November's seven must-see bouts, Includes Brian Viloria

By Paul Magno

Over the years, "Novembers to Remember" have been fairly commonplace in boxing as promoters look to showcase quality fights before the end of the year and prior to the holiday season. 

This year is no different as several quality fights have been scheduled for this month and several other main stage fighters will be featured in "stay busy" contests. While there won't be any big-ticket blockbusters on the schedule, several solid, well-matched bouts will be taking place.

November 10-- Wladimir Klitschko (58-3, 50 KOs) vs. Mariusz Wach (27-0, 15 KOs)

On paper, the very mention of this fight as "Must-see TV" has to have many hardcore fans rolling their eyes. However, many close followers of the heavyweight division feel that Poland's 6-foot-7 giant is an underrated entity and a surprisingly well-rounded fighter. Also, if the passing of Emanuel Steward weighs heavily on the mind of Klitschko and/or Steward's absence from Wlad's corner allows for somewhat of a return to Dr. Steelhammer's pre-Steward days, an upset wouldn't be as far-fetched as some would think. 

November 10-- Abner Mares (24-0-1, 13 KOs) vs. Anselmo Moreno (33-1-1, 12 KOs)

Mares is the reigning WBC junior featherweight champ and on the verge of breaking into many pound-for-pound lists. Moreno is the WBA bantamweight champ and, more importantly, regarded by boxing purists as one of the sport's very best boxing stylists. Best of all, this battle of 20-something boxers will feature elite fighters facing one another in the prime of their careers.

 

November 10-- Vanes Martirosyan (32-0, 20 KOs) vs. Erislandy Lara (17-1-1, 11 KOs)

A junior middleweight eliminator for the right to face WBC champ Saul Alvarez, this contest pits Martirosyan's superior physical ability against Lara's superior skill. At stake is a title shot, the biggest payday of their careers, and the pride of being regarded as the division's hottest non-belt holding property.

 

November 17-- Brian Viloria (31-3, 18 KOs) vs. Hernan Marquez (34-2, 25 KOs)

Already postponed on a few occasions, it looks as though this time the flyweight unification bout will take place. WBO 112 lb. champ Viloria is at the top of his game following dominant, impressive wins over Giovani Segura and Omar Niño Romero while WBA titlist Marquez has developed a reputation as being one of the heaviest-handed fighters below featherweight. Neither will shy away from a toe-to-toe battle and it could take just a matter of seconds before this one becomes a flat-out brawl.

 

November 17-- Adrien Broner (24-0, 20 KOs) vs. Antonio DeMarco (28-2-1, 21 KOs)

Is Broner the next Mayweather? Well, the flashy Cincinnati native will get his chance to prove himself worthy of the comparison with his lightweight debut against defending WBC champ DeMarco. Both fighters are coming off impressive early-round knockout victories, but couldn't have more distinct styles. Broner is a quick-fisted boxing stylist while DeMarco is a come-forward Mexican battler. There's almost literally no chance of this one ending in a decision. Expect a highlight-reel knockout.

 

November 24-- Ricky Hatton (45-2, 32 KOs) vs. Vyacheslav Senchenko (32-1, 21 KOs)

Despite Senchenko's status as a former WBA welterweight titlist, the truth is that the Ukraine native has been fed a steady stream of journeymen and no-hopers for most of his career and, as evidenced by his one-sided TKO 9 loss to Paulie Malignaggi in April, is not even really a Top 20 welterweight. However, all eyes will be on Ricky Hatton in this contest as the beloved hero of Manchester, UK, returns to the ring for the first time since 2009. Hatton, even against a modestly-talented fringe contender like Senchenko, could be in over his head after such a long layoff. But everyone familiar with Hatton knows that, win, lose, or draw; he always makes for entertaining TV. 

November 24-- Robert Guerrero (30-1-1, 18 KOs) vs. Andre Berto (28-1, 22 KOs)

Guerrero defied the odds by beating Selcuk Aydin for the interim WBC welterweight title in July, completing a career trek that started at featherweight. But the former two-division world champ will be taken into deep waters against former two-time welterweight titlist Andre Berto. Guerrero has never faced anyone as big or as strong as Berto and will definitely receive a chin-check early on in the contest. If he proves himself sturdy enough to pass the punch test, this could turn into a very interesting stylistic match-up. 

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Paul Magno was a licensed official in the state of Michoacan, Mexico, and a close follower of the sport for more than 30 years. His work can also be found on Fox Sports and The Boxing Tribune. In the past, Paul has done work for Inside Fights, The Queensberry Rules and Eastside Boxing.

Source:

Boxrec, Boxing Records and Stats