If you’ve been wondering why so little high-end boxing action has been going on in recent months, you’re not alone. It appears as though the sport we all love has been in hibernation during the cold winter months.
But like a bear just waking up from a long winter nap, boxing will be back with a vengeance in March with, perhaps, its biggest Spring season, ever.
Here’s a look at what’s already in store for fight fans as the ice thaws out and the flowers start to bloom:
March 24
Vernon Paris (26-0, 15 KOs) vs. Zab Judah (41-7, 28 KOs)
The main event of a nationally televised card, this bout puts together an exciting, highly-regarded 24-year-old junior welterweight prospect against a 34-year-old former world champion in a true crossroads bout. Also, on the same card, Tomasz Adamek makes his return to active duty.
Hernan Marquez (32-2, 25 KOs) vs. Rodel Mayol (30-5-2, 22 KOs)
Don’t sleep on the little guys and don’t underestimate this flyweight clash for Marquez’s WBA 112 lb. title. Mayol is a rugged and battle-tested former world champion under the guidance of Manny Pacquiao while the heavy-handed 23-year-old “Tyson” Marquez is on the verge of becoming the next in a long line of beloved Mexican battlers.
April 14
Brandon Rios (29-0-1, 22 KOs) vs. Yuriorkis Gamboa (21-0, 16 KOs)
If you want a war, these guys will give you a war. Two of boxing’s most exciting young stars will meet in this bout for the vacant WBA lightweight title. Cuban Olympic Gold Medalist, Gamboa, will be moving up two weight classes to take this one, but has shown the raw talent and ability to make such a task seem very plausible. Rios, a raw fighter who has never been in a dull fight, will be coming forward to grind Gamboa down. Don’t miss this one.
Mikkel Kessler (44-2, 33 KOs) vs. Robert Stieglitz (41-2, 23 KOs)
Three-time super middleweight champ returns to the land of the living with a clash against WBO super middleweight champ, Stieglitz. A win for Kessler will put him back in the super middleweight spotlight where names like Bute, Ward, Pavlik, Dirrell, and Froch dwell.
April 28
Bernard Hopkins (52-5-2, 32 KOs) vs. Chad Dawson (30-1, 17 KOs)
Okay, Okay. The first one was a poorly-received two-round dud that ended in a no contest after Dawson tossed Hopkins to the canvas. The bright side is that this is the only fight standing between the winner and bouts with truly entertaining next-generation stars like Tavoris Cloud or Ismayl Sillakh.
May 5
Floyd Mayweather Jr. (42-0, 26 KOs) vs. Miguel Cotto (37-2, 30 KOs)
This is the fight that educated boxing fans have been demanding since Cotto first moved up to welterweight in 2006. Now free of his ties with Top Rank Promotions, the Puerto Rican star will be taking on the sport’s most controversial and technically-gifted fighter in defense of his WBA junior middleweight title. The end result will be a box office blockbuster and professional validation for the winner.
Saul Alvarez (39-0-1, 29 KOs) vs. Shane Mosley (46-7-1, 39 KOs)
This match-up between the 21-year-old Mexican wunderkind and the faded, 40-year-old three-division former world champ has been poorly received by fans and media alike. However, Alvarez’s defects as a still-developing fighter seem to line up perfectly with what Mosley should still be able to do. Alvarez-Mosley may turn out to be an ugly mismatch, but it shouldn’t surprise anyone if it’s a bit closer than expected, either.
May 19
Amir Khan (26-2, 18 KOs) vs. Lamont Peterson (30-1-1, 15 KOs)
In this rematch for the WBA and IBF junior welterweight titles, the UK’s Khan should be in rare and deadly form against defending champ, Peterson, who proved himself as an elite fighter in their controversial first bout back in December. Expect fireworks as Khan battles for redemption and Peterson fights for respect.
Humberto Soto (57-7-2, 34 KOs) vs. Lucas Matthysse (30-2, 28 KOs)
Soto is a veteran former super featherweight and lightweight champion looking to earn one last world title at junior welterweight. Matthysse is a long-standing 140 lb. contender who many believe was dealt unjust scores in his bouts with Devon Alexander and Zab Judah. Against one another, there will be nothing personal. It’ll just be two honest, earnest professionals going to war for a chance at an elusive world title strap in one of the sport’s top divisions.
June 9
Manny Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KOs) vs. Timothy Bradley (28-0, 12 KOs)
The next best thing to the fight we all want, Pacquiao-Bradley will pit a main stage, pound-for-pound superstar against a young and hungry challenger. The number one ranked junior welterweight in the world, Bradley, will take on the number one ranked welterweight in a bout that should produce some real, high-end action.
June 16
Nonito Donaire (28-1, 18 KOs) vs. TBA
Although no opponent has been officially named for the new WBO junior featherweight champ, “The Filipino Flash,” makes for “must watch” TV every time he enters the ring.
