by Cliff Rold
Is there anything big going on this week? Any superstars on the horizon?
Oh yeah. The little fella’…or was that Erik Morales? For the purpose of this week, the only little fella’ whose name really matters is Manny Pacquiao. That he goes to scratch with his in-ring arch-rival (or was that Morales too… El Terrible actually got a win against Pacquiao after all…we digress) this Saturday for the third and presumably final time.
These are the picks of the week.
Pick It: #1 Manny Pacquiao vs. World Lightweight Champion Juan Manuel (Saturday, HBO PPV, 9 PM EST/6 PM PST)
This fight, the combatant’s third, should have happened years ago. It didn’t. The second time should have happened years earlier as well. It didn’t either. Fans have been none the worse. Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KO) and Marquez (53-5-1, 39 KO), at Featherweight and Jr. Lightweight, proved great foils for one another when their time came. At Welterweight? The verdict is out. Marquez rose to Welterweight only once before and was outclassed by Floyd Mayweather. Styles indicate Mayweather may have done the same at a lower class. Styles might mean Pacquiao has hell coming, again, this weekend. Style has an expiration date. Marquez is 38. There is reason to fear another pay-per-dud…especially after seeing the carryout turkey Pacquiao dished up against Shane Mosley’s ghost earlier this year. As a bonus, the card has a Jr. Welter scrap between Mike Alvarado and Breidis Prescott. As a minus, Timothy Bradley is fighting Joel Casamayor, whose ghost is even more ghostly than Mosley. Anyone reading this is probably buying the show. It’s Pacquiao.
Pick Sho: Austin Trout vs. Frank LoPorto (Friday, Showtime, 11:05 PM EST/PST)
Fans who haven’t seen the promising Trout (23-0, 13 KO) might want to take a gander here. He has a WBA belt at 154 lbs. and is as anonymous a titleholder as boxing can produce. It’s what happens when belts, especially those of the WBA, are dispensed like Pez. His belt though makes him T.V.-viable. If the belt had more merit, LoPorto (15-4-2, 7 KO) as challenger might be worthy of criticism. Ignore the belt and he’s a solid opponent to let the world in on a new face against. Ignore the belt.
Pick Warm-Up: Diego Magdaleno vs. Emanuel Lucero (Friday, Fox Deportes, 11 PM EST/PST)
Is Magdaleno (20-0, 7 KO) going to be a contender at Jr. Lightweight? If he is, a win against Lucero (26-7-1, 14 KO) is a must. It’s also almost a rite of passage. Lucero has been a winner against all but rising contenders and serious veterans, a reliable gauge of where his opponents’ talents lie. Also featured will be undefeated Lightweight Mercito Gesta (23-0-1, 12 KO) on Top Rank’s fire stoking Friday card. It’s almost like they have something to sell this weekend.
Hmmmm…
Back in seven.
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Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com