By Sergio Martinez
Well my fellow fanatics of the squared circle, it has definitely been a blast being able to share my thoughts on the fights that should be made. I am truly thankful to all of you who have e-mailed me regarding my lists and hope that you continue to passionately follow boxing. For this final piece, I will give you the fights I believe should be made between the middleweight-to-heavyweight divisions. Enjoy.
Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor (Recognized Middleweight Champion) vs. Arthur Abraham (Recognized as a top Middleweight Contender):
I must come right out and say that I believe that Taylor’s pending middleweight championship defense against Ronald “Winky” Wright, which is scheduled for June of this year, is a stylistic nightmare that should not be happening. It is not that I lack faith in “Bad Intention’s” abilities, but Wright presents so many problems to anyone out there and Taylor does lack experience. Jermain’s management should have simply let this one go and focused on another man in the division.
Arthur Abraham, who is now generally regarded as a top middleweight contender (winning a belt that was stripped because of politics does not make you a real champion), does present Taylor with a very interesting stylistic match-up, which I believe will lead to a great middleweight title fight. Abraham is a strong German buzz-saw who is undefeated and can really crack with both fists.
He is relentless, has some quickness and loves to work the body. Also, Abraham seems to have a great sense of range and timing. This would be an all-action fight as Abraham would be the stockier of the two and Taylor would use that beautiful jab to try and counter to keep the German off him. Two young and strong middleweights in the prime of their careers; sounds like the middleweight division of old.
Joe Calzaghe (WBO/IBF Super Middleweight Unified Champion) vs. Mikkel Kessler (WBA Super Middleweight Champion):
I must tell all of you that I am not a Joe Calzaghe fan, but after the boxing clinic performance he gave against Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy, it would be downright foolish of me to try and demean his stature as the premier super middleweight in the world. Calzaghe showed it all when it counted the most as he completely out-boxed and out- punched the beast known as Jeff Lacy and won fifteen out of the twelve possible rounds.
It was a long time coming for the “Pride of Wales” as most of the boxing public, including many of his supporters, had grown tired of waiting for Joe to fulfill a promise that everyone had seen in 1997 when he dominated Chris Eubank to win the vacant WBO strap.
Now, the fact of the matter is that there is a 168-pounder fighter out there who can lay a claim to at the very least being a legitimate threat to Calzaghe’s reign as the ultimate pug in the division. Undefeated Danish powerhouse Mikkel Kessler has been raising eyebrows as of late with some very impressive performances.
Kessler, who goes by the nickname “Viking Warrior,” not only possesses some serious power in both of his fists, but also has shown some impressive boxing aptitude to go along with his brute force. He has a solid jab and is a classic standup boxer/puncher who should present some real problems to the “Pride of Wales.” All we can hope for is that Joe Calzaghe continues to show us that he is the best and hope that this fight is made, as I really want to see if Kessler is for real at 168-pounds.
Tomasz Adamek (WBC Light Heavyweight Champion) vs. Clinton Woods (IBF Light Heavyweight Champion):
The Polish born Adamek busted onto the scene in 2005 with some impressive, all-action wins that include his first title defense against a game but out-gunned opponent in Thomas Ulrich. “Goral” showed some impressive speed to go along with his heavy hands and combat spirit as he engaged Ulrich and traded some heavy artillery. It was a solid victory for the twenty-nine-year-old Adamek and one that showed the boxing public that he is an action fighter that definitely worth watching.
On the flipside of this coin, Britain’s own Clinton Woods really seems to have hit a prime of sorts and seems to be fighting better than he ever has. This tough kid from Sheffield, England, has already proven that, although he may not be as talented or as fast as many of the other top fighters out there, he is definitely tougher. Woods’ ability to absorb punishment and continue to come has made him a champion, and a fighter to be reckoned with in the 175-pound division.
Mixing these two come forward, never say die wild men in the ring would only mean one thing for the sport and that is WAR! We can only dream and I definitely hope that someone else out there, meaning the promotional outfits, makes this one because it would definitely put the 175-pound division back on the map.
O’Neil Bell (Recognized Cruiserweight Champion) vs. Guillermo Jones (Recognized Number one at Cruiserweight):
Bell’s recent title unification performance against the human tank known as Jean-Marc Mormeck cemented him as the elite 190-pound fighter in the world. In that fight, Bell showed exactly what he can do as he battered the iron-chinned Mormeck and knocked him out in the tenth stanza of a classic. It was one of those wins that you like to see and it set up a potential match against the recognized top contender in the obscurest of divisions.
Guillermo Jones is a tough and rugged Panamanian banger who possesses quick, heavy hands and has some solid boxing skills. He is a former middleweight fighter who has nicely grown in to a full fledged cruiserweight with some pop in his right hand. His speed is his best attribute, as “El Felino” can easily overwhelm opponents with quick hard right hand leads (Ask Wayne Braithwaite about who quick and hard that right hand is).
Still, with Bell’s amazing ability to be in serious trouble early in fights, only to come back and win by knockout makes me believe that this fight would be an instant classic that would probably last all of about eight rounds.
Lamon Brewster (WBO Heavyweight Champion) vs. Samuel Peter (Recognized as a top-ten Heavyweight Contender):
This fight does not really do much for the power structure, but since the heavyweight division is in such a dilapidated state, this is the kind of fight that will bring much needed excitement to the “Flagship” of boxing. I mean come on, what is there not to like about this match-up? Both of these heavies are face first punchers who can take and dish out a ton of punishment.
Brewster has shown that his idea of defense is to get hit in the face as many times as it takes for his opponent to wear out and then catch him late with one of “Relentless’” signature left hooks, putting his opponents to sleep. Combine that with Peter’s “I really can’t box, but I’ll knock you out” style and you have a heavyweight contest worth watching. There will be no feel out rounds in this one. All I have to say is that if this fight is made, someone is getting knocked out! I hope I get to see who that would be.
Well fight fans there you have it. It has truly been a pleasure sharing the fights that I think should be made before the 2006 fistic year ends. I want to thank all of you for your e-mails and I hope that you enjoy boxing as much as I do.