TV and Internet Fight Schedule - Weekend of June 4

Note: This was written a couple weeks ago, so please feel free to note any updates in the comments.

Wednesday, June 2

Main Event PPV (Australia), Daniel Geale vs. Kariz Kariuki, Robert Medley vs. Fernando Ezequiel Fereyra, Billy Dib vs. Carlos Yanez, Garth Wood vs. William Hadlow.  Geale has been the subject of a number of rumors, and likely is close to a title eliminator, possibly against Matthew Macklin.  Dib continues to take on easier opponents since his ugly loss to Steven Luevano.  Contender Australia winner and former rugby player Wood keeps himself warm for a once-promised bout with Anthony Mundine that may or may not ever happen.

Friday, June 4

Eurosport (Germany), Mahir Oral vs. Michal Bilak, Juan Carlos Gomez vs. Oezcan Cetinkaya, Konstantin Airich vs. Alexander Kahl.  While I realize it makes things easier for the television networks, here's another exhibit as to why the networks shouldn't be giving a single promoter a regular show.  While it started somewhat promising, Arena Box's Eurosport show has now devolved into having the same few fighters facing crummy opponents week after week.  For every Top Rank or Sauerland that pulls it off, you have an Arena Box or Golden Boy who doesn't.  It makes you appreciate what ESPN and Sky Sports are able to pull off with regular shows that have cards run by different promoters. 

Sky Sports (UK), 5:00 p.m. Eastern, Ian Napa vs. Stuart Hall.  This one's for Napa's British bantamweight title.

TVMax (Panama), Irving Berry vs. Roinet Caballero.  Two fairly exciting guys in the featherweight division face off for a slew of minor belts.  Berry's only career loss came in his fifth pro fight, and was against Nehomar Cermeno.  TV Max generally shows its televised fights by legal stream, so check here to see if it's up and running. 

ESPN2, 10:00 p.m. Eastern, Ed Paredes vs. Richard Gutierrez, Kenny Galarza vs. Richard Abril.  Galarza is a solid looking prospect who has stepped up relatively quickly to get to 13-0.  Abril has been a hard luck fighter.  He's 12-2, but both of his losses were extremely close.  Most thought he beat Breidis Prescott (before Prescott became a name by beating Amir Khan), and in his last fight, he lost a split decision to Hank Lundy in a fight in Lundy's backyard and where Abril scored a 10th round knockdown.

Telemundo, Mercito Gesta vs. Oscar Meza, Noe Gonzalez Alcoba vs. Michi Munoz. Gesta is a 22-year old Pinoy prospect who is stepping up to fight for a minor trinket against Meza, who has beaten Jorge Paez Jr. but lost to Brandon Rios.  Alcoba is a former title challenger who got outclassed by Felix Sturm.

Saturday, June 5

Canal Indigo (Quebec), Selcuk Aydin vs. Jo Jo Dan.  Luis Collazo turned down a six figure payday to avoid this one and move up to 154, despite him being a small welterweight to begin with.  Both fighters are undefeated, although Aydin is more tested, is naturally the bigger guy and will be fighting at home in Turkey.  Dan is another Romanian based in Montreal.  The winner of the fight will be mandatory for Andre Berto.  If you're interested in this one, you may want to check Arena Box's website, as they have streamed a few of Aydin's fights on there before.

ARD (Germany), Steve Cunningham vs. Troy Ross, Sebastian Sylvester vs. Roman Karmazin.  I would have been nice to get this one aired in the U.S. in SOME way.  U.S.S. Cunningham might be the top cruiserweight in the world, and after leaving Don King, he's signed with German promoter Sauerland.  Ross won the fourth season of the contender pretty handily, and might be one of the few cruiserweights out there who can keep up with Cunningham in a boxing match.  The two will be fighting for a vacant cruiserweight title.  Sylvester-Karmazin has sleeper potential.  Both guys like to war a little more than your standard Europeans, and Karmazin is just about on his last legs at this point. 

HBO, 10:15 p.m. Eastern, Miguel Cotto vs. Yuri Foreman, Vanes Martirosyan vs. Joe Greene.  This is what it looks like when a promoter gets too tied to his own stable.  After losing to Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto has moved up in weight to challenge for Foreman's title, despite the fact that Cotto was already on the small side for a welterweight.  Foreman is a full-sized light middleweight who uses his size well and has good footwork, and did you hear, he's training to be a rabbi!  If Cotto fights like he has since the Mosley fight, then this is just a bad style matchup for Cotto, straight up.  This will be Cotto's first fight with Emmanuel Steward in his corner, so we'll see what Steward can get out of Cotto.  Martirosyan was a 2004 U.S. Olympian, and Bob Arum has handled him with kid gloves until recently.  Greene is a fellow prospect, and this one could be another decent step up for the Armenian-American.  Bad Left Hook will provide live round by round coverage of this card.

Televisa (Mexico), Edgar Sosa vs. Roberto Carlos Leyva, Giovanni Caro vs. Jose Gutierrez.  Former titlist Sosa finally makes his return to the ring after getting knocked out in the second round by Rodel Mayol's head, and thus losing his title.  When he had the belt, he was fighting four times a year, so I can't blame him for taking some time off before getting back in the ring.

Elsewhere in the world of boxing...

• On the Cotto undercard, Bob Arum will play the ethnic stereotype card as Pole Pawel Wolak faces Irishman James Moore.  Neither guy is the most skilled in the world, but both are guys who like to bang on the inside, so it could be a pretty entertaining fight for those at Yankee Stadium in person. 
  
• On the undercard of a women's title fight featuring Ramona Kuehne, Timo Hoffmann is scheduled to get back in the ring against Harry Duiven Jr..  At this point, Hoffmann has lost three of his last four and is strickly gatekeeper material, but I'll never miss the opportunity to discuss Duiven, who's the only fighter I know of to actually face and beat his father in the ring.  Talk about padding your record.
• Scheduled for smaller bouts this weekend: Edner Cherry, Yudel Jhonson, Yusaf Mack, Mike TIberi, Yoan Pablo Hernandez, Oleg Platov, Ryol Li Lee, Taras Bidenko, Yakup Saglam and Haxhi Krasniqi.