UndercarDVR: Showtime Championship Boxing

Welcome to another installment of 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 watched, deleted, or put in fast forward.

Showtime put on a deep card with a spectacular main event, but which bouts are worth your time?

Get your remotes ready.

Carl Frampton defeated Leo Santa Cruz via majority decision to win the WBA Super World Featherweight Championship

• Nothing I can say will do this fight justice. About as close to a perfect blend of technique and brawling you will get, Frampton and Santa Cruz exchanged punches and momentum over a perfectly paced twelve rounds. Hopefully a rematch is in their future as these two could unleash an all-timer of a series, but I anticipate Frampton taking on Lee Selby in the UK and Santa Cruz getting Gary Russell.
• You might not want to delete this one ever from your DVR. Take special notice to Frampton’s excellent footwork and offensive defense and Santa Cruz’s astounding accuracy on punches with such loop that would make Juan Marichal cringe. You will get lost in this fight though and no one will blame you. Enjoy the magic. Verdict: Watch.

Mikey Garcia defeated Elio Rojas via fifth-round TKO

• The return fight for Garcia got the expected result as he got Rojas out early, but he didn’t have an easy night as Rojas overachieved given the circumstances. Rojas will be must-watch in his next fight and Garcia has unlimited potential that could have been wasted. We will get to see after a few tune-ups what is on the horizon for Garcia.
• The fight wasn’t spectacularly competitive, but it featured a real talent working off some rust against a veteran who was supposed to roll over. The mix of storylines and the action in the ring makes it worth the handful of rounds. Verdict: Watch.

Tony Harris defeated Sergey Rabchenko via ninth-round TKO

• Harrison impressed as he battered the overly aggressive Rabchenko coming in before one-shotting him into a daze for the finish. Rabchenko has reached his ceiling and you can look for him on any given TV card as a fun weekday main eventer or a solid card opener. Harrison looked great in there and is worth monitoring as he will use the win to springboard into relevant competition.
• This fight was not competitive at all. You could loop the exchanges and get the same result of Rabchenko walking into the wood chipper. Harrison dominated, but nothing you haven’t seen before. Just get to the good finish. Verdict: Fast Forward.