Miguel Cotto calls it quits Saturday night live on HBO, but first he has one more fight to take care of before he can hang the gloves on the wall. Rey Vargas defends his title on the undercard. There is also a card in the UK headlined by a European title fight, a Golden Boy on ESPN, and two minor televised shows as well.
Lamont Roach (15-0, 6 KOs) v Rey Perez (21-8, 6 KOs), junior lightweights & Jose Lopez (19-1-1, 14 KOs) v Avery Sparrow (8-1, 3 KOs), junior lightweights – Maryland – Golden Boy on ESPN – ESPN2, 11 PM Eastern
Lamont Roach is a rising Golden Boy prospect and a decent one. As his record indicates, however, the 22 year old lacks high end power and I suspect that will eventually hold him back at the sport’s highest level. Here, however, Roach should be fine at home in Maryland. They may be setting up a future opponent here in the co-main event as well in Jose Lopez.
Friday, December 1st
Toka Kahn Clary (23-1, 16 KOs) v John Vincent Moralde (19-0, 10 KOs), featherweights – Rhode Island – CBS Sports Network
This is an Evander Holyfield promoted Real Deal Promotions card. As a start up, he has to work with mostly unsigned fighters. I am not sure exactly what time this is airing. It may be on in the earliest hours of Saturday morning instead of Friday, but it will be on CBS Sports Network when it does broadcast.
Saturday, December 2nd
Anthony Yigit (20-0-1, 7 KOs) v Joe Hughes (15-2-1, 6 KOs), junior welterweights – England – Channel 5 (UK), 5 PM Eastern
Last time out, Joe Hughes fought to a draw with Tyrone Nurse in a failed effort to upgrade his English belt to the full British one. I suspect he will fair even worse here going for the European belt. Anthony Yigit is an underrated emerging contender in the division.
Miguel Cotto (41-5, 33 KOs) v Sadam Ali (25-1, 14 KOs), WBO junior middleweight title & Rey Vargas (30-0, 22 KOs) v Oscar Negrete (17-0, 7 KOs), WBC super bantamweight title – New York – HBO, 10 PM Eastern
Supposedly this will be Miguel Cotto’s retirement fight. While I do believe the long time Puerto Rican superstar is looking to get out of the fight game, I can’t imagine he is happy with this being his final fight given that it is likely a romp and the fact that major money fights remain on the horizon. I suspect we will see him one more time, but for now this is being billed as his final appearance. Rey Vargas versus Oscar Negrete is probably a mismatch too in the champ’s favor, but we will see.
Ramon Alvarez (24-6-3, 16 KOs) v Johnny Navarrete (33-10-2, 15 KOs), junior middleweights – Mexico – Azteca, 11:30 PM Eastern
Canelo’s brother Ramon Alvarez two fights ago was knocked out by Omar Chavez, the worse Chavez brother, and then last time fought to a draw against ten loss Navarrete. Not that he was ever a real contender, but Alvarez is trying to stop his career from going into complete free fall here in this Mexican domestic level Azteca main event.
