by Cliff Rold
While high profile boxing is still a couple of weeks away, the sport has multiple television dates this week and not a moment too soon. Some of us have had to resort to watching Winter Olympics.
Okay, some of us secretly like the Winter Olympics but never realize it until they’re on, opting instead to mock them in between events.
Um…
Anyways, for fans that like to see what’s coming as much as they like to see what’s already on top, there is a heavy menu. And speaking of heavy, two of the more fun Heavyweight combatants in class are in action working towards a possible rematch and dreams of titles ahead.
These are the picks of the week.
Pick It: Chris Algieri vs. Emmanuel Taylor (Friday, ESPN2, 9 PM EST/6 PM PST)
The New York Jr. Welterweight Algieri (18-0, 8 KO) is trying to find a path to contention in one of the deepest fields in boxing. 140 lbs. has lost some faces to 147 in recent years and managed to stay strong. That’s what depth is all about. Algieri will face another hopeful in Taylor (17-1, 12 KO) whose only defeat came via split decision in a 2011 eight-rounder. This feels like the sort of early career crossroads fight that can make all the difference on the road to main event money. Let’s hope they fight that way.
Pick Brothers: Magdaleno Times Two (Saturday, UniMas, 11 PM EST/PST)
While he’s already had his first title crack, 27-year old Jr. Lightweight Diego Magdaleno still qualifies as young talent and should easily handle Jorge Pazos (14-6-12, 8 KO). He’s not where the buzz is in his family thought. Younger brother Jessie (17-0, 13 KO) is a 22-year old blue chip talent at Jr. Featherweight. Matched with Roberto Castaneda (20-5-1, 15 KO), one gets the feeling the younger Magdaleno could be making big moves by the end of 2014.
Pick Heavy: Fury and Chisora…Against the Wrong Guys (Saturday, BoxNation, 4 PM EST/1 PM PST)
Tyson Fury (21-0, 15 KO) and Dereck Chisora (19-4, 13 KO) put on a fun heavyweight scrap in 2011. Both have evolved since. Fury remains unbeaten while Chisora has been in with some of the best in the business. He has lost more than he’d like to, but they were the sorts of losses that can make a fighter better. They also revealed Chisora as another fighter whose weight says a lot about what we’re going to get. What would a rematch look like? We might find out…next. This weekend, they have other obstacles to surpass. If you’re a fan of either, then this might be worth the mid-day extra to the cable bill. If not, hey, one can always look forward to a potential clash later this year. Fury is matched a little softer, but will probably be in the more fun fight against Joey Abell (29-7, 28 KO). Chisora has the inoffensive Kevin Johnson (29-4-1, 14 KO). There is at least some comparison-shopping to be done there. Johnson lost a wide unanimous decision to Fury in December 2012.
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Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
