By Cliff Rold

Maybe Featherweight Chris John deserved the decision last Saturday in Houston against Rocky Juarez.  Maybe the reverse was true.

Maybe the draw verdict handed down was the right call.

There can be no maybe though when considering how refreshing it was to see John on American television, in an American ring.  The resulting twelve round war, on the undercard of the even better Juan Manuel Marquez-Juan Diaz, made the wait worthwhile.  Much has and will continue to be said about the global nature of modern prizefighting and U.S. fans have come to accept that while most of the best ply their trade at some point on their shores, there is still a world of quality hidden from native eyes.

It doesn’t mean the best of such quality should remain hidden.  There are more John’s out there, more fights to be made every bit as good as John-Juarez, and it’s perfectly fair for Americans to selfishly wish for them to leave home and trade blows where we…ahem…they can see it.

Even in rough economic times, under the cloud of protectionist rhetoric, there’s still room for imports.

For instance, America has yet to see…

Roman Gonzalez (23-0, 20 KO)
WBA Strawweight Titlist (2007-Present, 1 Defense)

Gonzalez found himself in a close scrap just last weekend making the first defense of his crown but it’s still the memory of his title win which makes Gonzalez must-see.  Traveling from his native Nicaragua, where he’s had all but four of his fights, Gonzalez exploded before the eyes and on the chin of Japan when he toppled long-reigning Yutaka Niida last year.  He might only weigh 105 lbs., but a puncher is a puncher and this kid can crack.

It’s now been almost a decade since Ricardo Lopez made the littlest division worth following and few other fighters in the Western Hemisphere have even made a ripple.  It looked briefly like Miguel Barrera might do it but a head injury cut his promising, and to then thrilling, career.  Ivan Calderon became a familiar name in hardcore circles but his fights didn’t get really good until he moved up three pounds.  Gonzalez could end the drought of interest. 

It is with Calderon in mind that a Gonzalez arrival becomes tantalizing.  If unification bouts can’t be made with his better co-titlists at 108, Gonzalez would fill in nicely in what would certainly be a memorable inter-divisional clash.

Of course, some U.S. fans will never care about a man so small so what about…

Hozumi Hasegawa (25-2, 9 KO)
WBC Bantamweight Titlist (2005-Present, 7 Defenses)

Check the ratings from Ring Magazine to ESPN to right here at BoxingScene.  They all read the same at the top of the 118 lb. division.  They all say Hasegawa is the best Bantamweight in the World.  In the 1980s, America envied Japan’s robust economy.  Here in the 2000s, American fight fans can envy the 100% Japanese audience to this regularly exciting prizefighter.  Don’t let his low knockout rate play tricks.  Hasegawa is a fighter.

Since losing a pair of four-rounder’s in his first six fights, Hasegawa has done nothing but win since 2001.  He captured his crown against longtime divisional stalwart Veraphol Sahaprom and hasn’t looked back.  On March 12, he faces perhaps his toughest challenger to date in fellow Sahaprom conqueror Vusi Malinga.  Win there and what’s left?  Obviously Hasegawa can continue to rack up numbers in the land of the rising sun but in ring terms his options abroad are greater.

Notable Jr. Bantamweights Fernando Montiel, Cristian Mijares, and reigning king Vic Darchinyan all appear imminent for a three-pound shift up the scale into Hasegawa’s turf.  Each would make for the sort of opponent who gives Hasegawa the maximum global audience for proven worldly talents.

Still, this might be a tad on the small side for all fans to be see it as a coup in the import market.  Certain sizes just fit America better, and 154 lbs. has always been one of them.  Could it be time to see…

Sergiy Dzinziruk (36-0, 22 KO)
WBO Jr. Middleweight Titlist (2005-Present, 5 Defenses)

While hardly a thriller, Dzinziruk is a crafty southpaw boxer-puncher who would only add to what is an increasingly tough division.  Based in Germany, Dzinziruk won his title from Puerto Rico’s Daniel Santos and added the scalps of tough Sebastian Lujan and Joel Julio since.  All three of these men have been seen in recent vintage on major U.S. outlets like ESPN, HBO or Showtime.  Julio will even be in the main event on HBO this weekend against James Kirkland.

Wouldn’t it be nice to see the guy who beat all of them?

Already 33, Dzinziruk might not have forever to make a move.  Brief chatter late last year had him as a possible opponent for Paul Williams before “The Punisher” elected to go after Winky Wright at Middleweight.  If Williams wins and decides after Wright to pursue his presumed mandatory spot in the 154 lb. WBO ratings, the lure of travel could be strong for Dzinziruk and U.S. fans could get a good fight they didn’t even know they wanted.

Of course, not all desirable imports have been completely absent from U.S. shores.  Look at the case of…

Arthur Abraham (28-0, 23 KO)
IBF Middleweight Titlist (2005-Present, 8 Defenses)

Abraham has already made his U.S. debut but so far it’s not good enough.  His fourth round rematch shellacking of Edison Miranda last year, seen on Showtime and live in Florida, seems to have left many top Americans hoping he’ll lose his passport; if not the fighters, then at least their promoters.  Still, having been here once before, why not cast a light on a foreigner who hasn’t?

Well, it’s really quite simple.  World Middleweight Champion Kelly Pavlik facing Abraham looks like the best fight which can be made at 160 lbs.  It’s likely one of the hardest hitting wars available in the whole sport.  The excuse for why it can’t happen right away is that not enough people know who Abraham is. 

If any of them are reading and didn’t see the Miranda bout, go look it up somewhere like YouTube and throw in Abraham’s knockout of Khoren Gevor to boot.  Then ask if the guy you see, versus Pavlik, is something which would be of interest.  If the feeling is positive, fire an e-mail to Top Rank promotions along the lines of, “I saw Arthur Abraham and now know who he is.  Please make the only fight currently worth watching (understanding that we await a result for Williams-Wright) in an otherwise dull weight class.  Thank you.”

In the meantime, this corner will do its part and keep bringing Abraham up to decrease the ‘not enough people have heard of him’ quota.

Of course, these are not the only imports in the sport.  There are others, other fighters like Chris John who would add to the pool here in the U.S.  The world is big and small of course, depending on where you’re standing at any given time and it’s wonderful for the lands that have them to be able to see their own selection of the fistic elite. 

America can be forgiven for asking them to share.

The Weekly Ledger

As always, there’s more:

Cliff’s Notes…

I love the idea of a Devon Alexander-Nate Campbell fight.  It would be great crossroads stuff and create a strong opponent for whoever wins the Kendall Holy-Timothy Bradley 140 lb. unification in April.  Yes, the Holt-Bradley winner will deserve the winner of Ricky Hatton-Manny Pacquiao but they’re not likely to get them right away if ever…Is Juan Manuel Marquez now greater than Erik Morales or Marco Antonio Barrera?  Caught up in the moment it might feel like it but the answer is tougher than recent spine tingles.  Marquez is a romantic choice, denied opportunities in his youth which went to his Mexican compatriots and excelling when they are well off stage.  However, because those other two greats got chances young, they spent a lot more bullets early on.  Would Marquez at 35 have had the wheels to beat Diaz had he been in anything like the Morales-Barrera trilogy among other wars?  It’s worth thinking about…Here’s one take on why the fight between Marquez and Diaz being for the lineal title mattered on those terms: history and mystique.  Those two would have had a great fight for a book of matches.  However, knowing that it was for conceptually the whole ball of wax adds to the picture of the bout.  There are lots of thrilling Lightweight fights.  That Marquez-Diaz was for the very top of the Lightweight division, really without argument, puts it into direct comparison with fights like Lou Ambers-Henry Armstrong, Roberto Duran-Esteban De Jesus and Jose Luis Castillo-Diego Corrales.  That’s special company. 

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