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Ten Observations from the Summer of Boxing
THU September 15, JASON HERRON - The temperature is starting to cool. The leaves are beginning to fall. Football season has kicked off. That's right, summer is over and autumn is
upon us!
This fall features some of the biggest fights boxing has to offer. It starts off with Samuel Peter taking on Wladimir Klitschko on HBO, September 24th and finishes with Jermain Taylor-Bernard Hopkins II on December 3rd.
In between, we will be treated to: Antonio Tarver-Roy Jones III, Diego Corrales-Jose Luis Castillo II, and Sergio Mora-Peter Manfredo II (from 'The Contender'), but before we look ahead, it's time time to take a step back and review the Summer of 2005 inside (and outside) the ropes. So, here's my Top Ten Observations of the Summer of 2005 in Boxing:
10. Jeff Lacy is the best super middleweight in the world
Lacy completely dominated legitimate top-10 contender, Robin Reid, on August 7th. The knockout victory moved Lacy towards a showdown with fellow unbeaten, Joe Calzaghe, for the vacant Ring Magazine 168 pound championship in November.
9. Joe Calzaghe is afraid of Lacy
Instead of moving towards the November showdown with IBF champion Jeff Lacy, Calzaghe faced a complete stiff, a former middleweight WBA title challenger Evans Ashira, last weekend. Now the Brit is claiming a hand injury, suffered in his decision victory, will have to postpone the championship clash. Most believe Calzaghe is a coward, who has ducked out of every big fight thrown his way. What a waste!
8. Guillermo Jones is ready for Jean-Marc Mormeck
I was sitting ringside at Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio for the SHOWTIME doubleheader on September 3rd. The card was weak, but the bouts were entertaining. In the main event, top cruiserweights Jones and Wayne Braithwaite exchanged bombs to see who would be the number one contender to Mormeck, the Ring Magazine cruiserweight champion.
Even though the stoppage was premature, Jones showed enough in his TKO victory to make many think he has a heck of a puncher's chance against the champ. Let's hope Don King can put it together before the end of the year.
7. Pay-Per-View Boxing is mostly awful!
The August 13th WBC 'interim' heavyweight title fight with Hasim Rahman-Monte Barrett was so bad, the fans were booing during the first MINUTE! Shannon Briggs-Ray Mercer couldn't even headline an ESPN card. Mike Tyson got knocked out by a fat, white heavyweight. What do all of these fiascos have in common? They were all on pay-per-view. What a joke! If you're a true fan of the sport, boycott these pathetic excuses for fights and save your money for the real Ring Magazine championship fights. There are three this fall, and all should be classics!
6. Jermain Taylor got lucky
If the Bernard Hopkins-Jermain Taylor middleweight title fight would have been one or two rounds longer, the champion would have knocked out the young challenger. But the fight took place in 2005, not 1985. So the battle only lasted 12 rounds, not 15. Hopkins only has him self to blame. Who gives up the first five rounds? Anybody else dying to see the sequel?
Ten Observations from the Summer of Boxing, PART TWO
TUE September 20, JASON HERRON - The temperature is starting to cool. The leaves are beginning to fall. Football season has kicked off. That's right, summer is over and autumn is
upon us!
5. Welter Skelter is back
Ring Magazine champion Zab Judah currently sits atop the welterweight ranks. Antonio Margarito, who holds the WBO trinket, is a dangerous threat and is his number one challenger. 'Sugar' Shane Mosley has dropped back down to 147 pounds and wants a shot at either after an 'OK' decision win this past Saturday. Soon to move up from 140 pounds: Arturo Gatti, and the number one pound-for-pound boxer in the world, Floyd Mayweather. Will Oscar De La Hoya also return to welterweight? Boxing fans can't wait to find out. 2006 will be the year of the welterweights!
4. Floyd Mayweather is unbeatable (unless he faces Winky Wright)
From 130 pounds to 147, nobody can touch Mayweather (literally). "Pretty Boy" is too quick and talented for any of the top guys. He has already beaten six guys in the current Ring Magazine Ratings. Plus, he beat Jose Luis Castillo, the number one contender at lightweight, twice. He must not move up in weight too fast, though. If he does, Winky Wright will be waiting. Wright's monster jab could be the anecdote for Mayweather's blazing speed.
3. Winky Wright-Ike Quartey? Let's Get it On!
Wright, the junior middleweight champion, is on fire. Two straight wins over Mosley, followed by a commanding victory over Felix Trinidad, have shot him up all the way up to number two on the pound-for-pound list. Ike Quartey has returned from retirement. He came back after a five-year layoff to win two straight, including an impressive decision victory over Verno Phillips on June 18th. Quartey's only two losses are to De La Hoya and Fernando Vargas. Wright-Quartey would ba a classic boxer-brawler showdown.
2. Antonio Tarver is the King of Rematches
Tarver regained the light heavyweight championship from Glen Johnson on June 18th, making ""The Magic Man", 3-0, in rematches. Tarver previously knocked out Eric Harding and Roy Jones in return engagements. Next up for Tarver is the third battle with Jones on October 1st in Tampa, Florida. Both fighters' legacies will be determined in their final fight of the trilogy.
1. The Summer of 2005 stunk for the heavyweights!
Heavyweight champion, Vitali Klitschko, was injured. Chris Byrd was in court. James Toney was suspended for steroid use (keep the jokes to yourselves). John Ruiz was........who cares what he was doing!!! At least he wasn't in the ring putting us to sleep; Hasim Rahman and Monte Barrett were the ones doing that. The division needs a major shakeup. Rising star, Samuel Peter, faces Wladimir Klitschko this Saturday on HBO from Atlantic City, NJ. Here's hoping for a knockout felt around the boxing world. A knockout that will wake up the entire division!
Jason Herron can be reached at: jasondfd@hotmail.com.
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