BoxRec

Just to have them archived to see how many I eventually get right, here is my 2005 predictions.

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HEAVYWEIGHTS
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VITALI KLITSCHKO

Vitali will defend the title in Germany in early 2005 against Nicolay Valuev. Vitali will take a couple of rounds to get used to fighting someone that big but come to life in the 3rd when he will drop Valuev with a right hand and Valuev won't get up. Vitali wins with 3rd round KO.

Vitali will then make one more defence in the later half of the year against Hasim Rahman. Rahman will shake Vitali up a couple of times but Vitali will be in control for the most part, only dropping a couple of early rounds before winning by KO in the 9th.

ANDREW GOLOTA

Golota will be crowned WBO champ in early 2005 with a 7th round knockout of Lamon Brewster.

Golota will then fight again once more in the later part of the year in a rematch with Chris Byrd to unify but lose a split decision in a fight a lot will argue Golota won.

MIKE TYSON

Tyson will blow away a couple of C level fighters, Kevin McBride possibly being one but then decide to hang up his boots despite a rumoured bout with Riddick Bowe at the end of the year.

JAMES TONEY

Toney will beat up a journeyman in the middle part of the year but this will be the only thing we see of him as he fails to secure a title shot.

DANNY WILLIAMS

Williams will have 3 fights in a short period of time starting from mid 2005. He will have an easy comeback fight against a C level fighter in England and win by KO 2 then go into a bout with Oleg Maskaev. Williams will taste the canvas against Maskaev in the later rounds but go on to squeak a very close unanimous decision. Williams will then seek to finish the year on a high in December with a match against Vassiliy Jirov but lose a split decision and in 2006 will have one last pay day at domestic level against Audley or Skelton before retiring.

JOHN RUIZ

Ruiz will defend in the mid part of the year after failing to secure a fight with Klitschko against Michael Moorer and take home a unanimous decision victory.

He will then close the year with another unanimous decison win against Lance Whitaker.

OTHER

Samuel Peter will beat up 3 journeymen and be in good position for 2006. Wladimir Klitschko will beat 2 journeyman but not look very convincing in one and see negotiations for an end of year title shot fall through. Chris Byrd will succesfully defend against Larry Donald in early 05 before unifying his belt with the WBO belt by beating the newly crowned Golota in a rematch at the end of the year. Hasim Rahman will beat a respectable journeyman at the start of the year by KO and go on to lose to Vitali Klitschko at the end of the year by KO in the 9th. Krasniqi and Hoffmann will have a rematch and Krasniqi will win by split decision. Juan Carlos Gomez will beat a couple of nobodies and look to be getting himself back on track. Eliseo Castillo will win a couple of fights and be touted as a future title chalenger for one of the Don King titles

More for the other main divisions to come.......

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SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT
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JOE CALZAGHE

Calzaghe will beat up 3 glorified journeymen through the year before ending the year with a shockingly easy KO victory over Jeff Lacy. He will then finally move up to light heavyweight in search of a big fight before his career is done but whether he gets one or not is a matter for 2006 predictions.

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MIDDLEWEIGHT
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FELIX STURM

Sturm will pull off an upset and take a split decision against Trinidad which will set him up for a match with Bernard Hopkins in the later part of the year. Hopkins will then take a closely fought unanimous decision against Sturm.

BERNARD HOPKINS

Hopkins will squeak by Howard Eastman with a very close unanimous decision and fight Felix Sturm in the second half of the year and take another closely fought unanimous decision. Hopkins then decides to call it a day after how hard he was pushed in his fights in 2005.

JERMAIN TAYLOR

Jermain will beat up 3 journeyman in easy but impressive wins and after his loss to Hopkins, Howard Eastman will focus on getting a fight with Taylor but the year runs out without seeing a contract signed.

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WELTERWEIGHT
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OSCAR DEL LA HOYA

Oscar will move to welterweight and take an easy fight to reintroduce himself to the division and then fight Cory Spinks at the end of the year but lose a unanimous decision before finally deciding to retire.

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LIGHT WELTERWEIGHT
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RICKY HATTON

Hatton will get his fight with Tszyu and Tszyu will look a little off the pace and Hatton will take full advantage of it by piling on the pressure. Tszyu will floor Hatton twice in the mid rounds and fight through the 8th looking in discomfort and will stay in his corner in the ninth, citing an injury. Hatton is awarded the title. Hatton will then make one defence of the title against Lovemore N'Dou and win a unanimous decision and fight Tszyu again at the end of the year with Tszyu saying if he doesn't win he'll retire but this time Tszyu does win, stopping Hatton in 5 just as it seems Hatton is getting a foothold into the fight. Hatton will pursue a third fight but Tszyu will move up to welterweight in search of one last big fight, leaving Hatton to fight for the vacant title.

MIGUEL ANGEL COTTO

Cotto will win 5 fights against journeyman and be in position for a mega fight in 2006.
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SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT/FEATHERWEIGHT
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MARCO ANTONIO BARERRA

A rematch with Pacquiao will be ruled out when Pacquiao loses a lop sided decision in his rematch with Juan Manuel Marquez. Barerra will then instead target Marquez and that fight will be a disputed split decision win for Barerra. Barerra will then finally take the rematch against Pacquiao who will have bounced back since his lose to Marquez. Both men will be knocked down but Barrera will take a close unanimous decision and consider retirement or another match with Marquez

SCOTT HARRISON

Harrison will fail to land a fight with Barerra and instead fight the WBO mandatory and win. He will then secure a big fight with In-jin Chi toward the end of the year and win a split decision which will invite a rematch in 2006.

JOAN GUZMAN

He will move up to featherweight and look to get himself in the mix for a big fight in 2006

Wow, plenty of interesting thoughts.

1. I hope Toney gets a title shot at some point towards the end of 2005.

2. Unlikely Hatton beats Kostya (relatively unlikely he'll even fight him..)

3. I think Cotto won't have 5 "journeymen" fights in 2005. I think he'll take a version of the world title within the year.

4. Sturm beating Trinidad? Naaahh... can't see it.

Just my thoughts.

Cotto already holds a version of the world title and I don't see him getting another one in 2005. I don't see him fighting Gatti in 05, I doubt Gatti would want the fight. If Tszyu fights anyone else at light welter it will be Hatton or Gatti and Gatti is unlikely due to the HBO thing. Vivian Harris might fight him but for some reason I can't visualise that fight coming about. It might well do and Cotto would beat him but I just couldn't bring myself to put that down and that rules out all the belts besides the one Cotto is holding. Saying that a title may be vacated along the way and Cotto might pick it up.