I think based on their respective styles, it promises to be a good fight, but it's unrealistic to expect it to be as good as the first one. That was most likely lightning in a bottle. Still, these two are what they are; aggressive-minded warriors. I don't see them standing and just making faces at one another all night long.
I don't know that it can become mainstream again. Hate to be a joykill, but with the advent of cable (read: pay-TV), there's simply too much money to be made on PPV for big-time fights now. This means that only hard-core boxing fans or a bunch of guys getting together for stag night will bother with the bill at the end of the month. This is not mainstream.
I grew up in the 70's and 80's, an age when there was still a shitload of free, really good quality matchups almost every weekend in the spring and summer (football cut into boxing programming a bit in the fall and winter), and things are so different now, much for the worse.
If Oscar DLH had been fighting 25 years ago, he'd be bigger than Dallas in his heyday. Most, even the casual sports fan, have heard of him, but how many casual sports fans have actually seen him fight? Unless you wanna shell out the $50 or so for the chance to see him, you're out of luck. Therein lies the problem. Boxing has made itself inaccessible to the masses. Until this changes, no boxer will be mainstream.
Don't know that I have any one pick, but probably Henry Armstrong (I haven't seen Ray Robinson at welter, and Ray wasn't the best middleweight of all time, so I can't fairly rate him). Whitaker is right up there, too. Monzon was impressive, as was Sanchez. Joe Louis and Ali were right up there.
I'm 37
I guess my take on it is a bit different from much of what I've read here.......
In a perverse sort of way, last night's performance may have actually helped in putting Cotto's name out there in the hat for future big fights. Was his chin exposed as weak? Nah......anyone watching the Corley fight knew he could be gotten to, and besides, his chin isn't necessarily weak; he just leaves it out in front too much. I also agree with the poster who mentioned he squares himself up too much. That is fine as long as you're fighting guys that can't fight back or are hopelessly outgunned, but Cotto has found himself in more rarified air in terms of competition over the past year and a half or so, so he's going to need to adjust.
He's not ready for Hatton yet, and under no circumstances should he fight Mayweather. Floyd would do terrible, terrible things to him, it's just a horrible stylistic matchup for Cotto.
As to the big guys, I was impressed by Wlad. He came into this fight the underdog, and was considered damaged goods, just the sacrificial lamb a new stud like Sam Peter should want to fight. Well, we learned that Wlad can box quite effectively last night, he is not one-dimensional, and though his many detractors will deride him for holding and moving, I would only volley that with a question in turn.......how would YOU fight a guy like Peter, cowboy?
Peter showed last night that he is in serious need of some technical assistance. All the guy knows how to do is club opponents with big powershots. His punch output was ridiculously low in the second half of the fight, which can be attributed to both his own lack of stamina and Wlad's boxing. He learned a hard lesson last night. He should take heart in that he is far from a finished product, but he might consider getting a trainer who can teach him a few nuances, how to roll under a jab and go to the body with both hands. For whatever it's worth, watching Peter last night, I kept imagining what Joe Frazier would have done to Klitschko, bobbing underneath and whaling to the body.
Guess I just don't subscribe to the idea that because a fighter is bigger it means he'd beat smaller (and FAR better) fighters. Skill does have something to do with it. In fact, it has MOST to do with it.
Not to mention that neither of the Monzon-Valdez fights were that close. Monzon clearly won both. I don't call a flash knockdown in the second fight "nearly winning it."
Johnson's got a real chance, but I think part of what made him "Jack Johnson" was that he used the 20-25 round (often finish fights) distance to his advantage, letting his opponent waste energy early trying to get through his guard, then come on later. In a 15-round fight (1940's, after all), he'd have no such time to play and bide his time. He'd have to work. He'd frustrate Louis, but Louis's Achilles Heel was movers, and Johnson didn't move as much as many think. He was great defensively, but didn't skip around that much.
This is why I pick Louis in a 15-round decision. Close, boring, but clear decision.
As big a Hagler fan as I am, I have to go with Monzon here. I think Hagler would have too much of a problem getting inside on Carlos. Close decision, but it goes to the Argentine.
I actually think Monzon probably had greater power in his right, but Hagler had more overall power (being able to hit with either hand).
Speed: Hagler
Chin: Both had good beards, but Hagler stands alone here.
Stamina: Have to go with Monzon. Interestingly enough, I have read he was a chain smoker........
I know nothing of Damgaard, so it may be a great fight, but Gatti is NOT a 147 pounder. With each successive climb in weight, his power has been less and less a factor. In the past few years, he's become more of a boxer, but the boxing skills he brings to the table will only help him against the top-tennish guys. Against the higher-echelon types, he can't compete there either, so if he's going to contiune fighting (and don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Gatti fan. What fight fan wouldn't love a guy like this), I think he'd BETTER be fighting the Damgaards of the world. If he takes on a real world class guy who can box at either 140 or 147, he'll lose. It's just not his time anymore.