As boxing enthusiasts, we love to explore the “what if” bouts. What if Floyd “Pretty Boy” Mayweather were to fight “Sugar” Ray Leonard? The hand speed and combinations would be awe- inspiring! Who would win such a contest? Or what if a primed Mike Tyson were to lock horns with Rocky Marciano? Can we imagine the explosion? As much a fan of the fantasy fights that I am, I have compiled a list of ten fights I would like to see (and can actually happen) in 2006. Some of these fighters have a tough fight already lined up in the first half of the year, but I gave my best hypothetical guess as to who would win.
10) Arturo Gatti, 40-7, 31 KO’s versus Kermit Cintron, 25-1, 23 KO’s
Arturo “Thunder” Gatti is coming off of a very impressive victory over the tough Danishman Thomas Damgaard. With a possible fight with WBC welterweight champion Carlos Baldomir looming for early summer, Gatti would be looking for his first defense around December; if he can beat Baldomir. Gatti is a hard puncher that is developing his boxing game well.
Kermit Cintron was a train riding the fast track to championship status until the locomotive named Antonio Margarito derailed him. Suffering his first loss via landslide TKO, Cintron rebounded well with a knockout victory in his comeback fight. Cintron is also a hard puncher, but had difficulty with a powerful boxer.
Both fighters have good knockout power and are rebounding well from the worst losses of their careers. The winner of this fight would truly secure a legitimate spot in the top ten welterweights of the world. I think Arturo Gatti is more prepared for a fight of this mentality, and will win via late round stoppage.
9) Calvin Brock, 27-0, 22 KO’s versus Nicolay Valuev, 43-0, 31 KO’s
WBA champion Nicolay Valuev will need a more decisive victory over a top contender than a decision win over a jab-and-grab style of fighting. His decision win over John Ruiz put him on the radar screen as one of the men to beat, but it did little to enhance his status as one of the best.
Calvin “the Boxing Banker” Brock is scratching for the opportunity of a meaningful fight. Brock possesses a good record and is stuck fighting lesser competition in “stay busy” fights since he came off the canvas to out point former contender Jameel “Big Time” McCline.
Brock is taller than Ruiz and can punch harder. This fight will go along way to determine if Valuev is a fluke Champion, or a legitimate force in the heavyweight division. I have not seen Valuev fight, but a split decision over Ruiz does not do a lot to impress me. I think Brock hits harder than Ruiz and after the devastating left hook against Zuri Lawrence, I pick Brock by middle round stoppage.
8) Acelino Freitas, 37-1, 32 KO’s versus Juan Diaz, 28-0, 14 KO’s
The “Baby Bull” has been plagued by injuries and is looking for a chance to regain control of the lightweight division. He is a pure workhorse in the ring by applying constant pressure from the opening bell of round one to the final bell of whichever round he knocks his opponent out in.
Acelino “Popo” Freitas suffered his only loss to current lightweight champion Diego Corrales. Since the fight that Freitas claimed “No Mas” (no more) he is on a comeback mission to retrieve a belt he believes belongs to him.
Both of these fighters can box and both of them can bang. Diaz is a straight ahead in-your-face type of boxer while Freitas is a ring general. Both of these fighters possess a small stick of dynamite in their right hands, so this fight could be an early night for one of them. I give the experience edge to Freitas, but I give the heart to Diaz. When the going got tough for Freitas against Corrales, he called it quits. I pick Diaz on sheer heart and determination.
7) Joe Calzaghe, 41-0, 31 KO’s versus Antonio Tarver, 24-3, 18 KO’s
Joe Calzaghe just placed the world on notice that he is the legitimate kingpin of the super middleweight division. Up to this past Saturday, Jeff Lacy had run rough-shod over the super middleweight division, until professor Calzaghe took him to graduate school. Joe is a banger who is not afraid to get hit as long as he can give one back. He does, however, have the toughest fight of his young career ahead of him as he is set to face longtime WBO champ Joe Calzaghe.
Antonio Tarver sits atop the light heavyweight division as their champion. He has beaten a rugged journeyman in Glenn Johnson and a past-his-prime Roy Jones Jr (twice) to become heir to that crown.
This fight will secure Tarver as a legitimate Champion if he can survive the onslaught that Calzaghe brings. Calzaghe would be moving up a division, but his style, stamina, and quickness could prove challenging for Tarver; not to mention the power Calzaghe has – which neither Glenn Johnson nor Roy Jones, JR. had a lot of. I think Tarver may do just as Lacy did and expect a knockout early. I have seen Calzaghe on a few occasions and think his accuracy and speed will pose problems for Tarver. Calzaghe by decision.
6) Jose Luis Castillo, 54-7-1, 47 KO’s versus Antonio Margarito, 33-4; 24 KO’s
Jose Luis Castillo has not been able to meet the weight limit on 135 for his last two fights at lightweight. He has struggled to get to 138, which is just below the junior welterweight limit of 140 pounds. It may be a stretch but I think he could do well in the welterweight division (147 pounds). It gives him the added weight he struggles to lose, and brings an exciting fighter to an already talent- rich division.
Antonio Margarito is as tough as they come. Because he is a tall wiry welterweight with a good jab and hard right hand, not many people want to fight him. He is the current WBO champion and is looking for a rugged challenger.
Although Castillo will be moving up two weight classes, he has yet to be knocked down in his career. He packs a good finishing record if he gets you hurt and has taken some of the best that has been offered of him. While not many people gave Gomez a real chance against Margarito, Castillo may actually be able to split ground and create a level playing field. Both fighters are searching for the respect that they deserve, making this a potential bombshell that I would like to see. With the rise in weight, I think the power of Castillo will increase, however I see him going down to the canvas for the first time in his career against Margarito. Margarito by decision.
5) Manny Pacquiao, 41-3-2, 33 KO’s versus Juan Manuel Marquez, 44-3-1, 33 KO’s
With a purely technical boxing style as his claim to fame, Juan Manuel Marquez has not faced a respectable opponent since his comeback draw against Pilipino sensation Manny Pacquiao. Even though he recently lost a decision to Chris John, it would go along way with all the critics for JMM to face the man many people felt he originally lost to.
Manny Pacquiao is riding a roller coaster of momentum after his latest victory. With a feat never done before, Pacquiao knocked out Erik Morales. With this type of a performance in a head-to-head rematch, one could only wonder how well he would do in pursuit of the ring general JMM.
This is the only fight on my list that is a rematch. I think Manny Pacquiao deserves it. He put JMM down three times in the first round during their first meeting before JMM pulled out every ounce of boxing skill he could find to edge his way back into a draw. While JMM will be looking for the straight left that floored him, Manny will look to do a better job of cutting off the ring and containing JMM so he can fire that left. Pacquiao comes with more experience this time around and stops Marquez just as he did Barrera and Morales, in the late rounds.
4) Samuel Peter, 25-1, 21 KO’s versus Lamon Brewster, 33-2, 29 KO’s
The Nigerian Nightmare” was almost put to sleep in the final round of his elimination bout with former champ Wladimir Klitschko; but Klitschko was reluctant to finish it. He had a sub-par performance in his next outing-presumably in an effort to increase the boxing skill that devastated him against Klitschko. While the Nightmare is still hungry, I would like to see how the chin holds up against someone who is not scared to go right after him.
“Relentless” Lamon Brewster is a man on a mission. He is out to prove that he belongs atop the heavyweight division where he currently rests as the WBO champion. After a victory over Wladimir Klitschko in a fight that he took a beating, he was able to withstand the enormous punishment and knock out an exhausted Klitschko in the fifth round. To show the world that it was no fluke, he disposed of four time heavyweight contender Andrew Galotta in a mere 53 seconds of the first round.
Coming off of a successful defense of his title in Germany, Brewster would definitely make the statement he intends to be on top for a while if he could knockout Samuel Peter. The chins of both fighters have been tested by “Dr. Steelhammer” Klitschko, and both have weathered the storm. It would be a very interesting fight to see what these two finishers can do if they got the other one hurt. I have to go with Brewster on this one, simply because he is on a roll and has shown he still possesses power after taking a beating. Peter was unchallenged as the only time he got rocked was in the 12th against Klitschko. Brewster by knockout in the middle rounds.
3) James Toney, 69-4-2, 43 KO’s versus Chris Byrd, 39-2-1, 20 KO’s
Chris Byrd is the longest reigning heavyweight champion right now. He has had some sub-par performances as of late, but that can be based partly on inactivity created by dissention between him and promoter Don King. When Byrd is on his game, he is a boxer in the truest sense of heavyweight competition. He lacks the power of a single punch knockout, but his defensive style has a way of battering his opponents into succumbing to an accumulation of punches.
James Toney is bringing excitement back to the heavyweight division. After defeating John Ruiz for the WBA heavyweight title in 2005, he was subsequently stripped of the belt for testing positive for steroids. After serving his suspension and paying the fine, he dominated former contender Dominick Guinn to get right back in the mix of things for 2006.
Both of these fighters are scheduled for title bouts early in 2006-Byrd against Klitschko and Toney versus Rahman. These two fighters however, bring some flash and movement to the ring instead of just raw power. Both are technical wizards that will not win a heavyweight fight with one punch, so the chess match on this battle will be a classic. I have to give the defensive wizardry to Toney on this one. He has been through it all and does not get flustered or frustrated, regardless of how the fight is going in the ring. Toney by decision.
2) Ike Quartey, 37-2-1, 31 KO’s versus Kassim Ouma, 23-2-1, 15 KO’s
Ike Quartey is a good fighter that is past his prime. Like so many other good fighters, he is on the comeback trail. On a three fight win streak after a five year hiatus following consecutive losses to Oscar De La Hoya and Fernando Vargas, he is still a relatively young 36 years old in terms of boxing.
Kassim Ouma is on the comeback after his latest loss. He had an impressive display of boxing in his last outing stopping his opponent Francisco Mora via eighth round TKO. He has speed in his hands, a pretty solid chin, and a high-energy output.
This fight will determine one of two things. Either Kassim “The Dream” Ouma is back and ready to wage war on the 154-pound division, or Quartey is truly deserving of his seat in the top ten of junior middleweights. I would go so far as to say that the winner of this attraction would be deserving of a title shot in early 2007. I have to go with the experience and power of Quartey in this one. Ouma will give a game fight, but will go down via stoppage in the later rounds.
1) Miguel Cotto, 26-0, 22 KO’s versus Ricky Hatton, 40-0, 30 KO’s
Cotto is a young, undefeated champion (WBO) in the junior welterweight division. He has shown good poise in the ring and an ability to overcome adversity. He has tasted the canvas before, and was able to mount a comeback win by way of TKO. He possesses a strong attack to the body, especially the left hook.
Ricky Hatton silenced all critics when he forced IBF king Kostya Tszyu to retire on his stool after the 11th round. Securing his dominance of the 140 pound division, Hatton went on to unify his IBF belt with the WBA version after knocking out champ Carlos Maussa. Vowing to come to America to fight in 2006, the “Hitman” has placed the entire division on the firing line of his ruthless body attack.
Not only would this be a unification bout, it would be a battle of the unbeaten. Both of these two fighters have flawless records and a win for either of them will place them firmly in command of the junior welterweight division. Both of these warriors possess a horrific body attack, so I do not expect this one to go the distance. I pick Hatton by knockout because he has power and finishing capabilities if he gets Cotto hurt. Hatton by stoppage in the middle rounds.
