While venting his frustrations over Bob Arum's unwillingness to agree to terms put forth for a third bout between Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao, Oscar De La Hoya made a bold promise to his followers and boxing fans all over the world. "I love boxing so much that I'm going to promote till I die my fans I promise golden boy will deliver the best fights," he would post on his Twitter page late last night. He then followed that up with a plea to fellow promoters, writing, "It's ok no worries what's so ever.Lou dibella Gary shaw Artie pelulu star boxing etc.etc. Let's better the sport and make the best fights." It's a promise that we've heard before, and yet, somehow they still find a way to deliver main events not worth paying for (Hopkins vs. Jones II and Mosley vs. Mora come to mind) and undercard bouts that are simply mismatches to showcase their rising talent. With the new year right around the corner, let's just hope that Golden Boy's frustrations will inspire them to turn over a new leaf and truly work harder to give us the best fights possible. That being said, I'd like to take this time to propose a number of fights featuring Golden Boy fighters that I expect to see some time in 2011. Obviously, I'll leave out any potential matchups with Top Rank fighters, but if De La Hoya plans on delivering on his promise, then at least half, if not all, of these fights should be coming up in the very near future.
- Khan/Maidana Winner vs. Bradley/Alexander Winner
Remember that 140-pound tournament that promoter Gary Shaw suggested, but Golden Boy Promotions DID NOT want to participate in? Well, now that Oscar De La Hoya is committed to making the best fights, perhaps we'll finally get a chance to see the division come one step closer to being unified if they're truly willing to work with Shaw (should Bradley defeat Alexander) or Don King (should Alexander defeat Bradley) as opposed to matching their fighters in-house. There's no denying that the best fight at 140-pounds is a matchup between the winners of both bouts, so hopefully, De La Hoya will keep his promise. Of course, Richard Schaefer never made that promise, so there's no guarantee. - Saul Alvarez vs. Alfredo Angulo
As the saying goes, it's time to shit or get off the pot. With a record of 34-0-1 (which is sure to become 35-0-1 once he gets done thumping a blown-up Lovemore N'dou tomorrow night), it's time for Saul "Canelo" Alvarez to test himself against some more serious competition and Alfredo "Perro" Angulo is just the man to give him that test. Who cares if Angulo's career in the US is in limbo due to the fact that he was an illegal immigrant! A bout between Alvarez and Angulo, which is sure to produce fireworks, should take place in their native country of Mexico anyway, especially if Canelo is selling out fights and putting 15,000 butts in seats south of the border, as De La Hoya suggested. - Sergio Martinez vs. Winky Wright
Yeah, I know some of you have written off Wright, but contrary to popular belief, the guy can still fight. At age 39 (damn, really? 39?), he's no spring chicken, but the 35-year-old Martinez is no strapping young stud either. Granted, Wright lost a wide unanimous decision to Paul Williams, who subsequently got knocked the fudge out by Martinez, but styles make fights, and I think Wright will provide a different kind of look for Martinez than Williams did, and vice versa. If Martinez is looking for a tune-up, I'd much rather see him in with a supposedly "faded" future Hall of Famer than a barely-known Andy Lee, who himself got stopped by fringe contender Bryan Vera 2 years ago. Say what you will about Wright, but Martinez vs. Wright sounds a whole lot better than Martinez vs. Lee. Besides, for those of you who aren't big on Wright, you should be looking forward to Martinez silencing him like he did Paul Williams...assuming he can. - Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Erik Morales
We may not get to see that third bout with Manny Pacquiao, but this one might be just as exciting. Since coming back after a 3-year retirment, Morales may not be the same fighter that he once was, but he's still a difficult puzzle for any opponent to figure out. An impressive showing by Morales against Jorge Barrios (another Golden Boy fighter) on December 18 would go a long way in helping the promotion of the bout between the only two Mexican legends that have yet to face each other. Not to mention, they're the last two fighters that have given Pacquiao a run for his money, with Morales actually having a victory over the Filipino superstar, so you know that fact will play into the promotion of a bout that's got Cinco de Mayo weekend written all over it. - Bernard Hopkins vs. Chad Dawson
Yeah, I'm fully aware that Chad Dawson is coming off of a dreadful performance against Jean Pascal, but if my prediction holds true, Bernard Hopkins will also be coming off of an ugly performance against that same Pascal. Oh sure, Bernard might actually win the fight "in the eyes of most ringside viewers," but with the bout taking place in Pascal's backyard, it's doubtful that he'll get the nod on the scorecards. That being said, it's time for Hopkins to practice what he preaches and face a "slick African-American" style that he himself accused Manny Pacquiao of avoiding. - Victor Ortiz vs. Marcos Maidana
Assuming Maidana loses to Amir Khan, it's about time for this way overdue rematch to take place. Why it hasn't happened thus far is a mystery (although Victor would tell you it's because Maidana doesn't want it), but Ortiz deserves an opportunity at redemption, particularly since that fight, and his subsequent comments during the post-fight interview, have pretty much been the defining point of his career thus far. Their first fight was explosive, featuring 5 knockdowns between both fighters, and there's no reason to believe that the second fight will be any less exciting. - Andre Berto vs. Paulie Malignaggi
Don't be hatin' on Paulie. The boy can box, despite being shorted in the punching power department. If Paulie had any kind of pop on his punches, he might actually be a serious threat to any of the top fighters out there. Unfortunately, he doesn't, but that doesn't mean he still can't be a problem for those fighters who have yet to step up their level of competition. Enter Andre Berto, who has yet to fight anyone of real note despite being the WBC welterweight champion for the past 2 1/2 years. We've already seen that a guy with movement and boxing skills can give Berto some problems (Luis Collazo comes to mind), so it would be interesting to see if Malignaggi can duplicate those efforts or if Berto truly has separated himself from the "appetizers" of the division. Plus, with Malignaggi being an ex-DiBella fighter, there could be an added storyline assuming promotional free agent Berto sticks it out with his long-time promoter. - David Haye vs. Tomasz Adamek
Let's be honest, David Haye isn't going to be fighting either Klitschko brother any time soon. That being said, it's about time he actually fought some live competition. It says here that the WBA heavyweight champion will probably try to line up a rematch with newly-crowned WBA International heavyweight champion Jean Marc Mormeck, who Haye already defeated in 2007 via 7th round TKO when the two were still cruiserweights. If Haye does plan on fighting a fellow former cruiserweight, personally, I'd much rather see him square off against Tomasz Adamek, who took over the division when Haye departed it before moving up to heavyweight himself. Adamek is far more likely to force Haye into a real fight than Mormeck, and that's something that Haye and his suspect chin hasn't been in since making the move to heavyweight.
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