Photo by Marilyn Paulino
As we roll into the hot nights of summer, we look forward to a boxing schedule which continues to fill up with competitive fights that are easy to get excited about.
The month of June is highlighted by the return of Puerto Rican superstar Miguel Cotto as well as multiple nights that are log-jammed with enough boxing cards to fill your DVR.
It all kicks off on Thursday, June 4 with Golden Boy Promotions bringing you a very good card on Fox Sports 1/Fox Deportes which includes top 10 ranked Jayson Velez taking on Daniel Ramirez in the main event. It will be Velez’s first fight since earning a draw against former IBF Featherweight champion Evgeny Gradovich back in November 2014.
Just two days later on Saturday, June 6 current WBC and lineal Middleweight champion Miguel Cotto will defend his titles at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Photo by Marilyn Paulino/RBRBoxing
Cotto fighting in the Big Apple right around the time of the Puerto Rican Day Parade has become somewhat of a tradition, and he will attempt to not let his following down when he takes on Australian contender Daniel Geale who was knocked out by Gennady Golovkin back in July 2014, but bounced back nicely with a unanimous-decision win over Jarrod Fletcher in December later that year.
Photo by Scott Halleran
Rumors have made their way around boxing circles that a win for Cotto over Geale will set up a mega fight with Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez for later in 2015.
Also on Saturday, June 6 Premier Boxing Champions brings another 3:00 pm, EST afternoon boxing card to NBC and NBC Sports featuring Robert Guerrero vs. Aron Martinez in the main event. It’s Guerrero’s first fight since losing to Keith Thurman back on March 7, 2015.
PBC returns to Spike TV on Friday June 12 with Cuban slickster Erislandy Lara taking on Delvin Rodriguez in a Junior Middleweight bout.
Lara suffered a controversial loss to Canelo Alvarez back in July 2014 only to pick himself up and return to outclass aged contender Ishe Smith in December 2014.
Photo by Vincent Ethier
Also on the card rising Light Heavyweight contender Artur Beterbiev looks to continue his path of destruction when he takes on soft-touch opponent Doudou Ngumbu who managed to give top 10 contender Andrzej Fonfara a tough fight back in November 2014.
The following night Saturday, June 13 HBO and Showtime will go head to head by showcasing some of their youngest and brightest upcoming talent on the same evening.
WBA Featherweight titlist and all-around bad man Nicholas “Axe Man” Walters will headline the HBO card when he takes on hard-hitting Argentine, Miguel Marriaga from The Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Photo by Peter Amador
Also on that card, extremely talented Lightweight contender Felix Verdejo will continue his voyage of becoming boxing’s next big Puerto Rican star when he goes up against Ivan Najera in a scheduled 10-round fight.
Over on Showtime, boxing’s potentially next big American Heavyweight star Deontay Wilder will make the first defense of his WBC title in his home state of Alabama when he takes on no-name opponent Eric Molina.
Congratulations to #Povetkin on the win… I'm looking forward to having my first mandatory title defense. #BombZquad
— Deontay Wilder (@BronzeBomber) May 22, 2015
Wilder will be have the opportunity to showcase his talent and power to his home crowd against the limited skills of Molina before looking forward to the toughest fight of his life against mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin who earned the shot by knocking out contender Mike Perez in the first round on ESPN on May 22, 2015.
Saturday, June 20 is by far the most jam-packed night of boxing in the entire month of June, providing three big cards featuring some of the biggest names and most fan-friendly fighters the sport has to offer.
Live on NBC, Premier Boxing Champions will bring you two good fights including the main event between “About Billions” himself Adrien Broner and rough-and-tumble powerhouse fighter Shawn Porter.
Also on the card, Errol Spence Jr. will take a step up in competition when he goes toe-to-toe with Roberto Garcia in a scheduled 10 round fight.
Boxing makes its debut on BET with the return of undisputed Super Middleweight champion and unarguably top three pound-for-pound fighter in the world, American Andre Ward.
Ward, who hasn’t fought since November 2013, will look to get back on track with new promoter Roc Nation Sports when he takes on what should be an easy task in Brit Paul Smith.
Also on the same night Saturday, June 20 top 10 Middleweight contenders Hassan N’Dam and David Lemieux will fight for the vacant IBF Middleweight title in Montreal Canada. Although the fight is currently not scheduled to appear on U.S. television, Golden Boy Promotions President Oscar De La Hoya assured fans that it will be picked up, possibly by Fox Sports 1.
Both men are coming off impressive wins, N’Dam over Curtis Stevens and Lemieux over Gabe Rosado, and should certainly make for an interesting fight stylistically, matching technical boxer N’Dam against the fan-friendly slugger Lemieux.
Not only will the winner become a world champion for the first time, but he will be lined up for big fights down the road with such names like Miguel Cotto, Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin.
Sunday bloody Sunday, yes. Boxing makes its return to Sunday afternoons on June 21 when PBC brings you Junior Welterweights Rances Barthelemy vs. Antonio DeMarco on CBS. Barthelemy has been known to be as boring as church, but could be dragged into a decent fight with DeMarco who is usually exciting.
Photo edit by Aus Boxing
Showtime’s ShoBox returns on Friday, June 26 when undefeated Middleweight prospect Dominic Wade looks to step-up his competition against aging ex-title holder Sam Soliman. Rising prospects Jamel Herring and Erickson Lubin will also be showcased on the card in separate fights.
Photo by Ed Mulholland
On the same night, three other television networks will feature boxing including TruTV, which will feature Super Middleweight contender Gilberto Ramirez against Derek Edwards and Lightweights Diego Magdelano vs. Jose A. Gonzalez.
On Fox Sports 1, Welterweight Alan Sanchez will take on Steve Claggett, and on NBC Sports Net, Lightweight Tony Luis will fight an opponent who will later be determined.
Saturday, June 27 marks the return of ex-Welterweight titleholder and Manny Pacquiao conqueror, Timothy Bradley Jr. who will take on current WBA “regular” Junior Welterweight champion Jessie Vargas.
Bradley is coming off a disappointing and controversial draw to Diego Chaves, while Vargas, who is coming off a win over Antonio DeMarco and is undefeated in 26 fights, is looking to make his name known with a win over a top pound-for-pound opponent.
Boxing in the month of June ends on Tuesday, June 30 the same way it began, with a Golden Boy Promotions card on Fox Sports 1.
In the main event Light Heavyweight Vyacheslav Shabranskyy will take on an opponent to later be announced. Also in televised action, knockout artist D’Mitrius Ballard will be featured in his first eight-round bout, as well as Lightweights Lamont Roach Jr. vs. Christian Santibanez.
Please be sure to follow RoundByRoundBoxing.com at the beginning of every month for future “Boxing on TV” interactive schedules.
