1. Cruiserweight will become cool. Not heavyweight cool. Maybe not even welterweight cool, either. But there are some interesting talents in the 200-pound weight class. In Europe there is Marco Huck, Yoan Pablo Hernandez and Krzysztof Wlodarczyk. There is talent in Russia (Denis Lebedev), Australia (Danny Green) and Nigeria (Lateef Kayode). And in the U.S. there is Steve Cunningham and a resurgent Antonio Tarver, giving the division a true global flavor. It’s the kind of talented-but-anonymous weight class that would make for an interesting tournament. You hear that HBO and Showtime?
2. Vitali Klitschko will retire. Klitschko, 40, has scarcely lost a round since coming out of retirement in 2008. But the WBC titleholder has hinted that his Hall of Fame career is winding down and has been open about his political ambitions in the Ukraine. Klitschko has two fights in the works for 2012 — against Dereck Chisora in February and a summertime showdown with longtime antagonizer David Haye — and may even take one more after that. But before the end of the year he will officially cede the division to his younger brother Wladimir.
3. Manny Pacquiao will lose … to Juan Manuel Marquez. The two rivals have seen their careers become as intertwined as Sugar Ray Robinson and Jake LaMotta, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. In 36 rounds only one — Pacquiao’s three-knockdown first round in the first fight — has been truly decisive. And as much as Bob Arum would like to serve Pacquiao a softball (like Tim Bradley) in his next fight, if Floyd Mayweather is unavailable in June then a fourth fight with Marquez is the only natural option. And in another back-and-forth battle (likely fought in front of 50,000-plus fans at Cowboys Stadium) Marquez will finally get the win that has eluded him.
