Boxing: WWMFTW #2

Adrien Broner, Jermall Charlo, Gervonta Davis, Nonito Donaire, Carl Frampton, Amir Khan and Jessie Vargas are some of the key fighters to catch in action this weekend. 

This coming Saturday, April 21 anchors an exceptional weekend of boxing, with quite a few major fights spanning the globe. To lead with Showtime Boxing represents the weekend’s best option hasn’t reached “default” status, but that is where fans can turn for the most compelling fights this weekend. The good folks at Showtime even added a kicker that I’ll get into in just a second.

Let’s get into the cards.

Showtime Boxing at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT airs live from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York Saturday night.

Adrien Broner vs. Jessie Vargas: The last time we saw Broner in the ring he had a meltdown of Teddy KGB proportions, “…all night he, ‘Check. Check. Check.’ He trap me!” He clearly succumbed to the pressures of a frustrating night after being soundly defeated by Lightweight champion Mikey Garcia, in front of a Barclays crowd that gradually sided with the busier Californian.

Broner (33-3, 24 KOs) faces two-division world champion Vargas (28-2, 10 KOs) in a main event that, frankly, I’m surprised the four-division world champion was able to get immediately following his bout against Garcia in July 2016.

We’re all well aware of Broner’s gifts such as his ability to counter punch, timing and his toughness. But, the question on the brightest stages remains whether he’ll let his hands go enough to defeat a world-class opponent. New trainer Kevin Cunningham is involved solely to produce the positive response to those questions about punching volume.

I was ready to commend Broner on his quiet training camp he shared with Gervonta Davis down in West Palm Beach, Florida. That was until earlier in fight week when an Instagram video post revealed Broner allowed himself to become entwined in a juvenile beef with rapper Tekashi69 or 6ix9ine. Now, the two have a 6-figure bet on the winner of Saturday night’s fight.

Vargas’ game plan is customized to his skill-set, but his prime objective will be to show Broner is the same fighter that came up short against Marcos Maidana, Shawn Porter and Garcia. He’s confident he can pull that off, he’s motivated and he’s stated that he plans to impose his will on Broner from the outset of the fight.

I believe this week’s drama with 6ix9ine will not affect Broner in the ring, and I believe we see signs of Cunningham’s influence. Vargas believes he can win the inside battle, and if he’s able to hold a lead going into the final 1/3 of the fight, I do believe a Brooklyn crowd that’s already no longer enamored with Broner will begin to root against the Cincinnati native.

Final prediction: Broner shines over the second half of the fight and forces a majority draw.

Jermall Charlo vs. Hugo Centeno, Jr: Centeno Jr (26-1, 14 KOs) knocked out Immanuwel Aleem in absolute stunning fashion in Miami, Oklahoma last August. That third round knockout propelled him into this shot at an interim world title shot. Unfortunately, Charlo (26-0, 20 KOs) appears to be on the cusp of stardom.

Charlo is athletic, he has excellent power, he’s explosive and he knows how to finish. Charlo recently posted a few videos on his social media that included some disparaging remarks about Broner and Gervonta Davis. Come Saturday night these lapses in focus are non-factors, and I look for Charlo to end Centeno’s night in either the fifth or sixth round.

Gervonta Davis vs. Jesus Cuellar: Cuellar (28-2, 21 KOs) presents a great challenge to 23-year old Davis (19-0, 18 KOs), and the Baltimore native should be highly motivated at the opportunity to add the WBA Super World Super Featherweight title to his trophy case.

Davis admitted he struggled with the responsibility of being a young world champion, and it would be good to see him respond well to losing his IBF crown on the scale. Sharing this camp with Broner under Cunningham signals some maturity, but now Davis enters the ring in the wake of an announcement by his promoter Floyd Mayweather that discussions are underway with Top Rank’s Todd duBoef to finalize a bout with Vasyl Lomachenko.

Cuellar will push Davis, and I expect it to be an entertaining fight, but with Cunningham maintaining some law and order through a good camp I like Davis to be waiting in the winners’ circle if Lomachenko makes it past Jorge Linares on May 12. Davis uses his power and explosiveness to stop Cuellar within the distance – somewhere around rounds seven and eight.

Remember that kicker? Showtime’s Facebook page or Youtube channel at 5:15 p.m. ET/2:15 p.m. PT.

Carl Frampton vs. Nonito Donaire: Frampton (24-1, 14 KOs) and Donaire (38-4, 24 KOs) is a battle between past Fighter of the Year award winners for the interim WBO Featherweight title. The winner will earn a shot at becoming the currently injured WBO Featherweight champion Oscar Valdez’s next opponent.

Donaire deserves a lot of credit for traveling to Belfast to fight a very good boxer in Frampton, but he possesses the experience to pull it off. The only question for me is, can the 35-year old Filipino look live enough in the championship rounds to state a credible case for a decision.

Expect 12 rounds of high-level boxing that should include several moments of great action.

Zolani Tete vs. Omar Narvaez: The Tale of the Tape for this fight is a nightmare for the 42-year old challenger Narvaez (48-2-2, 25 KOs). Defending WBO Bantamweight champion Tete (26-3, 21 KOs) is over 6 inches taller, has a 8 inch reach advantage and his 11-second knockout of Siboniso Gonya has me grateful for the networks and promoters that are experimenting with live-streaming.

Tete would be a likely participant in the World Boxing Super Series’ rumored bantamweight tournament, so this should serve as a great prequel to all of that action.

ESPN+ with action from Liverpool, England 5:30 p.m. ET

Amir Khan vs. Phil Lo Greco:   Khan (31-4, 19 KOs) is making his first return to the ring since being violently stopped by Saul Alvarez in July 2016. He returns with new trainer Joe Goosen to face a respectable opponent in Lo Greco (28-3, 15 KOs). The Canadian has split his last six bouts, with two losses coming to Errol Spence Jr. and Shawn Porter.

We’ll see if Khan brings his hand speed with him in 2018, and whether Lo Greco can test out Khan’s chin. He signed with Matchroom Boxing to make a run at the best in the Welterweight division, and this is the first step. Maybe this is enough to test out ESPN’s new ESPN+ subscription App.

Lastly, if you just can’t hold off until Saturday night, undefeated Super Featherweight Lamont Roach Jr. (16-0, 6 KOs) of Upper Marlboro, Maryland faces Orlando Cruz (25-6-1, 13 KOs) on ESPN2/ESPN Deportes. The fight is Golden Boy Promotions event being held in San Juan, Puerto Rico and airs at 9:30 p.m.

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