Early Saturday morning from Tokyo will see the biggest fight of the weekend as Gennady Golovkin meets Ryota Murata in a fight that will not only unify Golovkin's IBF title with Murata's WBA championship but even more importantly to Golovkin, a victory means a third fight with Canelo Alvarez in the fall.
The power-punching Golovkin has fought only three times since his controversial decision loss to Canelo in 2018 and hasn't fought at all since a seven-round trouncing of mandatory challenger Kazil Szeremeta in December 2020.
For a fighter that thrived on fighting three and four times a year, GGG has seemed disheartened since his draw and loss to Alvarez, both of which I thought he won but when compared to Murata, Golovkin is fighting a lot as Murata hasn't fought since December 2019 (!) when he stopped Stephen Butler in five rounds.
One can argue that Golovkin has never truly been defeated and Murata has two losses (to Rob Brant and Hassan N'Dam) but the N'Dam defeat was an awful decision and Murata avenged the loss to Brant.
This is a fight with huge ramifications and should help set the big fight schedule for the fall.
The co-feature will also be a championship affair as WBO flyweight kingpin Junto Nakatani defends his title for the second time against Ryota Yamauchi.
Nakatani was very impressive in routing talented Angel Acosta in four rounds and could be on his way to a possible Japanese superfight against either of Japan's two light flyweight champions in Hiroto Kyoguchi (WBA) or Kenshiro Teraji (WBC) with a win.
Yamauchi is only 8-1 and appears to be overmatched in this one.
Later in the evening, two competing cards are on at the same time.
San Antonio, Texas is the site for the long-awaited return of lightweight contender Ryan Garcia after a fifteen-month layoff.
Garcia grabbed the most impressive win of his career last January when he knocked out former title challenger Luke Campbell in four rounds and appeared to be on the verge of bigger fights before various problems forced cancellations several times.
Garcia isn't facing a light touch in his return in Ghana's Emmanuel Tagoe, who hasn't lost since his pro debut but has only fought outside Ghana twice and has never fought anyone close to Garcia's caliber.
Unless Tagoe is more Azumah Nelson than we suspect, this should be a successful return for Garcia.
The co-feature pairs two aging fighters that need a win in Gabe Rosado and Shane Mosley Jr.
Rosado is coming off a one-sided loss to Jaime Munguia at middleweight but will be facing Mosley Jr. at super middleweight.
Mosely Jr. lost a close majority decision to Jason Quigley last May but doesn't have near the resume of Rosado and I'm not sure that he can hold off Rosado if Rosado is a motivated fighter for an opponent that is a cut below his recent rivals.
Showtime and PBC is in Las Vegas for two junior middleweight affairs that will definitely see one winner with a title shot soon and perhaps the other not long after that.
The main event will determine the mandatory contender for the winner of the full four title unification bout next month between Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano.
Towering 6'6 Sebastian Fundora continues his climb up the rankings as he faces hard-punching Erickson Lubin.
Fundora decisioned then-unbeaten Sergio Garcia for the biggest win in his last fight while Lubin has worked his way to the verge of a title with six straight wins since his only loss- a first-round knockout loss in his title shot against Charlo in 2017.
Lubin is the bigger puncher but he still has questions about his chin with the same can be said about Fundora as Lubin will be by far the biggest banger that Fundora has faced.
The co-feature will see former WBC champion Tony Harrison against Sergio Garcia.
Harrison has fought only once since losing his rematch to Jermell Charlo in 2019 and was lucky to pull out a draw against Bryant Perrella in that fight,.
Garcia lost for the first time in his last time out via decision to Sebastian Fundora in what was his first true test in his career.
Harrison has questions about what he has left in his career and Garcia is still looking for a career-defining win to date.
TRS: Nakatani KO 7
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