As we approach the Easter season, symbolical of the great resurrection, the sport of Boxing has seen a resurgence comprising of some of the best action in years, and with several marquee fights lined up and being made by the day, there appears to be a lot more where that outburst came from. Similarly, just as we’ve seen a great resurgence in the sport, we’ve also been hit with a string of results that no one could have predicted in a million years.
So far in 2011 we’ve seen the intense James Kirkland humbled, Puerto Rico’s JuanMa stopped, Andre Berto soundly defeated by a fighter most felt had “no heart”, and Canadian prospect Lemeiux pounded to a pulp! The scary part is that it doesn’t end there, as many other fighters saw what appeared to be easy victories fall flat.
They say hindsight is 20/20, but nowhere in the rearview mirror of the sport did any of us see what would later materialize, and looking ahead, it can only make one wonder what other possibilities exist. Within the next 3 months, fight fans will see David Haye square off against Wladimir Klitschko, Bernard Hopkins take on Jean Pascal, and in a fight the world is growing more and more intrigued with, Filipino Manny Pacquiao take on Shane Mosley.
All the betting odds place money on the marquee names, but in reality, it’s the men that stand across from them that make this a very dangerous stretch.
Wladimir is considered the top heavyweight of this era, and David Haye is powerful and fast, yet vastly untested against the elite in the heavyweight division. Does this reality make it impossible for him to win? Not at all. Hopkins is a much older fighter and has the task of going to another man’s land to make history, but does that remove him from the brink of victory? Not at all. Manny Pacquiao is on top of the world, and seems to grow larger and larger in the midst of bigger opposition, but does that mean he’s a lock to defeat the powerful, yet greatly aged Shane Mosley? Not at all.
The past fights of this year have shown us why they always said “any given night” the shift of power can tilt, and soon enough, we may have a few marquee names to add to this list.
The calendar says it’s time for Easter, but in the midst of this resurrection in the sport, should fight fans instead tune in for yet another tale from the darkside in what appears to be a ‘season of the witch’? By the end of the summer we’ll all know.
Stay tuned.
(Vivek Wallace can be reached at [email protected], Youtube (VIVEK1251), Twitter (VIVEKWALLACE747), Skype (VITO-BOXING), and Facebook).
