by Cliff Rold
Sure, none of the four headliners on the two biggest shows in the U.S. this week was born in the States. That doesn’t mean some of them haven’t been adopted.
On HBO, fans will get an idea of how close to being a serious Middleweight the son of a boxing legend is. The number of wild fans cheering on that son in his first HBO appearance might surprise those who don’t buy Top Rank shows. This won’t look like a half empty show at the Indian casinos.
Sadly, the best fight of the week might. How did an event as ballyhooed as the Super Six Super Middleweight tournament, an event that started with solid crowds in Europe, some quality sales in California, and even a decent turnout in Michigan, end up in an Atlantic City ballroom for the best action match made yet? A semi-final no less?
The suits can figure that out. The fight, in the ring, still kicks ass.
These are the picks of the week.
Pick It: #2 Carl Froch vs. #5 Glen Johnson (Saturday, Showtime, 9 PM EST/PST)
There’s at least a decent chance this ends up the Fight of the Year for 2011. It’s not a sure thing. WBC 168 lb. titlist Froch (27-1, 20 KO) isn’t a great inside fighter and, in the trenches with former Light Heavyweight kingpin Johnson (51-14-2, 35 KO), could get overwhelmed. However, Johnson can struggle with hard, long jabs and has in the past. Froch, who is never shy about awkward brawling in spots, is a better range boxer than he gets credit for. In other words, both have a style advantage that could make this fight theirs. They also have style clash that could make for a classic. Both men, Froch at the outset and Johnson as a late replacement, came into the “Six” as underdogs. The winner of Froch-Johnson will certainly occupy that role against WBA titlist Andre Ward in the tournament final. None of that will matter from first bell to last on Saturday, making this the hands down must-see fistic event of the week. The televised undercard, featuring the tape delayed return of former titlist Mikkel Kessler (43-2, 32 KO) from earlier in the day in Denmark, rounds out a quality show.
Pick DVR: #6 Sebastian Zbik vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (Saturday, HBO, 10 PM EST/PST)
At this point, Chavez Jr. (42-0-1, 32 KO) isn’t totally incompetent as a professional. Zbik (30-0, 10 KO) holds a WBC belt, is a solid fundamental boxer, and has a WBC belt only coincidentally around the time Chavez Jr. is ready to throw some trophies on a glossy record full of a whole lot of mediocrity. Seriously, Chavez Jr. has his best win against John Duddy? And Zbik is the best foe of his career for a belt? Oh, and lest we forget, happy birthday Jose Sulaiman. All that said, Chavez will have the faithful going nuts at the Staples Center. This is the coming out party for Jr., but also the point where his handlers at Top Rank start running out of places to hide him.
Pick Friday: ESPN2 & Solo
With the Deuce starting at 9 PM EST and Telefutura holding off until 11:30 PM EST, there is no reason not to check out both of these shows. In a year when undefeated fighters have fallen like flies, two “0’s” go on the line in legit challenges Friday night. On ESPN2, Cuban Yudel Johnson (10-0, 7 KO) tackles never stopped Jose Miguel Torres (21-4, 19 KO). Solo Boxeo serves up Bantamweight and, really, nothing at 118 lb. sucks right now. Leo Santa Cruz (15-0, 7 KO) might disagree if he wakes up without his cherry Saturday morning, especially as veteran Jose Lopez (39-9-2, 32 KO) looks especially shop worn here. Still, the older man has never been stopped and Cruz isn’t a huge puncher so far…hmmmm…
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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