Photo by Esther Lin
If boxing is a dying sport, I hope that I am as unhealthy as I wait to draw my final breath.
A long awaited match between featherweights Abner Mares and unbeaten Leo Santa Cruz has finally come to fruition.
Four-division champion Miguel Cotto will finally clash with the mega-popular Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in a classic Puerto Rico vs. Mexico battle in the Middleweight division.
Gennady Golovkin and David Lemieux are a pair of 160-pound champions that are determined to destroy each other in a can’t-miss blockbuster in October.
While the thought of these matches are enough to make a boxing fan salivate like one of Pavlov’s dogs, once they are settled there are only a couple of fights for the perspective winners that can capture our attention like the former.
The reason for this is simple. They are not in the white hot Welterweight division where matching any one of the top ten against another is an interesting fight.
One of the top 147 pounders in the world is WBA kingpin Keith “One Time” Thurman who successfully defended his crown against Luis Collazo in July via seventh-round TKO.
The question asked to Thurman immediately after the fight is one that many fans are still awaiting an answer for, what’s next?
The answer was predictable as he once again called out the walking lotto ticket and pound-for-pound king Floyd “Money” Mayweather. But, as we are all painfully aware, Mayweather mysteriously selected 100-1 underdog Andre Berto for his next bout.
Amir Khan has been very vocal about wanting another fight at Welterweight but seems to have little interest in anyone not named Mayweather or Pacquiao.
Undefeated Kell Brook or tough-as-nails Tim Bradley would both be extremely appealing bouts for Thurman, but word has it that they are in negotiations to fight each other, perhaps in Brook’s native UK.
While Thurman and Argentine strongman Marcos Maidana is yet another enticing morsel, it is unlikely to happen anytime soon as Maidana is enjoying a well-deserved extended vacation after punching his two aforementioned lotto tickets.
If Mayweather had his way, Thurman would face his talented protégé Errol Spence Jr. That would be dangerous territory so early in the blossoming prospect’s career who wisely is garnering more experience in September against Chris van Heerden.
With the beautiful people all matching up with each other, it leaves Thurman circling the dance floor looking for an attractive partner as the music plays.
Danny Garcia doesn’t have anyone to tango with at the moment, but history would suggest that a fighter with a profile as menacing as the undefeated champion wouldn’t be Garcia’s type at this time.
Photo by Marilyn Paulino
The most likely candidate is “Showtime” Shawn Porter who is coming off an impressive win over Adrien Broner.
Both Thurman and Porter are managed by the influential Al Haymon, which would remove the political hurdles that are far too common in matchmaking.
The pair have a history of coming to fight and a match between the two of them is a natural, especially considering the frenetic schedule of the other players in the division.
So if boxing is a dying sport, I’m going with it. Just roll my deathbed over next to the Welterweight division; I’d like to stick around for a while.
