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The Floyd Mayweather JR – Manny Pacquiao Super Fight & the BOXING Future

By Geno McGahee

The year 2012 in Boxing…what will we see?

Floyd Mayweather, JR. vs. Manny Pacquiao?

On May 5th, we will see Floyd Mayweather, JR., 42-0, 26 KO’s, take on somebody that will not capture the imagination of the public and will not be a true threat and on June 9th, Manny Pacquiao, 54-3-2, 38 KO’s, will do the same. Both fights will be PPV events and then HBO will come in with the 24/7 series to make it look like we are going to get competitive fights.

Pacquiao and Mayweather are now both offering the spot to Miguel Cotto. For those of you that don’t remember, Manny destroyed Cotto, stopping him in the 12th round of their encounter in 2009. Cotto would absolutely take the fight, but the fact of the matter is that it would be strictly a money deal. There really isn’t any intrigue in the bout. Mayweather is the more likely choice for Cotto to choose. There’s less chance of getting hurt, more public interest because he hasn’t fought Floyd before. It is another one of these sloppy second opponents that Manny and Floyd keep exchanging. It’s a way for the two to battle for public support rather then to fight each other. If Floyd beats Marquez with ease and Manny struggles with Marquez, then Floyd is better, but if Manny beats Oscar De La Hoya by TKO and Floyd wins by SD…Manny must be better. It’s meaningless and as time passes, this fight becomes more meaningless.

So, for 2012, I expect Mayweather vs. Cotto and Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley. For you gamblers out there, put the house, your pensions, your life savings, and everything else on Floyd and Manny to win. The fights are not competitive. Unless they trip and break an ankle on the way to the ring or nod off during the action due to boredom, these two fights are star attractions versus easy marks. Cotto and Bradley are good fighters, and Cotto was once a very good fighter, but now, they are not true challenges to these two top fighters in and around the welterweight division.

When Floyd and Manny come out victorious, will they fight each other? If history tells us anything, the answer is an absolute no. It’s not going to happen. People continue to dismiss Oscar De La Hoya as a great fighter, but he fought the best, in their prime, and wasn’t afraid to take a challenge. In his prime, he would defeat both of the “top fighters” in boxing today…if you can call Manny a top fighter at this point. After the Marquez fight, it’s easy to say that he’s ready to lose and it might be a good time to cash out with Mayweather. Take the deal and at least he can say he lost to an elite fighter.

If 2012 doesn’t bring us the “biggest fight in boxing,” what do we have to look forward to?

End of the Klitschko Rule?

It’s not likely, unless Vitali and Wlad call it a day and hang up the gloves, opening up the division to the other fighters. Wlad will squash Jean Marc Mormeck in a round or two, and Vitali will have some struggles with the ambitious brawler, Dereck Chisora, but expect both to walk away with the victories. Since both fighters box often, we will see them both in action again in 2012. Wlad may take on Chris Arreola or Johnathon Banks in his next fight, while I see Vitali as more of a risk taker, looking at guys like Bermane Stiverne or Robert Helenius for the next fight if he gets beyond Chisora.

Super Middleweight Unification

One of the best fights in boxing is a super middleweight unification between champions, (IBF) Lucian Bute, 30-0, 24 KO’s, and the Super Six Winner (WBC/WBA) Andre Ward, 25-0, 13 KO’s. Both of these fighters want this matter decided and this fight will take place this year it seems. Ward has a very confusing style where he uses his strength to push his opponents around while landing his shots. He reminds me a lot of John Ruiz. It’s not pretty but it’s effective. Bute is all confidence, a super talent in boxing, and if anyone has the boxing smarts to figure out Ward and land, it’s him. This fight would be the highest of stakes between two boxers in their primes. It’s actually a better match than Pacquiao-Mayweather at this time, even though they don’t carry the name value. When Bute and Ward meet, the fight is a very tough one to predict. Ward would most likely be the favorite going in, but Bute would be my pick to win, using his timing to overcome the smothering attack.

Julio Cesar Chavez, JR. Loses

On February 4th, Julio Cesar Chavez, JR., 44-0-1, 31 KO’s, will take on Marco Antonio Rubio, 53-5-1, 46 KO’s. Rubio is a power-puncher that takes a pretty good shot. Chavez, JR., has been carefully matched and does not possess a true middleweight punch. Rubio, unless he’s gun shy for some reason, should walk right through Chavez and get the win. To the credit of Chavez, JR., he has shown much improvement lately, but he’s facing a true contender here and a battle-tested one. You can expect Chavez, JR., to have the first defeat of his career.

Bernard Hopkins Will NOT Rematch Chad Dawson

On October 15th, 2011, father time came crashing down upon Bernard Hopkins as the younger Chad Dawson began beating him up. When Dawson would drop Hopkins onto the floor after a clinch attempt, the “Executioner” would claim injury, but the true story is that he knew he would lose and he knew he was en route of being stopped. Hopkins wants absolutely no part of Dawson, leaving Jean Pascal or Tavoris Cloud as potential matches for “Bad” Chad. Hopkins may have one more fight against a very carefully selected opponent, but I would be shocked to see if he faces Dawson again, and if he did, he would absolutely lose.

Sergio Martinez Still Frustrated…

After defeated Kelly Pavlik and Paul Williams, two of the most respected fighters in the game, Martinez is stuck defending against unknowns, while he seeks out a high profile fight. Floyd Mayweather, JR., wants nothing to do with him and Manny Pacquiao is too small to face him. 2012 may be another year of spinning wheels and the defeats of unknown imports and post fight call outs. Martinez, as good as he is, can’t get a big fight. The new most avoided man in boxing.

Light Middleweight Fun

With James Kirkland, 30-1, 27 KO’s, Saul Alvarez, 39-0-1, 29 KO’s, Miguel Cotto, 37-2, 30 KO’s, Cornelius Bundrage, 31-4, 18 KO’s, Paul Williams, 40-2, 27 KO’s, Erislandy Lara, 15-1-1, 10 KO’s, Austin Trout, 24-0, 14 KO’s, Vanes Martirosyan, 31-0, 19 KO’s, and Alfredo Angulo, 20-2, 17 KO’s, there is plenty of room for fireworks in 2012. This division features the most power-punchers and the most potential excitement.

Amir Khan Defeats Lamont Peterson in Rematch

It was a feel good moment in boxing when the underdog, Lamont Peterson, defeated Amir Khan, but with an immediate ordered rematch, expect Khan to come in more inspired and focused and chop down Peterson en route to a stoppage win. Khan is the better fighter and there is a lot of pressure on him to take the vacant spot of best pound for pound when Floyd and Manny finally leave the sport. He needs to erase the defeat to Peterson.

The year 2012 should be a decent year for the sport, despite the failure of Pacquiao – Mayweather to materialize. In the grand scheme of things, both men will have to realize that their legacies have been forever tarnished by their inability to do what’s right for the sport. The sport has been good to them but they have not reciprocated.

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