Professional sports are a business. The amount of money flowing into the pockets of the promoters is the end for matchmakers. Bless them for that basic principle: It brings us the fights. Besides, our pay-per-view money speaks for itself.
The way that differs from the eye of the fan is that a boxing fan wants action, blood and competition. The best fights that can be made are those that should be made. This is not a sport with a required schedule so there is no reason to stick to one course without adapting to the events surrounding the story of each fighter. That means the fans get the best.
The best fights out there would also gravitate toward title shots. As men earned more and more respect, they would get a crack at collecting all the trinkets. Becoming unified champion is worth plenty of respect, even in its utterly ridiculous corrupt formation of present day.
There are plenty of divisions with exciting battles surrounding the idea of a recognized champion. The lightweight division is now gearing up for a large round robin sort of face off that will leave one man standing as recognized and unified champion, involving many men named Diaz and one named Joel Casamayor. The heavyweights are rocking through a tournament between two grizzled vets and two youngsters for a shot at Wladimir Klitschko, the return of the other Klitschko, Vitali, a title shot from Sam Peter and a train wreck of match ups at the end of the that line up. Middleweight offers Jermain Taylor against the big hitter in Kelly Pavlik.
Most would say that the Welterweight Division is still the most competitive in boxing. With Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Floyd Mayweather, Paul Williams, Kermit Cintron and Antonio Margarito all in a dead locked battle for supremacy of the realm, it’s a tough time to be a welterweight.
As far as raw competition with real stake, Floyd Mayweather against Paul Williams is the Alpha fight of the bunch. Mayweather, 38-0, 24 KO’s, stands as the Pound for Pound Champion, highly respected and always conditioned. His defense is nearly impenetrable and he punches as fast as anyone on the planet. Mayweather’s power can hurt even the toughest out there. If he tears Ricky Hatton to shreds in the same way that he roughed up Arturo Gatti, the world will see a new chapter in the career of the “Pretty Boy.”
Mayweather has the ultimate boxing biography and bargaining position in any world fight. Williams, 33-0, 24 KO’s, brings an entirely different element to the table. It is his gigantic wingspan and high volume of punches that separate Williams from his competitors. In a highly anticipated match, he managed to defeat Antonio Margarito in a closely contested match. Criticism has claimed that Williams slaps instead of punches but his power looked good that night against Margarito and he has overwhelmed almost all opposition in his career. His whiskers aren’t half bad either, taking bomb after bomb from Margarito without getting rocked.
Mayweather has always had a big mouth and managed to catch every fighter at the top of a commercial wave. That magic trick is being pulled again with Hatton. Mayweather may very well destroy the easily cut British bulldog as he comes forward. Supposing Mayweather keeps his distance, the nickname “Hitman” will take on a new meaning. Against Oscar De La Hoya, Mayweather ran and launched a strike from a distance and led the bigger man around the ring.
That would be impossible to pull on Williams. His size makes the fight different than any other in Mayweather’s career. He would be the one doing the rushing, fighting for inside positioning and pushing past defensive jabs.
On top of the sheer physical challenge and the degrees of uncertainty in a “6’1” southpaw volume puncher, Mayweather would have to show versatility in order to win. Transforming from the slick stick and move style to that of a rushing, inside fighter would be a move never before seen. Mayweather would have the chance to truly showcase his speed, moving in and out of eighty-plus punches each round with very little chance of hurting his opponent.
The fight isn’t bad commercially either. Both fighters are exciting to watch and the fight itself is of an entirely different specimen than most of the garbage being passed off as elite (cough, Hopkins-Wright, cough). There is almost sure to be a pummeling since there is little room for pawing in between the two fighters. If Mayweather thinks he’s the best, he needs to keep a younger and bigger fighter off of the back step. He is in good shape, has plenty of career dividends and even has fought at bigger weights. It’s time for the champ to place his money in his mouth before it’s instead filled with Paul Williams’ right hand.
Other Attractive Fights:
Floyd Mayweather Vs. Shane Mosley
This fight requires no build up. Mosley is taking on Miguel Cotto while Mayweather is preparing for Ricky Hatton in the two biggest fights of the Fall. Those two fights are monstrous and will accomplish solidifying the winner of each as one of the five best on the planet. Mosley and Mayweather are both blindingly fast. In fact, Mosley may be the only man fast enough to catch Mayweather. Close in weight and career accomplishment, this fight would likely hold the highest combined Pound for Pound Rating possible in one fight. As to whether or not it would be an exciting event for the boxing public, there are two possible directions. Either Mosley is fast enough that it unleashes the urgency in Mayweather and forces him to land often and hard. That makes it a speed and stamina burner, with Mosley rushing inside and Mayweather doing everything in his power to hold the gate. On the other hand, Floyd might just be able to shut him out of the pocket, crabbing when they get close and grabbing when they get closer. If Mosley can beat Cotto and Mayweather can best Hatton, then the fans might get this one down the road.
Edwin Valero vs. Manny Pacquiao
Valero is almost a ghost story in America. Throughout the Internet, you can hear whispers about the pop he has in both hands and his all offense style. As evidence, he carries a perfect 22-0, 22 KO’s. All but three of his victories have come in the first round. Take a moment to let that sink in.
Likely less than five percent of boxing fans have seen Valero, a Venezuelan who fights out of Japan. He is banned from fighting in the US when he failed an MRI in the state of New York and has not fought in America since destroying Tomas Zambrano in a fight in Irvine, California since 2003.
As for Pacquiao, he rests on top of the world for many boxing fans, coming in at either #1 or #2 in the boxing rankings for most pundits. With age beginning to set into both Juan Manuel Marquez and Marco Antonio Barrera, the Super Featherweight division is starting to thin of its best talent. That leaves Pacquiao in a class of his own, unable to find as many super fights as those in the divisions above him.
Valero and Pacquiao is a super fight, even if Valero holds very little popularity with mainstream fans. His image as a spirit of the boxing world coming to life to take on the strongest mortal challenger will suffice to sell plenty of Pay Per Views. Those Pay Per View buys will be good ones. There is very little defense involved in this sort of match up, with Pacquiao coming forward with one hand over the other down the middle of the body and Valero swinging forward in long straight power shots. A great plot, an even match and an action-packed fight that will most certainly end in a knockout is a great recipe for the promoters.
Kelly Pavlik vs. Joe Calzaghe
It is understandably premature for this match to take place. There is unfinished business for Pavlik at super middleweight, where he must depose the recognized champion Jermain Taylor. Calzaghe must still prove that he is the man at Super Middleweight by defeating Mikkel Kessler in a fight that will be the toughest in the career of either man.
Down the road, Pavlik’s large frame will move him up to Calzaghe’s weight class. The same can already be said of Taylor after their fight. If both men were undefeated and fighting in the same weight class, Calzaghe-Pavlik is one of the best fights in the last ten years of boxing. This would be a classic dualistic minded bout featuring the competition between young and old, slick and rough, boxer and brawler.
On top of that, it would be during Calzaghe’s famous title defense streak that he would be taking on the larger than life Pavlik. With an incremental build in difficulty toward a screaming lineup of heavy hitters, Calzaghe would have the opportunity to be known as one of the five best fighters of his era. Pavlik would have the chance to slay the giant and secure a legacy of his own. This fight is gold.
These are the fights that I call “Tex’s Title Fights,” a few bouts that would be great for boxing and great for the fans.
