Arthur Abraham-Andre Dirrell, Free on Showtime This Weekend: Everyone Can Enjoy

There is a massive amount of quality boxing this weekend!

It is shaping up to be the best boxing weekend of the year. Even better news for American fans? A lot of it is on free TV!

The only black mark on this weekend is the cancellation of Friday Night Fights—the Matt Godfrey-Steve Cunningham fight was shaping up to be a good one. Enough about the negative thought and back to the great weekend ahead.

I’m going to break this weekend into two articles. This article will about the fights you can find on American TV or the Internet.

Thursday, March 25

(Fox Sports Net )

Abner Mares (19-0 12 KO) vs. Felpe Almanza (17-15 8 KO) (118 lb)

This fight is a tune up for Mares, who has not fought since last August, as he has an impending title fight against Yonnhy Perez on May 22. Almanza has lost to some good fighters but he should not be much of a test for Mares.

Derrick Wilson (5-1-1 2 KO) vs. Khabir Suleymanov (9-0 4 KO) (122 lb)

The Wilson-Suleymanov is a pretty intriguing prospect fight. Wilson is coming off his first loss so you know he wants to get the win.

 

Friday, March 26

(Gofightlive.tv )

Terrance Cauthen (33-6 9 KO) vs. Isam Khalil (15-1-2 9 KO)

Nothing really interesting on this card, at least not interesting enough to pay for. Cauthen was once a hot prospect who grabbed a bronze medal in the Olympics. He is now (hopefully) winding down his career and looking for his first win since 2008 when he pulled the minor upset by beating Alexis Camacho.

Khalil has a decent record but it is deceiving as he lost to a fighter with a 5-3-1 record and drew with a 6-3 fighter with no wins to his name.

Omar Sheika (28-9 19 KO)vs. Garrett Wilson (7-3 2 KO)

Sheika is just trying to grab some paydays. Competing in the weak 175 pound division, however, it seems possible that will happen.

Ahmed Kaddour (21-2-1 9 KO) vs. Jerome Ellis (12-10-2 10 KO)

Kaddour, of The Contender fame, is coming out of retirement to face the hopeless Ellis. My advice: save your money and stay far, far away from this card. If you do buy this, it starts at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time.

 

Saturday, March 27

(Showtime )

Arthur Abraham (31-0 25 KO) vs. Andre Dirrell (18-1 13 KO) (168 lb)

This is the big fight of the weekend and a very intriguing one at that. At this point in the Super Six World Boxing Classic, Abraham looks unbeatable. However, the quick feet and fast hands of Dirrell should provide a solid test for him.

Abraham became the co-favorite in the Super Six after Kessler lost and he knocked out Jermain Taylor in his previous fight with a nasty knockout.

This fight will take place in Direll’s hometown of Detroit so that may help him in this one. Dirrell previously lost a debatable decision to WBC Super Middleweight Champion Carl Froch. That notwithstanding, Dirrell has shown that he is a legitimate title contender and Abraham will have his hands full.

Abraham has that tough peek-a-boo style and it is so hard to hit him. I just do not see how Dirrell will get to him. More than likely Dirrell will have the higher work rate while Abraham will land the harder shots.

If this goes to the scorecards Dirrell could win the fight due to a higher work rate. Being in the his hometown may benefit him in this respect, but who knows.

I look for Abraham to lose some early rounds but get to Dirrell late and win by late stoppage or a UD. Abraham has freakish power and strength and there is no way it will not show up.

Just so you know, Showtime is free this weekend, so if you don’t subscribe you can still watch this fight. This fight commences at 10:30 p.m. Eastern time.

(HBO )

Marcos Maidana (27-1 26 KO) vs. Victor Cayo (24-0 16 KO) (140 lb)

This card goes opposite the Showtime card and it may be the better of the two. Personally I will be watching this card while I DVR the other.

Maidana is the “Interim WBA Champion” in the 140 lb division, which means he won't be seeing Amir Khan anytime soon. Cayo is a wild boxer who fights with his hands low and takes wild shots, leaving himself open.

Cayo has a solid win over Juilo Diaz in 2009 (UD 12) and that is about it. His power seems to be okay but it did not show itself in the win over Diaz, who has a shaky chin.

While this fight lasts it should be good. However Cayo will probably leave himself open and get knocked out by the heavy-handed Maidana. That would make him the No. 1 contender for Khan’s WBA title, but that will not be happening anytime soon as Khan has that iffy chin.

Ali Funeka (30-2-3 25 KO) vs. Joan Guzman (29-0-1 17 KO) II (IBF 135 lb title)

The undercard fight is the rematch between Funeka and Guzman. The first fight was TV-friendly and this one should be no different.

Funeka thoroughly beat Guzman in their first fight, battering Guzman's face with a solid jab and power shots, but walked away with a draw. Guzman could not get anything going and just looked like a "B" fighter.

Guzman was once thought as a pound-for-pound fighter but that was a long time ago.

Guzman is fighting for his TV/title contention career and should put forth his best effort. The winner gets the IBF title and will face Rolando Reyes in their first defense. This card starts at 10:30 p.m. Eastern time.

(Intergrated Sports PPV )

Erik Morales (48-6 34 KO) vs. Jose Alfaro (23-5 20 KO)

Morales is coming back from a three-year layoff to fight a former title contender in Alfaro. Morales lost his last bout before he retired in 2007. Overall, he has lost five of his last six.

Alfaro is nothing more than a Lightweight gatekeeper who has lost in every step-up fight he has ever taken. Alfaro will be coming up in weight, but he is the younger man by seven years and obviously has been the more active.

If Morales wins I did not know where he goes next. I think it is obvious that he will not be one of the top guys at Welterweight class and I am not sure why he is coming back.

Morales is 33 and this comeback just looks like a terrible decision. If he does win, I hope he stays on the regional circuit and does not take a step-up that could prove costly to him.

Hugo Garay (32-4 17 KO) vs. Chris Henry (24-2 19 KO)

The undercard fight of Henry-Garay is one that interests me mightily. Garay is the former WBA Light Heavyweight champion and should (probably) have two wins over undefeated German boxer Zsolt Erdei. However, to no one's surprise, he lost both fights to the German, in Germany.

Henry is a fighter I like but it is hard to get a real feel for him. He looked great in losing a fight against Adrian Diaconu in 2008 but looked absolutely terrible in losing a fight to Yusaf Mack in 2009.

After this loss he beat gatekeeper Rubin Williams and beat the tar out of Shaun George. This fight is really a toss up and depends on what version of Chris Henry shows up.

They are the same size (6’0”), about the same age (Henry is 28 Garay is 29), and both have faced solid competition. Garay has faced the better competition but not by much. Henry is a strong guy with a better punch; if he shows up I think he wins by late knock out or UD.

This card is $29.95 and starts at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time.

(FSN Espanol)

Giovanni Segura (23-1-1 19 KO) vs. Ronald Ramos (28-7-3 14 KO) (112 lb)

Segura is back just one month and seven days after his last fight. He is facing a no-hoper in Ramos, who has beaten and lost to bad fighters. Segura should make quick work of Ramos. This is a 10 round non-title fight.

Ulises Solis (29-2-2 20 KO) vs. Bert Batawang (45-14-3 37 KO) (108 lb) rematch

Solis-Batawang is a rematch of their 2007 IBF title fight in which Solis knocked him out in nine. This fight is a IBF title eliminator. This one starts at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time on FSN Espanol.

NOTES:

With Cunningham-Godfrey falling through, I thought another Chicago card featuring Mike Mollo against Billy Zumbrun may become the FNF card, so keep an eye on that.

Margo-cheato has a fight in Mexico against nobody Roberto Garcia. It may be for a minor or regional title.