The Other Junior Featherweights

By Cliff Rold

Hardcore fight fans in the States have one destination this weekend.

Sho Extreme, 5:30 PM EST.

In a year full of stay busy time sucks so far, this is a main event worthy of everyone’s time. WBA 122 lb. titlist Scott Quigg (31-0-2, 23 KO) meets IBF 122 lb. titlist Carl Frampton (21-0, 14 KO). Nothing else on the dial this week looks as good on paper.

If one can find it, the fourth fight between cruiserweights Marco Huck and Ola Afolabi might be pretty good. Both are coming off big losses last year and desperately need a win. That we’ve already seen it three times, with Afolabi down 2-0-1 in the series, doesn’t make it must-see.

HBO has two hot young names on tap. They’re both in fights where they are prohibitive favorites. Terrence Crawford shouldn’t struggle much with Hank Lundy. Felix Verdejo-William Silva features two undefeated lightweights but the perceived gap in talent, favoring Verdejo, makes it more a curiosity than a potential barnburner.

Showtime’s evening main event is no better than Crawford-Lundy. Leo Santa Cruz, after coasting through a series of walkovers put some of the stink behind him last summer. His August win over Abner Mares was a career best performance in a fan friendly bruiser. The talented now-Featherweight titlist Santa Cruz was, is, ready for better things.

He’s fighting Kiko Martinez instead of better things.

Martinez has made some good scraps but the former 122 lb. titlist isn’t entering hot. Since losing his belt to Frampton in September 2014, Martinez has had one big fight. Quigg stopped him in two rounds.

So, yeah, Quigg-Frampton looks like the weekend highlight. One never knows how things will play out in the ring. It’s still easy to see what there is to genuinely look forward to.

And if one is looking beyond Quigg-Frampton for something else, they won’t have to look outside the Jr. featherweight division. The Santa Cruz-Martinez undercard might make one hell of a nightcap to the afternoon gem.

It’s not necessarily a rematch we had to have but it’s one that is easy to accept. Julio Ceja (30-1, 27 KO) will defend the WBC 122 lb. belt against the man he won it against last year. Then fighting for an interim tag, Ceja and Hugo Ruiz (35-3, 21 KO) nearly stole the show from Santa Cruz and Mares last year. Trading knockdowns in a five round war, Ceja came off the deck in the third to avenge the slight and end matters in the fifth.

It was fantastic stuff.

They are capable of doing it again. If for some reason Quigg-Frampton fails to meet high expectations, if it becomes one man’s showcase instead of a two-way saga, this fight could make up for it. If Quigg-Frampton is as good as it looks…the winner will need an opponent. The winner of Ceja-Ruiz II would be well positioned.

Ceja is 23 and still getting better. His lone loss is to underrated WBA 118 lb. titlist Jamie McDonnell. Ceja lost a majority decision, on the road, in 2013. One judge had it even while another had it just 7-5.

Ruiz is an unlucky sort who spent well over a year as an interim titlist at 118 waiting for a bigger shot only to falter against Japan’s Koki Kameda. He faltered again last year fighting for a belt that would ultimately be vacated by Santa Cruz. At 29, this might be his last shot at being more than another guy on someone else’s record.

Both men will undoubtedly see the crowd, the enthusiasm, for Quigg-Frampton and want in on a piece of that. There is every chance that Quigg or Frampton could be on their way to 126 lbs. If not, the chance to add another belt to their mantle would hold appeal.

Ceja-Ruiz II being anywhere near as good as their first fight would mean appeal for the winner as a future foil. It could even be an out.

Members of the Cult of Rigo won’t like it. Lineal champion Guillermo Rigondeaux is supposed to have next crack at the WBA belt. If Rigondeaux looks good in his outing next month, his cult will break out the scented candles and chants with a vengeance.

There is no ignoring the obvious though. The Jr. featherweight happenings this weekend are both on the same network. It could mean a logical pathway to more unification without the real champ involved. Rigondeaux can’t afford another Drian Francisco night if he wants to muddy the path.

That’s all speculation and guesswork. For now, we have a sequel to one of the better brawls of 2015. It’s not the best fight of the week but this is an occasion where second fiddle doesn’t have to a bad thing.                  

Cliff’s Notes…

It’s both cool and a little disturbing that Batman vs. Superman is going to be violent enough to be borderline “R” rated and will have an “R” rated Director’s Cut. It’s cool because director Zach Snyder, while inconsistent on story, films some great action. It’s disturbing because Superman and Batman should be child accessible on some level when presented on their biggest platform…Crawford-Lundy will be worth a look even if it isn’t priority viewing. The fight has a little of the Floyd Mayweather-Emanuel Augustus/Burton vibe…Joseph Parker-Carlos Takam, if it comes off, is an excellent match. Takam is tough, a contender, and a real step up in class for a Parker who is still developing. If the talent is what it appears to be, this is the sort of match that can be a coming out party…Adrien Broner-Ashley Theophane is on. Keith Thurman-Shawn Porter is postponed. That’s more 2016 for ya…There are some people oddly curious about Antonio Margarito-Jorge Paez Jr. They should get out more.

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com