The return of IBF welterweight titleholder and emerging star Errol Spence Jr on Showtime headlines this week’s fight schedule. It is a busy one overall featuring a Golden Boy on ESPN, two prominent UK cards, and more.
Thursday, June 14th
Mercito Gesta (31-2-2, 17 KOs) v Robert Manzanarez (36-1, 29 KOs), lightweights & Edgar Valerio (13-0, 8 KOs) v Manny Robles Jr (15-0, 7 KOs), featherweights – Indio, California – Golden Boy on ESPN, 8:30 PM Eastern
Golden Boy on ESPN returns Thursday night with a pretty Golden Boy on ESPN main event that is actually on ESPN instead of ESPN2. Mercito Gesta is a decent Filipino fringe contender at coming off a Jorge Linares title shot while Robert Manzanarez is an extremely active 23 year old Mexican prospect who has been doing well on that tough regional scene since he was only 15. Gesta is a big step though up in a classic crossroads fight here. The co-main event is nice too with two of Golden Boy’s many somewhat middling prospects colliding early in their careers to help sort out which, if either, can fight at the higher levels of the sport. I like it.
Friday, June 15th
Joe Joyce (4-0, 4 KOs) v Richard Lartey (12-1, 9 KOs), heavyweights – London, England – Dave (UK), 4 PM Eastern
Should have been 2016 Olympic super heavyweight gold medalist and 32 year old major heavyweight prospect Joe Joyce stays busy with another Dave televised main event in the UK. Joyce was widely considered to be robbed against Frenchman Tony Yoka in the finals. Lartey is a lateral, record building step in defense of Joyce’s Commonwealth title.
Saturday, June 16th
Jose Zepeda (28-1, 23 KOs) v Carlos Diaz Ramirez (26-0, 13 KOs), lightweights & Pedro Duran (16-0-3, 13 KOs) Daniel Lugo (15-1, 12 KOs), lightweights – Mexicali, Mexico – Azteca (MX),
The main event on this Mexican Azteca card is a nice WBA title eliminator between two guys on the top of the Mexican domestic scene. Zanfer promotions is great at building records and getting their guys title shots, but it takes an opportunity like an eliminator for them to book their top fighters against one another. It is always nice when it happens.
Angel Acosta (17-1, 17 KOs) v Carlos Buitrago (30-3-1, 17 KOs), WBO light flyweight title – Hato Rey, Puerto Rico – Integrated Sports PPV, 9 PM Eastern
Miguel Cotto promoted exciting power puncher Angel Acosta defends his light flyweight belt at home in Puerto Rico against failed former minimumweight title challenger Carlos Buitrago in what looks like an easy defense on paper. If you want to watch this legally, it’ll cost you $35 on a minor PPV without much of an undercard to speak of. Yeah, I didn’t think so.
Josh Kelly (6-0, 4 KOs) v Kris George (14-1, 8 KOs), welterweights & Lewis Ritson (15-0, 9 KOs) v Paul Hyland Jnr (18-0, 7 KOs), lightweights & Gavin McDonnell (19-1-2, 5 KOs) v Stuart Hall (21-6-2, 7 KOs), super bantamweights – Newcastle, England – Sky Action (UK), 2 PM Eastern
British super promoter Eddie Hearn moves his stable forward featuring two of his main prospects in Olympic blue chipper Josh Kelly and surging, exciting lightweight Lewis Ritson in against reasonable opponents. They’ll win, but these aren’t laughers given where the two young fighters are in their careers. McDonnell v Hall is a contenders battle at super bantamweight. Ricky Burns and Charlie Edwards will also take lower level fights on the always deep Matchroom bill.
Errol Spence Jr (23-0, 20 KOs) v Carlos Ocampo (22-0, 13 KOs), IBF welterweight title & Daniel Roman (24-2-1, 9 KOs) v Moises Flores (25-0, 17 KOs), WBA super bantamweight title & Javier Fortuna (33-2-1, 23 KOs) v Adrian Granados (18-6-2, 12 KOs), junior welterweights – Dallas, Texas – Showtime, 9 PM Eastern
As he will likely do for years to come any time he fights, Errol Spence Jr highlights the schedule this week. He is making his mandatory defense against competent, but probably in over his head Mexican prospect Carlos Ocampo. It isn’t the most exciting matchup, but PBC and Spence didn’t have a choice and likely don’t mind using it as a stay busy, homecoming defense in Dallas. The Showtime undercard is good, but not great. It features Daniel Roman’s second title defense against the same Moises Flores who was knocked out slightly after the first round’s bell last year against Guillermo Rigondeaux in the co-main event. More interesting to me is the junior welterweight clash between Javier Fortuna and Adrian Granados. Fortuna missed weight in a lightweight title fight against Robert Easter Jr last time out in a fight I thought he should have won and is moving up. Granados is always a tough out for anyone and had an argument for having won in most of his losses against top talents. That’s a good fight. Kind of a strange one for Showtime, but a good one.
