Golden Boy Get Their Groove On
A couple of posts ago I was finding it kinda hard to get enthused about 2010’s upcoming schedule. If there’s one good thing about our much maligned sport however, it’s that events can change overnight. A shrewd deal here, a couple of signatures on contracts there and gloom can rapidly turn to optimism.
Dan Rafael reported on Monday that Golden Boy are interested in making an Amir Khan-Juan Manuel Marquez match. Even better than that, Victor Ortiz is being lined up against Nate Campbell on the undercard. Both bouts would pit budding light welter stars in Khan and Ortiz against grizzled lightweight veterans in intriguing and exciting crossroads fights.
There’d be something for everyone here. Khan-Marquez could turn out to be a wonderful fencing contest, whilst Ortiz-Campbell would see two aggressive punchers looking for redemption after the pair were accused of showing a lack of appetite in recent bouts against Marcos Maidana and Timothy Bradley respectively.
Incidentally, Khan and Marquez’s alphabet mandatories (Maidana and Michael Katsidis) may elect to stay busy against Victor Cayo and Robert Guerrero.
Katsidis-Guerrero would be another tremendous match up (lest we forget Mosley-Mayweather trundling along the pipeline). I’m very happy with Richard Schaefer and pals right now, can you tell?
Elsewhere, Hayemaker promotions have made an offer to Britain’s Olympic hero James DeGale for him to tackle their own super middleweight shooting star George Groves on the Haye-Ruiz undercard. Hayemaker have offered Frank Warren Promotions the princely sum of £50, 000 for DeGale’s services, an offer which has next to no chance of being successful yet one which signals the first shots being fired across the bow in what will likely be a protracted build up to an eventual showdown.
Groves-DeGale could be this generation’s Benn-Eubank and while it doesn’t make much sense at all for Warren to match his flashy 5-0 prospect against Hayemaker’s 8-0 puncher, I’d be elated if it came off having purchased tickets last week (one can dream).
I had intended to write a positive piece on Floyd Mayweather (yep you read that right) this week however his stalling in signing the Mosley contract has me perturbed. Cold feet or stage management? All will be revealed.
There are a clutch of decent contests this weekend with Glen Johnson (rated #3 at light heavy) and Yusaf Mack (#7) battling for the right to face light heavyweight alphabet titlist Tavoris Cloud (#6). Elsewhere, lightweight knockout machine Edwin Valero (rated #1 behind champ Juan Manuel Marquez) faces the gangling Antonio DeMarco (#9) in Monterrey, Mexico whilst at home, the resurgent Jason Booth puts his British super bantamweight title on the line against West Ham’s Matthew Marsh in Nottingham.
Johnson-Mack should be a tough and gruelling contest for both with the big question centering on just how much petrol the 41 year old former Roy Jones conqueror Johnson has left in the tank. Johnson will be favoured to pull out a hard fought points victory.
There’s intrigue every time the dynamite punching Valero puts on the gloves as fans wait to see whether the Venezuelan can extend his amazing knockout record beyond his current 26 knockout victories in 26 bouts. DeMarco, who brings to mind former featherweight title holder Manuel Medina in terms of style (although DeMarco fights southpaw), should provide a test, but will do well to last the distance.
I’m really looking forward to seeing Booth perform again after his mesmerising victory over Michael Hunter last time out. Booth should know far too much for his battling opponent.
2010 is catching fire.
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