Premier Boxing Champions, PBC, and FOX Sports have announced their broadcasting schedule for the remainder of 2020 headlined by some of the best in the sport along with one FOX SPORTS PPV event.
Of the initial five PBC fights, they are headlined by former champions Shawn Porter (30-3-1, 17 KOs) and Erislandy Lara (26-3-3, 15 KOs) along with Welterweight contender Yordenis Ugas (25-4, 12 KOs).
Two fights are to be announced on November 7, 2020, and December 26, 2020. The PPV on FOX is the world-class matchup of WBC & IBF Welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr (26-0, 21 KOs) vs former two-division champion Danny Garcia (36-2, 21 KOs).
A handful of the best fighters in the sport were not mentioned, let’s take a look at which PBC fighters could be back in action on the remaining unannounced main events.
CALEB PLANT (20-0, 12 KOS)
Caleb “Sweet Hands” Plant is coming off of a successful IBF Super Middleweight mandatory fight against Vincent Feigenbutz (31-3, 28 KOs) on Feb 15, 2020. Since then, there hasn’t been much news regarding Plant’s next opponent or a fight date. With an IBF mandatory out of the way, Plant can choose his next opponent without the pressure from the sanctioning body.
The problem here is who wants to fight Plant, and what are his options. Plant seems to be stuck in a rock and a hard place in terms of opponents. Possibly a stay busy fight that isn’t attractive, something along the lines of Anthony Dirrell is a possibility to continue growing Caleb Plant into a star without a big name willing to fight him at the moment.
JARRET HURD (24-1, 16 KOS)
Jarret Hurd looks to regain Super Welterweight supremacy. He is coming off his first win since losing his IBF, WBA, IBO titles vs Julian Williams. The loss occurred on May 11, 2019, the first of Hurd’s career. He proceeded to change trainers, not exercise his rematch clause, and hit the gym with revenge on his mind.
The Super Welterweight division is absolutely loaded with fighters from the PBC stable. Finding a great matchup is relatively easy. Throw a dart blindfolded at the top 15 in the WBC, WBA, IBF, or WBO rankings. Fights with Tony Harrison, or Brian Carlos Castano or even a rematch with Julian Williams are all main event fights.
MANNY PACQUIAO (62-7-2, 39 KOS)
The 41-year-old eight-division champion Pacquiao defended his WBA Welterweight twice in 2019. Both resulting in wins over Adrien Broner on Jan 19, 2019, and Keith Thurman in July of 2019.
Pacquiao has been very quiet since the summer of 19. It has been one calendar year since we’ve seen the champion in the ring. Yes, he gets to dictate who he fights, when, and where. However, is there a chance he is in the ring before the year ends? Pacquiao would have to fight a current champion or big-name opponent. Mega fights with Terence Crawford, Mikey Garcia, Errol Spence Jr, Danny Garcia, or a Keith Thurman rematch all make sense for Pacquiao.
KEITH THURMAN (29-1, 22 KOS)
Keith “One Time” Thurman was on the path of Welterweight supremacy. With wins over Shawn Porter in 2016, and Danny Garcia in 2017, he was on top of the division. The future was bright and a unification bout with Errol Spence Jr. was imminent. Unfortunately, elbow surgery and a training camp hand injury kept Thurman out of boxing for close to two years.
Thurman’s comeback fight vs Josesito Lopez (37-8, 20 KOs) on January 26, 2019, was a majority decision win. He followed this win up with a split-decision loss against Manny Pacquiao who floored Thurman in round one and dominated the pace of the fight.
Once again Thurman has been out of the ring for one whole calendar year, stating he got complacent, would blow up in weight, and wasn’t living a disciplined fighter life outside of training camps.
Thurman needs to get back in the ring and show the world who he is, and soon. The star status attached to Thurman will slowly fade if he doesn’t jump back in the squared circle. Thurman should fight veterans like Jamal James (27-1, 12 KOs), David Avanesyan (26-3-1, 14 KOs), or even Amir Khan (34-5, 21 KOs).
MIKEY GARCIA (40-1, 30 KOS)
Mikey Garcia dominated Jessie Vargas in a unanimous decision win on February 29, 2020. Garcia fulfilled his one-fight contract with DAZN and can once again be a network free agent to fight whomever he chooses.
Garcia remains adamant that he will campaign in the Welterweight division. He is the third-ranked contender by the WBO, and WBA, fourth by the WBC. With most of the top five contenders having scheduled bouts, Garcia is on the outside looking in. He has thrown around Manny Pacquiao’s name for the last year or so, as well as Danny Garcia. Realistically fights against Pacquiao or Thurman would seem logical for Mikey Garcia. He is in the money-making business and wants the best in the division.
Which PBC boxing stars do you want to see back in action in late 2020?
