BY KEITH IDEC
The Record
STAFF WRITER
Floyd Mayweather Jr. won’t even entertain questions about the possibility, much less actually fight Manny Pacquiao.
Unfortunately, it seems highly unlikely that what would become the most lucrative event in boxing history will be scheduled for Nov. 13 in Las Vegas. Maybe Mayweather will feel like fighting Pacquiao sometime in 2011, but for now we’re left lamenting what could’ve been.
Nevertheless, while Mayweather-Pacquiao is the only fight that’ll transcend boxing, it’s not the only fight that’ll generate excitement among boxing fans. Here are five fantastic fights that could be scheduled at some point.
Paul Williams (39-1, 27 KOs) vs. Sergio Martinez (45-2-2, 24 KOs): Williams won their first fight, an all-action slugfest that was commonly considered one of the top three fights of 2009. But Williams’ win, in which both boxers overcame first-round knockdowns, was considered controversial. HBO Sports executives are trying to schedule their rematch for Oct. 2.
Juan Manuel Lopez (29-0, 26 KOs) vs. Yuriorkis Gamboa (18-0, 15 KOs): These undefeated featherweight champions have fights scheduled for September, but Bob Arum, whose Top Rank Inc. promotes them, wants to schedule their fight for sometime in 2011. This bout between electrifying yet flawed power punchers should be thoroughly entertaining for however long it lasts.
Miguel Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs) vs. Antonio Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs, 1 NC): Arum wants to match one of them against Pacquiao if Mayweather won’t fight him, yet there is much more demand for a Cotto-Margarito rematch. Margarito’s 11th-round technical knockout win against Cotto two years ago in Las Vegas is tainted because Margarito has since been caught trying to use illegal hand wraps. Their first fight was both entertaining and competitive before Margarito wore down a bloodied Cotto in the later rounds.
Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs) vs. Juan Manuel Marquez (50-5, 37 KOs): Marquez, who first must beat Juan Diaz (35-3, 17 KOs) in their lightweight rematch July 31 in Las Vegas, has come closer than anyone to defeating Pacquiao since Pacquiao’s last loss, a unanimous decision to Erik Morales in March 2005. Some media members and fans believe Marquez did enough to out-point Pacquiao in their March 2008 rematch in Las Vegas, a closely contested bout that Pacquiao won by split decision. Their first fight ended in a draw six years ago. A third fight would require Pacquiao, now a welterweight, and Marquez to meet at a catch weight and Arum to co-promote another event with rival Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions.
Andre Ward (22-0, 13 KOs) vs. Lucian Bute (26-0, 21 KOs): If Ward wins Showtime’s "Super Six World Boxing Classic," a fight against the best super middleweight not participating in the six-man tournament would crown an undisputed 168-pound champion.
TRAINING DAZE: Most industry insiders believe Mayweather will wait until uncle/trainer Roger Mayweather’s legal situation is resolved before deciding when he’ll fight again.
Roger Mayweather’s assault trial is scheduled to begin Aug. 2 in Las Vegas. He has been charged with punching and choking Melissa St. Vil, a boxer Mayweather once trained, during an August 2009 incident.
If convicted, Mayweather, a former 130-pound and 140-pound champion, faces a maximum of 10 years in prison. Regardless, his nephew has already won without him.
Mayweather easily out-pointed Carlos Baldomir in November 2006 in Las Vegas while his uncle served six months in Clark County (Nev.) Detention Center on a battery conviction. If Roger Mayweather is imprisoned for an extended period, Floyd Mayweather Sr. probably would train his son again.
PROMOTER’S PREROGATIVE: It would be better for fight fans and the boxing business in general if Arum would consider alternatives to Mayweather other than fighters his promotional company represents.
Arum makes no apologies, however, for dismissing such worthy challengers as Williams and Timothy Bradley (26-0, 11 KOs, 1 NC). Top Rank has invested a lot of time and money in building Cotto and Margarito into marketable commodities, thus they’re Pacquiao’s options if the Pacquiao-Mayweather match can’t be made for Nov. 13.
"I’m the one that’s financing these pay-per-view [fights]," Arum said, "and I don’t want to give anyone a free ride."
While well within his rights, Arum’s stance circumvents several undeniable drawbacks.
* First and foremost, a Cotto-Margarito rematch is much more appealing than either fighter facing Pacquiao.
* A Pacquiao-Cotto rematch is totally unnecessary. The second half of their first fight wasn’t remotely competitive, and affording Pacquiao an opportunity to win a world title in a seventh weight class (154 pounds) doesn’t justify asking fans to pay $50 or $60 to watch a rematch.
* Beyond his licensing issues in the United States, Margarito, whom Williams out-pointed three years ago, has done nothing to earn a shot at Pacquiao since Shane Mosley dominated him in January 2009.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. won’t even entertain questions about the possibility, much less actually fight Manny Pacquiao.
Unfortunately, it seems highly unlikely that what would become the most lucrative event in boxing history will be scheduled for Nov. 13 in Las Vegas. Maybe Mayweather will feel like fighting Pacquiao sometime in 2011, but for now we’re left lamenting what could’ve been.
Nevertheless, while Mayweather-Pacquiao is the only fight that’ll transcend boxing, it’s not the only fight that’ll generate excitement among boxing fans. Here are five fantastic fights that could be scheduled at some point.
Paul Williams (39-1, 27 KOs) vs. Sergio Martinez (45-2-2, 24 KOs): Williams won their first fight, an all-action slugfest that was commonly considered one of the top three fights of 2009. But Williams’ win, in which both boxers overcame first-round knockdowns, was considered controversial. HBO Sports executives are trying to schedule their rematch for Oct. 2.
Juan Manuel Lopez (29-0, 26 KOs) vs. Yuriorkis Gamboa (18-0, 15 KOs): These undefeated featherweight champions have fights scheduled for September, but Bob Arum, whose Top Rank Inc. promotes them, wants to schedule their fight for sometime in 2011. This bout between electrifying yet flawed power punchers should be thoroughly entertaining for however long it lasts.
Miguel Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs) vs. Antonio Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs, 1 NC): Arum wants to match one of them against Pacquiao if Mayweather won’t fight him, yet there is much more demand for a Cotto-Margarito rematch. Margarito’s 11th-round technical knockout win against Cotto two years ago in Las Vegas is tainted because Margarito has since been caught trying to use illegal hand wraps. Their first fight was both entertaining and competitive before Margarito wore down a bloodied Cotto in the later rounds.
Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs) vs. Juan Manuel Marquez (50-5, 37 KOs): Marquez, who first must beat Juan Diaz (35-3, 17 KOs) in their lightweight rematch July 31 in Las Vegas, has come closer than anyone to defeating Pacquiao since Pacquiao’s last loss, a unanimous decision to Erik Morales in March 2005. Some media members and fans believe Marquez did enough to out-point Pacquiao in their March 2008 rematch in Las Vegas, a closely contested bout that Pacquiao won by split decision. Their first fight ended in a draw six years ago. A third fight would require Pacquiao, now a welterweight, and Marquez to meet at a catch weight and Arum to co-promote another event with rival Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions.
Andre Ward (22-0, 13 KOs) vs. Lucian Bute (26-0, 21 KOs): If Ward wins Showtime’s "Super Six World Boxing Classic," a fight against the best super middleweight not participating in the six-man tournament would crown an undisputed 168-pound champion.
TRAINING DAZE: Most industry insiders believe Mayweather will wait until uncle/trainer Roger Mayweather’s legal situation is resolved before deciding when he’ll fight again.
Roger Mayweather’s assault trial is scheduled to begin Aug. 2 in Las Vegas. He has been charged with punching and choking Melissa St. Vil, a boxer Mayweather once trained, during an August 2009 incident.
If convicted, Mayweather, a former 130-pound and 140-pound champion, faces a maximum of 10 years in prison. Regardless, his nephew has already won without him.
Mayweather easily out-pointed Carlos Baldomir in November 2006 in Las Vegas while his uncle served six months in Clark County (Nev.) Detention Center on a battery conviction. If Roger Mayweather is imprisoned for an extended period, Floyd Mayweather Sr. probably would train his son again.
PROMOTER’S PREROGATIVE: It would be better for fight fans and the boxing business in general if Arum would consider alternatives to Mayweather other than fighters his promotional company represents.
Arum makes no apologies, however, for dismissing such worthy challengers as Williams and Timothy Bradley (26-0, 11 KOs, 1 NC). Top Rank has invested a lot of time and money in building Cotto and Margarito into marketable commodities, thus they’re Pacquiao’s options if the Pacquiao-Mayweather match can’t be made for Nov. 13.
"I’m the one that’s financing these pay-per-view [fights]," Arum said, "and I don’t want to give anyone a free ride."
While well within his rights, Arum’s stance circumvents several undeniable drawbacks.
* First and foremost, a Cotto-Margarito rematch is much more appealing than either fighter facing Pacquiao.
* A Pacquiao-Cotto rematch is totally unnecessary. The second half of their first fight wasn’t remotely competitive, and affording Pacquiao an opportunity to win a world title in a seventh weight class (154 pounds) doesn’t justify asking fans to pay $50 or $60 to watch a rematch.
* Beyond his licensing issues in the United States, Margarito, whom Williams out-pointed three years ago, has done nothing to earn a shot at Pacquiao since Shane Mosley dominated him in January 2009.
http://www.northjersey.com/sports/99083124_5_bouts_to_excite_pure_fight_fans.html
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