By Cliff Rold

43 Fights, 42 wins, 22 Knockouts, no losses. 

It’s a good start.

For 29-year old Featherweight Chris John, it’s been more that a start.  It’s the ledger of the man whose been generally regarded as the best fighter at 126 lbs. for the last two or three years.  So why will it feel for many fans like John, who will attempt his tenth defense of the WBA title this Saturday against American veteran Rocky Juarez (28-4, 20 KO), is new.

Because, for the bulk of the viewing audience witnessing the chief support bout to Saturday’s blockbuster World Lightweight title showdown between Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Diaz, he is.

Of his 43 bouts, John has fought only four outside his native Indonesia.  It is ironic that his American debut happens on the undercard of Marquez-Diaz.  Most American fans who know of John attach him to Marquez.  He was, or wasn’t depending on the sides of the debate, the beneficiary of a hometown decision in 2006 against Marquez in Indonesia.  It was the culmination of some questionable business decisions for Team Marquez before a career defining run.

John is more than Marquez though.  In his championship run, he’s picked up other quality wins no one can argue about.  Former titlist Derrick Gainer and solid contender Osamu Sato and Hiroyuki Enoki speak positively of John’s qualities in the ring.

Now, on the night when Marquez chases what could be one of his greatest triumphs, John threatens to steal his thunder.  Boxing fans love fresh faces, new blood.  If John can look as good as his record, the buzz at night’s end could be his and in a moribund Featherweight division, buzz is definitely in order.

Featherweight has been devastated in recent years by a slew of departures and a changing of the guard.  Modern legends like Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera, Manny Pacquiao and Erik Morales are gone to other divisions or, in the case of Morales, gone from the ring.  Some of the new blood which looked prepared to succeed them, namely Robert Guerrero and Jorge Linares, moved up four pounds to 130 before they could breathe any real life at Featherweight.

John was there as the legends faded and potential stars came and went.  He’s still there now and with a golden opportunity.  Juarez is a respectable fighter but one whose come up short against most of the very best.  A career saving victory over Jorge Barrio last year kept him from fading away but didn’t erase memories of his close and not so close losses to Humberto Soto, Barrera, and Marquez at 130.  Beating him will not confer greatness on John in U.S. eyes, but an impressive victory will invite inevitable comparison shopping.

Being frank, if only the best in the world have been able to beat you, it probably means you’re not far off their mark.  John-Juarez will leave fans sizing up not only how the Indonesian is doing against his foe but how his performance measures up to the men who have beaten Juarez.  If he can handle him with the scorecard ease Marquez did, it might bolster John for some, adding credibility to a name brand win they likely haven’t seen.  Perform poorly, even in victory, and the recall of controversy will probably increase.

John faces an intriguing field should he win Saturday night because there are talented fighters emerging.  WBO titlist Steven Luevano (36-1-1, 15 KO) and Mexico’s Jorge Solis (36-1-2, 26 KO) are world class talents in search of the sort of HBO spotlight John gets this weekend.

Economically, there is even more just below Featherweight.  After their epic three-fight dance, both Israel Vasquez and Rafael Marquez have the last year, and more to come, off.  Each is an aging fighter whose bodies may find making 126 more hospitable upon their returns.  John versus either would be good business and good boxing.  In the case of Marquez, there would be a revenge angle to the promotion, avenging the brother or some other such fun junk.  In Vasquez, it’s numero uno facing numero uno, four pounds apart.

These are the stakes for John when he meets the big portion of the Boxing world which has heard so much about him and seen so little.  The world’s best Featherweight meets the world.

Now he just has to make them want him to stay.

The Other World Title Fight

While the bulk of the attention this week centers on the HBO card, the best fight of the week could break out on Friday night in New Jersey.  After all, any time World Cruiserweight king Tomasz Adamek (36-1, 24 KO) is in the ring, a classic can break out.

One thing which makes this Friday’s title defense at the Prudential Center, against Detroit’s Johnathon Banks (20-0, 14 KO) so intriguing is the when of it.  On December 11, Adamek won a war against Steve Cunningham to capture the title.  Now, here he is in another tough fight only ten weeks later.

I mean, what is this, a champion fighting for a living?

Fans have been, begrudgingly, forced to accept the short schedules of the modern champion for years.  Even young fighters begin to drop into two and three fight a year schedules before they’ve even reached the level of superstar.  Too often, the impact is fighters capturing the daylight of public recognition and then being out of the ring so long that any mainstream curiosity evaporates.

Adamek may or may not ever get the glimmer of mainstream love but by returning to the site of his greatest victory in short order, he maintains the buzz amongst ticket buyers and the likelihood it can spread.  It’s a wise stroke for the fighter and from his promoters at Main Events.

Hostile Takeover

Speaking of wise promotional strokes, massive kudos must go to Golden Boy Promotions (GBP) for what they’re doing at 135 lbs.  They’ve already shown a willingness to tout Ring’s title belts and they should; they own the magazine.  No cookies for the obvious.  However, alphabelts still have massive political repercussions and what GBP has lined up is genius.

Marquez-Diaz has now been, by request of the promoter, sanctioned for the vacant WBO and WBA belts.  The looming Edwin Valero-Antonio Pitalua April GBP pay-per-view bout will be for the WBC belt.  The only belt left, IBF, will be favored to go to Joan Guzman, leaving them one short of monopoly.  Amir Khan-Marco Antonio Barrera creates the only viable star in the division they don’t currently have.

The IBF won’t matter much given the full picture unless it comes down to Guzman versus the winner of Khan-Barrera.

With the April Lightweight ‘tournament’ planned, GBP has set the stage to not only control most of the hardware but also a feeder line of quality challengers for the winner of Marquez-Diaz.  In other words, they can do business and good fights without having to look outside their shop.  Inevitably, it will create a fan favorite out of whoever isn’t linked to GBP, maybe even building a bigger showdown down the road.

This could be a very positive development for Boxing. 

The Weekly Ledger

As always, there’s more:

Cotto-Jennings: https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=18573
Pavlik-Rubio: https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=18574 
Pavlik-Abraham?: https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=18590 
Journeyman Bobby Gunn: https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=18617
Top 20 Jr. Welterweights: https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=18452 
Picks of the Week: https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=18615

Cliff’s Notes…

Only a little more than a week until Watchmen.  Just saying…Vitali Klitschko doesn’t want to fight Oleg Maskaev?  Good.  None of us do either…Cotto-Clottey is a great idea and one fights fans should get excited about.  Clottey is all sorts of danger for Cotto and vice versa.  Welterweight continues its rulership of the ring…Condolences go out to former Welterweight titlist Ike Quartey for the loss of his wife.

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