Marcos Maidana vs. Robert Guerrero and the 10 Can't-Miss Fights of August

August will end with a bang when Marcos Maidana and Robert Guerrero square off in the junior welterweight division. Before that bout that goes on the 27th, there will be a bunch of can't miss fights available elsewhere.

Friday Night Fights presents its season finale this month and it will feature a bout that kicked off the spectacular season. ESPN2 doesn't bring the biggest fights but it always brings the best. It has really proven that this year.

Also, HBO brings World Championship Boxing back once again with a very anticipated junior welterweight bout between two of the top boxers in the division.

Last but not least, many heavyweights will be in action this month, including several prospects that everyone should check out.

No. 10: Frankie Gomez vs. Adrian Granados

With an amateur record of 120-8, young Frankie Gomez entered the professional boxing scene in 2010 and has gone 10-0 with eight knockouts over the past year-and-a-half.

He takes on Adrian Granados (8-1-1, 5 KO) in an eight-round light welterweight bout on August 26.

At 19, Gomez is considered by many to be one of the top prospects under the age of 20. He brings an exciting style to the ring and has had some impressive knockouts early in his career.

No. 9: Antwone Smith vs. Kermit Cintron

Former IBF Welterweight Champion Kermit Cintron (32-4-1, 28 KO) returns to the ring fairly quickly since receiving a loss earlier in July to Carlos Molina.

He takes on Antwone Smith (20-2-1, 12 KO) in a Friday Night Fights main event on August 12.

Cintron is in dire need of a victory and an impressive one. He hasn't won a fight since 2009 and has gone 0-2 since then. Besides his loss to Molina, he also lost a technical decision to Paul Williams in 2010.

No. 8: Michael Katsidis vs. Michael Lozada

Michael Katsidis (27-4, 22 KO) returns for the for time since his loss to Robert Guerrero earlier this year.

Currently riding a two-fight losing streak, Katsidis needs a victory when he takes on Michael Lozada (38-8-1, 30 KO) on August 13 in Queensland, Australia.

Katsidis is an all-action fighter and one of the most exciting boxers in the sport. Him and his opponent have a combined 52 knockouts in 65 victories so this one should present some very solid action throughout.

No. 7: Robert Helenius vs. Siarhei Liakhovich

Hard-punching and undefeated heavyweight Robert Helenius (15-0, 10 KO) recently knocked out Samuel Peter in one of 2011's breakthrough performances.

Helenius also has a knockout victory over Lamon Brewster.

He will be taking on Siarhei Liakhovich (25-3, 16 KO) on August 27 in Thuringen, Germany.

Liakhovich has only lost twice since 2003—to Shannon Briggs and Nikolai Valuev. This will be a very important test in Helenius' progression to the top ranks of the heavyweight division.

No. 6: Alexander Povetkin vs. Ruslan Chagaev

Undefeated heavyweight prospect and Olympic gold medalist Alexander Povetkin (21-0, 15 KO) will take on Ruslan Chagaev (27-1-1, 17 KO), whose only loss is to Wladimir Klitschko.

Povetkin holds victories over Larry Donald, Chris Byrd and Eddie Chambers. He was supposed to fight Wladimir Klitschko last year but was pulled out by his trainer, Teddy Atlas, who felt he wasn't ready just yet.

Chagaev has fought twice since being defeated by Klitschko, going 2-0 in the process and defeating respectable opponents Kali Meehan and Travis Walker.

This will be the main event on the Helenius-Liakhovich card in Germany.

No. 5: David Tua vs. Monte Barrett 2

Former heavyweight champions David Tua (52-3-2, 43 KO) and Monte Barrett (34-9-2, 20 KO) put on one of 2010's best heavyweight bouts when they fought a close and competitive 12-rounder that resulted in a draw. Their rematch takes place on August 13.

Many felt Barrett had done enough to win the first fight, especially after he knocked Tua down for the first time in his career in Round 12.

Tua hasn't lost a fight since 2001 when he was defeated by Chris Byrd. Barrett is 3-6-2 in his last 11 bouts.

Although Barrett's record doesn't show it, he gave Tua one of his toughest fights to date and the rematch should be even tougher for the Samoan knockout machine.

No. 4: Kelly Pavlik vs. Darryl Cunningham *Canceled

Kelly Pavlik (37-2, 32 KO) returned earlier this year when he defeated the previously unbeaten Alfonso Lopez on the Pacquiao vs. Mosley undercard. He won a majority decision.

Pavlik returns to ShoBox on August 6 to take on Darryl Cunningham (23-2, 10 KO), who hasn't lost a fight since 2007 and is currently riding a 16-fight win streak.

This should be an interesting fight and one that can set the former middleweight champion's path back on the right track. At 29, there is still a lot for Pavlik to accomplish in the sport. It starts with Cunningham in Pavlik's hometown of Youngstown, Ohio.

No. 3: Mauricio Herrera vs. Ruslan Provonikov

Mauricio Herrera (18-1, 7 KO) fought 12 grueling rounds with Ruslan Provodnikov (19-1, 13 KO) to upset the unbeaten prospect in the season opener of Friday Night Fights earlier this year. He won a very close unanimous decision that could have gone either way.

It was a fight that set off a very amazing season of FNF, and it ends with the rematch in the season finale on August 19.

Provodnikov has gone 2-0 since the loss while Herrera upset another prospect in Mike Dallas Jr. in June.

This fight might go down as one of 2011's best.

No. 2: Joseph Agbeko vs. Abner Mares

The Ring magazine ranked fighters Abner Mares (fourth) (21-0-1, 13 KO) takes on Joseph Agbeko (third) (28-2, 22 KO) from Accra, Ghana.

This IBF bantamweight title fight will crown the Showtime bantamweight tournament champion and it all goes down August 13 on Showtime. It was rescheduled from an April date after Agbeko had to pull out a few days before the anticipated fight.

Bantamweight kingpin Nonito Donaire will be on target for the winner of this fight.

No. 1: Marcos Maidana vs. Robert Guerrero

As Robert Guerrero (29-1-1, 18 KO) moves up to junior welterweight, he will be forced to take on one of the hardest punching fighters in the division in Marcos Maidana (30-2, 27 KO).

The HBO bout will be televised live on August 27 and it should end the month of August with a bang.

Guerrero is a slick boxer who is great at utilizing all of his boxing skills and technique to neutralize his opponent's strengths. He did it in his last fight versus Michael Katsidis and won a lopsided decision.

Maidana is coming off his majority-decision victory over Erik Morales, but it was less than impressive considering many experts thought Morales was done at the point in his career. What was supposed to be an easy fight almost turned into the biggest upset of the year.