The Hottest Boxing Storylines for the Week of December 8
Get your DVR ready, because Saturday night closes out 2014's big-time boxing calendar with a bang!
The welterweights will take center stage in Las Vegas, headlined by intriguing main events from both sides of the cable-network divide.
Amir Khan will meet former two-time welterweight champion Devon Alexander in the featured bout of Showtime's offering at the MGM Grand, and we ponder the implications for both men in this crossroads battle with higher stakes than meets the eye.
Just down the street, literally a few blocks away at The Cosmopolitan, Timothy Bradley returns from his first defeat, facing rugged Argentine Diego Chaves on HBO.
Will Bradley allow himself to be goaded into another exciting but risky slugfest? Or will he return to form and use his pugilistic proficiency to take down his man?
With all the 147-pound fighters on display, we ponder whether or not we're being served up little more than auditions for a certain pound-for-pound king's next fight.
There's much to get to, so let's get right to it.
These are the hottest boxing storylines for the week of December 8.
Who Wins Saturday's Crossroads Welterweight Showdown?
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Khan will meet Alexander in Showtime’s main event from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday night with a meaningless second-tier belt on the line, but the stakes are significantly higher than shiny trinkets.
The welterweight division is the deepest and most top-heavy division in boxing, and with so many talented pugilists competing for so few big-fight opportunities, neither man can sustain a loss.
Khan is a former junior welterweight titlist and was once considered one of boxing’s top young stars. His reputation tanked in recent years as a result of back-to-back losses to Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia, the latter by crushing knockout.
The 27-year-old Brit hired a new coach, Virgil Hunter, in an attempt to refine his game and improve his leaky defensive posture, which by that we mean protect his chin better. That seemed to work out just fine in his one-sided drubbing of former welterweight champion Luis Collazo in May.
Alexander struggles to get the respect due to a former two-time welterweight champion.
His style isn’t always aesthetically pleasing, but he does hold a pair of victories over Argentine bombers Lucas Matthysse and Marcos Maidana, who looked like a fish flopping on the beach en route to losing virtually every round against him.
Alexander’s most recent reign as a 147-pound titleholder ended at the hands of Shawn Porter last December at the Barclays Center—a championship opportunity that was originally planned for Khan.
But, at that point, the Brit was engaged in a full-time pursuit of Mayweather, losing out twice and finding himself in the exact same position one calendar year later.
This is the definition of a crossroads fight that could go either way.
The big question is: Does Khan want to be here?
We know Alexander is chomping at the bit for another opportunity at the big time, but will Khan carry the Mayweather baggage into the ring with him?
If he does, he could find himself in a spot of trouble.
Which Timothy Bradley Will We See on Saturday Night?
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The first time Bradley "lost" to Manny Pacquiao—he got the official win but lost the fight where it matters—he took a year away from the game, physically and mentally healed and came back with a Fight of the Year victory against Ruslan Provodnikov.
Bradley finds himself in a similar position this time around, rebounding from his first official defeat and taking on an opponent who is known for his rugged, action-packed style.
Chaves has lost the two biggest fights of his career—the Brandon Rios fight was a bit of a sham—but he’s going to bring it in every round, and we wonder whether Bradley will allow this to turn into a firefight.
Desert Storm promised to go for the knockout in his rematch with Pacquiao, and he wasn’t kidding. He sold out early in the fight, loading up on his shots and even catching the Filipino icon a couple of times.
But when his man was still standing in the second half, Bradley faded and became easy prey for Pacquiao’s lightning-fast counters.
Now, Chaves is no Pacquiao—not even close—but it’ll be interesting to see whether Bradley chooses to box or fight this time out.
Against Provodnikov, he gained a bunch of new fans by fighting out of his normal comfort zone, but it placed him at undue risk. He was much more effective in the rounds where he boxed and moved, neutralizing the Siberian’s aggressive attack.
That seems to be the equation here once again.
Bradley can likely box his way to an easy victory, assuming he doesn’t get careless, but will he want to give the fans more of what they want?
Is Saturday Night One Big Mayweather Audition?
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Is it fair to call Saturday night’s action for what it truly is?
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Money Mayweather sweepstakes, late 2014 edition.
Four of The Ring Magazine’s top-10 rated fighters in the welterweight division will be on display Saturday night, but the man who heads the list, pound-for-pound king Mayweather, will be looming large over the proceedings.
Mayweather, for years boxing’s greatest marketer and shrewdest businessman, finds himself facing something of a conundrum.
People are losing interest.
In a hurry.
A lack of truly compelling opponents—short of a certain Filipino congressman, basketball player and occasional fighter—has placed us in the position of needing virtual auditions to choose the next man worthy of an audience with the king.
Khan would appear to have the inside track.
De La Hoya told BoxingScene.com’s Edward Chaykovsky that he expects the winner of Khan vs. Alexander to get the next shot at Mayweather, and the Brit is the betting favorite, per OddsShark.
Khan’s appeal is obvious.
He has the personality and brashness to build a good promotion, would have a rabid fanbase at his back and could potentially bring the allure of a huge event—which mean big bucks—by hosting the fight at Wembley Stadium.
But don’t discount Keith Thurman.
The Florida native might just be the best of the bunch on display Saturday night, even if he’s—at least on paper—facing an overmatched foe.
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Who Has a Better Card on Saturday Night? HBO or Showtime?
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HBO and Showtime haven’t gone head-to-head with significant cards in a while—it’s not good business for either network—but this coming weekend we have a pair of stacked cards to compare.
Making it even more interesting, Golden Boy Promotions, which now has good relations with both networks after a rocky patch over the past couple of years, is participating in both.
Company CEO Oscar De La Hoya explained to ESPN’s Dan Rafael in October that participating in competing cards is a delicate balancing act but part of his company’s desire to make the best fights for fans.
So how do the cards stack up?
The main events feature three top-10 fighters in the welterweight division.
Khan vs. Alexander is the more significant match, in the bigger picture, but Bradley vs. Chaves has the potential to be the better fight.
On Showtime’s undercard, you’ll get to see undefeated bomber Thurman, former featherweight titlist Abner Mares and junior middleweight contender Jermall Charlo in bouts that can only be described as showcase affairs.
HBO serves you up a pair of title fights, including Matt Korobov’s quest for a middleweight title against veteran contender Andy Lee, and Mauricio Herrera—De La Hoya’s charge—defending an interim 140-pound belt against Jose Benavidez Jr.
In the end, it all depends on what you prefer.
Showtime is giving you bigger names in matchups they should win easily.
HBO is giving you lesser names in more competitive fights.
You decide.
Can Matt Korobov Finally Take the Next Step?
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Matt Korobov has always had the talent to be a world champion, but something just seemed to be missing.
Call it a killer instinct or a certain fire in his belly; the Russian prodigy just hasn't moved the needle as a professional in the way many hoped he would.
Korobov, now 31 years old, will get his first crack at a world championship on Saturday night, facing veteran contender Andy Lee for the vacant WBO Middleweight Championship on HBO.
Lee is no pushover.
No way.
Irish Andy decimated John Jackson—son of two-time former world champion John David Jackson—on the undercard of Cotto vs. Martinez in the spring, surviving a first-round knockdown and blasting his foe out with a colossal shot in the fifth.
Whoever emerges from The Cosmopolitan on Saturday night as a newly minted world champion will have earned it the hard way.
Korobov was a decorated amateur fighter representing his native Russia. He’s a tricky, awkward southpaw with decent power and strong technical foundations.
He was originally declared the mandatory challenger to "Kid Chocolate" Peter Quillin, but Quillin elected to vacate the belt, eschewing a career-high payday to pursue bigger names.
Lee has worked his way up from unknown, to contender, to also-ran and now back to contender. This is probably his best shot at a world title.
Two fighters who are desperate to prove themselves and become champions?
Sounds good, right?
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