There has been plenty of talk about a proposed Middleweight title fight between Sergio Martinez and Miguel Cotto, and while I still think it's a smokescreen to distract the public of Top Rank's recycling of their fighters, I might be willing to take a leap of faith and say there is a chance. Cotto and Martinez are both returning in March with Martinez more than likely taking on a tune-up against the likes of Andy Lee and Cotto will more than likely face off against Pawel Wolak, since Wolak is too dangerous to match up against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Vanes Martirosyan.
A March doubleheader would set the stage for Martinez to take another fight in the summer, and Cotto would be free to pursue a rematch against Antonio Margarito as Bob Arum has planned. HBO has plans to make Cotto-Martinez a pay-per-view if it is to go through, but it is just as likely that should Cotto get past Wolak and Margarito, Top Rank will serve him up to Manny Pacquiao again in a fight that NOBODY wants to see. Let's hope logic prevails and we are treated to the possibility of a great fight.
Ready? Not! Dzinziruk vs. Cintron On Tap
Gary Shaw has promised lineal Junior Middleweight champion Sergei Dzinziruk network exposure and has lived up to his promise in airing his 11th round stoppage of Daniel Dawson last August on Showtime, his first fight in two years. Shaw is now moving Dzinziruk to HBO for a fight with "Superdiva" himself, Kermit Cintron. Cintron, who cameoed on an edition of our Milk Carton Confidential, has been inactive since his bizarre fight with Paul Williams last May, and is inexplicably finding himself in line for a title shot.
I have to admit, it's an intriguing match-up for us hardcore fans, but the relevancy of this fight is more suited for Friday Night Fights than HBO. The public will be subjected to endless replay's of Cintron's dive in the Williams fight, and nobody knows who Dzinziruk is, two factors that spell a ratings disaster for HBO or even Showtime (see John Chavez's article "Nielsen Media Television Ratings Reveal Weakening Pulse for U.S. Boxing" [http://fighthype.com/pages/content9021.html] for better clarification on the ratings). The fight hasn't been signed, but it'll more than likely end up as the co-feature to Martinez-Zbik this March.
Khan Gets My Credit, But...
I have to give it up to Amir Khan, who sputtered past the finishing line before Marcos Maidana did in their slugfest last weekend and rightfully earned the distinction of being a champion. With that being said, I'm sure Khan must've been pretty glad that Joe Cortez was refereeing the fight that night because Cortez gave Khan all the breaks he needed to weather Maidana's pressure late into the fight.
Cortez intervened in clinches nearly 40 times throughout the course of the fight and unjustly docked a point from Maidana in round five when he broke Maidana and Khan up, causing Maidana to spin and brush his elbow against Cortez's chest. This isn't new for Cortez, who practically mugged Ricky Hatton just as bad when Floyd Mayweather knocked him out in 2007. Khan may have still been able to beat Maidana otherwise, but it's good to know you have a guardian angel as your referee, isn't it?
Potshot Picks
Jean Pascal vs. Bernard Hopkins
The fact that Hopkins eagerly picked Pascal as an opponent should tell you that Hopkins likes the way he matches up against him, otherwise there'd be no fight. Problem is, Pascal has looked great in his last four fights and Hopkins has looked like garbage. Pascal, with a hand from Father Time, ends X's career by clear decision.