Until the recent demise of the Heavyweight Division, it carried the legacy of being the most well-known and legendarily respected group of fighters in the boxing world. While Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran are remembered by American fans, it has been Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes and Mike Tyson that have carried the torch of the fight game by burning images into the minds of ordinary Americans.
Even in the more recent eras of boxing, the more popular fighters have been heavyweights such as Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield.
In this day and age, the Heavyweight Division just isn?t where the eyes are focused. The boxing world can hardly wait for the third fight between Rafael Marquez and Israel Vazquez. Of course, boxing heads can also look forward to the definitive Miguel Cotto-Shane Mosley showdown and the December Pound for Pound Championship showdown between Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather, JR.
It should be duly noted that the average of these fighters tends to be on the small side. The Cruiserweight and Light Heavyweight Divisions leave very few desirable showdowns given the caliber of fighters presented. The Heavyweight Division is full of a collection of oldies and awkwards, two of the belts belonging to southpaws and the other two belonging to relative veterans in the sport. That means the best fights of the day are not going to focus on the big men but rather reference the smaller framed fighters.
Because of the focus on the tiny man?s game, fights will come down less to huge hits and more to volume of punches. To some, that?s a blessing. A fight with astronomical punch track numbers can be just what the doctor ordered after watching some of the dance-offs and grope fests featured in boxing. Some of those twinkle toed/WWF laden matches even have the gall of asking true grit boxing fans, the backbone of the sport, to pay beyond the premium and shell the price of one month?s Internet bill for the pleasure of viewing it in real time. Talk about digging your own grave when it comes to marketing.
In any event, fights that are often most worth watching are the smaller guys. They give and take more shots at higher speeds and the skill level is currently head and shoulders above the bigger cats (even if their bodies are knees and toes below).
The king of these little men is none other than Top 2 Pound for Pounder Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao is undeniably one of the best fighters in the world and has such an ultimately appealing style that setting him up for fights should be one of the easiest jobs on the planet. Since the promotion teams have shafted the boxing public by refusing to perform even that simplistic duty, allow me. Presented to you here is Tex?s Title Fight: The Pacquiao Files.
Vs. Juan Manuel Marquez, 47-3, 35 KO?s
If no one else is willing to spit fire about this one, allow me. This fight should have happened years ago and it is a dirty rotten shame that the promotion staffs of the two fighters have not allowed it to come off. There is no way that the fans should be subjected to Rocky Juarez losing to Marquez and Barrera being out jousted by Pacquiao rather than watching this rematch of their classic action-packed first fight.
Marquez-Pacquiao I had it all and was the exact type of fight that needed a rematch. The fans were given action, drama, suspense, plot twists and direct, crowd vs. crowd angst. Marquez is now an older, smarter, more experienced fighter with more victories under his belt, including his last fight over the man that Pacquiao is about to face in Barrera. Pacquiao is older and wiser but still struggles with defense and maintaining focus in and out of the ring. To see who would exploit the weaknesses of who would be the best fight that can be made in the Super Featherweight division. Instead, the fans get Rocky Juarez, who hasn?t impressed since his first fight with Barrera and lost both fights with him, and Barrera himself, who lost a good action contest to Marquez last time out. Either put Baarrera and Marquez back in the ring or offer the fans Pacquiao-Marquez. The time was now and is late. Frankly, we are getting something else that is below the mention of a Ringside Report column. Here?s a hint: The prefix is ?Bull-.?
Vs. Edwin Valero, 22-0, 22 KO?s
I wrote about this fight in the last article, so kick a man for unoriginal material if you must. Valero vs. Pacquiao is such an incredible fight that it must be made, especially given recent turns of events. The word is that Valero has suffered a nasty scar from a knife while in Venezuela. It is understandable that Valero enjoys the safety of Tokyo on a regular basis and was only visiting when he was shanked, but this is as good a reason as any to get him licensed in the US and move him away from danger. It is unclear whether or not the injury affected any of his abilities upon which his boxing relies, i.e. vision or facial tissue. However, it is time for this fight to come off before any further damage is done to the 25 year old knockout artist.
This fight is definitely second on the list but still important for both boxing as a whole and the legacies of both Valero and Pacquiao. Valero may as well be an apparition in the boxing world, never fighting a full fight in front of American eyes and failing to make the same waves as either Pacquiao or any other fighter of his caliber. He is untested and must be checked in the skills department and the chin and will remain so in his next fight against Fernando Trejo. While Trejo has beaten a decent record or two, his opponents have been mostly chumps or men who have feasted on chumps. He will have his hands full with Valero.
Valero?s slug fest against Vicente Mosquera stands as the only real challenge on his docket and is a spot of competition amongst a collection of knockouts that cracked the jaws of his opponents and dropped the jaws of his fans. In that fight, Valero tasted mat in the third round but was able to rise to his feet and the occasion. Whether he could pull the same rabbit out of his hat against the better trained and more experienced Pacquiao remains to be seen, but it would be a joy to watch. Stylistically, the showdown would be head to head offense with ultimate power behind it. Think Corrales-Catillo but with more pop.
Vs. Humberto Soto, 43-5, 27 KO?s
In On the Waterfront, Marlon Brando plays an ex boxer named Terry Malloy and says famously and angrily, ?You dirty rat? You killed my brother!? The relevance of that is slight to this situation, as Soto didn?t exactly kill Manny Pacquiao?s brother Bobby. Instead, he left him such a bloody mess that he could not see well enough to fight beyond the 1:48 in the seventh round of their showdown in June.
Soto is one of the best super featherweights in the world. At only twenty seven years old, he has racked up forty three victories. His five losses have all come against high quality opposition with only one of those bouts ending earlier than scheduled. He is also one of the most exciting fighters on the planet, racking up one knockout for each year of his life and moving with ferocious speed.
Soto has a great story and the make up of a real contender. He was raised in a cardboard shack and served one year as the chief sparring partner to Erik Morales. His tools include but are not limited to great range in his arms, a piston jab, a solid footwork shuffle, stiff power and the ultimate determination. His best showcase came in his 2005 victory over Juarez, when Soto led early in the fight and faded late. The scorecards drew to a point where they hinged on the final round because of several point deductions. Soto stepped on the gas pedal and won that round definitively, awarding him the fight.
Soto?s style is just the kind that would give Pacquiao trouble. Pacquiao rushes forward and Soto?s punches are long enough and forward enough to keep him out of the kitchen. On the other hand, Soto leans forward and would provide plenty of target for Pacquiao?s winging hooks. This contest would be all action and one of the most difficult for Pacquiao.
Honorable Mention
Vs. Michael Katsidis, 23-0, 20 KO?s, Juan Diaz, 32-0, 16 KO?s, Joan Guzman, 27-0, 17 KO?s
Diaz is a twenty three year old law student at the University of Houston, a top 20 Pound for Pound fighter and the most versatile fighter on the planet. He hits fast, at plenty of angles, and relentlessly. He also maneuvers with ducks and pivots much in the way of the recently incarcerated Paul Spadafora. Diaz has the head, heart and physicality to be known as the best fighter in the world and a fight with Pacquiao might be enough to prove that he is just that.
As for Katsidis, the flamboyant Australian always enters the ring in a Spartan mask and earned his stripes in the boxing world in his bout against Czar Amonsot on the under card of the Bernard Hopkins-Winky Wright snooze fest. Katsidis came dangerously close to losing by stoppage against the tough and talented Amonsot but triumphed with volumes upon volumes of punches. At the end of the night, he had a blood-covered face, the attention of fans everywhere and a unanimous decision victory to show for his efforts.
Both men are a step up in weight and would have to be met at a catch weight to make a fair fight. The matches are also down the road given the parameters of the business and the order of things to come in the Pacquiao, Diaz and Katsidis camps. Diaz is looking to unify the lightweight belts and face Joel Casamayor or possibly Katsidis himself. Either of those fights is good enough to be called a fantasy without Pacquiao. Diaz-Casamayor is two of the most naturally talented men of the era facing off, while Diaz-Katsidis is a gore feature waiting to happen.
As for Guzman, the undefeated Dominican is a steady boxer with plenty of room for legacy improvement. He must first get past Soto in November before even thinking about fighting someone like Pacquiao. Guzman has valuable tools and is much like Soto in his ranging ability and steady jab but he his power has dropped off as his opponents have gotten better. After knocking out eleven of his first thirteen opponents, he now has a docket of twenty seven victories with seventeen recorded knockouts and none in his last six bouts. To beat Pacquiao, Guzman would have to show the power he has displayed at the best points of his career.
