by Chris Kelly: As 2010 winds up and fight fans all over the world debate the end of year honours, most of which will be decided from a handful fights in the latter months, lets look ahead to what may be, or at least should be, on the fight calendar for 2011.
Already several match ups have been slated or discussed, some have us waiting with bated breath (Haye v Klitschko) and others scratching our heads and wondering why? (Pacquiao v Mosley). But what about the fights that should be made? What about the fights that fans, and this writer in particular, would love to see?
1. Lucian Bute vs. Andre Dirrell – with Dirrell out of the super 6 tourney and Bute being proclaimed everywhere as the best 168 pounder, this fight seems an obvious pairing. If styles make fights, as we know they do, this would be a ripper. Le Tombeur has never faced as slick a boxer as The Matrix but if anything would slow Dirrell down it would be Bute’s looping left hand to the body. But instead, come March, Bute will thrill us all by fighting Brian Magee.
2. Yuriokis Gamboa vs. Juan Manual Lopez –rumours of a Lopez v Chris John showdown threaten to spoil this long awaited match. And make no mistake I do mean spoil as Chris John can beat Lopez. It’ll be a clinical and probably entertaining fight but nothing like a match up between Juanma and El Ciclon. As a student of Cuban amateur boxing Lopez’s south paw stance shouldn’t bother Gamboa, but Juanma’s power might. This could be a slugfest to rival Hearns/Hagler.
3. Sergio Martinez vs. Dmitry Pirog – Although a big step up in class for Pirog he proved against Daniel Jacobs he is something special. His adroit footwork and use of angles could be a perfect foil Martinez’s in and out attacks. Also Pirog claims the WBO title which rightfully belongs to man known as Maravilla.
4. Odlanier Solis vs. Alexander Povetkin – Years out of the Cuban amateur boxing program has lead Solis to become a shadow (note the use of irony) of the svelte athlete who won gold as a heavyweight in the 2004 Olympics. At the same games, and a weight class north, Povetkin was taking the gold home to Russia. Cuban vs Russian = no brainer. No brainer? Did someone say Teddy Atlas?
5. Michael Katsidis vs. John Murray – Ok. I’m maybe being a bit parochial with this selection but who doesn’t love watching Katsidis go to work? And he deserves to get his hat trick of victories over English fighters – Murray would round out a triumvirate of knock out victories to accompany those over Graham Earl and Kevin Mitchell.
Well that’s my wish list. What do you want to see?