WBO titlist and top jr. welterweight Timothy Bradley will eventually face off against uncrowned WBA titlist Marcos Maidana in a great matchup on HBO that should establish the winner as the number one fighter in the division, now that Manny Pacquiao is campaigning full-time at welterweight. Maidana was originally the frontrunner to face off against Devon Alexander, but for undisclosed reasons (perhaps issues dealing with Don King), that fight is off and Alexander is now without an opponent for the summer. Hopefully HBO can convince their bosses, Golden Boy Promotions, to put up the Golden Goose, Amir Khan, against Alexander and maybe we can have a unification match with the winner of Bradley-Maidana at years end.
Don't Blink Just Yet;, Wladmir Klitschko and David Haye Coming Your Way
Last year, Haye was able to back out of a fight with not only Wladmir Klitschko, but big brother Vitali as well, opting to face the heavyweight yeti, Nikolai Valuev, to win a title. Most recently, Haye knocked out former champion John Ruiz. Now, talks have renewed for a summer showdown between the two champions and a fight is looking very likely, especially after Wladimir Klitschko went out his way to give Haye a taste of his own medicine, calling him a bitch and challenging him in this viral video. Although Klitschko has a long overdue mandatory fight with Alexander Povetkin and Haye might be mandated to fight Valuev again, expect both of those fights to be put on hold and an announcement to be made shortly for the much more interesting Klitschko-Haye showdown.
The Hard Luck of Ali Funeka
It was recently reported that Ali Funeka failed a post-fight drug test, for the diuretic known as hydrochlorothiazide, and will now face a suspension up to a year. Funeka just can't catch a break. Both Nate Campbell and Joan Guzman came in overweight against him and he's 0-2-1 in his last three fights as a result. Although you can't blame Funeka for Campbell and Guzman not coming in shape for their fights with him, he sure as hell has nobody to blame for taking a banned substance.
Potshot Picks
Kelly Pavlik vs. Sergio Martinez
In a fight that will be a matchup between a puncher and a tactician, expect the early rounds to tell the tale of the fight as Pavlik will stalk the smaller man while Martinez will use the ring and box. The real problem here is that Pavlik moves and punches in straight lines and Martinez is going to be too fast and too slick for the one-dimensional puncher. Give me Martinez by a lopsided decision.
Lucian Bute vs. Edison Miranda
If you're more technically skilled than Edison Miranda, you'll outbox him. If you have a good chin and are not intimidated by him, you'll knock him out. All Bute has to do is figure out what he wants to do and I think he'll score a knockout in the middle rounds.
Potshot Picks: 6-2
Parting Shots
While Jones-Hopkins II was long overdue and absolutely hideous to watch, it was the accumulation of a rematch 17 years in the making. Some other rivalries never had a final chapter and we were left with multiple scenarios. Could Marvin Hagler come back more focused and defeat Sugar Ray Leonard? Should Miguel Cotto settle the score with Antonio Margarito? Could Oscar De La Hoya rectify his defeat to Felix Trinidad? For this week's mailbag, I'm asking the fans, what rematch that never happened would you have wanted to see the most and who would win? Send all your questions and comments to dhoward@fighthype.com and next week, I'll pick out the best of the bunch.