Carl Frampton vs Alejandro Gonzalez Jr: Boxing on TV - Scott Quigg vs Kiko Martinez, Anthony Crolla vs Darleys Perez and Anthony Ogogo

Boxing on TV this weekend

Carl Frampton celebrates his victory over Kiko Martinez (Getty Images)

Frampton vs Gonzalez, Saturday night 9.45pm, ITV

Out in the west Texas town of El Paso, boxing returns to primetime ITV for the first time since February as Carl Frampton makes the second defence of his IBF super bantamweight title against Mexico's Alejandro Gonzalez Jr.

Despite his ardent fan base in Northern Ireland, Frampton fights in Texas as a result of his recent agreement with Al Haymon, with the 28-year-old also competing in front of a significant television audience in America.

Frampton looked sensational against Chris Avalos in his last outing when he stopped the game American in the fifth round, and is an overwhelming 1/33 favourite over the 12/1 underdog.

Gonzalez is only 22-years-old but has already fought 28 times as a professional since making his debut aged 17, however Frampton represents by far the toughest opponent he has faced inside the squared circle.

A triumphant Barry McGuigan after the fight was stopped

Just as Scott Quigg will be keen to make a statement against Martinez, Frampton too is eager to show the entire boxing world just what he has to offer, so generous 6/5 odds on the Irish star to finish the fight within six rounds is a very nice bet.

Prior to the main event, ITV 4 will televise the undercard which includes Frampton’s promotional teammates Conrad Cummings and Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medalist Josh Taylor.

Crolla vs Perez, Saturday night 7.00pm, Sky Sports 1

After a run of lacklustre ‘free’ shows on regular Sky Sports channels, Matchroom Boxing have finally produced a packed card in Manchester on Saturday night that does not require fans to shell out additional money to watch it.

In the closing moments of 2014, Manchester’s Anthony Crolla was just a month away from fighting for the WBA world lightweight title, before suffering a fractured skull and broken ankle as he attempted to apprehend burglars.

Anthony Crolla celebrates his win over John Murray back in April (GETTY IMAGES)

Quite incredibly, just seven months later the 28-year-old will return to the ring in the main event against Colombia’s Darleys Perez for the same world title he was on the cusp of competing for in January.

29-4-2 across a nine year career, the 28-year-old has not lost since a Prizefighter defeat to Gary Sykes in October 2010, but faces a very difficult match with the in-form South American.

Perez’s lone loss in his 33 fight career was to Yuriorkis Gamboa two years ago, and he has arrived in Manchester on a solid four fight winning streak.

Considering the horrific injuries suffered by Crolla, it’s almost impossible to deduce a winner in this bout because there simply isn’t enough information on how successfully he has been able to return.

The bookmakers have priced Perez as a slight favourite at 4/7, with Crolla available at 13/8.

It’s hard to see Crolla stopping the durable Perez, so the Mancunian on points at 12/5 is an attractive bet, while Perez by KO at 5/2 will entice some punters who back realism over romance.

Quigg vs Martinez, Saturday night 7.00pm, Sky Sports 1

Another world title match of sorts will take place as chief support when Scott Quigg defends his version of the WBA super bantamweight title against Spain’s Kiko Martinez.

Quigg’s heated rival Carl Frampton will likely be fighting at the same time on ITV, and with the feud between the two men still rumbling on, the Englishman will be looking to make a statement against his Spanish opponent.

Former world champion Martinez lost twice to Frampton in recent times, but the 32-5 power puncher has an excellent record of upsetting heavily hyped fighters in hostile territory.

A then 21-year-old Martinez famously knocked out Ireland’s Bernard Dunne in one round back in 2007, while he has also claimed wins over Jhonatan Romero and Hozumi Hasegawa in away matches as well.

Scott Quigg takes on Kiko Martinez (Getty Images)

Quigg has never lost in 32 professional fights, but the amiable 26-year-old will need to be at his best against the rampaging Spaniard who is full of confidence heading into the contest.

Odds of around 1/4 are available for the English favourite, while the large 5/1 on Martinez to stop Quigg will be a popular bet come Saturday night.

The excellent Manchester card also incorporates two bouts for vacant British titles, including a scrap between Sam Eggington and Glenn Foot for the welterweight belt.

21-year-old Egginton has won his last five fights by TKO, while the undefeated Foot is aiming to turn years of potential into a strong performance.

Welsh light welterweight Chris Jenkins has been waiting nearly a year for his British title shot, but the charismatic 16-0 star will finally get the chance to win the coveted belt when he meets 31-2 Tyrone Nurse.

Elsewhere on the bill in Manchester, Martin Murray continues his move to super middleweight with a ticking over fight against Croatia’s Mirzet Bajrektarevic.

Abraham vs Stieglitz, Saturday night 7.00pm, Sky Sports 1

Sky Sports will also showcase the highway to Halle on Saturday night, as Arthur Abraham and Robert Stieglitz meet for the fourth time in Germany.

WBO super middleweight champion Abraham is coming off a brace of wins over Britain’s Paul Smith, while Stieglitz last competed in November when he drew with Felix Sturm.

WBO super-middleweight titleholder Arthur Abraham

Abraham won the first match between the two in 2012 via unanimous decision, before Stieglitz sensationally stopped Abraham in the fourth round a year later.

2014 saw Abraham avenge his defeat with a split decision victory, and now we have the fourth and hopefully last meeting between the two veteran boxers.

Considering the one good match between the two in their previous three matches, don’t expect much entertainment in the bout and you may well enjoy the most pointless sequel since Mean Girls 2 that little bit more.

Anthony Ogogo at Repton Boxing Club (Jon Surbey)

There is exciting news for British fans on the undercard however, as London 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Anthony Ogogo returns to the ring for the first time in a year.

Despite having only competed seven times in the professional ranks, Ogogo is one of the most talked about boxers in the country, and is set for a bright future after signing a co-promotional deal with the successful German based Sauerland organisation.