This Week in Boxing.

Welcome back to our closer look at the highlights of the coming boxing week. We begin our preview of this week’s action on Friday at the King’s Hall in Belfast, Ireland with an all-British showdown between Wales’ WBO super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe and Ireland’s former

IBO champion Brian Magee. Calzaghe’s ears must be burning since IBF super middleweight champion Jeff Lacy called him out after defending his portion of the title against Rubin Williams. Calzaghe’s eight-year-long reign as the WBO champion is an impressive statistic, but the list of fighters that decorate his victim list leaves many observers uninspired. A high-profile unification fight can illuminate Calzaghe’s undefeated record, but his immediate obstacle takes the form of Belfast’s Magee, whom has only one return win to his credit since suffering a messy first defeat to Robin Reid. Featured on the under-card is the incredible return of WBU welterweight champion Eamonn Magee. The rugged Irishman needed all of his inherent toughness to survive a cowardly attack by thugs, an altercation that many feared would spell the end of Magee’s career. However, Magee will return, to the joy of his supporters and the dismay of his future opponents, of which Denmark’s Allan Vester is the first.

Across the Atlantic, at the Foxwoods Casino in Mashantucket, USA, we continue our Irish theme with John Duddy’s fight against Leonard Pierre. Duddy, originally from County Derry in Ireland may only have half the career wins compared to Pierre’s tally of sixteen, but all of Duddy’s to date have come via stoppage. One undefeated record must be tainted before the end of the night, and we will find out which, but not before Irish heavyweight Kevin McBride, recently touted as an opponent for Mike Tyson, returns to the ring against Kevin Monity.

At the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada, Eric Lucas resumes his career against James Crawford. Lucas handily doubles as the chief of Quebec promoters Interbox, but another world title chance weighs heavily on his mind, and he will be anxious to move Crawford out of the way of that future possibility. Montreal boasts a healthy boxing scene of late with many of its up-and-coming stars touted as serious future contenders, and light heavyweight Lucien Bute is one of those fighters responsible for much of the excitement. Romanian import Bute obviously does not believe in working overtime, as all ten of his wins have come from stoppages. Even former world champion Dingaan Thobela succumbed to Bute’s power, and with the NABF light heavyweight title in his possession, Lucien Bute is a force to be reckoned with, and one that opponent Christian Cruz will find difficult to neutralize.

On Saturday, the attention of the entire boxing world will belong to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, USA, as Erik Morales takes on Manny Pacquiao in a phenomenally exciting super featherweight showdown. With the likes of Marco Antonio Barrera, Scott Harrison, Juan Manuel Marquez and Injin Chi looking on and hoping to engage either Morales or Pacquiao in the near future, it is a high-stakes encounter, but for one night only, the boxing world will holds its breath and wait for the explosions to begin.

The excellent under-card to the main event is topped by the Jorge Arce vs. Hussein Hussein fight. The fight is billed as WBC flyweight title eliminator, and with one failed attempt already behind him, Hussein is anxious to ensure this opportunity does not slip away from him. WBA super flyweight champion Martin Castillo ruined Alexander Munoz’s title reign and undefeated streak; now, he is looking to inflict a second loss upon former world champion Eric Morel; we will see if he can do so before this night is over. Finally, with exciting teenage prospect Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. making his latest appearance on the card, it could be a fabulous night for Mexican boxing indeed.

Remember to keep checking back to SaddoBoxing.com for the latest weekly previews of world boxing events in “this week in boxing.”

Jim Cawkwell can be reached at jimcawkwell@yahoo.co.uk