Friday Night Fights returns to ESPN2 this Friday with two 2004 Olympic gold medalists from Cuba who you may be seeing a lot more of in 2009.
The headliner is undefeated featherweight Yuriorkis Gamboa, who you may have already seen in his two prior TV appearances. He has that deadly combination of speed and power, though he did suffer an embarrassing flash knockdown in his last fight before registering his 10th knockout in 12 fights.
According to one report, Gamboa is already being penciled in for a WBC interim featherweight title fight against Elio Rojas, providing he gets by Friday’s opponent, Roger “Speedy” Gonzalez (27-2). That may be rushing things a little ? Gamboa still needs some polishing, but there’s no questioning his physical attributes.
The other prospect is unbeaten heavyweight Odlanier Solis (12-0, 8 KOs), who is making his U.S. debut against Kevin Burnett (13-1-1). Burnett is a late substitute for Owen Beck, who withdrew for medical reasons.
ESPN2 will also televise a Monday card on Jan. 26, featuring a junior welterweight match between former champion Carlos Quintana against Eromosele Albert. Quintana handed Paul Williams his first loss before being stopped in the first round by Williams in the rematch.
Meanwhile, HBO offers an interesting title fight on Jan. 17 between WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto and No. 1 contender Luis Collazo. This won’t be an easy fight for young Berto. Collazo lost a very close decision to Ricky Hatton, which persuaded Hatton to return to the junior welterweight division. Collazo subsequently lost a decision to Shane Mosley, but suffered a broken right hand early in that fight.
In the co-feature, Sergio Martinez of Spain (44-1-1, 24 KOs) takes on New Yorker Joe Greene in a junior middleweight scrap. If you missed Martinez in his U.S. debut last October, you’re in for a treat. This guy is good, very fast.
A week later on HBO, Antonio Margarito defends his WBA welterweight crown against Mosley in another intriguing matchup.
MEANINGLESS REVIEW
You may have read that the WBA has granted Evander Holyfield’s appeal to review his majority decision loss to heavyweight champ Nikolai Valuev, but don’t expect anything to come of it.
While there were a few American writers at ringside who thought that Holyfield deserved the decision, there were more Russian and German writers who favored Valuev. There were also a couple of British writers ? with no allegiance to either ? who scored the fight for Valuev, one of whom had the seven-foot Russian winning by five rounds.
“Of course, I am disappointed. I thought I had done enought to get the win,” Holyfield was quoted as saying after the fight. “Now I have go home and think about my future.”
That doesn’t exactly sound like a slam-dunk objection. When you fight a champion on foreign turf ? the bout was in Zurich, Switzerland ? you have to do more than just “enough” to get the decision. Just ask John Ruiz of Chelsea, who lost two controversial decisions to the Russian giant.
DE LA HOYA-CHAVEZ?
For what it’s worth, several reports coming out of Mexico and Puerto Rico have an Oscar De La Hoya-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. fight a May possibility at Aztec Stadium in Mexico City. Writers would have a ball with that one: De La Hoya beat the kid’s dad in 1996 and ’98. The son is unbeaten at 38-0-1, with 29 KOs.
Trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr., who was fired by De La Hoya, added fuel to the rumors by saying that De La Hoya needs the fight (read: victory) “to redeem himself” after his dismal showing against Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather blamed that on De La Hoya being over-trained and “way too light on the day of the fight.”
And while we’re on the subject, let me state again that De La Hoya did not win world titles in six different divisions as advertised leading up to the Pacquiao fight. He won world titles in four different divisions: the lightweight IBF belt in 1995, the WBC junior welterweight belt in 1996, the WBC welterweight belt twice in ’97 (Pernell Whitaker) and 2000 (when he was awarded the vacant WBC title after beating Derrell Coley), and the WBC junior middleweight crown in 2001.
DUBAI BECKONS PACMAN?
According to the Las Vegas Review Journal, the anticipated Pacquiao-Hatton fight, which is tentivently set for May 2, could wind up in Dubai. The United Arab Emirates capital has a large Filipino population and is popular among British tourists ? wealthy British tourists.
Also bidding for the fight are the MGM Grand and the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.
HOOKS AND JABS
Juan Manuel Marquez (49-4-1), who lost his super featherweight title to Pacquiao, and Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz (34-1), who lost his three lightweight belts to Nate Campbell, will meet Feb. 28, probably in Houston (on HBO). … In a battle of mighty mites, WBC/WBA/IBF super flyweight champ Vic Darchinyan (31-1-1, 25 KOs) and WBA interim super flyweight champ Jorge Arce (51-4-1, 39 KOs) will get it on Feb. 7 on Showtime. … If you wondering what happened to WBC super bantamweight champion Israel Vazquez, he’s still on the mend from a detached retina suffered in his rubber match win over Rafael Marquez. … Talks are under way for a Wladimir Klitschko title defense against IBF No. 2 contender Chris Arreola (26-0, 23 KOs) in April or May, with the winner meeting mandatory IBF challenger Alexander Povetkin (16-0).
Bob Hanna covers boxing for The Standard-Times. Contact him at [email protected]
