by James Slater – There are exactly four months remaining of the year 2008, and we have four more genuine mega-fights left in the year before we say hello to 2009. In October, we have the long-anticipated Vitali Klitschko-Samuel Peter heavyweight title fight showdown, and the intriguing, hard to pick Kelly Pavlik-Bernard Hopkins light-heavyweight meeting. While in November we have the re-scheduled Joe Calzaghe-Roy Jones Junior clash, also at light-heavyweight.. Then, in 2008’s final month, we have one of the most talked about “dream fights” of recent years, in the welterweight match-up that is Oscar De La Hoya-Manny Pacquiao. All four fights are potentially fan-friendly affairs and opinions are divided as to the winner in each of the four bouts. But which one are YOU looking forward to most of all?
Let’s take a look at each fight now. The Klitschko-Peter fight comes first, on October 11th in Germany. A KO, most likely an explosive one, is all but guaranteed when these two huge punchers collide. As such the fans will surely enjoy themselves, either whilst being live at the venue or watching at home on T.V. But which way will the fight go? A tough fight to call, as we simply do not know what the 37-year-old “Dr. Iron Fist” has left, the only certainty is that there will be a KO. How can there not be? This fight may well be the # 1 looked forward to in the minds of a large number of fans.
The Pavlik-Hopkins bout that comes one week after the heavyweight rumble is also one to look forward to. Will Pavlik’s youth and power prove too much for the 43-year-old “Executioner?” Or will B-Hop’s guile and defensive savvy serve to give “The Ghost” a real scare? A KO is far less likely in this one. Hopkins has never looked like being stopped, and the gutsy Pavlik doesn’t figure to go over from any shot the not too hard-hitting Philly veteran can land on him. There may also be less fans looking forward to this fight with real excitement. And sure, the fight could well turn out to be a boring spectacle, it’s just that I have a feeling this will not be the case. Hopkins has said the fight will be a bloodbath, rest assured a large number of fight fans will be tuning in on October 18th to see if he’s right.
There will be no shortage of fans anticipating a good fight in the run up to the Calzaghe-Jones meeting on November 8th. Talked about in a big way ever since the bout was announced, this light-heavyweight pairing is almost sure to deliver something worth watching. Opinions are perhaps most divided with regards to this fight than they are in either of the other three. Will Jones show some of his old magic and ruin Calzaghe’s perfect record? Or will “The Pride of Wales” once again overwhelm an opponent with his incredible work-rate? There is a good chance of a KO here, also, but in all likelihood we will be witness to 12 engrossing rounds in 2008’s penultimate mega-fight.
Last but not least, we have the much discussed De La Hoya-Pacquiao fight. Many fans are unhappy that this fight is taking place – claiming it is nothing more than a money making mismatch – while other people, such as The Ring’s Nigel Collins, see it as a genuine super-fight. I’m somewhere in the middle. On the one hand the size difference between the two men does make it look like a joke fight. While on the other, Oscar is both older and slower now, will have to take a lot out of himself to get down to 147 pounds AND “The Golden Boy,” as Collins pointed out recently, was hit plenty by Stevie Forbes – a natural super-featherweight. Maybe the hype’s getting to me, but for the first time I give Manny at least a shot at winning a decision. One thing’s for sure, I WILL be tuning in on December 6th to find out!
As I will be for all four of the remaining mega-fights the year 2008 has to offer.