It may only be a week since the boxing world watched on as Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao went toe to toe in Las Vegas, but it's time for some of Great Britain's established names and up-and-coming prospects to take to the ring to try to improve their standing in the sport
On Saturday night, Ricky Burns will attempt to revive his career when making his Stateside debut against Omar Figueroa on a card that also includes Jamie McDonnell's WBA bantamweight title bout against Tomoki Kameda. Earlier in the evening, Birmingham is the venue for Anthony Joshua's 12th fight as a professional while Callum Smith will also look to shake off some ring rust ahead of a major encounter in Liverpool in the summer.
Below, Sports Mole takes a look at each fight and attempts to predict who will prevail from each contest.
1. Omar Figueroa vs. Ricky Burns
The last 12 months for Ricky Burns haven't been an enjoyable experience both inside and outside of the ring, but on Saturday night, the former WBO lightweight champion gets the opportunity to catapult himself back into the big time in a huge fight with Omar Figueroa. There will be no belts on the line in Texas, but the Scot hasn't recorded a convincing win in nearly two-and-a-half years and he is effectively fighting for his career this weekend.
After being fortunate to retain his world title in matches with Jose Gonzalez and Raymundo Beltran, Burns eventually succumbed to the highly impressive Terence Crawford. There was no shame in that defeat, but it was the disastrous setback against Dejan Zlaticanin that put his time in the ring in jeopardy. That fight was supposed to get Burns back on the road to another world crown, but after being knocked down in the opening 20 seconds, he couldn't make up the deficit.
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Saturday's fight will take place at a catch-weight just under the light-welterweight mark - a weight class that didn't suit Burns in October - but this was an opportunity that he couldn't turn down. Like Burns, Figueroa is a former world champion at lightweight but he only dropped his belt in order to make the move up to 140lbs.
Burns will be aware that he is the underdog on Saturday night and it's going to take a career-best performance to inflict the first defeat of Figueroa's career. The styles of each fighter should make for an entertaining, all-action encounter, but Burns's jaw - which was broken by Beltran in September 2013 - is likely to be severely tested. If Figueroa produces the same kind of performance that saw him stop Daniel Estrada in August, Burns could be halted for the first time in his career in the closing stages.
2. Tomoki Kameda vs. Jamie McDonnell
Despite being a two-time world champion, Jamie McDonnell hasn't received the praise that his achievements have deserved. His victory over Julio Ceja in 2013 didn't get the coverage that it could have done, while his win over Tabtimdaeng Na Rachawat on the undercard of the second instalment of Carl Froch and George Groves was effectively forgotten about after the ending of the main event.
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Due to the size of the card, his first defence against Javier Chacon in Liverpool took place at 6pm in front of a sparse crowd, but on Saturday evening, he finally gets his chance to perform in front of a big televised audience when facing Tomoki Kameda in Hidalgo. Not only does the fight represent a chance for McDonnell to make a statement in the United States but it also provides him with the platform to impress against one of the biggest names in the division.
The Japanese fighter isn't well known in Great Britain, but he's put together a perfect record of 31 victories with 19 stoppages as well making two successful title defences in the States, one which took place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The showdown was supposed to be a unification clash, but Kameda was informed by the WBO that he faced being stripped of his belt if he proceeded to face WBA belt holder McDonnell.
The magnitude of the fight resulted in Kameda willingly giving up his world title but he has done so knowing that he is favourite to claim another against McDonnell. Kameda didn't impress in his last outing, but neither did McDonnell and with a points verdict likely, the victor could be determined by who produces the higher work-rate over the course of the 12 rounds.
3. Anthony Joshua vs. Rafael Zumbano Love
Since the back end of 2014, Anthony Joshua has had Kevin Johnson in his sights as he looks to progress to the next level in the heavyweight division, but after a stress fracture to his back put paid to their meeting in January, the 2012 Olympic gold medallist must go through the process of rediscovering the sharpness that saw him power his way past his previous opponents.
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Joshua didn't need to get out of second gear to see off Jason Gavern, but Rafael Zumbano Love should bring something different to the table when he steps into the ring with the Londoner on Saturday night. The Brazilian, who holds the South American title, went the distance with former world champion Shannon Briggs last year before suffering late stoppage defeats to fringe world contenders Eric Molina and Charles Martin.
The 34-year-old has lost 10 times in 47 matches but he has 29 stoppages to his name and his height could also give Joshua a further problem. That said, if the British fighter is to become world champion, he should have the attributes to overcome this type of opponent but Zumbano Love could prove tough to put away inside the opening three rounds.
4. Callum Smith vs. Olegs Fedetovs
After recording the biggest win of his career against Nikola Sjekloca in November, super-middleweight Callum Smith was well positioned to move within reach of a shot at the WBC belt later this year, but a hand injury sustained against the former world title challenger resulted in the Liverpudlian having to spend a lengthy period on the sidelines.
However, Smith goes up against Igor Fedetovs this weekend as he attempts to shake off any ring rust ahead of what promoter Eddie Hearn has described as the most significant fight of his career in the summer. Fedetovs is no stranger to British fans having taken Rocky Fielding the distance in March and he has only been stopped five times during a 40-match career.
The Latvian is someone who Smith should be dismantling with ease, though. There is likely to be caution over his hand until it has been fully tested but if his trademark power is still there and authority can be established against the durable veteran, he should be able to end the fight within the distance.
Darren Plant
