By Cliff Rold

Number one versus number two; it doesn’t get any better than that.

Anytime two men who occupy such space in their division are pitted in the ring against each other, fans can feel free to get a little more excited, a little more intrigued.  Put number one on the road in front of what will be a wildly partisan crowd, make him the ‘challenger,’ and match him with the first foe he’s seen in years who might just be faster than him.

Was it mentioned they are both under 30?

These are the picks of the week.

Pick It: #1 Chad Dawson vs. #2 Jean Pascal (Saturday, HBO, 10:30 PM EST/7:30 PST)

The 28-year old Dawson (29-0, 17 KO) had the WBC belt.  He had to give that up to face Antonio Tarver and won the IBF belt for his trouble.  He gave that one up to give a deserved rematch to Glen Johnson, winning the interim WBC belt at Light Heavyweight and making himself the mandatory to a belt he never lost in the ring.  That will make him the challenger when he steps in with 27-year old Canadian favorite Jean Pascal (25-1, 16 KO) this Saturday at the Bell Centre in Montreal.  Sanctioning body silliness on full display doesn’t detract from the quality of the match.

Dawson is favored to win. 

It doesn’t mean he will.

After losing his first title opportunity, a Super Middleweight war against Carl Froch, Pascal moved up and won the vacant WBC belt against Adrian Diaconu.  He kept it in their rematch, the third memorable encounter in Pascal’s last five fights.  He may not have the fundamentals of Dawson, but he’s probably got the edge in speed and has proven his toughness.  Dawson has as well, sometimes to his detriment.  He’s got the skill to dominate but often appears bored, often appears to want to brawl.

The only downside is that the affect of past shoulder problems for Pascal won’t be known until the bell sounds but consider this: in the Diaconu rematch, Pascal separated his shoulder in the fight and fought through it.  The winner leaves as the new Ring Magazine beltholder and it’s a fair call.  With Joe Calzaghe’s 2009 retirement and Ring vacancy, and Zsolt Erdei’s relinquishing of his link to the lineal Light Heavyweight crown, this is where a new champion can be born. 

There is nothing not to like here. 

Pick Friday: Arreola and Perez, Deuce and Solo (Friday)

Whether he always shows up in shape or not, Heavyweight Chris Arreola (28-2, 25 KO) shows up to brawl and delivers.  Few other Heavyweights are as watchable and he’s built a fan base because of it.  What Arreola has not done yet is beat a legitimate contender (despite being a former belt challenger).  He doesn’t have one on tap on Friday night on ESPN2 (9 PM EST/6 PM PST), but Manuel Quezada (29-5, 18 KO) will at least oblige the action wants of the masses for as long as it lasts.  When the Deuce is off the air, Solo Boxeo should be gearing up (11:30 PM EST/PST) on Telefutura.  They headline with Jr. Lightweight prospect Eloy Perez (17-0, 4 KO) against veteran Derrick Campos (20-8, 11 KO).  Both of these shows are better than anything else sucking up time during rerun season.

Pick Fox: Ji-Hoon Kim-Miguel Vazquez (Saturday, Fox/FSE, 11:00 PM EST/PST)
 
In terms of quality, this slot should go to the WBA Bantamweight belt rematch between titlist Anselmo Moreno and Nehomar Cermeno.  That one has no guaranteed U.S. TV so the nod is made to look for the YouTube hookup if it comes.  At Lightweight, Kim (21-5, 18 KO) and Vazquez (25-3, 12 KO) will lock horns on Fox (more likely just Fox Sports Espanol in most markets) for the vacant IBF belt.  Kim can’t be boring.  It’s just not in him.  This one should kick off right about the time Dawson-Pascal is done and could make for a heck of an encore.

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