Pick It: #2 Carlos Adames vs. Julian Williams (Saturday, Showtime, 9:00 PM EST)
The best fight of the week on paper, the Jr. bantamweight rematch between Kazuto Ioka and Joshua Franco, doesn’t have US television distribution. Fans who have access to see it live will have a treat. Fans in the US might have a hidden gem with this one. The 29-year old Adames (21-1, 16 KO) has found form at middleweight and has a wide-open division to carve his place. 33-year old Julian Williams (28-3-1, 16 KO) has been stopped twice and lost two straight before a get-right appearance last year. Can he reset his career trajectory? This could be much better than it looks after the bell rings. If it isn’t, a Jr. bantamweight clash between titlist Fernando Martinez and Jade Bornea should bring plenty of action.
Additional Shows to Watch For
Friday – Saracho vs. Zaina (YouTube, 10:50 PM EST)
Jr. welterweights get the main event here. 21-year old Jesus Saracho (13-1, 11 KO) has won three straight after suffering his first loss, and first knockout. 28-year old Tarik Zaina (12-0, 8 KO) has a chance to move further along as an older prospect with less time on his side.
Saturday – Spomer vs. Moncelli (ESPN+, 3:00 PM EST)
Jr. middleweights get the spotlight in this overseas card. 30-year old Slawa Spomer remains unbeaten as he creeps toward contention. Spomer is currently #10 in the WBO rankings. 29-year old Felice Moncelli (24-7-1, 6 KO) has been stopped twice but is 3-1 in his last four starts.
Saturday – Berlanga vs. Quigley (DAZN, 8:00 PM EST)
If 26-year old Edgar Berlanga (20-0, 16 KO) thought a move to DAZN might open a path to a shot at Saul Alvarez, Thursday was a very bad day for him. Alvarez has gone to a multi-fight deal with PBC and Showtime. Berlanga was still far from being a credible contender there and has time to build his case. His next step will come with 32-year old Jason Quigley (20-0, 14 KO). Quigley has been stopped twice while Berlanga has won four-straight decisions after a gimmicky run of 16 straight first-round knockouts. A knockout has to be the goal. DAZN will have a show at 11 AM EST as well with women’s strawweights in the main event: Sarah Bormann vs. Perla Perez.
Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, a member of the International Boxing Research Organization, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com