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The Welterweights: Fear & Loathing At 147
There is no doubt that the Welterweight division is one of the very best in all of boxing, but political and promotional conflicts could threaten to turn the 147 lb. bunch into a ball of confusion.
Here’s a look at some of the major players and significant goings on in the Welterweight division:
Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito: The Battle for Bob Arum’s Love
If Cotto boxes and moves the way he can and the way his handlers are probably telling him, he should win this one solidly, but we all know that at some point Cotto will engage and that’s when Margarito has his shot and that’s when this fight could become Fight of the Year.
It’s been said that Margarito may be the most feared man in the welter division, Well. possibly, but feared doesn’t always mean good. He’s got real power, but lacks in everything else- Like a 10 billion dollar, nuclear warhead-equipped cruise missile propped up on two cinderblocks. But he does have power and he does pose a threat if/when he can connect and if/when he has somebody offering their chin to him like Kermit Cintron.
Margarito hasn’t a prayer of outboxing Cotto, but he can hurt him and that’s why the fight is so intriguing and tough to call. If Cotto has been seriously shaken by just decent Jr. Welterweights like Ricardo Torres and “Chop Chop” Corley and bothered at times by Judah’s and Mosley’s shots, then what will happen when he gets hit by a legit, power-punching Welterweight who just happens to be a pretty decent closer?
Cotto has vastly improved his defense and general skill set in recent fights and in a perfect world, where the better fighter wins all the fights, Cotto should beat Margarito all day, every day. But as we all know- Boxing is far from being a perfect world.
Questions: Who is there to fight for the winner? The winner will probably take on Joshua Clottey if Clottey beats Judah, but after that the only fights to be made are against the problematic Paul Williams, the “retired” Floyd Mayweather and the aging Shane Mosley. A win for the more marketable, better-skilled Cotto would probably be better for the overall health of the division since a Margarito win just may take the division back into the dark days when Margarito ruled over the WBO title by fighting one weak opponent after another.
Floyd Mayweather’s Crusade Against Himself.
The linear and WBC king of the Welterweight division is acting just like a real king- He sits on his throne, content to let the little guys beneath him dirty their hands and knock each other off.
But like most royalty, the throne has gone to his head and he needs to touch base with reality. Mayweather needs to understand that all the Wrestlemania’s, Dancing with the Stars’ and BET appearances don’t mean half as much to his financial success as one dominant win over a top fighter. Mayweather is a boxer and every other side gig he does is based around that fact.
He hasn’t fought as bad a level of competition as his critics say, but he hasn’t fought the Alphabet Soup-rated fighters that some fans insist on.
If his recently announced retirement is for real, everybdy at 147 gets bumped up a slot; If it’s just a publicity stunt or a tantrum, look for Mayweather to fight some of those Alphabet Soup fighters and champs in ‘09 since, after Oscar, there are no other big money/easy money fights out there.
If he is indeed retired, he will be missed- not only for his unmatched skills and abilities, but for his unique ability to produce the most marvelously girlish hissy fits in otherwise battle-hardened, jaded boxing pundits.
Questions: How long will Mayweather stay “retired?” How well will he be able to do business with ex-promoter and hated rival, Bob Arum. Seeing that Arum has Cotto, Margarito and Clottey in his stable, at some point Mayweather and Top Rank will have to do business with each other if they want mega-paydays in ‘09.
Paul Williams Smashes Carlos Quintana: Revenge is a Dish Best Served with an 82 inch Straight Left Hand.
With Williams crushing Quintana recently, its hard to deny the fact that the Williams bandwagon has begun to roll again…And why not?
If a tall, southpaw boxer with an 82 inch reach who throws 100+ punches per round is a terror- how about a motivated one who has begun to hit with power and with bad intentions? Yikes!
If rival promoters and trainers were hesitant to pick up a call from Williams’ people before, its a lock that, after watching Williams/Quintana II, they have ripped their phones right off the wall.
When the new WBO rankings come out, Shane Mosley should be Williams’ #1 contender. You can’t get more of an intriguing match-up than Williams/Mosley- That’s if Mosley even decides to take such a fight.
Questions: Will Williams be able to coax another top Welterweight into a fight before the lanky “Punisher” simply outgrows the division?
Joshua Clottey vs. Zab Judah: The War to Stay Off of Basic Cable
This bout for Antonio Margarito’s soon to be vacated IBF strap will be the last stop on one of these guy’s train schedule. Next Stop…Versus and Fox Sports!!!
Clottey is the tough luck kid among the Welterweight class. Despite being a prospect since the Clinton administration, Clottey has yet to pull off the big one and his time is running out. He is 0-2 in his only fights with future or current world champs. He was clearly ahead against Carlos Baldomir when he got himself disqualified and he was ahead of Margarito and making Margarito look foolish until he hurt his hands and was forced to limp across the finish line with a close Split Decision loss.
Despite the hard luck, if Clottey goes 0-3 in big fights, he can no longer be considered a prospect and has to go back to the end of the line once again. Unfortunately, He isn’t well-known enough to get preferential treatment and he’s too good to get the benefit of the doubt.
Judah, on the other hand has the type of bad luck that is 100% self-inflicted.
Despite having the ability to easily beat Baldomir, he was out-hustled and beaten and despite doing well early on against Mayweather and Cotto, he let things slip. He lacked the discipline to continue the game plan that was proving effective against Mayweather and he lacked the focus to realize just how badly he had hurt Cotto a couple of times early in their fight.
Judah may just be a shot fighter at this point, too. His reaction time has been slower than normal against weak competition recently and his attitude has been sluggish. A loss for Judah would hopefully mean the end of his career before he suffers any further, permanent damage. A win for Judah would allow for him to hand over the title to Mosley or Williams in his next fight.
Questions: Does Judah have anything left? Does Clottey have what it takes to pull off a big win in a spotlight fight?
Shane Mosley: All Dressed Up with Nowhere to Go
Just a couple of months ago, the world was at Mosley’s feet. He was coming off of a close decision loss to Cotto and was in final preparations for a PPV encounter with Zab Judah as well as a title fight with Quintana should both fighters get past their respective opponents.
Now, he is a 36 year old, world-class fighter with no one to fight.
Cotto has shown absolutely no inclination to give Shane a rematch; The fight with Judah fell apart thanks to an angry shower door and Quintana was blown out by Williams.
Mosley’s options at Welter are to either wait to be installed as William’s new mandatory and work through an extremely tough match-up with Williams or just wait for the outcome of Clottey/Judah and hope to pick up the scraps. A Clottey win would mean that Mosley probably wouldn’t get within sniffing distance of the IBF, WBA or WBC crowns until late ‘09 at the earliest- a death sentence for a finesse fighter in his late 30’s. A win for Judah would possibly mean a shot at the IBF crown sooner rather than later and a good chance to become a world champ again.
Questions: How long can Mosley’s reflexes hold out before he becomes just a smart and skilled but otherwise ordinary top 10 fighter?
Here’s a look at some of the major players and significant goings on in the Welterweight division:
Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito: The Battle for Bob Arum’s Love
If Cotto boxes and moves the way he can and the way his handlers are probably telling him, he should win this one solidly, but we all know that at some point Cotto will engage and that’s when Margarito has his shot and that’s when this fight could become Fight of the Year.
It’s been said that Margarito may be the most feared man in the welter division, Well. possibly, but feared doesn’t always mean good. He’s got real power, but lacks in everything else- Like a 10 billion dollar, nuclear warhead-equipped cruise missile propped up on two cinderblocks. But he does have power and he does pose a threat if/when he can connect and if/when he has somebody offering their chin to him like Kermit Cintron.
Margarito hasn’t a prayer of outboxing Cotto, but he can hurt him and that’s why the fight is so intriguing and tough to call. If Cotto has been seriously shaken by just decent Jr. Welterweights like Ricardo Torres and “Chop Chop” Corley and bothered at times by Judah’s and Mosley’s shots, then what will happen when he gets hit by a legit, power-punching Welterweight who just happens to be a pretty decent closer?
Cotto has vastly improved his defense and general skill set in recent fights and in a perfect world, where the better fighter wins all the fights, Cotto should beat Margarito all day, every day. But as we all know- Boxing is far from being a perfect world.
Questions: Who is there to fight for the winner? The winner will probably take on Joshua Clottey if Clottey beats Judah, but after that the only fights to be made are against the problematic Paul Williams, the “retired” Floyd Mayweather and the aging Shane Mosley. A win for the more marketable, better-skilled Cotto would probably be better for the overall health of the division since a Margarito win just may take the division back into the dark days when Margarito ruled over the WBO title by fighting one weak opponent after another.
Floyd Mayweather’s Crusade Against Himself.
The linear and WBC king of the Welterweight division is acting just like a real king- He sits on his throne, content to let the little guys beneath him dirty their hands and knock each other off.
But like most royalty, the throne has gone to his head and he needs to touch base with reality. Mayweather needs to understand that all the Wrestlemania’s, Dancing with the Stars’ and BET appearances don’t mean half as much to his financial success as one dominant win over a top fighter. Mayweather is a boxer and every other side gig he does is based around that fact.
He hasn’t fought as bad a level of competition as his critics say, but he hasn’t fought the Alphabet Soup-rated fighters that some fans insist on.
If his recently announced retirement is for real, everybdy at 147 gets bumped up a slot; If it’s just a publicity stunt or a tantrum, look for Mayweather to fight some of those Alphabet Soup fighters and champs in ‘09 since, after Oscar, there are no other big money/easy money fights out there.
If he is indeed retired, he will be missed- not only for his unmatched skills and abilities, but for his unique ability to produce the most marvelously girlish hissy fits in otherwise battle-hardened, jaded boxing pundits.
Questions: How long will Mayweather stay “retired?” How well will he be able to do business with ex-promoter and hated rival, Bob Arum. Seeing that Arum has Cotto, Margarito and Clottey in his stable, at some point Mayweather and Top Rank will have to do business with each other if they want mega-paydays in ‘09.
Paul Williams Smashes Carlos Quintana: Revenge is a Dish Best Served with an 82 inch Straight Left Hand.
If a tall, southpaw boxer with an 82 inch reach who throws 100+ punches per round is a terror- how about a motivated one who has begun to hit with power and with bad intentions? Yikes!
If rival promoters and trainers were hesitant to pick up a call from Williams’ people before, its a lock that, after watching Williams/Quintana II, they have ripped their phones right off the wall.
When the new WBO rankings come out, Shane Mosley should be Williams’ #1 contender. You can’t get more of an intriguing match-up than Williams/Mosley- That’s if Mosley even decides to take such a fight.
Questions: Will Williams be able to coax another top Welterweight into a fight before the lanky “Punisher” simply outgrows the division?
Joshua Clottey vs. Zab Judah: The War to Stay Off of Basic Cable
This bout for Antonio Margarito’s soon to be vacated IBF strap will be the last stop on one of these guy’s train schedule. Next Stop…Versus and Fox Sports!!!
Clottey is the tough luck kid among the Welterweight class. Despite being a prospect since the Clinton administration, Clottey has yet to pull off the big one and his time is running out. He is 0-2 in his only fights with future or current world champs. He was clearly ahead against Carlos Baldomir when he got himself disqualified and he was ahead of Margarito and making Margarito look foolish until he hurt his hands and was forced to limp across the finish line with a close Split Decision loss.
Despite the hard luck, if Clottey goes 0-3 in big fights, he can no longer be considered a prospect and has to go back to the end of the line once again. Unfortunately, He isn’t well-known enough to get preferential treatment and he’s too good to get the benefit of the doubt.
Judah, on the other hand has the type of bad luck that is 100% self-inflicted.
Despite having the ability to easily beat Baldomir, he was out-hustled and beaten and despite doing well early on against Mayweather and Cotto, he let things slip. He lacked the discipline to continue the game plan that was proving effective against Mayweather and he lacked the focus to realize just how badly he had hurt Cotto a couple of times early in their fight.
Judah may just be a shot fighter at this point, too. His reaction time has been slower than normal against weak competition recently and his attitude has been sluggish. A loss for Judah would hopefully mean the end of his career before he suffers any further, permanent damage. A win for Judah would allow for him to hand over the title to Mosley or Williams in his next fight.
Questions: Does Judah have anything left? Does Clottey have what it takes to pull off a big win in a spotlight fight?
Shane Mosley: All Dressed Up with Nowhere to Go
Just a couple of months ago, the world was at Mosley’s feet. He was coming off of a close decision loss to Cotto and was in final preparations for a PPV encounter with Zab Judah as well as a title fight with Quintana should both fighters get past their respective opponents.
Now, he is a 36 year old, world-class fighter with no one to fight.
Cotto has shown absolutely no inclination to give Shane a rematch; The fight with Judah fell apart thanks to an angry shower door and Quintana was blown out by Williams.
Mosley’s options at Welter are to either wait to be installed as William’s new mandatory and work through an extremely tough match-up with Williams or just wait for the outcome of Clottey/Judah and hope to pick up the scraps. A Clottey win would mean that Mosley probably wouldn’t get within sniffing distance of the IBF, WBA or WBC crowns until late ‘09 at the earliest- a death sentence for a finesse fighter in his late 30’s. A win for Judah would possibly mean a shot at the IBF crown sooner rather than later and a good chance to become a world champ again.
Questions: How long can Mosley’s reflexes hold out before he becomes just a smart and skilled but otherwise ordinary top 10 fighter?
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