BOXING FIGHTS THIS WEEKEND INCLUDE STAR-STUDDED LINEUP WITH CANELO ALVAREZ, RYAN GARCIA AND OTHERS
Four world title fights and two undisputed championships will be part of what’s set to be a packed weekend of boxing action featuring 10 current or former world champions.
From Times Square to Saudi Arabia and back to Las Vegas, three scintillating cards all take place between May 2-4, with a handful of boxing’s top pound-for-pound fighters returning to the ring.
Here’s the boxing schedule this weekend.
Boxing this weekend
Ryan Garcia headlines Times Square boxing card on Friday
- Ryan Garcia (24-1) vs. Rolly Romero (16-2)
- Devin Haney (31-0) vs. Jose Ramirez (29-2)
- Teofimo Lopez (21-1) vs. Arnold Barboza (32-0); WBO junior welterweight title
- Reito Tsutsumi (debut) vs. Levale Whittington (1-2-1)
Why it matters: Three of boxing’s biggest stars feature in consecutive fights on the first-ever card to take place in Times Square in New York City. Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney each take on former world champions, with a win by each setting up the highly anticipated rematch between the two later this year. The lineal 140-pound champion Teofimo Lopez also defends his WBO title against undefeated contender Arnold Barboza in his toughest title defense at junior middleweight.
Canelo Alvarez headlines Saudi Arabia fight card on Saturday
- Canelo Alvarez (62-2-2) vs. William Scull (23-0); WBC, WBO, WBA, IBF super middleweight titles
- Jaime Munguia (44-2) vs. Bruno Surace (26-0-2)
- Martin Bakole (21-2) vs. Efe Ajagba (20-1)
- Badou Jack (28-3-3) vs. Noel Mikaelian (27-2); WBC cruiserweight title
- Marco Verde (debut) vs. Michel Polina (4-5-3)
- Brayan Leon (6-0) vs. Aaron Guerrero (11-3-1)
Start time: 6 p.m. CT
Why it matters: By all accounts Scull is one of the weakest opponents Alvarez has faced in recent years, but there’s a method to the madness behind this bout. With a win, which the oddsmakers give Alvarez a -4000 chance to secure, he will once again reign as undisputed super middleweight champion after being forced to vacate his IBF title last summer. Which means his blockbuster bout against Terence Crawford, expected for later this year, will be for the undisputed 168-pound titles.
Naoya Inoue headlines Las Vegas fight card on Sunday
- Naoya Inoue (29-0) vs. Ramon Cardenas (26-1); WBC, WBO, WBA, IBF junior featherweight titles
- Rafael Espinoza (26-0) vs. Edward Vasquez (17-2); WBO featherweight title
ESPN+ undercard
- Rohan Polanco (15-0) vs. Fabian Maidana (24-3)
- Emiliano Vargas (13-0) vs. Juan Leon (11-2-1)
- Mikito Nakano (12-0) vs. Pedro Marquez (16-1)
- Art Barerra Jr. (8-0) vs. Juan Carlos Guerra Jr. (6-1-1)
- Ra’eese Aleem (21-1) vs. Rudy Garcia (13-1-1)
- Patrick O’Connor (debut) vs. Marcus Smith (2-1)
How to watch: ESPN/ESPN+
Start time: 9 p.m. CT on ESPN
Why it matters: Arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Naoya Inoue, fights on U.S. soil for the first time since 2021, defending the undisputed junior featherweight title against San Antonio’s Ramon Cardenas. Japan’s Inoue has won world titles in four weight classes and is one of three boxers in the four-belt era to become undisputed champion in multiple weight classes, joining Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk. Typically fighting in the early hours of the morning U.S. time, Inoue will be live on ESPN on Sunday night from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
courtesy www.tennessean.com
