The Hottest Boxing Storylines for the Week of March 13
We were without a significant fight once again this past weekend, but that's OK because things are about to heat up in a big way.
In this week's edition of the hottest storylines in boxing, we tackle the recent announcement of Showtime's spring/summer boxing lineup.
Spoiler alert: It's pretty darn good.
Deontay Wilder is officially going to Russia, so we hope he packs lots of warm clothes and doesn't have to train like Rocky in Rocky IV and climb mountains and chop trees.
We'll drop the hammer on Billy Joe Saunders for talking a big game and then taking a softie opponent, look at whether Antonio Margarito is trying to lure a big fight his way and congratulate Ruslan Provodnikov on his big move.
Let's get right to it!
Showtime Goes Big
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Showtime announced its upcoming boxing schedule via Twitter last week, and, boy, talk about going big or going home.
Stephen Espinoza's network will telecast seven fight cards in a 12-week span beginning April 9 with Charles Martin's defense of the IBF Heavyweight Championship against Anthony Joshua and ending late in the summer with a featherweight title showdown between Leo Santa Cruz and Carl Frampton.
That would be pretty decent if it ended there, but plenty of other quality matchups are lined up.
Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter's rescheduled fight is slated for June 25 on CBS (but presented by Showtime and not PBC) and will be co-featured by Jesus Cuellar's defense of a 122-pound title against Abner Mares.
The Santa Cruz-Frampton and Cuellar-Mares bouts will help clear up some of the featherweight logjam and lead to a unification fight between the winners.
Also featured will be WBC heavyweight champion Wilder's defense against Alexander Povetkin (more on that next) and appearances by Gary Russell Jr., Lee Selby, James DeGale and Badou Jack, who defends his super middleweight title against a revitalized Lucian Bute April 30.
It's a hell of a schedule that packs a nice wallop.
And it gives boxing fans hope for the spring after what has been a dead winter in the sweet science.
Your move, HBO.
Time for Your Closeup, Mr. Wilder
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After months of speculation, it's official.
Wilder is heading to Russia to face Povetkin.
Vadim Pushkin of Boxing Scene reports that Andrey Ryabinsky, the Russian billionaire who won the right to select the date and location of the fight in a purse bid in February, has elected to stage the contest May 21 in Russia. His winning bid of over $7 million will allow Wilder to make a career-high payday.
Ryabinsky states that he tossed around the idea of holding the fight in the United States, where he would likely have been able to make money on the deal (he won't make any in Russia due to the high cost of the bid and related costs), but he decided not to experiment given the high stakes for Povetkin.
Wilder probably doesn't love the idea of having to make the hike in order to defend his WBC Heavyweight Championship against a dangerous mandatory challenger who is a former world champion, but his paycheck will likely make him feel better.
As will the chance to prove himself against a legitimately dangerous opponent—one who some feel could have the style and experience to take Wilder into deeper waters and score the upset.
It's an interesting fight and challenge for the powerful American heavyweight, who, despite massive punching power, a friendly demeanor and being the type of father we should all aspire to be, has yet to fully satisfy his many critics.
This fight will do that, one way or another.
Billy Joe Saunders Goes from GGG to Who?
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It was probably never a good idea for Saunders, who won the WBO middleweight title from Andy Lee in a lackluster affair in December, to even talk about Gennady Golovkin. He's nowhere near ready for that type of fight, and some things are better left alone.
Nick Parkinson of ESPN.com reported in January that the Kazakh's promoter, Tom Loeffler, had made a lucrative offer to Saunders and his team for a unification showdown. This came shortly after Saunders, correctly, pointed out he was realistically 18 months from a showdown with GGG, per Chris McKenna of the Daily Star (h/t Boxing Scene).
Saunders and his team feigned interest in the bout before demanding a larger purse or the fight be moved to the United Kingdom, and feeling they weren't really interested, Golovkin moved on to his mandatory fight.
Once Golovkin signed on to face his mandatory Dominic Wade, the bravado returned, and Saunders suddenly really wanted the fight that was no longer an option. It was transparent.
That left Saunders with an increasingly shallow pool of opposition for his first scheduled defense before settling on a foe who would have to be considered disappointing by even his most ardent supporters.
Dan Rafael of ESPN.com reported that (in his words) Saunders will "take the path of least resistance" by defending his newly won title April 30 against the Ukrainian Max Bursak.
Bursak is just 3-3 over his last six bouts and isn't rated in the top 10 of the WBO's most recent rankings at middleweight. The only thing Bursak has in common with Golovkin is that both come from a former Soviet Republic.
Path of least resistance, indeed.
Which is fine.
Nobody should have expected Saunders to fight Golovkin in his first bout after winning a title, but it's kind of hard to swallow Bursak as a foe after all that talk, especially since Saunders' team is playing this like it will eventually lead to a GGG fight down the line.
Please.
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Is Margarito Trying to Lure Canelo?
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Margarito struggled to an exciting unanimous-decision win in an all-action fight against Jorge Paez Jr. last weekend in Mexico City, and the Tijuana Tornado, making a comeback after four years on the shelf, hopes to return for a second bout in July.
Miguel Rivera of Boxing Scene reports that Margarito didn't feel like he found his rhythm against Paez, a journeyman who long ago stopped being anywhere near the top levels of the sport, and would like a relatively quick turnaround to get into shape for a bigger fight.
The main name being mentioned for a July bout is Ramon Alvarez (23-4-2, 15 KO), who might not immediately ring any bells but will in just a second. There's far more to this story.
Alvarez has won 10 fights in a row, including over long-faded Ben Tackie and Vivian Harris, and happens to be the older brother of a fighter you may know.
Canelo Alvarez.
You can already see where this could be heading, right?
Margarito has already been open about his desire for what would (unfortunately) be a potentially lucrative match with Canelo, per Salvador Rodriguez of ESPN Deportes.
By fighting, and possibly beating, his older brother, could that be setting the stage for a grudge match?
At least in Margarito's mind?
We hope not, but who would put money on it not happening?
A Good Deal for Provo and Showtime
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Provodnikov was a hot name in the Terence Crawford sweepstakes following the Nebraskan's big win over Hank Lundy last month at Madison Square Garden, but the Siberian Rocky, known for his ridiculous will and iron chin, has elected to cross the street to Showtime.
Steve Kim of Boxing Scene reports that Provodnikov will make his move to Showtime and face John Molina June 11 at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York. That promises to be an all-action fight, even if Molina has looked all spent and used up since taking a frightful beating from Lucas Matthysse in 2014.
The Russian's promoter, Artie Pelullo of Banner Promotions, summed up the deal in terms of business and future career prospects for his fighter. Provodnikov's team simply felt that HBO didn't offer as much in terms of future opponents as Showtime does.
Showtime has a great deal of talent between 140 and 147 pounds, including possible matches with Adrien Broner, Danny Garcia and even the winner of the rescheduled fight between Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter, which will now take place June 25.
You can certainly understand the move, which opens up all sorts of doors for the often crude but always entertaining slugger. It seems like a good deal for everyone involved.
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