Mayweather, Pacquiao, Cotto Will Energize Boxing After a Weak First Quarter

Andre Berto
Al Bello/Getty Images

Typically the boxing year has a quick start after time off between Christmas and New Year.

However, January came and went and fight-freaks were left with a voracious appetite for a good scrap.

One was coming their way until Andre Berto's bicep injury forced him to pull out of a rematch with Victor Ortiz scheduled for February 11 in Las Vegas.

The void really leaves boxing light for the first quarter of the year.

We'll get to see Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Nonito Donaire, Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir Klitschko and Sergio Martinez all fight, but one will be hard-pressed to find one fight in particular that they will be absolutely stoked for.

We'll take you through all the highlighted match-ups of the first quarter, and have to wait for April through June to really get our boxing-blood racing again.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. should walk through Marco Rubio, while Nonito Donaire is expected to return to form and dispose of Wilfredo Vazquez Jr.

Both Chavez and Donaire are looking at potentially big fights if they can take care of business in stellar fashion. 

 

San Antonio, Texas (HBO)

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Marco Antonio Rubio

Nonito Donaire vs. Wilfredo Vazquez Jr.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Vitali Klitschko and Dereck Chisora
Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Another Klitschko mismatched bore-fest.

Paul Williams against Nobuhiro Ishida does interest me, however. Remember, Ishida is the tall fighter from Japan that thrashed James Kirkland in a stunner on the Erik Morales-Marcos Maidana undercard.

Jorge Arce is always fun to watch, but this time he might be incentivized to impress, with a possible fight with Donaire up next. 

 

Munich, Germany

Vitali Klitschko vs. Dereck Chisora
 (Heavyweight) (WBC title)

 

Corpus Christi, Texas (Showtime)

Tavoris Cloud  vs. Gabriel Campillo  (Light Heavyweight) (IBF title)

Paul Williams vs. Nobuhiro Ishida (Junior middleweight) 

Chris Arreola  vs. Eric Molina (Heavyweight) 

 

Durango, Mexico

Jorge Arce vs. Lorenzo Parra
  (Bantamweight) (WBO title)

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Marcos Maidana
Scott Heavey/Getty Images

Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012

Devon Alexander will have his hands full with Marcos Maidana, and he wont have anywhere to hide. If he fights smartly, he has a chance, if not he could get a beat-down from the bigger, stronger Maidana.

Adrien Broner will continue to try to ascend to the top of the junior lightweight division, while Alexander Povetkin puts his non-Klitschko belt on the line.

 

St. Louis (HBO)

Devon Alexander vs. Marcos Maidana (Welterweight)

Adrien Broner  vs. Eloy Perez (Junior Lightweight) (WBO title)

 

Stuttgart, Germany

Alexander Povetkin  vs. Marco Huck
 (Heavyweight) (WBA title)

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Scott Heavey/Getty Images

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Just how many size, weight and strength advantage-fights can the Klitschko brothers participate in?

Granted, its not their fault, but it is a tired act.

 

Dusseldorf, Germany

Wladimir Klitschko vs. Jean-Marc Mormeck
 (Heavyweight) (WBO/IBF/WBA titles)

 

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Orlando Salido
Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Orlando Salido vs. Juan Manuel Lopez could turn into an old HBO Boxing After Dark fight—a real barn burner, while Mikey Garcia gets both another televised fight and a step closer to contention.  

 

San Juan, Puerto Rico (Showtime)

Orlando Salido vs. Juan Manuel Lopez (Featherweight) (WBO title)

Mikey Garcia vs. Michael Farenas (Featherweight)

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Sergio Martinez
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Saturday, March 17, 2012

I love the fighter, but I don't love the matchup.

Sergio Martinez is easily one of my favorite fighters, but I'd love to see him in a real slugfest against against a big-time fighter. I wanted to see him face James Kirkland, who is coming off an action-packed fight for the ages against Alfredo Angulo.  

 

New York (HBO)

Sergio Martinez  vs. Matthew Macklin (Middleweight Division) 

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Eric Morales
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Saturday, March 24, 2012 

The beat goes on for Eric Morales. He will try and defend his WBC belt against Danny Garcia, while James Kirkland will continue his tutelage under Ann Wolfe in an effort to resurrect his career and life.

Meanwhile in Brooklyn, New York, Zab Judah will fight just minutes from where he grew up. He will headline an NBC Sports card.    

 

Houston, Texas (HBO)

Erik Morales vs. Danny Garcia (Junior welterweight) (WBC title)

James Kirkland vs. Carlos Molina (Junior middleweight)

 

Brooklyn, N.Y. (NBC Sports)

Zab Judah vs. Vernon Paris
 (Junior welterweight)