Fantasy Boxing Matchups For 2008
Who do we want to see in the coming year? To take a look into the near future, there are really good match-ups that could take place, but it’s anyone’s guess if they’ll happen.
Tony Thompson, 31-1, vs. well, anybody: So long as it’s on TV, we just need to see the guy. He’s supposed to be on fire and at age 36, the clock is ticking. He needs a good television performance to get on the radar and seriously jockey for a run at the championship. But with the division lacking in superstars, there’s no guarantee the bout would get televised even if he fought a champion, unless it was perhaps a Samuel Peter or Wladimir Klitschko. Anybody got the number to Friday Night Fights?
Samuel Peter, 29-1, vs. Wladimir Klitschko, 49-3: As good as the first one was, the second promises to be even better. Peter should be able to get past the aging, ailing, inactive Maskaev, and has improved a lot since the last meeting with Klitschko. Sadly for him, so has Klitschko, who has settled into the Steward-trained style perfected with Lennox Lewis. Klitschko will be more apt to box from the outside and still tie Peter up on the inside like last time, but Peter has developed more movement and boxing ability. The result will be the same, but aside from the knockdowns scored by Peter, it will be a more entertaining fight.
Vitali Klitschko, 35-2, vs. Oleg Maskaev, 34-5: There’s little chance of this fight happening in 2008, not because it can’t be agreed upon by both sides, but nagging recurring injuries from both sides will continually push the battle back. Look for “Ironfist” to come out on top in the battle of words after a duct tape maneuver holds him together just slightly longer than the Big O.
Wladimir Klitschko, 49-3, vs. Nikolay Valuev, 47-1: Admit it—you want to see it, I want to see it. Everybody wants to see if the division’s biggest puncher can KO the freakshow that’s been thrust upon the boxing public in Valuev. Monte Barrett made Valuev’s knees buckle a couple times from hail mary type punches, but he had pretty decent recuperative abilities. I’ll say it takes eight rounds, but if his chin is better than I suspect, Valuev might be able to lean on Klitschko, tax his legs and pull out an upset.
David Haye, 20-1, vs. Jean-Marc Mormeck, 33-4: Okay, okay, they already fought. But could they do it again? The rest of the world missed it.
Roy Jones Jr., 51-4, vs. Felix Trinidad, 42-2, Bernard Hopkins, 48-4-1: It would be a great closeout for two Hall of Fame fighters even though they should have remained retired. The three consecutive Jones losses are given more weight than they should be if you examine them, Jones should have retired simply because of his diminished reflexes that had been such an integral part of his fight game. His opponent said he was retiring and after his last outing against Winky Wright many were looking for him to do just that. See how that works for Hopkins and Trinidad?
Antonio Tarver, 26-4, vs. Chad Dawson, 25-0: Is there any clearer case of ducking than this? Tarver lost the fight that he said would be Hopkins’ last, then took on two non-entities over a belt Hopkins wasn’t even interested in keeping. Meanwhile, Dawson has been calling Tarver out since beating Tomasz Adamek earlier this year. Tarver hasn’t fought a fellow southpaw since beating Eric Harding in 2002 by TKO. Dawson fought Harding in 2006, climbing off the canvas after the first round, then taking the fight by UD. Dawson has shown more polish since that time and would probably outspeed and overpower Tarver and stop him early.
Mikkel Kessler, 39-1, vs. Jeff Lacy, 23-1: Both men have suffered their only defeats by the hands of Joe Calzaghe, albeit in very different fashion. Kessler’s esteem rose, while Lacy was all but thrown in the garbage heap. Add to it that Lacy didn’t beat Peter Manfredo as well as he should have and he’s yet to return to the powerhouse he was pre-Calzaghe. But if his last bout was enough to shrug off the ring rust and he can apply what he’s learned since fighting Calzaghe, in combination to the power we all know he has, this could definitely be a Fight of the Year candidate. Many people thought Robin Reid beat Calzaghe and considering that Lacy definitively beat Reid, it isn’t a complete lock for Kessler.
Kelly Pavlik, 32-0 vs. Edison Miranda and Jermain Taylor, 56-3-1: You’d have to have a doubleheader or a tag-team type situation to make this interesting. Pavlik is simply too much for Taylor and you have to add someone else into the mix to make it worth looking forward to.
Ronald Hearns, 17-0, vs. Julio Caesar Chavez Jr., 34-0-1: Both sons of champions, but legit fighters in their own right; this one is in the rumor mill and could propel either fighter to elite status. With twice as many fights as Hearns, Chavez has an edge in experience, but Hearns has a powerfully built frame and a good mix of speed and power to counter Chavez’s seasoning. I’ll prematurely pick Hearns because he’s from my area, but it would be a great battle.
Floyd Mayweather, 39-0, vs. Miguel Cotto, 31-0, v. Paul Williams, 33-0: Combine any two and you have an automatic Fight of the Year candidate. Mayweather won’t be able to fight and beat either man the same way he did Hatton. His speed, defense and chin would be put to the test against both Cotto and Williams and in victory or defeat, we would see the best from Mayweather. Cotto fighting Williams would be a different story. Both are true welters but Williams probably will have to move up soon. If Cotto faces Williams, I can’t see him winning as Antonio Margarito is just a bigger (albeit, less talented) version of Cotto. At six inches shorter and with arms seventeen inches shorter, Cotto would rarely get inside on Williams and would spend the night eating leather en route to a UD loss.
Juan Diaz, 33-0, vs. Ricky Hatton, 43-1: These two are rockstars in fanboy divisions. Both weight classes have their fair share of talent, but Diaz and Hatton are so far above everyone else, it’s just target practice to keep fighting these guys. Diaz should move north (when is this guy graduating college anyway?). At 140, the question not only becomes can Diaz withstand the extra five pounds of power, but from Hatton no less? And for Hatton, if Diaz can keep up the insane work rate he does at lightweight, will he get drowned in deep water? Considering how calm Diaz was during the first three rounds against Jose Cotto, when the Puerto Rican threw over 100 punches in each, I think he can withstand the onslaught from Hatton and decision his way to becoming light welterweight king.
Manny Pacquiao, 45-3-2, v. Juan Diaz, 33-0: Pac Man’s allegedly having trouble making 130, so 135 may be in the near future. But his kayo power will be further diminished and against a fighter who’s a workhorse in the ring just like him, fireworks would surely ensue. Fight of the Year candidate for certain, but only the foolish bet against Diaz in a division he owns.
Let me add that I didn’t forget Joe Calzaghe. The guy is just so good I don’t know who would be challenging enough for him that a contest would be up in the air. He’s already been struggling to make 168, so 175 would probably be more comfortable for him. Bernard Hopkins would just be too old and too defensive to make for an interesting fight, Chad Dawson is fast, but comparatively too green to give Calzaghe a serious run. For as long as he wants to fight the only person who can beat Joe Calzaghe is Joe Calzaghe. His initials are J.C. for a reason.