The two cards each on the streaming services include multiple world title fights.
Thursday, October 18th
Jason Quigley (14-0, 11 KOs) v Freddy Hernandez (34-9, 22 KOs), middleweights & Eddie Gomez (21-3, 12 KOs) v Shoki Sakai (23-8-2, 13 KOs), welterweights – Indio, California – ESPN2, 10 PM Eastern
Irish Golden Boy prospect Jason Quigley takes his second fight back from a injury caused year layoff on Thursday night’s Golden Boy on ESPN show. The 27 year old isn’t a can’t miss future champion, but he’s a solid prospect who has the ability to get to that title level if he keeps improving. Freddy Hernandez did beat the shell of Alfredo Angulo two years ago, but he doesn’t figure to be a solid opponent. Angulo was shot, Hernandez has been soundly defeated by all other top competition, and he’s 39 now to boot.
Saturday, October 20th
Anthony Yarde (16-0, 15 KOs) v Walter Gabriel Sequeira (21-4, 15 KOs), light heavyweights & Gary Corcoran (18-2, 8 KOs) v Johnny Garton (22-1, 9 KOs), welterweights – Brentwood, England – BT Sport (UK), ESPN+ (US), 2:45 PM Eastern
Prized Frank Warren promoted prospect Anthony Yarde gets another main event on Saturday afternoon US time. The 27 year year old has shown some flaws on there, but he can punch and seems to draw well. His Argentinian opponent here doesn’t figure to offer a tougher test than what he has been doing, but it is a midday fight to watch at least. The British title fight in the co-main event probably won’t be of much interest to international viewers, but prospects Nathan Gorman and Umar Sadiq are worth checking out at heavyweight and super middleweight respectively. Top British level welterweight Bradley Skeete is also in action.
Demetrius Andrade (25-0, 16 KOs) v Walter Kautondokwa (17-0, 16 KOs), WBO middleweight title & Tevin Farmer (26-4-1, 5 KOs) v James Tennyson (22-2, 18 KOs), IBF welterweight title – Boston, Massachusetts – DAZN, 4:30 PM Eastern
This show certainly lost most of its luster with Billy Joe Saunders’s failed drug test and subsequent removal, but it is still a world title doubleheader worth checking out for that reason at least. Talented but frustratingly inactive former junior middleweight titleholder Demetrius Andrade will hopefully begin to be a fighter who gets in the ring a few times a year here on this show under Hearn. He’s looking to become a two division titleholder on here too thanks to Saunders’s title becoming vacant and up for grabs. Little is known about Namibian late replacement Walter Kautondokwa, so it is hard to say with any confidence whether or not it’ll be a good fight. Andrade is expected to cruise, as is Tevin Farmer over British level contender James Tennyson in the co-main event in defense of his 130 lb belt. Also in action will be rising female star Katie Taylor in a unification fight, emerging featherweight Kid Ghalad, former titleholder Scott Quigg, and Olympic gold medalist Daniyar Yeleussinov.
Emmanuel Rodriguez (18-0, 12 KOs) v Jason Moloney (17-0, 14 KOs), IBF bantamweight title & Yunier Dorticos (22-1, 21 KOs) v Mateusz Masternak (41-4, 28 KOs), cruiserweights – Orlando, Florida – DAZN, 8 PM Eastern
I love this World Boxing Super Series bantamweight quarterfinal and world title fight very much. Emmanuel Rodriguez and Jason Moloney are both excellent young, exciting, and unbeaten contenders. The fight is the best first round matchup in any of the brackets. It is being supported by a solid cruiserweight quarterfinal too. The Cuban is viewed as more talented, but Masteusz Masternak is on a very nice run. He might be the second best opponent Dorticos has faced and it will be Yunier’s first fight back from his somewhat crushing defeat at the hands of Murat Gassiev in season one’s semifinals. The only thing not to like here is that it appears DAZN will be competing with itself Saturday night. The early start time above for the Matchroom USA show includes the deep undercards. By the time the main title fights roll around, this show will be going too. With so many fights these days conflicts are inevitable, but you’d hope an individual channel/service wouldn’t counter program itself like this.
Ryota Murata (14-1, 11 KOs) v Rob Brant (23-1, 16 KOs), middleweights & Maxim Dadashev (11-0, 10 KOs) v Antonio DeMarco (33-6-1, 24 KOs), junior lightweights – Las Vegas, Nevada – ESPN+, 10:30 PM Eastern
Ryota Murata and Rob Brant close the night with a well matched battle for Murata’s secondary belt on ESPN+. Both of these guys are second tier fighters at 160 lbs looking to make the leap. Ignore the world title messaging as Canelo is the WBA middleweight titleholder, but it is a good matchup both competitively and in terms of action. Top Rank continues to show some real confidence in Russian prospect Maxim Dadashev in the co-main event too. Last time out they matched up with a former contender in Darleys Perez and they are putting him him in against a former titleholder in Antonio DeMarco here. It’s an intriguing card for sure. The prelims start much earlier at 7 PM Eastern and feature emerging contender and likely future Murata opponent Esquiva Falcao along with a nice set of prospects in popular Irishman Michael Conlan, his amateur rival in Vladimir Nikitin, and gold medalist Fazliddin Gaibnazarov.
