Happenings

Posted by Bill Scherer Jul 30, 2008

No doubt about it, welterweight is the hottest division in boxing right now.

With Antonio "The Tijuana Tornado" Margarito's massacre of Miguel "Jim Lampley Loves Me" Cotto this past Saturday, Zab Judah and Joshua Clottey duking it out this coming Saturday, Andre Berto and Paul Williams with talent and titles of their own, and Shane Mosley, Kermit Cintron, Luis Collazo and others milling around among the division's elite, we should be entertained for the foreseeable future.

I don't see anyone beating Margarito at 147 any time soon. He's too big and he can't be hurt. He did swell quite a bit from all the leather Cotto landed, so maybe a fighter's best hope is to swell him up, bust him open, and stop him on cuts. To do that, you would have to, literally, look the Tornado in the eye to deliver that much punishment. I'll pass, thank you.

Poor Kelly Pavlik. He is the dominant player in a division rich in history and prestige, yet he has to settle for a fight with Bernard Hopkins at 170. Maybe he can close out the old guy's career and drop back down to 160. Maybe Arthur Abraham will be available. That's a good fight. Pavlik wins it, but it's a good fight.

What else? Among the lightweights we have Nate Campbell vs. Juan Guzman and Michael Katsidis vs. Juan Diaz coming up. Campbell and Guzman is a tough scrap but I give the edge to Campbell. Katsidis Diaz? I honestly don't know who wins that one.

The Golden Businessman is trying to lure Manny Pacquiao away from 135 for a December 6 fight at 147. Funny thing is, a lot of folks think that's a dangerous fight for the golden one....