This Saturday is shaping up to be a pretty damn good day for boxing. There are some good, important fights of significance on the schedule that, at least on paper, promise to be compelling scuffles. Of course, nothing is for certain in boxing and, come next week, I could be writing about a full day of frustrating nothingness. But the prospect of the opposite is solid. Barring a string of headbutts or a sudden decision by the fighters to channel their inner Cory Spinks spoiling style, April 9 should be fun. Here’s a look at the fights making this Saturday awesome to me and why they’re also pretty damn important for boxing:
Erickson Lubin vs. Sebastian Fundora (Showtime)
Lubin-Fundora is the kind of fight boxing fans claim to crave. Hungry young contender vs. hungry young contender with complementary all-action styles in a bout of massive importance for each. High risk. Gutsy. Absolutely the antithesis of what boxing fans say is wrong with the sport. But will fans tune in to watch this one? Will the fighters get the credit they deserve for taking on risk that they don’t have to take? Who knows? Fight fans are notoriously fickle and tend to not be entirely in touch with what they really want. But this fight is a big one in the junior middleweight division. On May 14, after Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano meet in a 4-belt unification rematch, the 154 lb. division will have a fully unified champion. Lubin-Fundora, most likely, will determine the first big challenge to that top dog. But even if there were no high stakes in this fight’s outcome, it would still be a damn fine fight.
Gennadiy Golovkin vs. Ryota Murata (DAZN)
I honestly don’t give Murata much of a chance to beat Golovkin. Triple G being 40 doesn’t matter. He could be 62 and STILL beat Murata. The Japanese fighter is just not an elite-level middleweight and the careful matchmaking around which his career was built (and which he barely pushed past, despite mostly soft touches) proves that. The intrigue in this bout for me is in how Golovkin looks carving up Murata. The Kazakh KO artist has looked less than superhuman in his last few fights and has been fighting with the diminished urgency of a veteran fighter cashing out on a big, fat multi-fight deal. He can probably get away with half-assing it against Murata, even in Murata’s native Japan, but he’s got real trouble coming his way next, when he meets Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. The Mexican’s been fighting like a man hungry to take souls and it’s no secret that there are rivers of bad blood between Alvarez and Golovkin. Regardless, though, Golovkin is an entertaining fighter and, Canelo next or not, he’s one of those “Must See TV” boxers for me.
Ryan Garcia vs. Emmanuel Tagoe (DAZN)
Garcia’s got all the tools and charisma needed to be a superstar in the sport. He also brings high drama to his profession– the good kind and the bad kind. His good drama comes from his laser-quick hands and the explosive power they can produce. The bad drama centers around his self-admitted mental health issues and the reputation he’s earned recently as someone whose heart and soul is devoted to the flashy side of being a celebrity boxer and not always to the hard part of a prizefighter’s life. Over the last couple of years, Garcia’s boxing life has been little more than injuries, fight withdrawals, and odd, but utterly bogus rumors of mega-fights floated to the media. The 23-year-old, now trained by Joe Goossen after breaking away from Eddy Reynoso, is finally getting back into the ring after a 15-month layoff and for only the third time since November of 2019. Ghana’s Tagoe is a solid fighter, but nothing spectacular. He’s a good opponent for a kid who’s only logged 8 live-fight rounds in 29 months. “King Ry” should beat him decisively, but you never can tell with Garcia. Either way, however, the fans win. We’ll either see a stunningly dominant performance from one of the top young prospects/contenders in the game looking to make up for lost time or the continued unraveling of a talented young fighter destined to crash and burn.
Tony Harrison vs. Sergio Garcia (Showtime)
Harrison is coming off a draw to Bryant Perrella and a rematch TKO loss to Jermell Charlo. Garcia is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Sebastian Fundora. So what? This is an important fight for the high second tier of the junior middleweight division and an absolute must-win for both guys. Slated as the chief support to Lubin vs. Fundora, Harrison-Garcia promises to be an outstanding matchup for those who enjoy boxing stylists. Both can box very well, but are not at all reluctant to let their hands go when necessary. Harrison is a former world champion, who holds one win over Charlo and was doing well in the rematch until he got clipped late in the fight. Garcia, meanwhile, accounted well for himself when he stepped up to fight Fundora in his last fight. I’m expecting good things from this bout and for the winner to inch his way closer to a world title shot.
Got something for Magno? Send it here: paulmagno@theboxingtribune.com