A Look Ahead At January’s Best Boxing Action

Let’s welcome in 2013 with a look at what is coming down the pike during this month of January.

This Friday, January 4 sees a pair of unbeaten super featherweights who clash for the #2 spot in the IBF rankings at Magic City Casino in Miami, FL. Towering Cuban Rances Barthelemy, 17-0 (11), meets Montreal based Afghani Arash Usmanee, 20-0 (10).

This will be Usmanee’s first US appearance in over two years and at 5’8, the Canadian transplant will be in the unusual position of facing a taller fighter than himself in the form of 5’11 Barthelemy.

Both fighters had highly decorated amateur careers but look for Barthelemy’s higher degree of experience and local fan following to carry him through this one.

Friday, January 11 sees a crossroads featherweight fight at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, CA as unbeaten prospect Ronny Rios, 19-0 (9), steps up in class to face former WBA Super Bantam champ Rico Ramos, 21-1 (11), for the vacant NABF strap.

As an ex-world titlist, Ramos obviously has the better resume but this is his first bout at feather and will be facing a larger, younger foe. Ramos is, however, coming off a Majority Decision verdict against another previously undefeated prospect, Efrain Esquivias, and will be looking to duplicate that performance.

Rios will have to realize his full potential if he is to overcome his higher seasoned opponent and this one is a true toss up.

The month’s biggest show takes place on January 19, with a triple world title show at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Big punching Kazakh Gennady Golovkin, 24-0 (1), puts his WBA and IBO Middleweight crowns on the line against Philadelphia hard man Gabe Rosado, 21-5 (13).

Rosado, who has previously campaigned as a light middle, has overcome five career losses since 2010 but Golovkin is not the fighter to step up in weight against and the former Olympic Gold Medallist should defeat the American inside the distance.

Also at MSG, Puerto Rico’s WBO Super Feather king Roman “Rocky” Martinez, 21-1-1 (16), looks to continue his second reign when he squares off with hard-nosed Mexican veteran Juan Carlos Burgos, 30-1 (20).

Burgos will be taking part in his first world title bout since 2010 when he lost a vacant WBC Feather clash to Hozumi Hasegawa and the Tijuana man comes into the Martinez bout with three straight regional title wins.

Martinez looked to be the top man at 130 pounds before Ricky Burns produced a shocking upset in 2010 and “Rocky”, who is coming off a close call during a split decision verdict against Miguel Beltran Jr to win the vacant WBO belt, could have his hands full with Burgos.

Rounding out the New York trifecta is Orlando Salido, 39-11-2 (27), who places his WBO Featherweight title in harm’s way against Miguel Angel “Mikey” Garcia, 30-0 (26).

Salido overcame a career full of tough losses to finally win a world belt in 2010, caging the IBF Feather trophy in a rematch against Cristobal Cruz, only to lose it four months later to Cuban phenom Yuriorkis Gamboa.

The Mexican bounced back in 2011 however, winning the WBO strap and has now made two succsessful defenses.

California’s Garcia has developed from top notch sparring partner to regional titleholder, turning back a slew of prospects and former champs, most recently gunning down ex-WBA feather beltholder Jonathan Victor Barros in eight rounds.

Saldio is one of the toughest fighters in the world at any weight and the crafty veteran will likely have too much experience for young gun Garcia, but the kid can really punch and if Salido gets careless, we could see a new WBO champ.

We head all the way to the Entertainment Centre in Sydney, Australia on January 30 for a bad blood domestic rematch between Daniel Geale, 28-1 (15), and Anthony Mundine, 44-4 (26), for Geale’s IBF Middleweight title.

These two first met in 2009 when former two-time WBA Super Middle boss Mundine lifted the previously undefeated Geale’s IBO middleweight belt by controversial split decision in Brisbane.

Since then, Mundine experienced mixed fortunes, going down to light middle before shockingly getting KO’d by novice Garth Wood in 2010 before reigning things back in with a rematch win against Wood and securing the WBA Interim Light Middle and IBF North American Middleweight straps.

In contrast, Geale has been all uphill, winning the IBF Middleweight bauble against Sebastian Sylvester in 2011, followed by two defenses and then capped off by upsetting WBA champion Felix Sturm in Germany in September.

At 37, Mundine isn’t the same fighter that outpointed Geale three years ago; look for Geale to walk out of Sydney with the WBA belt still around his waist.