Chris Arreola gets his title shot against Vitali Klitschko, but is he ready for it?

On September 26 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko will defend his title against unbeaten Mexican American Chris Arreola. The fight will be televised on HBO World Championship Boxing.

Staples Center previously played host to two of Klitschko's biggest bouts. In June of 2003, Lennox Lewis stopped Klitschko, on the basis of a deep laceration over Klitschko's left eye caused by a punch, after six wildly entertaining rounds of championship action. Almost a year later at the same venue, Dr. Ironfist would finally seize the vacant the title belt, following Lewis's retirement from the sport in December of 2003, with a eight round stoppage of Corrie Sanders.

Arreola remains relatively unproven at the world class level, as his biggest victories have come against Chazz Witherspoon, Travis Walker, and Jameel McCline. Walker was able to knock Arreola down in the second round of their fight, but Arreola rose from the canvas to knock Walker out and emerge victorious by way of a 3rd round TKO. The brash, vulgar speaking challenger is now set to face Klitschko for the WBC title, in what will be his first world title fight. Is the unbeaten yet unproven 28 year old California native ready to accept such a demanding task? Will he be as physically prepared as he will be mentally for the fight?

Arreola has never faced an opponent the ilk of either Klitschko brother - Vitali or Wladimir (who is the universally recognized heavyweight champion of the world). Arreola can punch well with both fists and has a puncher's chance, but that's the case with most heavyweights. Taking into account Klitschko's height and reach advantages, coupled with Arreola's tendency to enter his fights over weight, this reporter believes he's going to have a difficult time finding the target on Klitschko.

One must also consider the durability factor between these two heavyweights. Klitschko and Lewis exchanged bombs for six brutal rounds, with neither pugilist succumbing to the punishment that was being dished out and received in that fight. Arreola on the other hand, found himself on the floor at the hands of Walker, who is not exactly an elite level world beater!

In any case, boxing has a quite a schedule in store for this fall. Between Mayweather vs. Marquez, Pavlik vs. Williams, Klitschko vs. Arreola, and Pacquiao vs. Cotto all taking place within the next three months, the end of the summer will only mark the beginning of some sensational world class boxing competition.

Tune in to HBO World Championship Boxing on the evening of September 26 for Klitschko vs. Arreola!

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Pavlik vs. Williams on October 3!

BoxingChronicles.com has learned that middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik has agreed to face former WBO welterweight champion Paul Williams on October 3.

The fight will take place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City and will be televised live on HBO. Considering the lack of the marquee names and legitimate challenges at middleweight (Arthur Abraham recently ascended to super middleweight ranks), Pavlik vs. Williams would appear to be the most ideal match up at the 160lb limit.

Atlantic City is familiar territory for Pavlik, who won the unified middleweight championship in October of 2007 via 7th round TKO of defending champion Jermain Taylor at Boardwalk Hall. Pavlik would successfully make his first title defense with a 3rd round TKO of the sadly over matched Gary Lockett, also at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City in June of 2008.

Rebounding from the first loss of his professional career, a one-sided unanimous decision to former two division champion Bernard Hopkins last October, Pavlik was last seen making the second defense of his middleweight championship in February, scoring a 9th round stoppage of Marco Antonio Rubio in his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio.

Williams recently won a lopsided unanimous decision over former super welterweight champion Winky Wright, illustrating that the middleweight limit would seem to be an effective fighting weight for the Aiken, South Carolina native. The middleweight title bout is sure to be a treat for HBO subscribers, as the world champion makes his first significant title defense against the man deemed as the most avoided fighter in sport.

photo courtesy: The Sun

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Cotto vs. Clottey officially set for June 13!

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum held a press conference in New York City earlier this week to officially announce the welterweight title unification fight between WBO champion Miguel Cotto and IBF titlist Joshua Clottey. The fight will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York City on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day parade and will be televised live on HBO. The timing and location of this contest has become a traditional right of passage for Cotto, the Puerto Rican superstar who has fought at Madison Square Garden on the weekend of this holiday for four of the last five years.

In terms of the significance of this fight, it is highly significant for all of the fights that take place at 147lbs as well as for the fighters who campaign in that weight class. The winner of the Cotto vs. Clottey will cement his status as the number one contender for welterweight champion Shane Mosley. What makes this fight so interesting is that it could turn out to be a good fight with some fireworks. Clottey, who is more or less the dark horse of the welterweight division as Winky Wright was for many years at super welterweight, does not come easy for anybody he fights. Ever since his close unanimous decision loss to then WBO champion Antonio Margarito in December of 2006, Clottey has been on a nice winning streak that includes wins over Zab Judah and the late Diego Corrales.

Whether or not Cotto has recovered from the potential physical damage of the knockout loss to Margarito last summer remains unknown, as his last fight against Michael Jennings failed to answer those questions. Jennings put up very little resistance and was finished in that fight from a competitive stand point the moment Cotto laid hands on him. We still don't know the aftermath of the punishment Cotto took from Margarito. Regardless of whether or not Margarito's gloves were loaded with an illegal substance, Cotto still took physical punishment. Physical damage, whether it is the product of illegal wraps or legally wrapped fists, can not be reversed. Meldrick Taylor never took a punch quite the same way again after his classic encounter with Julio Cesar Chavez in 1990, a fight in which Chavez came from behind to stop Taylor with two seconds remaining in contest.

There are questions to be answered on June 13, and boxing fans just might have some fun as they get those answers when these two top welterweights meet each other in the ring at Madison Square Garden.

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Khan and Barrera meet in crossroads fight!

On Saturday afternoon, from the MEN Arena in Manchester England, British lightweight contender Amir Khan will square off with ring legend and former three division champion Marco Antonio Barrera.

Khan, who won a silver medal in the lightweight division at the 2004 Olympic games in Athens, was considered an emerging British phenomenon on the rise to super stardom, touted by many as the second coming of Prince Naseem Hamed.

Wins over the likes of Gary St. Clair and Michael Gomez contributed to the padding of Khan's undefeated professional record, and there were those in the British isles who believed that Khan's rise to prominence was inevitable, but the general boxing public was still waiting for Khan to make a significant splash against a legitimate top contender.

Some observers were anxious, even as recently as a year ago, to see Khan against the like's of Juan Manuel Marquez, Joel Casamayor, and Juan Diaz. Undefeated as a professional, Khan met fellow undefeated lightweight Breidis Prescott of Columbia on September 6, 2008. In the eyes of fans and experts, following the embarrassing 54 second KO loss to Prescott, Khan had been reduced from being Great Britain's most promising young superstar in the making to boxing's latest hype job.

Many felt they had seen the last of Barrera, following his retirement after his second loss to Manny Pacquiao in October of 2007, but rarely do boxers who ever reach Barrera's level of success and acclaim stay retired without making a comeback. Throughout his career, Barrera has posted wins over the likes of Kennedy McKinney, Erik Morales, Kevin Kelley, Johnny Tapia, and Hamed just to name a few.

Taking into account as impressive of a resume as Barrera has, one would declare that he has established quite a legacy for himself in the sport of boxing. Khan, 29, has much more to prove going into this fight than does his opponent who is one of Mexico's finest champions of recent memory. Barrera is making one last stand in a career that probably should have been permanently complete following the loss to Pacquiao in 2007. Khan is still rebounding from the knockout loss to Prescott and feels that a win over Barrera will elevate him to lightweight title contention or at least a big payday.

Barrera's losses to Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao are more excusable, as they pertain to his standing in all-time history, than they were a couple of years ago, as Marquez and Pacquiao are arguably the two best pound for pound fighters in the world today. Pacquiao went out of his natural weight element to dominate and stop Oscar De la hoya in a welterweight fight, while Marquez has now scored two consecutive knock out wins over Joel Casamayor and Juan Diaz. Therefore, Barrera may not be as finished or over the hill as we once thought.

Given the fact that Khan is a fragile-chinned, relatively recent first round knockout victim who still remains unproven, coupled with Barrera's incomparable professional experience against top flight opposition, I am inclined to pick the old warrior in this one - probably by decision, but a stoppage win would not surprise me at all.

Khan vs. Barrera can be seen live on PPV, distributed by Integrated Sports, on Saturday, March 14 at 4pm E/T 1PM P/T.

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Froch vs Taylor officially set for April 25!

According to reliable news sources, WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch is finally set to defend his title against former undisputed middleweight champion Jermain Taylor on April 25. The fight will take place at the MGM Mirage at Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Connecticut. Contract for the fight has been signed by both parties and the fight is officially a done deal. Froch vs Taylor will be televised on Showtime.

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Pavlik/Cotto twinbill on PPV this weekend!

WBC/WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik and former WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto will return to the ring for the first time since they both suffered the first losses of their respective careers in 2008.

Pavlik, who was soundly beaten by Bernard Hopkins at a catch weight of 170lbs last October, will return to 160lbs to defend his middleweight championship in his home town of Youngstown, OH against number one contender Marco Antonio Rubio. Also live from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ, Cotto will attempt to rebound from his TKO loss at the hands of Antonio Margarito last July by winning the vacant WBO welterweight title against top contender Michael Jennings. Both of these contests, from separate locations, will be distributed on a Top Rank PPV telecast.

What should boxing fans be looking for when watching these fights? Competitive bouts featuring the two stars on this PPV card fighting against evenly matched opposition? Not exactly. Perhaps the height of inquiry and curiousity is largely focused outside of the ring rather than the affairs scheduled to take place inside the ring.

Ever since the Tijuana Fists of Concrete, better known as Antonio Margarito, were suspended for up to a year, Cotto has been lobbying for a deep investigation into whether or not illegally loaded gloves on Margarito's behalf were any factor in his victory over Cotto last summer. Certainly, the Margarito hand wrap scandal has cast a dark cloud over his conquest of Cotto, but Cotto should remain focused on the task at hand against Jennings on Saturday.

Boxing fans should be on the look out to see if Cotto's skills or ability have diminished following his first loss. Is it the same Cotto who attacks the body and then comes back up to the head with combinations? Is Cotto any less durable than he was prior to the Margarito fight? Has his ability to take a punch been hampered by the TKO loss to Margarito? That's what viewers will find out on Saturday.

Can Pavlik return to his natural weight class of 160lbs and finally emerge as a dominant force in that division? Will Pavlik be the same fighter he was prior to being exposed by the old 43 year old veteran Hopkins? After all, since stopping Jermain Taylor to seize the middleweight crown in September of 2007, two of Pavlik's three fights have taken place above the middleweight limit. Rubio is the first step in Pavlik's march to middleweight dominance, but skeptics correctly note that his true challenges lie with IBF champion Arthur Abraham as well as the winner of the intriguing Paul Williams vs Winky Wright match up that is taking place on April 11 in Las Vegas.

Should Pavlik have any intentions of universally claiming the middleweight division as his very own, Top Rank promoter Bob "the Bobfather" Arum would be well advised to allow these highly significant matches to take place. At the post fight press conference following Pavlik's exciting title winning victory over Taylor, Arum made loud and clear to the media that Pavlik would indeed turn out to be one of the greatest middleweight champions of all time. A three round destruction of an over matched Gary Lockett last June is a far cry from such a lofty distinction. In fact, the term 'far cry' in this case is a serious understatement.

Nonetheless, the year 2007 witnessed the culmination of both Pavlik and Cotto as two of boxing brightest stars, with Cotto defeating Zab Judah and Shane Mosley and Pavlik beat Taylor. In 2008, both of the undefeated stars witnessed their demise. Resurrection and resurgence are in order, and it all begins in Youngstown and Atlantic City this Saturday night!

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Campbell vs Funeka on HBO Saturday, February 14!

Press Release: HBO serves up a triple helping of Valentine’s Day excitement when HBO BOXING AFTER DARK: NATE CAMPBELL VS. ALI FUNEKA AND ALFREDO ANGULO VS. COSME RIVERA AND SERGIO MARTINEZ VS. KERMIT CINTRON is seen SATURDAY, FEB. 14 (10:00 p.m. live ET/tape-delayed PT), from the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise , Fla. , exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports team of blow-by-blow announcer Bob Papa, commentator Max Kellerman and expert analyst Lennox Lewis will be ringside for the event, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdate: Feb. 15 (10:30 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Feb. 15 (5:00 p.m.) and 17 (11:30 p.m.)

In the main event, lightweight title-holder Nate Campbell (32-5-1, 25 KOs), from Tampa , Fla. , battles Ali Funeka (30-1-2, 25 KOs), from East London , South Africa in a scheduled 12-round title bout. Campbell became champ last March with a victory over the formidable Juan Diaz on HBO, and is making his first title defense. Funeka, a top contender in the division, is fighting for the first time outside South Africa .

The second bout pits undefeated fast-rising junior middleweight contender Alfredo Angulo (14-0, 11 KOs) of Coachella, Cal. against Cosme Rivera (31-11-2, 22 KOs), from Culiacan, Mexico, in a scheduled ten-round contest. Angulo, whose aggressive ring style and iron chin have made him a star in the division, is facing one of the toughest tests yet in his young career. His opponent, Cosme Rivera, is a savvy ring veteran who has knocked down top fighters Andre Berto and Joel Julio in previous fights. Angulo’s original opponent, Ricardo Mayorga, withdrew from the match.

Starting off the night, junior middleweight sensation Sergio Martinez (44-1-1, 24 KOs) of Madrid , Spain takes on Kermit Cintron (30-2, 27 KOs) of Reading , Pa. in a scheduled 12-round, 154 pound contest. Martinez , who returns to the HBO spotlight following his stunning victory over Alex Bunema on HBO BOXING AFTER DARK last October, is looking to enhance his standing in the division as he works towards a title shot. Cintron, moving up from the welterweight division to take on Martinez , was last seen scoring a victory over Lovemore N’dou in November. His only losses have come at the hands of welterweight star Antonio Margarito.

The executive producer of HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is Rick Bernstein; producer, Jonathan Crystal; director, Mike Sheehan.® HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.

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Vitali Klitschko defends WBC title against Juan Carlos Gomez - on ESPN!

The WBC heavyweight title fight between champion Vitali Klitschko and former cruiserweight champion Juan Carlos Gomez, scheduled to take place on March 21 in Stuttgart, Germany, could either be a better scrap than anyone expects, or it could be a blow out. Given the fact that Gomez is already a one-time first round KO victim, I think most observers could very possibly be expecting the latter.

Yes indeed, the heavyweight division is still dominated by Eastern Europeans. Muhammad Ali, the greatest of all time, emerged in the mid 1960s as a dominant and charismatic American heavyweight force. Mike Tyson arrived in the mid 1980s to become the youngest heavyweight champion ever at twenty years of age. This decade, however, has not yet seen the arrival of a talented young American heavyweight who can overturn the division's current state of affairs.

Considering that we now have a two headed heavyweight champion (Wladimir and Vitali, brothers enjoying simultaneous reigns at the top of a dead beat division) and that two headed champion is Eastern European, I don't see the heavyweight division changing anytime soon. As long as both brothers are dominating the division and both remain champions, no upcoming star is going to emerge as the heavyweight champion of the world.

On a positive note, boxing fans can consider themselves fortunate that ESPN has stepped up its game and put forth the money necessary to televise the Klitschko vs Gomez title fight. Furthermore, the fact that this heavyweight title fight is airing on free TV, in attempts to familiarize the American public with this Eastern European Giant who is not very well known outside of inner boxing circles, is perhaps a step in the right direction. I think it is a good move on ESPN's behalf, but this could also signify the beginning of redemption for Vitali.

Many fans and experts lost any love and respect that they had for Vitali when he withdrew from four different contractually obligated title defenses against Hasim Rahman. Klitschko's loss to Lennox Lewis back in 2003 ironically was his finest hour, and that was in defeat, so the road back to prominence starts with a title defense on ESPN in front of a worldwide audience that includes boxing fans who may not necessarily subscribe to HBO or Showtime.

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From welterweight January to lightweight February!

Last month was the month of the welterweights, as we witnessed Andre Berto's too close for comfort title defense against Luis Collazo and Shane Mosley's title winning upset of Antonio Margarito.

This month, however, we will be seeing three of the best lightweights in the world in action on HBO. This Satuday night, IBF/IBO lightweight champion Nate Campbell will put his titles on the line against Ali Funeka in a stylistically appealing match up. Campbell hasn't seen any action since winning the belts in a crowd pleasing split decision defeat of Juan Diaz in Mexico last March. Funeka earned his title shot with Campbell in an IBF eliminator last July, stopping highly regarded Zahir Raheem, who once beat Erik Morales, in four rounds.

On February 28, we will see lightweight kingpin Juan Manuel Marquez defend his title against Diaz, the man Campbell beat less than a year ago. Marquez won the lightweight championship of the world with an 11th round TKO of Joel Casamayor last September. Diaz rebounded nicely from the loss to Campbell with a twelve decision win over Michael Katsidis in Houston, also back in September. Marquez is clearly the recognized lightweight champion of the world, but Campbell is a titleholder who happens to be the universally recognized number one contender to Marquez's throne. Diaz is one of the top lightweights in the world himself; his fight with Marquez figures to be a classic in the making.

Campbell vs Funeka is being promoted by Don King Productions and will be televised on HBO Boxing After Dark, while Marquez vs Diaz will be represented under the Golden Boy Promotions banner and will air live on HBO World Championship Boxing. What's great about these two boxing events is that they are being televised on HBO and not some over hyped PPV card. HBO subscribers can view both of these fights, which feature best lightweights in the world pretty evenly matched against one another.

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Paul Williams -vs- Winky Wright set for April 11th

Paul Williams and former undisputed jr middleweight champion Winky Wright will meet each other at the Mandalay Bay on April 11 in a middleweight fight scheduled for twelve rounds.

This should be a relatively decent middleweight scrap, as Williams showed that he could carry the weight well, based on his two round destruction of Andy Kolle in a middleweight fight in September of 2008. With the opportunity to face off against a top ten pound for pounder, Wright has a chance to put his name back on boxing's main radar where it once was a few years ago when he soundly defeated Shane Mosley and Felix Trinidad. Wright has been inactive since dropping a close decision to Bernard Hopkins at a catch weight of 170lbs back in July of 2007. Williams was last seen on November 29 oflast year, scoring an 8th round TKO of former IBF jr middleweight champion Verno Phillips.

Unfortunately the winner of this fight can dismiss any hopes and dreams of challenging middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik, as long as Pavlik is still fighting under the Top Rank banner. We all know Bob Arum's feeling for both of these combatants. Williams vs Wright will be televised on HBO World Championship Boxing.

Continuing the progress and innovation that I believe was made at the beginning of the year, HBO continues to build on their improvements in terms of televising quality boxing matches between equally matched elite level fighters rather than showcasing rising stars against over matched opponents.

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Ngoudjo, Urango fight for vacant title belt!

Live tonight from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, jr welterweight contenders Herman Ngoudjo and Juan Urango will be fighting for the vacant IBF jr welterweight championship. In his last fight, Ngoudjo won an IBF title eliminator by outpointing former WBA champion Souleymane M'baye in June of 2008. Prior to that victory, Ngoudjo came up on the losing end of a title challenge against defending IBF jr welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi. Since losing his title in a unanimous decision loss to Ricky Hatton back in January of 2007, Urango is on a three fight winning streak, which includes a 4th round KO of Carlos Wilfredo Vilches back in April of 2008 which was also an IBF title eliminator. In what is perceived to be a close contest on paper, both combatants hope to get back into the big picture of the jr welterweight division. This is a good fight for these two boxers, one of which will win a title belt. Of course, we all know the legitimate jr welterweight world championship will be contested between world champion Ricky Hatton and pound for pound champion Manny Pacquiao in their May 2 super fight.

Tonight's fight between Ngoudjo and Urango can be seen live on ESPN2 Friday Night Fights.

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Phillips, Williams meet tonight in jr middleweight title fight!

Tonight from the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California, Verno Phillips and Paul Williams will meet in a twelve round jr middleweight contest. Phillips has lost to the likes of Kasim Ouma and Ike Quartey, but he currently holds a world title and is 3X world champion. Phillips was last seen in the ring dethroning Cory Spinks for the IBF jr middleweight championship. Williams biggest win to this date is still his unanimous decision conquest of Antonio Margarito for the WBO welterweight championship July of last year. Williams would lose his title by a close unanimous decision in his first defense to Carlos Quintana, but rebounded well in a return match against Quintana by regaining his title with a devastating first round knockout. In his last fight in September, Williams moved up to middleweight and stopped an overmatched Andy Kolle in two rounds. On the undercard, heavyweights Cristabol Arreola and Travis Walker meet in a 12 round IBF elminator.

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Judah vs Clottey this weekend; Brooklyn faces off against the Bronx!

This weekend at the Palms Resort in Las Vegas, NV, Former Undisputed Welterweight Champion Zab Judah of Brooklyn NY will face Bronx native Joshua Clottey for the vacant IBF Welterweight Championship.

This weekend's title fight marks Clottey's 2nd attempt to challenge for a world title, with the first opportunity coming against Antonio Margarito for the WBO welterweight title in December of 2006. Clottey got off to a tremendous start, clearly winning the first rounds, but hurt his hands in the middle rounds, allowing the defending champion to rally down the stretch and retain his title with a close decision win.

Following the disappointing loss to Margarito, Clottey faced off against the late and great Diego Corrales. Clottey won a convincing unanimous decision over Corrales, who passed away in a tragedy almost a month later. Clottey has also amassed victories over Richard Gutierrez, Felix Flores, and Shamone Alvarez, in what was an IBF welterweight title eliminator that earned him this title shot. In his last fight in April, Clottey looked impressive dismantling Jose Luis Cruz and stopping him in five rounds.

Judah, who won the undisputed title with a knockout over Cory Spinks in February of 2005, has been in three welterweight title fights in over two years and lost three of them. In January of 2006, Judah lost his welterweight title to 15-1 underdog Carlos Baldomir by unanimous decision, in what was Ring Magazine's "Upset of the Year." A few months later, Judah would lose another decision to the guy who was regarded as the best pound for pound fighter in the world at the time --Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

The year 2006 was clearly one to forget for the Brooklyn native, who was suspended for a year after a scuffle that transpired in the ring in the 10th round of the Mayweather fight. After a year of inactivity, and a one-round no contest with perennial contender Rubin Galvan, Judah would get another title shot against defending WBA champion Miguel Cotto. Cotto punished Judah and stopped him in eleven rounds. Since the loss to Cotto, Judah has returned with a couple of wins over the likes of Edwin Vasquez and Ryan Davis.

That's brings us to this weekend's showdown between two of the top welterweight contenders in the world. Being that this is Brooklyn vs Bronx, why is this fight taking place in Las Vegas rather than Madison Square Garden in New York???? In any case...

Prediction: Clottey by unanimous decision

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Jose Luis Castillo returns to action tonight!

Tonight on ESPN Wednesday Fights, Former two time lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo will face Sebastion Lujan in a welterweight fight scheduled for 10 rounds. A few years ago, Lujan challenged defending champion Antonio Margarito -- you may recall Margarito tearing a piece of Lujan's ear off. Last time I saw Castillo, he was challenging 140lb World Champion Ricky Hatton and he was stopped in four rounds. Castillo should have probably retired by now, as he looked flat and listless in the Hatton fight. However, Castillo is fighting in a new weight class so maybe that will help him. Perhaps the choice of the opponent for tonight's fight will help Castillo, as well. The fight will take place at Sycuan Resort in El Cajon, California.

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The return of Ricky Hatton on May 24!

Paulie "The Magic Man" Malignaggi rematching N'dou in the co-feature.
Hatton vs Malignaggi in the fall?

At the City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England on May 24, Jr Welterweight Champion Ricky Hatton returns to the ring for the first time since losing to Floyd Mayweather on a 10th round TKO this past December in Las Vegas. Hatton will be defending against former lightweight title challenger Juan Lazcano.

On the undercard, IBF Jr Welterweight titlist Paulie Malignaggi makes the second defense of his title against the man he won the title from in convincing and dominating fashion last June, Lovemore N'dou. Prior to their first match, there was a rematch clause in the contract, but Malignaggi outclasses N'dou every minute of every round of that fight that it makes fans and media wonder why they would even want to see a rematch of that. What could possibly different in a return engagement?

This 140lb doubleheader is being shown on the free cable network, Versus, during the afternoon due to the fact that it's coming to you live from the United Kingdom. Therefore, think of this whole scenario as a treat for boxing fans to see two of best fighters in the jr welterweight division, or any class in boxing for that matter, fight in showcase matches on free television. Should both combatants emerge victorious, as they are favored to do, there is a possibility that we see a big showdown this fall between Hatton and Malignaggi for the legitimate jr welterweight championship of the world.

Hatton is still widely regarded as the champion as well as the man to beat at 140lbs, but Malignaggi has been calling him out for some time now. That's the fight that Malignaggi really wants. It's a great payday and opportunity to shine for Malignaggi, but also a chance for Hatton to redeem himself for the loss to Mayweather and score yet another career defining win at 140lbs. Career defining win at 140lbs - something Hatton hasn't really accomplished since dethroning Kostya Tszyu in June of 2005.

A win over Malignaggi would be a notable achievement that could give Hatton's career the boost it could seriously use at this time, as Malignaggi's only loss to this day is still the close and competitive one at the hands of Cotto from two years ago.

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Mosley -vs- Judah done deal for May 31 in Las Vegas!

On Saturday May 31, former welterweight champions Shane Mosley and Zab Judah will meet in a 12 round welterweight contest that will be televised live on HBO PPV. Both fighters are coming off failed title challenges to undefeated WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto. Judah stunned Cotto in the first round of their title fight in June of last year, but was twice hit below the belt, and was gradually punished as the fight wore on. Eventually Cotto dropped Judah and stopped him with a barrage of punches in the eleventh round. Mosley was the next opponent for Cotto in November, in a fight in which Mosley was much more competitive against Cotto than Judah was. In what was a great welterweight championship battle that provided fireworks and high volume contact, Cotto won a close unanimous decision. Some viewers scored the fight a draw (such as yours truly) while others even believed that Mosley did enough to win the fight. For now, Cotto is in the past for both Mosley and Judah, as the two former champions prepare to square off against each other in hopes of landing another big mega fight of significance.

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