The year 2008 has been kind so far to veteran, savvy boxers who thrive more on their speed or smarts than raw power. Several of these technicians have proved that despite their advancing ages, they still have some sweet science coursing through their veins.
Roy Jones Jr., age 39, kicked off the year in January with a surprisingly stirring victory over Felix Trinidad. Juan Manuel Marquez, age 34, lost narrowly this month to Manny Pacquiao in a thrilling classic that made the nearly 2-1 odds against him look silly; even in loss, Marquez was celebrated. And Joel Casamayor, 36, shook off his ring rust last weekend to knock out 27-year-old Michael Katsidis in another of March’s candidates for Fight of the Year.
All three men have been criticized throughout their careers for at times being boring, and those kind of performances from boxer-types are why some fight game fans have found solace in the Mike Tysons and Thomas Hearns of the world, the take-no-prisoners sluggers who guaranteed action.
But for every Tyson and Hearns, there was a Muhammad Ali or Sugar Ray Leonard who traded off a little power for an extra helping of skill and did not see much drop-off in their drama quotient.
Despite their exciting showings, the current generation of fleet-footed craftsmen probably won’t be around the sport much longer. Even the in-his-prime Floyd Mayweather, Jr., 31, is a threat to retire and stay retired at any moment.
Fortunately, there’s a new generation of exciting, young slicksters coming down the pipeline. Some have already been tabbed by boxing observers as superstars in the making. Only time and experience will tell if they can fill their elders’ shoes, but they’re all worth watching to see if they can fulfill expectations.
Here’s a look at the 10 best of the bunch, all no older than 27 but with enough seasoning to suggest they’re potential heir apparents.
Chad Dawson, 25 (light heavyweight, 25-0 with 17 KOs): Dawson became a title-holder in 2007 with a masterful performance that turned into a gutty one against Tomasz Adamek, who decked him in the 10th round before Dawson recovered and fought to a clear points victory. He oozes talent, and he’s dominated most everyone he’s faced with his blazing speed, southpaw stance and brilliant combos.
Versus Adamek ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlmiYBKClfc
The big question ? How will he handle his biggest step up in caliber of opponent? Adamek was a very good light heavyweight, but Glen Johnson, Dawson’s opponent April 12, has beat the class of the division. Dawson’s been down a couple times in his career, and he has worked on his defense, but Johnson’s a ferocious pressure fighter who will be hard to keep at bay.
Nonito Donaire, 25 (flyweight, 19-1 with 12 KOs): “The Filipino Flash” lives up to his name with the kind of quickness that exemplifies the old boxing saw that “speed kills.” He’s among the more offensive-minded young slicksters. He earned fame for taking the fight to feared titlist Vic Darchinyan and scoring most observers’ 2007 Knockout of the Year, then proved he wasn’t a fluke by knocking out Luis Maldonado.
Versus Darchinyan ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3l6AFCH9ns
The big question ? He’s had some promoter drama with Gary Shaw, and he’s suffered occasional attention lapses in the ring, so does he have the focus to be great? Of lesser concern is a tendency toward hand injuries.
Yuriorkis Gamboa, 26 (junior lightweight, 9-0 with 8 KOs): Gamboa’s been compared, stylistically, to both Jones, Jr. and Tyson, but either way, he’s perhaps the most exciting prospect in the sport. He hits with crushing power, as evidenced by his blowouts of experienced vets who were supposed to give him rounds, but his power is equaled by his speed and easy manner in the ring, the latter a product of his extensive amateur background in Cuba.
Versus Johnnie Edwards ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnVK3-CPjTM
The big question ? He gets hit more often than he would if he didn’t carry his hands so low, Jones, Jr.-like, so how will he handle it when the punch comes from a knockout artist? So far, his supreme reflexes have kept him from getting clobbered by anything big, but he’s not faced anyone with mega-power yet.
Joe Greene, 22 (middleweight, 18-0 with 13 KOs): Greene is so skilled he looked more like he was practicing against tough vet Francisco Mora in his last outing than anything: “Shall I counter-punch now?” “How about fighting off the ropes?” Mora was his most experienced opponent, but Greene toyed with him and beat him up badly, too.
Versus Darryl Salmon ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMk65IkNoKw
The big question ? Is he too hittable for a slickster? Against Mora, he dangled his left hand extremely low, and Salmon scored a flash knockdown against him. His offensive-mindedness makes him a crowd pleaser, but if he gets sloppy, he could find himself in trouble as his opponents increase in class.
Amir Khan, 21 (lightweight, 16-0 with 12 KOs): Already a superstar in the U.K., Khan has greatness written all over him. Well-schooled, lightning-quick and hard-hitting, he has steamrolled opposition expected to pose him challenges, and is on the fast track to contend for a title as soon as this year.
Versus Graham Earl ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1pltl8Lbh8
The big question ? Does he have a shaky chin? Willie Limond, with eight knockouts in 28 wins, knocked him down and hurt him badly in 2007, and some believe he’s been carefully matched since then to shield his liability. But he showed big heart in getting back up to stop Limond.
Jorge Linares, 22 (featherweight, 25-0 with 16 KOs): Hardly a mention of Linares goes by these days without the accompanying phrase, “destined for top-10 pound-for-pound status.” Highly-regarded for his boxing skills, he was in two slugfests in 2007, first against Oscar Larios to win his title belt, then against Gamaliel Diaz to score a highlight reel knockout.
Versus Diaz ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgoJ48O7qy4
The big question ? When will he fight another of the top featherweights? It’s a stacked division right now, and who wouldn’t want to see Linares against Robert Guerrero or Chris John? Instead, his next fight is with Billy Dib.
Juan Manuel Lopez, 24 (junior featherweight, 21-0 with 19 KOs): Like Gamboa, “Juanma” may be a blend of power puncher and slickster. That only makes him more dangerous as a power puncher. He clearly goes for the knockout, but usually does so after patiently setting it up with the sweet science.
Versus Giovani Andrade ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixZOfOHa9JU
The big question ? Has he taken too big a quantum leap up in competition by signing to fight one of the sport’s most concussive punchers, Daniel Ponce De Leon, this June? Rey Bautista, another blue chip prospect, got obliterated by De Leon in 2007. Lopez is green, too, but his chin and skill level appear to be on a higher level than Bautista’s.
Cristian Mijares, 26 (junior bantamweight, 34-3-2 with 14 KOs): Mijares, off his clinical dismantlings of highly-touted Jorge Arce in 2007 and dangerous Jose Navarro this year, is already on the verge of cracking the top-10 pound-for-pound for some. The titlist may have a low KO ratio, but he’s got a high boxing IQ and his fights are usually entertaining.
Versus Navarro ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WinyatCEdIw
The big question ? Why not fight Fernando Montiel? Both won fights and fans on the Kelly Pavlik-Jermain Taylor II undercard, and look to be the class of their division, stoking demand for a clash between the two. But fighting Alexander Munoz instead isn’t a terrible option for him, certainly.
Steve Molitor, 27 (junior lightweight, 26-0 with 10 KOs): Those 10 knockouts in 26 wins are deceiving, because he’s reeled in four of them in his last six fights and had his other two opponents over that stretch hurt at various intervals. Molitor is silky smooth, but he’s focused on sitting down on his punches and strength training in recent years, and scored a knockout in his biggest win, a title bout with Michael Hunter.
Versus Hunter ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlnvqQ32Psg
The big question ? Will he ever fight in America? Molitor, “The Canadian Kid,” is making nice purses up in Ontario, and doesn’t appear to be headed south of the border anytime soon, which is too bad given the star quality at the top of his division that’s fighting in the United States.
Anthony Peterson, 23 (lightweight, 26-0 with 19 KOs): One half of the talented Peterson brothers, Anthony is regarded as the harder-hitting but less-skilled sibling. But he has excellent technique, too, and is more enjoyable to watch than his older bro.
Versus Izquierdo ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8YyRLSMxxM
The big question ? Can he learn counter-punching? His last opponent, Jose Antonio Izquierdo, demonstrated that he could have good stretches against Peterson by keeping busy and forcing him into a defensive shell. A counter-puncher would’ve made Izquierdo pay for that instead of waiting for him to stop punching.
Read more from Tim Starks at: www.mvn.com/boxing
