-An In-Depth Look at the Exciting Close to 2010 in Boxing: Big Fights, Tournaments, Rematches & More-
For the past few weeks, the boxing action has been a little thin. Look at it as the calm before the storm, as the final chunk of 2010 has a slew of tantalizing matchups that will have boxing fans psyched-up. Let’s break down what we hope will be a big finish to the year:
October
After a few slow weeks, action picks up again this week beginning on Friday, where super middleweight titlist Lucian Bute takes on tough Jesse Brinkley. On he undercard, contending light heavyweight Adrian Diaconu takes on veteran Omar Sheika.
Also on Friday, Antonio Tarver makes his heavyweight debut against journeyman Nagy Aguilera.
On Saturday, the heavyweight action heats up as Vitali Klitschko battles former linear heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs. Let’s see if Briggs can give him a decent challenge. The odds are against it.
Also in action this weekend is top heavyweight contender Alexander Povetkin, who will stay busy against Teke Oruh.
Wilfredo Vasquez, Jr. continues his ascent up the junior featherweight ranks as he defends his strap against Ivan Hernandez. Also appearing on the card are a slew of sons of former Mexican champions, including Guty Espadas, Jr., Pipino Cuevas, Jr., and Carlos Zarate, Jr.
The action in October rounds out next weekend, with another top 122-pounder making a defense, as Toshiaki Nishioka defends against top British contender Rendall Munroe. Jorge Linares aims to continue rebuilding, as he faces faded ex-champ Jesus Chavez.
On October 29, none other than Tommy Morrison is scheduled to fight in Auburn Washington. Morrison, 41, apparently still hasn’t let the dream go completely. How about Tarver-Morrison in a battle of former Rocky stars? Isn’t it surprising that Tarver is actually older?
October wraps up with one of those mid-week Australia fights, as Daniel Geale, a rising young Aussie middleweight, takes on grizzled veteran Roman Karmazin. We should see if Geale is the goods against the still-tough Karmazin.
November
On November 5, Evander Holyfield continues his comeback against journeyman Sherman Williams, 34-11. Williams lost his last fight, but won 9 straight fights before that. Holyfield, 47, is still looking for a title shot.
The next day on HBO, Zab Judah looks to take a big step toward re-establishing his worth at 140 pounds when he tries to pin the first loss on 27-0 (25 KOs) Lucas Matthysse. On the undercard, Robert Guerrero takes on good lightweight contender Vicente Escobedo, who fought Michael Katsidis pretty tough not too long ago.
A big November 6 continues, as Juan Manuel Lopez and Rafael Marquez collide in a 126-pound battle that will have fans salivating. The chief supporting bout isn’t bad either, with Glen Johnson taking on Allan Green, in a battle of two guys brought in late to fill out the nose-diving Super Six Tournament.
The action doesn’t slow down much the following weekend, making this a real hot period for fans. The action begins on November 13 as heavyweight titlist David Haye takes on countryman Audley Harrison in Manchester. This could turn out to be one of the better bouts involving a major heavyweight title in a number of years. A competitive heavyweight title fight, or at least a halfway-thrilling one, is needed from time to time, even if it involves a champion who is clearly not among the top-two in the division.
Later that Saturday, the attention shifts to Cowboys Stadium, as boxing’s top marquee-attraction Manny Pacquiao fights Antonio Margarito. Having the top guy in the sport in an exciting fight is a nice way to cap off the year and that figures to happen in this fight. On the undercard, Kelly Pavlik looks to finish off 2010 with some much-needed momentum, as he faces upset specialist Brian Vera. In addition, super-prospect Guillermo Rigondeaux takes on former world champion—the 37-2-2 Ricardo Cordoba. Also appearing is hot welterweight Mike Jones, who will be facing gritty Jesus Soto-Karass.
In another midweek special from the land down under, we get to see if ESPN studio analyst BJ Flores can actually fight, as he takes on streaking Danny Green
Then on Saturday the 20th, we get to see a rematch of one of the best fight’s of 2009, when Paul Williams and Sergio Martinez square off for the second time in Atlantic City. Since their first encounter, Martinez captured the middleweight crown from Kelly Pavlik, while Williams has mostly bided his time.
On Friday the 26th, undefeated featherweight prospect Juan Carlos Burgos faces a tough challenge traveling to Japan to take on ex-champ Hozumi Hasegawa.
A big Saturday closes out an eventful November, as Arthur Abraham takes on Carl Froch on Showtime. With the Super Six in tatters, these two original participants can help make the tournament somewhat relevant again.
On HBO on the same day, Juan Manuel Marquez accepts the challenge of hard-hitting Michael Katsidis in what almost promises to be a very exciting fight. On the undercard, Andre Berto tackles talented Freddie Hernandez and Celestino Caballero takes on Jason Litzau in a non-title featherweight bout.
Wow, what a November!
December
The 2010 campaign closes out with a host of interesting bout that should allow the sport to finish the year with a bang.
On the 4th, fast-rising Saul Alvarez takes on gritty ex-titlist Lovemore N’dou.
On the same day from Anaheim, Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. and ex-Contender star Alfonso Gomez will meet. Gomez seems a little small, but should give Chavez a game fight. On the undercard, WBC 135-pound champ Humberto Soto takes on Urbano Antillon and Nonito Donaire begins his assault on bantamweights, as he meets ex-titleholder Volodymyr Sydorenko.
Later in the week, Tomasz Adamek stays busy with a bout against journeyman Vinny Maddalone.
On the 11th, there’s something for everybody—from heavyweight aficionados to lighter-weight enthusiasts. Real Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko will mix it up with British and Commonwealth champ Dereck Chisora.
But later that night on Showtime, live from Leon, Mexico, two great bantamweight fights take center stage, as Yonnhy Perez and Joseph Agbeko renew acquaintances, in addition to a humdinger of a bout between Vic Darchinyan and Abner Mares. This 4-man bantamweight tourney should yield some great bouts.
A busy December 11 continues on HBO, as Amir Khan looks to get a little bit closer to superstar status in his bout against dogged and murderous-punching Marcos Maidana.
The year closes out with an intriguing bout from Quebec, as newly crowned light heavyweight kingpin Jean Pascal takes on the still-robust challenge of longtime standout Bernard Hopkins. Can B-Hop, a month shy of his 46th birthday, still compete with good young fighters like Pascal? It will be interesting to find out.
For boxing fans that have been a little lost over the past few weeks—do not despair. The remainder of this year promises to be action-packed.
