April kicks off a strong Spring for boxing. Read on for a comprehensive list of all the fights you need to know about this month as well as the staff picks for which fight stands out above the rest.
Apr 2
Delvin Rodriguez vs. Mike Arnaoutis – ESPN
Erislandy Lara vs. Danny Perez – Showtime
Apr 3
Bernard Hopkins vs. Roy Jones Jr – PPV
Rocky Juarez vs. Jason Litzau – PPV
Sergio Mora vs. Calvin Green – PPV
Ismayl Sillakh vs. Daniel Judah – PPV
David Haye vs. John Ruiz – SKY Box Office
Miguel Angel Garcia vs. Tomas Villa – Fox Sports Net
Apr 9
Audley Harrison vs. Michael Sprott – SKY
Darren Barker vs. Affif Belghecham – SKY
Apr 10
Orlando Lora vs. David Estrada – ESPN2
Chris Avalos vs. Andre Wilson – ESPN2
Evander Holyfield vs. Francois Botha – PPV
Andre Berto vs. Carlos Quintana – HBO
Celestino Caballero vs. Daud Cino Yordan – HBO
Guillermo Rigondeaux vs. Reynaldo Lopez – HBO
Mark Jason Melligen vs. Norberto Gonzalez – Fox Sports Net
Lamont Peterson vs. Damian Fuller – Fox Sports Net
Apr 14
Danny Green vs. Manny Siaca – Australia Main Event
Apr 16
Henry Lundy vs. Tyrese Hendrix – ESPN2
Tony Thompson vs. Owen Beck – ESPN2
Denton Vassell vs. Lee Purdy – SKY
Thomas McDonagh vs. Gary Woolcombe – SKY
Fernando Guerrero vs. Michael Walker – Showtime
Joseph Agbeko vs. Vusi Malinga
Apr 17
Lucian Bute vs. Edison Miranda – HBO
Kelly Pavlik vs. Sergio Martinez – HBO
Robert Stieglitz vs. Eduard Gutknecht
Sebsatian Zbik vs. Domenico Spada
Apr 23
Rendall Munroe vs. Victor Terrazas – SKY
Martin Concepcion vs. Kevin Hammond – SKY
Apr 24
Mikkel Kessler vs. Carl Froch – Showtime
Tomasz Adamek vs. Chris Arreola – HBO
Alfredo Angulo vs. Joel Julio – HBO
Jorge Arce vs. Cecilio Santos – Fox Sports Net
Miguel Beltran Jr vs. Joksan Hernandez – Fox Sports Net
Jürgen Brähmer vs. Mariano Nicolas Plotinsky
Apr 30
Marcus Johnson vs. Derek Edwards – Showtime
Andrzej Fonfara vs. Roger Cantrell – Showtime
Don George vs. Osumanu Adama – Showtime
Staff Picks: Fight To Watch
Corey’s Pick: Mikkel Kessler vs. Carl Froch
April 24 on Showtime
The fight in April that is not to be missed is Carl Froch vs. Mikkel Kessler on April 24. Froch and Kessler are both exciting fighters who look for the knockout, though they go about it in far different ways. Kessler uses his technical ability to find openings while Froch gets in any way he can. That clash of styles could make for the most appetizing combination of all the Super Six fighters. And with Kessler coming off a loss and Froch coming off a very questionable decision win over Dirrell, both Europeans will be out to impress, and there’s a strong chance somebody gets stopped.
Will’s Pick: Audley Harrison vs. Michael Sprott
April 9 on SKY
Call me crazy but I’m really looking forward to Audley Harrison going up against Michael Sprott on April 9th. Having (apparently) resurrected his career by winning December’s Prizefighter Heavyweight Tournament, Harrison now looks to earn a belated world title shot by winning the vacant European Heavyweight Title. While the fight is unlikely to be any good, Harrison’s fights just have so many stories to them that I can’t help but find them captivating. There’s the general spectacle of the man the tabloids call ‘Fraudley’ trying to resurrect his career and fulfill his potential. There’s Harrison’s increasingly blatant attempts to backdoor his way into a world title fight with an increasingly bitchy war of words building between him and the WBA Champion David Haye. And then there’s the rivalry with Sprott – the same man who defeated Harrison in his bid for the European Title in 2007. In many ways its a shame that Sky doesn’t do proper HBO/UFC style countdown specials because my god there is so much material here. This should be a lot fun…well outside of the ring anyway.
Trent’s Pick: Kelly Pavlik vs. Sergio Martinez
April 17 on HBO
Sure, Kelly Pavlik should be fighting Paul Williams instead but that doesn’t sour my interest in this fight. In fact, it was Sergio Martinez’ performance against Paul Williams that proved he can bang with the best. And right now, in the middleweight ranks, Kelly Pavlik is the best. He’s a fun fighter to watch and the blue-collar schtick works for him. Throw in an equally aggressive Sergio Martinez and fireworks are forthcoming. Regardless of the circumstances outside of the ring that make this fight ridiculous, the combatants inside the ring will make this fight remarkable. And just think, no matter who wins, it sets up another fantastic matchup with Paul Williams.
Bryan’s Pick: Chris Arreola vs. Tomasz Adamek
April 24 on HBO
The April fight I’m most looking forward to is Arreola vs. Adamek. This one has fireworks written all over it. Arreola may come in looking like the boxing version of Roy “Big Country” Nelson, but he brings it nonetheless. If Adamek is going to make any noise in the heavyweight division, it will be shown on April 24th.
