Gennady Golovkin vs David Lemieux: Sam Eggington vs Dale Evans - boxing on TV this weekend

Eggington vs Evans, Saturday night 8pm, Sky Sports 1

While Chicago may be famous for pizza, wind and CM Punk, it can’t quite compete with Birmingham’s golden trio of Mike Skinner, Spaghetti Junction and Emma Willis.

England’s second most populous city will play host to a night of boxing on Saturday night, headlined by local boy Sam Eggington defending his British and Commonwealth welterweight titles against Dale Evans.

Widely regarded as one of Britain’s most exciting prospects, the 22-year-old Eggington was scheduled to face Frankie Gavin on this card before an injury caused Evans to step in as a late replacement.

The new bout has significance as Eggington’s first career defeat was caused by Evans during a January 2013 Prizefighter bout, but the British champion is currently on an excellent seven fight winning streak and in ominous form.

Evans was contemplating retirement before getting his shot against Eggington, and the entertaining fighter has defeated the likes of Adil Anwar, Erick Ochieng and Mark Thompson in his career.

He is inconsistent in the ring however, and was stopped in five rounds by Larry Ekundayo earlier this year.

Expect Eggington to make a successful first defence of his title against Evans, but you won’t get rich in the process because he is an overwhelming 1/9 favourite with Evans a 6/1 outsider.

Another British title fight will serve as chief support where 16-0 Khalid Yafai meets 17-2 Jason Cunningham for the vacant super flyweight belt.

Yafai has dominated the majority of his professional matches, and is enjoying a fruitful 2015 after two consecutive first round finishes.

Cunningham is backed by loud support from his fans in Doncaster, while his two defeats to Jason Booth and Ross Burkinshaw have both been settled by the narrowest of margins.

The 26-year-old has already won four times this year, but faces a difficult task to cause an upset against Yafai who carries considerable power for the weight along with dynamic hand speed.

His opponent has been sparring with talented boxers including Charlie Edwards and Jamie Conlan however, and is 10/1 to give Yafai the first defeat of his professional career.

Three-time world title challenger Matthew Macklin also features on the undercard in Birmingham against Jason Welborn.

Having fought the majority of his career at middleweight the 33-year-old has now moved down to light middleweight, and will fancy his chances to impress in his home city.

Welborn fought gallantly in two previous British title fights against Liam Smith and Frankie Gavin, but he will be the smaller man in the ring and is also susceptible to body punches.

Golovkin vs Lemieux, Saturday night 2am, BoxNation

One of the most eagerly awaited bouts of the year will emanate from the legendary Madison Square Garden on Saturday night when two of the hardest-hitting boxers on the planet battle for middleweight glory.

33-0 Gennady Golovkin has been a wrecking machine since turning professional in 2006, and puts his IBO, interim WBC and WBA Super World middleweight titles on the line against 34-2 IBF champion David Lemieux.

Golovkin is a fearsome puncher who has stopped 30 of his 33 opponents, and averages just 4.4 rounds a fight.

To put things into perspective, Anthony Joshua had yet to lace up a pair of boxing gloves at the time, George W. Bush was President of the United States and Manchester City were still sponsored by Le Coq Sportif.

Lemieux is a strong rival however as he has 31 knockouts on his resume and averages just 3.4 rounds a fight.

The Canadian won his world title in June on points against Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam, and has developed strongly since a brace of defeats in 2011 threatened to derail his career.

This fight has the potential to be the anti Mayweather/Pacquiao as each man has treated their opponent with considerable respect in the build-up, while exuding confidence and poise.

Golovkin’s power often belies his fluid boxing skills, which earned him a silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games.

At 33, the Kazakh is in his absolute prime, but has made some defensive errors in his recent bouts.

He maintains that those mistakes are purely for the entertainment of his fans who want to see exciting bouts, yet those sort of errors could be capitalised by Lemieux who maintains a ferocious work rate throughout his fights.

The odds favour Golovkin who is a vast 1/11 favourite, with Lemieux available at very generous odds of 8/1.

Brave souls may like the 5/1 on offer for the fight to go the distance, while cynics could enjoy the 8/1 for for both men to be knocked down during the bout.

Another striking sensation will serve as chief support on the undercard, when 43-0 Roman Gonzalez defends his WBC flyweight title against former world champion Brian Viloria.

Gonzalez has won his last nine fights by stoppage, while 14 year professional Viloria has finished six of the last seven men he has beaten.

In further undercard bouts Luis Ortiz and Matias Ariel Vidondo will battle for a version of the interim WBA World heavyweight title, and 18-1 middleweight Tureano Johnson meets Ireland’s Eamonn O'Kane.

The Irishman was fighting in a Swindon leisure center earlier this year, but will have to slum it at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.

Cleverly vs Fonfara, Friday night 2am, Sky Sports 1

A packed weekend of boxing begins on Friday night in Chicago when Nathan Cleverly fights Andrzej Fonfara at the UIC Pavilion.

Cleverly held the WBO light heavyweight championship for three years between 2010 and 2013 before being knocked out by Sergey Kovalev, and turned down another world title opportunity against Germany’s Juergen Braehmer to fight in America.

The Welshman faces a difficult opponent in Fonfara who impressed in a losing effort to Adonis Stevenson last May, before stopping Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in March.

A Polish fighter who has been based in Chicago for a decade, Fonfara is in the best form of his career and is expected to continue his pressure-heavy style against his British opponent.

Now 28-years-old, Cleverly returned to light heavyweight in May following an unsuccessful stint at cruiserweight and the switch down in weight should suit his attributes.

Cleverly’s stamina and movement proved to be a very effective weapon during his world title run but was sapped heavily at cruiserweight, so he will be hoping those skills have returned in order to topple and unsettle Fonfara.

The Pole is a narrow betting favourite at 8/15, while Cleverly is a 7/4 underdog.

WBA super flyweight champion Kohei Kono defends his title against Japanese compatriot Koki Kameda on the undercard.