By Vitali Shaposhnikov: Despite the fact that boxing has gone slightly downhill since the earlier days, it is still a boiling pot of interesting characters with a spectrum of exciting fights. Just as there is a selection of potentially entertaining fights, there are also those that most boxing fans wish never happened.
There are certain “obvious result” fights I wish happened sometime in the future. I would suspect most people would find those fights a waste of time, and I would agree on most, but would still enjoy watching the action and most importantly the post fight excuses and/or apologies coming from those who suffered the loss.
If someone had asked me for five boxing related announcements that I really wanted to appear n the headlines sometime soon, I would go with the following:
1) Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao is finally signed! – There is very little doubt in my mind that this fight is the most anticipated fight in a long time. The amount of coverage that this potential bout has received in the recent past, along with the historical significance of it, makes it by far the most buzzed about and necessary boxing event of the decade. It is unsurpassed as far as the prospective financial gains go, promising gigantic profit as well as world breaking compensation for the fighters. I can only imagine the elevated heart rates and adrenaline dumps that boxing fanatics would experience when reading such news.
2) Evander Holyfield and Roy Jones Jr. announce their indefinite retirement! – Win or lose on May 21 against Denis Lebedev, it would be a good idea for Jones Jr. to finally hang up the gloves and say goodbye to the ring action. Both Holyfield and Jones Jr. have done more than enough in the sport of boxing, and have already chiseled their names as legends. Their continued persistence in the sport is undeniably admirable, but they have overstayed their welcome and their fans have long demanded their retirement. Tarnishing their career via suboptimal performances against mid-level competition is not going to elevate their careers any further, but instead might hurt them along the way. Watching both legends struggle from round to round simply feels wrong and unnatural.
3) Vitali/Wladimir Klitschko gives in to James Toney’s threats; offers Toney a shot at the title! – This one is just for fun! Despite the fact that Toney knows how to run his mouth and promote drama, he has never suffered a knockout loss. Another thing that he has lately been unable to back-up, are his promises of knockouts and exciting fights. Toney used to be and thrilling fighter to watch, but has slowly decayed to a boring, low output exhibitionist. Most of us have heard Toney’s rants about what he would do to the Klitschko sisters if ever gotten a chance to see either of them inside the ring. Toney threatened a complete destruction of either brother (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O39JFBQnz-k), and even spit some fire against David Haye. I feel that Toney facing either of the Klitschko brothers would bring in a very respectable numbers of viewers as well as sell out the tickets to the bout. The reason is very simple: boxing fans would be guaranteed a knockout of James “Lights Out” Toney, and that’s worth it all!
4) Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Erik Morales is inked! – After Morale’s expectations surpassing performance against Marcos Maidana earlier this month, I have full confidence that him fighting Juan Manuel Marquez would be exceptionally explosive and entertaining. Morales showed impressive stamina and technical skill, and proved that he is officially back in the sport and is taking it seriously. At either 135lbs or 140bls, both fighters should feel good, thus I don’t foresee any weight issues coming up in the potential discussions of this proposed fight. Both Marquez and Morales are veterans, with nearly ideal technical boxing skills and warrior’s hearts. Both men have recently showed to be in shape, and both need to be taken seriously. Two Mexican legends competing would bring in the crowd and give people their money’s worth.
5) Andre Ward vs. Lucian Bute confirmed! – While I have a lot of respect and hope for Andre Ward, and am impressed with the way he has been performing in the Super 6 Tournament, I am still not sold on his bright future in boxing. I would really like to see what Ward does in the ring against someone as aggressive and unrelenting as Bute. Bute is a very responsive boxer, always having something to hit back with. Both fighters have spotless unbeaten records, and both are looking for that one big fight to solidify their names as the top man in the division. I can see this fight being challenging for both, but it’s Andre who would ultimately be tested.
What five announcements would you like to see in the boxing headlines this year?