After a lazy August, boxing returns with a vengeance beginning in September. There are shows virtually every weekend between Sept. 6 and Dec. 6, and most of those bouts feature high-profile fighters.
Before I delve into the mailbag and answer your questions, I?m going to go through the late summer and fall schedule of major fights. I?ll rate each on its significance in the division and in the sport, on its must-see factor and its technical merit.
I?ll score each fight on a 1 to 10 scale in those three categories, meaning 30 will be the most points any given fight can score.
Sept. 6 on HBO: Juan Diaz vs. Michael Katsidis, 12 rounds, lightweights. Significance: 8. The winner will be a player in the talented 135-pound division. Must-see factor: 10. If there is a fight remaining on the schedule that could usurp Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez III, this is it. Technical merit: 6. Diaz is a solid technician, but Katsidis is a brawler with crude skills. Total: 24.
Sept. 13 on HBO Pay-Per-View: Joel Casamayor vs. Juan Manuel Marquez, 12 rounds, lightweights. Significance: 7. Casamayor holds The Ring magazine belt, but the outcome will do little to alter the balance of power in the division. Must-see factor: 6. Marquez fights are generally exciting, but Casamayor has the ability to hold and clinch and create a stinkfest. Technical merit: 7. Score would be higher if Casamayor weren?t so faded. Total: 20.
Sept. 13 on Showtime: Nate Campbell vs. Joan Guzman, 12 rounds for the WBA-WBO-IBF lightweight titles. Significance: 8. Campbell looked extraordinary in a March win over Diaz. Must-see factor: 8. The undefeated Guzman is moving up and will see if his boxing skills help him against the stronger champion. Technical merit: 7. Campbell can be up-and-down, but when he?s on, he?s awesome. Total: 23.
Sept. 27 on HBO: Shane Mosley vs. Ricardo Mayorga, 12 rounds, welterweights. Significance: 4. Mosley is still a top talent, but Mayorga is little more than a crude joke. Must-see factor: 5. Mosley?s fast hands will bust up Mayorga. Technical merit: 5. All of it will be on Mosley?s side. Total:: 14.
Oct. 11 on Showtime: Chad Dawson vs. Antonio Tarver, 12 rounds for the IBF light heavyweight title. Significance: 8. The bout will determine supremacy at 175 as well as determine whether Dawson is an elite talent. Must-see factor: 6. Tarver talks a better game than he fights these days. Technical merit: 7. These are two professionals who know their way around the ring. Total: 21.
Oct. 11 on Showtime: Samuel Peter vs. Vitali Klitschko, 12 rounds for the WBC heavyweight title. Significance: 8. The fight will have a major impact on the short-term future of the sport?s most high-profile class. Must-see factor: 6. Mostly, it?s curiosity in how well Klitschko can still fight after nearly four years off. Technical merit: 6. Klitschko?s inactivity and Peter?s wildness could make this ugly. Total: 20.
Oct. 18 on HBO Pay-Per-View: Kelly Pavlik vs. Bernard Hopkins, 12 rounds, light heavyweights. Significance: 8. Pavlik has to show he can defeat crafty veterans like Hopkins. Must-see factor: 7. I?m guessing hundreds of people in boxing who don?t like Hopkins will be tuning in to see if Pavlik can knock his block off. Technical merit: 8. Hopkins is a master craftsman. Total: 23.
Oct. 25 on Showtime: Lucien Bute vs. Librado Andrade, 12 rounds for the IBF super middleweight title. Significance: 6. Outcome won?t significantly alter division?s balance of power. Must-see factor: 7. Any fight Andrade is in is entertaining. Technical merit: 6. The outcome will be determined by power and chin quality. Total: 19.
Nov. 8 on HBO Pay-Per-View: Joe Calzaghe vs. Roy Jones Jr., 12 rounds, light heavyweights. Significance: 9. Calzaghe is the man at both 168 and 175, but Jones has the ability to change everything. Must-see factor: 5. It definitely won?t be the most entertaining fight ever in Madison Square Garden. Technical merit: 8. Both men know how to control the ring. Total: 22.
Nov. 15 on HBO: Jermain Taylor vs. Jeff Lacy, 12 rounds, super middleweights. Significance: 9. The winner will be a player in the division, particularly with Calzaghe planning to retire after the Jones fight. Must-see factor: 7. They?ll definitely get in and throw. Technical merit: 5. Lacy needs to put together a solid beginning-to-end performance. Total: 21.
Nov. 22 on HBO: Ricky Hatton vs. Paulie Malignaggi, 12 rounds, super lightweights. Significance: 8. Hatton is an impact player at 140. Must-see factor: 6. Classic brawler vs. boxer battle. Technical merit: 7. Malignaggi is highly skilled and could cause Hatton problems if he can keep Hatton off. Total: 21.
Send me your thoughts on the upcoming bouts and I?ll include some in next week?s mailbag.
