Following the circus that was Mayweather - McGregor three weeks ago, we now have an honest evening of action planned for dedicated followers of the boxing game, with three big fights going ahead in three major cities, all on different TV channels.
The talk amongst fight fans this week has centred around Golovkin - Alvarez in Las Vegas, taking place in the wee hours of Sunday morning. A clash of two of the sport's biggest names, and hardest hitters, it's being mentioned in the same breath as Hagler - Hearns, and rightly so.
There are a couple of stunning support acts planned a little closer to home in Billy Joe Saunders vs Willie Munroe, live on BT Sport, and Callum Smith vs Erik Skoglund, fought out in front of the ITV camera crew. The former takes place at the Copperbox, Stratford, and sees Saunders defend his WBO middleweight world title against an improving American in Munroe Jr.
Saunders in the shape of his life
Twenty eight-year-old southpaw boxer Billy Joe Saunders hasn't been as active as fans would've liked of late and, as well as a couple of stable changes - taking him from Jimmy Tibbs to Adam Booth and then Dominic Ingle - BJS has fought only three times since beating Chris Eubank Jnr in November 2014.
Since that split decision, Eubank has been kept busy, taking part in seven contests scheduled for 12 rounds, just to put things into perspective. That upheaval behind the scenes certainly hasn't dented the champion's confidence, and he assured fans in the run-up to Saturday's defence that he's in the best shape of his life and raring to go. So, will he hold onto his title on Saturday night? The betting believes so, with 1.44 currently trading on the exchange, the sportsbook sitting at 4/11.
A look through the favourite's recent results would suggest it's safe for punters to push their luck and have a go on the method of victory market. Each of Billy Joe's last two contests have travelled the championship distance, settled on points. A majority decision win over Andy Lee at the Manchester Arena in December 2015 was followed by a below-par performance vs little-known Russian Artur Akavov a year later.
Saunders didn't need to be anywhere near his best to get the better of Akavov in Paisley, and was never in trouble of losing the fight, but the man dubbed Wolverine wasn't expected to go the distance. The Hatfield native is 1.74 to get the job done on the scorecards again, bagging what would be a 13th career points cheer, while there's 7.20 about the jolly extending his unbeaten record courtesy of a KO/TKO verdict. Keep that price in mind.
Munroe was stopped in six by Golovkin
Munroe travels to the former Olympic village as a man expected to do little more than make up the numbers, but there's plenty to like about the 30-year-old camped in the away dressing room. Dubbed El Mongoose, Willie Munroe Jr goes in with a CV showing 21 wins against two defeats, since making his professional debut back in 2008.
The first of those losses came early in his career, ending on the wrong side of a nervy split decision vs fellow countryman Darnell Boone on a show in New York in 2011. Easy enough to forgive, as was his second reverse, which came at the fists of the all-conquering Gennady Golovkin. Munroe lasted just six rounds vs GGG that night, and if Saunders wants to get anywhere near a big-money scrap vs Golovkin, he too must do a number on Munroe.
The underdog's stats show he has won just six times inside the distance, and that goes some way to explaining why the KO upset has been priced at 9.00, while a points win is slightly more believable, 5.60 on the exchange. Neither should attract too much attention in the build-up. 21/10 (sportsbook) says Munroe will take the title back to Rochester.
Champ to propel himself towards the big time
Saunders will win this, I have little doubt of that. His inactivity is a bit of a concern, but if anywhere near his best, the champion will have far too much for his challenger. The favourite finally seems to be in a good place with Dominic Ingle, and if the trainer can get the kind of form out of Saunders that the great Jimmy Tibbs demanded, we'll be in for an early night.
BJS will set-up to out-smart his opponent and there are few more technically gifted fighters in Britain at the moment than the champion. The team will also be out to prove a point, showing the improvement that's been made in Sheffield. Golovkin got Munroe out of there early, and although Saunders is a very different fighter to GGG, I expect a similar result. Win this well and Billy Joe will propel himself towards the big names in the division.
Recommended Bet
Saunders by KO/TKO @ 7.20
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