Fight Week: Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano will do it again
FIGHT WEEK
Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano will meet a second time for the undisputed 154-pound championship Saturday in Carson, California.
Jermell Charlo (34-1-1, 18 KOs) vs. Brian Castano (17-0-2, 12 KOs)
When: Saturday, May 14
Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
Where: Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, California
TV/Stream: Showtime
Division: Junior middleweight (154 pounds)
Rounds: 12
At stake: Charlo’s IBF, WBA, WBC and Castano’s WBO titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: Charlo No. 10
Odds: Charlo 1½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Also on the card: Jaron Ennis vs. Custio Clayton, welterweights; Kevin Gonzalez vs. Emanuel Rivera, junior featherweights
Prediction: Charlo UD
Background: Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano will try again to crown an undisputed 154-pound champion. They did battle with all four belts on the line last July but the fight ended in a draw, which settled nothing. Charlo, a formidable boxer-puncher from Houston, had been one of the hotter fighters in the business going into that fight. He lost a stunning decision and the WBC title to slick Tony Harrison in December 2018 but (following a successful defense against Jorge Cota) stopped Harrison in 11 rounds in the rematch and then knocked out Jeison Rosario in eight rounds to add the IBF and WBA belts in September 2020. Charlo also has victories Gabriel Rosado, Vanes Martirosyan, Erickson Lubin and Austin Trout. Castano, a relentless volume puncher from Argentina, followed a series of impressive performances – including a victory over Michel Soro (SD) and a draw with Erislandy Lara – by easily outpointing Patrick Teixeira to win the WBO title in February of last year. That led to the first title-unification bout against Charlo, in which Castano made it clear that he’s one of the best in the business.
Gilberto Ramirez (43-0, 29 KOs) vs. Dominic Boesel (32-2, 12 KOs)
When: Saturday, May 14
Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
Where: Toyota Arena, Ontario, California
TV/Stream: DAZN
Division: Light heavyweight (175 pounds)
Rounds: 12
At stake: No titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: NA
Also on the card: William Zepeda vs. Rene Alvarado, lightweights
Prediction: Ramirez KO 8
Background: Ramirez might be the most-under-the-radar unbeaten former world titleholder. The Mexican southpaw is a former super middleweight titleholder with victories over Arthur Abraham and Jesse Hart (twice). However, in part because of promotional problems, his momentum stalled when he moved up to light heavyweight in 2019. He seems to be back on track after joining forces with Golden Boy Promotions, with consecutive knockouts of Sullivan Barrera and Yunieski Gonzalez. He is now talking publicly about taking on the top 175-pounders. Of course, a fight against the nondescript Boesel might be a step backward. The German is a solid European-level fighter but is essentially a stay-busy opponent for Ramirez, who is biding his time until he can get a big fight. Boesel is coming off a split-decision victory in his October rematch with Robin Krasniqi, who stopped him in three rounds in 2020. He has never fought outside of Europe.
Floyd Mayweather (50-0, 27 KOs) vs. Don Moore (18-0-1, 12 KOs)
When: Saturday, May 14
Time: 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (main event later in show)
Where: Burj Al Arab hotel, Dubai, UAE
TV/Stream: Pay per view ($29.99 in U.S.)
Rounds: Eight
At stake: No titles (exhibition)
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Also on the card: Delfine Persoon vs. Elhem Mekhaled, female junior lightweights; Badou Jack vs. Hany Atiyo, cruiserweights; Anderson Silva vs. Bruno Machado (exhibition).
Prediction: No winner
Background: Floyd Mayweather returns to the ring for the first time since the now-45-year-old Hall of Famer and YouTuber Logan Paul took part in an exhibition this past June. The most (only?) interesting thing about the upcoming event is that it will take place on a helicopter landing pad atop the iconic Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai, on which Tiger Woods once teed off and Andre Agassi and Roger Federer played tennis. Moore, a 45-year-old from Gary, Indiana, reportedly is a former sparring partner of Mayweather. He last fought in a sanctioned bout in 2016. He never faced a notable opponent.
Also fighting this week:
THURSDAY
Angel Acosta vs. Janel Rivera, junior bantamweights, Indio, California (DAZN).
Jalan Walker vs. Adam Ochoa, featherweights, Montebello, California (UFC Fight Pass).
FRIDAY
Daniele Scardina vs. Giovanni De Carolis, super middleweights, Milan, Italy (DAZN).
SATURDAY
Sergey Kovalev vs. Tervel Pulev, cruiserweights, Inglewood, California (pay-per-view).
Tony Yoka vs. Martin Bakole, heavyweights, Paris (ESPN+).
