Kirkland, Martirosyan and Rigondeaux Defend Undefeated Records This Week

Boxing is taking very few breaks this month, especially in the middleweight division. After a weekend featuring the division's best fighter, Sergio Martinez, as well as Andy Lee, Pawel Wolak and Miguel Cotto, the action doesn't slow down.

Even if the fights are all considered "warm-ups" for the bigger fights down the road, James Kirkland and Vanes Martirosyan are all legitimate contenders to the top fighters in their divisions.

Kirkland (26-0, 23 KO) will be fighting Jhon Berrio (15-8, 11 KO) at the Orange County Fairgrounds in California on March 18. The fight will be broadcast on Telefutura at 11:30pm ET.

The bout is scheduled for eight rounds in the middleweight division and is the co-headliner of "Fight Club O.C.," promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Roy Englebrecht Promotions. The headline bout is Luis Ramos Jr. (17-0) vs. Jose Hernandez (10-4-1) in the lightweight division.

Kirkland recently returned to the ring earlier this month after a two-year absence from the sport, which he spent fighting court battles and serving a prison sentence for a firearm charge. He was released in September 2010 after serving half of a 24-month sentence.

On March 19, light-middleweight Armenian-born Vanes Martirosyan (28-0, 17 KO) and super-bantamweight Guillermo Rigondeaux (7-0, 5 KO) will be defending their undefeated records.

Martirosyan is scheduled to fight 10 rounds with Bladimir Hernandez (18-4, 16 KO) on the undercard portion of the Showtime event headlined by Lucian Bute and Brian Magee. He is currently ranked sixth in the light-middleweight division by Ring Magazine.

The 24-year-old fought twice in 2010, defeating Kassim Ouma and Joe Greene.

In easily the most competitive fight of the three, 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist Rigondeaux will be going up against another undefeated fighter in Willie Casey (11-0- 7 KO). Rigondeaux, who fights out of Cuba, recently defeated Ricardo Cordoba by split-decision on the undercard of Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito.

Rigondeaux had an incredible amateur career consisting of over 400 victories and only 12 losses. This extensive amateur record has left a visible impression on the style in which he fights professionally; something he will need to adapt to a more contact-oriented approach once he moves up in competition.

Since most of the victories are guaranteed for the favorites, most fans are looking forward to what comes next for them. It's hard not to when the top champions of each division are fighting the best two to three times a year, and they are looking for challengers. These are the opponents that will be filling those shoes in the next year or two.