The main attraction this week has to be the return of Vasyl Lomachenko who should have been involved in perhaps a more mouth-watering fight than the one he has to deal with. A mandatory instead of a Unification is never what someone like Lomachenko would want, but an injury to Richard Commey means he didn't have much choice outside of dropping his belt and that was never going to happen with such a proud fighter who wants to collect all the trinkets available.
Jaime Munguia is in action on a card on Saturday, while women's Boxing may have been given the first real super-fight in a generation as unbeaten Olympian Claressa Shields takes on unbeaten Christina Hammer as the main event of a card on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City.
It has been a month since my last selections from a Boxing card were made and that has happened for a couple of reasons. Firstly there has not been a lot of fights to appeal in that time, while I was also away for the last big card in London.
The season has not begun in the manner I would have wanted, but I am hoping to get that turned around and back up the successful 2018 season.
Gilberto Ramirez vs Tommy Karpency
There has been some confusion with the status of Gilberto Ramirez as it seemed like he had vacated his WBO Super Middleweight Title to move up to Light Heavyweight, but instead this seems like a one fight foray into the higher Division.
Well that is the case for now for the unbeaten Mexican who has been big for Super Middleweight or so it has seemed. Being unbeaten in thirty-nine fights is a very good achievement for any Boxer, but I do think Gilberto Ramirez has been matched well and he has yet to really take on the kind of Challenger that many would like to see.
This is not really that kind of test as Ramirez meets Tommy Karpency on the undercard of the Vasyl Lomachenko card.
Ramirez is going to be the taller man with the longer reach, although Karpency will have to be respected knowing he has been in with some tough opponents at the weight. Without a doubt the best of the performances was the Split Decision defeat to Chad Dawson, but Karpency was also wiped out by Adonis Stevenson in Three Rounds and stopped by Oleksandr Gvozdyk in Six Rounds, although Karpency has shown he has some pop by putting the current WBC Champion down in that defeat.
Ultimately I think this is a good showcase fight for Ramirez to show he can compete at the higher weight than he has been used to operating at. I do think Tommy Karpency is a good kind of fighter to show Ramirez can be a player at this weight and I can see him getting Karpency out of there slightly earlier than Gvozdyk did.
Backing Ramirez to find the stoppage in the first half of the fight is the selection.
Vasyl Lomachenko vs Anthony Crolla
The layers are not expecting this fight to be competitive and, as much as I like Anthony Crolla, I have to agree with them.
World Boxing is all about levels and this is featuring an elite, pound for pound king versus someone who has overachieved to realise his dream of becoming a World Champion. Anthony Crolla did give Jorge Linares something to think about in their first fight, but he was outclassed in the rematch and Vasyl Lomachenko is a really special talent.
The only thing that could hold Lomachenko back is that this is a fight that is not of the magnitude he has been used to taking on since turning professional. Even then I think the attitude of the Ukrainian is spot on and he will look at this as a minor obstacle that needs dealing with before he can move on to Unification bouts.
Most of his recent opponents have not been able to stay with Lomachenko who takes away the desire with the superior boxing and eventually starts finding the openings which breaks down opponents. I do think that is going to happen in this one too with Anthony Crolla looking like his come forward, pressure style is going to be made for Lomachenko to pick him apart.
In his rematch with Jorge Linares, Anthony Crolla had to plead with Joe Gallagher to allow him to finish what had been a one-sided second half of the fight. This time I can see the trainer getting his way with his charge and being allowed to pull him out once he loses the first six or seven Rounds.
I can only see Lomachenko breaking down Crolla and begin to really hurt him just past the halfway mark of this fight and I am going to back the Ukrainian to earn the stoppage in the second half of the bout.
Peter Quillin vs Caleb Truax
This is the epitome of a crossroads fight when Peter Quillin and Caleb Truax meet in the Super Middleweight Division.
Both are 35 years old and turning 36 during the course of 2019 and both are also former World Champions. Caleb Truax won his title in the Super Middleweight Division when upsetting James DeGale, but he lost the rematch, while Peter Quillin was a Middleweight Champion before being dethroned in One Round by Daniel Jacobs.
This is only the third fight for Quillin since that defeat to Jacobs, although Truax has only been slightly more active of the two fighters.
The winner may go on and think about potentially challenging for a World Title, but at this age I would wonder if the losing fighter has to consider retirement.
There is much on the line on Saturday.
My feeling is that there is still more in the tank for Quillin especially when you consider the two tough fights Truax had with DeGale. It has become clear that DeGale has not been the same fighter as he was in his prime and that was a big factor in his defeat to Truax and I do believe Quillin may be the better Boxer in this fight.
The superior reach is with Truax which could cause problems if he tries to stay on the back foot, but that is not his style and I think it will allow Quillin to get in and do his work. Being at home should encourage and motivate Truax to keep coming forward and I do think there is every chance there will be a Split or Majority Decision verdict in this one.
I think there is likely to be slightly more in the Quillin tank though and he can edge to a victory in this one. Beating a home fighter on the cards is not easy, but I think Quillin can show the superior Boxing to do that.
Sergiy Derevyanchenko vs Jack Culcay
Six months ago Sergiy Derevyanchenko came very close to beating Daniel Jacobs and he was punished for a nervy start which saw him hit the canvas in the First Round in what was ultimately a Split Decision defeat.
Instead of a potential Unification fight with Canelo Alvarez, Derevyanchenko is trying to rebuild when he goes up against Jack Culcay on the same PBC card as Peter Quillin and Caleb Truax.
This is far from a straight-forward fight for Derevyanchenko when you think Culcay has been the distance with the likes of Demetrius Andrade and Maciej Sulecki. Both of those fighters are solid Middleweights and Culcay was very close to ending the Andrade unbeaten run and I think the German will come into this fight with plenty of belief.
Jack Culcay has won three fights since the last defeat to Sulecki, but I think Derevyanchenko could be the hardest hitter he will have faced and it will be interesting to see if the Ukrainian can become the first man to stop him. I do think he is the right favourite and I think Derevyanchenko would have learnt a lot from the loss to Danny Jacobs.
This should be the start of his rebuilding back up the World Rankings and I think Culcay is going to do very well to keep Derevyanchenko's power in check in this one. Fighters like Andrade and Sulecki don't hit as hard as Derevyanchenko and I think the latter is going to be looking to make a statement against someone who has hit the canvas before even if he has yet to be stopped as a professional.
I would be surprised if that occurred early though and I expect Derevyanchenko to wear down Culcay and perhaps put something together in the second half of the fight that forces the stoppage.
Jaime Munguia vs Dennis Hogan
It seems only a matter of time that Jaime Munguia will join the loaded Middleweight Division as he could have done twelve months ago when a potential opponent for Gennady Golovkin. The last year has been a very good one for Jaime Munguia who has become one of the leading names at 154 pounds even if it does feel he is too big for the weight.
He will be defending his WBO Light-Middleweight belt on Saturday when Dennis Hogan comes to Mexico to take on the power punching home favourite.
Someone who has Irish blood and fights out of Australia is going to be a tough man to break down, but Dennis Hogan is taking a considerable step up from his usual level of competition. We are going to find out how durable he is because I don't think he is going to want to move out of the way of a brawl which is what Munguia will bring to begin with.
I have seen Munguia begin to box when he feels his power is not having the impact he would like, but I also think the young Mexican is learning his craft and will want to show other elements of his Boxing where he can. This fight feels much more like a showcase one for Munguia back in Mexico for the first time in thirteen months and I do think he is going to win a firefight fairly early.
Munguia has blown out Sadam Ali and Brandon Cooks and been forced to go the distance with Liam Smith and Takeshi Inoue over the last twelve months. The latter two fighters showed how far toughness can take them even against some as hard hitting as Munguia, but we are going to learn a lot about Hogan in this one.
It should be one where neither takes a backward step though and I think that is where Munguia can give the home crowd a highlight reel finish with an early stoppage.
MY PICKS: Gilberto Ramirez to Win Between 1-5 @ 2.75 Ladbrokes (2 Units)
Vasyl Lomachenko to Win Between 7-12 @ 2.37 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Peter Quillin to Win by Decision/Technical Decision @ 2.62 Bet365 (2 Units)
Sergiy Derevyanchenko to Win Between 7-12 @ 4.00 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)
Jaime Munguia to Win Between 1-6 @ 2.25 Ladbrokes (2 Units)
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