Showtime announces boxing schedule with Keith Thurman-Danny Garcia as main event

Showtime gave boxing fans a needed jolt of excitement Tuesday.

The premium cable network announced its latest schedule that will feature seven marquee fights. The list is loaded with world champions and top contenders in several divisions.

“It’s a wonderful thing to announce four months of programming and give boxing fans something to look forward to,” said Stephen Espinoza, Showtime Sports executive vice president.

The series begins with a doubleheader Dec. 10 in Los Angeles. Jesus Cuellar defends his WBA “regular” belt against Abner Mares in a featherweight bout, and Jermall Charlo risks his IBF junior middleweight title against Julian Williams.

Las Vegas resident Badou Jack will meet England’s James DeGale in a super middleweight unification match Jan. 14. The fight is expected to be in Las Vegas or New York.

The third card in the series is Jan. 28 at the MGM Grand for the featherweight rematch between WBA champion Carl Frampton and Leo Santa Cruz. Showtime hasn’t announced a venue, but multiple sources have said the fight will be in Las Vegas.

Also on the card is a resurgent Mikey Garcia, gunning for Dejan Zlaticanin’s WBC lightweight belt.

Flashy, troubled Adrien Broner will face junior welterweight contender Adrian Granados on Feb. 11.

Showtime’s grand event will be the welterweight unification matchup between WBA titlist Keith Thurman and WBC champion Danny Garcia on March 4. The Barclays Center in New York is the favorite to land the matchup.

“Not only do we want to showcase the star boxers, but we want them in competitive fights,” Espinoza said. “We want those fights to be on Showtime as much as possible. With this schedule … we’ve done that.

“It’s also important to mention that these fights are not on pay per view.”

Jack, the 168-pound WBC champ, waited seven months to get his showdown with DeGale, who holds the IBF belt. Most fighters would have walked away, but Jack wanted to prove he is the division’s best.

“I think he wanted to fight, I wanted the fight. So I waited,” said Jack, who was born in Sweden. “We’re both champions, and we want to prove who’s the best. So I don’t think he was ducking me, and I was definitely not ducking him. I think there were some issues, but it’s done now.”

Showtime took a risk by scheduling Broner. He recently posted suicide threats on his Instagram, prompting an investigation by Cincinnati police. A concerned Floyd Mayweather Jr. invited Broner to live with him in Las Vegas. But soon after, Broner was cited for misdemeanor battery at a Las Vegas nightclub.

“We do monitor those things,” Espinoza said. “We believe we have good sense in where (Broner) is right now. We’ll continue to monitor it, and if we have to, we would change course.”

Espinoza said there’s a chance Thurman-Garcia could land on CBS, which drew high ratings for Thurman’s last fight against Shawn Porter in June.

Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0492. Follow @gmanzano24 on Twitter.