Pick It: TBRB #3 John Riel Casimero vs. #5 Guillermo Rigondeaux (Saturday, Showtime, 10 PM EST)

While he remains the lineal king at Jr. featherweight, Cuba’s 40-year old Rigondeaux (20-1, 13 KO) is challenging here for a title in his second weight class. The 32-year old WBO titlist Casimero (30-4, 21 KO) is defending a title in his third weight class. Casimero will attempt to earn both his second defense of the belt he won from Zolani Tete and his seventh straight knockout win.

It’s a solid main event accompanied by a rock solid undercard. 28-year old Gary Antonio Russell (18-0, 12 KO) has his toughest match to date on paper as he faces 29-year old former bantamweight titlist and #4 rated Emanuel Rodriguez (19-2, 12 KO). Rodriguez enters off a highly debated loss to Reymart Gaballo in his last outing and has to feel his back against the wall. Former bantamweight titlist Rau’Shee Warren faces Damien Vazquez to round out a trip through one of boxing’s most competitive current weight classes.      

Additional Shows to Watch For

Friday - Trout vs. Davila (FITE, 12:00 PM EST)

Once a stalwart in the Jr. middleweight top ten, 35-year old Austin Trout (33-5-1, 18 KO) is looking for one more chance to stand out. 2-0-1 since a loss to Jermell Charlo, Austin seeks his third straight win on the road in Dubai. 33-year old Alejandro Davila enters off a win and has been stopped in both his losses. 

Friday/Saturday - Alamo vs. Yung (Telemundo, 12:00 AM EST)

Puerto Rico’s 26-year old Yomar Alamo (19-0-1, 12 KO) continues to inch toward Jr. welterweight contention in this main event. Mexico’s 28-year old Adrian Yung (28-6-2, 22 KO) has won two straight since the lone stoppage loss of his career versus Luke Campbell.

Saturday - #10 Buatsi vs. Bolotniks (DAZN, 2:00 PM EST)

Fight Camp settles in the light heavyweight division here. 28-year old Joshua Buatsi (14-0, 12 KO) is building his case for greater opportunity but he’s not quite arrived as a serious contender just yet. 31-year old Richards Bolotniks (18-5-1, 8 KO) isn’t likely to untrack him. Bolotniks isn’t a huge puncher and, more importantly, has been stopped three times. Buatsi’s knockout stats have a good chance of improving here.

Saturday - #6 Ortiz vs. Kavaliauskas (DAZN, 8:00 PM EST)

If Jarron Ennis isn’t the brightest rising light at welterweight, it’s the man in the hot seat in this main event. 23-year old Vergil Ortiz Jr. (17-0, 17 KO) is in position to challenge WBO welterweight titlist Terence Crawford but a little more seasoning can’t hurt. 33-year old Egidijus Kavalisuskas (22-1-1, 18 KO) had a good effort against Crawford and fans will inevitably compare outcomes here. Ortiz has to win for the comparisons to be worth it though. An intriguing Jr. lightweight rematch between #4 Roger Gutierrez (25-3-1, 20 KO) and #9 Rene Alvarado (32-9, 21 KO) adds depth to a good outing for the streaming service.

Saturday - #7 Franco vs. #9 Moloney (ESPN, 10:00 PM EST)

Jr. bantamweight’s golden era marches on and while bigger names get bigger headlines, the personal rivalry between these two has kept both busy and provided another layer to a stacked weight class. 25-year old Joshua Franco (17-1-2, 8 KO) scored one of the big upsets of 2020 when he defeated Moloney. 30-year old Andrew Moloney (21-1, 14 KO) was competing strong early in the rematch only for a head clash to send them home before matters could be resolved. For the third fight in a row, this two-man drama continues. Will we need a fourth fight to resolve matters for good?    

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, a member of the International Boxing Research Organization, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com