Headline on a newspaper I spotted on Cape Cod: Bhutto Killing Throws Pakistan Into Chaos. I guess even headline writers take the holidays off because how do you throw a Stone Age society like Pakistan ?into? chaos? Seems to me the country has been in chaos for thousands of years. I think both Fred Flintstone and Lou Duva, I mean Barney Rubble are considered progressives in the widely-divided country.
Excuse the political pontificating except to also note the Bhutto clan used to run Pakistan much like Capone ran Chicago. Of course, we never have any assassinations in our country unless your last name is Kennedy or King… But the weak headline just got me to thinking how done I am with 2007?
So let?s stop looking in the rear view mirror and peer into Swami Marley?s Pugilistic Crystal Ball and tell you what will transpire in 2008 before we even flip from December to January. (Be advised this is only Part 1 of my Back to the Future fearless and peerless forecast.)
Guaranteed to happen in 2008:
He can?t fully dampen his competitive fires so Oscar De La Hoya finally takes Bob Arum?s bait and accepts title shot against Top Rank?s Boricua Bomber, the unbeaten Miguel Cotto. Date is set for May 3 at Dodger Stadium and, in a year?s biggest shocker, Oscar thrills the hometown faithful, all 50,000 of them, by narrowly decisioning the younger man. Surprising even himself with this supreme effort, ODLH quickly tells the world he will fight Floyd Mayweather one more time and win, lose or draw that he will hang up the gloves.
Oscar-Floyd II is set for Mexican Independence Day weekend in Las Vegas. For first time ever, the PPV price point is $75. Once he stops moping, Arum rebounds to make Cotto-Paul Williams fight with idea being winner there faces Mayweather, assuming Oscar runs out of miracles, in 2009…
Alex Povetkin wins a somewhat controversial split decision over Fast Eddie Chambers in Germany and needs a 10th round knockdown to nip it. Later in the year, Povetkin knocks out Samuel Peter to capture the WBC title?
Manny Pacquiao, losing on points, rallies to twice floor Juan Manuel Marquez on March 15 and win by TKO in closing seconds of penultimate round. Pacman next fights in September and outpoints WBC lightweight champ David Diaz. With his maiden voyage at 135 pounds going so well, talks immediately begin for a climb to 140 and a December megabout against the second most popular fighter on the planet, Ricky Hatton. When they fight, Hatton is stopped in nine rounds by the PInoy idol…
Jorge Linares emerges as a charismatic superstar on HBO and his ascension helps Japanese promoter Akihiko Honda get Edwin Valero licensed in Texas. Honda-San stages big HBO doubleheader in San Antonio with Linares and Valero both facing tough Mexican foes. Linares shines three times on HBO and talk at year’end is that, come 2009, Venezuelan can strip Floyd Mayweather of his mythical best around, pound for pound crown…
Honda?s April Alamodome show draws 11,000 fans and Valero?s two-round KO victory over Jose ?KO? Pectate sets stage for a big one for the fall, unification bout between unbeatens Valero and Joan Guzman?
Felix ?Tito? Trinidad?s comeback plans are throttled by the swift hands and somewhat nimble feet of Roy Jones on January 19. Don King has to issue some ?paper? to do it but they put 12,000 rear ends in the seats at Madison Square Garden?
MEN Arena in Manchester is packed to the rafters with 20,000-plus gathered to watch the Great British Cruiserweight Clash between Enzo Maccarinelli and David Haye. Macca?s Welsh fans go whacka as a Hayemaker knocks their hero flatter than a pancake in the fifth round. Mercurial Frank Maloney, oddly wearing a Confederate flag suit instead of his Union Jack model, swiftly announces that Haye is going north to the heavyweight division. Negotiations begin for a huge London heavyweight title bout between Wladimir Klitschko and Haye?
WKlit starts slow Feb. 23 at the Garden but revs up his motor and clearly and unanimously outpoints southpaw Sultan Ibragimov?
Immediately after death of Fidel Castro, BC Editor Ricardo Lois moves family from SoCal to Havana and becomes the island nation?s top fight promoter. Sponsored by Cohiba and Baccardi, Lois changes his legal name to Ricardo El Rey and demands that one and all refer to him by the new moniker?
No one asked him to but Shannon Briggs makes a stunning comeback, knocking out Monte Barrett in their Five Boroughs Heavyweight Championship bout, knocking Jameel McCline down seven times in an odd rematch and ends the year by in prime position to fight the WKlit-Haye winner in 2009. In his spare time, Briggs makes a movie with Will Smith and he plays a kindly ghetto parish priest instead of his usual role as the dreadlocked, assault rifle-toting, Haitian drug dealer?
Boxingconfidential?s Slava Koza shakes off major depression from Iggy?s KO loss to WKlit by marrying Maria Sharapova in Moscow. Boris Grinberg is Slava?s Best Man and Best Manager?
Former BC scribe Ron Peagram is located in Nepal where he tends mountain goats and studies the teachings of his Yogi, Berrra?
