Bryant Jennings-Mike Perez, Daniel Geale-Matthew Macklin on May 24 HBO

Bryant Jennings-Mike Perez, Daniel Geale-Matthew Macklin on May 24 HBO

It was announced early this week that an enticing doubleheader will take place on HBO on May 24.

Unbeaten heavyweights Bryant Jennings and Mike Perez will collide in a meaningful heavyweight matchup. Former middleweight titlist Daniel Geale will take on former title challenger Matthew Macklin in another bout that is virtually a pickem.

These are the kinds of fights that made HBO Boxing After Dark the star franchise of HBO Boxing when it first debuted in 1996. Up and coming heavyweights often squared off, with Cedric Kushner’s Heavyweight Explosion often at the middle of it. This card feels in the vein of last weekend’s NBC Sports card promoted by Main Events. The fighters featured weren’t tabbed “rising stars” necessarily but were instead matched in hard to pick fights. The result? Two Fight of the Year candidates whose results were in doubt up until the final moment or final bell. Jennings-Perez and Geale-Macklin have the same feel as those two fights and is hopefully the direction HBO is headed in after seeing Showtime snatch away Adonis Stevenson, a fighter HBO can be credited with helping build.

No info yet on the venue but it is being reported that the fight could land on the West Coast, a bit of a surprise.

-Mark E. Ortega / @MarkEOrtega

-Managing editor at www.BehindTheGloves.com