by Cliff Rold (photo by Craig Bennett/FightWireImages)

It’s rare a weekend has significant action at so many different points on the scale, but Saturday’s exception was worth ever second…

…of non-Heavyweight action.

It’s been a norm of this decade, this era of big men, to be bored by the level of passivity which passes for professional Heavyweight fighting.  Thank (insert deity here) for everything else then because the Jr. Welterweights delivered a passel of good action and Vic Darchinyan, the World Jr. Bantamweight champion, reminded all who watched of the simple thrill of a single concussive blast.

Normally, a big fight or two over a weekend get a full review.  With four important fights having occurred, only one of them called remotely within shooting distance of the final result by this author, the reviews will be condensed before taking a look at the potential future ramifications.

Let’s go to the report card (s), beginning with the Showtime card. 

Showtime Grades
Pre-Fight: Speed - Bradley A; Peterson B+/Post: Same
Pre-Fight: Power - Bradley C+; Peterson B-/Post: B; B
Pre-Fight: Defense - Bradley B; Peterson B+/Post: B+; B-
Pre-Fight: Intangibles - Bradley A; Peterson B+/Post: A for Both

Lamont Peterson (27-1, 13 KO) improved his standing on Saturday, even as he suffered a decisive point loss.  Looking tired and ready to go after a knockdown in the third, Peterson showed courage and will in working his way back into the fight behind a vicious assault to the body.  He stayed in pursuit, walking through whatever came his way, for all twelve rounds.

WBO titlist Timothy Bradley (25-0, 11 KO) showed yet another dimension in his game, starting with heat early, going to the trenches for some war, and then boxing from the outside.  Bradley is perhaps the sports finest example of how a skill fighter can also be thrilling.  He’s also turning out to be even better than the ‘very good’ already evident. 

Pre-Fight: Speed - Darchinyan B; Rojas B+/Post: B+; B+
Pre-Fight: Power - Darchinyan A; Rojas B/Post: A; B
Pre-Fight: Defense - Darchinyan B-; Rojas C+/Post: Same
Pre-Fight: Intangibles - Darchinyan A; Rojas B/Post: Same

Challenger Tomas Rojas (32-12-1, 22 KO) showed the spirit anyone who had seen him before would expect.  The spirit might have been part of the problem.  While a head shot had never done Rojas in before, letting Darchinyan (33-2-1, 27 KO) take his swing at it is not a good idea.  A little wild early, Darchinyan showed a little more zip back at 115 then he had three pounds higher.  The extra zip was all he needed when Rojas’s chin and a short right hand collided.

Changing the dial, Showtime’s card had serious on-air competition in the form of the first two fights aired.

HBO Grades
Pre-Fight: Speed – Klitschko B; Johnson A/Post: Same
Pre-Fight: Power – Klitschko A-; Johnson B/Post: A-; ?
Pre-Fight: Defense – Klitschko B+; Johnson B/Post: B+; Johnson B+
Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Klitschko B+; Johnson B/Post: A; F

The low light of the fistic evening, this can be moved out of the way quickly before returning to watchable affairs.  There is no criticism here of WBC Heavyweight beltholder Vitali Klitschko (39-2, 37 KO).  He pressed the fight, he threw a ton of shots, and he behaved like a pro.  His challenger, Kevin Johnson (22-1-1, 9 KO), wasn’t there to actually challenge.  From early on, he appeared content to simply stand up through twelve.  Johnson didn’t look like he was trying to win.  He did some things right, showing off his quickness, a nice jab, and solid head movement…but his right hand went milk carton kid and there was hardly ever a punch thrown with truly nasty intention all night.  Klitschko did what he could with the situation, but it wasn’t pleasant.
It was an hour no one who sat through the fight will ever get back…unless they simply fell asleep, putting better use to the time. 

Grades
Pre-Fight: Speed - Diaz B+; Malignaggi A/Post: B; A
Pre-Fight: Power - Diaz B-; Malignaggi C-/Post: Same
Pre-Fight: Defense - Diaz B; Malignaggi B+/Post: B-; B+
Pre-Fight: Intangibles - Diaz B+; Malignaggi A/Post: B; A

Paulie Malignaggi (27-3, 5 KO) finally has his win over Juan Diaz (35-3, 17 KO) and looked good getting it.  Some fight fans might be turned off by Paulie’s antics but, hey, when you have as many knockouts as Paulie, putting on a show is a must.
Diaz was listless for large tracts of the fight and one wonders if maybe he’s just hit the wall.  His trademark aggression was limited to brief outbursts as he was routinely outworked.  Part of that was the foe but Malignaggi didn’t fight much better than he did over the summer.  Diaz simply had less. 

Looking Ahead

What Diaz does with that less, and whether he can still summon more, will be one of boxing’s tough questions in 2010.  Diaz has always been a unique fighter.  He goes to college, and talks about law school, and means it.  He’s already finished the former and is working towards the latter.  His style, all action and full speed without a ton of power, was never one destined for a lengthy tenure.  Factor in three straight years of world class foes, and Diaz might just be a bit spent.

He’s only 26.  He can go back to Lightweight, reel off a couple wins, and hope for title shots sure to come.  However, if he can nail the LSAT’s, why fight anymore at all?  He’s made solid money and he’s got a real chance to do things a lot of his fellow fighters don’t.  If Diaz is walking on his heels twenty years from now, it would be sadder than most because he really doesn’t have to take the risk.  Diaz has real thinking to do.

Everyone else on Saturday has fighting to do, the winners and even some of the defeated.  Darchinyan and his camp sounded finally ready to resume hostilities with the only man ever to knock Darchinyan out, Nonito Donaire (22-1, 14 KO).  There might not be a bigger event at 115 lbs. and it would be welcome.

For Klitschko, even being the yuletide season and all, there is little in the way of great opponents to gift him.  He is very good, better than his more accomplished brother but with worse timing and a body which didn’t always hold up when he could have made the most of things.  Klitschko would be hard to call a great fighter.  That doesn’t mean there is no greatness in him.  We saw a glimpse, once, when he gave the great Lennox Lewis hell.  Let us hope Klitschko does not fade away before someone else can give us another glimpse, if not every desirable answer, before he’s done.    

In the end, the weekend belonged to the Jr. Welterweights and that means it ultimately belonged to Bradley.  Over the last year and a half or so, Bradley has grown from refreshing challenger to, yes, a pound-for-pound player.  There might not be another fighter in the sport who combines so many of the elements of the game which matter.  His power is better than his record, he’s slick, he’s tenacious…he’s a fighter who deserves the bigger stages sooner than later.

Many of the top names at 140 look booked for early in 2010, so why not matching Saturday’s biggest Jr. Welter winners?  Malignaggi has earned a chance at another belt and likely won’t be hotter than he is after these two Diaz battles.  Bradley needs someone who can chat up an audience.  Considering the speed both men bring, this could be a lot of fun.

It’s worth thinking about, as are all of the possibilities in what is shaping up to a wild coming year.    

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