The upcoming September schedule is stacked to the rafters. And that is no exaggeration. Boxing fans have already enjoyed an impressive year of big, game-changing fights, and the trend is set to continue. Even Mayweather vs. McGregor was actually fairly entertaining – even competitive – for a novelty event that was predicted to pour a lot of stink into boxing.
Anyway, this September looks to deliver both in quality and bulk. A pair of megastars will collide in a monumental Middleweight showdown. Plus, the WBSS (Super Middle and Light Heavyweight varieties) get underway, amidst a bunch more must-see scraps. As always, be sure to check out our extensive forecast for the remainder of 2017 in our Complete Schedule.
Roman Gonzalez vs. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai II (HBO, Sky Sports Main Event)
September 9, Carson, California
Fans demanded a sequel to Roman Gonzalez’s back-and-forth war with Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, and it’s been swiftly served up. Prior to March, the sublimely skilled Gonzalez, who remains atop BB’s Pound-for-Pound Top 10, was expected to handily win. That was until fight night, when spoiler Rungvisai, a tenacious boxer-banger, pulled off a huge upset following a close, blood and guts war.
Gonzalez will be gunning to set the record straight here as he bids to reclaim the WBC Junior Bantamweight crown he surrendered last time. While Golovkin vs. Canelo (below) will be ‘The Mega Fight’ on everyone’s lips during this segment of the calendar, Gonzalez vs. Rungvisai II is worth blowing off your Saturday night plans for. Gonzalez is the slicker operator, granted, but he’ll be back in with a big, gnarly warrior in Rungvisai who already boasts being the only man to drop Gonzalez.
Gonzalez vs. Runvisai II Undercard:
- Naoya Inoue vs. Antonio Nieves | WBO Junior Bantamweight Championship
- Carlos Cuadras vs. Juan Francisco Estrada | Junior Bantamweight
- Ruslan Madiev vs. John Delperdang | Lightweight
- Brian Viloria vs. TBA | Junior Bantamweight
Gennady Golovkin vs. Canelo Alvarez (Boxnation, HBO)
September 16, Las Vegas, Nevada
This is the big one – you know, the fight everyone was salivating over before Mayweather vs. McGregor came to town. Alright, last weekend’s novelty act wasn’t all too shabby, it turns out. But Golovkin vs. Canelo genuinely deserves the red carpet treatment now that May-Mc is through. Forget about ‘events’ – cos that’s a horrible, misleading word in boxing – this is a pure and simple, bonafide fight, years in the making.
Golovkin, the most ferocious, feared boxer on the planet, will put his WBC, WBA and IBF belts on the line against Canelo, an equally smart, cerebral fighter who can also crack. Some folks are crowing on about Golovkin having lost a step after escaping with a close decision over Daniel Jacobs in March, but I don’t buy into that nonsense. Golovkin, a mortal human, had to dig a bit deeper to beat the division’s No.2 guy that night – deal with it, cynics!
Canelo isn’t undefeated, but absolutely poses a serious threat to Golovkin’s 160-pound supremacy. Canelo is ten years younger than his adversary, and only tasted defeat to the greatest dance partner on his record, Floyd Mayweather, back in 2013. Essentially, GGG vs. Canelo is a gorgeous battle of all-action bone-breakers, and, as the saying goes, these guys won’t have to go looking for one another. Expect fireworks.
Golovkin vs. Canelo Undercard:
- Diego De La Hoya vs. Randy Caballero | Junior Featherweight
- Antonio Orozco vs. Roberto Ortiz | Welterweight
- Ryan Martin vs. Francisco Rojo | Lightweight
Billy Joe Saunders vs. Willie Monroe Jr (Boxnation)
September 16, London, England
This isn’t a terrible fight, but, if you ask any keen boxing fan, they’ll probably tell you it’s not the fight they wanted to see Billy Joe Saunders involved in. Mainly because they feel Saunders, despite looking great early in his fight with Andy Lee in late 2015, has been doing a whole lot of nothing since capturing Lee’s WBO Middleweight title. Sure, he won that accolade fair and square, but just seems to be holding it hostage.
Anyway, let’s remove ourselves from the negatives and concentrate on the actual fight, which, despite seeming fairly insignificant – especially on the same night as GGG vs. Canelo – could turn into something interesting. Especially if you factor in Saunders’ weak showing against an unheralded Artur Akavov last December. If that version of Saunders shows up against Monroe Jr, a fluid boxer who fought well in spots against GGG in 2015, the WBO title will be switching hands.
Saunders vs. Monroe Jr Undercard:
- Daniel Dubois vs. AJ Carter | Heavyweight
- Anthony Yarde vs. Ryan Ford | Light Heavyweight
- Joe Pigford vs. Kieran Smith | Junior Middleweight
Joseph Parker vs. Hughie Fury (ITV Box Office – TBA)
September 23, Manchester, England
A Heavyweight championship that is worth tuning into, not because it promises to be a great fight, but because there is plenty of mystery surrounding its potential to actually be competitive. In other words, we know a bit more about Joseph Parker, since he came out on top against Andy Ruiz Jr in late 2016, but we really don’t know a thing about Hughie Fury, the cousin of former Heavyweight champ, Tyson.
Both Parker and Fury are undefeated, but, since Fury’s biggest achievement is conquering fringe contender Fred Kassi in early 2016, the smart money must be on Parker. He’s made the more noise, has far greater career momentum right now, and fought a smart, technically solid fight against Ruiz Jr, a top contender. From what we’ve seen of this pair, Parker also seems to possess the greater firepower. He is, however, on the road in his second title defense against Fury.
Parker vs. Fury Undercard:
- Joe Murray vs. Matty Fagan | Lightweight
- Josh Wale vs. Don Broadhurst | Bantamweight
- Peter McDonagh vs. Shayne Singleton | Junior Middleweight
- Jimmy Kelly vs. Stiliyan Kostov | Junior Middleweight
- Haroon Khan vs. TBA | Bantamweight
Jorge Linares vs. Luke Campbell (HBO)
September 23, Inglewood, California
A fantastic clash of schooled, methodical punchers, known for precision punching and fight-ending power. Linares is a veteran who’s fought through plenty of adversity, but has bounced back to world level where, surprisingly, he seems to be still improving. Linares isn’t stalking the Pound for Pound arena per se, but he’s a highbrow, hard-nosed battler used to battling on the road. Most recently, Linares twice toppled former titlist Anthony Crolla, impressively shutting out his rival in the rematch.
As for Campbell, the Gold Olympian is three years younger than Linares, and possesses a sharp set of tools, married with top-drawer fundamentals. Campbell faced a setback himself in 2015 – a shock decision loss to Yvan Mendy – but has also successfully rebuilt, most recently stopping Darleys Perez in April. With that said, Campbell is definitely the underdog here, mainly because of his lack of experience at the top of the pile, certainly against a fully fledged brute like Linares.
Personally, I would have liked to see Campbell grow some more into 135-pound scene before taking on this kind of risk. But hey, if Campbell pulls this off – and there’s a good chance he can – he’ll seriously shake up the Lightweight Top 10 standings.
Linares vs. Campbell Undercard:
- Antonio Orozco vs. Robert Ortiz | Junior Welterweight
Boxing in September: Best of the Rest
Joshua Buatsi vs. Baptiste Castegnaro (Sky Sports Action)
September 1, London, England; Junior Middleweight
David Benavidez vs. Ronald Gavril (Showtime)
September 8, Las Vegas, Nevada; vacant WBC Super Middleweight Championship
Oleksandr Usyk vs. Marco Huck – WBSS (TBA TV)
September 9, Berlin, Germany; WBO Cruiserweight Championship
Milan Melindo vs. Hekkie Budler (TBA TV)
September 16, Cebu City, Philippines; IBF Junior Flyweight Championship
Callum Smith vs. Erik Skoglund – WBSS (TBA TV)
September 16, Liverpool, England; Super Middleweight
Gilberto Ramirez vs. Jesse Hart (ESPN / ESPN Deportes)
September 22, Tucson, Arizona; WBO Super Middleweight Championship
Yunier Dorticos vs. Dmitry Kudryashov (TBA TV)
September 23, San Antonio, Texas; WBA Cruiserweight Championship
Rocky Fielding vs. David Brophy (TBA TV)
September 30, Liverpool, UK; British Super Middleweight Championship
Mairis Briedis vs. Mike Perez – WBSS (TBA TV)
September 30, Riga, Latvia; WBC Cruiserweight Championship
So, how about it? Which fights are you anticipating most in this convey belt of endless boxing action this September? Who wins the battle of Middleweight supremacy in Golovkin vs. Canelo? And will Roman Gonzalez get his revenge?
