By Tom Donelson
Over the next three weekends, there are some big fights worth looking at. Here are my observations and predictions:
Barrera-Morales- You can call this the Mexican version of Ali-Frazier. There is some serious dislike on both sides and while a championship belt is on the line; these fighters are fighting for more than a championship. They are fighting to see who is the master. The first two fights were tough in the trenches type of fights and the results were split. This is the rubber match in what has been a close series of bouts.
Barrera has shown an ability to box and move as well as slug whereas Morales is a pressure fighter. Morales is the taller fighter and he has already had three fights at 130 pound, whereas this is Barrera first fight at 130 pounds. So this may work to Morales advantage. While many have questioned how much Barrera has left after his pitch battle with the Pac-Man, the same question can be asked of Morales. Morales has been in his share of wars and Barrera looked good against Ayala (even though Ayala is on the down side of his career and not a fighter who threatened Barrera, so it is hard to judge what Barrera has left based on that fight.) With Casamayor and Corrales moving up to the lightweight divison, the winner will be the unofficial king of the junior lightweights. I like Morales in a decision but this will be a close and tough fight. The winner may not be much better off than the loser.
Castillo-Casamayor- Joel Casamayor goes for a share of the lightweight championship. Win this fight and he will have a portion of the lightweight title. Win and he can put himself in position for a big money rematch with Corrales.
Casamayor has one problem with this rosy scenario. He may be fighting the best lightweight. Castillo is a pressure type fighter who showed his mettle when he went toe-toe with Floyd Mayweather for 24 rounds. The first fight was a close affair that could have gone either way and Castillo gave a good account of himself in the second fight. He has the style that could give Casamayor fits.
If Mayweather could not stop Castillo and Mayweather is a heavy puncher than Casamayor, what chance does Casamayor have in stopping Castillo? And can Casamayor, at the age of 33, box for 12 rounds against Castillo?
Casamayor may be the favorite, but this is my upset special. Castillo wins by a decision and puts himself in line for the Corrales sweepstakes.
Joppy-Taylor- This fight is not about championship belts but it is about a progress report on a young talent. Jermaine Taylor is the next best thing for Middleweights. Taylor wins and he will put himself in line for a possible shot at Hopkins. Lose and it is back to the drawing board. Joppy is the perfect trial horse to judge Taylor progress.
The last time we saw Joppy; he was doing everything to stay standing. Hopkins had bet Joppy on the side that he would knock him out. Joppy lost the fight but won his bet as he was still standing at the end of the fight. Hopkins pounded Joppy and at the end of the fight, Joppy looked like a beaten old fighter. There is no telling how much Joppy has left but his goal is to challenge Taylor. For Taylor, this is the first big test of his career. Most of the bigger names that he has fought were essentially junior middleweights moving up. Joppy is the first genuine Middleweight contender that Taylor has fought.
Taylor has a stiff left jab and excellent right hand. He can punish you with either hand. I like Taylor to win this. Joppy may be at the end of his career and will fall victim of Taylor’s youth and power. The real issue is how good Taylor looks. Look good and there may be a big reward- a shot at Hopkins title.
Jeff Lacy vs. Omar Sheika- In his last bout against Syd Vanderpool, Lacy showed patience in breaking Vanderpool down. In the opening rounds, Vanderpool out boxed Lacy but Lacy did not panic and continued to pressure Vanderpool. By the sixth round, the bout was no longer in doubt and Lacy showed that the future is now. Omar Sheika greatest claim to fame was two classic brawls with Scott Pemberton, which he lost. Sheika is a brawler and will go for the upset early. All he is going to do is walk into Lacy’s left hook and it will be “Good Night Sweet Prince.” Lacy will make this an early evening.
Samuel Peters- Jeremy Williams- In his last two bouts against Charles Shufford and Jovo Pudor, Peters has looked less than overwhelming in winning. He looked slow and his power has failed to stop either fighters. Jeremy Williams is a small heavyweight and he never had the power punch to compete with the upper elites. I smell an upset here since Williams does have some boxing skills to out maneuver the slower Peters. If Williams stand in front of Peters and exchange punches, he will find himself on the losing end. Peters have yet to show that he belongs in the upper elites and this may be fight that will define whether Peters still has a future in the division.
Williams-Klitschko- Danny Williams had his fifteen minutes of fame. He surprised Tyson and won by a 4th round knock out against the one-legged Tyson. What was suppose to be a warm-up to a Tyson-Klitschko fight turned to mud as Tyson tore his ligament in his knee and ended up on the canvas from total exhaustion. Danny Williams is a nice guy with power but he does not have either the style or skills to match Klitschko.
Williams has one chance, land a lucky punch early and catch Vitali perfect. Vitali is not his younger brother and he will not allow Williams to derail his claim as the best Heavyweight. This will be a short fight but I can’t see Williams winning.
Miguel Cotto-Randall Bailey- Fans will see the future of the junior welterweight and welterweights divisions, as Cotto will plow through Bailey. Cotto has excellent boxing skills along with power. The real question is what round will Bailey goes down. Cotto is ready to challenge the elite in one of boxing’s deepest division.
Oscar De La Hoya vs. Top Rank and everyone else- Oscar De La Hoya left Top Rank and allied himself with Bernard Hopkins. While many pundits are placing bets when these two break up, De La Hoya is setting himself up for life after boxing in the ring by being the man outside the ring. About De La Hoya’s new adventure, Ringtalk.com Pedro Fernandez wrote, “Although he and I will probably disagree on a number of things, De La Hoya branching out as a Promoter is not one of them! The crew around him, they’re solid, this in addition to the prettiest of all P.R. persons in Marilyn Aceves. In closing, the vehicle that is Golden Boy Promotions is seemingly ready to run on 12 cylinders!”
Bob Arum, Oscar former boss and partner, has let it be known that he is not happy and ready to rumble. One of the few things that Arum stated was that many in Hispanic community believed that Oscar laid down against Hopkins in the ninth. Arum, who has been cultivating the Hispanic market, sees legitimate challenge to that market. He has the most to lose with De La Hoya spitting.
With Arum and King closer to the end of their careers as king makers, De La Hoya is now putting himself in position to be the new King Master. With Hopkins in tow, De La Hoya has one fighter who will provide a big money PPV over the next twelve months and provide a little working capital. De La Hoya will find that boxing outside the ring may be just as rough as in the ring.