Welcome to UndercarDVR, where we review what you need to see from this week in combat sports. We go fight by fight to see whether it needs to be saved to watch, deleted, or watched in fast forward.
This week: BOXING! SO MUCH BOXING! ALL THE BOXING! Boxing was on almost every single day this week. Nolan Howell took the run up to the Golovkin-Lemieux PPV and I finished it up, so getcha DVR ready for some sweet, sweet science.
(Premier Boxing Champions on Fox Sports 1: October 13)
Cruiserweight Bout: Michael Hunter vs. Jason Douglas: Clearly a showcase for the former Olympian and son of a contender Hunter, you can see some solid skill mixed with some big flaws for the developing heavyweight against a credentialed, but club level fighter. Fine opener for the big man card if you accept the context. Verdict: Watch
Light Heavyweight Bout: Ahmed Elbiali vs. Mariano Hilario: Elbiali can throw, but this was a meaningless swing bout where he didn’t get to demonstrate his knockout power. Not the worst fight ever, but nothing worth paying attention to. Verdict: Skip
Heavyweight Bout: Amir Mansour vs. Gerald Washington: Two gatekeeper level heavyweights going to a decision leads to a pretty average fight. Probably worth watching to see who hangs on to keep their place near the upper levels of the division, but something will make you fade in and out and ultimately not worth the slog. Verdict: Skip
(Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN: October 14)
IBF Featherweight Championship Bout: Lee Selby (c) vs. Fernando Montiel: Both guys went all in and the pace was good throughout. A good story of a fight as well with the tide shifting throughout and the the eventual loser fighting for a knockout in the final round. A lot more competitive than anticipated, but nonetheless a good scrap that introduced Selby to the American crowds. Verdict: Watch
Welterweight Bout: Devon Alexander vs. Aron Martinez: Martinez is a game, gritty fighter and his fights are always worth a glance. It may not be the prettiest, but it makes for an intriguing fight, especially in this case against Alexander. Depending on what you’re looking for, this may be worth a sit down. But, in such a boxing heavy week, there’s too many fish that need frying. Verdict: Fast Forward
(Premier Boxing Champions on Spike: October 16)
WBA Super Flyweight Championship Bout: Kohei Kono (c) vs. Koki Kameda: What was supposed to be a showcase turned out to be a fun, competitive fight. The major problem here is that the referee wanted to play too and he really spoiled this for everyone. Verdict: Fast Forward
WBC International Light Heavyweight Title Bout: Andrzej Fonfara (c) vs. Nathan Cleverley: Again, another unexpectedly competitive bout and a good clash of styles. Two of the top light heavyweights below the clear tier Stevenson and Kovalev are on, this was a great Friday night main event between legitimate contenders once the upper tier sorts itself out. Verdict: Watch
(Top Rank Friday Night Knockout on TruTV: October 16)
Super Welterweight Bout: Brad Solomon vs. Raymond Serrano: Nothing going on here that was unexpected or exciting, really. The winner wasn’t all that impressive, though he stifled his opponent thoroughly throughout. Verdict: Skip
WBO NABO Light Heavyweight (vacant) and WBC Continental Americas Light Heavyweight Title Bout: Sean Monaghan (c) vs. Donovan George: More a fight about story than skill here, but that isn’t to say there weren’t flashes of excitement. A broken hand from one of the fighters actually added something to this and elevated it to a very watchable bout. Verdict: Watch
(Premier Boxing Champions on NBC: October 16)
Welterweight Bout: Terrel Williams vs. Prichard Colon: A truly bizarre fight. It may be worth watching just based on the absurdity that occurred, but it wasn’t really competitive despite the referee trying to make it that way. Very wacky, but save yourself some time and fast forward through to the end. Verdict: Fast Forward
Welterweight Bout: Lamont Peterson vs. Felix Diaz Jr.: Diaz really brought the fight here with his pace that didn’t even slow up in the final round. Peterson did what Peterson does and that is definitely an acquired taste. Diaz made a fun fight out of it though, despite some shenanigans for the final result of the fight. Verdict: Watch
(HBO Pay-Per-View: Golovkin vs. Lemieux October 16)
IBF Middleweight Title Eliminator: Eamonn O’Kane vs. Tureano Johnson: This was all Johnson far and away, and not he becomes the next victim mandatory challenger for GGG, probably during his yearly Monte Carlo retreat. Verdict: Skip
Interim WBA World Heavyweight Championship: Luis Ortiz vs. Matias Ariel Vidondo: Ortiz stayed undefeated and put away Vidondo quick and brutally. It took barely over two rounds, and you get to see an up-and-comer undefeated heavyweight putting a beating down. It’s worth your couple minutes of time. Verdict: Watch
WBC World Flyweight Championship: Roman Gonzalez (c) vs. Brian Viloria: Do you enjoy watching a tiny man throw hellacious punches while he silently puts together a fantastic career and to be in the contention as P4P king? Sure you do! Watch Chocolatito do Chocolatito things to poor, poor, Brian Viloria. Verdict: Watch
WBA/IBF/IBO/Interim WBC World Middleweight Championship: David Lemieux (c) vs. Gennady Golovkin: Although this went about pretty much how you’d expect it to, it’s still absolutely worth a watch. Lemieux was game, and landed some bombs, but GGG is not made of materials that have yet been found by man or robot, so he walked right through them and continued to mash. Lemieux’s a hell of a fighter and a legit top middleweight, but Golovkin is a monster and every fight of his is worth your time. Verdict: Watch
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