The One undercard: What I'd like to see

The One undercard: What I'd like to see

Mark E. Ortega

Freelance

July 10, 2013

With September 15's highly-anticipated mega fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Saul Alvarez just a tad more than two months away, you would think by now we would have some clue how the undercard is shaping up.

There have been rumors of a fight between Lucas Matthysse and Danny Garcia appearing as the co-feature. That fight is one of the top four or five fights that can be made in all of boxing and would perhaps be the best pay-per-view co-feature to ever have been put together.

With that in mind, what about the rest of the undercard? Or what if Matthysse-Garcia doesn't get made? There are many logical bouts that can be put together that would all but guarantee fans get their money's worth out of the bouts leading into the main event.

Here is a list of fights I've come up with that seem plausible for the September 15th undercard. Note that none of these fights should break the bank and could come at a decent price.

Josesito Lopez vs. Julio Diaz

Neither guy has seen their hand raised in their past two bouts, but that isn't for lack of trying. Lopez is coming off back-to-back losses against Canelo and Marcos Maidana while Diaz is coming off game efforts against Amir Khan and Shawn Porter, the latter being a draw.

This makes sense as a pay-per-view opener, a great crossroads bout that would position the winner for a solid fight in early 2014. It doesn't hurt that both have crowd-pleasing styles and would come to fight, as made evident by their recent challenges as major underdogs. While Josesito would be the favorite, you can't count out Diaz, who has found new life since moving up to welterweight.

Anthony Dirrell vs. Marco Antonio Periban

Dirrell has a fight coming up July 27 against former prospect Anthony Hanshaw as part of the Sho-Extreme portion of the Andre Berto-Jesus Soto Karass card in San Antonio. If he were to make it through that unscathed, which he should, why not a fight between he and Periban?

Periban is coming off a loss to Sakio Bika for the vacant WBC 168-pound title, but even in defeat, Periban came away impressing many who tuned in. Periban had never previously been in with that level of opposition and came just short of winning the title. With both guys ranked highly in the WBC, this could easily be made an eliminator. It would be the stiffest test for Dirrell so far, and not one I am sure he would pass.

Omar Figueroa vs. Jorge Linares

Both of these guys have upcoming fights, with Figueroa fighting for some sort of interim belt against the lightly regarded Japanese fighter Nihito Arakawa on the Berto-Soto Karass card on July 27. Linares has a tune-up scheduled for Japan in a few weeks.

It seems as though Golden Boy is building Figueroa up to be a future star. Why not get something out of Jorge Linares? They've had him for a number of years and just have been unable to get much mileage out of him, due to the fact that he's lost on the verge of making big fights at both 130 and 135 pounds. He didn't look sharp against David Rodela earlier this year and could be ripe for the picking, and a win for Figueroa would build his name nicely as there are still a lot of believers that Linares is the goods.

Gary Russell Jr. vs. Javier Fortuna

This seems out of the question, as Russell Jr. turned down a fight with Daniel Ponce De Leon, stating he needed a tune-up first, coming off hand surgery. Russell has been perpetually in tune-ups, and hasn't lived up to his talents as of yet. Fortuna is a wild-swinging but extremely powerful young fighter who has tested himself and deserves a big opportunity.

Golden Boy wouldn't dare risk their golden child in a difficult fight like this, but if they had the balls, it could end up shooting Russell Jr.'s name up the charts if he were to pull out an impressive win. This is one of the best fights that can be made between two young fighters and would be a fairly interesting pay-per-view co-feature should a major fight like Matthysse-Garcia not come to fruition.

Juan Diaz vs. Sharif Bogere

Another lightweight bout, another crossroads fight. Diaz returned to the ring earlier this year, shaking off the rust in a TKO win over Pipino Cuevas Jr. in April. Bogere is coming off a loss to Richar Abril for a version of the lightweight title in March, and both guys need a win to put themselves in discussions for big fights.

If Diaz were to win, a fight between him and Omar Figueroa could be huge for the state of Texas, as Diaz was a huge draw during his prime there and Figueroa could be the guy who picks up where he left off. Diaz would be a bit of a favorite here, but Bogere brings an exciting style that would make it an interesting fight until the final bell.

Ishe Smith vs. Austin Trout

With Smith's fight with Carlos Molina being called off for next week after Smith suffered an eye injury, relocating that fight to the Sept. 15 card seemed ideal, considering Smith is the first Las Vegas born champion in boxing.

But it seems as though Carlos Molina may take a fight with Miguel Cotto on HBO instead, leaving Smith without a dance partner. How about Trout, who was game in being soundly defeated by Canelo in April in front of more than 30,000 fans at The Alamodome?

Keith Thurman vs. Shawn Porter

Thurman has a fight for an interim belt on July 27 against Argentinian Diego Chaves, who is no slouch, but shouldn't be much trouble for the gifted Thurman. Porter is coming off a shutout win over unheralded Phil Lo Greco and is ready for a step-up fight where he isn't a decided favorite. The winner of this fight would position themselves nicely for a fight with one of the bigger draws that Golden Boy has at 147 pounds for 2014.

Eddie Gomez vs. Jorge Paez Jr.

Gomez may be one of the brightest 154-pounders that most people aren't really aware of yet, and what better way to draw attention than to put him up against a bit of name value? Paez Jr. doesn't possess the skillset of his famous circus act father, but he has built himself some credibility over the past few years and should provide a decent test (and a fun fight) for the talented Gomez. This would be a very good pay-per-view opener.