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By Jake Donovan - April showers bring May flowers in a world beyond the squared circle. For boxing, April showers are pouring down in the form of the world's best light heavyweights, with no fewer than seven of the division's best slated to fight within the next three weekends.
The light heavyweight division is unique in that it has a linear champion (Zsolt Erdei) and a popular champion (Bernard Hopkins), yet neither of whom is universally regarded as the division's best fighter. That title remains up for grabs, and will still remain so by month's end. But at the very least, we'll be a few steps closer toward clearing the clutter atop the division.
Beginning with this weekend, no fewer than seven universally regarded Top Ten light heavyweights will see action in five separate fights. Four of the seven appear on a Showtime doubleheader this weekend (Clinton Woods-Antonio Tarver and Chad Dawson-Glen Johnson, live from Tampa, Florida).
One weekend later, Hopkins resurfaces in Las Vegas, where faces linear super middleweight king Joe Calzaghe, making his stateside and light heavyweight debut, in a bout to air live on HBO. Hours before the broadcast begins, undefeated Top Ten contender Adrian Diaconu travels to his birth country of Romania to take on fellow unbeaten Chris Henry, presently knocking on the door of contender status.
April ends with Erdei putting his linear light heavyweight crown on the line in his adopted home land of Germany, where he will defend against fringe contender DeAndrey Abron.
At the very least, three of the bouts tie into one another. The SHOWTIME doubleheader is being marketed as a pair of alphabet title bouts with the suggestion that the winners will hopefully meet in a unification match sometime later in the year. But for former rivals Tarver and Johnson, this weekend is about much more than belts; at age 39 and bringing to the table little more than name recognition, their respective careers are on the line. [details]
The light heavyweight division is unique in that it has a linear champion (Zsolt Erdei) and a popular champion (Bernard Hopkins), yet neither of whom is universally regarded as the division's best fighter. That title remains up for grabs, and will still remain so by month's end. But at the very least, we'll be a few steps closer toward clearing the clutter atop the division.
Beginning with this weekend, no fewer than seven universally regarded Top Ten light heavyweights will see action in five separate fights. Four of the seven appear on a Showtime doubleheader this weekend (Clinton Woods-Antonio Tarver and Chad Dawson-Glen Johnson, live from Tampa, Florida).
One weekend later, Hopkins resurfaces in Las Vegas, where faces linear super middleweight king Joe Calzaghe, making his stateside and light heavyweight debut, in a bout to air live on HBO. Hours before the broadcast begins, undefeated Top Ten contender Adrian Diaconu travels to his birth country of Romania to take on fellow unbeaten Chris Henry, presently knocking on the door of contender status.
April ends with Erdei putting his linear light heavyweight crown on the line in his adopted home land of Germany, where he will defend against fringe contender DeAndrey Abron.
At the very least, three of the bouts tie into one another. The SHOWTIME doubleheader is being marketed as a pair of alphabet title bouts with the suggestion that the winners will hopefully meet in a unification match sometime later in the year. But for former rivals Tarver and Johnson, this weekend is about much more than belts; at age 39 and bringing to the table little more than name recognition, their respective careers are on the line. [details]
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