Pacquiao vs. Mosley: If It Didn't Live Up to Hype, Maybe These 10 Fights Will
A lot of people are disappointed with the recent megafight between Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley.
Both boxers underperformed to a decision victory for Pacquiao in what was the biggest fight of the year, but it's not the last fight, and it won't be the best.
There are many exciting matches coming up, including an intriguing rematch, the Super Six semifinals and special HBO featured matchups with the fastest-rising prospects in the sport.
These are 10 fights to consolidate for the $55 price tag of the PPV, and they are all free.
No. 10: Danny Green vs. Antonio Tarver, July 20
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Former pound-for-pound star Antonio "Magic Man" Tarver gets his chance at a cruiserweight title when he takes on Australia's own Danny Green.
Tarver (28-6,19 KO) only fought once in 2009 and once in 2010 and is venturing into the heavier weight divisions since his light-heavyweight run in 2005. His last fight was at heavyweight against Nagy Aguilera.
Whenever you get two guys who knocked out Roy Jones Jr. together, it usually makes for a good fight. Tarver and Glen Johnson had their fair share of wars inside the ring as they tried to assert themselves as the true light-heavyweight champion.
Green (31-3, 27 KO) hasn't lost since 2006 and just recently beat the previously unbeaten prospect BJ Flores. Eight of his last 10 victories have come by knockout, including his first-round KO of Roy Jones Jr.
No. 9: Devon Alexander vs. Lucas Matthysse, June 25
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Devon Alexander (21-1, 13 KO) may have already had his chance to be part of one of the biggest fights of the year when he fought Timothy Bradley in January, but that fight turned out to be a dud. It resulted in a technical decision win for Bradley after Alexander suffered cuts over both of his eyes.
His opponent for this fight is Lucas Matthysse (28-1, 26 KO). This guy couldn't be any more different from Bradley. With an 87 percent knockout ratio, this dude can bang, and he's going to put on his best performance come June 25th.
This fight has the potential for an upset if Alexander underestimates Matthysse's power. Either way, it's going to be a great one.
No. 8: Saul Alvarez vs. Ryan Rhodes, June 18
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Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (36-0-1, 26 KO) is starting to make a name for himself as one of the best prospects in the sport, and he's doing it in exciting fashion.
He exploded onto the boxing scene last year with five victories, including knockout wins over Jose Miguel Cotto, Carlos Baldomir and Luciano Cuello. His latest victory is over Matthew Hatton.
Alvarez takes on Ryan Rhodes (45-4, 31 KO) for this fight, and that's no easy challenge. In fact, it may be his hardest test to date. Rhodes is currently on a 10-fight win streak.
The fight will be for the WBC light-middleweight title currently held by the 20-year-old from Mexico.
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No. 7: Chad Dawson vs. Adrian Diaconu, May 21
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Chad Dawson, like Alexander, needs a win, and he needs it badly. This should make their next fights a lot better than their recent performances that both resulted in their first defeats.
Dawson (29-1, 17 KO) was on the rise to being a future star before losing a technical decision to Jean Pascal last year.
He hasn't fought since then but is finally returning to face Adrian Diaconu (27-2, 15 KO).
Both boxers' only losses are to Pascal, so this is going to be a big test for both to prove they deserve a rematch with the Canadian star, who will be taking on Bernard Hopkins in the main event.
No. 6: Brandon Rios vs. Urbano Antillon, July 9
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Brandon Rios (27-0-1, 20 KO) is one of the most exciting up-and-comers in boxing, and he is only 25.
His opponent will be Urbano Antillon (28-2, 20 KO). Antillon challenged Humberto Soto last year in what was a candidate for "Fight of the Year."
If this fight follows that pattern, and there's no reason it shouldn't, expect to see another back-and-forth brawl between these two.
It will take some strong determination and will for Antillon to make it past the brutal aggression of Rios. Their one common opponent, Miguel Acosta, may tell the story. Acosta knocked out Antillon in the ninth round of their fight, while Rios knocked out Acosta in the 10th round of their battle.
No. 5: Carl Froch vs. Glen Johnson, June 4
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"The Road Warrior" is the perfect name for Glen Johnson (51-14-2, 35 KO). He has fought all of the very best of the light-heavyweights, including Roy Jones Jr., Bernard Hopkins, Antonio Tarver (twice), Chad Dawson (twice), Clinton Woods (three times), Tavoris Cloud and Eric Harding.
He returns on June 4th to take on Carl "The Cobra" Froch (27-1, 20 KO) as part of the Showtime Super Six semifinals. Johnson entered the tournament last year and knocked out Allan Green in the eighth round of their bout.
Froch returned from the first loss of his career against Mikkel Kessler to dominate and defeat Arthur Abraham in November.
This should be a very technical war, and those are always the best types of fights. You don't want to miss this one.
No. 4: Vitali Klitschko vs. Tomasz Adamek, Sept. 10
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Polish heavyweight Tomasz Adamek is looking for a big name in the biggest division, and he got it in the form of "Dr. Ironfist" Vitali Klitschko.
Former cruiserweight turned heavyweight Adamek (44-1, 28 KO) may be asking for too much when he takes on Klitschko (42-2, 39 KO), but the fight will be in his hometown in Poland, and he is the toughest challenger to Klitschko's IBF heavyweight title since the 39-year-old returned in 2008 after a four-year retirement from the sport.
Klitschko has gone 7-0 since making his comeback and his victories include wins over Chris Arreola, Shannon Briggs, Odlanier Solis, Samuel Peter, Juan Carlos Gomez, Kevin Johnson and Albert Sosnowski. Those seven combined had a record of 219-9.
Adamek's wins since moving to heavyweight include Andrew Golota, Jason Estrada, Chris Arreola, Michael Grant, Vinny Maddalone and Kevin McBride. Those five combined have a record of 199-27.
No. 3: Andre Ward vs. Arthur Abraham, May 14
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2004 Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward is going to try to keep his undefeated record and top super-middleweight status when he takes on Germany's standout fighter Arthur Abraham this weekend.
Ward (23-0, 13 KO) is the only unbeaten fighter left in the Showtime Super Six, but this may actually be more of a threat to him losing to a guy like Abraham.
Abraham (32-2, 26 KO) is one of the hardest punchers Ward has ever faced, and he is determined to make a successful comeback in the tournament to get a spot in the finals. He recently came back against an overmatched opponent this year to break his two-fight losing streak.
This is an interesting contrast in styles, but the fighters' work ethic and determination will produce a very solid matchup.
No. 2: Jean Pascal vs. Bernard Hopkins 2, May 21
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The rematch between Jean Pascal and Bernard Hopkins is a can't-miss fight.
Hopkins (51-5-2, 32 KO) was trying to become the oldest world champion when he challenged Pascal (26-1-1, 16 KO) in December. The fight ended in a draw, and the champion, Pascal, retained his title.
At 46, Hopkins is 18 years older than his opponent, but that may be an advantage that youth and physical skill can't match. He has the experience to make opponents look bad, and he did that to a certain extent in their first meeting.
After being dropped twice in the first two rounds, Hopkins came back to nullify any attack Pascal attempted. It wasn't much, and Hopkins was able to come back to win on one scorecard in the end. The other judges saw it even.
If both fighters make the necessary adjustments for this match, expect to see a much better fight this time around with a much clearer winner.
No. 1: Wladimir Klitschko vs. David Haye, July 2
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The time for talk is over. It's time for war.
WBA world heavyweight champion David Haye (25-1, 23 KO) is on a quest to unify all four heavyweight titles to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since his fellow countryman Lennox Lewis did before retiring in 2003.
His first step is against Wladimir Klitschko (55-3, 49 KO), and that's going to be the toughest test of his career by a long shot.
Haye may not know what he is getting himself into by trash-talking to the massive 6'8" Ukrainian, but he will find out on July 2nd.
Both have knockout percentages above 85, and they will be using their big power to put the other one away when they finally meet. All of their losses are by knockout.
This should be the best fight in recent heavyweight history, and it's the most important heavyweight fight since Lewis fought Mike Tyson.
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