Light-Welterwieght division losing its appeal?

credit-itv.com/boxing How quickly things change in boxing. Just over a year ago, the light-welterweight division was the richest in the sport with several of boxing's biggest and most exciting talents on their way up and set for a spectacular showdown. Miguel Cotto was a future pound-for-pound king, Ricky Hatton was the most explosive up-and-coming fighter in the world, the peerless Kostya Tszyu was returning to the ring amid a fanfare and Vivian Harris was courting a defining super-fight. Meanwhile, the supremely-talent Floyd Mayweather was heading up to the 10-stone division with Diego Corrales, after his thrilling victory over Jose Luis Castillo, was set to follow him. Now, though, the light-welterweight scene is in danger of fizzling out. Hatton's destruction of Tszyu to take the IBF crown made him the top man at 140lbs and prompted the Russian-born Australian's retirement. Soon after Hatton's victory in June Harris lost his WBA title, suffering a shock knockout against the little-known Colombian Carlos Maussa. That left two of the biggest names on the scrapheap with the unorthodox, crude Maussa suddenly a world champion. As for Cotto - the Puerto Rican remains unbeaten and holds the WBO portion of the title. But the statistics do not tell the whole story. The stocky stylist has knocked out his last three opponents to take his record to 25 (21)-0-0. But the 25-year-old has had several flaws exposed by DeMarcus Corley, Mohamad Abdulaev and Ricardo Torres. Heading into 2005 he was one of the most defensively-skilled fighters in the game, admired for his ring movement and well-schooled, chin-down guard. But Corley really rocked him on his home turf before Cotto came back and won thanks to a fortuitous and premature fifth-round stoppage. He got the result he needed after what was a genuine step up in class. Four months later, in June last year, he took on former Olympic conqueror Abdulaev at Madison Square Garden. This time he was more like the Cotto who earned so many plaudits in 2004, and despite finding himself trapped against the ropes too often and taking shots to the body, won via a ninth-round stoppage. But his form slipped again in September against little-fancied Colombian Torres, who ploughed forward to again expose Cotto's defence. Several times the Puerto Rican was stunned, clinging on and there for the taking but Torres lacked the power of a Hatton or Mayweather to finish him off. Cotto recovered to win in the seventh but his credentials as a future pound-for-pound king have been seriously questioned. He is also destined to move up in division rapidly as he, even more than Hatton, struggles to make the weight. And finally, what of Mayweather. The 'Pretty Boy' has long been linked with a showdown against Hatton which has yet to materialise. That fight is still in the pipeline but Hatton must move quickly if he is to catch the outspoken Michigan man. Mayweather is keen to build his legacy by winning titles at several weights and is already up at welterweight, where he had hoped to win a title only for Zab Judah to be deposed by Carlos Baldomir. The Judah fight will go ahead for the IBF belt - for which Baldomir failed to pay the sanctioning fee - while Hatton could take on Judah's conqueror for the WBC title. This will be a defining year for the division. Providing they come through their next fights, Hatton and Mayweather must meet to establish supremacy at light-welterweight and, ultimately, welterweight. However the possibility remains that Mayweather might take the IBF title and move up to light-middleweight, forcing Hatton and Cotto to fight for the scraps. any comments?