Two-time welterweight beltholder Paul Williams is being considered for a bout with WBC junior middleweight titleholder Saul Alvarez in September.
Weekend Preview: Calderon vs. Segura
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LUCAS MATTHYSSE vs. ROGELIO CASTANEDA Rounds / weight class: 12 rounds / junior welterweights Location: Rosario, Argentina Television: Telefutura The backdrop: Matthysse (24-0, 22 KOs) and Castaneda (26-15-3, 8 KOs) meet again after their fight in 2008 in Grand Prarie, Texas, ended in a no-contest after Castaneda was cut by an accidental head butt. Matthysse, a big puncher with solid technique, is coming off a bizarre victory over Vivian Harris in Mexico in which the fight was stopped in the fourth round even though Harris appeared to be fine. Matthysse will have the advantage of fighting once again in his home country, where all but three of his fights have taken place. Castaneda, a Mexican who lives in Sacramento, Calif., has solid skills and experience. He is 3-5 (with the no-contest) in his last eight fights but has won two straight against fellow journeymen. Also fighting: Sebastian Lujan vs. Emilio Julio, 10 rounds welterweights Rating the card: C+. It’s always fun to watch a fighter with Matthysse's knockout ratio. Also Friday: Zahir Raheem faces Roberto Valenzuela in a six-round lightweight fight on gofightlive.tv. SATURDAY OMRI LOTHER vs. HANK LUNDY Rounds / weight class: 10 rounds / junior welterweights Location: Montreal Television: ESPN2 The backdrop: Lundy (18-1-1, 10 KOs) is a last-minute replacement who might prove to be tougher to beat than Edner Cherry, who was pulled off the card last week. Lundy was outboxing John Molina in his last fight when Molina stopped him in the 11th round. The Philadelphia fighter is talented and will be very hungry to make amends for his first setback. Lother (14-1, 10 KOs) made the unusual move from Atlanta to Toronto, where he’s now based. He is a solid all-around fighter who has won five in a row since his only loss, an eight-round decision against Jesus Rodriguez in 2007. Lundy is a step up in competition. Also fighting: Nicholson Poulard vs. Alfredo Contreras, eight rounds, welterweights Rating the card: C. The most-interesting aspect of the main event is how Lundy will respond after his disappointing loss to Molina. IVAN CALDERON vs. GIOVANI SEGURA Rounds / weight class: 12 rounds / junior flyweights Location: Guaynabo, Puerto Rico Television: Integrated Sports PPV The backdrop: This classic matchup of boxer vs. puncher is for Calderon’s RING championship and for each fighter’s sanctioning-body title. Calderon (34-0-1, 6 KOs), one of the best pure boxers in the business, is coming off a one-sided decision over Jesus Iribe in June. More important, it was his first fight in which he wasn’t cut since 2008. He had been involved in three technical decisions prior to that fight – a victory over Hugo Cazares and a draw and victory over Rodel Mayol – after the blood started flowing. This will be the seventh defense of his alphabet title. He had 11 successful defenses of his strawweight title. Segura (24-1-1, 20 KOs) is a latecomer to boxing who makes up for a lack of polish with power and fighting spirit. He has won five in a row since losing a decision to Cesar Canchila in 2008, including a rematch with Canchila. This is a tough assignment for the resident of Bell Gardens, Calif., because of Calderon’s superior boxing skills but his punching power and tenacity could make it a decent fight. Calderon also has the advantage of fighting before his own fans. Also fighting: Jose Gonzalez vs. Hector Marengo, six rounds, lightweights Rating the card: A-. Don’t be disappointed if this turns out to be a relatively boring fight. Calderon has a distinct advantage in skill and will use it, which will probably leave a hard-charging Segura frustrated. Still, the matchup is intriguing and anything is possible because of Segura’s power. Also Saturday: Marcos Maidana faces DeMarcus Corley in Buenos Aires in a non-televised 12-round junior welterweight bout. And, in Atlantic City, N.J., Chazz Witherspoon faces Livin Castillo in a 10-round heavyweight bout on gofightlive.tv. On Monday: Vyacheslav Senchenko defends his welterweight title against Charlie Jose Navarro in Donetsk, Ukraine. |