By Sergio Martinez
 
In the first segment, I spoke about fights that should be made in the lower weight classes and I must say that I was humbled by the responses that I received from the dedicated boxing fans out there, of which most agreed. For this part, I will now give you the fights I believe should be made between 130-to-154-pounds. Enjoy.
 
Jorge “La Hiena” Barrios (WBO Super Featherweight Champion) vs. Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao (Recognized # 1 fighter at Super Featherweight):
 
Although Manny Pacquiao does not officially hold a world title belt at the weight (no, the Ring Magazine is not a real belt), his recent technical knockout victory over Mexican ring legend Erik “El Terrible” Morales established Pacquiao as the man to beat at 130-pounds. The Filipino monster possesses superhuman speed, and can really crack with that left hand.
 
Now, if you are not a hardcore boxing fan, you may be asking yourself, “Who is this Barrios guy?” For those of you that have never seen this scrappy little Argentinean fight, let me tell you, he is an animal! “La Hiena” busted onto the seen in August of 2003 with his blood and guts showing in almost defeating then undefeated super featherweight powerhouse Acelino “Popo” Freitas. It was a grueling affair in which Barrios put “Popo” on the canvas twice and was seemingly on his way to a unanimous decision win before falling victim to a perfectly placed, vicious right hand with one second to go in the eleventh round of a thriller.
 
“La Hiena” would rise from the canvas, but the one minute in between the round would not be enough as Freitas would put Barrios down twice in the twelfth and final round to preserve his WBO belt and undefeated record. Still, the mean and gritty Barrios etched himself in the minds of many boxing fans as, with both eyes bleeding profusely with massive cuts, he kept coming and showed the world his fighting spirit. A fight against Manny Pacquiao would definitely be one for the masses.
 
Jose Luis “El Temible” Castillo (Number 1 Rated Contender at Lightweight) vs. Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz (WBA Lightweight Champion):
 
I know what all of you are thinking, “Juan Diaz? What about the third fight against Corrales?” I am one that believes that Diego Corrales, for as much as he is a true fighter and I respect him, got lucky in the first fight and paid dearly for it in the second contest. You can argue the weight issue all you want, but the fact is that “El Temible” is a much better fighter than Corrales and, unless “Chico” can give the performance of his life in the third fight, Castillo should be able to take care of business.
 
Now in Diaz’ case, the kid has fought some solid opposition and seemed ready for the next step when he completely outclassed and outmaneuvered the, as Larry Merchant put it “one man Mongolian Horde,” known as Lakva Sim to win the WBA title. Many fans and media may not want to give the “Baby Bull” credit for that win, but the fact is that Sim was, and continues to be a real threat at the weight and is as legitimate of a top contender as there is in the lightweight division. You don’t believe me? Ask Ebo Elder who was recently battered and brutally stopped by the Mongolian man-beast in twelve horrific rounds.
 
Diaz is a rib roaster who loves to work on the inside and has great defense. He does not punch very hard, but employs lateral movement and has quick hands. Also, his all out body attack tends to wear down opponents and, as he proved in the Sim fight, he can take a punch. Combine all that with Castillo’s mauling style and we have ourselves one hell of a battle waiting for us in the squared circle.  I really don't think Diaz would last the duration of this fight, but it will be exciting for as long as it last.  
 
Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton (IBF/WBA Light Welterweight Champion) vs. Jose Luis “El Temible” Castillo (Number 1 Rated Contender at the Lightweight Contender):
 
Castillo’s toughest battles at lightweight have been against the scale and he has been talking about moving up to 140-pounds. When that move occurs, a fight against the tough-as-nails Brit should be one for the ages as both of these maulers are mirror images of each other. I don’t think I have to say much about this bout other than bombs away! This is definitely one that the entire fight community would directly kneel down and thank the Boxing Gods if it were ever made.
 
Antonio Margarito (WBO Welterweight Champion) vs. “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather Jr. (Rated Number 1 at Welterweight):
 
Now, lets just stop this whole nonsense about Mayweather taking on Zab Judah for a world title belt at 147-pounds, as anyone who is not brain dead knows that Antonio Margarito is the top fighter at welterweight. This fight is intriguing in that it would be another one of those classic pure boxer vs. pure puncher match-ups, as “Pretty Boy” is the most talented technician operating today, and Margarito is a mastodon trapped in a 147-pound frame.
 
Floyd keeps claiming that he is the best and wants to prove it, but continues to mock us by fighting the Henry Bruseles’s, and Sharmba Mitchell’s of the world. I suspect that Mayweather views Antonio as a bigger version of Castillo whom gave Mayweather all he could handle at lightweight and feels that proving his greatness is really not as important as pocketing millions of dollars without much of a risk.
 
Should Floyd gain the testicular fortitude needed to step into the ring with Margarito, the world would witness a classic. The sport needs this type of fight and Top Rank, who promotes both fighters, has promised us it will happen soon. Let’s see if everyone involved keeps their word and we see this fight sometime in late August or early September.
 
Roman “Made in Hell” Karmazin (IBF Jr. Middleweight Champion) vs. Ricardo “El Matador” Mayorga (WBC Jr. Middleweight Champion):
 
This is just one of my “Sinful Pleasure” type fights as I am very confident that Oscar de la Hoya will take care of Mayorga this coming May. Still, I think that these two fighters in the same ring would create something very special and the boxing public would get a gift if this one should ever materialize.
 
We all are well aware of what Mayorga is like and many fans, casual and hardcore alike, fill seats to watch him. He has no technical ability and doesn’t even bother with defense, but he can punch and has a pair on him like rarely seen. Now, in July of 2005, we found out that Roman Karmazin is also an all-action punching machine who loves to rumble as he completely outworked and beat down Kassim “The Dream” Ouma to win the IBF strap. It was a solid display of power and skills that were an eye opener.
 
This fight would be a war of attrition with both fighters exchanging some major leather for as long as this contest would last. There is only one way this fight could end and that would be via brutal knockout. The question is who would get his senses disconnected first? I’m not sure what the answer to that question is, but I truly hope that we get to find out sometime late this fistic year.
 
Be on the lookout for the final part of my list as you definitely want to see what fights should be made from the middleweight to the heavyweight division. ‘Till then, make sure to watch as much boxing as possible.