Just when it seemed like boxing was in need of a clash between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, the two best fighters in the world, in order to keep the bottom from falling out, a number of fights were finalized to fill the void left by the absence of the mega-fight of the century. Throughout the holiday season, boxing fans have plenty to look forward to. In fact, most fans are still riding high from Sergio Martinez’s 2nd round dismantling of Paul Williams last Saturday, a result that may turn out to be the Knockout of the Year.
Saturday night, fans will be taking full advantage of their DVRs as both HBO and Showtime will be featuring some intriguing match-ups. The night’s action kicks off on Showtime as the Super Six tournament resumes with a grudge match between Arthur Abraham and Carl Froch, who have already engaged in a war of words prior to the bout. Plus, tournament favorite Andre Ward defends his super middleweight title against rough-and-rugged Sakio Bika. Meanwhile, over on HBO, Celestino Caballero moves up to lightweight to take on Jason Litzau as he continues to look for a challenge. Welterweight champion Andre Berto also returns to action as he defends his title against Freddy Hernandez. And finally, Juan Manuel Marquez takes on Michael Katsidis in a fight that’s sure to be the perfect encore to follow up last weekend’s fireworks.
The action continues next month when Amir Khan faces the hard-hitting Marcos Maidana. We’ll also get a little bit of the old mixed with the new when future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins returns to face the young and dangerous Jean Pascal. And if that wasn’t enough, a brand new tournament featuring four of the best bantamweights in the world kicks off and hopefully it will live up to its billing.
So as the year starts winding down, the action is starting to heat up, and as a fan, I have to be thankful. Although it took almost the entire year for some excitement to happen in the sport, it looks like it’s a case of “better late than never” as the helpings well bountiful with enough to go around throughout the holiday.
