03.09.07 – By Craig Mastendri: While half of the 147lb champions (Mayweather, Mosley, and Cotto) set in marquee matches later this year, the picture at the top will be much more clear. Speculation, based on Manny Stewards comments in an August interview, for the other half (Cintron and Williams) to face each other in December, could possibly clarify things even further. This weeks focus shifts toward the second tier group and those seeking to be next in line..
Names like Zab Judah, Antonio Margarito, Carlos Quintana, Joshua Clottey, and Luis Collazo are fighters looking to get back in the picture after suffering losses to the current champs. As the pendulum swings back towards action, we’ll find out whom among this group, will again get their shot. I’ll start with the breakdown of this week’s event and then examine some possible scenarios for the others.
This weeks Friday Night Fights season finale will feature the well known Zab ”Super” Judah 34-5 25 KO’s, making his first return from the knockout loss and beating, suffered at the heavy hands of Miguel Cotto. Judah climbs back in the ring versus Edwin Vazquez 22-10-2 8 KO’s at the Hard Rock Casino in Biloxi Mississippi. The card is televised on ESPN2 and starts at 10:30PM EDT. This main event bout pits the 29 year old, 5’7 and ½” tall, southpaw, Judah against the 35 year old, 5’8” tall, orthodox, journeyman Vazquez. Expect fireworks and a fast pace, as the cagey southpaw, and flamboyant Judah will be looking to make a statement and flash the power shots he’s capable of.
Vazquez’s most notable opponents all resulted in losses. Matthew Hatton (brother of Ricky Hatton) and Demetrius Hopkins both won unanimous decisions. While Ricardo Torres TKO 3, and Acelino Freitas TKO 7 ended matters short of the final bell. I fully expect a focused Judah looking for the spectacular result, to bring the heat, as his light-hitting opponent doesn’t have the guns to match. Miguel Cotto and Shane Mosley will be in studio guests on the program and it wouldn’t be surprising for the vociferous Judah to express desire to fight either of the two, if he’s victorious. If, the Cintron camp cant get Paul Williams in December, it might open the possibility of a Cintron vs Judah fight Certainly, Judah wouldn’t pass on a title shot, if it comes around.
It’s been almost two months since Antonio Margarito 34-5 24 KO’s lost his WBO belt to the new champion Paul Williams 33-0 24 KO’s, by way of unanimous decision. Margarito news has been quiet lately, but that could change soon enough. Perhaps, the prospect of a mega fight with Oscar De La Hoya 38-5 30 KO’s is on the horizon. During an interview last week, with Dan Rafael of ESPN, Oscar made some interesting statements, which could bode well for Margarito. Among them, he’ll definitely fight at 147, that he wants to be involved in a Corrales vs Castillo like war, he doesn’t want to chase his opponent, and ruled himself out of facing Miguel Cotto, should Cotto beat Shane Mosley in December.
Oscar’s wife Mili requested that he not fight Puerto Ricans, in honor of her heritage. Based on the above criteria? Margarito stands out as the ideal candidate. He is a walk forward, pressure fighter, who’s not hard to find. His attitude, aggressiveness, and sometimes wide-open defense, would seem to assure DLH just what he’s looking for.
The adversarial relationship between Margarito’s promoter Bob Arum and Oscar’s Golden Boy promotions has cooled, and there has been positive communication between the two in recent months. DLH vs Margarito would be a huge event between two very popular Mexican fighters. Oscar is the reining king of PPV revenue, and this match up would set the stage for tremendous action based on styles. De la Hoya has indicated a May date for his next fight, and it seems possible we’ll hear Margarito’s name being discussed.
Carlos Quintana 23-1 18 KO’s, has been in the news recently, as his manager Rafael Joglar, put an end to rumors that Quintana would face Paul Williams. Instead, they are targeting a fight with rising and undefeated contender Andre Berto 19-0 16 KO’s. Berto has a fight against David Estrada 21-3 12KO’s on the under-card of Taylor vs Pavlik, scheduled for 09/29/07. Joglar stated that Quintana is slated for a September return, after his KO loss due to Cotto’s devastating body attack. No opponent has been named, nor a date given, as of yet. Berto vs Quintana would be a very intriguing fight between two boxer punchers, an emphasis on boxer with the southpaw Quintana, and emphasis on puncher with the orthodox Berto.
Joshua Clottey 32-2 19 KO’s, is the only member of this group coming off of victories. After losing a unanimous decision to Margarito, he’s rebounded with wins over Diego Corrales and Felix Flores. The Flores performance was rather lack luster in contrast to Corrales, which is the biggest win of his career. Clottey has said he wants any of the top names, and may end up as a possible opponent for Cintron or Williams, if they don’t meet later in the year. The possibility of facing a rising contender, such as fellow Ghanaian Jackson Bonsu 25-1 22 KO’s currently ranked as the number 10 welterweight by Ring Magazine, or South African Issac Hlatshwayo 26-1, 9 KO’s, might also be options.
Luis Collazo 27-3 13 KO’s suffered a fractured left thumb and ligament damage during his February fight with Shane Mosley, which required surgery. It was expected to sideline him for 4-6 months. It’s now seven months out, and a return to the ring could come before the end of the year.
He’s suffered losses to Mosley and Hatton, and needs another quality win to stay in the running. He’ll likely take a softer touch in his first return from the injury, but the idea of Clottey vs Collazo sounds interesting. Otherwise he’ll need to face a rising prospect as well.