Friday, April 1
ESPN2 and ESPN3.com, 9 pm EDT, Hank Lundy v. Patrick Lopez, Vladine Biosse v. Tim Connors. Lundy is now a Friday Night Fights regular, and this time main events against Lopez, a 33-year-old Venezuelan and two-time Olympian (2000 and 2004). But don't let that "two-time Olympian" stuff fool you, as he went 1-2 combined in Sydney and Athens. As a professional, he's generally lost in step-up fights, including a KO-3 at the hands of Tim Coleman in his last outing. But he did knock off previously-unbeaten Prenice Brewer last year. The co-feature has Biosse, a 28-year-old converted football player originally from Cape Verde who became a standout high school athlete in Providence. His competition thus far at super middleweight has been quite soft, and natural junior middle Connors (10-2, 7 KO) doesn't figure to be a big test. Bad Left Hook will have live coverage of this card.
Telefutura, 11:30 pm EDT, Eric Morel v. Luis Maldonado, Randy Caballero v. Felix Perez. This was supposed to pit Morel against very shot Martin Castillo, but Castillo reportedly hurt his ankle jogging, so Maldonado steps in on short notice. Maldonado, now 33, hasn't fought since a July 2009 loss to Rodrigo Guerrero, which was Maldonado's third straight defeat. He started his career as a bantamweight, so this isn't foreign territory for him, but has spent most of his time bouncing between flyweight and super flyweight. Morel is doing his usual waiting around for a title shot that nobody cares to see him get. I'm guessing on the co-feature, but it's the only fight with two listed parties as of now.
Saturday, April 2
Polsat Sport (Poland), 1:30 pm EDT, Krzysztof Wlodarczyk v. Francisco Palacios. On paper it's an easy defense for Wlodarczyk, as Palacios is a 33-year-old Puerto Rican with little by way of legitimate competition to make his undefeated record more than just a paper mark. But Wlodarczyk's last fight was supposed to be easy, too, and it wasn't.
ARD (Germany), 4:15 pm EDT, Marco Huck v. Ran Nakash, Samuel Peter v. Robert Helenius. The 32-year-old Nakash is subbing for Giacobbe Fragomeni, who pulled out last week, and the Israeli fighter is taking about the biggest step up in class I can remember. His opponents thus far have been nothing compared to Huck, the world's No. 2 cruiserweight who has a habit of really blasting on overmatched and underprepared opponents, so hopefully Nakash is better than his record and age suggest he is. The heavyweight co-feature is a major crossroads bout and from where I sit, will totally depend on what type of shape and interest level Peter shows up in for the fight. If he cares, he's a real threat to Helenius. If he doesn't, he may just be riding out the string as a name opponent. Bad Left Hook will likely have live coverage of this card.
Sky Sports (UK), 4:30 pm EDT, John Murray v. Karim El Ouazghari, Billy Joe Saunders v. Turgay Uzun. This is a crap fight for Murray and there's no getting around that fact. His promoters have tried to hype up this "Spanish champion" nonsense, but the Spanish title holds about as much water as a diaphragm with holes poked in it (Parenthood!) and this is a mismatch, plain and simple. Saunders is the prospect in the co-feature and compared to some of the great Brit class he came into the pro ranks alongside, he's stalled with some injuries. Uzun is a veteran but has a very thin record, as all of his wins have been over nobody.
TV Max (Panama) / TV Azteca (Mexico), 8:00 pm EDT, Luis Concepcion v. Hernan Marquez. TV Max does stream legally for those interested in catching arguably the best flyweight in the sport today (Concepcion) against Marquez, who you probably remember as "the opponent that night Nonito Donaire decided to try fighting southpaw for a while." There will be an undercard, but none of it is too impressive.
TyC Sports (Argentina), 8:00 pm EDT, Hector David Saldivia v. Nestor Faccio. Saldivia has a little bit of experience outside of Argentina. Faccio is being set up as his prey.
Integrated Sports PPV ($39.95), 9 pm EDT, Giovani Segura v. Ivan Calderon II, Jorge Lacierva v. Fernando Beltran Jr., Joksan Hernandez v. Ricardo Castillo, Ramon Maas v. Enrique Bernache. The main event is for the legit junior flyweight championship, and a rematch of a great fight from last August, which was the first loss of Calderon's storied career. Chances seem pretty good that this fight won't be a repeat stylistically -- last time out, Calderon foolishly tried to war with Segura, a heavy-handed Mexican bomber who can brawl but not box. Calderon is talking like he's going to go back to his old style, but at 36 the question is whether or not he can really do it even if he tries. The undercard has a couple of potentially decent featherweight fights, plus Mexican prospect Ramon Maas. If there's time, blue chipper Jose Benavidez's fight will make it onto the broadcast. Bad Left Hook may have live coverage of this card.
Televisa (Mexico), 11:00 pm EDT, Edgar Sosa v. Keinichi Horikawa. Long-running junior flyweight titleholder Sosa is now in the hunt for a shot at Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, and this could be a final tune-up. Since moving up to flyweight following a return from injury last year, Sosa has taken it pretty easy and just waited to get his title shot from the WBC. This continues that trend.