By Cliff Rold
That slow hissing sound is not a figment of the imagination. It’s air leaking from the tire, deflation after a strong run for the sweet science over the last couple of months.
Or…
…this is the week the sport reloads.
With boxing’s return to Yankee Stadium after an absence of more than three decades only two weeks away and the final volume of “Super Six” round two also slated for June, boxing isn’t falling off any time soon.
Except, ya’ know, for this week. And yet, there are still fights, one including the man most fans probably consider the best Heavyweight in the world.
So yes, even now, there are picks of the week.
Pick Deuce: Eric Lucas-Librado Andrade (Friday, ESPN2, 9 PM EST/6 PM PST)
It’s fair to ask what 38-year old former Super Middleweight titlist Eric Lucas (39-7-3, 15 KO) is doing in a boxing ring. Active only once since a one-sided bludgeoning at the hands of Mikkel Kessler in 2006, a comeback that began in December 2009 seems destined for the “better left alone” file. Stepping in with contender Librado Andrade (28-3, 21 KO), even after Andrade’s knockout loss to Lucian Bute last year, sounds like a recipe for disaster. It probably will be…but, given his countering, more measured style, Lucas might just be able to catch a slipped Andrade whose technical acumen has never been elite. It’s a slim chance and, if the likely result turns out to be THE result, the knockout highlight should be enough for a look. Add in studio chatter and the mostly hot run of main events on ESPN this year (oh, and the not being on pay TV thing) and the Deuce wins.
Pick $: Klitschko and Vazquez Jr. (PPV, Saturday, 3 PM EST/12 PM PST)
Of course WBO Jr. Featherweight titlist Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. (18-0-1, 15 KO) and WBC Heavyweight beltholder Vitali Klitschko (39-2, 37 KO) won’t be sharing a ring. They won’t even be sharing an arena. However, these Integrated shows are always a plus in terms of the chance to see otherwise unavailable international action, the price is almost always reasonable, and the fights are often little hardcore gems. Klitschko versus Albert Sosnowski (45-2-1, 27 KO) probably won’t be. Vazquez versus Zsolt Bedak (15-0, 5 KO)? It’s the improving son of a genuine champ versus the man who eliminated Abner Mares from the 2004 Olympics. If the extra coin is lying around, then why not give an afternoon show a shot.
Pick Nokia: Fight Night Club (It’s on Fox, Allegedly Thursday, Who the Hell Knows…but It’ll be on Ring’s Site)
David Rodela (14-3-2, 6 KO) has made for some good TV on these Fight Night shows. He will probably make good TV with scheduled opponent Eric Cruz (7-2-3, 7 KO). If one prefers watching the fights on the tube, and doesn’t want to pay extras for Fox Sports Espanol (and doesn’t get it for free)…good luck finding the show. They are live Thursdays. Viewers know how tough it’s been to know if that means airing on Fox Sports affiliates Thursday…or Friday...or…Ring Magazine’s site runs the shows live so it can always be found there and they keep the fights in the archives too.
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
