In 2012 will we FINALLY get to see the Godzilla clash of them all, Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao? Or are we all in store for another huge letdown? As of right now, it looks to be that if the fight ever does go down, it will take place in either September or November. With Floyd beginning his 87 day sentence in a few days from now, chances of a Mayweather/Pacquiao fight in the early part of this year are looking very slim to none. So if Mayweather is not around for Pacman in the first half of the year, then who shall get the call to face Pacquiao in May or June? I would say Lamont Peterson, that?s who. But why Lamont Peterson? I mean, after all, Lamont Peterson was barely able to get past Amir Khan by the skin on his teeth a month ago so shouldn?t Lamont fight Khan again first and beat him convincingly this time, before taking on a shark like Pacquiao? I for starters, would say yes, Peterson should fight Khan again and step up just as Abner Mares was able to do when Mares gave Agbeko the rematch and dominated Agbeko to dwarf the controversy that took place in their fist fight. But it?s very cold in Washington D.C. and Peterson?s pockets need to be filled with Benjamins for some warmth. Money talks and bs walks, speaking of walking, it appears to me that Freddie Roach who happens to train both Khan and Pacquiao, is walking towards the corner of Pacquiao. The reason why is a little more than meets the eye. As much as I would love for Khan to face Peterson again and this time box the brakes right off of Peterson, that?s not likely to happen, and I sense that Freddie Roach knows that as well. Here is why, as of late, Roach has been talking about Pacquiao facing Peterson a lot more than he is about Khan facing Peterson in a rematch, so why is that? Well, I would imagine that Roach knows Khan and Pacquiao a lot better than most do, so Roach must also see that to beat Peterson, one must grind him out and beat the fight out of him as Timothy Bradley was able to do when he defeated Peterson. Roach knows that Pacquiao is the type of fighter that will not bend and will move forward with massive firepower. Pacquiao will step towards Peterson with the type of firepower that will force Peterson to take a knee and place his weapon down and surrender. In Khans corner, Roach is not so certain. Time shall reveal the truths and lies being told.
At the closure of 2011, we finally have crowned the Super 6 winner in Andre Ward. At the start of the tournament, very few picked Andre Ward as their pick for the fighter to be the last man standing in this 6 man tournament. Andre Ward now stands at the top of his weight class, still unbeaten with a 25-0 record. Ward pretty much had his way with every single man that stepped into the ring with Ward, Ward was able to dismantle A and B level competition in Kessler, Allan Green, Sakio Bika, Abraham, and Froch. But even through all that domination that Ward displayed, there stands a man in Lucian Bute who also happens to be unbeaten at 30-0, and many out there believe that it is Bute and not Ward that indeed is the true king at 168 pounds. Well here is the thing, while Ward has been dominating A and B level fighters, Bute has been crushing C and Z level fighters in Miranda, Brinkley, Magee, Mendy, and Johnson. One must then ask, how would Bute?s record look now if he had faced Kessler, Green, Abraham, and Froch? I feel that Bute is a very good fighter, but Ward to me is a very special fighter. Bute today is without a doubt the fresher fighter of the 2, but Ward in my eyes would grind out Bute and defeat him in a 8 rounds to 4 type of fashion. If the Ward/Bute fight is to go down this year, Ward will more than likely have to take on Bute in Canada. Why? Simply because Bute is a big attraction in Canada, and Ward, well Ward is in the same boat as 160 pound king, Sergio Martinez. Ward and Martinez couldn?t attract more than 16 flies in an outdoor meat market. Sounds harsh, but it?s true, Martinez and Ward are both very skillful nice boxers, but thing is that they are both too nice. I guess good guys really do finish last. All in all, this year in 2012, we should finally see who reigns supreme in the 168 pound division. Will it be Andre Ward? Or will it be Lucian Bute?
