Here is boxing writer Keith Idec?s inside look at the sport:
FEATURED FIGHT: Keith Thurman vs. Shawn Porter. An official announcement for a highly anticipated fight that was expected to take place late last year finally should come sometime next week. Thurman (26-0, 22 KOs), of Clearwater, Fla., and Porter (26-1-1, 16 KOs), of Akron, Ohio, will meet March 5 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. CBS will televise their 12-rounder for Thurman?s WBA welterweight title in prime time. Porter, 28, has lost only to unbeaten IBF welterweight champ Kell Brook (35-0, 24 KOs) by majority decision and is considered the most difficult opponent of the 27-year-old Thurman?s eight-year pro career.
LOCAL LOOK: Julian Rodriguez (11-0, 9 KOs), a junior welterweight prospect from Hasbrouck Heights, plans to return Feb. 27 in The Theater at Madison Square Garden. The 2013 national Golden Gloves champion?s opponent hasn?t been chosen. Rodriguez?s non-televised fight will be part of the Terence Crawford-Hank Lundy undercard. HBO will televise the 12-round bout between WBO super lightweight champion Crawford (27-0, 19 KOs) of Omaha, Neb., and Philadelphia?s Lundy (26-5-1, 13 KOs), and a 10-rounder that?ll match Puerto Rican lightweight contender Felix Verdejo (19-0, 14 KOs) against Brazil?s William Silva (22-0, 13 KOs).
THE FINAL BELL: The two biggest fights on HBO?s schedule early this year ? Sergey Kovalev-Jean Pascal on Jan. 30 in Montreal and Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley on April 9 in Las Vegas ? are utterly unnecessary rematches. Kovalev (28-0-1, 25 KOs) dropped Pascal (30-3-1, 17 KOs, 1 NC) twice in their first light heavyweight title fight on his way to an eighth-round stoppage March 14 in Montreal. And despite his absurd split-decision defeat in their first fight 3 1/2 years ago, Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38 KOs) has, for all intents and purposes, soundly beaten Bradley (33-1-1, 13 KOs, 1 NC) twice in welterweight championship matches. While promotional problems and premium-cable conflicts clearly limit the talent pool at times, this trend cannot continue for a network that historically has delivered compelling boxing programming.
