With the bulk of the mainstream boxing action for August already behind us, boxing fans are turning their attention toward September bouts, and it looks as if we’ll have more than enough to keep us entertained. So here’s a quick recap at the headline bouts, with a brief preview of each.
Danny Garcia vs. Lucas Matthysse
This one fight I will not miss and though there was no press tour to hype the fight as a boxing fan you know Danny Garcia and Lucas Matthysse will be a war. Garcia will look to defend his WBA/WBC junior welterweight title against a fearsome challenger in Lucas Matthysse, and early betting lines have Garcia as a clear underdog. At betting.betfair.com, Garcia is listed with 7/4 odds to take the fight, while Matthysse has favorable 2/5 odds (with 22/1 odds of a draw). This fight is fueled by some speculation that Garcia was initially scared to fight Matthysse (after watching Mattysysse deliver a brutal knockout of Lamont Peterson in May), but regardless this is not the first time Garcia was a heavy underdog, we all know what happen when he took on Amir Khan.
Erislandy Lara vs. Austin Trout
There was rumors about Erislandy Lara taking Austin Trout as part of the Floyd Mayweather vs Saul Alvarez undercard. Word is that Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer couldn’t make the fight. That would have been an awesome triple header. Lara and Trout would have enter the fight with even odds (both at 10/11), and truth be told there’s no clear way to discern an advantage. It’s a 50-50 fight on paper. Both fighters are quick, clever lefties, and both have similar track records. This is as close to a toss-up as you get.
Two other bouts were added to round out the pay per view card on Sept. 14
Ishe Smith vs Carlos Molina
Junior middleweight titlist Ishe Smith, the first native Las Vegan to win a world title, will make his first defense, a mandatory, against Carlos Molina.On paper, Smith-Molina is a fairly important clash between two much-avoided fighters. The winner will go on to the next level against guys like Erislandy Lara, Miguel Cotto, and Austin Trout.
Pablo Cesar Cano vs Ashley Theophane
And welterweights Pablo Cesar Cano of Mexico and Ashley Theophane of England will meet in the scheduled 10-round pay-per-view opener. Cano (26-3-1, 20 KOs) has lost two fights in a row but is known for usually being in action-packed bouts. In October, he lost a controversial split decision challenging then-welterweight titlist Paulie Malignaggi — whom he knocked down in the 11th round — in Malignaggi’s hometown of New York. Cano returned May 18 and lost a unanimous decision in a highly competitive slugfest with former three-division champion Shane Mosley in Cancun, Mexico.
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Saul Alvarez
Naturally, this is the headline event of the month – and, realistically, the year – in boxing. Mayweather Jr. enters the bout with strong 1/3 fixed odds to win, with Alvarez at 12/5. However, beyond the odds, this match is closer than many would expect. In fact, as noted at mlive.com, this is the first fight in years for which we may see many analysts picking Mayweather to finally lose. Alvarez is young, quick and strong, and truth be told fights with a somewhat similar style and confidence to Mayweather himself. The smart money is on the champion, but this could well be a fight to remember. If Mayweather can pull this one off – particularly after Manny Pacquiao’s seeming decline at the end of 2012 – he’ll further assert himself as the best fighter of the generation. However, if Alvarez can pull it off it would undoubtedly be one of the biggest moments in boxing history.