SIGNORELLA PREVIEW: MAJOR NETWORK BOXING RETURNS
March 4th, 2010 By John Signorella
New York, NY- In what has been a relatively silent start to 2010 for major cable network boxing, pugilist action finally returns this weekend when the sport’s two biggest cable outlets HBO and Showtime go head to head featuring two world championship contests. Kicking off the weekend, the “go to” network for boxing enthusiasts; ESPN 2 will continue its coverage of the fight game and look to deliver another great night at the fights.
LIGHTWEIGHT CONTENDERS TOP ESPN FIGHT NIGHT FIGHTS
WBO contenders wage war for the right to fight for supremacy in the lightweight division (135) when Martin Honorio (27-4-1, 14 KOs) squares off against Wilton Hilario (12-0-1, 9 KOs) over 10 scheduled rounds at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, CA, live, Friday night on ESPN 2 at 10 PM ET.
ON THE RISE AFTER DEMISE
Since losing his third fight as a professional, Martin Honorio’s career has seen its ups and downs. Regardless of setbacks, Honorio managed to prove to be the better man over respectable lightweight fighters such as Rogers Mtagwa (W SD 12) and Steven Luevano (W UD 12). From those victories, Honorio landed a title shot showdown with Robert Guerrero. Against Guerrero, Honorio was wiped out in his bid at the IBF title in just one round. However, Honorio would go back to the drawing board and typify a three fight win streak with an upset victory over the highly regarded upstart John John Molina Jr. (W UD 10).
YOUNG BLOOD LOOKS TO DRAW BLOOD
Mostly fighting at local clubs in his adopted homeland of Minnesota, undefeated young pug Wilton Hilario has blasted out a legion of fighters with losing records. Hilario will now take a commendable step up in class and look to challenge his alleged knockout power against a seasoned veteran in front of the bright lights on a national stage.
RAGING BULL BACK IN LIMELIGHT ON SHOWTIME
WBC and WBA super flyweight (118) champ Vic “The Raging Bull” Darchinyan (33-2-1, 27 KOs) returns to action in defense of his titles against frivolous challenger Ridrigo Guerrero (13-1-1, 9 KOs) at the Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, CA, live, Saturday night at 9 PM ET on Showtime.
IS THE BULL JUST BULL?
Before being dropped by Nonito Donaire by a single shot in the fifth round of their championship encounter, vicious puncher Vic Darchinyan won his first 28 fights (22 by way of knockout) and was viewed by many experts to be “the real deal”. After the crushing set back at the hands of Donaire, a determined Darchinyan made changes in his game and went on to impressively win against formidable opposition. However, Vic fell short once again against former champ Joseph Agbeko (L UD 12). After the loss Vic would again mount a comeback, and look impressive by showcasing controlled aggression by dismantling Tomas Rojas in just two rounds.
MADE IN MEXICO
Pitted against over matched foes with losing records, Ridrigo Guerrero’s fight career has solely been contested in his homeland of Mexico. Guerrero now takes a trip to states to test his skills against one of boxing’s most entertaining and dangerous fighters.
HBO’s BOXING AFTER DARK PUNCTUATES THE WEEKEND
Devon “The Great” Alexander (19-0, 12 KOs) will put his newly claimed WBC light welterweight (140) crown on the line in effort to unify the belts against IBF strap holder Juan “Iron Twin” Urango (22-2-1, 17 KOs) over 12 rounds or less in an intriguing unification scrap, live from the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT at 9:30 PM ET on HBO.
IS GREAT THAT GOOD?
Having gone perfect as a pro in facing descent opposition against the likes of DeMarcus Corley (W UD 12) and Junior Witter (W TKO 8), Devon Alexander now is presented with the greatest test of his career in a cross roads type of affair. Riding a four fight knockout win streak, in previous outings, Alexander has shown good boxing ability and spurts of devastating power, aforementioned characteristics he’ll call on and need against his battled test adversary.
LAST CHANCE AT THE DANCE
Juan Urango emerged on the scene creating a buzz in the boxing world with 10 straight knockout wins. After his early success, Urango continued to “work at perfect” accumulating a record of 17-0 (13 KOs) which earned him a shot at Ricky Hatton’s title. In a lackluster effort, Urango got outboxed by Ricky and lost on points. Urango would then go on to win five straight (4 KOs) but would again fail at the top level of the sport against Andre Berto (L UD 12). Urango regrouped and landed a title shot against Randall Bailey. In an entertaining back and forth battle where both combatants hit the deck, Urango prevailed by way of devastating 11th round knockout. The stunning performance against Bailey catapulted Juan back to the spotlight and presented him with another opportunity at the big show on HBO.
John Signorella