The Jan. 17 Andre Berto-Luis Collazo bout was a war likely to be in the running for the fight of the year award by December, even if it was marred by clueless judge Bill Clancy, who scored the virtual dead-heat 116-111 Berto.
The following week saw a 37-year-old Shane Mosley looking as sweet as sugar in his utter domination of Antonio Margarito for the WBA strap. Not only was Mosley as smart and slick as a decade ago, but he also achieved the unthinkable by knocking out the iron-chinned Tijuana Tornado in the ninth round.
High expectations for only three and a half weeks into the “Year of the Ox.”
With Margs’ perceived invincibility no longer scaring off potential opponents, how will the deep and talented welterweight division pan out in the upcoming months?
The scenarios are seemingly endless.
The Ring magazine welterweight championship: It’s a shame Margarito-Mosley wasn’t recognized as the official title match by The Ring magazine.
The magazine, which follows the lineage of the championship as opposed to the politics of alphabet organizations, cites this rule for awarding a vacant belt:
Championship vacancies can be filled by winning a box-off between The Ring's number-one and number-two contenders, or, in certain instances, a box-off between our number-one and number-three contenders.
Wouldn’t Mosley, who was at No. 3 in the 147-pound rankings, earn the title with his dominance of Margarito, considering the Mexican was No. 1? Why would Sugar Shane have to wait any longer after beating the top guy?
What’s worse is Bob Arum's intention of promoting a Margarito-Miguel Cotto rematch. This just seems unfair. If the championship was on the line and Margarito beat Mosley, the Cotto bout would be for the title since Margs would stay at 1 and Cotto at 2.
Cotto has already been knocked out by Margarito, whether shenanigans took place. Shane Mosley should be the champ.
Pac-man’s claim: Equally as dominant in his win over Oscar de la Hoya is Manny Pacquiao, who vaulted from lightweight to welterweight to crush the ring legend. He is currently No. 5 in the 147-pound rankings, though he faces 140-pound Ring magazine champion Ricky Hatton on May 2.
Pacquiao, the pound-for-pound best boxer in the world, is able to fight at nearly any weight he wants from 130 to 147. And he looked like a monster at the latter against the Golden Boy. Former P4P No. 1 Floyd Mayweather, who is in “retirement,” may be lured out of his sabbatical by the Filipino phenom.
Pac-man destroys anybody not named Juan Manuel Marquez.
Wild cards: Collazo proved massive heart and skill against Berto. A rematch looms.
Berto should grant Collazo a second fight after a great first one. He won, but it was close. Who wouldn’t want to see a few between these two?
If Cotto evens the score against Margarito, will there be a rubber match or an even more intriguing match against top welterweight Mosley?
Paul Williams can’t find a legitimate opponent at any weight. Boxing fans are yearning for a rematch between the Punisher and Margarito, whom he beat via slim unanimous decision in 2007.
If Margarito-Cotto II doesn’t pop off and Williams can make weight, this would be a fight fan’s dream. It would also mean Mosley-Cotto II is a possibility.
Joshua Clottey, Carlos Quintana, Zab Judah and Isaac Hlatswayo are top 10 welterweights. Would there be a bad fight among the quartet?
Hopefully boxing is able to capitalize on its early-2009 success. There are too many meaningful and titanic clashes on the horizon for the sport to get complacent. We’ll just have to wait. And hope.
Until next time, let the fists fly and the Sweet Science captivate.
1 comment:
I like how you threw that PBF rumor in there. I know that is going around in a whisper campaign, but consider me skeptical.
A Williams-Margarito rematch is definitely one I want to see. Of course, Margarito may develop problems of his own in the coming weeks and Williams seems to want to try his luck in higher weight classes. Unfortunately for him, his luck will run out against Winky.
I'm also interested in seeing what Cotto does before the end of the year. If he does not obtain a second bout with Mosley, does he move up in weight? Welterweight is such a crowded and talented division right now that I question whether it is worth his time to hang around if he still has aspirations of becoming an iconic figure in the sport.
Great stuff as always, Joe.
Post a Comment