Boxing on TV this weekend: Butler vs Garnica, Coyle vs Katsidis and Hall vs Caballero

Plenty of ring-side treats in store this weekend

Paul Butler takes on Ismael Garnica (GETTY IMAGES)

This weekend offers three live televised boxing events all on at the same time, which means only one thing - a true Sophie’s choice between what gets watched live, and what gets recorded.

Butler vs Garnica, Saturday night 7.00pm, BoxNation

Ellesmere Port’s Paul Butler won the IBF World bantamweight title in his last fight against Stuart Hall, and the powerful boxer then immediately gave up the title to move down to his favoured super flyweight category.

Butler was set for another world title fight against IBF World super flyweight Champion Zolani Tete, but after Tete pulled out with a broken hand, he now faces Mexico’s 13-4-1 Ismael Garnica, whose last fight in August ended as a no contest after he suffered a bad cut.

16-0 Butler hits very hard for the weight, with eight of his wins coming via stoppage, while two of Garnica’s four defeats have come via TKO, in rounds three and one respectively.

Throughout his career Butler has faced a string of late replacement boxers, and each time his mentality has never wavered, so this fight should be relatively straightforward for him in front of his home fans at the Echo Arena in Liverpool.

Chief supports on the card include British light middleweight champion Liam Smith who puts his 17-0-1 record on the line against Hungary’s 16-2 Zoltan Sera, British and Commonwealth flyweight champion Kevin Satchell competes for the European title against 37-year-old Valery Yanchy, former British commonwealth champion Derry Matthews looks for the 36th win of his 11 year career against 11-1-1 Adam Dingsdale, and Chris Eubank Jr looks to make it 18-0 ahead of his November super-showdown against Billy Joe Saunders.

Also on the bill are Team GB’s 2012 Olympic Games boxing captain Thomas Stalker, who though 9-0 as a professional, has failed to truly sparkle in the paid ranks. He was supposed to face the talented Chris Jenkins here, but pulled out to face 9-0 Jack Catterall for the WBO European light welterweight title instead. Catterall is coming off an impressive second round stoppage win over the formerly undefeated Nathan Brough, and will look to ruin another perfect record in Liverpool.

A monster bill is further supplemented with appearances from the likes of Liam Williams, Jazza Dickens and Matty Fagan.

Coyle vs Katsidis, Saturday night 7.30pm, Sky Sports 2

Hull’s Tommy Coyle is building a name for himself as one of Britain’s most exciting fighters, but he faces perhaps the toughest test of his career so far against Australia’s former world champion Michael Katsidis.

For nine rounds in July 2013 Coyle seemed to fighting his way to a career best win against Derry Matthews, outboxing his experienced opponent throughout the entire fight before being knocked out in the tenth round. Since that fight he has regrouped, most notably in February of this year when he survived four knockdowns against Daniel Eduardo Bruzuela to finally win their fight in the last round.

Katsidis has had a storied career as he approaches his 13th year as a professional, but the clock is now definitely ticking for the 34-year-old Australian as he nears the end point of his career. The question is, has he got one last big fight in him? The man known as ‘The Great’ has been in the ring with the likes of Juan Manuel Marquez, Robert Guerrero, and Ricky Burns, and his greatest accomplishment in the ring was his three round demolishment of Kevin Mitchell in 2010 in front of tens of thousands of people at Upton Park.

Since that win though, he has struggled, and has lost four of his last six fights, with his last win over old rival Graham Earl a glorified sparring session. Years of brutal fights and an alleged failed brain scan has seen the once ferocious fighter dimmed, but with Coyle’s punch resistance in question, Katsidis, who has 24 finishes across 30 wins, could conjure up one last piece of magic.

Chief support on the card is Olympic gold medalist Luke Campbell, who looks to make it 9-0 in the paid ranks against the aforementioned Daniel Eduardo Bruzuela of Argentina.

While this seems a big step up for the decorated amateur star Campbell, the two times Bruzuela has fought outside of Argentina he has lost, and his resume is hardly glowing with top names. While a hardworking fighter who will make Campbell think for the entire duration of their bout, the Argentine was perhaps flattered by the Coyle bout, and should both Campbell and Coyle both win their fights, an all-Hull showdown could be set for next year.

Elsewhere on the card, 11-0-2 Gavin McDonnell gives up his British title to fight 21-5-1 Vusi Malinga, who was last seen in December losing to Stuart Hall for the IBF bantamweight title. McDonnell looked sensational coming back to beat Leigh Wood to win the British belt, but a disappointing draw against Josh Wale last time out perhaps showed his level.

Despite going 12 rounds with Leo Santa Cruz just two years ago, Malinga is the narrow outsider in the betting stakes in this fight at 11/10.

The rest of the Hull undercard is fairly quiet, with outings for Robbie Davies Jr and the only man to beat Lee Selby, Samir Mouneimne.

Hall vs Caballero, Saturday night 8.30pm, Channel 5

Stuart Hall has been mentioned twice in this column already, and the 34-year-old former world champion swaps his native North East for Monte Carlo, as he seeks to win back his IBF title against undefeated 21-0 American Randy Caballero.

Hall won one of the most unexpected world titles in recent memory when he got the shot against Vusi Malinga late last year, and knocked down his opponent en route to a points victory, but he came crashing down to earth when losing via split decision to Paul Butler in June.

Thanks to his excellent promoter Dennis Hobson, Hall has another chance at glory, but it will be a very tough job against the undefeated Caballero who has stopped six of his last seven opponents, and was last seen in Japan knocking out Kohei Oba in his opponents hometown.

The American is a wide 2/7 favourite to claim his first world title, while those expecting Hall to triumph unexpectedly again can get the game and tough fighter at 7/2.

St Helens’ Martin Murray has seemingly been treading water since his close fight with Sergio Martinez in April 2013, and the 28-1-1 is warming up for his third world title stint with a bout against Italy’s 39-5 Domenico Spada, who lost on points to Darren Barker back in 2011.

Murray has a habit of fighting to the level of his opponents, but Spada is always game, and has only been stopped once in his career, to the hard hitting Marco Antonio Rubio.

Also in action are two former Martin Murray victims, as 15-3 Nick Blackwell faces 29-11-2 Sergey Khomitsky.

Blackwell has already had some very tough fights despite being just 23-years-old, and though the talented Trowbridge fighter has lost to Billy Joe Saunders, Max Bursak and Murray, he oozes class at times, and now under a proper promoter he will hope the Khomitsky fight will set him up in the right direction.

Khomitsky stopped popular fighter Frank Buglioni earlier this year, and came close to upsetting Murray in their clash at the end of 2013, but at 40-years-old, Blackwell should have the class to defeat him.

In non-televised action, exciting heavyweight Andy Ruiz Jr looks for his 23rd win in a row in California, while in Montenegro, Dejan Zlaticanin, last seen beating Ricky Burns returns to action, while Nikola Sjeklova warms up for his November clash with Callum Smith.