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Junior Middleweight Picture
2010 was a rough year for the 154-pound division. The biggest match was a one-sided, albeit entertaining, farce of a match in Pacquiao-Margarito. The biggest star, Miguel Cotto, only fought once this year. The two best fighters, Sergio Martinez and Paul Williams, moved north to 160. The two most exciting fighters, James Kirkland and Alfredo Angulo, had legal trouble with Kirkland being jailed most of the year and Angulo deported back to Mexico. Deep breath. Thank God it's a new year.
Top Fights: Any combination of Martinez, Cotto, Williams, Angulo, and Kirkland.
Any combination of the above-listed fighters would produce magnificent bouts with high drama. Williams is coming back to the division and Martinez promoter Lou DiBella has said Sergio would be willing to come down to 154 for the right fight. My guess is that Cotto or Pacquiao are the only ones he'll come down to fight, but the other three would be intriguing. If Angulo can come back to the States and Kirkland stays out of jail, one or more of these bouts can become a reality in 2011.
On the Rise: No one.
That's right, no one. No one in the division won multiple meaningful fights on the year. 2010 was a waste for this division.
On the Decline: Cory Spinks
This one-time undisputed welterweight champ is 1-3 in his last four fights with his latest fight ending in a 5th round TKO at the hands of former "The Contender" contestant, Cornelius "K9" Bundrage. Spinks' calling card used to be his elusive defense, but he has been getting hit too much in recent fights. I say he gives it one more run at a world championship then calls it a career.
One to Watch: James Kirkland
If you're a boxing fan, you pray that James Kirkland stays out of jail in 2011. With a style reminiscent of Mike Tyson, Kirkland (25-0, 22 KO's) is can't miss TV every time he's on. When Kirkland returns
in 2011, the junior middleweight division and boxing as a whole will get a huge boost.
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2010 was a rough year for the 154-pound division. The biggest match was a one-sided, albeit entertaining, farce of a match in Pacquiao-Margarito. The biggest star, Miguel Cotto, only fought once this year. The two best fighters, Sergio Martinez and Paul Williams, moved north to 160. The two most exciting fighters, James Kirkland and Alfredo Angulo, had legal trouble with Kirkland being jailed most of the year and Angulo deported back to Mexico. Deep breath. Thank God it's a new year.
Top Fights: Any combination of Martinez, Cotto, Williams, Angulo, and Kirkland.
Any combination of the above-listed fighters would produce magnificent bouts with high drama. Williams is coming back to the division and Martinez promoter Lou DiBella has said Sergio would be willing to come down to 154 for the right fight. My guess is that Cotto or Pacquiao are the only ones he'll come down to fight, but the other three would be intriguing. If Angulo can come back to the States and Kirkland stays out of jail, one or more of these bouts can become a reality in 2011.
On the Rise: No one.
That's right, no one. No one in the division won multiple meaningful fights on the year. 2010 was a waste for this division.
On the Decline: Cory Spinks
This one-time undisputed welterweight champ is 1-3 in his last four fights with his latest fight ending in a 5th round TKO at the hands of former "The Contender" contestant, Cornelius "K9" Bundrage. Spinks' calling card used to be his elusive defense, but he has been getting hit too much in recent fights. I say he gives it one more run at a world championship then calls it a career.
One to Watch: James Kirkland
If you're a boxing fan, you pray that James Kirkland stays out of jail in 2011. With a style reminiscent of Mike Tyson, Kirkland (25-0, 22 KO's) is can't miss TV every time he's on. When Kirkland returns
in 2011, the junior middleweight division and boxing as a whole will get a huge boost.
Link
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