors. In this case, I think their flaws (defensive for Truax, chin for Guerrero) line up nicely to be exploited by the other man’s strengths.

Truax has a reach advantage but has struggled with southpaws. Guerrero is often judged harshly for his KO losses, but there are some decent wins and good performances in there, too. I think his win over Abraham Han suggests the tank isn’t empty, and that’s bad news for the eminently likable Truax.

Fernando Guerrero by 7th-round KO. 

Fox Sports 1: Julian Williams (20-0-1, 12 KOs) vs. Luciano Cuello (35-3, 17 KO)

Key Info

Date: September 22

Network: Fox Sports 1

Promoter: TGB Promotions/Haymon Boxing

Undercard bouts: Moises Flores (23-0, 16 KOs) vs. Luis Cusolito (21-1, 19 KOs)

Interest Level

High

Analysis

I saw Williams live back in June on the Deontay Wilder undercard and he's a good young fighter. Cuello is a tough veteran who's been brought in to test him and, ultimately, to lose. That's boxing.

Here's the thing about Cuello, though—he isn't going to make it easy. He gave Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. all he could handle and rocked Willie Nelson multiple times. Only Canelo Alvarez was able to truly shine against Cuello. If "J-Rock" can look good, that puts him in special company.

The undercard fight is for a WBA belt of some sort between good fighters no one has ever heard of before. They'll probably try to kill each other looking to make the most of their time in the spotlight. That's good for you and me.

Main Event Prediction

Cuello has never come to lay down, and I doubt he starts here against Williams. But Williams is a different fighter than the guys Cuello has had success against, much more defensive-minded and capable of better lateral movement. Cuello doesn’t really see a lot of that in Argentina, and he’s gonna probably be chasing Williams all night long.

Julian Williams by unanimous decision.

NBC: Deontay Wilder (34-0, 33 KOs) vs. Johann Duhaupas (32-2, 20 KOs)

David A. Smith/Getty Images

Key Info

Date: September 26

Network: NBC

Promoter: DiBella Entertainment/Haymon Boxing

Undercard bouts: Omar Figueroa Jr. (25-0-1, 18 KOs) vs. Antonio Demarco (31-5-1, 23 KOs)

Interest Level

Medium

Analysis

Wilder is fighting at home again, building a following in Alabama and selling tickets. That's a good thing.

His opponent Duhuapas? That's a bad thing.

Beating Manuel Charr means he is not abjectly awful, but he clearly should not be fighting for a world title belt.

The major undercard attraction has a guy who retired after losing his last fight coming back, most likely to lose to another undefeated prospect. It's best not to think about how crushingly depressing this game is for all but a very elite few.

Main Event Prediction 

After this farce, the talk will shift to fights with Klitschko and Povetkin. I expect Wilder will most likely step in with the latter. Interesting to see the parallels in their career tracks. Both Povetkin and Wilder had major wins that put them in contention to fight Klitschko, then actively avoided the fight while looking bad against no-hopers.

Deontay Wilder by 6th-round KO.

Fox Sports 1: Javier Fortuna (28-0-1, 20 KO) vs. Carlos Velasquez (19-1, 12 KO)

Al Bello/Getty Images

Key Info

Date: September 29

Network: Fox Sports 1

Promoter: Haymon Boxing

Undercard bouts: Oscar Molina (13-0, 10 KOs) vs. Domonique Dolton (17-0, 9 KOs)

Interest Level

Medium/Low

Analysis

The main event is a dumpster fire. Velasquez, who's only been in two fights scheduled for 10 rounds in his whole career, doesn’t belong in the same time zone as Fortuna. He should get put away with a quickness.

The interesting fight is the undercard bout between a former Olympian, Molina, and "3D" Domonique Dolton, an Emanuel Steward product. I can't promise it will be great, but it should at least be competitive.

Main Event Prediction

Rico Ramos, who lacks talent and power, demolished Velasquez. Fortuna has both. This can’t last long.

Javier Fortuna by 3rd-round KO.