BoxingScene.com's Television Picks of the Week
By Cliff Rold
It was a lemon punch, the sort of shot that makes viewers wince when they see it, on replay, and later trying to explain it. Sergio Martinez etched a permanent spot on the highlight reel of great Middleweight championship moments. So did Paul Williams, if for reasons he would rather have avoided.
The one-punch knockout.
It is boxing’s greatest selling point, the thing it has that the major team sports never will. A fighter can lose every second on a given night and find the Hammer of Thor waiting to bail them out. Mythologized?
Sure.
That’s part of the fun.
This weekend, the fight of the week has two men capable of dropping the hammer going head to head. If the vacant WBC Super Middleweight belt is decided on a 12-round decision, that result alone might be the upset of the year.
These are the picks of the week.
Pick (3 of the) Super Six: #4 Carl Froch vs. #6 Arthur Abraham…and #1 Andre Ward Too (Saturday, Showtime, 9 PM EST/PST)
It was the date circled on the calendar from the start. When the three preliminary stages for the Super Six Super Middleweight tournament were announced, this was the most can’t miss of the bunch, the sure fire savage slugfest. Abraham (31-1, 25 KO) would have been a heavy favorite then; now, the fight looks closer. Both men are 1-1 in the tournament. Both men are guaranteed a slot in the semi-finals of the due to half of the original field being gone. Froch (26-1, 20 KO) has proven that his skills, while not classic, work for him. What he lacks in refinement he makes up for with tremendous heart and a champion’s arrogance. Abraham might be the best single shot blaster in the game below Wladimir Klitschko. Something’s got to give. It will probably be a little bit of both men. This should be the Fight of the Year 2010 has been waiting for. WBA titlist Andre Ward (22-0, 13 KO) will likely see the loser in his next fight. If he looks past #10 Sakio Bika (28-4-2, 19 KO) in non-tournament action, he could be entering the semis as a top seed and title challenger all at the same time. Ward doesn’t seem the type to get caught looking ahead, which means Ward versus Abraham or Froch can already be looked forward to.
Pick Triple: World Champion Juan Manuel Marquez vs. #1 Michael Katsidis (Saturday, HBO, 9:45 PM EST/6:45 PM PST)
In the absence of a superfight, the best a champion can do is make the right fights. Case in point, the future Hall of Famer and current Lightweight king Marquez (51-5-1, 37 KO). Time is clearly not on his side in terms of securing more big paydays, but those paydays may simply be gone to Welterweight, never to return. The choices are retirement or fight on against the best contenders available to his crown. Katsidis (27-2, 22 KO), with four straight wins since a decision loss to Juan Diaz, fits the bill. This fight is a sleeper, which is sort of funny because Katisidis doesn’t make bad fights. Another sleeper might be happening on the undercard of this tripleheader. WBA Welterweight beltholder Andre Berto (26-0, 20 KO) is finding his name in some big mixes. His chin is still a question mark. Challenger Freddy Hernandez (29-1, 20 KO) can crack. Drama? Maybe. No maybe’s on the opener but it should still be fun as former unified Jr. featherweight champ and current #4 Featherweight Celestino Caballero (34-2, 23 KO) and #9 Jr. Lightweight Jason Litzau (27-2, 21 KO) lock horns. Seriously, this is a stellar show. On a weekend where Froch-Abraham wasn’t happening, this would be foam at the mouth worthy. Instead, it’s a quality DVR choice.
So is Fox Sports Espanol’s Saturday spotlight card at 11 PM EST featuring World Jr. Flyweight champ Giovanni Segura, but the third pick of the week goes to a show off U.S. TV.
Pick Comeback: #4 at Bantamweight Hozumi Hasegawa vs. Juan Carlos Burgos (Friday, ?)
When 2010 started, Hasegawa (28-3, 12 KO) was as hot as any fighter in the sport. He was double digits into a belt reign as the leader of arguably the best division in the game. Through three rounds against WBO titlist Fernando Montiel, he looked on his way to new esteem. Round four. Busted jaw. Lost title. Time to rebuild. With a vacant WBC belt on the line, Hasegawa moves up two weight classes to Featherweight and takes on a banger in Burgos (25-0, 18 KO). Burgos has bloodlines and talent. This is either a great, or disastrous, choice for a comeback foe. It’s can’t miss for fans who know a good fight when they see one…so don’t miss it if it shows up somewhere like YouTube after its over.
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