Regional Rivalry Fights I Want to See in 2013
Whether it be cross-town or cross-country, regional rivalries are one of the things that help spice up the sport of boxing. Because the stakes are personal, and there might very well be only one showdown in such a rivalry, two boxers from the same city or country squaring off for bragging rights cannot help but raise the drama.
Even mediocre paper match-ups get big when both guys are from the same place. To cite just one example, the all-British heavyweight showdown angle was half of why David Haye vs. Dereck Chisora was so exciting. Keeping that in mind, I have some regional rivalries I want to see settled in the coming year.
Adonis Stevenson vs. Lucian Bute
This is the most likely of these match-ups for 2013. As I observed recently, a Stevenson vs. Bute fight for the vacant IBF super middleweight title is a highly probable outcome of the negotiations behind Froch vs. Kessler II. Stevenson is the mandatory challenger; Bute is the IBF’s former champ and ranked #4 there; and Stevenson needs an IBF top 10 opponent to fight for the vacant belt.
Both Stevenson and Bute are Montreal boys. In my mind, the only question is where to stage the fight: Montreal’s Pepsi Coliseum or its Bell Centre? Look for this one to come off this summer.
Arthur Abraham vs. Felix Sturm
I speculated on this one briefly in my piece on why Abraham vs. Stieglitz II wasn’t such a bad thing. A showdown between these two, the best German middleweights of the last decade, is long overdue. Abraham’s middleweight title reign stretched from December 2005 to his entry into the Super Six Tournament in late 2009. During that same time frame, Sturm lost his second middleweight title to Javier Castilejo, got it back again, and went all the way to the mid-period of his long, consistent reign, ending with his recent unification loss to Daniel Geale.
Sturm’s comeback as a middleweight was derailed by his close loss to Sam Soliman earlier this month. Abraham needs a big fight to reestablish his reputation. The gate for this all-German middleweight pow-wow would be huge. Even the styles come together well. How could fireworks not erupt when Abraham’s peek-a-boo slugging meets Sturm’s rugged, strong stand-up approach? It’s time for Abraham vs. Sturm.
Lucas Matthysse vs. Marcos Maidana
Maidana has moved up to welterweight, but that’s no impediment. He could move down or Matthysse could move up. These are Argentina’s big bangers, with Maidana playing the fierce, rugged bull and Matthysse the relentless kayo artist. I imagine the only people in boxing who don’t want to see these two square off for homeland bragging rights are the fighters themselves, as Argentina’s circle of world class fighters is a tight one. It’s one of the best action fights to make in the sport today, and it would also be a rematch of a series of amateur bouts between the two, and one infamous back-room match.
Paulie Malignaggi vs. Zab Judah
In my mind, the amazing thing is that these two Brooklynites haven’t clashed already. Judah has a title shot against Danny Garcia coming up, but it’s one he is likely to lose. Malignaggi owns the WBA welterweight title. Wouldn’t it be great if Malignaggi gave Judah a title shot later this year?
A few years ago, I would have picked Judah, but not anymore. Malignaggi might not have much pop, but he is as slick as he ever was, whereas Judah has slipped a little. It’s possible that Judah has declined just enough to give the gutsy Magic Man a speed advantage, which would make this fight a technician’s dream match, as well as the big Brooklyn showdown.
