DAZN and Golden Boy step to the forefront first on Friday night from Anaheim, California with two lightweight fights that should they go as expected would set a pairing later in the year of the two winners.
Lightweight prospect and social media sensation Ryan Garcia will battle Francisco Fonseca in the main event as Garcia attempts to notch a second spectacular victory after his cyclonic one round crushing of Romero Duno in his last fight.
Fonseca has lost in both of his fights against world-class opponents in losing a decision to Tevin Farmer and being stopped in eight rounds by Gervonta Davis, so if Garcia is ready for a step forward in class he shouldn't have problems with Fonseca.
Should Garcia win, Golden Boy hopes to match him with former WBA lightweight champion Jorge Linares, should Linares notch a W over Carlos Morales.
Nothing is ever a given with Linares, who is as strong an offensive fighter as there is in the sport but doesn't always display the best chin or skin, with all five of his losses via stoppage so anyone has a chance against him as was shown last January when Linares was knocked down three times and out in the first round as a heavy favorite against Pablo Cesar Cano.
Morales went the ten round distance with Ryan Garcia, drew with Mercito Gesta in his last fight and has never been stopped, so Morales is durable enough to make Linares work.
However, these are two different levels of fighters and Linares should easily win unless someone else catches lightning in a bottle.
Saturday on Fox, PBC offers what appears to be a weak card from Nashville that would fit better on FS1 with their main event pitting IBF super middleweight champion Caleb Plant against Germany's Vincent Feigenbutz.
Plant might have the weakest resume' of any world champion with one victory of note, his title-winning effort last January against Jose Uzcategui, and that win doesn't look as strong as it did then after Uzcategui lost to journeyman Lionell Thompson after losing to Plant.
I suspected Plant's reign would be filled with Mister Softee's as I wrote in the recap of his Uzcategui win, but not even I suspected how bad his first opponent would be in Mike Lee, former Subway pitchman and owner of an even worse opponent file than Plant.
Plant did what you like to see champions do against overmatched and undeserving challengers and took Lee out in three rounds, but it was the type of sideshow that boxing didn't need and proved nothing for Plant.
Vincent Feigenbutz isn't going to prove anything either, but at least you cannot blame Plant or his team as the German challenger is the IBF mandatory somehow.
Feigenbutz hasn't fought anyone of note, but has 28 KOs in his 32 wins against that level of competition, so if he hits Plant who knows what could happen, but more than likely the question going into the fight will be this- does Plant win by decision or stoppage?
The question going out of the fight will be- When will Caleb Plant actually fight anyone that can fight back?
The other fight isn't a contender level fight, but an even and well-matched welterweight fight between Bryant Perrella and Abel Ramos.
Perrella is a solid fighter, but a level below world-class with losses in both of his attempts to move up in caliber as he owns losses to Luis Collazo and Yordenis Ugas.
The same can be said about Ramos, who lost both times that he tested tougher opposition in Jamal James and Ivan Baranchyk, so this might not be an important fight but it should be a very competitive one.
In the boxing challenge, I lead Ramon Malpica 24-20.
Lightweights. 10 Rds
Ryan Garcia vs Francisco Fonseca
R.L: Garcia Unanimous Decision
TRS: Garcia KO 7
Lightweights. 10 Rds
Jorge Linares vs Carlos Morales
Both: Linares Unanimous Decision
IBF Super Middleweight Title. 12 Rds
Caleb Plant vs Vincent Feigenbutz
R.L: Plant KO 8
TRS: Plant Unanimous Decision
Welterweights. 10 Rds
Bryant Perrella vs Abel Ramos
R.L: Perrella KO 6
TRS: Perrella Unanimous Decision
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