"Who is the king of the Junior Welterweight division?" It's a question that many are likely asking after WBC & IBF champion Devon Alexander squeaked by Andriy Kotelnik this past Saturday night. The debate over the king of the division heated up in March after a well-timed uppercut from Alexander knocked Juan Urango senseless and left him without his IBF title. Up until then, WBO champion Tim Bradley was generally regarded as the best in the division. WBA champion Amir Khan has also risen up the rankings as he's tried to make us all forget about his first-round KO loss to Breidis Prescott nearly two years ago.
Following Bradley's less-than-stellar trip up to the Welterweight division, Alexander's struggle with Kotelnik, Khan's dominance of light-hitting opposition like Paulie Malignaggi, and Manny Pacquiao dropping his Jr. Welterweight lineal title, we've been left without a clear answer to the big question. Between Bradley, Khan, and Alexander, it has been hard to keep track of who has called out whom, or who made excuses as to why negotiations fell through or never happened.
The solution to this problem should be short and sweet. Just shut up and fight each other already. Bradley and Alexander seem to want to fight each other. The only problem is Bradley's self-perception of his earning and drawing power. Bradley has hosted his last three fights in Rancho Mirage, California, but hasn't exactly been blowing the doors off the Agua Caliente Casino when he does fight. If the fight is to happen, Bradley will most likely have to travel and fight in St. Louis or Las Vegas, all the while taking less money than he will most likely demand.
Khan, on the other hand, seems to be a more difficult case. Despite worthy opposition that actually fight at 140 pounds, Khan is dead set on a fight with Lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez. Marquez, as a Lightweight, has showed more holes in his defense, and looks a step slower, than the Marquez at Jr. Lightweight and Featherweight. After watching Marquez step up to Welterweight (albeit at a supposed 144-pound catchweight which was ignored by Floyd Mayweather), the desire to see Marquez near the 140-pound limit can't be very high. Amir Khan and the bosses at Golden Boy Promotions might be the select few that actually want to see Khan fight Marquez.
Perhaps the most frustrating roadblock to Khan matching up with Bradley or Alexander is the perception that Golden Boy wants to keep his fights in-house. If a fight with Marquez can't be solidified, some are expecting Khan to be matched with Golden Boy stablemate Victor Ortiz. While that fight could possibly produce fireworks, it would do little to nothing to solidify Khan's claims to the top spot in the division.
Khan's best option might be to fight Marcos Maidana, the WBA's interim champion and the man that he has been accused of ducking. Khan would be able to kill two birds with one stone in taking out Maidana. He would not have to share billing as the WBA champion and he would kill the talk that he is being protected from a guy that has knocked out 27 of the 28 men he has beaten.
Until these guys hold some kind of modified four-man tournament to settle the debate over the division's king, we won't really have an answer. Before 2011 comes to a close, we need to see Bradley vs. Alexander and Khan vs. Maidana, with the winners fighting each other for divisional supremacy. Until then, the Jr. Welterweight division will remain a platoon without a captain, as the soldiers run aimlessly picking second rate fights.