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It’s going to be ‘Showtime’ indeed for the sport of boxing starting in December as Showtime Sports recently announced a massive seven-bout schedule that is certainly going to get boxing fans pumped up.
Showtime took to Twitter to announce the big news:
The Best vs. The Best 🔥👊🏽https://t.co/ft9PLuBIQD pic.twitter.com/SKGDA3JzuV
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) October 25, 2016
High Quality Fights, Fighters
Showtime’s impressive schedule involves fourteen Top 10 fighters, seven of which are undefeated. Twelve of the boxers are current or past world champions, as well. The schedule also has an impressive six title fights, including two title unification bouts. The fighters on the six world title bouts have combined record of 313-6. If that’s not impressive enough for you, you just aren’t a boxing fan.
Title Unifications
Showtime’s top tier schedule is headlined by a welterweight title unification between IBF champion Keith “One-Time” Thurman and WBC title holder Danny “Swift” Garcia on March 4th, 2017. Before he fights Thurman, Garcia has a tune-up fight on November 13th against fringe challenger Samuel Vargas.
Another title unification bout opens up the year in 2017 when Las Vegas resident and WBC Super Middleweight champion Badou Jack meets England’s IBF Super Middleweight title holder James DeGale.
More Title Bouts
The series of fights begin with a double title bout affair on December 10th at the Galen Center in Los Angeles.
WBA ‘regular’ featherweight champion Jesus Cuellar faces former world champion Abner Mares while IBF Jr. middleweight champion Jermall Charlo risks his belt against mandatory challenger Julian Williams.
Another double title bout event sets the month of January ablaze when Carl Frampton faces Leo Santa Cruz in a rematch of their July 2016 Fight of The Year candidate. The co-main event for Frampton-Santa Cruz will be the WBC lightweight title bout between champion Dejan Zlaticanin and challenger Mikey Garcia.
The seventh bout in the series features the return of the enigmatic four division world champion Adrien “ AB” Broner on February 11th. Broner will face fellow 140-pound contender Adrian Granados in a featured bout. Showtime is considered to be taking a risk in Broner whose recent off the ring troubles included suicide threats that led to a Police investigation and being cited for misdemeanor in a Las Vegas night club.
Odds For The Bouts
Some lines have already opened for these match ups and they are very competitive. These are Carl Frampton ( -110) vs Leo Santa Cruz ( +127), James DeGale (-220) vs Badou Jack (+220). Likewise, Mares vs Cuellar is expected to be close as both fighters were pegged at -110 against each other during their aborted June 2016 bout.
