My 11 for'11
Posted: 22 Dec 2010, 08:02
As the year draws to a close, I've been thinking about the fights that I really want to see happen next year, some realistic, some pure fantasy, but all intriguing to an extent. What have I missed? What stinkers have I included that no-one in their right mind would want to watch?
The big two out of the way first off:
Haye v Wlad - wanted for so many reasons - would crown a first unified HW champ since Lewis, would pit two of the top 3 together and would simply be a huge event.
Pac v Floyd - With all due respect to Mosley, Marquez and Berto, this is the only fight that I really want to see Pacquiao in.
Froch v Ward in the Super 6 Final - It may be a stylistic stinker, but this match up would bring closure to a tournament that has received a lot of unfair stick and would crown an undisputed No 1 at SMW (sorry Bute, but your resumé doesn't compare at the moment)
Khan v Bradley - Assuming Bradley beats Alexander (which I think he does comfortably), this fight is again about who is clear No 1 at 140lb. To be a unified, consensus champ of a division as deep as Light welter deserves a lot of credit and would serve either Khan or Bradley well as they step up to Welter in 2012.
Miguel Cotto v Paul Williams at 154 - Williams is not a Middleweight, but went up to get a fight with a decent payday. There's a few fights at LMW that would allow him to come back from the Martinez defeat, and a fight with Cotto would be a big deal. Intriguiing mix of styles too.
Darren Barker v Matthew Macklin - Macklin was unfortunate in looking poor against Varon recently as it has set his World Title ambitions back a little, but it means a Barker fight is very much a realistic prospect (in terms of levels, if not in terms of promoter agreement)
Nathan Cleverley v Tavoris Cloud - Clev will fight for a world belt this year and Cloud is the man I'd most like to see him in with. Cloud has a lot of respect but I think he is very beatable. A win in a fight with Cloud would do more for Nathan than having his interim WBO belt turn made Full on a technicality then defending against a range of limited eastern european opponents.
Kell Brook v Paul Malignaggi - A step up in class for Brook (albeit not to the very top of the Welter division). Malignaggi proved last time out that he still has something to give and if Brook can outbox him, that will say a lot about the level Brook could reach. I'm not so sold on Mike Jones after his last fight. One more fight for Brook and then someone like Zaveck or Senchenko, and I think Malignaggi fits the bill nicely.
John Murray v Michael Katsidis - Murray needs to step up in class this year and Katsidis is a great gatekeeper as Kevin Mitchell found out to his cost. Would be a big fight as Katsidis is quite well known on these shores.
Yuri Gamboa v Juan Manuel Lopez - Two exciting punchers who both have flaws.
Giovanni Segura v Roman Gonzalez - Two heavy hitters coming off outstanding years. Would be a proper Fight of the Year Contender but would also go largely unnoticed by the English public
And finally (I know I already have 11!) I'd like to see a 6-month, 6 Rounder, Super 6 type tournament featuring Tyson Fury, Sam Sexton, Larry Olubamiwo, David Price, Tom Dallas and Michael Sprott. 3 Nights of first round fights (3 fights per night) with 6 weeks between the end of the 1st round and the Final. Make it over 6 rounds to make it less arduous during the group stage, 10 rounds for the semi and the final for the UK title over 12 rounds. Maybe even seed Sexton, Sprott and, say, Fury with a 'home' night for each in Norwich, Reading and Manchester, the Semis and the Final somewhere provincial like Liverpool, Newcastle or Bristol.
The big two out of the way first off:
Haye v Wlad - wanted for so many reasons - would crown a first unified HW champ since Lewis, would pit two of the top 3 together and would simply be a huge event.
Pac v Floyd - With all due respect to Mosley, Marquez and Berto, this is the only fight that I really want to see Pacquiao in.
Froch v Ward in the Super 6 Final - It may be a stylistic stinker, but this match up would bring closure to a tournament that has received a lot of unfair stick and would crown an undisputed No 1 at SMW (sorry Bute, but your resumé doesn't compare at the moment)
Khan v Bradley - Assuming Bradley beats Alexander (which I think he does comfortably), this fight is again about who is clear No 1 at 140lb. To be a unified, consensus champ of a division as deep as Light welter deserves a lot of credit and would serve either Khan or Bradley well as they step up to Welter in 2012.
Miguel Cotto v Paul Williams at 154 - Williams is not a Middleweight, but went up to get a fight with a decent payday. There's a few fights at LMW that would allow him to come back from the Martinez defeat, and a fight with Cotto would be a big deal. Intriguiing mix of styles too.
Darren Barker v Matthew Macklin - Macklin was unfortunate in looking poor against Varon recently as it has set his World Title ambitions back a little, but it means a Barker fight is very much a realistic prospect (in terms of levels, if not in terms of promoter agreement)
Nathan Cleverley v Tavoris Cloud - Clev will fight for a world belt this year and Cloud is the man I'd most like to see him in with. Cloud has a lot of respect but I think he is very beatable. A win in a fight with Cloud would do more for Nathan than having his interim WBO belt turn made Full on a technicality then defending against a range of limited eastern european opponents.
Kell Brook v Paul Malignaggi - A step up in class for Brook (albeit not to the very top of the Welter division). Malignaggi proved last time out that he still has something to give and if Brook can outbox him, that will say a lot about the level Brook could reach. I'm not so sold on Mike Jones after his last fight. One more fight for Brook and then someone like Zaveck or Senchenko, and I think Malignaggi fits the bill nicely.
John Murray v Michael Katsidis - Murray needs to step up in class this year and Katsidis is a great gatekeeper as Kevin Mitchell found out to his cost. Would be a big fight as Katsidis is quite well known on these shores.
Yuri Gamboa v Juan Manuel Lopez - Two exciting punchers who both have flaws.
Giovanni Segura v Roman Gonzalez - Two heavy hitters coming off outstanding years. Would be a proper Fight of the Year Contender but would also go largely unnoticed by the English public
And finally (I know I already have 11!) I'd like to see a 6-month, 6 Rounder, Super 6 type tournament featuring Tyson Fury, Sam Sexton, Larry Olubamiwo, David Price, Tom Dallas and Michael Sprott. 3 Nights of first round fights (3 fights per night) with 6 weeks between the end of the 1st round and the Final. Make it over 6 rounds to make it less arduous during the group stage, 10 rounds for the semi and the final for the UK title over 12 rounds. Maybe even seed Sexton, Sprott and, say, Fury with a 'home' night for each in Norwich, Reading and Manchester, the Semis and the Final somewhere provincial like Liverpool, Newcastle or Bristol.
