Vasyl Lomachenko moves up in weight for another challenge against Jorge Linares, and more on this week’s schedule.
Friday, May 11
Bounce, 9:00 pm ET, Ishe Smith vs Tony Harrison. A pivotal fight for both if they want to stay in contention at 154 pounds, pretty much a must-win for both guys. Smith is the veteran here and will have home field in Las Vegas, while Harrison is the younger man with the power on his side.
Saturday, May 12
ESPN, 8:00 pm ET, Jorge Linares vs Vasyl Lomachenko, Carlos Adames vs Alejandro Barrera. Here’s one for the purists! And anyone who likes good boxing! And really anyone who likes boxing at all! And anyone who thinks they might like boxing! Linares is a terrific fighter, defending a lightweight belt here, and Lomachenko is arguably the best in the world pound-for-pound. But he is moving up in weight yet again, Linares is a tested veteran with a lot of skills, and, well, I love this matchup on paper. I don’t think there’s anything to not like about it, the P4P king/contender is taking a risk and the guy he’s fighting is defending against a legitimate challenge and two-weight champion. BLH will have live coverage.
HBO, 10:00 pm ET, Sadam Ali vs Jaime Munguia, Rey Vargas vs Azat Hovhannisyan. Ali-Munguia is maybe more interesting than the originally scheduled Ali-Liam Smith fight, in that Munguia might be ready to break out, and Smith is just what Smith is, with no disrespect meant. The co-feature sees Vargas defending his 122-pound belt against a tough guy in Hovhannisyan, but Vargas is the clear favorite there. This card may not scream “HBO quality” on paper, but “HBO quality” doesn’t mean what it did a few years ago, either. Could be an interesting show.BLH will have live coverage.
Azteca (MEX), 11:00 pm ET, Kenia Enriquez vs Yokasta Valle.
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