As reported earlier this week on FightHype, WBO Featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez and Rafael Marquez have come to an agreement, in principle, for a fight this coming September in what should be a hotly anticipated event. Lopez has to get past Bernabe Concepcion next month first, which will not be a walk in the park for him, and then he'll head to a stature-increasing bout against the more experienced, yet undersized two-division champion. Should this fight indeed happen, bet the under on this one.
You Can't Always Get What You Want
Considering all the success that the Super Six Super Middleweight Tournament has brought to the Showtime network, it only seemed like a matter of time before HBO would attempt a tournament type program of their own, involving the equally loaded Junior Welterweight division. The idea was further encouraged by current champions Devon Alexander, Timothy Bradley and Amir Khan, and believe me, it would be one hell of a round robin and much more exciting than Showtime's. The problem is that the division's top two fighters, Alexander and Bradley, can't even get each other to the negotiating table. The other champion, Khan, isn't even interested in fighting anybody from his own division. Let's just hope that this idea doesn't end up on the cutting room floor at HBO.
And Now A Message From The Idiots At The WBC
Boxing's worst run sanctioning body hit a two run homer out of the park this week with their almost belligerently stupid policies and cash-grab attempts. To start things off, the sanctioning body gave Jr. Middleweight and Middleweight champion Sergio Martinez a chance to keep only ONE title belt from that organization, despite the fact that Martinez has paid their horrendous sanctioning fees every time he's fought for a title. Secondly, WBC Chairman Jose Suliman proposed an idea, which I'm sure he'll think was an original, to stage a "World Cup of Boxing." Unfortunately, the Greeks beat him to this idea hundreds of years ago when they created the Olympics, but can't hate a man for trying, right?
Parting Shots
Tournament mania has enveloped boxing with the above mentioned possibility of a Junior Welterweight tournament, the currently ongoing Super Six tournament, as well as a proposed Cruiserweight Super Six on the way. My question is: Which division can produce the most intriguing tournament and who would your six participants be?
Email me at dhoward@fighthype.com or leave your responses below with a username and I'll pick the best for next week's column.