Lots of fights this week, though no really, really big fights. Let's get to it.
Wednesday, April 27
Sky Sports (U.K.), 5 pm EDT, John Simpson v. Stephen Smith II, David Price v. Raphael Butler. Simpson and Smith put on a very good, very competitive fight last September, which the young Smith won by close margins. Bad Left Hook scored it a draw. Simpson then went on to win the British featherweight title against Martin Lindsay in December, so here we are with the Simpson-Smith rematch. Price (9-0, 7 KO) is a 27-year-old heavyweight prospect taking on veteran Butler (35-9, 28 KO), and also has a tentative date set on June 11 with "Big" John McDermott. Make sure you check out Dave Oakes' preview of this one. Bad Left Hook will have live coverage.
Friday, April 29
ESPN3.com, 8 pm EDT, Carlos Molina v. Allen Conyers. This card isn't going to be on ESPN2 this week as the NBA playoffs and NFL draft are still going on that night. Molina (17-4-2, 5 KO) surprised many with a draw against Erislandy Lara about a month ago on Friday Night Fights, and now he's back against Conyers (12-4, 9 KO) in a late replacement fight for the canceled Lamont Peterson-Victor Cayo bout. Truthfully those without ESPN3 probably aren't missing much unless the fight winds up being fun, which it could be, but it's not a particularly significant bout or anything. No idea what the plan for the co-feature is, but prospects Rances Barthelemy (11-0, 9 KO) and Hylon Williams Jr. (13-0, 3 KO) are in action against light opponents, and Tim Coleman (18-1-1, 5 KO) will face Sergio Rivera (25-6-2, 16 KO) in a slightly more notable fight. Coleman was offered a chance to face Peterson when Cayo pulled out, but he declined due to the fact that Peterson made a "late" decision to exercise his opportunity to fight in the woulda-been eliminator against Cayo, which was originally scheduled for Coleman. Bad Left Hook will have live coverage.
Telefutura, 11:30 pm EDT, Jesse Brinkley v. Peter Quillin, Lonnie Smith v. David Rodela. Brinkley will have home-field advantage in Reno, while this is a pretty big step up for former prospect Quillin, who is still technically a prospect, but one whose career has been hampered with injuries. Now training out of the Wild Card, Quillin is looking to put himself back on the map. It won't be easy, as Brinkley can and will fight. Rodela (15-3-3, 6 KO) has frequently worked with Manny Pacquiao during training camps, and there will be more on the undercard, too, I'm sure. Bad Left Hook will have live coverage.
Telemundo, 11:35 pm EDT, Jose Nieves v. Cuauhtemoc Vargas. Vargas (15-4-1, 10 KO) has lost four of his last five. Nieves (17-2-3, 8 KO) was knocked out in the fourth against Chris Avalos in his last fight, which was in January 2010.
Saturday, April 30
Sky Sports (U.K.), 3 pm EDT, Darren Barker v. Domenico Spada. This one is for the vacant European middleweight title, which Barker won in his last fight, then vacated when he pulled out of a fight with Matthew Macklin, who won it, then defended it once, and then vacated it, so now Barker's fighting Spada. Got all of that? Barker is alternately very good and very underwhelming, and in his last fight it was underwhelming. Bad Left Hook will have live coverage.
CBS, 8 pm EDT, Fight Camp 360: Pacquiao v. Mosley.
Fox Deportes, 10 pm EDT, Jesus Geles v. Ramon Garcia Hirales II, Raul Garcia v. Rommel Asenjo. Garcia is probably the second-best fighter in the 105-pound division, and Geles-Hirales is a rematch of a very close fight from last year.
TyC Sports (Argentina), 10 pm EDT, Luis Alberto Lazarte v. Ulises Solis II. These two fought in December in Argentina, and Solis was flat-out robbed. Word is the officials have been carefully selected this time, but they're still fighting in Argentina again.
Televisa, 11:30 pm EDT, Gilberto Keb Baas v. Adrian Hernandez II, Marco Antonio Periban v. Jose Alberto Clavero. Baas (35-20-4, 22 KO) holds an alphabet belt that he won by upsetting Omar Nino in November, then in February he beat what's left of Jose Antonio Aguirre. Hernandez (20-1-1, 12 KO) dominated Baas back in 2008, stopping him in four. Periban (12-0, 9 KO) is a knockout prospect at 168 pounds who hasn't fought much competition, but he is one of two men to ever stop Darnell Boone.
Sunday, May 1
ESPN2, 2 pm EDT, Carlos Molina v. Allen Conyers. This is a replay of Friday Night Fights, obviously.