Pick It: TBRB #5 John Ryder vs. Jaime Munguia (Saturday, DAZN, 8:00 PM EST)   

No title is on the line but serious title contention could be at stake for both men in this super middleweight main event. 35-year old John Ryder (32-6, 18 KO) has to know his time as a contender is hanging on by a thread. He got his big shot against undisputed king Saul Alvarez and came up well short.

If he wants to be around for when the belts break up again, he can’t lose here. 27-year old Jaime Munguia (42-0, 33 KO) had a reign at junior middleweight but his career was largely floundering until a dramatic win over Sergey Derevyanchenko last year. This is his second consecutive notable opponent and he’s got the time on his side to make a real push now. The styles should mesh for a good action fight and the undercard, featuring strawweight titlist Oscar Collazo and flyweight titlist Gabriela Fundora, should make this a quality night of fisticuffs for people who aren’t watching the Royal Rumble.   

Additional Shows to Watch 

Saturday - Crocker vs. Felix (DAZN, 2:00 PM EST)

Welterweight action tops this bill from Belfast. 27-year old Lewis Crocker (18-0, 10 KO) will attempt to keep his mark unblemished as he faces 31-year old Jose Felix (40-6-1, 31 KO). Felix has been stopped twice, both times in 2018, and lost two straight before a win in his last bout. Crocker has yet to crack the rankings of the major sanctioning bodies but will continue to look for wins in that pursuit.  

Saturday - Trinidad vs. Perez (UFC Fight Pass, 10:00 PM EST)

A pair of California featherweights will lock horns in the main event. 28-year old Omar Trinidad (14-0-1, 11 KO) has shown some pop and will be making his first scheduled ten-round start. 28-year old Jose Perez (11-2-2, 5 KO) has been stopped once but that was back in his third pro start. Perez does enter off a loss in his last bout. Trinidad’s only blemish, a draw, came in his pro debut.

Sunday - Glanton vs. Markic (Fite TV, 3:00 PM EST)

Fans who prefer fisticuffs over football will have some cruiserweight options to turn to here. 31-year old Brandon Glanton (18-2, 15 KO) halted a two-fight skid with a win in his last outing. Glanton has never been stopped and is best recalled for an absolute war in 2021 with Efetobor Apachi. 40-year old Emil Markic (35-4, 27 KO) is 3-1 in his last four starts but has been stopped three times in his career.    

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