Bryan Trafford, Inside Fights
2009 was a great year in boxing. We saw Shane Mosley destroy
boxing's welterweight boogeyman, Antonio Margarito. We saw Manny
Pacquiao’s ascension from star to megastar. We saw the
complete first round of the Super Six tournament, and Floyd
Mayweather Jr.’s return to stake his claim for boxing’s
top spot.
Now that we're in 2010, there are a few things to keep our
eyes on such as the fighter to watch, the feud to watch and the
storyline to watch.
Fighter To Watch -- Edwin Valero
2009 could have been the breakthrough year for this exciting
lightweight knockout artist. Valero started the year at 24-0 and on
the brink of mainstream recognition. A Top Rank prospect, the plan
was to showcase him on Pacquiao undercards leading toward bigger
fights and perhaps even a matchup with Pacquiao himself. Valero is
not cleared to fight yet in Las Vegas, because of a motorcycle
accident and some minor brain surgery he suffered back in 2001.
Couple that with work visa issues stemming from a DUI and Valero is
fighting a tough battle to fight in Las Vegas.
Top Rank’s legal team is confident, however, that 2010
will see Valero cleared of both the visa issues and the licensing
issues. If so, this could be the year the Venezuelan slugger breaks
through to the mainstream. With punching power unlike almost anyone
in boxing today, he is must-see TV. If Valero can keep getting KOs
and do so while attracting more viewers, next year could be the
year a new star is born.
Feud To Watch -- David Haye vs. The Klitschkos
2009 saw the heavyweight division get a shot in the arm in
the form of British slugger David Haye. Before moving up to the
heavyweight division, Haye was the linear cruiserweight champion.
He decided to go for the big boys first, calling out the
Klitschkos. Haye was first scheduled to take on Wladimir in June,
then pulled out citing a hand injury. To add insult to injury, Haye
wore a T-shirt depicting him holding the severed heads of both
Klitschkos at the press conferences.
Then Haye decided Vitali would be the first on his hit list
instead. After much trash talking and posturing, Haye also pulled
out of the proposed September matchup with Vitali, citing he had
not actually reached a deal to fight Vitali. Haye closed out the
year outpointing Nikolai Valuev for the WBA belt. The rumors are
already swirling for a matchup in London next year with Vitali, and
Haye has promised to rid the world of the Klitschkos once and for
all. Haye seems to have done something almost no fighter has been
able to do to the Klitschkos; make them angry.
Storyline To Watch – The Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. Saga
In case you have been on the moon, or in a coma, Manny
Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. are tentatively scheduled to
fight on March 13. However, more intriguing than the fight has been
the ongoing fight negotiations. Everything from the purse split to
the venue has been hotly contested.
Believe it or not, the purse split wasn’t the breaking
point for fight negotiations. After some early back and forth
between camps, it seems both fighters are willing to accept a 50/50
purse split. That issue seems to be settled for the time being.
Next up was the issue of the location. When the fight was
announced it seemed that Las Vegas was almost a foregone
conclusion. However, surprisingly strong bids came from several
cities. Dallas, Atlanta, and New Orleans all suggested their
interest in the fight, with Jerry Jones even making a $20 million
offer to hold the fight in his new Cowboy Stadium. The MGM Grand
still appears to be the frontrunner but if the fight doesn’t
come on March 13 as planned, look for more offers to come forth as
cities have more time to prepare offers.
The issue that seems to be halting the fight negotiations is
blood. The Mayweather camp has demanded stronger drug testing than
offered by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Floyd Mayweather
Sr. has accused Pacquaio of taking performance-enhancing
substances. Mayweather's team is asking for random, Olympic-style
drug testing to be done up to and including the day before the
fight. Pacquiao himself has balked at the idea of having his blood
drawn the day before the fight, citing his beliefs that it will
weaken him.
As it stands now, the bout is in jeopardy. Manny Pacquiao has
sued the Mayweather camp for defamation. Bob Arum has gone as far
as to suggest Pacquiao might face Paulie Malignaggi on March 13.
Ironically, Malignaggi has also suggested Pacquiao might be on
performance-enhancing susbtances.
Let’s hope the Mayweather and Pacquiao can reach an
agreement on drug testing. A Pacquiao-Malignaggi fight just falls
flat.
