Inside the Ropes 12.27.10: Looking Ahead to 2011

Posted by Ramon Aranda on 12.27.2010

From the upcoming Manny Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley bout to the possibility of David Haye fighting one of the Klitschko brothers, 411’s Ramon Aranda looks ahead to the year 2011 in the year of boxing in this week’s edition of Inside the Ropes!


Yeah, we have the same look on our faces

While no doubt we'll see a host of columns recapping the year that was 2010, I'm more interested in what's ahead for us in boxing in the upcoming year. Sure it's not 2011 just yet but with boxing essentially on vacation for a week or two, I figured it'd be a good time to discuss what we have to look forward (and not) in 2011.

As it stands, I'm not discussing what I'd like to happen in 2011, but rather what wheels are in motion and what's already confirmed.

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Obviously one of the biggest stories heading into 2011 is the May 7 clash between Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley, which is set to take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

I've more or less discussed it in previous weeks, so in short, I would have much rather seen Pacquiao take on Andre Berto, one of three options, for his in-ring return. Berto, who was no doubt the less appealing to the casual fan, was also one of the better opponents for hardcore fans. Berto is young, fast, pretty strong and a titlist at welterweight. I would have favored Pacquiao in that fight but still, Berto was in a much better place in his career to actually enhance Pacquiao's status.

A third bout with Juan Manuel Marquez was also on the table and quite a tasty endeavor but unless the two would have met at junior welterweight, I would have lost a bit of interest. In his fight with Mayweather, we clearly saw that Marquez was too small, too slow and quite lethargic at 147 pounds. In returning to lightweight against Katsidis (and of course Katsidis is no Mayweather but still..), Marquez was strong, accurate and had much better upper body movement. Pacquiao is obviously much more comfortable now at a higher weight than Marquez could be and I'd have no problems picking Pacquiao to win the rubber match, had it taken place at welter.

And so instead of going with the fresher Berto, we get an aged, future hall of famer in Shane Mosley. Look, had this fight taken place after Mosley had knocked out Antonio Margarito, which is when Mosley was calling him out anyway, we'd all be discussing how dangerous of a fight it is. We'd say that Mosley is a natural welterweight with fast hands and underrated power with a lot of experience and coming off a huge win. However, the powers that be decided to wait and as such, Mosley went on to nearly stun the world after hurting Mayweather but ultimately ended up on the wrong side of a boxing lesson and then came back to look even worse in a draw against former junior middleweight titlist Sergio Mora. To his credit, Mora isn't a bad fighter, he's just very boring to watch. Mosley on the other hand has always been fun to watch but his loss to Mayweather and subsequent draw with Mora showed us that there isn't much left in the tank, not to win a fight or even look good in a losing effort.

What makes this whole thing more annoying is how Bob Arum has gone from snubbing Mosley for being an old fighter, to doing a 180 and now claiming he's a dangerous opponent for Pacquiao. Please, who are you kidding Bob? I'm sure that Mosley's split from Golden Boy Promotions had as much to do with the decision as did the fact that it'll be a peace of cake.

At the end of the day, it's the hardcore boxing fans, the ones who support the sport and put up with the BS that get screwed once again. Yeah, perhaps more of the "casual" fans will be interested in the fight (though more than a few have told me they do not), and line up Bob and Manny's pockets with cash but they've done boxing a big disservice with this fight. Shame on them.

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Raise your hands if you think David Haye will actually man up and take a fight with either Klitschko brother. Hmmm...I sense the same reaction as one would expect if a teacher was asking the class if anyone knew the capital of Croatia. Over the past week, we've heard the Haye camp proclaim that they have accepted a proposed 50-50 split to get a fight with Wladimir Klitschko. Haye's camp says they're ready to take the fight in 2011, but I'm not so sure.

After a 2010 campaign that included wins over John Ruiz and Audley Harrison, it's hard to believe that Haye is actually ready to step into the ring with Wladimir or Vitali. Haye likes to talk a big game but as of now, has lacked the intestinal fortitude to back up his words. Truth be told, Haye is talented and is the best chance in the division to topple one of the brothers; namely Wladimir as I think Vitali would be a tougher option, but has hid behind the mic when it's come time to seal the deal.

If the rumors are true that they're willing to do what it takes next year to finally face a Klitschko, then my hats go off to him. Until then, I'll sit back and watch the drama unfold with skeptical eyes.

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You can count the amount of "meaningful" fights that have been all but confirmed for 2011, but the one that has most of my interest is the junior welterweight unification bout between Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley.

It's a fight that's been hovering over us for some time now but both fighters understood that it wasn't ready to be made. It was a simple case of two talented fighters who hadn't yet made a big enough name for themselves to warrant the hype the fight deserved. Though you can argue that the bout could use some more "sizzling", by letting them win a few more, I figure the time is now to make it happen. Hell, it was almost ruined earlier this year by Alexander's lackluster performance against Andriy Kotelnik while Bradley continues to roll. What at first seemed like a pick'em fight, has unquestionably turned into a fight Bradley is being favored to win.

Still, we have two of the best 140 pounders in the world going at it while holding world titles, being in their primes and being undefeated. Nowadays, this doesn't happen too often so let's all enjoy the ride.

I'm not too thrilled that it's taking place at the Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit as the venue doesn't make much sense to me. However, beggers can't be choosers so let's just be happy the fight is being made. For the record, I too favor Bradley to win a decision but if Alexander brings his A-game, we could be in for one very entertaining night. It's the first big fight of 2011 and I can't wait.

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Showtime has both its Super Six World Boxing Classic and bantamweight tournament set to conclude in the upcoming year. The network has done a helluva job as of late, which can't be said for HBO, and after taking a gamble with the super middleweight tournament, added another fine, albeit shorter tourney at 118-pounds.

Andre Ward will face Arthur Abraham in the early going of 2011, while Carl Froch will face Glen Johnson in the tournament's semifinals. The finals will take place a few months later, likely in the summertime here in the U.S. Though the tournament has seen its fair share of troubles, such as Kessler, Taylor and Dirrell's withdrawals, we've been treated to excellent bouts, which otherwise would have been difficult to make. The smart money is on seeing a final between Ward and Froch, though Johnson will be tough to put down, but regardless, the conclusion of the tournament will be one of the year's highlights.

As far as the bantamweight tournament goes, Abner Mares will battle Joseph Agbeko for the IBF title and major bragging rights. Should be a fantastic bout, with a pretty good clash between Vic Darchinyan and Yonnhy Perez serving as the co-feature. The winner of the Mares-Agbeko fight will surely have the right to call themselves the best at 118 pounds but a February bout between Nonito Donaire and Fernando Montiel will also have big implications.

Let's hope the Montiel-Donaire and Agbeko-Mares winners battle it out to crown a true bantamweight king.

Other Random 2011 Notes

- Floyd Mayweather will have to deal with his legal issues. The results will have major repercussions on his career.

- Sergio Martinez returns in March against an opponent to be determined.

- It sounds like Miguel Cotto will also return in March against Ricardo Mayorga. Though Cotto would be a huge favorite, you can only imagine how entertaining the press tour would be. If anyone can piss Cotto off enough to make him talk trash, it's Mayorga.

- Our 3 More Rounds podcast will be back on the air in late January.

- Look for a new video show that we'll be putting together in 2011. We'll be adding pre-fight and post-fight shows, fighter interviews and roundtable discussions in upcoming 411mania vignettes.

- Finally, I want to wish everyone a safe and happy New Year!

Till then, see you at the fights!