2009 was a great year in boxing. We saw Shane Mosley rid the boxing world of the welterweight boogie man, Antonio Margarito. We saw Manny Pacquiao’s ascension from star to megastar. We saw the complete first round of the Super Six tournament, and Floyd Mayweather Jr’s return to stake his claim for boxing’s top spot. Looking forward to 2010 there are a few things to keep our eyes on such as the fighter to watch, the feud to watch, and the storyline to watch for the upcoming year.
Fighter To Watch – Edwin Valero
2009 could have been the breakthrough year for this exciting lightweight KO artist. Valero started the year at 24-0 and on the brink of mainstream recognition. A Top Rank prospect, the plan was to showcase him on Pacquiao undercards leading towards bigger fights and perhaps even a matchup with Pacquiao himself. Valero is not cleared to fight yet in Las Vegas, because of a motorcycle accident and some minor brain surgery he suffered back in 2001. Couple that with work visa issues stemming from a DUI and Valero certainly hasn’t done himself any favors.
Top Rank’s legal team is confident, however, that 2010 will see Valero cleared of both the visa issues and the licensing issues. If so, 2010 could be the year the Venezuelan slugger breaks through to the mainstream. With punching power unlike almost anyone in boxing today, he is must-see TV. If Valero can keep getting KOs and do so while attracting more viewers, next year could be the year a new star is born.
Feud To Watch – David Haye vs. The Klitschkos
2009 saw the heavyweight division get a shot in the arm in the form of British slugger David Haye. Before moving up to the heavyweight division, Haye was the linear cruiserweight champion. Haye decided to go for the big boys first, calling out the Klitschkos. Haye was first scheduled to take on Wladimir in June, then pulled out citing a hand injury. To add insult to injury, Haye wore a T-shirt depicting him holding the severed heads of both Klitschkos at the press conferences.
Then Haye decided Vitali would be the first on his hit list instead. After much trash talking and posturing, Haye also pulled out of the proposed September matchup with Vitali; citing he had not actually reached a deal to fight Vitali in the first place. Haye closed out the year outpointing Nikolai Valuev for the WBA belt. The rumors are already swirling for a matchup in London next year with Vitali, and Haye has promised to rid the world of the Klitschkos once and for all. Haye seems to have done something almost no fighter has been able to do to the Klitschkos; make them angry. Stay tuned to this ongoing saga to see just if, and when, Haye backs up his talk in 2010.
Storyline To Watch – The Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr Saga
In case you have been on the moon, or in a coma, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. are tentatively scheduled to fight on March 13th. However, more intriguing than the actual fight matchup has been the ongoing fight negotiations. Everything from the purse split to the venue has been hotly contested.
Believe it or not, the purse split wasn’t the breaking point for fight negotiations. After some early back and forth between camps, it seems both fighters are willing to accept a 50/50 purse split. That issue seems to be settled for the time being.
Next up was the issue of the location. When the fight was announced it seemed that Las Vegas was almost a foregone conclusion. However, surprisingly strong bids came from several cities. Dallas, Atlanta, and New Orleans all suggested their interest in the fight, with Jerry Jones even making a 20 million dollar offer to hold the fight in his new Cowboy Stadium. The MGM Grand still appears to be the frontrunner but if the fight doesn’t come on March 13th as planned, look for more offers to come forth as cities have more time to prepare offers.
The issue that seems to be halting the fight negotiations is blood. The Mayweather camp has demanded stronger drug testing than offered by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Floyd Mayweather Sr. has claimed on several occasions he believes Pacquaio is on steroids. They are asking for random, Olympic-style drug testing to be done up to and including the day before the fight. Pacquaio himself has balked at the idea of having his blood drawn the day before the fight, citing his beliefs that it will weaken him.
As it stands now, the bout is in jeopardy. Manny Pacquiao is threatening to sue the Mayweather camp for defamation. Bob Arum has gone as far as to suggest Pacquiao might face Paulie Malignaggi on March 13th. Ironically, Malignaggi has also suggested Pacquiao might be on steroids. Let’s hope the two sides can reach an agreement on drug testing. A Manny-Malignaggi fight just doesn’t have the same potential for Pacquiao.
