by James Slater – Top quality doubleheaders seem to be in fashion in boxing right now – what with the April 24th Chris Arreola-Tomasz Adamek/Alfredo Angulo-Joel Julio card set and the almost-done May 15th Amir Khan-Paulie Malignaggi/Victor Ortiz-Nate Campbell card also fast approaching – and on April 10th, if both fights get the final go ahead (ESPN.com reports how the final touches are being worked on currently), we will see Andre Berto-Carlos Quintana and Tavoris Cloud-Glen Johnson taking place on the same card on April 10th..
WBC welterweight champ Berto, who had to withdraw from his big fight with Shane Mosley because of what tragically happened in Haiti, will be fighting for the first time in almost eleven months. The unbeaten 26-year-old, 25-0(19) will no doubt start at a pretty solid favourite over 33-year-old southpaw Quintana, but ring rust may well prove to be a big factor in the almost-signed fight if it happens as planned. Quintana, best known for his upset win over Paul Williams back in February of 2008, when “El Indio” won the WBO 147-pound belt, has been from active himself as of late – winning just two fights since the June 2008 1st-round KO defeat he suffered in the return with “The Punisher.” However, the older man has fought more recently than has Berto, having crushed Jesse Feliciano inside three-rounds this past December.
If he IS rusty, Berto could well have a tough night’s work against the somewhat crafty, not to mention superbly experienced Quintana. I can see the would-be superstar who plans to donate some of his purse money to the relief fund for Haiti (who, of course, Berto represented when he boxed as an Olympian), having to go all 12 rounds to get the win.
I can also see the other planned fight on the card, Cloud Vs. Johnson, going the distance. Unbeaten 28-year-old Cloud is the younger man by a staggering thirteen years, but the amazingly well-preserved “Road Warrior” is as tough as they come and also, going by his last outing, still full of fire. Stopped just once in his long, 50-13-2(34) career, by Bernard Hopkins many years ago, Johnson doesn’t figure to go over against the reigning IBF light-heavyweight ruler.
This fight, though, has a real chance of being a great one. Cloud, 20-0(18), who was originally set to fight in March, knows how to put pressure on an opponent, and his non-stop aggression is sure to come into play in this fight. Expect a gruelling fight that has a ton of punches thrown on either side, before the smarter guy wins the decision. This, I feel, will be Johnson – although if he has slipped as much as he appeared to have done in his return fight with Chad Dawson, Cloud could out-work him and prove me wrong.
Both fights are set to be shown on TV by HBO, and it is to be hoped this potential thriller of a doubleheader goes ahead.