By Dr. Peter Edwards
The mid August edition of Who's Hot and Who's Not, takes a look at Jermain Taylor, Bernard Hopkins, Floyd Mayweather, Wladimir Klitschko and several other top names in the sport.
Who’s Hot
Jermain Taylor – The undisputed middleweight champion stepped in for former champion Bernard Hopkins and donated some much needed memorabilia to the American Cancer Society. Taylor saved the day after Hopkins backed out of donated a pair of autographed gloves to the organization. "I will do everything I can to help the American Cancer Society," said Taylor. "It's a great cause and a great charity." said Taylor
Floyd Mayweather – The WBC junior welterweight champion is not taking his newfound superstar status for granted. Mayweather is looking face the top fighters in the sport, including undisputed welterweight champion Zab Judah and current middleweight contender Ronald “Winky” Wright. Mayweather is confident that he will knock out Judah if the fight is ever signed. Some very harsh words have been exchanged between the two former friends, but the real problem with making the fight a reality has come down to both men agreeing to a rematch clause in the contract. Judah feels that he the champion and wants the security of a rematch clause. Mayweather says that he does not want to fight Judah a second time and Judah’s insistence on a rematch clause paints a picture of how insecure Judah is of winning the fight.
Most boxing experts are surprised at the Mayweather’s willingness to face Wright at an agreed upon weight of 154 pounds. The problem with making the Wright fight has come down to money. Mayweather wants the bigger share of the pot (allegedly 55-45) and Wright wants a 50-50 split. Wright, regarded by most as one of best pound for pound fighters in the world is in a no-win situation against Mayweather. Should Wright beat Mayweather, most will say that he did what he was supposed to do against the much smaller fighter. If Mayweather beats Wright, than Winky’s career and overall legacy takes a very serious hit.
Wladimir Klitschko – You have to admire his guts for taking the fight with undefeated contender Samuel Peter. Some may say that Peter’s chin is untested and no fighter has really tested his limits, but Klitschko has looked less than spectacular in his last few fights. The Klitschko camp and Wladimir realize that a win over the Peter would skyrocket him back to the top of the heavyweight division’s small list of legitimate contenders. As was the case in the Taylor-Hopkins meeting, a Peter win would benefit the sport of boxing more so than a win by Wladimir.
The heavyweight division has not seen a young, undefeated knockout artist like Peter since the days of the now incarcerated Ike Ibeabuchi, several years ago. The heavyweight division and the sport of boxing, needs a young heavyweight to take over the division and put boxing’s most prestigious weight class back in the spotlight. A win by Wladimir in this fight would do more harm than good in the long run and would not settle any questions as to who is the best heavyweight in the world. Both Klitschko brothers have stated that they will never face each other in the ring, which will always present a problem if both men are at the top. It’s pretty safe to say that the boxing industry will be against Klitschko in this fight. I don’t see the fight going the distance, but it should be a classic for however long it lasts.
Who’s Not
Bernard Hopkins – While the fight with Jermain Taylor was close, Hopkins is taking his anger over losing his titles to childish levels. Hopkins has been verbally berating any boxing publication, internet based or print, that does not regard him as the undisputed middleweight champion. The bitterness of Hopkins became evident with a Ring Magazine staff member over their publication regarding Taylor as the top middleweight in the world. Hopkins refused to sign a pair of boxing gloves being donated to the American Cancer Society, something he promised the Ring Magazine staff member he would do. Hopkins allegedly said “#%&* the American Cancer Society. Get Jermain Taylor to sign them." Taylor heard about the situation and stepped in to help out the charity. Hopkins has never been known as the most reasonable guy in the business, but if what is being alleged here is true, Hopkins has sunk to an entirely new level.
Rafael Marquez – When is this guy going to take a step up in class? Since knocking out Tim Austin in February of 2003, Marquez has fought a list of no-hopers and outclassed opponents. The unwillingness of Marquez to put together a decent match has even made some of his hometown publications in Mexico questioning his career choices. I don’t agree with the pound for pound status he holds in some circles, the guy does not deserve it. It has been over 2 years since he faced any type of formidable top class contender while others like Diego Corrales, Winky Wright, Erik Morales and Jose Luis Castillo are doing it on a consistent basis.
Shannon Briggs – Usually a classy and soft spoken guy, the beast in Shannon came to light at a recent press conference to announce his upcoming pay per view bout with veteran Ray Mercer. Briggs went on a verbal tirade and assaulted Mercer with an assortment of vicious personal insults. Mercer, usually not one to trash talk, lost his cool for a brief moment and was almost lured in to exchange vulgarities. Apparently there has been some bad blood brewing for the last couple of years between the two men. There is a better way of taking care of a dispute than attacking someone on a personal level at a press conference. Disputes should be settled in the ring, not at a press conference surrounded by the media.
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