By Joe Harrison
In this day and age, if you are thinking about the junior welterweight division, you are probably thinking about the Ricky Hatton-Manny Pacquiao bout that is scheduled for May 2. If not, maybe you are growing anxious over the April unification bout between WBO champ Kendall Holt and WBC champ Timothy Bradley.
If you are from Eastern Europe, you are probably wondering when you can see Andriy Kotelnik make the next defense of his WBA title. If you are British, you might be waiting for Junior Witter to jump back into the title mix. Then again, many boxing fans are also looking forward to seeing Nate Campbell perform in his 140-pound debut.
And then we come to the newest champ at 140, Juan Urango. He recently defeated Herman Ngoudjo to win the vacant IBF belt. Urango has 16 knockouts in his 21 wins. The only blemish on Urango's record is a decision loss to Ricky Hatton, which is not too embarrassing since Hatton is clearly the best 140-pounder - or at least he is at this point. Since that loss, Urango continues to improve, and has easily dispatched opponents such as Nasser Athumani and Carlos Vilches. Although he failed to knock out Ngoudjo, he looked much better than Ngoudjo’s other conquerors, Jose Luis Castillo and Paulie Malignaggi.
With his come-forward style and devastating punching power, Urango (21-1-1, 16 KOs) is the beast of his division. It is doubtful that anyone is looking to get into the ring with Urango in the near future.
At this time, let's break down the super-lightweight division and potential opponents for Urango, in no particular order.
Junior Witter (37-2-2, 22 KOs) - Before losing his title to Timothy Bradley in May of last year, this former WBC champion had only lost to Zab Judah back in 2000. At this time, he is ranked number two by Ring Magazine. In his last bout, he scored a third-round knockout over Victor Hugo Castro. In his next bout, he is scheduled to face Gianluca Branco (42-2-1, 22 KOs) for his EBU (European) belt. If Witter is victorious, he could be dropped in an eliminator or directly into a title bout. At this time, he may not be ready for a nightmare like Urango.
Andriy Kotelnik (31-2-1, 13 KOs) - The WBA champ has made two successful defenses. His only losses are to Junior Witter and Souleyman M'Baye, and Ring Magazine ranks him number three. If he is not willing to unify, he better keep a look out for quick-rising contenders such as Devon Alexander, Lamont Peterson and Victor Ortiz.
Timothy Bradley (23-0, 11 KOs) - Undefeated in 23 professional bouts and ranked number one by Ring Magazine, Bradley looked impressive in his victory over Junior Witter and even better in his first defense against Edner Cherry. His WBC title will be on the line in a unification bout against Kendall Holt on April 4th. With a victory over Holt, he could be in line to face the winner of Pacquiao-Hatton, or he may have to settle for the WBC number one ranked Devon Alexander. A unification bout with Urango would be an excellent match-up as well.
Ricky Hatton (45-1, 32 KOs) - As a welterweight, the "Hitman" struggled against Luis Collazo and was knocked out by Floyd Mayweather Jr. On the other hand, as a jr. welterweight, Hatton is the king. As Ring Magazine champion, it remains to be seen if Hatton can survive against a beast like Pacquiao on May 2nd. Whether he wins or loses, Urango will be waiting, anxious to avenge his only loss.
Kendall Holt (25-2, 13 KOs) - This WBO title-holder is scheduled for a unification bout with Timothy Bradley on April 4th. Ring Magazine ranks him number six, and he holds wins over David Diaz, Isaac Hlatshwayo, Ricardo Torres, and recently, Demetrius Hopkins. If he is able to get past Bradley, he could be in line to face the winner of Pacquiao-Hatton, but may have to settle for the WBC number-one ranked, Devon Alexander. Otherwise, a rubber match with Torres would be a good possibility. Or he could test his chin against Urango, which barely survived against against Torres.
Ricardo Torres (32-2, 28 KOs) - If another bout with Holt can not be made, surely Torres would be more than willing to face another title-holder. Holt is ranked number seven by Ring Magazine. A Torres-Urango bout is as fan-friendly as any bout could be, pinning two reckless power-punching individuals against each other. This match-up is far from impossible, and makes sense for both boxers.
Paulie Malignaggi (25-2, 5 KOs) - Once seen as a potential successor to Ricky Hatton, Malignaggi was dethroned by Hatton in dominating fashion, and is now ranked number four by Ring Magazine. Even though Malignaggi has only lost to big names in Hatton and Miguel Cotto, he struggled in bouts against Lovemore N'Dou and Herman Ngoudjo. Considering his latest performance against Hatton, it is difficult to imagine him getting past a powerhouse like Urango.
Vivian Harris (29-3-1, 19 KOs) - This former WBA champ can be a threat to any of the current title-holders. Then again, Harris has looked very vulnerable while receiving losses from Carlos Maussa and Junior Witter. Since both of his losses were by knockout, Urango may not be the best opponent for him if he is looking to regain the status of a champion.
Randall Bailey (38-6, 34 KOs) - There is little doubt that Bailey is one of the most devastating punchers in the division; however, he certainly was not been good enough to get past names such as DeMarcus Corley and Herman Ngoudjo. On the other hand, he avenged his loss to Corley in his last bout. Next, Bailey may face Francisco Figueroa (20-2, 13 KOs) in an IBF eliminator on April 3rd. If he does indeed earn a shot at Urango, it will be a battle of the knockout artists.
Devon Alexander (17-0, 10 KOs) – Still undefeated, the most notable victory on Alexander’s professional resume is DeMarcus Corley. His latest victims were Sun-Haeng Lee and Christopher Hernandez. He is the WBC number-one contender and is anxiously awaiting a shot at the winner of the Timothy Bradley-Kendall Holt unification bout. He recently put the super-lightweight division on notice and included Vivian Harris, among others.
Victor Ortiz (23-1-1, 18 KOs) – Quickly making a name for himself in the light-welterweight division, Ortiz has stopped each of his last seven opponents. One of those names includes former WBA champ Carlos Maussa. He is currently ranked 4th in the WBO, 5th in the WBA, and will face Mike Arnaoutis as part of a triple-header on HBO March 7th. If he scores a win, a title-shot may be just around the corner.
Mike Alvarado (24-0, 17 KOs) - This undefeated prospect has stoppages over his last four opponents, including Miguel Huerta in his latest fight. He is now seeking an opponent for his bout on March 7th. With a ranking of 14 by the IBF and WBO, it is doubtful that he is ready for title scene. If he can get a win over a formidable opponent, then we will have a better idea of whether or not he can compete with the elite.
Mike Arnaoutis (21-2-2, 10 KOs) – “Mighty Mike” scored a draw against Urango in August of ’04. He appeared to be on the warpath until he lost back-to-back decisions to Ricardo Torres and Kendall Holt. Since then, he has racked up four consecutive victories. He is scheduled to face Victor Ortiz as part of a triple-header on HBO March 7th. If he can defeat Ortiz, he will be right back in the mix.
I’m not delusional enough to believe that Juan Urango can defeat names like Ricky Hatton and Manny Pacquiao. Of course, comparing Urango to names like Timothy Bradley and Kendall Holt is quite debatable. As far as everyone else, it is just too difficult to imagine them defeating Urango, who could end up becoming the Sam Peter of his division.