This Week in Boxing.

Welcome to “This Week in Boxing,” where a snapshot of the world’s best fights are examined by one of our talented team of writers here at Saddoboxing.com.

Right! Let’s get on with it shall we? It’s a big week in the big world of boxing so without further delay, we’ll start off with a trip tonight to sunny France where Alain Bonnel and Bernard Inom get together in Ajaccio to see who walks away with the European Community (EC) flyweight title belt. After going 4-7 in his first eleven fights, Bonnell has pulled off a Phoenix-like transformation to win his last six, including the French and EC flyweight titles. Inom has yet to lose in ten contests and is the current French flyweight champion.

On to snowy Moscow, where an up and coming cruiserweight looks to end a domestic argument before going international again. Grigory Drozd won his first eighteen fights in Russia before traveling to Los Angeles and stopping an aging Saul Montana. Drozd has since posted a decision over Jason Robinson and is set to get in the ring once again in March. But first, he must punch opponent Denis Solomko’s ticket. That may not be as difficult as beating Montana and Robinson since Solomko has been unlucky in his last twelve fights.

On Wednesday, the day starts in Australia and ends there as we only have one fight to detail. Former WBA-168 pound champion Anthony Mundine was set to rematch with the man who took his title, Manny Siaca, until Siaca injured a hand in training. An unknown Panamanian by the name of Darmel Castillo was drafted as a late replacement, but Castillo has dropped five of his last six and will not be given much hope. Mundine is planning on meeting current WBA champion Mikkel Kessler in the near future.

Thursday brings us to San Jose in the US where former light heavyweight world champion Montel Griffin takes on journeyman Sam Reese. Griffin has beaten some good fighters, including Roy Jones (by DQ), James Toney (twice), Derrick Harmon and George Jones, but by all accounts was robbed by the judges in an IBF title eliminator against Rico Hoye last year. Expect the very short but very slippery Griffin to take it out on the super busy Reese (nine fights in 2004) who was knocked out in one round by Etienne Whitaker the last time he fought anyone close to Griffin’s class.

Friday brings an avalanche of action beginning on the shores of Plymouth, England where British champion Scott Dann puts his middleweight crown on the line against Alan Jones. Southpaw Dann suffered a pasting at the hands of Howard Eastman for the European, Commonwealth and British belts in 2003, but came back to hammer previously unbeaten Steve Bendall for the British last year. Jones, from Wales, is unbeaten in nine fights and has a good win over Jim Rock to his credit but may be between a rock and hard place going into the champion’s backyard.

Heading to Secunda, South Africa, we have Khulile Makeba and Simpiwe Vetyka,vying for the South African bantamweight title. Makeba was the longtime South African minimumweight champion who stepped up in 2003 to try and take the IBO bantamweight strap from Silence Mabuza, but met with unsatisfactory results. Vetyka may be heading for a fall as he’s only had nine fights and has never been in with anyone close to Makeba’s skill level.

Returning to the US, there’s a good card of junior welterweight prospects in Connecticut. David Diaz meets Kendall Holt and Al Gonzales steps in with Oscar Diaz. David Diaz is a former US Olympian, undefeated in twenty-six fights and has beaten Emmanuel Augustus, Ener Julio and Jauguin Gallardo. Holt, winner of seventeen out of eighteen fights, will be facing his first real test in Diaz.

In Florida, former world lightweight champion Javier Jauregui has a ten rounder with Cristian Favela in Jacksonville. Jauregui finally hit the jackpot in 2003, stopping Leavander Johnson to take the IBF belt but couldn’t hold on toit, losing the title in his very next action to Julio Diaz. Favela, despite his humble record of nine wins, six losses and three draws, has beaten the odds before, besting favored Willie Jorrin and Phillip Payne.

Still in Florida, it’s more lightweight activity, this time in Hollywood, as Ricky Quiles meets Edner Cherry inside the ropes. Quiles is an experienced southpaw whose four of six losses have come to such good fighters as Diobelys Hurtado, Goyo Vargas, Ahmed Santos and Terrance Cauthen. Cherry may have the momentum though as he’s won his last fourteen, and at twenty-two, he is twelve years younger than Quiles.

Moving onto to Saturday, we hit the biggie of the week; the undisputed welterweight championship of the world! In St. Louis, Cory Spinks puts it all on the line against the ultra dangerous Zab Judah. The two met last year in an eventful scrap that saw both hit the canvas late in the fight, with the reigning champion pulling out the unanimous decision. Aside from a controversial loss to Michele Piccirillo, Spinks hasn’t lost a fight since 1998 and will be making his fourth title defense. Judah will be making his fourth appearance at welterweight after having won two world titles at junior welterweight. In addition, undefeated heavyweight Owen Beck will find out if he’s got the goods by meeting divisional gatekeeper Monte Barrett.

We wrap things up on Sunday in Penrith, Australia where Hussein Hussein faces off against Federico Catubay for the vacant OBPF flyweight title. Hussein continues the comeback that has seen him reel off three straight wins following his loss to longtime WBC flyweight champion Pongsaklek WonJongkam in 2003. Although Catubay sports a 7-5-1 record, he’s been in with some good competition and may give Hussein a tough time of it.

That’s it for “This Week in Boxing,” join us next week where we’ll take a look around the globe once again.

Richard Eberline can be reached at richardeberline@fastmail.fm