If You Were Disappointed In Pacquiao-Clottey, Just Wait For March 27th

OK, now that the Pacquiao-Clottey fight is done, let's see what other fights are coming up in March.

I know some were thrilled with that fight, and you've probably got lumpia in your fridge and Arnis sticks in your closet. For the rest of us, a fight where one fighter wins all twelve rounds isn't that fun to watch.

In fact, there are three fights worth tuning in for. Coincidentally, all three are on March 27th on competing premium cable channels - HBO and Showtime.

By the way, if you like one-sided affairs, none of these fights are for you. I expect that each of the three fights coming up in March are going to be very competitive and far more entertaining than Pacquiao-Clottey.

HBO

Marcos Rene Maidana (27 - 1) vs Victor Manuel Cayo (24 - 0): Light Welterweight. This could be an outstanding fight. The Argentinian Maidano against Cayo from the Dominican Republic.

Maidana upset Victor Ortiz a couple of fights back, making Ortiz basically pull a 'no mas' and quit during the sixth round. He hits like a freight train and puts on a lot of pressure. His right hand is a beast.

Victor Cayo is an interesting prospect. He keeps his hand's down (a la Muhammad Ali) and uses exceptional footwork to stay out of harm's way. He's a very fun fighter to watch and a very good counter puncher.

I could actually see Cayo coming out of this with the upset if he can frustrate and stay away from Maidana's right hand. I don't think he's ever faced anyone as tough as Maidana, but he's faced some good fighters.

One note, Freddie Roach didn't want Amir Khan stepping into the ring with Maidana. That's not a good sign for Cayo. He better get, and stay, on his bicycle.

Joan Guzman (29 - 0 - 1) vs Ali Funeka (30 - 2- 3): Lightweight. This is a rematch from their draw in November.

Guzman is 33 years old, a native from the Dominican Republic, and fighting out the Bronx. He's tough, skilled, with very good upper-cuts. He has decent, but not great, power with 17 KO's.

Ali Funeka is 31 years old and fighting out of South Africa. Don't let his record fool you, he only has one loss in the past eight years and that was against Nate Campbell. He fought an absolute war with Guzman in November.

I personally thought Funeka won that fight and was robbed of a decision. I don't know what those Canadian judges were looking at? Maybe there was a hockey game on at the same time?

He's a very tall, active fighter and a lot of fun to watch. In fact, he reminds me a bit of myself in the ring except he's young, black, quick, and strong. Other than that, it was like looking in the mirror.

For a tall man, he has excellent stamina and might remind some of Paul Williams.

I expect Funeka to win this fight. He should have won the first one, pure and simple.

Showtime

Andre Dirrell (18 - 1) - Arthur Abraham (31 - 0): Super Middleweight. Part of the SuperSix Tournament.

I feel for Andre Dirrell, I really do. He's an active and exciting fighter who needs more seasoning. The problem is that he's stepping into the ring with the best Super Middleweights in the world. He lost a very, very close fight to Carl Froch and now he's stepping into the ring with Arthur Abraham.

Abraham, if you haven't seen him, has one of the most bizarre fighting styles in recent memories. For the first four or five rounds, he literally keeps his gloves at the side of his face and allows opponents to throw bombs at him. Around the fifth, he comes out and starts dominating.

So far, nobody has figured out his unique style.

I don't except Andre Dirrell to solve it either.

Dirrell is good, but he needs better management. Against Froch, he was clearly the quicker fighter yet resorted to holding and whining to the ref. He's slippery as an eel with tremendous hand speed, but his ring generalship is like something out of a biker bar.

I just don't think he has the power to deal with Abraham. If he stays away, boxes him, and throw lots and lots of punches, he could out-point him. That would be a smart strategy, but thus far Dirrell hasn't shown he can fight a smart fight.