Manny Pacquiao, one of the most exciting fighters in the world, headlines a good weekend of fights that also features the return of Zab Judah and a title defense by 7-foot-2 Nikolai Valuev.
Zab Judah (34-4, 25 KOs) vs. Ruben Galvan (27-11-2, 10 KOs) in a 10-round welterweight bout
When: Friday, 9 p.m. ET Where: Tunica, Miss. TV: ESPN 2
Why watch: Judah is coming off a one-year suspension for his antics during last April’s fight with Floyd Mayweather. But the reason to watch is to see Judah tune up in preparation for his June 9 title shot against Miguel Cotto at Madison Square Garden.
Nikolai Valuev (46-0, 34 KOs) makes the fourth defense of the WBA heavyweight championship against mandatory challenger Ruslan Chagaev (22-0-1, 17 KOs)
When: Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET Where: Stuttgart, Germany TV: MSG Network
Why watch: Valuev is piquing the interest of the boxing community with his 7-2 height and unblemished record. He is slowly beginning to make believers out of some with wins over John Ruiz, Monte Barrett and Jameel McCline. Chagaev might be better then all of them. He defeated Ruiz in more convincing fashion then did Valuev. Chagaev is a “live dog” in this spot, as he possesses a good southpaw style that Valuev will try to figure out, while Chagaev looks to overcome a 12-inch height disadvantage. Valuev will have to earn this one by using his height and reach, which he has been improving on, as his competition has stiffened and this is a stern test.
“Blaze of Glory” pay-per-view featuring Manny Pacquiao (43-3-2, 24 KOs) vs. Jorge Solis (32-0-2, 23 KOs) in a 12-round super featherweight bout … Cristian Mijares (30-3-2, 12 KOs) makes the second defense of the WBC super flyweight title against Jorge Arce (46-3-1, 35 KOs) … Brian Viloria (19-1, 12 KOs) battles Edgar Sosa (26-5, 14 KOs) for the vacant WBC light flyweight title … Julio Caesar Chavez Jr. (30-0-1, 23 KOs) vs. Anthony Shuler (20-4-1, 14 KOs) in a jr. middleweight bout.
When: Saturday, 9 p.m. ET Where: San Antonio TV: Pay-per-view
What to watch for: Pacquiao was the 2006 fighter of the year and makes his first appearance in 2007 following his third-round destruction over Erik Morales. Pacquiao had better be focused, which might not be easy because of tug-of-war distractions between Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions. He is currently running for office in his native Philippines and his trainer, Freddie Roach, has not trained Pacquiao because he’s working with Oscar De La Hoya in Puerto Rico. Late word has Roach flying in to work Pacquiao’s corner to join co-trainer Justin Fortune. Solis, Pacquiao’s opponent, is not well known, but is undefeated and can fight a little bit. If he uses his height and stays around long enough, this fight can get interesting.
• The show stealer could be Mijares vs. Arce. If Pacquiao is the most exciting fighter in the world, then Arce could be a close second. From his entertaining ring walkup to his aggressive style, “The Lollypop Cowboy” is a joy to watch. What won’t be a joy is Mijares, a tricky southpaw with some pop. Mijares has confidence after his title fights in Asia when he knocked out a high-ranked Japanese fighter in his last bout. Look for Arce to dictate the action and his go-for-broke style will make this fight a real crowd pleaser.
• Viloria has been disappointing in his last two fights against Omar Nino. Viloria basically slept through the first bout and Nino took his title by decision. Viloria thought he won his title back last November in the rematch by scoring two knockdowns, only to have to settle for a draw. Nino tested positive for a banned substance, making the title vacant for Viloria and Sosa to vie for the green belt.
• Chavez Jr. has been improving as he has been growing into his body. His promoter, Bob Arum, said that should Chavez Jr. win on Saturday, his competition would be raised dramatically for a June 9 fight in New York. Arum went on to say that a victory in June could lead to a fall date against a fighter that Arum termed would be a “huge name.”
