Don King produces yet another brilliant undercard to support the Nate Campbell-Ali Funeka headliner in Florida on February 14, including a world class light-middleweight 12-rounder between Sergio Martinez and Kermit "Killer" Cintron
Martinez is the slick, beautifully skilled Argentine southpaw who twice licked Richard Williams here and he proved it was no fluke when he pounded Ghana's Alex Bunema in eight rounds late last year in the States. His only loss in 46 fights came at the hands of one Antonio Margarito back in 2000 in Las Vegas.
America's Cintron has also lost only to the rock-jawed Margarito (twice) but brings prodigious power at 30-2 (27), although he makes his light-middleweight debut here and it will be interesting to see if Cintron's punches remain as potent. Nevertheless, this is classic boxer-puncher, classic 50-50, classic shock-haired King.
According to boxrec, Welsh 'comer' Nathan Cleverly now defends his Commonwealth light-heavyweight title against Kenya's obscure Samson Onyango in Swindon on February 13.
The unbeaten Cleverly, 14-0 (4), was lined up to defend against Ghana's experienced James Obede Toney, somewhat tentatively, but Toney always looked a bit small to be fighting at light-heavyweight and in comes the bigger if not necessarily the better Onyango.
Onyango brings over a decent 18-3 (12) record but two of his losses came when he ventured outside Africa (to Poland) while fellow Kenyan Mohamed Orungi beat him on a nine-round technical decision in Nairobi. Onyango looks similar in calibre to Douglas Otieno, the Kenyan Cleverly sparked in four rounds in his last defence in Widnes.
The tall, talented, 21-year-old champion is expected to defend against Basingstoke banger (and former champion) Dean Francis later this year. This, presumably, serves as another pre-Francis sharpener.
Rendall Munroe defends his prize European super-bantamweight title against the man he won it from, Kiko Martinez, at Barnsley Metrodome on February 27.
Southpaw Munroe pasted Spanish puncher Martinez last March in Nottingham on the way to a shock decision, which surprisingly was only a majority one. He comprehensively outboxed a man who had never lost before - amateur or pro - and exposed Martinez as something of a load-up merchant. Of course if Martinez lands one of those loaded-up punches, it is a different story. Kiko had won the title with an 86-second blasting of previously unbeaten Dubliner Bernard Dunne in Dublin in August 2007 and has stopped 15 of his 20 beaten opponents but he never pushed on as champion and scuppered a subsequent non-title fight with Wayne McCullough in Belfast when he failed to make the weight. Then came Munroe, in his first defence.
Still a baby at 22, the challenger has reeled off three wins since but one wonders about his ability to make 8st 10lbs and his chances of turning it round against Munroe, who has proved a solid, busy little champion with three defences in the last 11 months. The Leicester binman brings real hunger to his fights, real size, fitness, capability and sharpness. His only loss, in 18 fights, came when he stepped up to featherweight and went 12 hard rounds with Andy Morris in a stab at the British title. I thought Munroe was a bit unlucky that night. He threw a shipful of punches.
Now world-ranked among the super-bantams, the 28-year-old champion is on the cusp of a world title shot and must be fancied to work his way to another decision over Martinez, although it might be closer this time.
Salford's Jamie Moore receives a long-overdue shot at the European light-middleweight title against Italy's Michele Piccirillo for the vacant title in Wigan on March 6.
Southpaw Moore, the mandatory challenger, was messed around by former holder Zaurbek Baysangurov of Russia, who agreed to defend against him several times in this country but cried off each time and finally decided to relinquish. It was a case of opportunities lost for the talented, 30-year-old Moore; Baysangurov got himself stopped by mediocre American Cornelius Bundrage in Germany just before Christmas.
Enter Piccirillo, a slick, clever, vastly experienced man with 50 wins in his 55 fights but also a serious hint of decay. The 39-year-old was good enough to hold the IBF title in his welterweight heyday seven years ago but lost it to American star Cory Spinks - a southpaw like Moore - and moved up to light-middleweight, where he has never quite hit the heights again. Ricardo Mayorga outscored him over 12 rounds for the vacant WBC title in the States in 2005 and Vernon Forrest halted him in 11 for the same title two years later, also in the States.
A pro since 1992, Piccirillo continues to pile up the non-title wins and he stopped Moore's big domestic rival Michael Jones of Liverpool in 12 rounds in January 2007 (in Italy). He is certainly experienced enough - and good enough - to make this a close, competitive affair but heavy handed Jamie, who cleaned up the domestic scene to secure this shot, including a thrilling knockout of Matt Macklin, looks a bit too young and powerful. On home turf he comes on strong to force a deserved decision.
Kelly "Ghost" Pavlik makes his first appearance since Bernard Hopkins handed him a humiliating points defeat last October in Atlantic City when he meets Mexico's Marco Antonio Rubio in Youngstown, Ohio, on February 21.
At stake are Pavlik's WBC & WBO middleweight titles.
Pavlik, who hails from the gritty Youngstown and is hugely popular, lost a few fans against the ageing but slippery Hopkins (up at light-heavyweight) and also his unbeaten record after 35 fights (30 big wins by knockout). The 26-year-old Pavlik received a harsh 12-round lesson in blocking and counterpunching from the 43-year-old Philadelphian who had lost to Joe Calzaghe in his previous fight. God, Kelly looked awful!
Rubio suffered a nightmare defeat himself a few years ago when Ghana's unheralded Kofi Jantuah despatched him in 33 seconds in Las Vegas in September 2004. One left hook accounted for poor Rubio who has been forced to rebuild and won 16 of his 18 fights since (13 early). The 28-year-old Rubio is rugged, sharp and heavy handed. He may have been caught cold by Jantuah. His best work, however, looks to have been done in the light-middleweight division.
One presumes Pavlik will be smarting after the total Hopkins embarrassment. Whisper it quietly but the "Ghost" right now is more "Casper". At home this represents a quick chance for Kelly to blur the memory.
A cracking 12-rounder on the Khan-Barrera (we hope) bill in Manchester pairs tall, sharpshooting Bradley Pryce with stocky, body punching Matthew Hall for the Commonwealth light-middleweight title. Pryce holds the belt, the 'proper' belt.
The Welshman from Joe Calzaghe's hometown of Newbridge, trained by Joe's father Enzo, won the title with a dazzling 12-round decision over Ghana's dangerous Ossie Duran in March 2006 and has since retained it six times (four of them by stoppage) to show you what a good, talented, punishing champion he is.
Manchester's Hall, however, looks like a pretty punishing fighter himself at 21-1 (14) and comes off four stoppage wins in a row. "Little Bull" is strong, aggressive and powerful - he thumps the ambition out of the opposition. The 24-year-old will also want to make amends for a shock first-round defeat he suffered at the hands of Leicester's unsung Martin Concepcion in July 2007, the same Concepcion poleaxed in three rounds by Pryce just three months later.
The champion obviously represents a step up in class for Hall, a step too far, in my opinion. Pryce, one of those quintessential boxer-punchers, looks too slick, quick, experienced and clever. His counters force a stoppage in the middle rounds.