Premier Boxing Champions came back with a bang, and Top Rank Inc, have stepped up to the plate now as well as the 4Q of boxing looks entertaining even if wildfires rage in California, the future of the COVID-19 pandemic seems unending, and financial ruin seems inevitable.

Today, via press release Top Rank sent out its schedule for October, which we have included below.
 

 

Saturday, October 3
Jose Zepeda (32-2, 2 NC, 25 KOs) vs. Ivan Baranchyk (20-1, 13 KOs)
MGM Grand Las Vegas
10 Rounds, Junior Welterweight
ESPN+, 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT

In a bout that will create a #1 contender for the WBC super lightweight world title, Jose Zepeda will face Ivan Baranchyk, as the pair were originally set to fight this summer, but an injury forced Baranchyk out of the bout.

The bout will serve as a contrast of style as Zepeda is a smooth as silk boxer, who typically outclasses opponents keeping them off balance and only walks down, outgunned opponents. Zepeda, gave current WBC and WBO super lightweight champion Jose Ramirez his toughest test of his professional career, and is still in pursuit of his first world title.

Baranchyk is the type of fighter who maximizes aggression and physicality as his will, makes it hard for opponents to get settled and stick to a gameplan. Baranchyk, a former IBF super lightweight world champion, who spent most of his career fighting on ShoBox: The Next Generation, before entering the WBSS super lightweight tournament, in which he won the vacant IBF super lightweight world title against Anthony Yigit, only to lose it to Josh Taylor in his next bout.

This is a 50-50 fight that comes down to who can impose their style in the fight.

 Friday, October 9
Emanuel Navarrete (32-1, 28 KOs) vs. Ruben Villa (18-0, 5 KOs)
MGM Grand Las Vegas
12 Rounds, Vacant WBO Featherweight World Title
ESPN & ESPN Deportes, 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT
 
Navarrete went from a b-side opponent of Isaac Dogboe to a fringe superstar at Top Rank as the former WBO super bantamweight champion riffled off five world title defense, and now is moving up looking to get the WBO featherweight world title that Shakur Stevenson gave up when moving up to 130 lbs.

In order for Navarrete to win it, he will have to fight one of the best amateur boxers in the past fifteen-to-twenty years in Ruben Villa. Villa, a tremendous boxer fighting out of the southpaw stance, holds a lot of advantages in this bout, minus world title experience as Villa more accustom to fighting at a bigger weight, and has fought sneaky tough competition, and beyond that Villa is the ultimate chip-on your shoulder guy, who will go out and look to make a statement.

That being said, Navarrete who is capable of boxing and brawling does one thing extremely well, which is throw a lot of punches, and that is something not a lot of people can always handle.

The winner of this bout becomes the Capital G Guy at 126 lbs.

Saturday, October 17th,

Vasily Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs) vs Teofimo Lopez (15-0, 12 KOs)

MGM Grand Las Vegas, Nevada

12 rounds, Lomachenko’s WBO/WBA/WBC lightweight title and Lopez’s IBF lightweight title

ESPN

The fight everyone wants to see. A true unification of all four major titles with arguably the two most exciting fighters in the division at this current moment.

Lomachenko, a two-time gold medalist, who has accomplished a lot as a pro, but never fully caught on with the U.S. fanbase, now has a true foil to force him to cement his legacy in a career-defining fight. Even though Lomachenko won a world title in just three fights, and has ended the careers of feared fighters like Nicholas Walters, and beat Guillermo Rigondeaux, moving up to his third weight class and fighting the biggest puncher will be a formidable test, that will force Lomachenko to use his experience to win as if Lomachenko were to win, it would be through attrition and duration in the second half of the fight.

Lopez, a brash fan-pleasing fighter, who has gone viral multiple times, and first-round knockouts similar to Mike Tyson, has called out Lomachenko since turning pro. Lopez brutally stopped Richard Commey, in a bout that earned Lopez his first world title of his career, now he is stepping up and looking to become a legend in defeating one of the great fighters in this era, Lomachenko.

If you like boxing, this is a bout to watch
 
Friday, October 23
Artur Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs) vs. Adam Deines (19-1-1, 10 KOs)
Moscow
12 Rounds, Beterbiev’s WBC/IBF Light Heavyweight World Titles
ESPN & ESPN Deportes, 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT
Undercard: ESPN+, 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT
 
Artur Beterbiev is one of the ten best boxers in the world, and probably the closest thing we’ve seen since Rocky Marciano,  and though the match-up on paper isn’t very exciting, Beterbiev offers a lot of physical and for fans of the sport, Beterbiev is marquee viewing.

This should be a highlight reel knockout for Beterbiev as he heads towards a bout with Joe Smith Jr., which will pit two serious punchers against each other.
 
Saturday, October 31
Naoya Inoue (19-0, 16 KOs) vs. Jason Moloney (21-1, 18 KOs)
MGM Grand Las Vegas
12 Rounds, Inoue’s IBF/WBA Bantamweight World Titles
ESPN+, 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT
 
Inoue is what internet boxing folklore is made of, a fighter who is a three-division world champion quickly, but truly should’ve been a four-division champion (as Inoue skipped the super flyweight division), beating all of the reputable guys on the way up and for the boxing hipster it probably didn’t hurt that his bouts were on at obscure times, and not always easy to watch.

Inoue will be making his Top Rank debut, and only his second pro bout in the U.S., his first was on HBO against Antonio Nieves at the StubHub Center in Carson, Ca.

His opponent, Jason Moloney, one of the two Moloney boxing brothers from Australia, who recently signed to Top Rank. Moloney looked very good against Leonardo Baez, a late-replacement sub, who has made a career out of defeating prospect. Moloney will have a chance of a lifetime fighting Inoue.