Arthur Abraham vs. Carl Froch could be a
classic
A disappointing year
isn't over yet,
and exciting fights loom
By Rizwaan Zahid
of
www.ringsideboxingshow.com
There have been more then a few
letdowns this year in the world of boxing. Numerous injuries
have occurred, and many super fights have fallen through. But
these next four
months could be tremendous for fight
fans.
It may not be the year we had envisioned,
since Mayweather and Pacquiao did not tangle, nor did the
Klitsckhos and David Haye. But the sport could salvage so far
what has been a disappointing year for boxing fans around the
world. Let’s try to be optimistic as we look at the matchups
that will take us out of 2010:
Arthur Abraham (31-1, 25 KOs) vs.
Carl Froch (26-1, 20 KOs) on October 2 is part of the Super Six tourney, which already
makes it an entertaining fight -- even more important now that,
with Mikkel Kessler pulling out, it becomes a semifinal. Both
guys have heavy hands and solid chins, making for a very
interesting fight. Abraham is bouncing back after his
disqualification loss to Andre Dirrell and Froch is also coming
back from his lone defeat against Kessler. I expect both to
fight with urgency. Each man has a very unique style, which
means no one knows what to expect in this bout. The WBC has not
officially sanctioned the fight, but expect that to happen in
the coming days, which adds even more importance.
There haven't been a lot of “fight of the
year” candidates so far, and this one has the potential to be
great.
Juan Manuel Lopez (29-0, 26 KOs) vs.
Rafael Marquez (39-5, 34 KOs) on November 6 figures to be a
sure-fire "fight of the year" candidate.
The disappointing thing about Marquez’s
fight against Israel Vasquez this was that Israel was pretty
worn out and shouldn’t have been in the ring to begin with. With
the amount of damage Vasquez’s eyes had taken in his previous
fight against unknown Angel Priolo, no one could’ve expected hin
to compete on such a high level so quickly.
Meanwhile, Juan Manuel Lopez has
continued his dominance over fighters, even when appearing to be
vulnerable. In his last fight, Juanma dropped Bernabe Concepcion
in the first round, but was caught by a wild hook and went down
himself in the opening stanza. He got back up to drop his
opponent two more times in the second for an impressive TKO.
Lopez and Marquez both have tremendous
power, skill, and both have shown glimpses of vulnerability,
which makes their fights that much more entertaining. It’s hard
to see, after only three rounds this year, if Marquez is truly
back at the top of his game. He may be 35, but if his brother
Juan Manuel Marquez is any indication, he has a couple of years
left. The two brothers have different styles, though, and we’ll
find out against Lopez if Rafael has enough to contend on the
top once again..
Juan Manuel Marquez (51-5, 37 KOs) vs.
Michael Katsidis (27-2, 21 KOs), on Nov. 27th, features Rafael’s
brother -- once again the top lightweight in the world -- fresh
off of his superb win over Juan Diaz. Marquez will be 38 at
fight time and he could turn old overnight, but he's a great
tactician, which makes him an excellent fighter. He can brawl,
but he also has great boxing ability, which has contributed to
his longevity.
In the opposite corner is one of the most
entertaining fighters today. Michael Katsidis is a warrior in
every sense of the word and is very heavy handed. After setbacks
against Joel Casamayor and Juan Diaz, the Aussie has ripped
through his opposition, including a recent third-round
destruction of Britain’s highly touted ,previously undefeated
Kevin Mitchell. Katsidis fights like he has nothing to lose and
everything to gain each time. He only knows how to come forward.
This could be his time to shine.
Both men have a never-say-die mentality
and have the ability to recover quickly when hurt. This also has
"fight of the year" written all over it.
These fights are the fights that have
been confirmed, and there are plenty fights that are floating
around the rumor mill, or waiting for final details to be
tweaked. Rumors first indicated that Paul Williams-Sergio
Martinez II was on, however that has taken a step back and both
sides are remaining quiet. If that fight does come off, it’ll
have a chance again to contend with the other fights for “fight
of the year." There’s also Miguel Cotto, who’ll likely take on
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on December 4.
We can’t forget the bantamweight
doubleheader on December 4, which is likely to go head to head
with the Cotto-Chavez fight. Joseph Agbeko (27-2, 22 KOs) and
Yohnny Perez (20-0-1, 14 KOs) will go at it again, as will Vic
Darchinyan (35-2-1, 27 KOs) and Abner Mares (20-0, 13 KOs).
While I don’t expect either of these to take the "fight of the
year" award, I do expect tough, good fights from the best in
that division.
The best fighting the best … isn’t that
what the real fights of the year are made of?
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