Weekend Preview: NBC Gets Back In The Fight Game

by Gautham Nagesh

Finally a full fight weekend, the first of the new year featuring shows on Showtime, Telefutura, Telemundo, AT&T U-Verse and…wait for it…NBC Sports!

The Peacock network gets back in the fight game via a deal with Main Events for the new NBC Sports Network Fight Night Series on the channel formerly known as Versus. The first show will air live from Philadelphia’s Asylum Arena on Saturday night and our own Trey Pollard will be ringside, camera in hand to document the proceedings.

Hall-of-Fame trainer Freddie Roach, MMA fighter-turned-cruiserweight B.J. Flores and broadcaster Kenny Rice will provide commentary for the show, which was supposed to feature heavyweights Eddie Chambers and Sergei Liakhovich in the opener before Chambers fractured ribs in training. Instead a pair of unbeaten Philly heavyweights will battle in the main event: Maurice “Freight Train” Byarm and Bryant “Bye Bye” Jennings.

Byarm fights out of DC and has been a mainstay on local cards; Jennings is two years younger and 20 lbs. lighter but sounded confident during a televised interview earlier this week. Byarm is the bigger puncher and we expect him to score a late-round stoppage in an exciting season premier for NBC. Chief support between Philly junior middleweight Gabriel Rosado and Jesus Soto-Karass should be barnburner; tune in Saturday for full coverage.

Showtime features a junior featherweight matchup between Rico Ramos and Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux for Ramos’ WBA trinket from Vegas on Friday night. The fight was originally slated for New Year’s Eve and could be a good one: both are unbeaten and rated (Ramos #2, Rigondeaux #6) by Ring Magazine at 122 lbs. This will either be a riveting clash of talented little guys or a boring bout between two counter-punchers unwilling to take the lead.

Rigondeaux is the prototypical Cuban: a two-time Olympic gold medalist who, at 31, is too old to be considered a prospect. He’s still far from a finished pro thanks to his prolonged amateur career, and he fights like a Cuban too: in spurts and passive to the point of boredom at times. Ramos is not the most consistent fighter either, and by his own admission he doesn’t like to be hit. But he also shows flashes of greatness, which we think will be enough to win by a late stoppage.

Brooklyn junior welterweight Gabriel Bracero will take the test Friday night at the Roseland Ballroom in Midtown Manhattan that every potential contender must pass at 140 lbs: DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley. Lou DiBella’s Broadway Boxing will feature a ten-round tilt between the popular Puerto Rican and the former world titlist turned gatekeeper.

The Beltway native is riding a losing streak of six fights but must stay busy to provide for his baker’s dozen of offspring. Tito Bracero is a good fighter but no puncher; he will need to avoid getting caught and stay busy for the full ten. NY-area favorites Sonya Lamonakis, Alex Perez and Seanie Monaghan higlight the undercard.

Telemundo has a show from Mexico City Friday Night, Telefutura is now on Saturdays and will be shown live from San Juan. English heavyweights David Price and John McDermott fight Saturday night in Liverpool. Miguel Vazquez and Daniel Ponce de Leon headline separate untelevised cards in Mexico.