Colonel_Reb
Hall of Famer
White Boxers Close Out 2009 With A Bang</span> by Joe Kowalski
pictured: Carl Froch
(9/22/09)
This year has been somewhat uneventful for white boxers. At the start
of 2009, our fighters held 17 of 20 belts from middleweight to
heavyweight. Whites currently hold 16 of 20 titles and could very well
pick up two more by the end of the year. Unfortunately, our best
fighters have not fought very often this year due to a variety of
reasons.
Ricky Hatton lost badly (to Manny Pacquaio) in the
most high profile match involving a white fighter in 2009. Both
Klitschko brothers had the latest great black nope, David Haye, pull
out of signed fights. Kelly Pavlik and Michael Kessler have only fought
once this year (against non-descript opponents) and cruiserweight king
Tomasz Adamek has not been able to land a promised match against
Bernard Hopkins.
To top it off, there are no white boxers in most top 10 "pound-for-pound"Â rankings for the first time in years.
But
all this could change as this fall promises to help send off 2009 with
a bang. Here are some of the most meaningful matches involving our best
warriors:
September 26 â€" Vitali Klitschko v. Chris Arreola
The
elder Klitschko defends his WBC championship against the strong but
limited Arreola. The fight will be carried live on HBO and is garnering
a good amount of attention, perhaps due to the fact that Arreola is
undefeated and looking to be the first Mexican heavyweight champion.
They will have to wait a little longer as even at 38, Vitali has too
much for the inexperienced Arreola.
October 17 â€" Arthur Abraham v. Jermaine Taylor
The
first fight in Showtime's 168 pound tournament is a good one. Abraham
moves up from middleweight to take on the well-known Taylor. Abraham
has not beaten great opposition and is not well known in the U.S. He
does have a shot at winning the whole thing and should certainly have
enough to defeat the slightly past-it Taylor.
October 17 â€" Carl Froch v. Andre Dirrell
Froch
burst upon the scene with two dynamic victories over Jean Pascal and
Jermaine Taylor. He defends his WBC belt against Dirrell, who is
undefeated and was a gifted amateur. But it should be a good night for
white fighters as Froch is on a roll and would seem to carry too much
power.
November 7 â€" Nicolay Valuev v. David Haye
Haye is
perhaps the only black heavyweight with a decent shot at a title. He
(wisely) backed out of two fights involving both Klitschkos, after
talking a big game. Now, the mouthy mulatto finally gets his chance to
fight for a title. Haye, a former cruiserweight champ, will have been
off for a year and has only had two fights at heavyweight. All the
experts and drunk white fans on boxing websites have been hoping and
praying that Haye is the real deal. We will find out on November 7 as
he tries to take the WBA title from the Russian champion. Nicolay will
have a 10 inch height advantage and a 100 pound weight advantage, which
should prove to be fatal for Haye, who has chin and stamina issues. No
word yet on whether this will be on U.S. television.
November 21 â€" Mikkel Kessler v. Andre Ward
This
is the caste matchup of the year in my opinion. Though both men are not
well known, the winner should move into the top 10 pound-for-pound
ratings. Most experts are predicting either of these guys to win the
Showtime super middleweight tournament. Kessler is a longtime champion
at 168 and currently holds the WBA strap. Ward was a gold medalist at
the 2004 Olympics. The Dane has fought the better competition and his
only loss was to the legendary Joe Calzaghe. Now that his managerial
problems are resolved, look for Kessler to score a knockout and move
toward becoming the successor to Calzaghe as the best white fighter in
the sport.
December 5 â€" Kelly Pavlik v. Paul Williams
Pavlik
was rated a top 5 p4p fighter by many prior to his 2008 loss to Bernard
Hopkins. After scorching Edison Miranda and Jermaine Taylor (twice),
Pavlik seemed destined to be the next big thing in boxing. Kelly is
still the WBC and WBO middleweight champ and looked ok in his February
defense against Marco Antonio Rubio. But he missed a June fight with
Sergio Mora, apparently due to managerial issues. Williams is a
talented boxer and has taken Pavlik's place in many p4p rankings. But
he is used to overwhelming opponents at 147 and 154 with his size and
work rate. Against Kelly, he will be fighting a bigger, stronger man
for the first time as a pro. If he is in top form, Pavlik should win
and regain his standing as one of the best in the sport
</span>
pictured: Carl Froch
(9/22/09)
This year has been somewhat uneventful for white boxers. At the start
of 2009, our fighters held 17 of 20 belts from middleweight to
heavyweight. Whites currently hold 16 of 20 titles and could very well
pick up two more by the end of the year. Unfortunately, our best
fighters have not fought very often this year due to a variety of
reasons.
Ricky Hatton lost badly (to Manny Pacquaio) in the
most high profile match involving a white fighter in 2009. Both
Klitschko brothers had the latest great black nope, David Haye, pull
out of signed fights. Kelly Pavlik and Michael Kessler have only fought
once this year (against non-descript opponents) and cruiserweight king
Tomasz Adamek has not been able to land a promised match against
Bernard Hopkins.
To top it off, there are no white boxers in most top 10 "pound-for-pound"Â rankings for the first time in years.
But
all this could change as this fall promises to help send off 2009 with
a bang. Here are some of the most meaningful matches involving our best
warriors:
September 26 â€" Vitali Klitschko v. Chris Arreola
The
elder Klitschko defends his WBC championship against the strong but
limited Arreola. The fight will be carried live on HBO and is garnering
a good amount of attention, perhaps due to the fact that Arreola is
undefeated and looking to be the first Mexican heavyweight champion.
They will have to wait a little longer as even at 38, Vitali has too
much for the inexperienced Arreola.
October 17 â€" Arthur Abraham v. Jermaine Taylor
The
first fight in Showtime's 168 pound tournament is a good one. Abraham
moves up from middleweight to take on the well-known Taylor. Abraham
has not beaten great opposition and is not well known in the U.S. He
does have a shot at winning the whole thing and should certainly have
enough to defeat the slightly past-it Taylor.
October 17 â€" Carl Froch v. Andre Dirrell
Froch
burst upon the scene with two dynamic victories over Jean Pascal and
Jermaine Taylor. He defends his WBC belt against Dirrell, who is
undefeated and was a gifted amateur. But it should be a good night for
white fighters as Froch is on a roll and would seem to carry too much
power.
November 7 â€" Nicolay Valuev v. David Haye
Haye is
perhaps the only black heavyweight with a decent shot at a title. He
(wisely) backed out of two fights involving both Klitschkos, after
talking a big game. Now, the mouthy mulatto finally gets his chance to
fight for a title. Haye, a former cruiserweight champ, will have been
off for a year and has only had two fights at heavyweight. All the
experts and drunk white fans on boxing websites have been hoping and
praying that Haye is the real deal. We will find out on November 7 as
he tries to take the WBA title from the Russian champion. Nicolay will
have a 10 inch height advantage and a 100 pound weight advantage, which
should prove to be fatal for Haye, who has chin and stamina issues. No
word yet on whether this will be on U.S. television.
November 21 â€" Mikkel Kessler v. Andre Ward
This
is the caste matchup of the year in my opinion. Though both men are not
well known, the winner should move into the top 10 pound-for-pound
ratings. Most experts are predicting either of these guys to win the
Showtime super middleweight tournament. Kessler is a longtime champion
at 168 and currently holds the WBA strap. Ward was a gold medalist at
the 2004 Olympics. The Dane has fought the better competition and his
only loss was to the legendary Joe Calzaghe. Now that his managerial
problems are resolved, look for Kessler to score a knockout and move
toward becoming the successor to Calzaghe as the best white fighter in
the sport.
December 5 â€" Kelly Pavlik v. Paul Williams
Pavlik
was rated a top 5 p4p fighter by many prior to his 2008 loss to Bernard
Hopkins. After scorching Edison Miranda and Jermaine Taylor (twice),
Pavlik seemed destined to be the next big thing in boxing. Kelly is
still the WBC and WBO middleweight champ and looked ok in his February
defense against Marco Antonio Rubio. But he missed a June fight with
Sergio Mora, apparently due to managerial issues. Williams is a
talented boxer and has taken Pavlik's place in many p4p rankings. But
he is used to overwhelming opponents at 147 and 154 with his size and
work rate. Against Kelly, he will be fighting a bigger, stronger man
for the first time as a pro. If he is in top form, Pavlik should win
and regain his standing as one of the best in the sport
</span>
