The Hottest Boxing Storylines for the Week of August 14

The end of the summer is usually a slow period for boxing, but we've got some stories sure to keep your interest in the sweet science up.

Errol Spence Jr., former top prospect and current future star, returns to the ring Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn, New York, in a fight that nobody demanded but is a necessary evil. We'll take a look at what to expect in his fight with the awkward Leonard Bundu.

Also on that card, women's boxing returns to television as Brooklyn's Heather Hardy battles Connecticut's Shelly Vincent in a huge fight that has (hopefully) huge implications for women's boxing.

We'll also take a look at the shoddy career direction WBO middleweight champ Billy Joe Saunders has staked out for himself, the potential risks of HBO allowing Manny Pacquiao to walk for his next fight and the retirement of Marcos "Chino" Maidana.

These are the hottest boxing storylines for the week.

Can Errol Spence Jr. Avoid a Letdown?

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Spence graduated from highly touted prospect to top contender and future star with a one-sided thrashing of former junior welterweight titlist Chris Algieri this past April at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. 

The 2012 U.S. Olympian will face once-beaten Bundu Sunday in the main event of a Premier Boxing Champions card at the new Ford Amphitheater in Brooklyn's iconic Coney Island.

The fight is an eliminator for the International Boxing Federation's mandatory position at 147 pounds, a belt currently held by Kell Brook.

Spence is a huge favorite to win this fight. But he'll need to avoid a letdown against an opponent who doesn't have tremendous skill but packs the ability to make a fight all sorts of awkward and ugly.  

Bundu, originally from Sierra Leone but living and fighting out of Italy, is 41 years old and has only one high-profile fight on his ledger. That came against reigning WBA welterweight champion Keith Thurman in late 2014. 

Thurman, known for his big punching power, dropped Bundu in the opening frame. But he had to settle for a shutout decision against a foe who turned in an ultra-defensive performance and gave very few opportunities for serious engagement.

It was ugly and not fun to watch.

And that's the rub for Spence.

He should win. 

But it might not be pretty.

What's the Game Plan for Billy Joe Saunders?

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Saunders, the WBO middleweight champion, had a pretty awful week from a public relations standpoint.

It seemed like he was close to finalizing an agreement to face Gabriel Rosado on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez's challenge of Liam Smith for the WBO's 154-pound title, with the winner earning a shot at the Mexican star in December. But that won't happen now.

ESPN's Dan Rafael tweeted on Thursday that Saunders rejected the Rosado fight.

When Golden Boy Promotions then offered Curtis Stevens or Willie Monroe Jr., they were rejected as well. 

Saunders has something of a history of rejecting fights, at least since he became a world champion. He danced with Gennady Golovkin but wasn't happy about the money, per Nick Parkinson of ESPN. WBA regular middleweight champion Danny Jacobs also says the Brit rejected him as an opponent, per Victor Salazar of BoxingScene.com.

That leaves Saunders off the PPV, once again without a fight. It calls into question whether he still has a shot at landing a significant opportunity with Canelo before the end of the year.

Saunders, perhaps sensing the heat, explained his decision by criticizing Golden Boy for not providing the opponent it agreed to (he didn't provide a name) and Rosado for giving him nothing to gain, per Phil D. Jay of World Boxing News.

We can't comment on the first half, but the latter point has some merit. 

Rosado has nine losses and is just 2-4 over his past six bouts.

It's a fight that doesn't make a ton of sense on its own. But when you consider the exposure of a PPV in the United States and the chance to set up a lucrative showdown with one of the sport's biggest stars?

Then this looks like a very questionable decision for Saunders and his team.

But, then again, that seems par for the course.

How Big a Deal Is the Return of Women's Boxing to Television?

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Female boxers have an extraordinarily hard time gaining any sort of traction in a sport that has been traditionally dominated by men. Paydays are scarce, quality fights few and far between and for the most part television hasn't even been an option.

That last part changes next week.

Brooklyn's Heather "The Heat" Hardy, one of the hardest working fighters in the entire sport and one heck of an inspirational story, has been in the forefront of efforts to get female fighters more opportunities and attention.

That hard work has paid off.

Hardy will risk her undefeated record against fellow unbeaten Shelly "Shelito's Way" Vincent on the Spence-Bundu card Sunday in Coney Island, and the fight will be televised by NBC Sports Network. 

That's a huge deal for women's boxing, and it's a testament to the character and determination of both women. Not to mention that it's a highly significant fight between a pair of Northeast rivals who are looking to throw the sport on their backs and carry it mainstream.

Vincent is easily the toughest foe of Hardy's career, and like her she has her own story that begins with overcoming some pretty overwhelming odds to put herself in position for this opportunity.

Getting to this level is huge for both women, but neither will be just happy to be there. 

Both are coming to win what should be an interesting and exciting fight.

Is HBO Taking a Risk in Letting Manny Pacquiao Walk?

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HBO is taking a huge financial risk in letting Pacquiao, a staple of its boxing brand for much of his career, walk rather than putting his November 5 challenge of Jessie Vargas for the WBO Welterweight Championship on its PPV arm.

Rafael reported last week that Pacquiao, who briefly retired following a one-sided triumph over Timothy Bradley in April, would be facing Vargas in a fight that would take place on PPV but not involve HBO.

The Pac Man's promoter confirmed this and also pointed out that should HBO refuse, which they seem to have, it would make the Filipino legend a free agent. 

A free agent.

Sure, Pacquiao is 37 years old and clearly not the financial draw that he once was. But, if Arum is correct, and HBO is letting him walk, then this is another questionable decision. It has been an underwhelming, if not disastrous year for American boxing's leading network. 

It has been a year of mismatches (think Ward-Brand, a stinker to end all other stinkers), PPVs nobody wanted (Pacquiao-Bradley, Canelo-Smith) and poor planning (Crawford-Postol on PPV). 

Nothing here says that Arum and company will reach across the aisle, say to rival Showtime. But the possibility is alive now that HBO, who had right of first refusal, has balked.

It's understandable that the network doesn't want to put on two PPVs in two weeks, but it could be cutting itself out of a potential (don't shoot the messenger) rematch between Pacquiao and Mayweather. 

If you forced most people in boxing to go on the record, you'd get plenty of people to say that a rematch between the two icons will remain in play so long as there is a ton of money to be made.

Of that there is no doubt.

Even if the fight generates half of the revenue it did the first time, then it's easily the most lucrative fight in boxing. There is no guarantee that it will happen, but, so long as it remains on the table, this is a strange gamble from HBO.

Was Chino Maidana Underrated?

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Chino Maidana announced his retirement last week, nearly two years removed from his last in-ring appearance. He retired without making the mistake of hanging around too long that plagues many fighters in this sport.

The best compliment you can give to a boxer is to say that they're a fighter. 

Maidana was most certainly that.

He wasn't the most talented guy. His style was often crude, and boxers who were slick enough and smart enough to stay away from his huge punching power found ways to handle him. He lost five times but also captured two world championships. 

Chino was a bit of a mixed bag, sure, but he never cheated you out of your money.

He only had one truly bad performance, a 2012 decision loss to Devon Alexander where he looked like a spent bullet. But he rebounded well from that night and went on to manhandle Adrien Broner and hand the brash Ohio native his first defeat.

It's the type of fighter he was. Get knocked off the horse, get right back up and ride again.

The Broner win led him to a pair of matches with pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather, the first a closely contested bout that produced some nervous moments ahead of reading the scorecards, something virtually unprecedented in Mayweather's career.

The rematch wasn't as competitive, but Maidana is one of the few who can say he definitely made sure Mayweather knew they were in the ring with him.

Maidana could've hung around and sucked a few more paydays out of the sport on his name alone, but he was wise to call it a career when his heart told him the time was right. You have to respect a man who gave it all he had every time and knew when to walk away.