Anthony Joshua and Vasyl Lomachenko Appear in 10 Fights to Watch in June
June promises to be another busy month in the boxing calendar.
Former amateur stars Vasyl Lomachenko and Anthony Joshua are both in action during the coming weeks.
Lomachenko looks to become a two-weight world champion when he fights Roman Martinez, while heavyweight Joshua makes the first defence of his IBF title in London.
On the same bill as Joshua in the English capital, George Groves and Martin Murray meet in a pivotal showdown in the careers of both men.
With Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter also going head-to-head, there's plenty to enjoy before July arrives.
Here, Bleacher Report marks your card with 10 fights to watch in June.
Rances Barthelemy vs. Mickey Bey
1 of 10
When: Friday, June 3
Where: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida
Rances Barthelemy makes the first defence of his IBF lightweight title against Mickey Bey.
The unbeaten Barthelemy (24-0, 13 KOs) became a two-weight world champion when he defeated Denis Shafikov by unanimous decision in December.
Now he goes up against Bey, a former holder of the IBF belt.
The American (22-1-1, 10 KOs) never lost the title inside the ring—a hand injury forced him to vacate.
However, now he wants to claim back what he feels should rightfully still be his, as he told Kevin McRae of Bleacher Report: "I didn’t lose it in the ring, so I’m coming back to get it."
Liam Smith vs. Predrag Radosevic
2 of 10
When: Saturday, June 4
Where: Echo Arena, Liverpool, England
Liam Smith (22-0-1, 12 KOs) finally gets the chance to show off his world title in his home city of Liverpool.
The WBO super welterweight champion won the title last year in Manchester, England, then returned to the same city to successfully defend it against Jimmy Kelly.
Beefy's homecoming is against Predrag Radosevic (30-1, 11 KOs), a fighter from Montenegro whose only career defeat came against Felix Sturm.
However, Smith wants big names. Really big names.
He might yet get the opportunity to face one of the biggest around in boxing—Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.
The 27-year-old told Micheal McKenna of the Liverpool Echo: "Realistically, looking forward, the closest thing that will come into play is the Canelo fight. I have got to win on Saturday first, but that fight might be back on the table."
Orlando Salido vs. Francisco Vargas
3 of 10
When: Saturday, June 4
Where: StubHub Center, Carson, California
As first defences go, Francisco Vargas could have picked an easier opponent than Orlando Salido.
Vargas (23-0-1, 17 KOs) claimed the WBC super featherweight belt by coming through a war against Takashi Miura last November.
After being dropped in Round 4, he climbed off the canvas to force a stoppage win in Round 9.
Just over six months later, he now faces Salido (43-13-3, 30 KOs), a former WBO champion at featherweight who happens to hold a win over Vasyl Lomachenko on his CV.
In his preview for the bout, Scott Christ of Bad Left Hook wrote: "I expect that Salido will do what he can to force Vargas to 'out-will' him, confident that Vargas cannot. And he could be right. Either way, we're going to see some action."
Amen to that.
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John Molina Jr. vs. Ruslan Provodnikov
4 of 10
When: Saturday, June 11
Where: Turning Stone Resort Casino, Verona, New York
Win or lose, Ruslan Provodnikov is a fun fighter to watch.
In an interview with Thomas Gerbasi of Boxing News, he said: "When I was a kid, I used to fight on the streets, and this is the way I fought. That’s actually why I wanted to box, because I fought a lot as a kid and my parents took me to the gym. But I don’t think this is a choice you make. It’s the way you are; it’s part of your character."
His character is to get involved in a scrap, no matter who his opponent happens to be.
Undeterred by a majority-decision defeat to Lucas Matthysse in April 2015, the Russian (25-4, 18 KOs) is looking to get back on the world-title trail.
Standing in his way is John Molina Jr. (28-6, 23 KOs).
The American has also lost to Matthysse, though his record does include a win over Mickey Bey.
Roman Martinez vs. Vasyl Lomachenko
5 of 10
When: Saturday, June 11
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York
After two great fights with Orlando Salido that both went the distance, Roman Martinez (29-2-3, 17 KOs) next faces Vasyl Lomachenko.
Martinez—the reigning WBO super featherweight champion—held on to his belt last time out after a split draw in a rematch with Salido, who lost the same title in their first meeting.
Lomachenko (5-1, 3 KOs), however, is a completely different proposition.
The Ukrainian—a two-time Olympic gold medalist—bids to become a two-weight world champion in just his seventh outing as a pro.
Andrzej Fonfara vs. Joe Smith Jr.
6 of 10
When: Saturday, June 18
Where: UIC Pavilion, Chicago
Andrzej Fonfara (28-3, 16 KOs) was last seen slugging his way to victory over Nathan Cleverly.
The Chicago-based Pole will perhaps hope for an easier night against Joe Smith Jr. (21-1, 17 KOs), who has only fought 72 rounds in 22 bouts.
Fonfara knows the pressure is on to perform, per a Premier Boxing Champions press release (h/t Scott Christ of Bad Left Hook): "I have to show him that I am stronger, more experienced and, most importantly, a smarter fighter. I have to win this fight, because it will open the door for me to rematch Adonis Stevenson."
On the same card, Juan Carlos Payano meets Rau'shee Warren in a rematch between two top-class bantamweights.
Payano holds the IBO and WBA titles after beating Warren on points in August 2015.
However, it was a split-decision win, with both fighters having points deducted in a tough battle.
Anthony Joshua vs. Dominic Breazeale
7 of 10
When: Saturday, June 25
Where: O2 Arena, London
The Anthony Joshua bandwagon rolls back into the O2 Arena when he defends his IBF heavyweight belt against Dominic Breazeale.
Englishman Joshua wasted little time in dethroning Charles Martin last time out, flattening the American in Round 2 to make it 16 successive KO victories as a pro.
Breazeale shares a few similarities with the champion.
He is also unbeaten as a pro, boasting a 17-0 (15 KOs) record.
Both men competed at the 2012 Olympic Games, too. Breazeale fell early in the super heavyweight division, but Joshua went on to strike gold in the same division in London.
He has been striking opponents out ever since leaving the amateur ranks, quickly becoming a boxing icon in Britain.
Martin Murray vs. George Groves
8 of 10
When: Saturday, June 25
Where: O2 Arena, London
The term "must-win fight" can get overused in boxing. However, it seems apt to describe the clash between super middleweights George Groves and Martin Murray.
The two Englishmen have combined to fail in seven (yes, seven) world-title challenges.
Murray (33-3-1, 16 KOs) drew once and lost twice in his attempts to win a major belt at middleweight. After moving up, he ended up on the wrong end of a split-decision verdict against Arthur Abraham.
Groves (23-3, 18 KOs) is best known for losing two absorbing fights against compatriot Carl Froch. In case you didn't know, the second one was at Wembley Stadium in front of 80,000—Carl doesn't like to talk about it, though.
Saint George's other loss at world level came against Badou Jack. After losing on points, he switched trainers and teamed up with Shane McGuigan.
The partnership has so far managed easy victories over Andrea Di Luisa and David Brophy.
Murray, though, will be a much tougher obstacle to overcome.
Shawn Porter vs. Keith Thurman
9 of 10
When: Saturday, June 25
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
Keith Thurman (26-0, 22 KOs) and Shawn Porter (26-1-1, 16 KOs) will finally meet on June 25.
The duo had originally been scheduled to meet on March 12. However, a neck injury picked up in a car accident forced Thurman to pull out of that date.
Now the WBA welterweight champion is fully fit and ready to face his former sparring partner.
Per Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times, Porter has made full use of the extra time to prepare: "There’s a saying about blessings in disguise. I feel that. Everything has moved in the direction I wanted it to move in."
The welterweight division is full of opportunities, albeit doors tend to open easily when you've got a title.
Porter was once the IBF champion, only to lose his belt to Englishman Kell Brook.
Mike Alvarado vs. Josh Torres
10 of 10
When: Saturday, June 25
Where: The Bomb Factory, Dallas
Mike Alvarado has had his problems in and out of the ring.
After losing the third instalment of his trilogy against Brandon Rios in January 2015, the 35-year-old decided to take action.
As Dan Rafael of ESPN.co.uk documented: "He [Alvarado] came into the fight [with Rios] with his life a mess. He was facing legal issues stemming from highly publicized gun charges and was consumed by a long-standing drinking problem. Soon after the loss to Rios, Alvarado entered an alcohol rehabilitation center."
Thankfully, Alvarado made a return to action in March, knocking out Saul Corral in Round 3.
Next up he faces Josh Torres (15-4-2, 7 KOs), a man nicknamed Pitbull who should be tough enough to last a few rounds.
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