This article is exactly what the title has led you to believe it would be; a compendium of exciting fights that yours truly feels should be made in each division of the sport. It is in no way scientific or objective, but rather totally biased as it relates to my own personal preferences. Hopefully a few of you will share in those preferences and band with me in order to get these fights made. If however, after reading my list you come to the conclusion that I am completely wrong, feel free to send me an e-mail telling me so, or even one in which you state your desire to see me knocked-out by Kelly Pavlik as one recent reader did; I don?t mind at all. With that being said we?ll start at Flyweight because, to be totally honest, I don?t know anything about any fighter currently plying his trade beneath the 112 pound limit.
Flyweight
This division was recently reintroduced to the public consciousness when Vic Darchinyan began putting together his exciting, knockout laden run as the divisions IBF and IBO Titlist. The popularity gained during that time has not diminished with his demise due to the emergence of the equally exciting and far more talented Nonito Donaire of the Philippines who ended Darchinyan?s reign with a devastating fifth round knockout of previously unbeaten Armenian. Donaire is now the star of the division, thus any high profile fight made must include him.
Nonito Donaire, 19-1, 12 KO?s, versus Daisuke Naito, 32-2-2, 20 KO?s: As stated above, Donaire burst onto the scene with his dramatic knockout victory over the previously unbeaten Vic Darchinyan to become the divisions champion. Similarly, Naito was a relatively unknown fighter until he defeated long reigning champion Pongsaklek Wonjongkam last July. The promoter of this fight could also capitalize on the rivalry between the Philippines (Donaire) and Japan (Naito). With a combined record of 51-3-2, 32 KO?s, this has the potential to be a division defining fight that could potentially earn more attention for the weight class than was given during the reign of Darchinyan.
Nonito Donaire versus Koki Kameda, 16-0, 11 KO?s: Admittedly, I?m pretty high on Donaire right now. I think he was impressive in his victory over Darchinyan and looked good in his stoppage win over the tough Luis Maldonado. I?ve never seen Koki Kameda fight but from what I hear, popularity wise he is the Manny Pacquiao of Japan. Donaire on the other hand has seen his own popularity increase in his homeland and could look to double that with an impressive victory over Kameda.
Super Flyweight
Again, here is a division replete with obscure, but talented fighters who would serve themselves well by engaging each other in the public?s eye.
Vic Darchinyan, 29-1, 23 KO?s, versus Cristian Mijares 33-3, 14 KO?s: Darchinyan struggled a little bit in his comeback bout against Federico Catubay. Most recently he earned a draw with the talented Z Gorres. If he is serious about continuing on in the fight game, and rumors indicate that he may not be, Mijares would be an excellent opponent for the simple reason that he is a pure boxer without much power; pretty much the antithesis of Darchinyan who is a puncher with power but little to no boxing skill. Mijares hits soft enough that Vic shouldn?t have to worry about his Achilles Heel, or his Achilles chin as the case may be, and can concentrate on landing his big shots instead of worrying about the pesky problem of defense. Not that Vic would be guaranteed a victory in this bout, far from it. Cristian Mijares is considered by many to be one of the finest pure boxers in the game and he could very well box circles around Darchinyan for twelve rounds. Still, it would be an interesting and hopefully entertaining clash of styles as long as Darchinyan wasn?t totally outclassed.
Dimitri Krilov, 20-3, 9 KO?s versus Vic Darchinyan: Every reason I gave for wanting to see Darchinyan fight Mijares applies here, the only difference is the fighters nationality and name. Krilov is a capable boxer who got shafted against Luis Perez in 2006, and who has the ability to give Vic a boxing lesson if he can remain conscious for the full twelve rounds. Inactivity may be another problem for Krilov who has fought only once since that terrible decision loss to Perez.
Dimitri Krilov v. Cristian Mijares: This is one of those classic chess matches that could be a bit of a stinker if you don?t care for the science part of the sweet, but I personally would be in favor of it on an under card of a big Pay-Per-View event.
Bantamweight
This weight-class has suffered some since Rafael Marquez vacated it in order to move up a division, but there remain some quality fighters here that most fans would want to see go at it.
Gerry Penalosa 52-6-2, 35 KO?s, versus Silence Mabuza, 20-2, 16 KO?s: Penalosa lost a controversial decision to Daniel Ponce De Leon before dropping back down in weight to knock-out the always dangerous Jhonny Gonzalez, who gave Israel Vazquez all he could handle for ten rounds in 2006. Mabuza only has two losses on his resume and both of which were competitive if relatively one-sided losses to Rafael Marquez, a fighter who has since moved up in weight and engaged in two epic ring wars with the aforementioned Vazquez. Though aging, Penalosa seems to have hit a bit of a stride and is looking to make a few nice paydays before exiting the ring for good. A win over Mabuza would propel his marketability to a new level.
Jorge Arce, 48-4-1, 37 KO?s, versus Either Man: Arce would be an opponent of choice Penalosa as the fiery Mexican warrior is extremely popular and would be able to provide Gerry with the kind of pay-day he has lacked up to this point. Also, Arce?s come forward, constant attack style would allow Penalosa to lay back and counter as he seems to prefer doing. This one could be a fight of the year candidate. Arce against Mabuza would be cool too, just not as cool.
Super Bantamweight
If you think of the Super Bantamweight division and don?t think of Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez you?re not a boxing fan. Their first two fights last year were crowd pleasers in every sense of the word and the rubber match will be coming to us on 1 March 2008 and should be the ultimate fight fans fight. With that said, I have opted to leave this one off of my list since we are already getting it, and it would amount to merely stating the obvious.
Either Israel Vazquez, 42-4, 31 KO?s, or Rafael Marquez, 37-4, 33 KO?s, versus Daniel Ponce de Leon 34-1, 30KO?s: Ponce de Leon has an impressive record built against capable fighters, none of whom are any where close to being on the level of Vazquez or Marquez. I?m not even stipulating that the winner of their final bout must fight Ponce de Leon, the loser would be fine with me. This would be a true test of the free swinging Ponce de Leon who had his trouble with a smaller Penalosa. Daniel?s saving grace in the fight with Gerry was his good chin. Against either Vazquez or Marquez, we would find out how good that chin really is.
Mike Oliver, 21-0, 7 KO?s, versus Steve Molitor, 26-0, 10 KO?s: A battle of undefeated prospects with solid boxing skills; what?s not to love. I really can?t speculate too much regarding this fight since I have only seen both men in action on one occasion, but I will say that on those occasions I was impressed enough to want to see more. A Showtime or B.A.D. card seems appropriate for these two who should match up well.
Featherweight
Another division that has seen it?s stars move on to bigger and better things. Fear not Featherweight fans, a new crop of fighters seems poised to step into the shoes of Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Manny Pacquiao, and Juan Manuel Marquez. The only problem is the size of those shoes; who would have known that men weighing only 130 pounds would have ski?s for shoes?
Chris John, 41-0-1, 22 KO?s, versus Jorge Linares, 25-0, 16 KO?s: Indonesia?s Chris John has a ridiculous record that includes a victory over (albeit controversial) Juan Manuel Marquez, and has a difficult, frustrating style. This might be a case of too much too soon for Linares but somehow I doubt it. Jorge has looked good enough lately for me to give him at least a decent shot at pulling the upset, though he would be the underdog.
Robert Guerrero, 21-1-1, 14 KO?s, versus Either man: Supposing Guerrero emerges victorious from his showdown later this month with hot and cold prospect Jason Litzau, I would like to see Boxing?s other ?Ghost? tango with either John or Linares and happen to think both options would make for compelling television fights. If he is defeated by Litzau however, well we can just swap Guerrero for ?The American Boy.?
Super Featherweight
The other welterweight Division. Super featherweight is home to Rocky Juarez, Humberto Soto, Manuel Medina, Mzonke Fana, Alex Arthur, Jorge Barrios, Edwin Valero, Joan Guzman and most notably, Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao. What else do you want?
Manny Pacquiao, 45-3-2, 35 KO?s, versus Edwin Valero, 23-0, 23 KO?s: What fight fan hasn?t been asking for this fight for the better part of a year now. Valero has a perfect knockout ratio against soft opposition, while the ?Pac-Man? has a solid KO percentage against some of the pound for pound best in the sport. There are only two ways in which this fight can play out: Either Pacquiao exposes Valero for being a mediocre fighter with good power but not much else, or Valero proves his quality against one of the top fighters in the game.
Edwin Valero versus Humberto Soto, 43-6-2, 27 KO?s: Soto has a ?High Tech Concrete? chin that would likely test the validity of Valero?s much hyped power. Also, Soto is a good fighter and if a Pacquiao fight is not available for Valero, this would be a good consolation prize.
Juan Manuel Marquez, 48-3-1, 35 KO?s, versus Joan Guzman, 28-0, 17 KO?s: Guzman is the new Marquez in terms of length of time waited for a high profile bout. Who better to grant him one than Marquez? This one would likely be a high paced, technical bout with lots of action, not the typical boring chess match, but just as mentally intense. A true pick?em fight.
Junior Welterweight
Just a few short years ago this was considered to be the hottest division in boxing, yet that reoccurring theme of fighters moving up in weight has taken it?s toll on the Junior Welter?s as well. Never fear though, with names like Junior Witter and Paulie Malignaggi there will be plenty of quality fights made at 140 pounds in the future. Oh yeah, and some guy named Ricky Hatton lives here too.
Ricky Hatton, 43-1, 31 KO?s, versus Ricardo Torres, 32-1, 28 KO?s: This one is a personal favorite that I have been pushing for quite some time as I feel it would showcase the best aspects of each fighter and should be a Fight of the Year type fight. Hatton is a blue collar fighter who packs his lunch and goes to work that has a less than granite chin, Torres is a rough and ready power puncher whose heart and stamina have been questioned in the past. The question here is who gets to who first.
Paulie Malignaggi, 24-1, 5 KO?s, versus Jose Luis Castillo, 56-8-1, 48 KO?s: Sure Castillo is a little worn down and is a faded version of what he once was, but Paulie?s lack of pop would serve the aged Mexican ring warrior well. In turn, this slower version of what was once one of the best pressure fighters in the game would allow Malignaggi the opportunity to adapt and grow against what has thus far been the most difficult style for him to defeat.
Welterweight
Here it is folks, the division you?ve all been waiting for. The top ten here is stacked, and everybody knows it. I don?t feel the need to go into it anymore for now.
Floyd Mayweather, JR., 39-0, 25 KO?s, versus Miguel Cotto, 31-0, 25 KO?s: The entire boxing world has been asking for this fight since Cotto?s victory over ?Sugar? Shane Mosley in November of last year. Fortunately, Mayweather, JR., has heard the fans demands loud and clear and for that reason he is going to fight?Oscar De La Hoya in September. Oh well, that still leaves Cotto to sign on for a meaningful fight. As a matter of fact recent reports claim that Miguel will be stepping in against the always dangerous?Alfonso Gomez? Regardless, with the demand currently in place for a bout between the two, if both men go into December still undefeated, demand will only be further increased. Like Tommy Hearns and ?Sugar? Ray Leonard, these two will eventually meet, and the fans will be the winners when they do.
Zab Judah, 36-5, 25 KO?s, versus Alfonso Gomez, 18-3-2, 8 KO?s: I?m throwing this one in for the heck of it. Gomez is a tough, but limited fighter with tons of heart. Judah is a supremely skilled fighter (for four rounds) with questionable heart. It should be a fun crossroads fight for as long as it lasts.
Junior Middleweight
154 pounds may be home to Cory Spinks, Vernon Forrest, and supposedly Oscar De La Hoya, but if exciting, action filled fights are what you want, then you want to see James Kirkland. He may still be developing, and inherently flawed, but damn is he fun to watch.
James Kirkland, 21-0, 18 KO?s, versus Joel Julio, 32-1, 30 KO?s: Neither man has yet to reach the top tier status in the division, but both are devastating punchers and exciting fighters to watch. This would be an old fashioned shoot-out, and whoever the last man standing happened to be would be suddenly finding his stock risen to the point where he would suddenly be the most sought after fighter in a lackluster division.
James Kirkland versus Sechew Powell, 22-1, 13 KO?s: Similar to the fight mentioned before hand except that Powell doesn?t possess the power of Julio, though he is a more well-rounded boxer.
Middleweight
Boxing?s newest rock star, Kelly Pavlik rules the roost here and the field of challengers is rather unimposing, with a few exceptions.
Kelly Pavlik, 32-0, 29 KO?s, versus Arthur Abraham, 25-0, 20 KO?s: Supposing that Pavlik returns to Middleweight after his return bout with Jermain Taylor in order to defend his title, he should look no further than Germany?s Arthur Abraham. Undefeated and in possession of the (alpha) strap, there is no reason these two shouldn?t go at it. That is unless of course you would rather see Pavlik go in against Winky Wright, in which case I would say that you are a masochist.
Kelly Pavlik versus John Duddy, 23-0, 17 KO?s: Duddy may not be ready for a fight like this, hell he may never be, but it would be entertaining while it lasted.
Super Middleweight
One of the three best divisions in boxing though it may have lost its most accomplished fighter and pound-for-pound star Joe Calzaghe. Still, there remain enough fresh young names here to keep the division energized for years to come.
Mikkel Kessler, 39-1, 29 KO?s, versus Lucian Bute, 21-0, 17 KO?s: If Joe Calzaghe is truly finished with the super middleweight division, then in my opinion that leaves two men atop the heap in Kessler and Bute. Why not let the two of them fight for the right to be top dog? Bute is undefeated but largely untested against elite fighters while Kessler?s defeat came at the hands of the very dominant Calzaghe. This one should be interesting as the edge in power probably goes to Bute while the edge in skill goes to Kessler.
Jeff Lacy, 23-1, 17 KO?s, versus Edison Miranda, 30-2, 26 KO?s: I don?t believe team Lacy will allow this one to happen anytime soon given how bad Lacy has looked ever since his drubbing at the hands of Joe Calzaghe but what a war it would be if it did come off.
Light Heavyweight
This division has seen its better days. From top to bottom it is riddled with names that would be a good fit for ?Trivial Pursuit-Boxers of the 90?s Old Timers Edition.? For my money, Chad Dawson is the only fighter really worth paying to watch. Bernard Hopkins is the Lineal Champion, a future Hall of Famer, and one hell of a crafty fighter who is probably capable of beating most boxers in the world in spite of his advanced age; but his fights have become increasingly boring since he knocked out Oscar De La Hoya in 2005.
Chad Dawson, 25-0, 17 KO?s, versus Paul Briggs, 26-3, 18 KO?s: Win or lose against Glen Johnson in April, I wouldn?t mind seeing the divisions best in Dawson taking on the always exciting Paul Briggs. Dawson has been down before and Briggs has been beaten on three occasions, but he always gives one hundred percent of himself in entertaining fights. I know that Briggs is not the most bankable name in this division filled with aging superstars, but in my opinion he would make for a much more exciting and dramatic opponent than anyone other than Johnson whom Dawson will be facing shortly.
Cruiserweight
The Heavyweight division of yesterday can be one of the most exciting divisions to watch, when you can find it on TV.
David Haye, 20-1, 19 KO?s, versus O?Neil Bell, 26-2-1, 24 KO?s: When he fights, O?Neil Bell is simply one of the most exciting fighters in boxing. He can be behind on the cards, having lost every round, with only a minute left in the twelfth, and suddenly put his opponent to sleep. Haye on the other hand has recently taken over the division and has been impressive in doing so, a fight with Bell is most definitely a fight fans fight.
David Haye versus Steve Cunningham, 21-1, 11 KO?s: Let?s be honest, Cunningham is the most ignored fighter in boxing?s most ignored division which is a shame because he is a heck of a fighter. I would like to see him get a shot at one of the ?big? names in the division, on television.
Heavyweight
Yep, here we are, the Heavies. Kind of an anti-climatic end, wouldn?t you agree? Well, here are at least two fights that wouldn?t put an insomniac on dream street.
Wladimir Klitschko, 49-3, 44 KO?s, versus Sam Peter, 29-1, 22 KO?s II: Hopefully if this one did happen it would be a unification bout for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship of the World. It would also allow fans a chance to see whether Klitschko?s confidence is now at a place where his legs wouldn?t be so shaky against the ?Nigerian Nightmare,? or whether Jameel McCline exposed something in Sam Peter in his near upset last October. Either way, given the power that both men possess, Klitschko?s fragile chin, and now Peter?s suspect chin, this one isn?t likely to disappoint, and that?s saying something for a heavyweight contest.
Alexander Povetkin, 15-0, 11 KO?s, versus Chris Arreola, 22-0, 20 KO?s: A battle of contenders, or prospects, depending on the term you prefer. We all saw how Povetkin looked against a bit gun shy Eddie Chambers, now let us see how he looks against an opponent who is anything but gun shy. Whomever is left standing would have earned a shot at what would hopefully be an undisputed championship.
So there you have it. Those are the fan fights that I have selected and I think that we will have the pleasure of seeing a few of them actually occurring.
