Khan vs Judah Undercard: Kirkland and Quillin Among Young Guns in Action

No undercard fights will be televised on HBO this Saturday, but there are plenty of notable rising prospects in action beneath the Amir Khan vs Zab Judah main event at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

In middleweight-ish action, Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin (24-0, 18 KO) fights for the third time this year, facing Jason LeHoullier (21-5-1, 8 KO). Quillin was initially supposed to be televised against veteran Tarvis Simms, but Simms pulled out of the fight, surprising just about nobody familiar with Simms' career. Once LeHoullier, 33, was named as the replacement, HBO pulled support of the bout and sent it off the TV card, which is understandable. LeHoullier has lost five in a row to Harry Joe Yorgey, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, Carson Jones, Robert Medley and Daniel Dawson, and is a big step down even from Simms, who is a 40-year-old with a light resume but decent skills and no fanbase.

James Kirkland (28-1, 25 KO) is also back in action. The 27-year-old Texan reunited with trainer Ann Wolfe for an easy win on Solo Boxeo Tecate over Dennis Sharpe on June 24, and are going right back to the ring to face Alexis Hloros (15-3-2, 11 KO). Hloros is a 32-year-old club fighter out of Michigan with an incredibly empty record and should be no threat to Kirkland, who may wind up on the Mayweather vs Ortiz show in September, or another major upcoming Golden Boy show. Kirkland is still mounting a small-scale comeback after being overwhelmed in one round by Nobuhiro Ishida in April.

Super featherweight Ronny Rios (14-0, 6 KO) will take on Noe Lopez (7-8, 4 KO) in a stay busy fight. Rios beat recent ShoBox fighter Georgi Kevlishvili in his last fight on May 20, which is his only bout this year. Southpaw featherweight Gary Russell Jr (16-0, 10 KO) will also be back, facing Eric Estrada (9-1, 3 KO).

Also fighting: Irish-born lightweight Jamie Kavanagh (7-0, 3 KO) faces Marcos Herrera (6-5-1, 2 KO). Philly heavyweight Bryant Jennings (8-0, 4 KO) takes on Theron Johnson (5-5, 1 KO). And lost Judah brother Josiah Judah (9-1-1, 2 KO) resumes his career against Rafael Jastrzebski (4-6-1, 1 KO). Judah turned pro in 2004, but hasn't fought since a 2008 TKO-1 loss to Don Mouton.

None of the favored fighters should have much trouble, and this is basically an undercard populated with name prospects and emerging contenders, rather than an undercard with competitive fights. For those in attendance, the best hope is some sensational knockouts and a main event that carries the load.