This Week in Boxing.

Well fight fans, what a great weekend for the Brits as now the world has a face to identify when someone says “British boxing,” and he is known as the “Hitman.” Add in to that Scott Harrison looked exciting, and the scene on the other side of the pond is definitely heating up.

There are some British fighters in action this week, and we will see if those pugilists continue this “British” invasion of sorts. Enough of my ramblings, time to get this show on the road. The action gets underway this Tuesday, as ESPN 2’s Tuesday Night Fights brings you the return of Julio “The Kid” Diaz as he takes on Marco Angel Perez. Diaz is trying to come back from the ten round beat-down that “El Temible,” Jose Luis Castillo, handed to him. Perez should not be too much trouble as, he is a decent fighter, but in lacking in the chin department as five out of his six losses are by knockout. “The Kid” has come back before; we will see if he can do it again. On the televised portion of the under card, Dominican Republic welterweight prospect Delvin Rodriguez squares off against Christopher Henry. Rodriguez is untested, and Henry should not be much of one either.

Moving on to Wednesday, in Sydney, Australia, and live on Main Event’s pay-per-view, and 4Sport in Denmark, the “Viking Warrior,” Mikkel Kessler, will defend his WBA super middleweight title, against Aussie Anthony Mundine. This should be an entertaining scrap as both of these fighters have some pop and like to mix it up.

On Thursday televised on Fox Sport Network, British heavyweight hopeful Audley “A Force” Harrison, makes his American television debut against the shopworn Robert “The Saint” Davis. This should not be a tough night for Harrison, as Davis really does not have much left in the tank. On the televised portion of the under-card, heavyweight blubber Kirk Johnson takes on Yanqui Diaz in one of those “Who cares” fights. The most intriguing thing about this fight is if Johnson will come in any other shape then round. We will see if he has continued to eat his way out of whatever, if anything may be left of his career.

This Friday, Telefutura’s “Solo Boxeo” boxing series bring you 140-pound prospect Jose Armando Santa Cruz, who takes on the tough and rugged Ernesto Zavala for the NABF title. Santa Cruz is not your typical prospect in that he has faced some real fighters within his first nineteen bouts, and this Friday will be no different. Zavala is a proven fighter and should be one tough test. On the televised under-card, there is an exciting welterweight fight between Germaine Sanders and Luciano Perez. Both of these fighters can whack and this should be fun for as long as it lasts. On the same night, televised as part of ESPN 2’s Friday Night Fights, it is another “who cares” bout that features Shannon “The Cannon” Briggs taking on undefeated Ghanaian heavyweight Abraham “The African Assassin” Okine. I am not sure why this is a main event, but hey, if Mike Tyson gets another pay-per-view show, then why not give “The Cannon” a spotlight on Friday night.

Speaking of “Iron” Mike Tyson, on Saturday, live on Showtime pay-per-view, Tyson will headline a card that should really be on ESPN 2’s Friday Night Fights as he takes on Kevin McBride. The televised under-card does not hold much in the way of great fights as the most intriguing match up is the tilt between Sharmba “Little Big Man” Mitchell moving up to welterweight and taking on Chris “The Mechanic” Smith. We will see if Mitchell has anything in the tank as he is shooting to make a run at the welterweight title. Also televised will be the contest between Laila Ali and Erin Toughill. The televised portion of this card really does not belong on pay-per-view, but I am sure that several Tyson fans will still make the purchase.

Now, that same night, save your money folks and switch over to HBO as their “Boxing after Dark” series brings us two very solid contests that should be exciting to watch. The main event pits two 140-pound contenders as Puerto Rican WBO champion Miguel Angel Cotto takes on Mohamad Abdulaev. Both of these boxers are young, strong, and very busy. Abdulaev is the last man to beat Cotto, in the Olympics. We will see if he can beat him now when it counts the most. Not to be outdone, the televised portion of the under-card brings us what should be a sensational battle as tough tricky Cuban southpaw Joel “El Cepillo” Casamayor takes on rising young gun Almazbek “Kid Diamond” Raiymkulov. This fight also has the potential to be a barnburner as Casamayor has never been in a bad fight and “Kid Diamond” is an all-out assault warrior that just seems to be so much stronger than his opponents. It is Joel’s age and experience versus Raiymkulov’s youth and strength in this one, so make sure you tune in as this card is a can’t miss.

Well fight fans there you have it. This is going to be a busy and entertaining week for boxing. Make sure you take the time and catch some of these fights as our beloved sport is really growing. Thank you for your time and until next week, “Blue Moon!”

Sergio Martinez can be reached at srg_mrtnz@yahoo.com