LAS CRUCES, N.M. – And you thought it was flat and dark on a nighttime drive from Phoenix to Tucson? The current view from I-10 East: Indian reservations, 18-wheelers, dust and an unobstructed view of where the sky touches the road. It is not picturesque. Still, you can understand the metaphorical appeal; a boundless expanse that enchants wandering souls.

There’s lots of time to think out here. Lots to think about, too. For boxing fans, Saturday brought a pleasant surprise worth treating. So let us.

All indications are that Floyd “Money” Mayweather will make a welterweight title match with “Sugar” Shane Mosley on May 1 at MGM Grand. Your reaction to this announcement passes for a litmus test. If you smile, shake your head and say “I never thought Mayweather’d do it, but I’m glad he did!” you’re capable of an objective view, despite Mayweather’s shenanigans. If you can’t pass even a smidgeon of begrudging admiration Mayweather’s way, though, you might be everything “Money’s” obnoxious fans say you are.

Chemist, reveal thy composition.

I will by way of a confession and a pledge. The confession? Back in December when 15rounds.com’s intrepid editor Marc Abrams sent a questionnaire that included “Fight you’d most like to see in 2010,” I didn’t choose Pacquiao-Mayweather. That fight won our survey, of course. But I chose Mosley-Mayweather and meant it.

Shane Mosley presents a more complicated challenge to Floyd Mayweather. There’s a good chance that if 2010’s most-demanded fight had happened – if it does yet happen – Mayweather would retreat to the ropes, take away much of the leap in Pacquiao’s left cross, solve Pacquiao’s timing, pop him with short rights, threaten him with a high left elbow, and then hold him till half the television sets in Manila were switched off in disgust. None of that plays with Mosley.

Mosley’s style is not complex as his speed makes it look. But it’s plenty complex. It’s also a style employed by a fighter that has seen every defense there is and knows that, often as not, physicality wins the day. Or as “Mad Men’s” Don Draper thought to put it: “At a certain point seduction is over, and force is actually being requested.”

Mosley understands force. And he will not be surprised by Mayweather’s reflexes. Mayweather, though, might be surprised by Mosley’s fearlessness. However underestimated Mayweather’s strength might be, there’s no chance it’s greater than Antonio Margarito’s. You saw how Mosley manhandled him.

Whatever the fighters’ history over the last decade, today Mosley offers Mayweather his best chance at redemption. But how in the world did a former multi-divisional champ with a 40-0 record come to require redemption? Steadily.

Whenever things first kicked-off and the name Floyd got switched to “Fraud” by a writer or two, doubts really got rolling round the time of the Carlos Baldomir fight. Mayweather bought his way out of a contract with promoter Top Rank and forwent a lucrative offer to fight Margarito – then the WBO welterweight champion – to face Baldomir instead. The fight was dreadful.

Then came the fight to save boxing with Oscar De La Hoya – a made-for-TV event that launched HBO’s “24/7” franchise and revealed Mayweather as thoroughly unlikable. Not unlikable in the professional-wrestling-heel sense so much as in the kid-who-shoplifts-a-candy-bar sense. Mayweather delighted in his own cleverness and originality while stringing together hip-hop clichés. Afterwards he retired. Then he came back. Then he retired.

Boxing fans realized they didn’t miss him. But he came back again anyway. He chose the lightweight champion for his welterweight return. He made no effort to weigh 144 pounds – as Golden Boy Promotions had promised he would – and looked three weight classes larger than Juan Manuel Marquez by the time the opening bell rang. But then Mayweather ran into R.A. the Rugged Man, a Long Island emcee, and got thoroughly outclassed on the radio; Rugged Man ran a check on Money’s credit and found him wanting.

The end of negotiations for a fight with Manny Pacquiao, combined with rumored invitations issued to junior welterweights, were the last confirmation Mayweather’s myriad of critics needed. Mayweather stood on the precipice of irrelevance, three years or so from a VH1 reality series like “Where’s my ‘Money’?”

But an earthquake struck Haiti, and the WBC’s Haitian-American titlist Andre Berto suddenly had to withdraw from his welterweight unification bout with Shane Mosley. And with Mosley and Mayweather sharing the same promoter and both available in the spring, well, redemption presented itself – cornering Mayweather. To his credit, Mayweather has met the challenge.

That brings us to the pledge. If he makes this fight with Mosley at the welterweight limit and beats him, however he does it, I’ll give Mayweather nothing but praise. I praise him today just for agreeing to the fight.

Mosley will turn 39 this year and might well be an old man by the time May 1 arrives. So be it. The assumption we must make is that Mosley is the same beast that went directly through Margarito a year ago. That also must be the assumption under which Mayweather signed, and now prepares, for this fight. Mosley is the sort of relentless body-puncher against whom making a “boring fight” would be a mark of excellence. If Mayweather makes May 1 dull, in other words, he’ll deserve our admiration.

If something happens to preclude this fight, though, scorn will be the order of the day. There likely won’t be press conferences or future “24/7” episodes enough to restore Mayweather’s standing.

The kids’ll forgive you, Money. A smug sound bite, a tour of the Big Boy Mansion, another roll of Benjamins unfurled at an HBO camera, Uncle Roger explaining why you’re better than Sugar Ray Robinson – they’ll get the job done. But remember, kids don’t write history. Adults do. And the adults are now gathered and watching closely. Your ultimate legacy is in the offing.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter.com/bartbarry

The elements are all there for rising welterweight prospect Raymond Serrano to become a boxing star. The former amateur standout has the look, he’s just 20-years-old, comes from a fighting family, fights at the prominent welterweight class and oh yeah, he’s from Philadelphia. Serrano, a gifted boxer-puncher, tests his wares before the world tonight in the ESPN2-televised co-feature from the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino in Reno, Nevada.

Serrano (11-0, 6 KOs) was introduced to the sport of boxing by his father Ramon at an early age. “My dad used to compete as an amateur in Puerto Rico,” explained Serrano. “He got me into it and started training me when I was young, like eight-years-old.” Raymond’s uncle Ben Serrano also boxed professionally, notably defeating eventual titlist Doug DeWitt during a 21-fight career. Additionally, current junior middleweight contender Kermit Cintron is Ben’s nephew by marriage.

Despite the boxing bloodlines, Raymond did not inherit a love for the sport right off the bat. “When I first started boxing, I didn’t really like it,” admits Serrano. “I never wanted to fight.” Perhaps what began to change the young Serrano’s attitude toward the sport was his success. By 2005, the 16-year-old Serrano was making his mark on the national amateur scene. In June and July of that year, Brownsville, Texas played host to both the National and International Junior Olympic Championships, and Serrano won gold in both.

“That was one of the best experiences as an amateur,” said Serrano, recalling his Junior Olympic victories. “I went to a lot of tournaments before that, and made it to the championships and lost. I was determined to win the Junior Olympics, because the year before that I had won the bronze. I wasn’t that happy, so I came back the next year and won gold. It was a happy moment. After that I started traveling with the USA team and I learned a lot from that experience.”

While he went on to gain many accomplishments in the unpaid ranks, including a bronze at the World Cadet Championships in England in 2005 and a Pennsylvania Golden Gloves title in 2006, Serrano began to sour on the amateur game. The change in his outlook was due in part to the much maligned amateur scoring system. “There were a lot of fights that I thought I won, but because of the computer scoring I didn’t,” explains Serrano. “It is hard to fight four rounds and then they say you lost by one point, it is crazy. I went to the Under 19 [Championships], and I fought in the championship and lost, which I thought I won. Then I went to the Eastern Trials and lost by a couple of points. After that, I think I was 17 or 18, I decided to turn pro.”

While his three-point loss to Anthony Walker at the Eastern Trials in May of 2007 marked his final amateur contest, the controversial computerized scoring was not the only reason the young Serrano decided to make the leap to the pros. “I had over 100 fights, and I stopped getting excited when it came time for the amateur fights,” admits Serrano. “I decided I needed some excitement, so it came time to turn pro.”

That October, Serrano made his pro debut inside a hallowed Philadelphia sporting landmark, the Spectrum, making short work of Tierre King. However, it was not until his second pro contest that Serrano came to the realization of what it means to be a professional fighter. “I fought Jorge Delgado, and he had a lot of fights,” recalls Serrano. “It was my first time being in a fight and going the full four-rounds.” Serrano took the four-round unanimous decision. “That was a wake up call that it is not a game. You’ve got to train hard. It is not like the amateurs, because it is important that you don’t get any losses. The guy was tough too, he was a veteran.”

Early in his pro run, Serrano soon assembled the team that supports and prepares him to this day. Prominent promotional outfit Star Boxing, headed by Joe DeGuardia, took an early interest in Serrano and inked the young prospect. “In this business, if you don’t have someone looking out for you, no one will,” says Serrano. “And I have someone looking out for me. We got a good thing going on with Star Boxing, they are good people.”

Besides joining forces with a promoter, Serrano and his father brought in a new trainer, Danny Davis. “I knew Danny since the amateurs,” says Serrano. “We used to have Danny come give me pads in the amateurs. After my second or third fight, we brought Danny into our team. He is great.” Davis, who won a National Golden Glove title in 1991, has worked alongside Nazim Richardson, Freddie Roach and John David Jackson in the camps of Bernard Hopkins.

In addition to his experience working with the most renowned trainers and as a fighter himself, it is Davis’ approach to training that has left an indelible impression on his young pupil. “He goes out there and runs with me, and he pushes me,” says Serrano of his extremely fit trainer. “He doesn’t just tell me what to do, he actually does the workouts with me.”

Any rising young fighter could get caught up in his own hype, but Davis is not afraid bring his charge’s feet back down to sea level. “Somebody has to be grounded, and that’s me. I am the bad guy,” says Davis. “He has the people who tell him he’s great and he is this and that. I am the one that has to keep everything honest, and I do, and he respects me for that.”

In his most recent fight, Serrano moved to 11-0, but not with out some trials and tribulations. Serrano took on journeyman Anthony Bowman on November 21st in Tunica, Mississippi. The time comes in every fighter’s career that he must show he can overcome obstacles and adversity. Serrano was unexpectedly dropped by Bowman in the opening round. Although he was not hurt from the flash knockdown, a two-point round is huge in a six-round bout, and thus Serrano was behind the eight ball. Making matters worse, a headbutt had opened a cut on Serrano before the first round came to a close.

Serrano rose to the challenge, evening the score by knocking Bowman down in the following round, en route to a six-round unanimous decision victory. “My last fight, I didn’t look as good as I normally do,” admits Serrano. “But that is why I went back to the drawing board and trained harder for my fight coming up on ESPN. I also got cut, and that was my first time getting cut.”

Serrano’s trainer believes that the near slip-up against Bowman may be serving Serrano well. “He is back in the gym and I am seeing him really focused, more so than ever, and I have been with him for two years,” said Davis from camp last week. “Sometimes it takes a fight like that. I think that fight did something to him. This is a matter of life and death. I always tell him we have to treat it as such, and that it is a dangerous sport. You don’t know if you are going to come out or not. You have to take it serious.”

Serrano showed he could overcome adversity in his last fight, but his team will not rush their budding 20-year-old prospect. “He is turning into a more complete fighter, but we still have a long ways to go,” said Davis, who would like to give Serrano two or three more years before he tackles the upper echelon of the always tough 147-pound welterweight class. “He just turned 20, so people have to understand he’s still young. He is learning, and he is doing a lot of things better than two years ago when we first started. So I am definitely seeing the progress.

Next up for Serrano is an ESPN2 televised eight-rounder against venerable southpaw Ronnie Warrior Jr., tonight at the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino in Reno, Nevada. Warrior (13-2-1, 4 KOs) of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma is coming off of a two-plus-year layoff and may not have the most imposing record, but Serrano has learned from past mistakes. “I don’t know that much about him,” admits Serrano. “He’s a southpaw and he’s like an inch taller than me. I know not to take anybody lightly though, so I am ready for whatever.”

“This is a great opportunity for Raymond to once again showcase his growing skills on the national stage,” said Serrano’s promoter DeGuardia. “This will be his first scheduled eight rounder, and his first nationally televised co-feature, and he is still only 20-years-old.” DeGuardia has high hopes for him, but understands that it is one step at a time, “Ray has a very exciting crowd-pleasing style, and we expect him to have a very big year in 2010, but first he must get by Warrior on the 29th.”

Raymond Serrano appears ready to meet and possibly exceed everyone’s expectations, adding another chapter to his family’s boxing history. “I want to look good and show people what I got,” said Serrano. “You will be seeing me move up the ladder. My goal is to be champion of the world.”

Photo by Mark Ortega

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

It’s not exactly a comeback. Kevin Barry never really left. Home has always been in a corner, no matter how obscure. It’s just that the lights are beginning to brighten again for Barry at a post that has cornered a special place in his heart.

“Boxing is the love of my life,’’ Barry said.

That life, like marriage, tested Barry with familiar controversies, starting with his 1984 Olympic silver medal won in a disqualification of eventual heavyweight champ Evander Holyfield and including a split with David Tua in the courts of his native New Zealand.

Barry wasn’t sure he ever wanted to venture back toward the biggest stage, which in boxing can be as upside-down as the Down-Under in his homeland. In fact, he needed some convincing. But he’s glad he listened to a persuasive Beibut Shumenov (8-1, 6 KOs), a light-heavyweight from Kazakhstan who will have Barry in his corner Friday night in a Fox-televised rematch of his disputed loss by majority decision to World Boxing Association champion Gabriel Campillo (19-2, 6 KOs) of Spain at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas.

Initially, Barry wasn’t interested. He was content and busy in Las Vegas, training kick boxers, mixed-martial-arts fighters, kids who hope to box and old guys who think they still can. But Shumenov, also a Las Vegas resident, proved to be irresistible, perhaps because Barry saw some of himself in a 26-year-old fighter who decided to go pro three years after fighting for Kazakhstan at the 2004 Olympics.

“I actually had him work with a few young fighters of my own some time ago,’’ said Barry, who grew up in the in Christchurch on New Zealand’s south island and has been living in Las Vegas since 2004. “So I saw him early on. I saw the strength, the power, the hand speed. He had all the makings of a good fighter. He’s a real physical specimen. Very quick. Very explosive.’’

Also very smart and very sure of what he wants, Barry says.

“Over the last couple of months that I’ve spent with him, I found out so much more about the man,’’ Barry said. “He is so disciplined. He really lives the life of a professional athlete.’’

It’s a commitment that might have been forged during his years away from boxing, a sabbatical that also explains his record of only nine fights. The self-managed Shumenov worked as a businessman in Kazakhstan after the 2004 Games, Barry said.

“I’m not sure a lot of people know, but he is a lawyer in Kazakhstan,’’ Barry said. “He’s very intelligent. It’s really a privilege to work with somebody who has actually got something in the top six inches. You’re not having to beat it into him, day in and day out. He makes small adjustments. He does his homework. He corrects flaws. He’s a pleasure to work with.’’

Still, it’s early. Bright lights can blind with self-imposed, often unforeseen pressures. Then, there’s always that one, unseen punch that can scramble the top six inches of the best and the brightest.

“Of course, when the lights go on and the bell sounds on live TV, sometimes things change,’’ Barry says.

In 1984, they changed for Barry. Barry never got a chance to fight for the light-heavyweight’s gold medal. Silver was the color of consolation. Holyfield was repeatedly warned for hitting on the break. When the referee yelled break, Holyfield landed a flurry of combinations that put Barry on the canvas, knocked out and out of the gold-medal bout. That was the end of Barry’s career, at least inside the ropes. Twenty-six years later, the 50-year-old trainer has no regrets.

In some ways, he says his unique moment in Olympic history led to friendships and created opportunities that continue to this day.

He became friendly with Holyfield, although he is saddened that the ex-champion continues to fight. Holyfield’s bout with Frans Botha in Uganda, scheduled for Feb. 20, was canceled Thursday because the promised money came with no guarantees. There are reports that it will be re-scheduled, possibly for March 6 in Miami.

“It’s sad,’’ said Barry, who believes Holyfield is damaging his legacy. “He’s fighting, but as a shadow of the great fighter he was. That’s the sad part.’’

In the controversy immediately following the 1984 Olympics, there was an offer that might have made a difference in Barry’s life. A Barry-Holyfield rematch as pros was discussed. But the deal never came together, Barry said. He went home to New Zealand where, he said, “there wasn’t a lot of love for Americans’’ because of the Olympic controversy.

Meanwhile, pro boxing just wasn’t an opportunity in New Zealand in 1984. Eight years later, that changed with David Tua, a bronze medalist at the 1992 Barcelona Games. Tua was washing dishes in an Auckland restaurant when Barry decided to approach him with an offer.

“In my day, that just wasn’t there, not in New Zealand,’’ said Barry, who added that he lacked power, yet was quick and had a terrific jab. “Then, there wasn’t anybody who could put together a professional package to make it work.’’

Tua’s power and entertaining Down-Under persona became an immediate hit in the U.S. that was punctuated by explosive stoppages of John Ruiz and Michael Moorer. But he fell short of a major title in disappointing performance against Lennox Lewis. Barry and Tua were together for 12 years before they headed to divorce court in messy proceedings that lasted six years. The case was finally resolved in October.

“In the position I was, I had pretty much given up at getting back to the highest level in boxing,’’ Barry said. “Even so, things had gotten a lot better. But then this happened with Beibut. I feel extraordinarily privileged. It’s rejuvenated my life. I just feel very lucky.’’

Lucky enough, perhaps, to also be in the corner for his first fighter with a major title, the only thing missing in the home his heart has always occupied.

NOTES, QUOTES

· Phoenix 17-year-old Jose Benavidez Jr., 1-0 after winning a stoppage a couple of weeks ago in Las Vegas, was back in his hometown a week ago after an impressive debut in his 10-fight deal with Top Rank. As a high school senior, he still needs time and bouts to prove he is a true prospect. But he already has captured the imagination of a Phoenix community that hasn’t had real boxing star since Hall of Famer Michael Carbajal. Kids stood in line at Central Boxing for nearly two hours just to get an autograph from Benavidez, who resumed training in Los Angeles at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym in anticipation of a possible appearance on the Manny-Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey undercard March 13 in Dallas.

· If he could do it over, Pacquiao probably would never have posed like a body-builder in those photos that are all over the internet. One look and it’s hard not to think about Floyd Mayweather Sr.’s allegations about performance enhancers.

· And speaking of second thoughts, Wizard guards Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton flashed guns in a NBA locker room for a Washington franchise which used to be called the Bullets.

Whether it’s in the ring or the kitchen Carlos “El Olímpico” Tamara 21-4(15) has been cooking up a storm of late. Last week the Columbian went to The Philippines and as a heavy underdog scored the best win of his career sensationally knocking out home favourite Brian Viloria to claim the IBF Light Flyweight title in the final round whilst narrowly behind on points. Now back in his adopted home of North Bergen, NJ made famous by former Heavyweight champion James J Braddock. He’s enjoying life and hoping to do just the same as Braddock and provide a better life for his family. He may only weight 108 pounds but Tamara certainly doesn’t starve himself when not in camp. The mighty mite who by his own admission loves to spend time in the kitchen cooking knock out food for all the family. It’s just one of a number of things he does to care for his family. To go on the road to another country the other side of the world and win a world title and in dramatic fashion says a lot about a fighter and you get the impression that this is just the beginning of what may just be another Cinderella story. James J Braddock would be proud.

Hello Carlos, welcome to 15rounds.com

Anson Wainwright – Firstly congratulation’s on winning the IBF Light Flyweight. What can you tell us about that fight?

Carlos Tamara – Thank You. It was a very hard fight and a fight that I knew shortly after I signed the contract that I would have to be in the best shape of my life and I was not wrong about that. Viloria is a very, very, very good fighter and very strong.

Anson Wainwright – Looking back how proud do you feel now about that win? Have you received any congratulations as yet from your homeland?

Carlos Tamara – I feel very proud and I have to thank my team. (Butch Sanchez, Angel De Jesus, Nelson Fernandez and my promoter Universal and it’s president Javier Bustillo) Yes, I have gotten a lot of phone calls from my country and they are all waiting for me to go back so they can congratulate me in person and give me a giant party.

Anson Wainwright – It’s always tough to go on the road and take the title you did this and showed a huge heart by stopping a great champion Viloria late in the twelfth. This is likely something that has been instilled in your from a young age. Can you tell us a bit about growing up in Columbia and how it took you on your path into Boxing?

Carlos Tamara – Thank You it was a great opportunity and Viloria gave me that opportunity and I thank him for that and hopefully he will come back and show everyone why he is one of the best in this business. It’s funny you ask me about how it was instilled from a young age by my mother and father and they did the same when we moved from Sincelejo to Barranquilla when I was 12 and that opened the path for my boxing because when I got to Barranquilla for 3 years I was getting beat up by kids so I decided I better learn something QUICK or they going to kill me and I took up boxing.

Anson Wainwright – You had a very impressive amateur career that saw you fight in the 2004 Olympics can you tell us about this experience? What titles you won in the amateur’s and what your final record was?

Carlos Tamara – Never thought I could get there as an amateur but my silver medals in the Pan Am Games got me to the Olympics and I was very happy but back then I did not think I could win a medal or even place. I won my first fight and I thought I won my second fight but the judges and the point system did not favour me.

Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us who your team is your manager/trainer & promoter and where you regularly train?

Carlos Tamara – My team is Butch Sanchez and Angel De Jesus my main trainers, my manager is Nelson Fernandez and he oversees all of the training and strategy for training and the fights and my promoter is Universal Promotions in Ponce, Puerto Rico. We train five days a week at the Bergen County PAL in Hackensack, New Jersey and when we are close to fight day we train 6 days. For the Viloria fight we trained even on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day there were no breaks for that fight.

Anson Wainwright – You live in New Jersey now, what brought about you moving from Columbia?

Carlos Tamara – Needed to be here in the USA were the purses were more lucrative and the training a lot better, sparring and everything is a lot better in the USA.

Anson Wainwright – What do you like to do away from Boxing?

Carlos Tamara – I like to write and listen to music and I’m an excellent cook as well maybe someday you can come over and I will make you a nice Bandeja Paisa.
.

A dish from Antioquia, it is made with several ingredients making necessary to use a platter (Bandeja in Spanish, hence the name). it is made of beans, rice, fried eggs, chorizo pork rinds and other ingredients.
As well as my family’s specialty TAMALES.
A corn “cake” is wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed. They can be filled with everything from chicken, potatoes, peas, carrots, to rice. Many consider the Tamales from Tolima, which are made with a female pig, a roast pig, to be the best.

Anson Wainwright – Though you have only just won the title. What do you hope to be able to achieve with the title?

Carlos Tamara – Be able to give my family a nicer house and a better life for my 2 daughters, my mother, my father and my 5 siblings.

Anson Wainwright – Who’s the best fighter you have fought in either the pro’s or amateur’s and why? How did the fight go?

Carlos Tamara – THE VERY BEST WITHOUT A DOUBT BRIAN THE HAWAIIAN PUNCH VILORIA – HE IS AWESOME!

Anson Wainwright – What do you make of the other champions at 108 WBC Rodel Mayol, former opponent WBA Giovanni Segura & WBO Ivan Calderon?

Carlos Tamara – They are all extremely good and that is the reason they are World Champions – Rodel Mayol paid his dues and had a few cracks at the title and finally did it – I like that! Giovanni Segura, a good fighter, very strong, very intelligent, tremendous team and very respectful champion. Ivan Calderon “the very best of all times” when we all get old and a little heavier we are going to then appreciate his talents, determination and domination of this weight division – FUTURE HALL OF FAME! My manager’s favourite fighter of all times!

Anson Wainwright – Who was your hero growing up?

Carlos Tamara – My mother and father who always gave us everything! Even if times were bad we had a good life.

Anson Wainwright – Do you have a message for your fans in North Bergen, NJ & back in Columbia? Also do you have a message for Brian Viloria who was hurt after the fight?

Carlos Tamara – Thank You so much for all of the support everyone has given me in the past and present and hopefully in the future. We tried to go and visit him in the hospital in Manila and his manager Gary Gittelsohn told us that was not necessary because he was OK and that he was going to make sure that we were concerned with his well being. Brian Viloria is a TREMENDOUS FIGHTER and he should stick to this game and I can guarantee that he will again become World Champion – he is AWESOME.

Congratulations again & thanks for your time.

Thank You very much for the time and the great questions.

Anson Wainwright
15rounds.com

On Saturday 13 February Frank Warren presents “The Night of the Champions” from Wembley Arena in London. In total 9 bouts are currently scheduled. With Nathan Cleverly, Kevin Mitchell, Danny Williams featuring in title action plus an Olympic Gold medallist as well as World Amateur champion & several of the top prospects..

In one of the three headline bouts Wales Nathan Cleverly 18-0(8) attempt to add the vacant European Light Heavyweight crown his British & Commonwealth titles. He will square off with the tough experienced Italian Antonio Brancalion 32-7-2(8).

It promises to be another step up in class for Maths student Cleverly who will be looking to take the title just days before his 23 birthday. The fight was originally due to take place in Italy as Brancalion’s backers had won the purse bid but when the proposed date fell through the fight was added to this already impressive bill.

Cleverly told Frankwarrentv “I’m really excited about this fight because it’s a step up. In 2008 i won the Commonwealth title, in 2009 it was the British and in 2010 hopefully it’ll be the European”

For his part Brancalion 33, will be hoping it’s third time lucky having come up short for the same title against Stipe Drews on points 2006 & in his last fight in June 2009 when he was stopped in one by Juergen Braehmer. Interestingly both Drews & Braemher soon after went onto win world titles.

Popular local Kevin “The Dagenham Destroyer” Mitchell 30-0(22) will be looking to build on his emphatic win over former Amir Khan conqueror Breidis Prescott when he makes the first defence of the WBO Inter Continental Lightweight title against dangerous Columbian Ignacio Mendoza 27-5-2(18).

For Eastender Mitchell it’s a chance to keep busy and maintain his lofty place as WBO number one contender and hopefully get a title opportunity before the years out against either modern day great Juan Manuel Marquez who maintains the honour of full champion though he seems likely to look else where leaving Interim holder Michael Katsidis who is no stranger to a British ring as a very possible future foe for Mitchell.

Mendoza has once previously fought on British shours when he lost an eighth round technical decision to current British Lightweight champion John Murray back in 2005.

In what could be a changing of the guard fight between two Londoners. Danny “The Brixton Bomber” Williams 41-8(31) makes a defence of his British Heavyweight crown against Derek “Del Boy” Chisora 11-0(6).

This fight was originally due last summer before Chisora inexplicably bit Paul Butlin and received a ban that meant the fight was cancelled. However when Sam Sexton pulled out Chisora stepped up to the mantle.

Williams who at 36 is 10 years older than his opponent came up with an amusing anecdote when he told franwarrentv ” Chisora has got a repuation as a bit of a biter, but then so did Mike Tyson and look what happened to him”

Williams has already said that no matter what the result this will be his last fight before he retires. Maybe Williams has one last chapter to add to a storied career that has seen him win British & Commonwealth titles, stun the world when he KO’d Mike Tyson and fight Vitali Klitschko for the WBC Heavyweight title.

The rest of the undercard is made up of 2007 World Championship winner “Funtime” Frankie Gavin who’ll be looking to take improve his 5-0(5) record against grizzled vet Peter McDonagh 14-15(2) who has only been stopped once in those loses & is less than a year from having fought Lenny Daws for the British title.

2008 Olympic Gold medallist James “Chunky” Degale 5-0(3) also gets his 2010 campaign off and running with his first fight in his home town when he takes on Matthew Barr 14-5(6).

Also returning to action are the 3 Walsh Brothers. Liam 6-0(5) fights at Lightweight, while twin brother Ryan 8-0(3) see’s action down at Featherweight. Leaving elder brother Michael 6-0(6) a former ABA champion to fight at super Bantamweight. Opponents will be announced nearer the time.

Kevin Mitchell’s younger brother 22 year old Vinny 11-0(2) rounds out the show at Super Featherweight. No opponent is know as yet.

Ticket are priced at £40, £50, £75, £100 and £150.

They are available at 0871 220 0260 www.seetickets.com & from the venue 0844 815 0815 www.wembleyarena.co.uk.

Before you put all your money on the single toss of Yuriorkis Gamboa over Juan Manuel Lopez in a featherweight superfight, consider this: Gamboa just razed a guy with 13 losses coming up (or not) from a weight class below; Lopez just rose four pounds to take the WBO belt from a titlist with one career loss. Sobriety is warranted.

But not much. Gamboa’s ruination of Rogers Mtagwa in their WBA featherweight title tilt at Madison Square Garden’s theater, Saturday, was a good show. It was improved by Gamboa’s needing only 5 1/2 minutes to stop Mtagwa, a feat Lopez didn’t pull off in 36.

Lopez, for his part, was not idle. In the main event of HBO’s “Boxing After Dark” doubleheader, “Juanma” outfought Steven Luevano to claim a second title in as many weight classes, stopping the veteran Californian at 0:44 of round seven.

The more telegenic display belonged to Gamboa. Every time he saw Mtagwa’s right shoulder twitch for a cross, Gamboa fired a left hook. And he didn’t miss. Mtagwa was a pitiable target for the fight’s duration, leading referee Steve Smoger’s TKO signal to get the old “merciful” label.

How much was Mtagwa affected by what he and Lopez did to one another in October? Why didn’t Mtagwa come within 3 1/2 pounds of the featherweight limit for this fight? Good questions, both. But we’re not much interested in the answers. We’re interested in how Gamboa’s undoing of Mtagwa helps ensure Gamboa’s next opponent is Lopez. Saturday’s action helped.

Puerto Ricans were always going to turn out for Lopez in a world title fight. Now many of us can turn out for Gamboa, a 126-pound Cuban version of Mike Tyson with better habits in the ring and out.

Thoughts of Tyson had to have gone through a few minds Saturday. The spite for an opponent’s primitive skills combined with well-leveraged short hooks, quick feet and a brutal ending. Such thoughts will go through many more minds if Gamboa finds a way to make Juanma into Michael Spinks – a prospect by no means impossible and by all means unlikely.

Because he’s been kept on Top Rank pay-per-view undercards and long lacked a ringside identity, Steven Luevano has not been properly appreciated. By extension, few fans will credit Lopez properly for what he just did. Luevano hasn’t concussive power, incalculable speed or impenetrable defense. But he has wiles. And he’d had class enough to make it through six title fights without being beaten, much less stopped. He was not, then, the sort of prizefighter you hammer with a right uppercut.

Yet that’s what Lopez did early in the seventh round. Once he saw Luevano’s chin rise and eyes grow, Lopez, a southpaw, threw a left cross, stepped his back foot to the front, and blasted Luevano with a right hook. That was a finisher’s move.

Lopez had a lot of reminding to do Saturday, and he accomplished most of it. But after Rogers Mtagwa took him cruising up and down “queer street” – that GPS coordinate old timers employed before there was GPS – just 105 days ago, Lopez now has a somewhat scuffed image in most serious fans’ minds. That’s fine.

We turn to the fairer sex for an idea about scuffing things. Women have a learned distrust for the smooth. Dollar bills and shoe soles, specifically. Until you’ve roughed-up a newly minted bill, it has an unfortunate tendency to adhere to other bills. And until you’ve roughed up the underside of a sole, it has a dangerous tendency to treat dust and water like ice. Both bills and shoes, though, retain their value long after you’ve scuffed them.

Lopez is now scuffed and trustworthy. We know that when he is semiconscious from fatigue and blows to the head, his impulse is to swim at an opponent, forsaking unreliable reflexes and raising the stakes for both men.

Norm Frauenheim captured something like this idea a few years ago in The Arizona Republic when he wrote “undefeated is untested” then disqualified any unvanquished fighter from his all-time Top 5 list. There’s wisdom in that, which is probably why it incites young fans.

About a decade ago when Roy Jones Jr. terrified civil servants in the light heavyweight division, RJJ was fond of dismissing fans’ pleas for larger challenges by saying, “Y’all just wanna see me bleed.” Today he wishes he could have those bloodless days back.

While it behooves managers and promoters to demand the highest pay for the slightest risk, ultimately it cheats both fighters and aficionados. If you are a fan of prizefighting – not merely your favorite prizefighter’s cheerleader – you want to see a fighter bloodied, roughed up, scuffed. It reveals his character and worthiness of your devotion.

If you love an athlete too much to bear the sight of his being bludgeoned by another man’s fists, that’s understandable. Boxing isn’t your sport.

To date, Yuriorkis Gamboa has been dropped several times but never hurt. He’s taken a fantastic amateur career and used its lessons to see wide openings and exploit them completely. Gamboa has not yet had to create openings against an equal. He’s not yet had to clip someone like Steven Luevano with a right uppercut in the seventh round of a competitive fight. Does Gamboa know how to do this? Yes. Can he land that punch on a veteran titlist? We have no idea.

But we should desperately want to find out. Gamboa contends Juan Manuel Lopez is not in his category, and he may be right. It’s hard to think of anyone currently at 126 pounds who’s better capable of matching Gamboa’s speed, power, technique and experience than Lopez, though.

If Lopez-Gamboa happens, even with Vazquez-Marquez IV already on the docket, there’s good reason to think it will be the best mix of violence, class and consequence we see in 2010.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter.com/bartbarry

Photo by Chris Farina/ Top Rank

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Allan Green will replace Jermain Taylor in Showtime’s Super Six Middleweight boxing classing and will face Andre Ward on April 17th.

Green was rumored for a February 5th bout with Sakio Bika as a “Box Off” to enter the tournament but plans were scrapped.

“It’s a great opportunity for him to be in the Super Six,” Said Green’s promoter Lou DiBella. “He was ready and willing and able to do the fight with Bika. It didn’t happen, and I think there are actually a lot of people breathing a sigh of relief — Showtime and Ward’s people — because the turnaround from Feb. 5 to April 17 was very quick considering the nature of how Allan and Bika fight. The chances of them coming out of the fight without a scratch was unlikely, which would have messed up the April schedule.”

“It wasn’t like it was planned for Allan to take over for Jermain,” DiBella said. “Had we not had the tournament available for us, we were in consideration to fight [titleholder] Lucian Bute [in April]. Allan would have had other opportunities. That said, I think Allan is the right guy for the spot.

“An American had dropped out and Allan was the best American 168-pounder that wasn’t already in the tournament.”

“He has the Mighty Thor tattooed on his arm because he’s a big puncher and carries the hammer of Thor,” DiBella said. “He’s a big puncher and that’s his great equalizer. Ward is a tremendously talented boxer but if you get hit flush by Green, you’re going to have problems, and I think that will be a real issue for Andre. That will make it an interesting fight.”

“He has a disadvantage, but he has that great ability to get the three points in any fight as well as anyone in the tournament outside of Abraham,” DiBella said. “He was prepared to fight his way into the tournament by fighting Bika and the cancellation of that fight gave him the opportunity to walk in. Now it’s up to him to take advantage of that opportunity.”

While many of the top stars in Boxing enjoyed a successful amateur career winning various honours it’s not always integril to their development. It also doesn’t gaurentee success in the pro’s. The two sports after all are very different. There’s no exact formula to enjoying success in both sports. In America & Britain fighters tend to go from the amateur’s to pro’s without the same sort of grounding that they get if they were from Cuba, Russia or another Eastern Block country. This isn’t nessessarily a bad thing as a punishing schedule can mean that a guy leaves the best years in the unpaid ranks. However it can also provide him with the chance to hone his skills further and give him much more experience. At the end of the day it’s a fine balancing act.

We start off our closer look into some of the most prestigious amateur tournements with the National Golden Gloves.

Super Heavyweight – Over 201 – Only came into existance in 1982 since then no fighter has successfully won this title and gone on to fight for the Heavyweight title much less win one. Larry Donald probably holds the distinction of being the best fighter of the past winners who went on to have a decent pro career.

Heavyweight – 201 – Is one of the original division’s which debuted way back in 1962. Four fighters have won both the National Golden Gloves & later World title. Michael Dokes became the first in 1976 he later won the WBA Heavyweight crown when he briefly reigned from 1982-83. Greg Page followed in 1978 he beat the very man who unseated Dokes a certain Gerrie Coetzee and again only reigned briefly from 1984-85. In 1984 Mike Tyson won the title before going on to have a stellar career that saw him win become the youngest Heavyweight champion in history. He also unified the title before coming back to win the WBC & then the WBA crowns. Finally in 1986 Orlin Norris won Golden Gloves. Unlike Dokes, Page & Tyson he opted to drop down to Cruiserweight when he became WBA championship. In the 23 years since Norris triumph only Fres Oquendo & Calvin Brock have fought for a version of the Heavyweight title. While 2002 winner Matt Godfrey has dropped to Cruiserweight and will look to emulate Norris when he fights for the vacant title possibly in March.

Light Heavyweight – 178 – Another original weight class. That has seen 5 previous winners go onto world honours in the pro’s. Firstly Marvin Johnson who was the 1971 champion before winning the WBA Light Heavyweight crown in 1978 after a brief reign he then won the WBA title that didn’t last long either before he regained the WBA title in 1986 only to lose it in 1987. Lee Roy Murphy achieved the honour as 1979 champion and followed it up winning the IBF Cruiserweight title reigning from 1984-86. The Great Evander Holyfield became the third to do so when he won the 178 title in 1984 before going onto unify both Cruiserweight & later the Heavyweight division in the late 80’s early 90’s. Ten years later Antonio Tarver won the Golden Gloves then held either the WBC/WBA or IBF titles at some point in the past decade. In 1998 Steve Cunningham became the most recent he went on to hold the IBF Cruiserweight crown from 2007-08.

Middleweight – 165 – Since it debuted back in 1962 the Middleweight’s have produced 5 future World champions. First came Marvin Johnson who first won the 1971 title before moving up to 1972 to win the Light Heavyweight crown. In 1976 Michael Spinks took the honours before winning the IBF Light Heavyweight championship he then unified it over the next few years before heading to Heavyweight where he became the IBF kinpin. As well as fighting at the 1984 Olympics Virgil Hill won that years Golden Gloves before having 3 successful stints as WBA x2 and one as IBF Light Heavyweight holder before in the latter part of his career when he moved to Cruiserweight where he collect the WBA laurels. The following year William Guthrie followed Hill’s lead. In 1997 he won the vacant IBF Light Heavyweight title before losing it in his first defence. The most recent winner was Byron Mitchell who claimed 1996 title then twice became WBA Super Middleweight champion.

Light Middleweight – 156 – Though this division is now defunct in amateur circles it did run from 1967-2002. In those years 6 fighters won the championship. The first to hold this distinction was Michael Spinks who won it in 1974 before moving up to Middleweight. Frank Tate was the 1983 holder before embarking on a pro career that saw him become the IBF Middleweight champion in 1987, a title he held for nearly a year. Future four weight world champion Roy Jones was the 1987 Golden Gloves champion. Lonnie Bradley held took the honour in 1992 and held the WBO Middleweight crown from 1995-97. Jermain Taylor is among very few to successfully retain the title he won in 1998 when returned in 1999. He then went on to win the Unified Middleweight Championship in 2005 before being stripped of two of the belts, he lost the remaining two in 2007. Andre Berto was the 2001 champion, he currently hold the WBC Welterweight belt.

Welterweight – 152 – Seven men have enjoyed success in both the Golden Gloves and the pro’s. It started with 1966 champion Hedgemon Lewis who in 1972 became the NYSAC holder. In 1977 & 1979 Mike McCullum held the title he went on to become a three weight world champion. In 1980 Donald Curry achieved one of his best amateur honours before going onto become Unified Welterweight holder and later the Light Middleweight champion. Frankie Liles was next in 1986 then in 1994 he completed the double winning the WBA Super Middleweight title remaining champion until 1999. Prior to winning gold at the 1996 Olympics David Reid won the 1993 championship. He went on to hold the WBA Light Middleweight title for a year from 1999 to 2000. Cory Spinks followed in his uncles steps winning the 1997 crown. As a pro he became the Unified Welterweight holder and a two time IBF Light Middleweight champion to which is is still today. After winning the 2001 Light Middleweight title Andre Berto dropped four pounds to again become champion in 2003.

Light Welterweight – 141 – Since this division came into being in 1967 at the Golden Gloves 6 men have achieved both titles. The first three are the Legendary quartet of Sugar Ray Leonard who won it in 1974 before going on to win world titles in 5 weight classes from Welterweight through to Light Heavyweight. He was followed by rival Thomas Hearns in 1977 who also went onto become a 5 weight world champion also from Welterweight to Light Heavyweight. In 1986 Roy Jones Jnr held the title before again going onto hold World titles at 4 weights from Middleweight upto Heavyweight only missing out the Cruiserweight crown. St Louis Terron Millett became the 1991 holder. He shocked many people when he beat another former Golden Gloves champion Vince Phillips for the IBF Light Welterweight title in 1999. Another Olympian David Diaz won three out of four titles from 1993, the one he didn’t win was in 1995 when DeMarcus Corley took the honours. Diaz of coarse became WBC Lightweight holder while Corley was the WBO Light Welterweright champion.

Lightweight – 132 – Five men here won both titles. Starting with the aforementioned Hedgemon Lewis in 1964. Followed by Sugar Ray Leonard in 1973. The outstanding Aaron Pryor won back to back championships from 175-76 before going onto have an fantastic pro career in which he is widely regarded as one of the best Light Welterweights ever. He held a first the WBA then IBF crown from 1980 to 1985. When Pryor was stripped of the WBA crown in 1983 Johnny Bumphus held the title though only four six months. He won the National Golden Gloves in 1979. The most recent winner was way back in 1985 by Vince Phillips.

Featherweight – 126 – Only three previous winners here firstly Eddie Hopson in 1988 he later held the IBF Super Featherweight in the mid 90’s briefly. The following year Oscar De La Hoya captured the title he then went on to become the first 6 weight world champion enjoying many successes along the way to collecting 10 World titles in the 90’s and 2000’s. The third to do this was Floyd Mayweather Jnr in 1996. Like De La Hoya he has gone on to enjoy a brillaint career in which he’s won championships at 5 weights all the way from 130-154.

Bantamweight – 119 – Also produced three guys, interestingly in consecuative years in the early 80’s. Steve Cruz was the first do so in 1981 before he upset the Barry McGuigan apple cart to become WBA Featherweight champion. Meldrick Taylor dazzled many in both his amatuer and pro career. He won the 1982 crown and went on to have pro glory at Light Welterweight & later Welterweight. Texan Jesse Benevides claim the prize in 1983 before winning the WBO Super Bantamweight title.

Flyweight – 112 – The first of seven winners came in 1974 with Greg Richardson who went on to in 1991 hold the WBC Bantamweight crown. Leo Randolph won it in 1976 before winning the WBA Super Bantamweight championship in 1980. Jesse Benevides won it in 1982 then went upto Bantamweight to do it again the following year. Next came Johnny Tapia in 1985 he went on to win world titles in 3 weight classes firstly the WBO & later the IBF Super Flyweight titles before WBA & WBO Bantamweight crowns before at the tail end of his career the IBF Featherweight championship. Carl Daniels won the title in 1987 then 8 years later grew into a Light Middleweight where for 6 months in 1995 he held the WBA Light Middleweight laurels. future IBF Bantamweight champion Tim Austin won the title in 1990 & 1991. The most recent winner is Floyd Mayweather who collect 3 Golden Gloves titles this one being in 1994.

Light Flyweight – 106 – Only came in being in 1982 the following year Johnny Tapia won it two years later he went up to Flyweight to become a two weight amateur Golden Gloves champion. In 1986 it was Michael Carbajal’s turn, he of coarse went on to win a pro world title at Light Flyweight. The supremely talented future two weight world champion at Flyweight & Super Flyweight Marc Johnson was the 1988 holder. In 1993 Floyd Mayweather won the second of his three crowns. Olympian Eric Morel collected it in 1994 before becoming a pro champion in 2000 at Flyweight. Most recently it was Brian Viloria in 1999, since then he has become a two time and still reigning IBF Light Flyweight champion.

Winners in 1960’s – 1
Winners in 1970’s – 16
Winners in 1980’s – 22
Winners in 1990’s – 17
Winners in 2000’s – 1 Only Andre Berto has so far from the 2000’s gone onto win a proffessional world title.

Shaquille O’Neal has a good idea and now boxing needs a few good men to do what Kobe Bryant and LeBron James won’t. Fight for Haiti.

With noisy rancor and none of the humor that punctuates the late-night feuding between Jay Leno and David Letterman, the public is turned off by everything said and alleged in the abortive negotiations for a Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather fight. But a chance to come together behind a good cause and for one of its own, Andre Berto, is there with the tragic earthquake that has left Port-au-Prince looking like prehistoric rubble.

O’Neal suggests that the NBA’s richest celebrities compete in the slam-dunk contest at the next All-Star Game. He wants to give half of the proceeds to Haiti. But apparently Bryant and James have decided they would rather save their legs instead of the Haitians. They said no to O’Neal’s proposal, according to various news reports. But the idea is, well, a slam dunk.

A couple of cards, one put together by Top Rank and the other by Golden Boy Promotions, with a percentage of proceeds from each for Haitian relief would say that Bob Arum, Richard Schaefer, Oscar De La Hoya, Pacquiao, Mayweather and all of the other usual suspects can actually agree on something bigger than a personal agenda.

The lead had already been taken by Berto, the World Boxing Council’s welterweight champion who set aside the biggest opportunity in his career and withdrew from a Jan. 30 bout with Sugar Shane Mosley at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay. Instead, Berto is headed to Haiti, his homeland, where at least eight in his family are reportedly dead. His sister, Naomi, her daughter and his niece, Jessica, are homeless.

“I have seen the pain in my parents’ eyes as they attempt to understand what has happened to our homeland,’’ Berto said in a statement. “…As a result of this disaster, I am mentally and physically exhausted, and I have no choice but to withdraw.’’

In a business so characterized by decisions dictated only by me-me-me, Berto’s selfless act stands out, especially in the immediate wake of the blame-game played out in the Pacquiao-Mayweather talks.

Against Mosley, Berto, who lives in Florida and was the only boxer on the Haitian Olympic team at the 2004 Athens Games, finally had his chance at becoming a player at the welterweight table. Upset Mosley, and there was a spot in line against Pacquiao and maybe Mayweather. Fight a competitive bout, and there might have been a rich rematch and even bigger riches against the biggest names in the sport.

But there is a bigger fight, Berto’s only fight. Boxing should help him fight it and in the process help itself.

NOTES, ANECDOTES

· Already, there are headlines saying that Mayweather-Mosley is almost a done deal for sometime in early May. Please, there were headlines that said the same thing about Pacquiao-Mayweather before their March 13 deal was done in. I won’t believe Mayweather is fighting until I see him in the ring with gloves on, robe off and answering an opening bell.

· If Joshua Clottey doesn’t make the Pacquiao corner nervous, he should. The March 13 date in a ring on a NFL field at the Dallas Cowboys palace has the potential to further remind everybody that they blew a chance at boxing’s Super Bowl, Pacquiao-Mayweather. Clottey is as durable as anybody in the welterweight division. He has been reminded that he was passive in the late rounds of a narrow loss to Miguel Cotto so often that he’s not likely to repeat that error. Then, there’s Pacquiao, whose motivation might have taken ht when the Mayweather talks unraveled. Pacquiao also might be looking ahead to a campaign for a Congressional seat in the Philippines. Elements for a major upset are in place.

We come to the end of our Pacquiao-Mayweather mourning season. Fun as it is to gnash teeth and tremble at the future of prizefighting, the sun has risen anew, men still don gloves to resolve conflicts in manly ways, and a major venue awaits a major event in a couple months. Let’s think about that.

It will help us inter the ordeal of arrogance and incompetence we’ve been subjected to since the morning of Nov. 15. More importantly, it should clear our palates for Shane Mosley versus Andre Berto. So now, some thoughts about Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey on March 13 in Cowboys Stadium – Jerry Jones’ 73-acre architectural marvel, featuring an arch truss planar section that comprises 110,000 pounds of grade-65 Luxembourg steel.

Wait, how many pounds? Check the “Architecture Fact Sheet” at Stadium.DallasCowboys.com. I’ll be in Dallas – Irving, if you want to be pedantic – in March, not because I like Pacquiao more than Floyd Mayweather or because I think Top Rank does better than Golden Boy Promotions or even because I have a soft spot for Ghanaian challengers.

I’ll be there because I want to say I covered a historic figure in a historic edifice.

A historic figure who won’t subject himself to random blood tests for performance-enhancing drugs? Yes. But.

Welcome to our era’s unfortunate cynicism. The best athletes aren’t guilty till proved innocent, exactly, but they are suspect – no matter how many times they’re proved not-guilty.

This is an opinion column, not a report, so take this in the spirit it’s intended – as Adam Carolla might put it. I felt a certain relief when Floyd Mayweather Sr.’s unsubstantiated allegations about Pacquiao got wide coverage. It felt better to have the self-imposed gag order lifted. Any writer who’s covered any other sport in the last decade and tells you he’s never wondered about the world’s best prizefighter – whoever he is or was – is being dishonest.

Stop shaking your head, because here comes something you didn’t already know. Sometime after Manny Pacquiao went directly through David Diaz in 2008, I began using a hypothetical PED-usage test on my Filipino-American friends at the boxing gym. I wanted to see their reactions. They were mixed and revealed nothing we don’t already know about how little we already know.

Did I do this to besmirch the character of a superstar athlete from a Pacific island? Not even a little. I did it for two selfish reasons. First, before I committed time, expense and words to covering Pacquiao’s future exploits, I wanted to ensure that – in the year 2020 – I wouldn’t feel the way so many pundits who provided breathless coverage of Mark McGwire’s 1998 exploits felt this week.

Second, I offered the hypothetical, because on a philosophical level, I don’t know what to think. In the 1990s, I watched a lot of baseball, especially the McGwire-Sosa race, with a suppressed suspicion something like this: If I’m the only one who knows, and nobody else broaches the subject, must it truly compromise this wonderful spectacle?

I also spent time around competitive bodybuilders and power lifters. I watched guys inject themselves with vitamins, drink amino acids, drop stimulants under their tongues before workouts, and participate in “natural” contests. That is, these were guys not using PEDs. And despite their routine departures from what you did in your basement with a Nautilus machine, they weren’t nearly big as McGwire.

The entire debate strikes me as profoundly arbitrary. At their most basic, PEDs expedite healing. That’s why Barry Bonds’ I-worked-harder defense implicated more than it exculpated: Of course you did; everyone else was too sore.

The New York Times reports a Canadian doctor performed “platelet-rich plasma therapy” on Tiger Woods. Blood was drawn, altered in a machine and then injected back in Woods’ body. Apparently this is kosher. But are you allowed to do it to a racehorse? And what’s the difference between recycling blood to help a golfer recover from knee surgery, and doing it to help a cyclist recover from fatigue?

Intent, I guess. Which is why exasperated fans want this debate to go the hell away. They slam their fists on the table and demand Olympic-style testing. But does it check for caffeine?

Yes. Why? No. Why not?

I’ve used all sorts of over-the-counter diet pills, in my day, to suppress appetite. Some euphemism for “speed” is all that works. Metabolife once worked. Then ephedrine got banned. But now you can buy it in the supermarket. If I take it with caffeine, I can replicate the Metabolife formula that was legal in 1999 and illegal in 2004. Should I be able to pass a pre-employment drug test?

Yes. Why? No. Why not?

Can anyone be sure Manny Pacquiao is clean? Can anyone be sure Floyd Mayweather is clean? We don’t even know to whom we should turn for a definition of the word “clean” at this point. We’re simply not there yet – and if “there” is an arbitrarily agreed-to list of testing schedules and banned substances that changes monthly, we can’t be sure we’ll ever be there.

I suspect Joshua Clottey of cleanliness. He bears all the late-fading hallmarks of a PED-less athlete. Or he’s just mentally fragile. Still, I give him a chance against Pacquiao – though I respect Top Rank’s matchmakers too much to give Clottey too much of a chance.

But I’m not going to Dallas to celebrate Clottey’s probable cleanliness. Or even Pacquiao’s legend. I’m going to see the stadium. I want to wander about looking for the media center. I want to see paid-for seats filled before television goes on the air. Most of all, I want to remember my time of covering the fights as something more than a tourist’s brochure of Las Vegas Boulevard South.

I want to see Cowboys Stadium so badly I’d watch Floyd Mayweather fight Nate Campbell there. Honest.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter.com/bartbarry

There’s been plenty of speculation about whom Floyd Mayweather Jr. could or should fight in the wake of abortive talks for a showdown with Manny Pacquiao, yet no talk about whether Mayweather will continue to demand Olympic-style blood-testing.

Let’s just say that the demand is a mandatory defense.

Without it, Pacquiao, Bob Arum, Freddie Roach and a gallery full of critics have a compelling reason to say that blood-testing was a just a ruse that allowed Mayweather to sidestep a threat to his unbeaten record from the Filipino, who now faces a dangerous date against Joshua Clottey on March 13 in Dallas. With it, Mayweather can claim a measure of consistency that says the demand was not just a convenient feint.

It’s fair to argue that Mayweather and Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer asked for comprehensive blood-testing at the wrong time and in the wrong venue. First, they should have introduced the idea to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, the regulatory agency for a fight that had been planned for March 13 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand.

Pacquiao, Arum and Roach still might have said no-no-no, but they would have had to scream their complaints to a body that is supposed to regulate and not negotiate.

At the very least, the demand was confrontational in talks ruled, first and foremost, by egos easily insulted, usually suspicious and always seeking an edge. If Mayweather doesn’t stand by the demand in possible negotiations for a fight with Timothy Bradley or Paulie Malignaggi or Paul Williams, then it looks as if he were singling out Pacquiao despite the Filipino’s clean record of tests in Nevada, California and Texas.

Drug tests for a boxing license in Nevada or any other state are as outdated as a pay-phone. Then again, so are other tests, which always seems to be a split-second late or a home run short of the latest in performance-enhancing technology.

Mark McGwire finally admitted the obvious a few days ago when he said he used steroids. Gee, ya think. The biggest headline in that news story should have been McGwire’s stated belief that he thinks the performance-enhancers didn’t help him hit those record-setting 70 homers in 1998. Maybe, he thinks that only the ball was juiced. Dick Pound, a former president of the World Anti- Doping Agency, ripped major-league baseball. Arum had suggested that baseball oversee testing for Pacquiao-Mayweather instead of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

“What has emerged in the whole baseball mess is that drug use is widespread and that even the best players are involved – and still MLB is whistling past the graveyard,’’ Pound said in an e-mail quoted by the Associated Press. “If you notice, McGwire talks about steroids and HGH (and many other doping substances). These MLB positions are not indicators of a real attempt to solve the drug use problem in baseball.’’

Pound didn’t mention boxing. Then again, he also didn’t mention Marion Jones, who went to jail for lying under oath about performance-enhancers, yet never tested positive for one after the sprinter won five medals at the Sydney Olympics.

There is no reliable test. But there is consistency and that’s the only way for Mayweather to defend himself, no matter who he fights. If he and Bradley or Malignaggi or Williams or whoever take the blood-tests, it will be that much harder for Pacquiao to just say no. Without that consistency, Mayweather will be left with only a hidden agenda.

A month for champs

Muhammad Ali turns 68 Sunday. Ali plans to celebrate in his hometown, Louisville, before returning next week to his residence in Phoenix.

Speaking of birthdays, there are many to celebrate in January. Ali’s old bitter rival, Joe Frazier, turned 66 on Tuesday, Jan. 12. Another Ali rival, George Foreman, turned 61 last Sunday, Jan. 10. Bernard Hopkins is 45 today, Friday, Jan. 15.

Notes, quotes, anecdotes

· A potential prospect, Jose Benavidez, a 17-year-old junior-welterweight from Phoenix, gets his first pro tests Saturday night in Las Vegas against Steve Cox (1-0) of Independence, Mo., on a Top Rank card featuring junior-middleweight Vanes Martiroysan versus Kassim Ouma at the Hard Rock. Benavidez, a national Golden Gloves champion, got some YouTube attention for the way he handled himself against Amir Kahn in sparring a couple of months ago at Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.

· News item: James Toney, a former quarterback, is trying to talk his way into a UFC bout and former NFL running back, Herschel Walker has been training for mixed-martial arts. Reaction: A Toney-Walker date in a cage can’t be too far away.

Main Events’ February 6th card at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ featuring Tomasz Adamek vs. Jason Estrada is undoubtedly a local boxing fan’s best buy. Not only does the main event feature an adopted son of Jersey City, but the undercard is filling up with local talent like Morganville’s Denis “Mama’s Boy” Douglin and Jersey City’s Patrick Farrell, both of whom are making their second appearance at the arena best known as The Rock.

The card also features a top flight super middleweight contest showcasing Brooklyn, NY’s Petey “ Kid Chocolate” Quillin 20-0 (15 KO’s) for the first time in The Garden State. I. Petey has an electrifying ring presence and a level of athleticism not often seen in boxing today. His training routines include back flips in the ring and leaping over parked cars. If that doesn’t impress you enough, I advise you to be ringside for his post fight ritual, where he toss chocolate kisses to fans. I had the opportunity to catch up with Petey at New York’s Trinity Boxing Club, just prior to moving his training camp to Ohio.

John: Petey you keep yourself in great shape between bouts. You walk around at your fighting weight. What motivates you to get into the gym?

Petey: Mainly my Manager John Seip. He stays on me makes sure I train and eat like I’m supposed to.

John: Your next opponent is your most experienced to date in Fernando Zuniga 28-9 (20 KO’s). What do you know about him?

Petey: Not a lot he’s is a former belt holder (IBA Continental Super Middleweight). Not long ago he upset Carlos DeLeon Jr. I don’t know much else.

John: They call him “Little Ali”. What do you think about that?

Petey: The only Ali I know is the real Ali. He can call himself whatever he wants I don’t care.

John: No fighter is to be taken lightly, especially not one with 20 KOs, I’m sure you’re not looking past Mr. Zuniga, but what do you hope to accomplish in 2010 ?

Petey: I don’t take any fighter for granted. For 2010 I want to be bigger and better. To go into the ring with a stable mind and showcase my talents for my fans.

John: Who is on your wish list for your next fight?

Petey: Paul Williams. I’m still too small a fish for Kelly Pavlik.

John: Thanks Petey. Good Luck

When North Bergen, NJ resident Carlos Tamara was informed that IBF junior flyweight champion Brian Viloria agreed to an April unification with Ivan Calderon, he immediately went to the history books.

In 1990, James “Buster” Douglas pulled off the biggest upset in boxing history by stopping unified heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in Tokyo, spoiling his mega-showdown with Evander Holyfield at a time when both would have been undefeated. Tyson did not meet Holyfield until six years later, when he was nowhere near the fighter he once was.

With a bout against pound for pound king Floyd Mayweather agreed to for April 8 2006, WBC Welterweight champion Zab Judah first took a stay busy fight at Madison Square Garden against Carlos Baldomir. Showtime was on tap to air the fight, further building up to Mayweather-Judah. Ultimately, Judah’s homecoming turned out to be a nightmare.

In arguably the worst performance of his career, Judah lacked focus and dropped a decision to the unheralded Argentinean. Judah, like Tyson, reportedly undertrained and lost focus with a more lucrative bout ahead of him. Although Judah-Mayweather still took place in April, the fans and media were infuriated and the fight did not receive the large-scale attention it likely would have received if Judah handled Baldomir.

Tamara, who is less than two weeks away from his second crack at a world title, is confident Calderon will have to find a new opponent.

“Viloria shouldn’t count his chickens before they hatch”, said Tamara, a 2004 Olympian. “I am dedicated and hungry to ruin his plans and become Colombia’s latest world champion.”

Tamara, 20-4 (14 KO’s), and Viloria, 26-2 (15 KO’s) meet January 23 at the Cuneta Astrodome in the Pasay City, Philippines. The card will be available in the US on pay per view.

PHOTO BY REUTERS/Maxi Jonas (ARGENTINA)

For more New Jersey boxing info click www.gardenstatefightscene.com

When people think of pioneers in the sport of MMA, Frank Shamrock’s name is not usually mentioned. The names Royce Gracie, Randy Couture, Ken Shamrock (Frank’s brother via adoption), and Chuck Liddell—just to name a few—are much more prominent.

Plus, if it was up to the UFC, Shamrock’s name would be forgotten entirely, and as a result, a big part of the sport’s history would go unnoticed.

For the two year time period from Dec 97 to Sep 99, Shamrock was the most dominant fighter in the promotion. In his very first fight with the UFC, Shamrock submitted Kevin Jackson in just 14 seconds to win the light heavyweight title (then named the middleweight championship).

Following the Jackson win, Shamrock defeated Igor Zinoviev, Jeremy Horn, and John Lober in successive fights. After a one-fight sabbatical in Japan (a draw with Kiyoshi Tamura for the Rings promotion), Shamrock returned to the UFC for what his most memorable fight.

In a twenty-minute war, Shamrock outlasted Tito Ortiz to keep hold of the title. Ortiz finally gave in as he tapped out due to strikes at the end of the fourth round.

The epic fight with Ortiz would be the last time Shamrock would ever fight in the UFC.

“I was in the era of the beginning of free agency,” Shamrock said, when asked why he never fought again in the UFC. “That really went against the whole beginning of the company. It went against their model—the whole corporate control it all thing.”

When the UFC rolled out their list of the top 100 fights in the history of the company, Shamrock vs. Ortiz was suspiciously left off. Or maybe it was not too surprising. UFC President Dana White is definitely not Shamrock’s biggest fan.

White has often referred to Shamrock as both a “moron” and a “jackass”.

“I thought it was small-minded and silly,” Shamrock said about his exclusion from the top 100 list. “It is what it is.”

Rather than sit back and allow the UFC remove him from the sport’s history, Shamrock has done the one thing that he probably still does better than anyone else in the sport —talk.

“It’s been a blessing,” Shamrock said about not being with Zuffa. “I get more media, more press and more opportunity because of it.”

Since departing from the UFC, Shamrock has become one of the top stars for two different promotions. First, he was the face of the ill-fated EliteXC, and now, he is a top draw for Scott Coker’s Strikeforce.

Recently though, Shamrock has not had a great deal of success inside the cage. He has lost three of his last four fights (Nick Diaz, Cung Le, and Renzo Gracie), and the only win was an exciting victory against an overmatched Phil Baroni.

Nevertheless, Shamrock is not ready to call it a career just yet.

“I was looking at a March time,” Shamrock said about a possible return. “We’re still trying to see if we have a reserved March date for Showtime. Or May if we don’t get March together.”

As far as a possible opponent, Shamrock is not sure who he will be facing in the early part of 2010, but he did drop a famous name for a future opponent.

“I’d love to fight Dan Henderson,” Shamrock said. “We did a submission wrestling match a few years ago, and I got him real quick. We’ve sparred together and kind of circled each other for years.”

Shamrock believes his next fight will be on cable television instead of the larger platform offered by CBS.

“I don’t know if I have what CBS is looking for right now,” Shamrock said. “There are other guys fighting for titles. I don’t know if I can mess with the (Ronaldo) Jacare’s of the world.”

What CBS does want to televise is the man generally regarded as the sport’s top heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko.

Even though Strikeforce is building its own core of stars with fighters like Robbie Lawler, Jake Shields, and Gilbert Melendez, Emelianenko is clearly the guy everyone wants to see above all others.

EliteXC was not able to have a successful show on CBS without the drawing power of Kimbo Slice. Could Strikeforce be falling into the same problem with Emelianenko as EliteXC did with Slice?

Shamrock was non-committal when asked if CBS could broadcast a card without the prized Russian.

“I think so,” Shamrock said, “ but I don’t think it would have the same excitement.”

Emelianenko made his successful debut for the company last Nov on CBS. Another man set to start with Strikeforce at the end of the month is former NFL running back Herschel Walker.

“The question has always been—‘what would happen if you take a super athlete and plug him into MMA?’” Shamrock said about Walker’s debut. “I guess now we’ll know.”

Shamrock is excited by the prospects of Walker starting with Strikeforce even if it at the age of 47.

“I think it’s awesome, crazy and amazing,” Shamrock said. “He knows Taw Kwon Do and striking. He knows little about fighting, but he’s really knuckled down.”

Seeing Walker train mixed martial arts seriously has convinced Shamrock that Walker’s debut will not be a freak show. Unfortunately, athletes like Jose Canseco and Johnnie Morton tried making the transition in the past with disastrous results.

Shamrock believes people now have a better understanding of the severity of the sport.

“The thing that scared me from the beginning was the reality of men fighting,” Shamrock said. “It’s just so dangerous. I like that it is really a sport now, and I’m happy with the rules and regulations of the game.”

On the other hand, Shamrock is very clear with what he does not like about MMA, and it comes straight back to the UFC.

“I don’t like that it’s not always promoted as a sport and some promotions gloss over it for brand positioning,” Shamrock said.

Still, as mixed martial arts makes its way into the new decade, Shamrock will be one of the guys who will play a big role in continuing to build the mainstream acceptance. Whether it is through announcing, the media, or inside the cage, Shamrock will be on the frontline for Strikeforce.

With all the changes that have come with developing the sport, Shamrock is very happy to have been around through the whole evolution. He believes he should be mentioned in the same breath as Gracie, Couture, Liddell, and his brother.

“I consider myself one of the true pioneers. For certain.”

Vic Darchinyan will be back in action on 6 March on Showtime in what is likely to amount to a keep busy fight while Nonito Donaire will stop Gerson Guerrero in February to set up the rematch sometime over the summer. Donaire will repeat his win then head for a fall fight in The Philippines with Jorge Arce who will KO Angky Angkota first. Nobau Nashiro will most likely rematch Hugo Cazares this time Cazares will take the title to make him a two weight world champion. Though he may not see the year through especially if he has to take the title on the road. South African Simphiwe Nongqayi is in his mid 30’s surprised everyone when he won the IBF title. He may have enough to see his way through the year as the IBF top 15 isn’t particularly threatening with the exception of Alexander Munoz who may be campaigning at Bantamweight anyway.

In a mega fight in Japan Koki Kameda’s youth prevailed as he overcame Daisuke Naito to take the WBC crown last year. I expect a big year from Kameda with him outpointing battle tested former champ Pongsaklek Wongjongkam in a close maybe controversial fight. I’d not be surprised to see Naito get another shot if he doesn’t retire. Kameda will also beat make a third defence. Thailand’s Denkaosan Kaowitchit fights Daiki Kameda in another rematch after narrowly winning last time. It wont happen this time and Daiki will claim the title making it the second weight class where two brothers hold world titles at the same time. At some point the WBA will make Daiki square off with Interim WBA champion Luis Concepcion in what should be very interesting. IBF ruler is another South African Moruti Mthalane who will successfully defend his title at home but will lose it in the second half of the year when he’s comes to Mexico to fight Herman “Tyson” Marquez. Long standing WBO ruler Omar Narvaez has been champion since 2002 and made 16 successful defence’s and at 34 you wouldn’t think he could last to much longer but he hasn’t looked like losing and will see the year through fighting twice at home.

Puerto Rican mighty mite Ivan Calderon fought twice in 09 and suffered from bad cuts in both he’ll enjoy more luck this year. He’ll fight twice more both successful defence’s which will take place in the cosy confines of his homeland. Brian Viloria finally came good on his promise last year and will keep his crown with three wins first up will be tough but limited Carlos Tamara which takes place in The Philippines. He’ll be back then in America where he’ll get a place on one of Top Ranks cards in the spring/summer. By the end of the year Viloria will be mentioned as a possible counterpart for Koki Kameda & Calderon. Power punching Giovanni Segura will continue to fight on Latin Fury cards with a stoppage over Wisanu Pornobnum an excellent fight with Francisco Rosas beckons. Rosas is teak tough and should provide a really intriguing fight for Segura but will yield late on or on points. Another possible fight is Ulises Solis who would fend off Segura’s early charge to pick apart his fellow Mexican in an excellent fight to become a two time champ. Rodel Mayol finally got over the hump to win a world title thanks to his head when he stopped Edgar Sosa. I don’t see him keeping the title with tough fights against the likes of Omar Nino & Adrian Hernandez his top contenders.

Roman Gonzalez will continue to reign supreme, first fighting in Mexico on 30 January though no opponent is know don’t expect it to be anyone to tough while Gonzalez scores a KO. Expect 2 other challengers to go the same way one of them being in Japan. Oleydong Sithsamerchai is a little to slick for anyone at Strawweight. He turned back Juan Palacios who was his toughest opponent so don’t expect any of his coming challengers to be able to take his title. Two more defence’s beckon which both go the distance. Raul Garcia will leave Baja California Sur, Mexico for the first time when he travels to South America face his toughest fight to date in mandatory challenger Nkosinathi Joyi. Joyi is also unbeaten and poses a major threat to Garcia 2 year and 5 successful defence’s. It’s one that i think will pose to much for him with Joyi taking the title via lopsided points decision. Don’t expect anyone to unseat him either as he’ll develop further and score a couple of KO victories. WBO ruler is Donnie Nietes who gets the year off to a good start when he stops Jesus Silvestre on 23 January. He’ll follow that with maybe a road trip but he’ll be good enough to keep the title.

By 2005 Arizona was very much the Helpdesk State, whatever hold the Grand Canyon still had on tourists’ imaginations, and a few wiseasses in a Tempe call center said we should change the state bird from a Cactus Wren to a Head Set. One such chap was Bob Benedetti. He started a local sports portal, named it Bob44.com and asked me to write for him.

So began my tenure as an Arizona boxing writer – a journey rife with pleasant surprises. The boxing-writing part of that journey continues so long as you read me. The Arizona part, though, concludes Feb. 1, the day I move to San Antonio, Tex.

What follows, then, is a meandering tour of the last five years of Grand Canyon State boxing. Please join me.

In March of my first year, Arizona boxing had attached its fortunes to a former U.S. amateur champion readying for his 15th professional fight under Top Rank’s banner. Jesus “El Martillo” Gonzales was 14-0 (9 KOs) and expected someday to approach the fame and accomplishments of Michael Carbajal – whose shadow always looms over local prizefighting.

I visited Central Boxing Gym, learned Gonzales’ training schedule and returned the next day to interview both Jesus and his father and trainer, Ernie Sr. A week later MaxBoxing.com’s Thomas Gerbasi wrote a Tuesday profile of “El Terrible” Esdrick Isaac Morales, and I sent him an email inquiring about boxing writing. He replied quickly and generously, even encouraging me to pursue a credential for Gonzales’ next fight. A month later Top Rank’s Lee Samuels introduced me to local rep Phil Soto who gave me that credential.

That year there were 23 fight cards in Arizona. Top Rank – doing business with local promoter Peter McKinn – staged about a dozen. Startup outfit Golden Boy Promotions did six of their own in Tucson.

But Top Rank’s interest in Arizona boxing crashed Sept. 17, 2005. That night, the last of the “Adiós” cards featuring Julio Cesar Chavez, saw Jesus Gonzales ruined by Jose Luis Zertuche – just before Ernie Sr. punched McKinn – then Chavez blame a broken hand for his fifth-round surrender to Grover Wiley, and finally Michael Carbajal escorted from the premises by security. Bob Arum was ringside. “¡Adiós Phoenix!” indeed.

Along the way, though, I met John Raygoza – the owner of 15rounds.com and author of the first piece I read about “El Martillo.” John invited me to Tucson where I met Desert Diamond Casino’s excellent staff. Six weeks after Top Rank said adiós, Golden Boy returned to Tucson to make its most ambitious desert show, “Boxing World Cup” – a 50-round monster between Mexico and Thailand.

The following March, with Bob Benedetti’s encouragement, I started writing for 15rounds.com. Two months later undefeated cruiserweight BJ Flores rented Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum, home of the Arizona State Fair, and made a card the late Norman Mailer might have called “Advertisements for Himself.” Phil Soto, who handled seating for Flores, put me on the canvas next to The Arizona Republic’s scribe – some guy named Frauenheim. I spent the next 150 minutes laughing at 30 years’ worth of stories.

That month, the median value of a Phoenix home was $330,320.

Towards the end of 2006, the end of Arizona as a boxing destination became apparent. Don King made his last visit in the fall, staging “Red November: The Hunt for the White Wolf” on the pitcher’s mound at Chase Field. Liakhovich-Briggs, the main event, followed the worst 35:30 of heavyweight championship boxing with perhaps its most suspenseful conclusion when Shannon Briggs knocked Sergei Liakhovich onto the scorer’s table at 2:59 of the last round.

Golden Boy Promotions used Desert Diamond as a Plan-B venue 364 days later, bringing Juan Manuel Marquez and Rocky Juarez to the southern desert after lagging ticket sales, er, an injury to Marquez’s knuckle, knocked the fight out of Las Vegas.

But by then Arizona’s economy was in free-fall. Frightened Arizonans did what frightened Americans always do in bad economic times: Blame the immigrants. A novel law got passed, work visas became mandatory for Mexican fighters, and one year later matchmaker Eric Gomez called Arizona the hardest place to put a boxing card.

Showdown Promotions made a noble effort to resurrect prizefighting with a Gila River Casino card in the fall of 2008. Ivaylo Gotzev promised a rising Phoenix 13 months later. Fact remained, though, that in the four years since 2005, Arizona boxing had gone from 23 cards to eight – with only half comprising more than four fights.

This month the median value of a Phoenix home is $177,000. That’s 46 percent less than it was in 2006. You can imagine what such a reversal has done to the mortgage offices, restaurants, car dealerships and banks that employed Arizona fight fans.

Golden Boy Promotions’ last Tucson card was possibly the worst in “Friday Night Fights” history. Peter McKinn spent some of his fall in Fourth Avenue Jail. And BoxingTalk.com reports Ivaylo Gotzev filed for bankruptcy two months after “Phoenix Rising.” Arizona boxing deserved better.

As I leave for the Lone Star State, though, let me acknowledge some friends.

All the best to my three favorite local fighters – two of whom try never to fight locally – Donnie Orr, BJ Flores and Juanito Garcia. Many thanks to the good folks at SIMG in Tucson. Thanks for the good chats to Showdown’s Gerry Truax. And for providing my first credential, and being a first-rate person, Phil Soto, especially, has my gratitude.

Finally, the writers: Keep your eye on Albert Alvarez at DiamondBoxing.com. Know that there isn’t a finer, or funnier, baseball writer on the wire than the AP’s Andy Bagnato. If ever you’re in southern Arizona, get a copy of the Green Valley News; Nick Prevenas is Arizona sportswriting’s best-kept secret. And that guy named Frauenheim? Turns out he’s a legend of sorts. You can find him here every Friday.

See you guys at the Alamodome.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter.com/bartbarry

Humberto Soto carries the WBC laurels at 130 but last time out fought up at Lightweight. He hasn’t decided yet if he’s going to 135 full time yet. I suspect he’ll flit back and for until either he gets one of the top guys at Lightweight or can’t make 130 anymore. Nobody except possibly Robert Guerrero is capable of being Soto at Super Featherweight. Guerrero will be impressive in the coming year fighting 3 times one being against Mzonke Fana. Such wins along with Soto abdicating his thrown could see Guerrero becoming top dog here.

Roman Martinez has to defend his WBO crown against mandatory Ricky Burns. That fight is at purse bids currently and while Burns is a good fighter it’s unlikely he’ll unseat Martinez. Juan Carlos Salgado burst into the limelight with a huge KO over Jorge Linares he’ll make his first defense against Takashi Uchiyama. That should let us know where Salgado is. I suspect Salgado will stop Uchiyama and then fight in America & Mexico before the years out. Linares will use 2010 as a rebuilding exercise fighting on a few Golden Boy undercards.

When Chris John came onto the world scene in 2003 he wasn’t very well known but slowly year after year he’s chipped away and got the begrudging respect of his peers and fans alike. The first sign that he maybe more than just a belt holder came in March 06 when he surprised everyone beating Juan Manuel Marquez. Unfortunetely he wasn’t able to capitalise on that, taking nearly 3 years to get a big fight. Then he made his much anticipated American debut when he fought Rocky Juarez only to be awarded a draw, 7 months later righted that wrong again in America. He’ll not fight until April/May as he has been ill with no obvious opponent. Yordan will fight Ponce De Leon in January if Ponce De Leon wins that will be one foe though look for Yordan to go a different way is he’s victorious. Elio “Kid” Rojas went to Japan and performed very well to snare the WBC crown and he’ll be back on the road this time to Mexico where he’ll meet veteran former champ Guty Espades who he should stop. Hopefully Rojas will be busier than most Don King fighters and fight a few times though he may have to be a road warrior to do so. JuanMa Lopez will break down Steve Luevano for an 8th round stoppage. On the same show Cuban Dynamo Yuriorkis Gamboa will fair better with Rogers Mtagwa than Lopez did and score a late KO. Both guys have been on a collision course for months before finally getting down to business in June. That looks like a bombs away fight that will see someone’s star assend even higher. I see it ending inside 5 rounds possibly with both guys hitting the canvas, though i’ll go with Lopez to get the win. After a few months off to recuperate Lopez gets back to action against Mario Santiago after Santiago beat Bernabe Concepcion. Expect a big year from Mikee Garcia who’s currently 18-0(15) at 22 he’s mature for his age physically. He’ll be let off the leash starting against another young gun Joksan Hernandez in January. All being well look for Garcia to be moved onto bigger promotions and into the publics eye in the coming year. He’s well backed with Cameron Dunkin as his manager, Robert Garcia his elder brother as his trainer and promoted by Top Rank.

In 2009 the Super Bantamweight division was pretty packed but over the coarse of the year some of the top dogs have moved up to Featherweight. Israel Vazquez took most of the year off but when he did comeback in October it was up at 126 the same can be said for his dance partner Rafael Marquez who fought in May before being involved in a road accident. When a deal couldn’t be worked out for them to fight in the fall of 09 it was pushed back until 22 May 10. After that fight hopefully with them both making a well deserved fortune they’ll decide to enjoy there money and retire though don’t bank on it a title fight at Featherweight would loom for the winner. JuanMa Lopez looks likely to be next. The vacant title will be contested between Wilfredo Vazquez Jnr who’s father of the same name won world titles in 3 weight classes and the emerging Marvin Sonsona who is jumping from 115 to 122. There are many intangibles in this fight but i’ll take Vazquez who’s gotten better and better in 09 to take the title with a late stoppage, however id Sonsona does win it’ll be his second world title before he’s 20. Look for the winner to stick around a while. Top dog will be Celestino Caballero who owns the WBA & IBF crowns, he’ll turn 34 in 2010 so doesn’t have time to waste. Caballero is the 122 version of Paul Williams at 147 at 5’11’ he’s a tough night for anyone and he’ll continue this trend with 2 defence’s, most likely on the road. It would be interesting to see Caballero tangle with Poonsawat Kratchingdaengym who went to Ireland and demolished Bernard Dunne. The battle hardened WBC holder is Toshiaki Nishioka who may have to face Hozumi Hasegawa if Hasegawa goes through with his wish to move up from Bantamweight. If that happens look for Hasegawa to win the title either via late stoppage or on points then fight the winner of Rendall Munroe-Victor Terrazas which again Hasegawa will win. Hopefully some combination of Caballero, Poonsawat & Hasegawa will happen in 2010. The best of the rest will be Ricardo Cordoba who’ll remain busy, Antonio Escalante who will have a good year but wont be good enough to beat any of the afore mentioned quartet at the top of the division and in Europe Zsolt Bedak will continue to develop.

With Hasegawa moving up to 122 Abner Mares will win the vacant title maybe as soon as the end of January when he may get a chance to fight Simpiwe Vetyeka. He’ll grow with the title and defend on a few big bills and become the first home grown talent Golden Boy has taken from the amateurs to a professional world title. The WBA champion Anselmo Moreno will fight the ridiculous interim champion Nehomar Cermeno in the first half of the year in what looks a 50-50 the winner would have a justifiable claim to be the top man with Hasegawa at 122. Look for Moreno to eke out an close decision in Panama. He’ll follow that with another defence or two. Look for one of them to possibly be against former 115 champion Alexander Munoz. Yonnhy Perez won a barnstormer in October when he took the title from Joseph Agbeko look for Perez to fight twice with one of them a rematch with Agbeko on Showtime. Fernando Montiel didn’t look so good last time out and escaped with a no contest he’ll fight Ciso Morales in February 13, Montiel will be expected to retain his title before fighting the winner of Eric Morel-Gerry Penalosa in the summer. Either should be interesting, i’ll look for Montiel to keep the title again possible fighting Nonito Donaire late in the year. If so, Donaire will win a chess match over the distance. The best of the new breed is 20 year old Californian Chris Avalos 14-0(11) look for him to step upto 10 rounder’s against increasingly tough opposition.

Each week, we will be providing a brief overview of the weekend boxing, kind of like a viewers guide so the fans can see what to look for as they sit on their couch (or even a seat at the arena) and down their favorite cold beverage.

The first weekend of the New Year doesn’t provide much but it’s a start and we need to start thawing out after about a month of very little activity.

ESPN 2 Friday Night Fights kicks off the season with a IBF Middleweight Elimination bout between former Jr. Middleweight champion Roman Karmazin and Dionso Miranda.

ROMAN KARMAZIN (39-3-1, 25 KO’s) vs DIONSIO MIRANDA (20-4-2, 18 KO’S)-12 ROUNDS—IBF MIDDLEWEIGHT ELIMINATION BOUT—10PM EASTERN TIME—ESPN 2 WILL TELEVISE

The first televised bout of the New Year has some significance as Karmazin will look to get back into the title picture in his new division, that being 160 lbs.

Karmazin was considered one of the top Jr. Middleweights in the world after he won the IBF crown with a very impressive two knockdown performance when he scored a unanimous decision over Kassim Ouma in 2005.

The only thing that great performance got Karmazin was a year layoff as he got stuck in promoter Don King’s long list of fighters who seem to disappear once they receive some sort of accolade (see Devon Alexander, Steve Cunningham just to name two off the bat).

Karmazin started slowly in his first defense against Cory Spinks and dropped a debatable majority decision in that fight in St. Louis. (My ringside score card actually gave the nod to Karmazin, but unfortunately for Karmazin my card was of no help to him that night).

Since then he has gone 5-1 with four knockouts with that one defeat a knockout loss to Alex Bunema on the Roy Jones – Felix Trinidad undercard in January, 2008. In that bout, Karmazin was dominating until he seemingly ran out of gas and got caught in the tenth round as was knocked out in what was considered a big upset at the time.

Since that fight, Karmazin has been perfect at middleweight; going 3-0 with two knockouts and capturing the NABF title with a decision over Bronco McKart and once defense over shop worn Antwun Echols.

Just looking at Miranda’s record, he seems like a typical South/Central American puncher who racked up a bunch of knockouts fighting no-hopers at home in Colombia.

When he came to America, he gave a good account of himself, giving undefeated prospect Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin all that he wanted and even rocking the New Yorker on several occasions before Quillin held on for a unanimous decision in 2008.

Miranda then went up to Canada and scored a solid majority decision victory over home standing Sebastian DeMers just two months later.

Miranda has been in this position once before as on February 27, 2009 he had the opportunity to fight in an IBF Elimination bout when he was brutally stopped in two rounds by then Giovanni Lorenzo
Miranda went back to Colombia to get healthy and feasted on an opponent who sported a record of 2-19.

I like Karmazin in this bout as though he is 37 years old (ten years older then Miranda) as he has stayed busy against warm bodies and he hasn’t been in many wars so I believe he still has something left. Miranda defiantly has a punchers chance and he showed in the fights with Quillin DeMers that he can be a decent boxer.

It’s Karmazin’s class that wins out here as he scores a unanimous decision that will put him in line for Sebastian Sylvester’s IBF Middleweight crown

Relief might be best thing about the apparent end Wednesday of the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather negotiations. Maybe, we won’t have to hear about them, any of them, for at least a while.

If interest is measured by hits that rank daily stories on internet sites, readership of blow-by-blow accounts of the talks was crashing faster than Arizona real estate anyway. It looked as if a potential pay-per-view audience or two full of casual fans got sick of the dizzy on-again, off-again silliness and had moved on sometime before the legal suits and mediators arrived like ambulances too late to an accident. No telling when those fans will be back, if ever.

Meanwhile, the battered game also has to move on and sustain itself until another opportunity can be squandered. Despite the doom-and-gloom, it can. It always has. Resiliency was really the story of 2009. Alexis Arguello, Vernon Forrest and Arturo Gatti died. Oscar De La Hoya retired amid predictions that the business was finally finished. Still, there was a resurrection in November with talk of the good old days before and after Pacquiao’s victory over Miguel Cotto

Now, that boxing begins a New Year in the same old place – which is to say nowhere at all, it is also back with a chance to do what it always does. It survives. That well-practiced habit could resume with anyone. From here to Kelly Pavlik, Brian Viloria looks as if he is a good beginning. Viloria (26-2, 15 KOs) is in the right place, right time, against Colombian Carlos Tamara (20-4, 14 KOs) in Manila Saturday (January 23rd), Friday (January 22nd) in the United States. He also has been on a path that personifies the dependable resiliency in a craft so fragile, yet so durable.

Not so long ago, Viloria also thought he was done.

“It took a lot of soul-searching,’’ said Viloria, who will defend the International Boxing Federation’s junior-flyweight title on Solar Entertainment, a Filipino-based company, in a pay-per-view card scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Friday in Los Angeles (10 p.m. in New York).

Viloria’s soul began to become conflicted after he put Ruben Contreras in critical condition with a head injury in 2005 at Los Angeles’ Staples Center.

“I don’t want to say that it was just one event,’’ said Viloria, who visited Contreras at the hospital and saw him later at ringside for one of his subsequent bouts. “There were a lot of things happening within my life.’’

So many that Viloria didn’t recognize himself, or at least the fighter who seemed to be on the express elevator to ring riches and renown not long after the 2000 Games in Sydney. But boxing isn’t supposed to be easy. Real conflict, in a ring and within the soul, never is. Know that, and you’ll understand that unbeaten might be just another way of saying untested. Viloria is neither. He has been beaten, first by Omar Romero in 2006 and then by Edgar Sosa in 2007, and then tested by his own doubts.

“To be great, I think you just have to battle with yourself a lot more,’’ said Viloria, a Filipino-American who grew up near Pearl Harbor on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. “I think it is more of an issue with yourself than it is an opponent. With those fights, I found myself as more of an enemy, an obstacle to conquer, than my opponent.

“I know my talents, my abilities. It was me, battling me.’’

It is battle that never quite ends. But Viloria understands it now more than ever, first because of some long talks with friends and family in Hawaii and in Los Angeles with manager Gary Gittelsohn.

“To be frank, I was pushing him to make a decision to go in a different direction,’’ said Gittelsohn, who calls Viloria “a Renaissance Man,’’ for his many interests, which includes everything from broadcasting to music. “I knew he had God-given skills as a fighter. But we know this business and we know that economic opportunities for a 108-pound fighter, even a world champ, are limited. So, if you don’t bank it early and fast and efficiently, I didn’t want this kid just knocking around. There are too many of those stories in this sport.’’

The heart-to-heart, Gittelsohn said, came at a time when Viloria had been dismissed, “written off..” During a nine-month hiatus after the Sosa loss, however, Viloria said he just felt incomplete.

“I felt like I needed some closure, some things that I still had to do as a fighter,’’ he said.

But that meant a tough price. Gittelsohn told Viloria that he had to start over. In January of 2008, he did in a scheduled eight-rounder in an outdoor ring on grounds in Alameda, Calif., that usually were occupied by shoppers at a swap meet. The booths were closed. Had they been open, Viloria could have bought an umbrella, if not a boat. He could have used one, maybe both. It rained enough to fill a spit bucket.

“He had to be carried to the ring so he wouldn’t get his shoes soaked,’’ Gittelsohn said. “It was surreal.’’

By then, however, Viloria was ready for any kind of storm.

“Gary warned me that I had to take a step back, that it wasn’t going to be easy,’’ said Viloria, who won a decision over Jose Garcia Bernal. “He told me I had to get out of the comfort zone. Sure enough, I walked out into the pouring rain. It was 45, 50 degrees in January. But I just said: ‘OK, if this is what I have to do. I’ll do it.’

“I just threw all of my accomplishments and ego out of the window and went back to Square One.’’

The rain fell like a baptism, washing away the doubts and leaving only the commitment that Viloria always knew was there. Since then, he has won seven straight fights, including perhaps his finest victory, a knockout of Ulises Solis. The 11th-round stoppage last April resurrected the possibility that maybe Viloria could be the next Michael Carbajal, the former junior-flyweight champion from Phoenix and a Hall of Famer who is the biggest American name in the history of boxing’s little guys.

“Carbajal is the first big name in my weight class,’’ said Viloria, who worked as a ringside analyst for Solar during Pacquiao’s victory over Cotto. “When I think of Michael, I think of really big shoes to fill.’’

Carbajal emerged because he had rival, a business partner, in Chiquita Gonzalez. Gonzalez, a popular junior-flyweight from Mexico City fighter, won two narrow decisions in rematches of a trilogy that started in 1993 with a dramatic knockout delivered by Carbajal, who was the first in the lightest weight classes to collect a $1 million purse.

Viloria still has to win in Manila next weekend. If he does, Gittelsohn foresees a similar rivalry with Puerto Rican Ivan Calderon. There already were preliminary discussions last June after Calderon suffered a cut in head butt that led to a draw with Rodel Mayol on the undercard of Cotto’s victory over Joshua Clottey in New York.

With damage left in the wake of the failed Pacquiao-Mayweather negotiations, the Carbajal parallel is intriguing on another level. Carbajal has often been called a pioneer, because he created opportunities for fighters in forgotten weight classes. More significant, he awakened promoters to an untapped market. Carbajal’s emergence, unlikely as it was timely, coincided with ex-heavyweight champ Mike Tyson’s 3-year prison sentence on a 1992 rape conviction.

Boxing then, like now, was reeling. But it survived and eventually recreated itself with fans and fighters once ignored. That story is more than just familiar. It might be repeating itself in Viloria’s resiliency.

Morganville’s Denis Douglin is one of New Jersey’s hottest prospects. Known as “Da Momma’s Boy”, he is currently 6-0 with 3 KOs and is getting ready for a fight on February 6th on Main Events’ “Heavy Artillery” card at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. His mother and trainer, Saphya, is always pushing Douglin to the max, so I think it’s safe to expect big things from the 21-year-old southpaw in 2010 and beyond.

Justin Caggiano: I figure I should start from the beginning; what was it that first got you interested and started in boxing and training? Was it your mother being a trainer and just being around it or something else?

Denis Douglin: My mother, at the time, was a trainer and a boxer. She used to box and did a little amateur boxing so she was always in the gym. I hated boxing so I never used to go but I got into a school fight and got beat up. She figured she had to teach me to defend myself so she brought me to the gym. Like I said, I hated boxing, didn’t want to box at all but I’m really competitive. There were other little kids in there and I just wanted to beat them up and that got me training seriously and I took it from there.

JC: Did you watch boxing at all when you were younger?

DD: Not really. My parents used to watch boxing all the time and I’d go in and sit down for a little while and watch it a bit. For the most part though, no, not when I was younger.

JC: What about these days? Are there any guys that really stand out as some of your favorites?

DD: Yeah, definitely. Mayweather, of course, is one. Andre Berto, Shane Mosley; I can’t wait to see (Berto and Mosley) fight. There’s a bunch of others, too. Danny Jacobs, who’s coming up now. So yeah, there are a lot of guys these days that I like to watch.

JC: When you were 16 you won the New York Golden Gloves, making you the youngest ever win at Madison Square Garden. What was that like?

DD: It was an overwhelming experience. They told me I was actually the youngest person by about a week, I think. And it was just a great experience. I was nervous but I love a crowd so I enjoyed it. I’m a crowd pleaser!

JC: What do you think are some of your favorite moments from your time as an amateur boxer?

DD: Definitely the national trips: going to national tournaments and being out there with a lot of other young fighters. It was great getting to fight every day. It was all just a fun experience getting to just hang out with no school or anything.

JC: You went on to continue with an impressive amateur career until it was cut short by a car accident that took you out of competition for a year. Did you ever contemplate hanging up the gloves or did it just make you more motivated to get back in the ring?

DD: It made me more driven. I think I needed that break because I was going hard in the gym all the time and that break gave me a chance to do things that other kids were doing. I was able to focus more on schoolwork and I got a job for a little while so that was cool. I never wanted to quit boxing, though. As soon as I was able to get back in the gym I was back in the gym.

JC: In 2008, you and your mother were inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame as the Amateur Boxer and Coach of the year. What was it like for “Da Momma’s Boy” to be inducted with his mom?

DD: It was a great feeling. I think more than anything I was just happy that my mother won the award because I know it’s hard for a female trainer to be established in this type of business. For people to recognize that she’s a great trainer, that was what really had me excited. Of course, I was happy to win the award for Amateur Boxer of the Year, but her winning coach really set everything off.

JC: Now a little under a year ago you made your pro debut against Roberto Irizarry and you earned a TKO victory in less than 2 minutes, trapping him in and corner and hitting him with a huge flurry of punches. What was going on in your head going into that fight, it being your debut?

DD: I was nervous and I was scared. I’m not even going to lie to you, when I went into the back and I saw everybody warming up I was like, “Wow, there’s no headgear back here so I better not get hit in the face.” But, once I started walking to the ring and the lights hit me and I saw the audience, I felt at home. I just went in the ring and let my hands go.

JC: What was it like after that fight, knowing you won your first pro match?

DD: It was great. I ran out to my family and I was greeted like I just won a world title. It was a great feeling; I loved it.

JC: Was it the game plan to make a good first impression by showing dominance in the ring in that match or did you just exploit his mistakes and let it happen?

DD: Actually, I really didn’t have a game plan going into my first fight. My mother wanted me to go in and feel him out the first round and just work from there. When I went in there though, I hurt him and my natural instinct is just attack and keep attacking. I saw he was hurt and I just kept punching.

JC: Now probably your toughest and biggest fight thus far was against Lamar Harris on the undercard of Adamek/Gunn at the Prudential Center and it was a pretty close fight. How did you prepare for that fight and what was your strategy against what was surely not an ideal opponent that early in your career?

DD: Well, we trained for that fight the same way we train for every fight. I worked out hard for two or three hours a day. I ran two times a day. I was ready for the fight. I got the opponent at the last minute and they told me he was a tough fighter. Actually, they gave me the fight the day before the actual show happened so I wasn’t really prepared to fight him specifically but I was ready for anybody. It really didn’t make a difference to me. He was tough but I thought I handled myself pretty well.

JC: Your last fight was all the way back in September which is a pretty long layoff. Is there a reason for that?

DD: It’s just been a string of misunderstandings. I had a couple of fights lined up but opponents pulled out. Then, I had another fight lined up and something happened with the medicals. It’s just been a bunch of various mishaps. I’m still in the gym, though. I never left the gym. So, it’s been a layoff fight-wise but not in the gym and my training so I’m ready.

JC: With an impressive record starting to pile up, have you been contacted or signed with any promoters as of yet?

DD: A few promoters have contacted us but we haven’t signed anything yet. We’re just lying back, seeing what people are offering me and what they think I’m worth. I think I’m worth a lot so I’m trying to see what everybody else thinks.

JC: Have you been invited to any training camps with any big name fighters yet?

DD: Yes, I actually got invited to the Miguel Cotto camp when he was getting ready for Pacquiao. I ended up staying in New Jersey though. (I did work with) Yuri Foreman before his fight with Daniel Santos. I decided to do that instead because it was at home so I would still be able to workout at my own gym and I like Yuri so it seemed like the right decision for me.

JC: Let’s move on to your upcoming fight on the undercard of Adamek/Estrada. Do you have an opponent signed yet for the fight?

DD: No, they’re still looking. Finding an opponent seems to always be a problem for me. I’m confident Main Events will get me an opponent, though. They’re really good with that stuff so I’m not worried about that.

JC: Are you just training as usual for the fight? Are you doing anything different or working on anything in particular?

DD: We stepped up the training a lot because I’m moving up to six rounds AND moving down in weight. I’ve been working out three times a day: 5 o’clock in the morning, 3 o’clock in the afternoon, and 7 o’clock at night. We’re getting ready.

JC: Do you think it will be a struggle going from four rounds to six?

DD: No, not at all. I’ve been sparring eight to ten rounds and I feel fine so six rounds shouldn’t really be a problem.

JC: Are you excited to go back to the Prudential Center? I mean, it has to be a different feeling with the big, rabid crowd.

DD: Oh definitely, it’s a great venue. I love fighting in the Prudential Center. I’m more than ready and extra excited and I can’t wait for it to get here.

JC: Finally, what do you see for yourself in 2010 and what are you hoping to accomplish before the year is out?

DD: I want to be a big prospect. I want to be ESPN’s prospect of the year. That’s what I’m going for. Also, I would like to get a good ten fights in this year hopefully and I just want to become a household name. I want everybody to know “Da Momma’s Boy”.

Thanks for taking the time to join me for this interview Denis. Anything you’d like to say in closing?

DD: I just want to say thank you to the fans that I have now and hopefully I’ll be getting a lot more this year. Just look out for me.

for more info on New Jersey Boxing click www.gardenstatefightscene.com

So Floyd Mayweather is going to fight Manny Pacquiao? Awesome. Finally, there is a fight that the sports world and beyond could really get into.

As a displaced boxing fan, I was extremely excited by the prospects of the match-up. The two best boxers in the world were going to fight. In a world where people love to argue the merits of each expert’s “pound-for-pound lists”, the public unanimously views Pacquiao and Mayweather as the numbers one and two fighters respectively.

Their ranking at the top is no longer opinion. It is fact.

Plus, Mayweather is the unquestioned star of HBO’s 24/7 series. Seeing weeks of build-up for the fight would make the anticipation grow to levels never before seen. Every sports fan in America (and beyond) would have to be excited for the fight.

The match-up would have been the biggest fight since Mike Tyson defeated Michael Spinks on June 27, 1988. Boxing had a chance to deliver the biggest fight of the past three decades.

Then, we learned far too much about drug testing.

Immediately, the cynic in me thought one of two things was happening. The first was that Mayweather and Pacquiao were just trying to build interest in the fight. To really be arguing about drug testing is just illogical.

The second was that this fight truly has no chance of happening. One of the fighters does not want to face the other. Or maybe neither of them wants to fight. I do not care who the culprit is. To me, that does not matter. As a fan, the only thing I cared about was the fact the biggest fight boxing has to offer would not get made.

Unfortunately for the entire sports world, the second scenario was correct. The biggest fight boxing can make will not take place.

We can debate for hours why the fight will not happen. We can blame Mayweather for requesting blood tests. We can blame Pacquiao for refusing to take them. We can blame Bob Arum, Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Sr., or Richard Schaefer for allowing this to spiral out of control.

None of that really matters. The fight is over.

In a few months, Pacquiao will be facing Yuri Foreman, and Mayweather will be taking on Paulie Malignaggi. Both are completely useless match-ups to the sport. No one outside of the hardcore fans will really care about the results.

After finally being excited about a boxing match then having it ripped away, I hope both boxers lose. If Mayweather and Pacquiao both win, the bickering will all start over. Maybe next time, we’d have to hear about the size of the gloves or the location of the fight or some detail that never should make it to the public.

Instead of gaining boatloads of new fans, boxing turned them away as they were banging on the cabin door. Well done. Maybe the NFL can counter and cancel the Super Bowl. That would never happen.

Boxing just set itself back twenty-one years. At least we can still fondly think back to the excitement and anticipation of when Mike Tyson stood in the ring with Michael Spinks.

The fight did not deliver, but at least the sport did.

Today in a room in a Santa Monica, California, boxing will be going under for its own form of major surgery.

The kind of surgery isn’t for a bum knee or a damaged elbow. It could be an operation to fix and resurrect any number of things inside the body of boxing.

Due to Doctor/Patient confidentiality we will call the patient “FMMP”.

FMMP is a potential larger than life event that could bring an influx of new fans to the sport. FMMP was set to debut on the Las Vegas strip on March 13th until some infections got in the way, hence the reason for this surgery.

Enter the honorable former judge Daniel Weinstein who will act as the lead surgeon. Helping him out in the board, I mean operating room will be represent eves from promotional giants, Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions as well as well as the inner circles of FM & MP.

What is the potential prognosis if this procedure succeeds or fails?

If Weinstein is successful, the sport of boxing will get what it’s been longing for a fight that its been yearning for since at least De La Hoya – Trinidad or Chavez – Whitaker and that fight was almost twenty years ago.

This is a fight that has been brewing for the better part of two years and this is all that boxing and even the non-boxing fans want to see.

After the news has been all over boxing and sports news services that a deal was reached in principle that the fight was closer to fruition then not, the infection, arose that the camp of FM wanted a more stringent drug testing procedure on MP started to fester in the body, of this patient.

Now if Weinstein can get this infection straightened out, the sport has a chance to be healthier than it’s been in a decade as a fight will be made that EVERYONE wants to witness.

Sure we know that this is a big money event that everyone involved from the fighters, promoters, casinos and right on the down the line will line their pockets with a bushel of cash but to have boxing back on center stage will be worth whatever we have had to endure over the last few weeks as we read about proposals and counter proposals about drug testing and drawing blood.

The potential of an unsuccessful surgery I don’t want to say will be catastrophic for the business but it would certainly be another bruise on the body that is boxing.

Many hardcore and even the very casual fan wants to see the bout between Mayweather and Pacquiao and lets home that the former Judge Weinstein can perform a magical procedure to help save this fight.

Photo Chris Farina/Top Rank

The top man at Middleweight may not have had the best of years but now Kelly Pavlik’s healthy again hopefully he’ll engage in some big fights and bring excitement back to the Middleweights which have been derelict over the past few years. With Paul Williams having to sit out much of the first half of the year look for Sergio Martinez to take advantage of the situation and fight Pavlik in Atlantic City in April/May. Martinez has skills in abundance and his speed of foot could also cause Pavlik problems, however “The Ghost” is tough, gritty with a huge heart who’ll keep going until the last and pull off a hard fought decision win. Paul Williams will get back into action over the summer possibly against someone like John Duddy or Peter Manfredo either should give Williams the opportunity to put on an impressive performance setting the stage for a highly anticipated fall fight with Pavlik. When all the smoke has cleared Pavlik will have scored a late impressive stoppage in give and take battle. WBA Kingpin Felix Sturm will have several problems getting free of his contract with Universum so wont be very active. Even so it’s difficult to see Sturm losing as he’ll likely have home advantage and probably won’t be matched with any of the top dogs. Fellow German IBF ruler Sebastian Sylvester will make his first defence against the very average Pablo Navascues of Spain. Sylvester shouldn’t have any problem keeping hold of his title in that fight setting up a May/June fight with his mandatory challenger. That will be Roman Karmazin who will best Dionisio Miranda in early January. Karmazin is skilled and tough but at 37 passed his best so Sylvester who will likely also have home advantage, again getting the win. European champ Matthew Macklin has a tough fight with Dmitriy Pirog in February the winner of that will be well positioned to fight Sylvester before the end of 2010. The best of the rest will see Daniel Jacobs become a top 10 ranked contender on the verge of a world title fight. French transplant Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam will also have a good year. Gennady Golovkin will be hoping to fight Sturm but that may largely depend on if Sturm can free himself of his Universum contract. If the fight happens Golovkin is good enough to win it. Matt Korobov will also be busy and start to face better opposition placing him on the fringes of the world scene.

With Sergio Martinez fighting up at 160 leaving him to vacate the WBC title which will see Kermit Cintron paired with Ryan Rhodes. Both guys carry a good story coming in, Cintron will be the better guy scoring a unanimous decision. Don’t be surprised to see Cintron hold onto the title through out the year. Yuri Foreman is on standby to square off with Manny Pacquiao encase Pac-Man’s fight with Floyd Mayweather doesn’t come off. Eventually he’ll settle for a spot on the undercard fighting Japanese WBA Interim champion Nobihiro Ishida. Ishida shouldn’t provide too much of a challenge with Foreman posting an easy points win. Its possible Foreman will be matched with Miguel Cotto over the summer. Foreman has the style and size advantage to give Cotto fits if it happens. Another option could be Joachim Alcine who is popular in Monteal. As time goes by Cory Spinks is slowly morphing from cagey mover into a more stationary boxer which is good for us but not so good for him. Spinks probably due to Don King not keeping his fighters too active will keep the title in 2010 with only Vanes Martirosyan in the top 15 of the IBF posing any threat. With Sergei Dzindziruk not having fought at all in the last calendar year he may have to vacate which will see Alfredo Angulo promoted to full champion. If this happens Angulo backed by Gary Shaw will become a staple in the HBO cards taking part in at least two fights. He’ll be matched carefully against tough fighters and not cagey runners. The best of the up and comers is Martirosyan who’ll outpoint teak tough Kassim Ouma in mid January from there the Freddy Roach trained prospect will continue to develop having a busy year marking him out as the top contender in the division. Shawn Porter came to prominence late in 09 he’ll continue to develop and may even drop down to 147.

The world awaits on what will happen in the soap opera that is the tediously long and drawn out negotiations between Floyd Mayweather Jnr & Manny Pacquiao. Hopefully soon enough they will sort out the Blood tests and put pen on a deal that will see both men earn more than they’ve ever earnt before. Hopefully the fight will then live up to the drama that has ensued in the build up if it does we’re all in for a treat. It pits the skills of Mayweather verses the power of Pacquiao plus many many other intriguing intangibles. When all is said and done and the dust has settled Mayweather will prevail via unanimous decision looking every bit the star he believes himself to be. The only real threat then on the horizon would be Shane Mosley who’ll roll back the years once again and dominate the young skilled but not quite ready Andre Berto. After much posturing they’ll square off in Las Vegas in another huge fight. Again Mayweather will back up his talk and win a competitive but clear cut decision. Antonio Margarito may re-emerge but struggle to get a big fight because of previous history. Cotto after several months off will put himself back in the picture with a couple of wins. Among the possible opponent’s for Cotto if elects to stay at 147 could be Jesus Soto Karass & Jose Luis Castillo. Joshua Clottey will continue to struggle to gets fights and not manage to get any of the big guys in the ring. If he can get a fight with the ordinary Jan Zeveck he could once again be the IBF champion. Zaveck will not get through the year as IBF champion in such a talented weight class. The younger guys coming through should provide enough action to again make the 147 hot top to bottom whereas in 2009 this was only the case for the top 5 or so guys. Selcuk Aydin has the power and attitude to take him to the top, it may get him a European title or even the IBF crown if he gets the chance. The often underappreciated Mike Jones will break out as a top 10 contender. Young guys like Saul Alvarez & Kell Brook could also supplant there credentials with successful years that could leave them with in striking distance of the best.

Another talent laden division is the Light Welterweight’s. The numero uno is Tim Bradley who had a great 09 that run should continue this year with him again struggling to get the Big name that he craves to bring him big money. With Bradley fighting on Showtime and most of the other champions fighting on HBO it’ll be interesting to see who Bradley gets in his next fight. On 6 March Devon Alexander & Juan Urango will look to unify there WBC & IBF titles in a fight that has a lot of promise. Alexander will be getting back into action after 7 months off since he beat Junior Witter, this fight will give him the chance to really push himself out there. I look for him to post a dominant decision win before fighting Victor Ortiz over the summer. Look for Ortiz to get a win in the first half of the year to set up that fight with fellow young gun Alexander. Amir Khan will fight Marcos Maidana possibly on the same card as Alexander-Urango. That could eventually be a prelude to a future match up between two of the very best at 140. Khan will use his speed to befuddle Maidana on his way to getting a points win. At some point a fight between Khan & Paul Malignaggi could very well happen though that may not be until the fall with Khan squeezing in a defence in Britain. The ever popular Ricky Hatton will make his comeback possibly on 1 May as co-main event with Juan Manuel Marquez. The double header will help set up a fight with Marquez for later in 2010. Kendall Holt will beat Tim Coleman in an IBF eliminator but he’ll lose if he steps up to fight Alexander. When neither Malignaggi nor Holt can get a title shot they may elect to fight over the summer in a fight that will help the winner get a title opportunity. It would also be a pretty big fight in New York or New Jersey. Another fight that may interest Malignaggi would be Dimitri Salita if Salita can get a few wins under his belt. That would be a pretty big fight in New York. Ireland’s Paul McCloskey broke out last year and is now the European champion. Expect him to continue his development and gain a few more defence’s that should enable him to improve his rankings in the alphabet organisation’s top 10. Nate Campbell who has signed with Golden Boy should get a big fight but likely wont be able to win it. Lucas Matthysse will get the best win of his career stopping shop worn Vivian Harris on the Mosley-Berto card. That may get him a shot at Bradley later in the year. Noteworthy guys coming through are Philadelphia’s Danny Garcia who was very impressive on the Hopkins-Ornelas card & Britain’s Frankie Gavin who appears headed for the big time.

After losing to Floyd Mayweather, Juan Manuel Marquez will drop back to a more natural 135 on 1 May when he will fight in a co feature with Ricky Hatton. He’ll face either Juan Diaz or Michael Katsidis both have styles that suit Marquez who’ll be favoured to beat either. Edwin Valero fought twice last year against ho hum opposition and will be hoping for a bigger year…he’ll have one too. Starting on 6 February he’ll defend his title against Interim holder Antonio De Marco. De Marco’s a good fighter but he looks made to order for Valero with his come forward style. He may start off ok, but will get caught and when that starts happening the whole fight will change. Valero will take De Marco out by the mid rounds. Valero will be back in action over the summer and he’ll get a license to fight in America where he’ll meet David Diaz. Diaz is teak tough but will also fall into the same trap as De Marco and get stopped in 9. By the end of the year Valero-Marquez will be talked about as well as a move up to 140 for Valero. Another possible opponent’s for Valero could be Urbano Antillon & Humberto Soto. Ali Funeka will finally get his big break when he claims the vacant IBF crown when he stops Rolando Reyes in ten. Funeka is promoted by Gary Shaw who look’s after his charges. I expect Funeka to thrive with the title and be active with a couple of defence’s. It wouldn’t be too much of a surprise if the 6’1 South African stepped up to 140 late in the year to fight Bradley. If Katsidis doesn’t get the opportunity to face Marquez on 1 May look for him to possibly feature on the undercard against Jorge Barrios for the vacant WBO title. It would be a war from start to finish with both guys bleeding and hitting the canvas. At the end Katsidis will take the title and improve his status and see him get on another big card before the year is through. Anthony Peterson will come into his own and be a threat to anyone by the end of the year, he’ll get chances to show his talent on Top Rank cards. Another talented young guy Luis Ramos will get more chances on bigger Golden Boy Promotions.

“This one storm is going to change the face of our planet. When this storm is over, we’ll be in a new ice age. My God.” – Professor Jack Hall, “The Day After Tomorrow”

Thank heavens the hyperbolic professor didn’t have an internet connection and an interest in boxing these last 40 days. Who knows how many worlds he might have seen ending? But then, if he’d had those things there’s an outside chance his carrying on might have been ridiculous enough for us to snicker, find our equilibrium and realize that – much as in the poorly scripted case above – the end of the world is not nigh.

Nor is the end of boxing. Nor – mercilessly enough – is the end of negotiations for Manny Pacquiao to fight Floyd Mayweather and determine the mythical pound-for-pound titlist of 2010. Soft deadlines have passed. Hard deadlines have come and gone. New Year’s Day is in the books. Both sides are unwilling to budge. And with March 13 looming but 68 days from here, there’s not nearly enough time to fill Cowboys Stadium!

Get a hold of yourself. This fight was never going anywhere but Las Vegas. With MGM Grand the settled site for Pacquiao-Mayweather, there are no tickets to sell; attracting pay-per-viewers is the only point of the promotion. That means HBO’s “24/7” program is the de facto promoter and the ultimate deadline needn’t come before Feb. 1.

That could be the last word in optimism if optimism were warranted. It isn’t.

Anyone reading this column cares enough about our sport to cast a wary eye at outsiders who assure us boxing’s future relies on this fight coming off. I know, I know. We finally had the New York Times and Wall Street Journal’s validation. Well, so long as this fight looked doable, it behooved us all to agree this was the most important happening of the millennium. Now that Pacquiao-Mayweather in Texas has gone the way of Pacquiao-Valero in Macao, though, ask yourself: How does this fight affect me?

Manny Pacquiao is considered the world’s best fighter. Floyd Mayweather is considered the world’s second-best fighter. If they were to fight, those positions would likely switch. How is that good for boxing?

Pacquiao is a charismatic action fighter who’s created a market for prizefighting in the Philippines and made it popular as ever throughout Asia. Mayweather is a foul-mouthed defensive specialist whose fights lose more fans than they gain. Pacquiao is good for boxing. Mayweather is good for Mayweather.

Mayweather is also too smart by half, this time. He’s devised a strategy of implying Pacquiao has been cheating, without exactly saying it. He didn’t want fair play; he wanted another psychological advantage over another opponent. He knew Pacquiao would consider the blood testing intrusive. He knew in Pacquiao’s mind it would be “Money May” himself reaching in those veins and doing God knows what with the blood.

Hey, as an American immune to superstition, I’m with Mayweather on the testing. I’d probably agree to the testing even if I did have something to hide – betting on the testers’ incompetence. But most Filipinos would refuse blood tests even if they had nothing to hide.

If the fight’s off because neither side flinches on blood tests, Pacquiao remains the world’s best fighter. Mayweather holds down the two spot. Works for me.

But let’s hope it doesn’t work for Mayweather. Let’s hope being a runner-up enkindles him enough to declare war on the welterweight division, demand the head of whoever wins the upcoming match between Shane Mosley and Andre Berto, and then issue beatings to Joshua Clottey, Miguel Cotto and Luis Collazo.

Wait, stop laughing.

A more likely scenario of course is that Mayweather will pursue dwindling-money fights with old guys and b-level talents until he, too, becomes an old guy. If that happens, Mayweather’s ultimate legacy will look like this: Top 10 talent, Top 100 resume.

Oh, no it won’t! I’ll remind the world till the day I die that Pacquiao ducked him by refusing blood tests!

No, you won’t. Someday you’ll be married with kids and a full-time job and no more than an hour of every week for message boards. Then, only Mayweather’s record of actual fights will matter, and some youngster half your age will say: “Not one prime hall-of-famer on that 50-0 record.”

Based on their past exploits, we can assume Pacquiao really wants this fight, Mayweather sort of wants this fight, Golden Boy Promotions really wants this fight, and Top Rank sort of wants this fight. Though they share similar levels of enthusiasm, Mayweather is wrong and Top Rank is right – coincidentally, for the same reason:

If anyone can solve Manny Pacquiao, it’s Floyd Mayweather.

Pacquiao and his millions of fans don’t know this. Mayweather and his dozens of fans do. And so, one assumes, do a few people in Top Rank – the company that developed Mayweather before it developed Pacquiao. Top Rank won’t jeopardize the Pacman party till it gets plenty more concessions at the negotiating table.

If Pacquiao-Mayweather does happen, though, it will be an event. The New York Times will be there. The undercard will be unwatchable. The fight itself will be dull. Mayweather will hold the sport of boxing hostage – whupping the daylights out of the Matty Hattons of the world – for five more years. And we’ll all be $100 million richer.

No we won’t. Yet, that’s the final reason why many seem to think they have a vested interest in this fight happening: Because it will make a lot of money. Money for whom? In prizefighting the money distributes like the talent on a super-fight’s marquee: 90 percent in the top 10 percent.

So, dry your eyes. And remember, less money in boxing, not more, is what made 2009 so much better than 2008.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter.com/bartbarry

The Heavyweight’s have largely been dominated by The Klitschko’s through out the later part of this decade. I don’t see much change in that this year with Wladimir beating his WBO mandatory Eddie Chambers in March by eighth round stoppage then closing out the year fighting his IBF mandatory Alexander Povetkin who may have a few moment along the way before being stopped in the tenth. Big brother Vitali wont fight until the summer when he’ll take on either Odlanier Solis who’ll win an eliminator against Ray Austin or Tomasz Adamek if he gets past Jason Estrada in February & Chris Arreola in late April. Either way he wont lose. That will set the platform for Vitali to face David Haye who’ll force the stoppage against John Ruiz. After all the jostling for position Vitali will stop Haye who may give the big man trouble early with movement in the 5 with a big KO. Sam Peter to continue rebuilding on Top Rank shows and have a good year. The most noteworthy guy coming through is Russian Denis Boytsov. At just 23 boasting a pristine 26-0(21) he looks to have a bright future which could see him win the European title before the end of the year. The fast rising Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev could also have a good year. He’s fighting once a month at the moment but already beating decent guys with his next appearance due late in January against the vastly more experienced Oleg Platov.

With Tomasz Adamek abdicating his thrown as the top man at Cruiserweight the other will jostle for position. Steve Cunningham will regain his IBF crown when he turns back Matt Godfrey on points in the first quarter of the year. The Philadelphia product has never been the most active of guys and may only fight once more in that calendar year and that may be a road trip North to Canada to fight Troy Ross or even further a field to Europe. Marco Huck looks the future of the division at 25. He managed to win the WBO title in 09 look for him to defend it three times this year all at home one likely foe is Grigory Drozd. It’ll be interesting to see if Zsolt Erdei elects to stay at Cruiserweight i don’t think he will. Leaving Krzysztof Wlodarczyk to beat Herbie Hide for the vacant WBC title. Look for Wlodarczyk to defend at home in Poland before possibly having to go to Germany for a defence where Cuban Juan pablo Hernandez may be dangerous. Guillermo Jones finally got over the hump in 08 when he won won the WBA title after 3 previous shots at various world titles. However he hasn’t capitalised on that having not fought since September 08, time seems to be running out for Jones who turns 38 in May. He’ll either be stripped of at some point have to fight Alexander Alexeev. Either way Alexeev will win come good on his promise to win.

When Danny Green stopped Roy Jones a few weeks back he changed the landscape of the division dramatically. First off we we wont get to see Jones square off with long time rival Bernard Hopkins in a rematch that has been 16 years in the making. That means that Hopkins will have to find a new dance partner. One possible is Danny green who’d love the fight. If the money’s right it’ll happen, just don’t bank on Hopkins going the way of RJJ. Hopkins will be far more studious and out fox Green if it comes off. One fight that it wont set up is Hopkins against Chad Dawson who will instead have to sit out until June when Jean Pascal’s shoulder will hopefully of healed. Dawson will go to Canada and regain his old WBC title with a hard fought points win. With a lack of opportunity’s Dawson will then make a routine defence at home in Connecticut against Chris Henry. It looks as though there will be rematch in the first quarter between WBA kingpin Gabriel Campillo & Beibut Shumenov. This time Shumenov will prevail. Look for him to take his new title back to Kazahkstan and make a few lucrative defences. In 2008 Tavoris Cloud entered the ranks of a contender with a drubbing of former champion Julio Cesar Gonzalez then after a full year without a fight he fought for the vacant IBF crown when he outpointed Clintonm Woods. Since that fight in August he hasn’t fight and has nothing in the works. Hopefully he’ll get back to work and capitalise on being a champion with a couple of defence’s. One could be against Glen Johnson if he gets past Yusef Mack. Jurgen Braehmer became WBO champion when Zsolt Erdei moved upto Cruiserweight. It’s possible that Erdei could comeback to 175 and that fight would be pretty big in Germany. If it happens it’ll pit Braehmer’s power against Erdei’s clever boxing i’d look for Erdei to be a little to clever for Braehmer and take a points win. However if it doesn’t come off there isn’t to much in the WBO rankings to suggest Braehmer will lose. Just outside the world scene Nathan Cleverly of Wales is going the old fashioned way of British, Commonwealth and in January he’ll travel to Italy where he’ll look to add the European title. If all goes according to plan he’ll stay at theat level turning back a few challengers whilst maturing ready for the world stage.

Future fights for many of the top guys at 168 are largely mapped out for 2010 thanks to the Super 6. Which goes into stage two and kicks off when Andre Dirrell will host Arthur Abraham in California in March. It figures to be an interesting fight with Dirrell’s speed putting him and early lead before Abraham comes tearing back even rocking Direll late though Dirrell will hold and get the victory. Then on 17 April Mikkel Kessler will outpoint Carl Froch in Denmark and Andre Ward will score a tenth round stoppage over Jermain Taylor. Also possibly on the same date arguably the best 168er in the world Lucian Bute will fight though across the airwaves on HBO. It was rumoured that possible foes would be WBO Kingpin Robert Stieglitz in a unification or possibly Edison Miranda who was due to meet Stieglitz until he fell ill. Either way it wont matter to Bute who’ll score another impressive stoppage. It has also been rumoured that Sakio Bika may face Allen Green in an elimination fight to decide who would go into the Super 6 if someone pulled out. I look for Green to out box the rugged Bika and campaign for his shot at a place in the Super 6. The final phase of the super Six will take place before the end of the year. It will see Ward face countryman Dirrell in what could be a modern day Jones-Hopkins. With Ward eking out a close chess match. Froch to fight Abraham both coming off loses it’ll be close early. Froch using his speed advantage while Abraham will pick his moments ultimately late on Abraham will enjoy the more success and win a close points decision. Taylor will decide to sit out the final round with Allen Green stepping in to face Kessler. Green will have his moments but Kessler will prevail by unanimous decision. The best two up and comers are Olympic gold medallist James Degale and his compatriot George Groves. Both did well in 09 and will do even better in this year.

Fighter of the Year: Manny Pacquiao

Pacquiao’s 2009 was one for the ages. With dominant victories over Ring Magazine Junior Welterweight champion Ricky Hatton (who was previously unbeaten at 140 lbs) and WBO Welterweight kingpin Miguel Cotto (considered by many an undefeated fighter due to the Antonio Margarito hand wraps controversy), Pacquiao was a unanimous pick for Fighter of the Year.

Fight of the year: Juan Manuel Marquez TKO9 Juan Diaz

Marquez-Diaz was a sensational action bout from start to finish. The two mixed it up from the opening bell, with the naturally bigger Diaz getting the better of the exchanges early on. Marquez, who refused to back down, continued to slug it out with Diaz before turning the tides in fashion. The technically proficient Marquez badly cut Diaz in round 8 and dropped him hard with a two punch combo in round nine. Marquez then tagged the badly hurt Diaz with a vicious uppercut, leaving him flat on his back, forcing Referee Rafael Ramos to halt the most exciting fight of 2009.

Hottest Division: Welterweight

With the inclusion of Pacquiao, the hottest division got hotter. The sport’s biggest fight in recent memory will occur at 147-pounds when Pacquiao eventually meets Floyd Mayweather Jr. Though they are one and two on the pound-for-pound list, neither will be able to claim they are the clear welterweight king until they beat Shane Mosley. The ranks 4-7 at 1-4-7 are as good as in any other division, with Miguel Cotto, Joshua Clottey, Andre Berto and Luis Collazo competing in a ridiculously stacked weight class.

Weakest division: Heavyweight

Just about enough has been said about the dearth of talent at heavyweight. No one can argue that the brothers Klitschko, Wladimir and Vitali, are not a highly talented duo. But the drop-off after them is unlike anything we have seen in decades. Not only is the top ten a limited lot, but there are scarcely any prospects to get excited about. Once upon a time, not that long ago, the World Heavyweight champion was the most recognizable man in the United States, if not the world, and the most prestigious position in all of sports.

Prospect of the Year: Fernando Guerrero

Guerrero (17-0, 14 KOs) has the look of a future champion and made great strides in 2009. There are several criteria for choosing a Prospect of the Year, and Guerrero seemed to get check marks for each one. Guerrero kept a busy schedule, as a prospect should, fighting five times, scoring three knockouts and winning two decisions. Guerrero took a step-up in competition, winning a majority decision over fringe contender Ossie Duran and stopping tough journeyman Brian Norman, who had gone ten full with Jean Pascal.

Guerrero has the benefit of fighting at the high-profile middleweight class, which is ripe with opportunities for rapid advancement. The former amateur star is still young at 23-years-old, and has a fight of some significance scheduled in 2010 against former prospect Jesus Gonzales. Lastly, what gives Guerrero a huge edge over every other U.S. based prospect, is his massive drawing power in his hometown of Salisbury, Maryland, where he has fought in front of 8,000 people.

Worst Decision of the Year: Ali Funeka D12 Joan Guzman

For the better part of twelve rounds, Funeka hammered the unbeaten Guzman. Guzman, a quick and slick Dominican, was bloodied and rocked on a number of occasions by his taller opponent. Funeka had everything going his way. From a strong jab and big power punches, the South African clearly had the fight in control, winning at the absolute worst 8 of the 12 rounds (the score Joseph Pasquale had of 116-112).

The vacant IBF Lightweight title appeared to be his. This was until Alan Davis and Benoit Roussel unexplainably scored the contest 114-114, disgustingly robbing Funeka of the title. This created a major out roar in the boxing community and further solidified why judges should be required to do post fight interviews.

Promoter of the year: Top Rank

The promoter of the year’s biggest fight, Pacquiao-Cotto, and the co-promoter perhaps the second biggest fight, Pacquiao-Hatton, Top Rank earns the nod as best promotional firm of 2009. In addition to those two mega events, Top Rank continues to develop their prospects into champions and stars better than any one in the business. The latest example of which is Juan Manuel Lopez, who has achieved superstardom in Puerto Rico and may be en route to his second world title January 23.

Fight you’d most like to see in 2010: Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather

This appeared to be a given until issues over pre fight drug testing at least temporarily derailed the fight. Pacquiao and Mayweather are unquestionably the top two fighters in the sport. Each brings a style that the other hasn’t faced. With both topping 1,000,000 pay per view buys for a fight in 2009, they are obviously box office kings as well.

Pacquiao and Mayweather appear ready to take on different opponents in their next bout, but an overwhelming public demand makes the fight all the more likely for later in 2010.

Knockout of the Year: Manny Pacquiao KO2 Ricky Hatton

There were not that many people outside of England picking Hatton to beat Pacquiao this past May, but could anyone have expected the brutal one-sidedness in which Pac man would end the fight? The left hand Pacquiao landed to put Hatton down in a heap at the end of round two was picture perfect.

Fighter of the Decade: Manny Pacquiao

Pacquiao nabbed titles in a record six divisions over the last ten years (super bantamweight, featherweight, junior lightweight, lightweight, junior welterweight and welterweight). Pacquiao’s sensational decade included knockout victories over Marco Antonio Barrera (who he would later defeat by decision), Erik Morales (twice), Miguel Cotto, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton; all multi division world champions that were ranked on the pound for pound list during their careers. Pacquiao also owns a points victory over the great Juan Manuel Marquez, and stopped once-beaten David Diaz among other notable victories. A simply sensational run by one of the best fighters in the last quarter century.

Authors note: Pacquiao’s victories over Barrera in their first fight and Ricky Hatton were for the Ring Magazine title, which is globally recognized as the legitimate championship belt in each weight division.

Fight of the Decade: Diego Corrales TKO10 Jose Luis Castillo

On May, 7 2005, Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo battered each other over the duration of an unforgettable fight. Both neglected any kind of defense in this phone booth battle, willingly using their faces as a line of defense. In the opening thirty seconds of round ten, Castillo dropped Corrales hard with a left hook. The dazed Corrales was down just seconds later and his night appeared to be all but over. This was until, the unthinkable happened.

After a brief break and a point deduction for spitting out his mouth piece, trainer Joe Goosen famously quipped Corrales “you have to f****ng get inside on him now. And did he ever. Castillo swarmed Corrales in an attempt to finish the fight, but was rocked by a two punch combo, springing the latter back to life. Corrales then stunned Castillo via a hard left hook and stopped him with a vicious combination (which had Castillo out on his feet) him thirty seconds later. Corrales tragically passed away exactly two years after the fight, but will forever be linked to the most miraculous comeback in one of the greatest slugfests of all time.

Division of the Decade: Welterweight

The 147 lb division, our best of 2009, had a number of terrific pugilists make a mark in it. The list of fighters making major waves at 147 include Floyd Mayweather, Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto, Manny Pacquiao (since the Cotto bout lifted him to an even higher level), Vernon Forrest, Paul Williams, Zab Judah, Joshua Clottey, and current rising star Andre Berto among others. Though featherweight was a very close second, welterweight division had too many top tier fighters to ignore.

Worst Decision of the Decade: Courtney Burton SD10 Emmanuel Augustus

Discounting significance, but just based on sheer disgustingness, Courtney Burton’s 2004 decision over Emanuel Augustus in Michigan was the Worst Decision of the Decade. Their fight, televised on ESPN2 from Burton’s home state, was utterly one-sided. Despite an unnecessary point deduction by the referee, Augustus should have had the verdict running away. Somehow, one judge scored the bout 99-90, while another had it 97-92 for Burton.

The third judge scored the fight 98-94 for Augustus, and even that was a little too close. Making matters worse, when commentator Teddy Atlas approached the Michigan Boxing Commission representative on air, they apparently did not know the difference between a majority decision and a split decision. Augustus gained a small measure of justice, stopping a by-then faded Burton in 2006.

Promoter of the decade: Top Rank

With the reign of Don King Productions winding down, and Golden Boy Promotions rising up as the decade began the clear choice for Promoter of the Decade is Top Rank. Again, Top Rank helped create or elevate three of the decade’s the biggest stars in Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. In addition, Top Rank was largely behind the renaissance of the featherweight division.

Knockout of the decade: Manny Pacquiao KO2 Ricky Hatton (see above)

Write ups compiled by Matt Yanofsky and Mario Ortega Jr. Awards voted on by staff.

Photo by Chris Farina of Top rank

“When archaeologists discover the missing arms of Venus de Milo, they will find she was wearing boxing gloves.”
— John Barrymore

The late Barrymore, a great American actor more than 70 years ago, is long gone, but he could have been speaking about the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather negotiations, which have been putting more nausea into ad nauseam with each passing day. It’s hard to know whether to laugh, cry, scream or just ask for the barf bag.

I’ve done all of that and more since the talks spun out of control and into a familiar gutter. There are no winners here, other than perhaps Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Arizona Senator John McCain.

Jones must be relieved that nobody dragged him into it by accepting his $25-million offer to stage the fight at Cowboys Stadium. McCain has to be happy he didn’t follow up on a reported suggestion that he become an arbitrator. The escalating Pacquiao-Mayweather blood feud makes the health-care debate sound like kumbaya. There’s no peace here. Only a piece of you-know-what.

How the talks, seemingly so smooth in the early stages, turned into such a stinking mess is probably not a surprise if placed within boxing’s usual context, which is older than Barrymore’s defining line and probably at least as ancient as the marble in the de Milo statue. But Pacquiao-Mayweather looked as if it were a chance to move on and beyond a frayed way of doing business.

That said, the business still beckons with enough potential money to say that it also wouldn’t be a surprise if the fight was signed, sealed and delivered in a sudden announcement next week. With a reported potential of $40 million for each side, it’s hard, perhaps impossible, to walk away. In the end, nobody is making a compromise. There is only one thing they’re making: Money, money, money.

But the process won’t make new fans out of a public leery of a sport that never seems to get out of its own way. Michael Katz, who is to fight-writing what Barrymore was to acting, would write that the only thing killing boxing is boxing. Nothing has changed and, oh yeah, Happy New Year.

Pacquiao’s defamation suit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas, against Mayweather Jr., Mayweather Sr., Roger Mayweather, Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer could only insert more vitriol into rancor that began with the Mayweather camp’s demand for Olympic-style blood testing. That’s one interpretation among many, too many.

Who knows? Both sides were quick to say that the lawsuit doesn’t necessarily kill the fight. Okay, then maybe it is just another step in the negotiations. To wit: The Pacquiao camp says it will drop the lawsuit if Mayweather backs off on the demand for random testing, especially unannounced tests within 30 days of opening bell, which had been scheduled for March 13. Then again, maybe the lawsuit is a real expression of Pacquiao’s anger at how he believes he has been smeared by the blood-testing demand, which includes at least an implication he is using HGH.

Pacquiao’s drug-testing resume is spotless in Nevada. But the state’s Athletic Commission doesn’t conduct the comprehensive, random tests done by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Oh yeah, USADA has been another issue. The Mayweather camp wanted it to conduct the tests. No way, said the Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum, who has said urine testing is sufficient. But physicians have said repeatedly that only random blood tests can detect HGH.

Credibility? That’s hard to detect anywhere.

The Mayweather demands are undercut on several fronts. Schaefer said no to blood testing for Shane Mosley, a former BALCO client, amid plans for a fight in 2008 against Zab Judah. According to reports of testimony to a grand-jury investigation, Mosley said he unknowingly used the clear, the cream and EPO, which were Performance Enhancing Drugs readily available in BALCO’s PED dispenser. Yet, Schaefer said Mosley had never tested positive in tests conducted by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Hence, Schaefer said, it was wrong to treat him as a cheater.

“We are not going to do other tests than the Nevada commission requires,’’ Schaefer said in an Associated Press story. “The fact is Shane is not a cheater and he does not need to be treated like one.”

Why should Pacquiao be treated any differently?

Then, there’s Pacquiao who has reportedly said he doesn’t like needles, yet has tattoos that prove he has been needled often. Pacquiao’s anger at suspicions inherent to Mayweather’s demands is understandable. But those same suspicions are also the price of athletic fame these days. Even if Pacquiao pursues the lawsuit and wins, he will have to live with questions he can’t knock out. Olympic swimmer Dara Torres underwent a battery of random tests at her own request when she decided to make a comeback as a 40-year-old mom. She passed them all. Yet, suspicions are still there.

Olympic-style testing, no matter what acronym conducts them, is random and more thorough than anything done by a boxing commission. But the prevailing assumption is that athletes are always a masking agent ahead of any technology.

Mayweather has to know that, too, and he has used it in what some say is an early attempt at gamesmanship. Then again, there are others who say that Mayweather is simply hiding behind the demand in an attempt to delay the fight until May or September. The theory is that Mayweather has decided he wants a tune-up.

An extra helping of skepticism is needed for anything done by Mayweather. He likes to talk about a level playing field and transparency, yet he was happy to pay Juan Manuel Marquez $600,000 — $300,000 a pound – for being two over the contracted weight in September. Then, he refused an HBO request to step on an unofficial scale on the night before his one-sided decision over Marquez. So much for transparency.

In hindsight, you can only wonder why everybody talked and acted as though the March 13 fight was a done deal when there wasn’t a contract with Mayweather’s signature on it. There’s another New Year’s resolution in there somewhere.

But maybe this flap is a good thing. Initially, Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach balked at March 13. It was too early, he said. Pacquiao still needed time to recover from his bruising victory over Miguel Cotto in November. And, yeah, maybe Mayweather really does need a tune-up. And, maybe, a fight later in 2010 will lead to some history in the ring and a rich rematch. More important, maybe it represents an opportunity for Nevada and other state boxing commissions to upgrade the testing process, especially for the biggest fights.

But, please, quit all the rancorous maybes and get the fight done. If there are only lawsuits and screaming arguments, only archaeologists will find the game, buried with de Milo’s long, lost arms.

Photo By Chris Farina/Top Rank