Saturday, July 11
BoxNation (UK), 2:00 pm EST, Terry Flanagan vs Jose Zepeda. The vacant WBO lightweight title is on the line between a pair of guys who really aren't top 10 even in a weak division, but could make their case with this one. Both are undefeated. Jack Catterall, Liam Walsh, and Paul Butler are also in tune-up fights on this show. We'll have live coverage for the main event. BLH will have live coverage.
SAT1 (DEU), 4:45 pm EST, Ruslan Chagaev vs Francesco Pianeta. Chagaev's "WBA world title" is on the line. It's not really that it's a bad fight, as Chagaev is a steady if totally unremarkable presence in the heavyweight division, and Pianeta is, you know, competent, but it's not easy to get excited for this either, unless you just love the heavyweights.
ESPN, 9:00 pm EST, Keith Thurman vs Luis Collazo, Tony Harrison vs Willie Nelson. PBC comes to ESPN with this doubleheader in Tampa, as Thurman looks to continue his rise as a star player in the sport, facing veteran southpaw Collazo, who doesn't figure to be a serious challenge for him. Harrison-Nelson is an interesting fight between a power punching prospect in Harrison and a hot-cold fighter in Nelson. BLH will have live coverage.
ABS-CBN 2 (PHL), 10:00 pm EST, Donnie Nietes vs Francisco Rodriguez Jr. Nietes, the lineal champion at 108 pounds as well as the WBO titleholder, takes on former 105-pound titleholder Rodriguez in a significant fight for the division, and probably the best fight of this weekend, period.
HBO Latino, 11:00 pm EST, Mauricio Herrera vs Hank Lundy, Michael Perez vs Luis Sanchez, Joseph Diaz vs Rene Alvarado. A pretty decent card. Herrera is a tough luck fighter but one of the true best in the world at 140, while Lundy is, like Nelson above, a sort of hot-cold guy who has the ability to legitimately pull the upset here. Perez was originally slated to face Sharif Bogere, who withdrew because of injury, while Diaz is a rising star at 126 and faces a decent step-up opponent in Alvarado. BLH will have live coverage.