By James Slater: Last year, junior-flyweights Giovani Segura and Ivan Calderon proved in dramatic style that the little guys can give the fans plenty of big thrills when they are in the mood. Meeting in defending Ring Magazine and WBO 108-pound ruler Calderon’s home country of Puerto Rico in August of 2010, the two put on a fight so good Ring Magazine named it their FOTY. Mexico’s Segura, who was defending his WBA title, came through a sensational battle to win via 8th-round KO. Now the two are all set to do it again; this time in Segura’s home country.
Ringtv.com has exclusively reported this news, and Segura’s manager, Rich Mota spoke to the website of “The Bible of Boxing.”
“We always wanted the fight but Giovani was being offered chump change for a while,” Mota told Ring. “He knew he would have to take short money and fight in Puerto Rico for first fight because Calderon was the champ, but this time around, he’s the champ.
“He knows he’s [Segura] going to go through hell to make 108 pounds but he’s willing to do it because this is the fight everyone wants to see. After the rematch he can go to 112 pounds.”
But can Segura beat the classy, pure-boxing southpaw for a second time?
Much the younger man at age 28 compared to Calderon’s 36, the Mexican puncher who is 26-1-1(22) took away “Iron Boy’s” unbeaten record in last summer’s scorcher. And on paper, it looks like it will take a supreme effort from Calderon to regain his belt. Still, for the first four or five rounds last year, the silky skills of the boxer some have called a “miniature, southpaw version of Floyd Mayweather Junior” were getting the job done. Eventually though, the Mexican’s power told the story.
At age 36 and after having had such a long career – Calderon is 34-1-1(6) and he’s been a pro for ten years – it will be a big ask of the Puerto Rican to travel to Mexico and extract revenge. But whoever you think will win in April, it’s great that the two best 108-pounders in the world have agreed to a rematch so quickly and easily. A rematch that really should have boxing fans excited, it’s a real pity this potential classic will be ignored by many simply because the lower weights fail to attract the big numbers.
Right now in boxing, though, it is the lower weights that are providing fans with the best match-ups. Not only do we have this rematch to look forward to, but we also have another potential cracker in February – when bantamweight stars Nonito Donaire and Fernando Montiel clash in Las Vegas.
Some people say boxing is in bad shape because the best never fight the best anymore. But while it’s true the sport will suffer for every Mayweather-Pacquiao or Klitschko-Haye fight that fails to get made, fights like Segura-Calderon II and Donaire-Montiel go a long way towards repairing the damage.