On the heels of Brandon Rios defending his title in spectacular fashion, stopping Urbano Antillon last Saturday, Bob Arum let out his hopes that Rios may be ready for Manny Pacquiao a year or two down the road. Arum also once said the same thing about the late Edwin Valero. Let it be known that no challenge is too big and no challenger too small to face off against Pacquiao, who is really on a roll in re-writing the definition of "pound for pound" in boxing. Considering that Rios is almost certainly moving up in weight soon, he'll have to survive the many fighters in the talented Jr. Welterweight division before he can even think about Pacquiao.
I know that Rios is an exciting fighter, but I honestly don't think he'll get past the elite fighters at 140 without a loss or two along the way. Rios was getting beaten up by Miguel Acosta until he wore him down late in the fight, but the fighters at 140 are more sturdier and talented than any of the top Lightweights right now. In the end though, by saying the names Rios and Pacquiao in the same sentence and suggesting a potential showdown, Arum got exactly what he wanted: even more exposure for his latest goldmine.
The Best of the Rest
How lame is Dan Goossen, ladies and gentlemen? During his latest damage control session in the wake of the Williams-Lara debacle last weekend, Goossen was more than comfortable citing his 12-year-old son, stating that the HBO commentators were too harsh on Williams because his son said so. In short, Goossen wants us to believe his 12-year-old son is a boxing authority.
Just when you thought we had had enough of David Haye and the Klitschkos, it looks like big brother Vitali is more than content to face Haye down the line to finish what little brother started. I can care less about David Haye, and I'll think very poorly of Vitali should he even bother with him after he beats up Tomasz Adamek this September.
People have started to talk about what's next for Erislandy Lara. The two most popular names I've heard are title fights against Cornelius Bundrage or Saul Alvarez. Considering that Alvarez and Lara are under the same stable, and Bundrage isn't looking to cash out against anybody, don't expect him in the ring for a belt anytime soon. My suggestion would be a rematch with Carlos Molina, who fought Lara to a draw and just pulled an upset of his own over Kermit Cintron that same Saturday.
Potshot Picks:
Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Likar Ramos
I don't expect Marquez to struggle too much with Ramos because Ramos is a club fighter who hasn't won a round against his best opponents. What will be interesting to see is how Marquez looks at 140 before he settles in at 145 for his November clash against Manny Pacquiao. Marquez by UD.
Danny Green vs. Antonio Tarver
Tarver is going to Green's hometown, coming DOWN in weight, and has been out of the ring for an entire year. Not to mention he's in his 40s and hasn't looked good in a while. If Hopkins can drop Tarver, then Green can too. Green won't need a hometown decision in this one as he drops and stops Tarver. Green by stoppage.
Potshot Picks is 17-3 year to date.
(Danny Howard can be reached at dhoward@fighthype.com, Twitter @DBHoward126, and Facebook.)
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