Sherdog’s Weekend Boxing Preview

This weekend is not a great one, but it will be one that allows you to see Ryan Garcia fight for free. You might as well get used to seeing him now, since you’re going to be seeing him everywhere soon whether you like it or not.

What: Ryan Garcia vs. Carlos Morales, Lightweights

When: September 1
How to Watch: Facebook 9PM ET
Why You Should Care: Because Ryan Garcia is, quite simply, the future of American boxing.

Ryan Garcia is going to be not just a boxing superstar, but a mainstream American celebrity. It’s really that simple. At just 20 years old, he has already been named ESPN’s 2017 “Prospect of the Year”, was 215-15 in the amateurs including 15 junior national championships, claims to have dominated Vasyl Lomachenko in sparring before a frustrated Lomachenko opted to shove him to the ground, and as a pro sports a 15-0 record with 13 of those wins coming via stoppage. And he is oh so marketable. Garcia is a Golden Boy signed American of Mexican heritage, a handsome baby-faced young man who actually embraces his gay fans, and a Generation-Z twitter user who markets himself better on social media than any boxing promoter ever could. Despite having a terrible nickname, “Kingry” is the future, it’s really that simple. Unless Carlos Morales can make it complicated. Morales is the polar opposite of Garcia in many ways. He is a Mexican who now lives in America, where he works as a restaurant manager at a local café. He lost his first professional fight ever, then fought in three straight draws giving him a far from “Prospect of the Year” like 1-4 record in his first five professional fights. But, since that rough beginning to his career Morales won sixteen straight fights before dropping a unanimous decision to the undefeated Alberto Machado. Ryan Garcia is going to be huge, but Carlos Morales has been in far worse situations than in the ring with a future superstar. On Saturday (providing Facebook’s stream actually works this time), we’ll see if all that life experience does him any good.

What: Marvin Cabrera vs. Neeco Macias, Junior Middleweights

When: Sept. 1
How to Watch: Facebook 9PM ET
Why You Should Care: To see that not all undefeated records are equal.

Marvin Cabrera and Neeco Macias are both undefeated. Mexico’s Cabrera is 8-0 with 6 knockouts, while California’s Neeco Macias is 16-0 with 9 knockouts and a strange hairstyle that blends Donald Trump and the bully from The Karate Kid. But, while from their records you would think this fight is a quality, even matchup the truth is Cabrera will destroy Macias, because not all undefeated records are the same. Marvin Cabrera was a 16-time junior national champion, won a bronze medal in the Central American Games, and competed twice in the World Championships. Neeco “The Rooster” Macias on the other hand, had only 30 amateur fights (bad sign), didn’t start boxing until after high school (really bad sign), and has only fought three guys with winning records in sixteen professional fights (worst sign of all). Cabrera, on the other hand, has only fought one guy with a sub 500 record in his eight-fight career. Being undefeated is great. But, when you don’t face anyone good it doesn’t mean much. Mr. Macias should be like the University of Central Florida football team, and declare himself the world champion because he’s undefeated, even though he hasn’t faced good competition, because on Saturday night he faces boxing’s University of Alabama, and that 0 is going to go.

What: Cesar Juarez vs. Jorge Sanchez, Junior Featherweights

When: Sept. 1
How to Watch: beIn Sports Espanol 11PM ET
Why You Should Care: To see that not all “bad” records are all that bad.

Neither Cesar Juarez or Jorge Sanchez have sparkling records. Juarez has six losses, including being KO’d once, while Sanchez has three losses and has been stopped twice. But, while not all undefeated records mean a fighter is great, not all bad records mean a fighter is no good.

See, Juarez has lost to some very good fighters. His one knockout loss is to the increasingly impressive Isaac Dogboe, while he also dropped a pair of decisions to Nonito Donaire and Jorge Lara. While Sanchez has not faced as many elite names, he has lost to three fighters with a combined five losses in all of their fights.

These guys are far better than their records would indicate, and on Saturday night they will prove it.

What: Thabiso Mchunu vs. Thomas Oosthuizen, 12 rounds, cruiserweights

When: September 1
How to Watch: Klowd TV 1:30 PM ET
Why You Should Care: Because the best rivalries in sports are those between neighbors.

When you think of the best rivalries in sports, they almost always involve a close geographic proximity. Think of the schools in Auburn and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, or those in Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. For whatever reason, it really bothers people when their neighbors think they’re better than them.

On Saturday night, fellow South Africans Thabiso Mchunu and Thomas Oosthuizen will meet to decide who is the best Cruiserweight in that nation. Many believe “Tommy Gun” Oosthuizen’s career has been largely a waste of talent; this will be Oosthuizen’s first fight in the cruiserweight division as he is moving up in weight after serving time in jail for drug possession following the first loss of his professional career. Mchunu, on the other hand has lost four times including having been stopped by three opponents, although he has faced the bigger names including Oleksandr Usyk.

Nothing makes you madder than when the guy next door buys a nicer car than you. Nothing gets a team motivated like hearing the neighboring town is ranked above you in the local paper. And on Saturday night, we’ll find out that nothing motivates a fight like the idea that not only are you not the best cruiserweight in the world, you’re not even the best cruiserweight in your own country.