No matter how you cut it, 2010 hasn?t been a stellar year for the sport of boxing. From yet another fallout between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, mass confusion with Showtime?s Super Six tournament and constant injuries and setbacks to some of the sport?s premier fighters, the months have seemed to drag on while being void of the typical suspense that fills the sport.
But just like life itself, boxing has always found a way to persevere and bounce back when times are tough and that seems to be the case when looking at the upcoming winter schedule. Starting in November there looks to be some form of notable action every weekend for a six week stretch. Some of the sport?s finest pugilists will be on display and by the time the dust settles the landscape will have a completely different feel to it.
Slideshow: Pacquiao, Lopez, Martinez, Marquez, Khan and others gearing up for thrilling stretch of fights
On November 6th Juan Manuel Lopez will put his WBO featherweight championship on the line against fierce-punching Mexico City native Rafael Marquez. Taking place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the bout is intriguing on many fronts, mainly because Lopez has shown some vulnerabilities in two of his past three fights and a firecracker like Marquez may be just the man to exploit it because of his alarming efficiency and penchant for the kill. A Lopez encounter with Cuban Yuriorkis Gamboa is the fight that Top Rank is building towards but this encounter shouldn?t be overlooked.
On that same date former welterweight and junior welterweight titlist Zab Judah will find himself in a do or die battle against power-punching Lucas Matthysse at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Nearing 33 years of age, Judah knows fully well that this could be his last run in the sport and he has been preparing rigorously in Las Vegas this year. The undercard with see Robert ?The Ghost? Guerrero and James Kirkland in separate bouts.
One week later the world?s premier fighter gets back to work as Manny Pacquiao meets former champion Antonio Margarito at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas with the vacant WBC junior middleweight championship at stake. While the contest wasn?t met with much fanfare in the beginning, particularly because of the Mayweather debacle, certain people are starting to warm up to the fight and it will be interesting to see how Pacquiao attacks a fighter with so much physical advantages.
On November 20th middleweight champion Sergio Martinez will get his wish in the form of a deeply desired rematch with enigmatic Paul Williams in Atlantic City. Last December the two men engaged in one of the year?s more memorable fights, a bout in which each man tasted the canvas in the first round, as Williams? activity seemed to be the foundation for his decision win. Martinez is riding high off of an upset win over Kelly Pavlik in April and has been throwing down the verbal gauntlet towards Williams already. This one should be a treat.
On the last Saturday of the month Las Vegas again takes center stage as lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez meets the challenge of rugged Australian Michael Katsidis at the MGM Grand. Marquez showed that he still has plenty left with his thorough schooling of Juan Diaz in July while Katsidis came through with a 3rd round thrashing of previously undefeated Kevin Mitchell on May 15th in London. At age 37 Marquez is in the last leg of his career and it remains to be seen how he responds to Katsidis’ brute aggression and power on the inside. Multi-talented featherweight Celestino Caballero will see action on the undercard against gritty Jason Litzau.
Slideshow: Breaking down all the action from November to December including Donaire, Chavez Jr., Maidana and others
December 4th was at fist looked at as the date for a possible a Miguel Cotto-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. bout but that fight now looks to be a possibility in spring, with the Puerto Rican announcing he will be sitting out the remainder of 2010. The plan now has Top Rank putting Chavez Jr. and undefeated junior middleweight prospect Vanes Martirosyan in separate bouts on a Latin Fury card, with interim WBA super flyweight Nonito Donaire likely hooking up with former champion Volodymyr Syrorenko.
Also on December 4th, it seems likely that Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez could be meeting up with Matthew Hatton, the less-talented but equally aggressive brother of Ricky, in Cancun, Mexico. At 20 years old Alvarez has munch upside as he is coming off of a stirring 6th round stoppage over Carlos Baldomir while inking a multi-fight deal with Golden Boy Promotions days later.
Last but not least, the Mandalay Bay will play host to a fight that has been in the making for quite some time as WBA junior welterweight champion Amir Khan faces off with interim champion Marcos Maidana. Their has been much talk from both sides for the past year and it will be great to see everything come to fruition as Khan?s speed and boxing basics will go up against the sheer power of his Argentinean foe.
On that same date an outstanding bantamweight doubleheader will take place from Guanajuato, Mexico as IBF champion Yohnny Perez meets Joseph Agbeko in a rematch of their wild encounter last Halloween in which Perez scored the upset while trash-talking Armenian Vic Darchinyan meets up with highly-regarded Abner Mares. The Showtime-televised showcase will likely see the winners from those bouts face one another.
Boxing will forever be a sport that is frustrating to its fans because there is so much that can and does go wrong in the game. This six week run from November to December is just what we need and let?s keep our fingers crossed that everything comes off without a hitch.
For an in depth, picture by picture look at all the action taking place in November and December please continue on to the slideshow below?
Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at [email protected]
