Fans have long had to endure the struggle of stacked boxing cards being left placed behind an expensive paywall. That struggle won't be present this weekend when one of the most exciting fights possible goes down from Las Vegas' MGM Grand as pound-for-pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko meets rising star Teofimo Lopez in a lightweight unification bout on ESPN on Saturday night.

Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KO) transitioned from being arguably the greatest amateur boxer in history to being put on the fast track as a professional, fighting for a world title in just his second pro bout. He would suffer a loss in that fight, dropping a split decision to Orlando Salido. He rebounded in his next fight, taking a decision over Gary Russell Jr. and winning the WBO featherweight title. He would eventually move up to junior lightweight and then to lightweight, winning belts at every weight. He currently holds the WBA and WBO world titles.

Lopez (15-0, 12 KO) didn't enter the professional ranks with the same level of hype as Lomachenko but quickly proved himself an emerging star with a flashy style and serious skills. Aside from a flat performance in winning a decision against Masayoshi Nakatani, Lopez has impressed every time he has stepped into a ring. Most recently, Lopez won the IBF championship with a stunning second-round knockout of Richard Commey in December.

It's going to be a busy week leading into one of the most lucrative fights of the year.

Lomachenko vs. Lopez info:

- Date: Saturday, Oct. 17
- Location: MGM Grand – Las Vegas, Nevada
- Start time: 10 p.m. ET
- TV channel: ESPN