A couple of weeks ago TigerBoxing kingpin Tom Thompson made a strong case of a ?Final Four? to settle the talent-rich welterweight division. That it would ultimately come down to the winners between Miguel Cotto-Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather-Ricky Hatton.
Sounds good to me.
There?s only one weight class to rival the welters in terms of proven world-class talent, and that?s super featherweight. The 130-pound division has benefited some major recent activity such as Manny Pacquiao?s domination of Marco Antonio Barrera last month and Joan Guzman?s points win over Humberto Soto last weekend.
Super feather is as much about possibilities as elimination. The division boasts an exciting international cast, and has benefited more than any other weight class from the truce between promotional giants Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions.
There?s no limit as to what can happen, and both HBO and Showtime have been eager to bring these fights to armchair viewers.
The division isn?t an easy one to excel in. If you haven?t quite got ?it?, you?ll get found out, as Mzonke Fana did against Barrera in a PPV mismatch a couple of years ago, and as Rocky Juarez did against a razor sharp Marquez over a week ago.
Fana, oddly, holds a world title, thanks to the \”strip happy\” IBF. Juarez can move back down to featherweight after his brave, bloody, but ultimately outclassed showing.
If there?s one fight that has to be made at 130, it?s a rematch between Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao, who fought to a thrilling draw in 2004. Back then, Mexico?s Marquez was the WBA/IBF holder and Filipino Pacquiao was the ?People?s Champ,? down at featherweight.
Now Marquez is WBC king and Manny is regarded by many as the #1 at 130-pounds despite being beltless: it?s another score that needs settling, in what could be yet another Fight of the Year candidate. Both are more complete fighters these days ? Manny has added some boxing ability, Marquez is more eager to trade than he used to be.
The fans want it, the writers want it, and the WBC ? who rate Manny as the top contender ? want it as well. With Golden Boy working with Top Rank, there?s no reason for it not to happen.
But could the winner rest on his laurels with speedster Joan Guzman in the mix? The Dominican, who defended his WBO crown vs the skilled and powerful Humberto Soto via unanimous decision last Saturday, has emerged as a genuine threat and a probably ?pound for pound? entrant in his own right.
But as fast and as skilled as Guzman is, he?s not always a crowd pleaser, given the way he paces himself after exciting starts. Bob Arum has reservations about Guzman-Pacquiao, given the way Guzman won over the fans early and lost them late, on Saturday.
If he wants a crack at the biggest names, the 31-year-old may have to wait in line. If he wants to keep his WBO belt, Joan must face mandatory challenger Alex Arthur. Arthur, of Scotland, could be the latest fighter to cement Britain as a major force.
?Amazing? Alex chopped down southpaw Koba Gogoladze for the WBO Interim belt last July. Though his promoter Frank Warren doesn\’t put his star attractions in fights they could well lose, the 5\’ 9 Arthur is a big super feather and one of the fittest in the game. A physical, rather than sophisticated combatant, he\’s still strong at 130-pounds.
Guzman, who takes rounds off, has always had weight woes at 122, 126 and 130-pounds. Despite his flashes of brilliance, his weight making will get the better of him eventually.
If Arthur could get home advantage, another British triumph could be on the cards. But we\’ll see how serious misters Arthur and Warren are, especially if there\’s a bidding war to bring the fight over to Scotland. But if they sit on the ranking and wait for Guzman to, say, vacate, it\’ll be the \”diplomatic\” route to glory.
For the moment it\’s Arthur vs Stephen Foster, Jr, in what looks a decent domestic dust-up to close the year.
And before we get ahead of ourselves, let\’s not forget Soto. The Mexican deserved a bit better than the 118-110 and 117-111 (twice) cards against him, though he was clearly in against the \”wrong\” style in the mobile, quicksilver Guzman in his bid for the WBO belt. The 27-year-old is still due a shot at the WBC title, which he\’s won two eliminators for in the past.
Humberto also has access to a big pool of talent, so long as his promoter Top Rank is on good terms with Golden Boy, and will do well against aggressive foes that give him more punching opportunities.
At 27, he\’s still in his prime and looks strong at the weight. If the well-schooled, sharp-hitting Mexican has proven anything it\’s that he can improve after defeats (of which he has six). And if his 2005 victim Rocky Juarez can get second, third and fourth chances at glory, so can \”La Zorrita.\”
Should Guzman vacate his belt, it could well end up being Soto v Arthur in what could be a bruising fight, for the WBO strap. WBC holder Marquez may have to accommodate Soto down the line, and Pacquiao wants revenge for the beating Soto laid on his brother Bobby last June.
When Soto?s licked his wounds, he can surely tell himself, ?Next time??
And if someone somehow finds himself in the wilderness, there\’s always the Japan-based wild man Edwin Valero. The Venezuelan southpaw is one of the purest punchers in the sport, with 22 KOs from 22 wins, including a thrilling stoppage of Vicente Mosquera last year.
The WBA champ can\’t fight in America ? a brain scan revealed irregularities stemming from a motorcycle accident ? but he must be itching for a good name who?s willing to travel.
