ESPN will post two of the four challenge fights with the only world title on the line Saturday among the three with the WBO junior lightweight title of Masayuki Ito being defended against former Olympian Jamel Herring in Kissimmee Florida.
Herring has a great story, former Olympian, Marine with combat experience and as a parent that lost a child from SIDS, Herring challenging for the world title on Memorial Day weekend makes Herring the sentimental favorite against Ito, who will be fighting for only the second time in the United States, but returns to Kissimmee, where he upset then-undefeated Christopher Diaz to win his title.
The winner appears to be slotted for a unification tilt against WBC champion Miguel Berchelt, who is also Top Rank promoted.
The co-feature from Florida will see former IBF junior lightweight and WBO lightweight champion Jose Pedraza returning from his loss to Vasyl Lomachenko against Antonio Lozada.
Pedraza didn't fight badly despite losing a lopsided nod to Lomachenko, so he's favored here and Lozada, who stopped Felix Verdejo in the tenth round in an upset in his last fight in March 2018, but has been inactive since.
FS1 has a crossroads junior middleweight fight in Biloxi, Mississippi, as their main event with former champion Austin Trout fighting former Olympian Terrell Gausha.
Trout's been off for just shy of a year since his majority decision loss to then WBC junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo, but he fought well in spots against Charlo and should be favored against Gausha, who fought mildly in his title challenge against then WBA kingpin Erislandy Lara in October 2017 and has fought just once since.
The winner of this might have a shot at a champion since PBC controls most of this division, but will likely take a year or more off before doing so in the usual PBC promotional pattern.
DAZN and Matchroom are in Oxon Hill, Maryland with highly touted lightweight Devin Haney in his bow with Eddie Hearn's group.
Haney was a huge catch for Hearn as the 20-year-old looks to have everything that it takes to win a title, if not becoming a star.
Opponent Antonio Moran fought respectably in losing a close decision last June to Jose Pedraza, but if Haney is as good as I think that he is, Haney should see a small test, but not have too many problems.
The WBA is my least favorite sanctioning body with their too many titles and ridiculous ratings, but I'll thank them for streaming the junior flyweight minor title fight between undefeated Carlos Canizales and Sho Kimura from China.
You may remember Kimura for his majority decision loss to Kosei Tanaka last year in which he lost his WBO title in the TRS fight of the year, although I had Kimura winning a fight that could have been given to either fighter.
Canizales appears to be a big puncher, but his only blemish on his record is a draw with Ryo Taguchi against the only notable fighter on his resume', so let's see how he matches up with Kimura.
In the boxing challenge, I lead Ramon Malpica 132-116
WBO Jr.Lightweight Title. 12 Rds
Masayuki Ito vs Jamel Herring
Both: Ito Unanimous Decision
Lightweights. 10 Rds
Jose Pedraza vs Antonio Lozada
Both: Pedraza Unanimous Decision
Junior Middleweights 10 Rds
Austin Trout vs Terrell Gausha
Both: Trout Unanimous Decision
Lightweights 12 Rds
Devin Haney vs Antonio Moran'
R.L: Haney Unanimous Decision
TRS: Haney KO 8
Junior Flyweights.12 Rds
Carlos Canizales vs Sho Kimura
R.L: Canizales Unanimous Decision
TRS: Kimura Unanimous Decision
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