Strengthened by the presence of Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, few can argue that the welterweight division has become the sport’s top weight class.
In the past two years, with Mayweather or Pacquiao headlining, the division has featured appealing and profitable bouts. Established world champions such as Paul Williams, Shane Mosley, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto added to the attraction.
The division will continue to remain significant, especially if Mayweather and Pacquiao agree to fight, but boxing could feature a similarly intriguing talent pool in the 140-pound junior-welterweight class.
The junior welterweights, or super lightweights as recognized by some organizations, consist of young and emerging champions eager to make a greater impact before an inevitable move to the welterweight division.
Fight fans dream of possible matches involving top welterweights Amir Khan, Timothy Bradley, Devon Alexander and Marcos Maidana.
However, if the top bouts can’t be secured, Bradley is ready to test the 147-pound class. Bradley, who has not renounced his World Boxing Organization junior-welterweight belt, will face Luis Abregu on July 17 in Racho Mirage, Calif.
Maidana was Bradley’s original opponent until an injury forced the postponement of his fight.
“I’ll fight any weight,” Bradley said in a conference call last week. “If I need to fight at 147 pounds, that’s what I’m going to do. If they [promoter and manager] want me to go back down to 140 and face anybody at 140, we’ll do that, too.”
Maidana moved into the division’s elite group with a sixth-round knockout of previously unbeaten Victor Ortiz last year. But Maidana withdrew from the Bradley bout because of a back injury and his immediate fight schedule appears uncertain.
Like Bradley, Alexander already has his summer fight date. Bradley will make a hometown defense of his 140-pound title against Andriy Kotelnik on Aug. 7 in St. Louis.
A 2004 Olympic silver medalist from England, Khan will wait for the outcome of Bradley’s and Alexander’s next bouts and Maidana’s still unannounced fight before making his next move. Khan made his United States debut with an 11th-round technical knockout over former world champion Paulie Malignaggi on May 15.
HALL OF FAME
South Florida will be well represented in the second Florida Boxing Hall of Fame induction weekend Friday through Sunday in Tampa.
The 2010 Hall of Fame class features South Florida residents and retired fighters Frankie Otero, Gomeo Brennan and Barbara Buttrick, promoter Don King, trainer Al Bonanni and boxing historian Enrique Encinosa.
Muhammad Ali, who lived in Miami during the early years of his professional career and trained at the famed Fifth Street Gym in Miami Beach, also is part of the 2010 Hall of Fame class.
For information, call 813-810-5896.
MARRONE WINS BY KO
Heavyweight Mike Marrone returned to the ring after a two-year absence and scored a fourth-round knockout over Joseph Rabotte in the main event of Saturday night’s card at the Deauville Hotel in Miami Beach.
In an undercard welterweight bout, New York’s Roberto Lopez won a unanimous decision over Xavier Burgos.
WARD RETAINS BELT
Andre Ward retained his world super-middleweight title and won his second-stage bout of the Super Six World Boxing Classic with a convincing decision over Allan Green on Saturday night in Oakland.
With the victory, Ward (22-0) made the first successful defense of his World Boxing Association belt and also advanced to the semifinal stage of the tournament featuring six super-middleweight fighters. Green, in his first tournament bout after replacing Jermain Taylor, is now 29-2.
