War is the province of danger and therefore courage, above all things, is the first quality of a warrior. ? Ernest Hemingway.
Tungod, Inabanga, Bohol ? The sport, as a whole, has been less stellar and less exciting for many of us without its best fighter and arguably its most treasured commodity in Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines? but it hasn?t have to be like that. Hereunder are possible matchups that might interest most, if not all boxing buffs while waiting for the Pinoy ring legend to lace it up once again.
1. Juan Manuel Marquez versus Erik Morales. Over the past decade, the Mexican triumvirate of the ?Baby-Faced Assassin? Marco Antonio Barrera (65-7-0, 43 KOs), Erik ?El Terrible? Morales (49-6-0, 34 KOs), and Juan Manuel ?Dinamita? Marquez (50-5-1, 37 KOs) has blessed the boxing world with some of the most memorable fights to date. These three ring icons, together with Pinoy boxing great and currently the sport?s top dog Manny ?Pacman? Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs), dominated the lower weight divisions with ring smarts, technical excellence, and sheer guts that more than satisfied our pugilistic appetites. Barrera edged Morales 2 to 1 in a bloody trilogy that left fans still asking and wanting for more. Marquez, on the other hand, got his share of the limelight when he convincingly beat Barrera in a super featherweight title clash.
gladiators who are at the twilight of their illustrious careers, but still have the charisma and reputation to demand a major pay-per-view boxing spectacle. Morales could use another win to join the other 3 legends having at least 50 victories. I wouldn?t miss this for anything. Would you?
2. Miguel Angel Cotto versus Antonio Margarito Rematch. About two years ago, Antonio ?Loaded Hands? Margarito (38-6-0, 27 KOs) of Mexico virtually removed the ?Boricuan Bomber? Miguel Angel Cotto?s (35-2-0, 28 KOs) aura of invincibility with an 11-round drubbing that left the proud Caguas, Puerto Rico native bruised, blooded, and defeated. Margarito, several months later, was found out to have used illegal hand wraps and on the same night succumbed to a brutal beatdown by ?Sugar? Shane Mosley of the United States.
The Mexican was suspended as a consequence, but the lingering question that still remains is whether or not Margarito?s hands were ?loaded? when he fought Cotto. There is no better way to answer that than by setting up a rematch. This possible encounter could prove to be a very crucial bout for either combatant. For Cotto, it would certainly erase the stigma of his fateful defeat at the hands of the Mexican and a major boost to his rather questionable morale. On the other hand, a Margarito victory could very well spur the Mexican back into the thick of things, as he somehow regains some of the reputation he so ingloriously lost.
3. Juan Manuel Lopez versus Chris John/Yuriorkis Gamboa. With the way he?s been going so far, Puerto Rico?s Juan Manuel Lopez (28-0-0, 25 KO) definitely has what it takes to become the Manny Pacquiao of his generation. He is scheduled to defend his WBO featherweight title against, quite interestingly, a Manny Pacquiao prot?g? in Bernabe Concepcion of the Philippines next month. Concepcion is expected to climb the squared circle as an overwhelming underdog, but confident enough that he can muster enough courage and strength to overcome the odds. A vast majority of the boxing world thinks otherwise, though. Apart perhaps from his team, boxing pundits and fans alike believe that JuanMa is way too much for the Filipino pug. Nevertheless, he still has a chance at a major upset, no matter how minute the possibility might be. That?s basically the reason why bouts still have to be fought.
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Going back to the suggested matchup, Indonesia?s Chris John (43-0-2, 22 KOs) and his elusive counterpunching style could very well pose huge problems and a major test for Lopez. We might be looking at another version of Pacquiao-Marquez. John, like Lopez, is undefeated and has Rocky Juarez and Juan Manuel Marquez among his list of victims.
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Yuriorkis Gamboa (18-0-0, 15 KOs) of Cuba, the reigning WBA featherweight champion, is easily the most lucrative fight out there for Lopez and probably the most dangerous. A common opponent in Rogers Mtagwa (26-14-2, 18 KOs) of Tanzania serves as a little preview for this proposed encounter. Lopez needed the full 12 rounds to eke out a rather close unanimous decision victory over Mtagwa, a feat that only took Gamboa two rounds to accomplish. Yes, fights aren?t gauged by just comparing how one fighter fared against a common opponent and it is also true that boxers could grow old overnight? but fact of the matter is that Gamboa is also a real deal and a clash with Lopez promises nothing but pure brutal excitement.
