As always, I include a comprehensive list of US televised shows, while trying and probably failing to do the same for the UK. I also try to include all title fights worldwide. Internationally this week, that is basically nothing. There are three cards on US television this weekend, however. Friday features a Golden Boy on ESPN and ShoBox card while Vasyl Lomachenko returns Saturday night on ESPN.
Friday, August 4th
Mauricio Herrera (23-7, 7 KOs) v Jesus Soto Karass (28-11-4, 18 KOs), welterweights & Vyacheslav Shabranskyy (18-1, 15 KOs) v Todd Unthank May (10-0-1, 4 KOs), light heavyweights – Golden Boy on ESPN – ESPN2, 9 PM Eastern
This is a pretty desperate main event for Golden Boy here. Jesus Soto Karass hasn’t won a fight in four years, not since upsetting a one armed Andre Berto in 2013. He is 4-8-1 and a no contest since 2009. He has been a reliable action fighter in that run though. Herrera has been a near spoiler for big fighters, losing a couple controversial decisions to the likes of Jose Benavidez and Danny Garcia. Yet, officially he is 5-6 in his last eleven. The winner here keeps his career alive, but neither are likely to really contend at this point. Shabranskyy was a prominent Ukrainian light heavyweight prospect who was knocked off by Sullivan Barrera in a loss that doesn’t seem so bad now. He is still rebuilding. May is here to lose.
Nikki Adler (16-0, 9 KOs) v Claressa Shields (3-0, 1 KO), WBC & IBF women’s super middleweight titles & Sonny Fredrickson (17-0, 11 KOs) v Bakhtiyar Eyubov (13-0, 11 KOs) & Vladimir Tikhonov (16-0, 9 KOs) v Jesse Angel Hernandez (8-1, 6 KOs), super bantamweights – ShoBox – Showtime, 10:30 PM Eastern
Claressa Shields takes a step up here in a her first world title fight. Still, she is expected to dominate and take home two belts here. Such is the state of women’s boxing, improving as it may be. Frederickson/Eyubov would be a good normal ShoBox main event, but despite not being able to find any news on any changes, boxrec isn’t listing Eyubov in that fight anymore. If he is out, the undercard situation here is a bit of a mess. It looks like it will only be a tripleheader at best
Saturday, August 5th
Vasyl Lomachenko (8-1, 6 KOs) v Miguel Marriaga (25-2, 21 KOs), WBO super featherweight title & Raymundo Beltran (33-7-1, 21 KOs) v Bryan Vasquez (35-2, 19 KOs) – Top Rank on ESPN – ESPN, 10 PM Eastern
Miguel Marriaga is a good fighter. He gave Oscar Valdez a lot of trouble last time out, for example. Yet, Vasyl Lomachenko is so far above this level that it is a really disappointing matchup anyway. At least it is on traditional cable television. Beltran/Vasquez is more or less the same thing on a lower scale. Vasquez is a decent fighter, but Beltran is just a lot better. Still, free TV, right? To excuse Top Rank a little for this card, they were trying to make and thought they had Lomachenko/Salido II. When that fell apart, Marriaga was the replacement.
