Saturday, March 6th – Devon Alexander vs. Juan Urango (HBO)- Jnr. Welterweights- Devon Alexander is on a collision course with 140 lb. kingpin Tim Bradley, but he must get past a tough test in Juan Urango first. Devon is very slick and has some good power, but the tale of this fight may be that both men are southpaws. A win here could set Alexander up for a showdown with Bradley, a stoppage would make an even bigger statement. My Pick: Alexander by UD.
Vic Darchinyan vs. Rodrigo Guerrero (SHO)- Jnr. Bantamweight- Love him or hate him, Vic Darchinyan always brings fireworks when he steps in the ring. Guerrero has a good record but has never fought outside of Mexico and hasn’t faced anywhere near the level of competition that Darchinyan has. My Pick: Darchinyan by KO, somewhere between rounds 4-6.
Saturday, March 13th – Manny Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey (HBO PPV)- Welterweights- This fight is a product of the falling out of Mayweather/Pacquiao, but should still provide a pretty exciting match up. I think the story in this fight in Clotteys known lack of work rate which should play right into Pacquiaos high work rate. Clottey has a very tight defense so it may be hard for Manny to land early, but I see him wearing Clottey down late. My Pick: Pacquiao by UD.
Saturday, March 20th – Wladimir Klitschko vs. Eddie Chambers (Internet PPV)- Heavyweights-The fact that a heavyweight championship fight has no US TV outlet is an embarrassment to that division. This truly shows how weak the heavyweight drawing power is. Nonetheless, US heavyweight hopeful ‘Fast’ Eddie Chambers will take a shot at dethroning one half of the Klitschko brotherhood. Though Eddie is very quick, and a good, slick fighter, I don’t think he has enough power to really do any damage against the much bigger, and more experienced Wladimir. That being said, I don’t see Klit getting a stoppage here, but to use his machine like jab to keep Chambers at bay, while mixing a right hand here and there to keep Eddie honest. My Pick: Klitschko by UD.
Saturday, March 27th – Andre Dirrell vs. Arthur Abraham (SHO)- Super Middleweights- In the kickoff to stage 2 of the Super Six tournament, local super middleweight Andre Dirrell tries to pick up some much needed points after losing a disputed decision to Carl Froch in Stage one. Abraham will be that test, and he will give everything Dirrell can handle. Abraham is tough, with a good defense and has plenty of power. Dirrell needs to stay on his toes (which he seems to have no problem with) and safely outbox Abraham from a distance. If Dirrell ends up too close to Abraham, or in a fire fight he could meet the same fate as Jermain Taylor. The fight was originally scheduled to take place in L.A., but was recently moved to the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. This is a nice treat for Detroit fight fans as there hasn’t been a world title fight in the city in almost 10 years. This fight could go either way, it really all depends on who executes their style of fight more effectively. Dirrell has always been a ‘safety first’ type of fighter, so Abraham may find himself chasing a moving target all night. My Pick: Dirrell by SD.
Saturday, April 3rd – Roy Jones, Jr. vs. Bernard Hopkins (Golden Boy/Square Ring PPV)- Light Heavyweights- My first reaction to this fight getting signed was ‘who cares’. But at this point in both of their careers it actually makes sense. Neither guy has shown any recent intentions of fighting any of the relevant light heavies, and it should turn out to be decent payday for both. This fight should’ve come off 15 years ago, but due to whatever myriad of excuses it never happened. It would seem as if Hopkins could be able to stop Roy, but considering Bernard has only stopped 2 fighters in the last 7 years, even with Roy Jones shaky chin we should see round 12 in this one. Whatever Roy may have left isn’t much, and hopefully this is last time we see him in the ring after a hall of fame career. My Pick: Hopkins by UD.
Saturday, April 10th – Andre Berto vs. Carlos Quintana (HBO)- Welterweights- After taking time off to cope with the tragedy of the earthquake in Haiti, Berto returns for a match up with tough Carlos Quintana. Quintana’s only two losses coming from Cotto and fluke stoppage against Paul Williams in their rematch, Quintana is a tough, solid southpaw opponent for Berto. Berto has blazing hand speed, great foot work and very good power, and should overwhelm Carlos but I don’t see him knocking Quintana out. A win should set him up against the winner of either Pacquiao/Clottey or Mayweather/Mosley. My Pick: Berto by UD.
Saturday, April 27th – Kelly Pavlik vs. Sergio Martinez (HBO) – Middleweights- I had a real hard time getting my mind wrapped around this one, and it’s by far the hardest one for me to pick. Pavlik should be able to wear the smaller Martinez down and use his work rate and power to get him out in the later rounds, but Martinez is a very good counter puncher who uses angles which has been known to give Kelly fits. The other big bonus for Kelly is Sergio is very hittable (as shown in the Williams fight), and doesn’t adjust well. Originally I picked Martinez to win a decision using quickness and counter-punching but I just don’t see him keeping that up the whole fight. Look for Pavlik to wear Martinez out, and walk through most of what Sergio has to offer and take him out late. My Pick: Pavlik by TKO between rounds 10-11.
Lucian Bute vs. Edison Miranda (HBO) – Super Middleweights- With Bute’s HBO contract keeping him out of the Super Six tournament, this is almost a tune up fight of sorts. Miranda is always a dangerous puncher, but Bute’s superior boxing ability should keep him out of danger in this one. My Pick: Bute by TKO between rounds 8-10.
Saturday, April 24th – Andre Ward vs. Allan Green (SHO)- Super Middleweights- Continuing stage two of the Super Six tourney, Andre Ward faces Jermain Taylors replacement Allan Green. Green is a very good fighter, with world class power, but Ward should prove too quick and accurate. My Pick: Ward by UD.
Mikkel Kessler vs. Carl Froch (SHO)- Super Middleweights- The second fight of the Super Six double header is a pretty interesting matchup. There seems to be a general consensus that Kessler may be shot, but I think he has enough left in the tank to take this one. Carl Froch will use his normal come forward pressure style which I think will suit Kessler perfectly. Kessler should be able to outbox Froch, but don’t be surprised to see Kessler hurt at some point during the fight. My Pick- Kessler by UD.
Tomasz Adamek vs. Chris Arreola (HBO)- Heavyweights- It’s pretty incredible that Adamek, who was the former light heavy weight champion, is now contending with full fledged heavy weights. It was be easy to say that with Arreolas punching power, Adamek may have bitten off more than he can chew, but Adamek has proved over and over than his chin is made of pure concrete. This is a pure pick ‘em type fight. If Arreola lands big he could knock the Pole out and be back on his way to another title shot. If Adamek uses foot speed, hand speed, and accuracy he should be able to outbox Arreola. Look for the latter to happen, as I don’t think Adamek has the power to stop Arreola. My Pick- Adamek by UD.
Saturday, May 1st – Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Shane Mosley (HBO PPV)- Welterweights- It’s a shame that this fight didn’t happen years ago, but I guess it’s better late than never. The biggest knock on ‘Money’ is that he hasn’t faced any elite welterweights, well that streak will now end. Granted Mosley is in the twilight of his career, but he’s still dangerous nonetheless. Coming off a spectacular TKO victory over Antonio Margarito, Mosley may be just what the doctor ordered to beat Floyd. He’s still lightning fast, and it’s possible he will be the hardest puncher Mayweather had ever faced. But as per usual, that power means nothing if it doesn’t land. And nobody makes punches miss better than Mayweather. I think the outcome of this one depends entirely on what Mosley decides to do. If he chooses to punch from range and outbox Floyd I don’t think he has much of a chance. If he uses pressure (albeit intelligent pressure), and gets Floyd on the ropes or in the corners I give him a very good shot at handing Floyd his first loss. I’m going strictly with my gut on this one. My Pick- Shane Mosley UD 12.
