By Francisco Cairol: Quintana – Williams: Wasn’t that a good fight? Wasn’t it awesome that they actually gave the decision to the fighter who deserved it and not the network favorite? No shame for Paul Williams as he fought a decent fight and he really tried to win. It was also very heartwarming to see Carlos Quintana celebrating with his son. I think he is a very solid threat to any welterweight not named Miguel Cotto or Floyd Mayweather Jr. A rematch might be next for Quintana & Williams. Doesn’t this make Cotto look even better than before? And speaking of which.
Miguel Cotto: I really think he is the most formidable challenger for Mayweather. I don’t blame either Mayweather or Oscar Dela Hoya for cashing in by fighting each other again in a fight in which most likely nobody would get hurt rather than face a Cotto who could conceivably and theoretically beat them for less money. However, Cotto vs. Mayweather is the fight that needs to be made, to know who the true best 147 pounder is. Cotto is going to fight Alfonso Gomez next in what should be an easy fight. There has been some talk about Cotto fighting Mayorga (I really Hope not!) after Gomez but I really hope he takes on the winner of:
Cintron – Margarito: People really talk about Cintron not having heart, mainly, I guess, for his crying after being beat by Margarito. While he didn’t look good at all in that fight, he did get up after being knocked down and he tried to land heavy stuff on Margarito to no avail. He has now improved under Manny Steward’s tutelage and shown some courage under pressure against Estrada and Feliciano. I think he will do better this time, although I’m not sure he can beat Margarito. Still, my hat’s off to him for wanting to avenge his defeat. And keeping with the welterweights, which in my opinion is right now the most talent laden division in boxing, there’s…
Judah – Mosley: Very intriguing match-up of talent, speed & power. I lean towards Mosley just because Zab can be a bit of a front runner and is very unpredictable. Should be very interesting and fast paced while it lasts. Let’ see who has more gas left in the tank. And speaking of welterweights…
Felix Trinidad (former welterweight)– I really don’t think Don King has been kind to Felix in choosing his opponents. Roy Jones Jr. was just too big for him and too much of a boxer. Having said that, I was more impressed by Tito than by Jones. Tito fought hard and didn’t look flat like he did against Winky Wright. As soon as Jones realized Tito couldn’t hurt him, he had his way with him. I really would prefer if Trinidad retired, but if he insists on fighting again, put him up with a slugger more his size where he could have more of a chance. There are talks of Tito fighting Pavlik, who he would at least be able to hit cleanly, but since Trinidad’s father insists his son can’t make 160, I don’t think this fight will happen.
Pavlik -Taylor II: Not as good as the first one but a very entertaining fight nonetheless. Taylor has done himself more proud in his defeats to Pavlik than in any of his controversial wins/draws or poor performances against junior middleweights. Taylor – Jones is interesting but I would keep Pavlik and Taylor away form Joe Calzaghe, who by the way, I think will beat Bernard Hopkins.
Moving up in weight considerably…Klitschko – Ibragimov – The cure for Insomnia. Nothing more to say…By the way, was I the only one who thought the Ding-a-ling man was robbed (not a HUGE robbery but still…) against BJ Flores? Just wondering. I thought he did more and while Flores looked more polished, I think he didn’t do enough. Oh well…
Moving way down in weight…Vasquez Marquez III– Wow Wow Wow! I’m almost speechless. This is what boxing is all about. The Greatest Trilogy Ever? Everybody seems to think so. Is it okay to want to see them do it all over again? I feel like a bit of a sadist for that, really. It breaks my heart to think that Klitschko and Ibragimov were paid much more for their borefest than these great, great warriors. There were really no losers that day and they should be hall of famers just on this trilogy alone. If not fighting each other again (hopefully after an unbelievably well deserved rest!) either of them could fight Daniel Ponce de Leon who they both could/should beat or exciting hard hitting prospect Juanma Lopez, who looked awesome annihilating fellow prospect Jonathan Oquendo. Moving on…
Katsidis – Casamayor: Last time I did a pound for pound list, I had Casamayor on it based on his record and his losses all being close or controversial to very good or great fighters. Though he fought Santa Cruz and he looked awful and made me feel like an idiot. That I think was a real robbery. If that Casamayor shows up, Katsidis should have an easy time. This fight is intriguing because Katsidis is younger and very exciting, but he hasn’t really fought anybody yet and nobody really knows what casamayor has left. If Katsidis wins then maybe they can reschedule Katsidis-Juan Diaz, which should be a real fight of the year candidate.
Finally, I’m still undecided who my favorite is in the Pacquiao- Marquez rematch, but I can’t wait. If Pacquiao beats Marquez, who has looked great and more aggressive in his last couple of fights, he should really be the consensus #1 Pound for Pound fighter, at least until Mayweather and Cotto face each other.