Look at that, a good PPV co-main event.
Good and surprising news, everyone! The January 19th Showtime PPV headlined by Manny Pacquiao and Adrien Broner actually has a decent undercard. We can argue day and night if the main event is actually any good (I don’t mind it), but the undercard for once is at least notably good by the traditionally low standards of historical PPV undercards. That isn’t a high bar, exactly, but it is something.
The co-featured bout will see former super middleweight titleholder and top light heavyweight contender Badou Jack (22-1-3, 13 KOs) matched very well against top prospect and emerging contender Marcus Browne (22-0, 16 KOs). This is an excellent fight, or it least it should be. Browne has lost huge opportunities this year due to his ongoing legal problems stemming from domestic issues with his (presumably) ex-girlfriend. These have been repeated and troubling issues that very much will need to be completely in the past for this scheduled bout to happen. Also, ignore the title talk tied to the bout. Jack is an elite fighter, but his WBA belt is one of their many illegitimate ones. Dmitry Bivol holds the real version.
Supporting the chief supporting bout is another solid showdown, just a lower profile one. The middle bout is for an actual world title too. The Luis Nery stripped WBC bantamweight belt will be on the line in a contest between former three time US Olympian Rau’shee Warren (16-2, 4 KOs) and two time French Olympian Nordine Oubaali (14-0, 11 KOs). Neither man medaled in any of the games, but I can’t really think of another fight where the two men had a combined five Olympic appearances between them so that is something. Plus, Oubaali is a real nice prospect taking a really big step up in terms of competition and the international spotlight all at once. I have no complaints here.
I don’t know if I’d exactly say we are going three for three with the opener between Pacquiao promoted Filipino featherweight prospect Jack Tepora (22-0, 17 KOs) and former super bantamweight titleholder Hugo Ruiz (38-4, 33 KOs), but if not it is close. Ruiz is a fun brawler with real power. Though he has been inactive over the last two years and is being pulled up in weight here, the Mexican does pose a nice step up and a very real test for Tepora. We could do and have done much worse than this fight on a PPV undercard. Paired with the other two solid matchups, it isn’t a bad opener at all really.
Showtime will produce the January 18th PPV. I don’t have a start time or price yet, but I imagine it will be 9 PM Eastern and either cost your right arm or left leg.
