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I think 154 has the most potential for us to see fireworks in all boxing:
D Andrade
Vanes
Canelo
Angulo
Cotto
Omar Henry
Chavez Jr
Kirkland
168 comes in 2nd place to 154 regarding competition.
When it's all said and done, who will be the last fighter standing at 154 when the smoke clears?
EDIT @ 6:48
JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHT
Now: A-
It’s not overloaded with monster talents. But junior middle gets its points off depth, the semi-inhabitance of a few stars and the potential for exciting fights. Saul Alvarez and Miguel Cotto are the big draws and seem to be staying put for the time being, while middleweight champ Sergio Martinez can voyage downward if he wants. Then check out the rankings from one to eight – is there anybody in there who can’t beat anybody else on any given night? And it sure helps that Pawel Wolak-Delvin Rodriguez, probably the leading Fight of the Year contender, happened here.
Future: B+
There’s nobody worthwhile at welter who could give the division a boost, and no sure thing in the prospect ranks – Omar Henry? Javier Molina? Cotto probably will be retired sooner rather than later. But things should stay fairly constant outside of that.
BANTAMWEIGHT
Now: B+
The departure of a couple bantam talents and action heroes hurts the division some, but for now, it’s still the home of Donaire and the participants in the Showtime tournament like Joseph Agbeko, Abner Mares and Vic Darchinyan. Throw in a couple other folk like Anselmo Moreno and Koki Kameda, and there’s some talent and sizzle left.
Future: C+
When Donaire departs, the division takes a big hit. I think he’s probably only around for one more fight, truth be told. Junior bantamweight just below is a disaster, and I’m not of the mind that prospects like Chris Avalos or Leo Santa Cruz help that much, either.
SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT
Now: B+
Super middle is finally slowing down a little. But we still have the Super Six tournament finale between Ward and Froch, with the winner likely to face Bute. That’s a great start. And the division still has some viable contenders after that, like Mikkel Kessler and the introduction of Kelly Pavlik, potentially. It’s been fun watching the division play out via the Super Six, but for a variety of reasons, I think the ride is about to end.
Future: C-
With Ward and maybe others leaving soon and most of the big fights exhausted, the division is going to take a big dip, even if a youngster like Edwin Rodriguez or George Groves steps up, because I don’t think either of those talents can replace what’s departing on a one-for-one basis. Some of the division’s top young talents, like Marcus Johnson and James DeGale, have already had setbacks and maybe they can rebound, but they will still be rebuilding somewhat this time next year.
D Andrade
Vanes
Canelo
Angulo
Cotto
Omar Henry
Chavez Jr
Kirkland
168 comes in 2nd place to 154 regarding competition.
When it's all said and done, who will be the last fighter standing at 154 when the smoke clears?
EDIT @ 6:48
JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHT
Now: A-
It’s not overloaded with monster talents. But junior middle gets its points off depth, the semi-inhabitance of a few stars and the potential for exciting fights. Saul Alvarez and Miguel Cotto are the big draws and seem to be staying put for the time being, while middleweight champ Sergio Martinez can voyage downward if he wants. Then check out the rankings from one to eight – is there anybody in there who can’t beat anybody else on any given night? And it sure helps that Pawel Wolak-Delvin Rodriguez, probably the leading Fight of the Year contender, happened here.
Future: B+
There’s nobody worthwhile at welter who could give the division a boost, and no sure thing in the prospect ranks – Omar Henry? Javier Molina? Cotto probably will be retired sooner rather than later. But things should stay fairly constant outside of that.
BANTAMWEIGHT
Now: B+
The departure of a couple bantam talents and action heroes hurts the division some, but for now, it’s still the home of Donaire and the participants in the Showtime tournament like Joseph Agbeko, Abner Mares and Vic Darchinyan. Throw in a couple other folk like Anselmo Moreno and Koki Kameda, and there’s some talent and sizzle left.
Future: C+
When Donaire departs, the division takes a big hit. I think he’s probably only around for one more fight, truth be told. Junior bantamweight just below is a disaster, and I’m not of the mind that prospects like Chris Avalos or Leo Santa Cruz help that much, either.
SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT
Now: B+
Super middle is finally slowing down a little. But we still have the Super Six tournament finale between Ward and Froch, with the winner likely to face Bute. That’s a great start. And the division still has some viable contenders after that, like Mikkel Kessler and the introduction of Kelly Pavlik, potentially. It’s been fun watching the division play out via the Super Six, but for a variety of reasons, I think the ride is about to end.
Future: C-
With Ward and maybe others leaving soon and most of the big fights exhausted, the division is going to take a big dip, even if a youngster like Edwin Rodriguez or George Groves steps up, because I don’t think either of those talents can replace what’s departing on a one-for-one basis. Some of the division’s top young talents, like Marcus Johnson and James DeGale, have already had setbacks and maybe they can rebound, but they will still be rebuilding somewhat this time next year.
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