The two biggest stateside shows this weekend take place on opposite sides of the country. Between the two cards there exists nary a bout that figures to bear any semblance to competitive action.
Yet both cards are met with great anticipation by boxing fans – not so much the live action, but what they will mean to the future of the sport as a whole and the featherweight division in general.
On one side of the country, it’s a sneak preview into a suggested future rivalry between rising stars Juan Manuel Lopez and Yuriorkis Gamboa.
Almost 3,000 miles to the left marks the long awaited return of all-action hero and former two-time lineal super bantamweight king Israel Vazquez after 19 months spent away from the ring.
The showcase of the aforementioned trio comes on the heels of the second consecutive stateside appearance of longtime featherweight titlist Chris John, who outfought Rocky Juarez over the course of 12 rounds for the second time this year, even if he only has one win and a draw to show for it.
Waiting in the wings is Rafael Marquez, forever linked to Vazquez on the strength of their unforgettable recent trilogy and who made his own comeback earlier this year.
Put it all together and you have something that has been more than five years in the making – a featherweight division with sex appeal.
It was more than five years ago when Erik Morales added four more pounds to his frame and two super featherweight alphabet titles to his ledger, forever ending his run as one of the world’s best featherweights.
Soon to follow was his longtime archrival Marco Antonio Barrera, followed by future familiar foe Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez, thus gutting what was once a loaded featherweight division, along with welterweight the deepest in the sport at the time.
The welterweight division still remains jam packed to this very day, with a slew of memorable matches having been produced over the past few years. The featherweight division hasn’t been anywhere nearly as fortunate, sprinkled with decent enough names through the years (Chris John, Robert Guerrero, Jorge Linares, among others), but lacking any true rivalries.
All of that is about the change. However, before we can fantasize about what the future brings us, there are pesky matters such as the current boxing schedule, even if this weekend hardly pays homage to the phrase, “No time like the present.”
Most of the United States will have the ability to access the pay-per-view telecast airing live from Madison Square Garden’s WAMU Theatre, headlined by Juan Manuel Lopez’ super bantamweight title defense against Rogers Mtwaga (Saturday, Top Rank PPV, 9PM ET).
Whether or not a significant portion of fans chooses to buy the show is another matter altogether.
Early returns suggest that few are thrilled with the $40 price tag that accompanies a show headlined by a glorified showcase bout, even if the supporting cast includes undefeated Cuban Olympic Gold medalists Yuriorkis Gamboa and Odlanier Solis.
For Lopez (26-0, 24KO), it’s the latest in a string of title defenses in which most experts believe the outcome is all but pre-determined. The competition level is a far cry from the southpaw’s title-winning effort against Daniel Ponce de Leon, a shocking 1st round knockout in his HBO debut last June.
The bout presently serves as a career defining win for Lopez, a member of the 2004 Puerto Rican Olympic squad who has literally been a knockout nearly every time out. The last time he was extended the distance came in 2006, having racked up 14 straight stoppages since then.
Many have him pegged as the leader of the next generation of boxing superstars. With such lofty praise often comes high standards set by even his most ardent supporters.
Needless to say, the time spent between the de Leon fight and the present has hardly served as cause for celebration.
Lopez’ stateside promoter, Top Rank, Inc., remains apologetic in the course of action taken during his alphabet title reign, insisting the steps being taken are necessary in a young fighter’s growth.
He’s show what he can do when challenged. Now it’s time to show him to a wider audience.
That’s the reason offered by Top Rank President Todd deBouf, who refers to this period as “the marketing clock.” We’ve witnessed the “boxing ability clock” with Lopez’ fights on the way up as well as his bum rush of de Leon.
Most of 2009 has been spent expanding his marketability, headlining shows in Puerto Rico, Atlantic City and now New York City all in the past six months. The goal is to bring a fan base into his next major network appearance, which is tentatively slated for next January on HBO’s Boxing After Dark.
Hopefully joining him will be Yuriorkis Gamboa (15-0, 13KO), who’s as talented in the ring as he is reckless, having suffered several knockdowns early on, but always finding a way to win in the end.
The 2004 Olympic Gold medalist has been on a rapid rise to stardom ever since turning pro just 2 ? years ago. So impressive has been his level of competition for a fighter with such little pro experience, that this weekend’s opponent – Whyber Garcia – represents one of the worst in his young career.
Greater challenges certainly lie ahead, especially if Bob Arum’s promise of a head-on collision with Lopez sometime next year actually manages to materialize. For now, though, Top Rank believes that Gamboa’s career falls in the same area as that of his potential Puerto Rican rival – with focus on marketing before racing towards tougher challenges.
A fighter in far lesser need of marketing development is Israel Vazquez, who headlines a show on the same night as Lopez and Gamboa, except nearly 3,000 miles in the opposite direction.
The anticipation that comes with his return is perhaps a case of wishing for something you can’t have.
On the surface, there’s little reason to suggest that his comeback fight with Angel Priolo will resemble anything remotely competitive. Nor is it yet available on any stateside television outlet, despite it taking place at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles.
HBO Plus is picking up the broadcast, but the network is only available in the Latin America market. So why, then, are so many people looking forward to the result?
Because it’s Israel Vazquez.
The former super bantamweight ruler has been gone from the ring since the last of his three wars with Rafael Marquez, which came last March. The Mexican spent most of his downtime recovering from detached retina surgery, but also in search of the ideal setting for his comeback.
Manager Frank Espinoza found just the place, thanks to his newfound relationship with Golden Boy Promotions, the promoter for several of Espinoza’s prospects.
A recent contract signing made the LA-based promoter the latest to guide Vazquez’ career, beginning with this weekend’s show, the latest installment of their Fight Night Club series.
The club show is designed to showcase local prospects, but opted to deviate from the script to make room for Vazquez, badly in need of a rehab fight after four straight wars against the likes of Marquez (three times) and Jhonny Gonzalez before breaking from the sport for more than 18 months.
Even if stateside access was granted to Vazquez’ comeback fight (and as this is published, Golden Boy CEO was feverishly working to make that a reality), it would be of the don’t-get-up-for-a-drink variety.
Unless Vazquez is completely used up and incapable of throwing punches, Priolo doesn’t figure to last very long. The Colombian journeyman has lost six straight, five by knockout, one in each of the past five years, and fights for the first time above the bantamweight limit after having spent most of his career as a flyweight.
The only reason he hasn’t been knocked out in 2009 is because he’s been out all year. That figures to change Saturday night.
So too, will the state of the featherweight division. It’s what awaits beyond this weekend that has so many anxious to check out the Saturday evening box scores, even if most believe to already know the ending well in advance.
R.I.P JOHN “MR. MAGIC” RIVAS
He had nothing to do with boxing, other than having been a casual fan of the sport, but a ten-count is still warranted for legendary Hip Hop pioneer John “Mr. Magic” Rivas, who at age 52 tragically passed away after suffering a heart attack last Friday in New York.
Rivas was the first DJ to host an exclusive rap show on a major radio network, with Rap Attack running on NYC-based WBLS for six years during the 1980’s, a period that served as a pivotal point for the explosion and expansion of the hip hop scene.
Most notable during his run was the on-air rivalry he was involved in, working for WBLS, whom directly competed with DJ Red Alert and KISS-FM.
Regardless of what side of the feud you were on – which expanded beyond the radio dial, most notably between KRS-One and MC Shane – there’s no question that both did their part to get hip hop heads through the best and worst of any weekend. Their Friday and Saturday night master mixes remain the standard to which many DJ’s still desperately try and often fail to measure up.
Rest In Peace to one of the game changers.
