Thursday, December 25, 2014

Five Fights that I'd like to see in 2015-Part 2

We move to part two of fights we would like to see in 2015 with fighters 140 pounds and below.
Some of the divisions are quite weak,so you'll see no fights at lightweight (135) or junior lightweight (130).
They also aren't always the most important fights or even my top five fights to see-just five that I would like to see...

Jr.Welterweights.
Lucas Matthysse vs Ruslan Provodnikov

This bout might happen for the vacant WBO title,if Matthysse "advisor" Al Haymon does not get into the way.
Provodnikov held this title before his robbery of a loss via split decision to Chris Algeri in one of many awful decisions in 2014,
The WBO stripped Algeri for some reason when he was last seen being bounced off the canvas like a basketball against Manny Pacquiao when he challenged for the 147 pound title and Algeri is their number one contender.
However,Provodnikov is 2nd and Matthysse is 3rd,so if Algeri steps aside (other than maybe Provodnikov no one wants to see Algeri run away for another 12 rounds),this could happen.
One word describes this fight-Violence.
For action-this might the best bout in the game...

WBA-WBO Featherweight title unification
Nicholas Walters vs Vasyl Lomachenko

This bout looks to be on in spring/summer,assuming that both win their tuneup fights.
Walters is a lanky puncher against the technically sound and decorated amateur Lomachenko,who loves to dig to the body.
Both of these fighters have star potential and could be a HBO staple with a convincing win.
This could be an exciting bout and one that decides the best fighter in the division....

WBC-IBF Featherweight title unification
Jhonny Gonzalez vs Evgeni Gradovich

 Since we are working on unification,how about this one?
Gonzalez will next face Abner Mares in a rematch of Gonzalez's stunning one round starching of Mares and a Mares win would also be interesting to see him against Gradovich with two pressure styles.
However,Gonzalez is a fighter that throws power from the outside against a pressuring Gradovich that might be another fun fight to watch.
Gradovich might be the next fight for the Walters-Lomachenko winner,so we could have 3 of the 4 recognized titles held by one fighter....


WBC-IBF Jr.Featherweight title unification
Leo Santa Cruz-Carl Frampton

Two young pressure fighters meeting in the middle of the ring?
Yes,please.
Ireland's Frampton vs England's Scott Quigg would be a huge fight in Europe and might have been next for Frampton if not for an injury to Quigg that will keep him out until 2015.
WBA champion Guillermo Rigondeaux would likely defeat either one of these two with his superior skills,but the fight would be tedious and wouldn't be very popular with the fans.
The winner of this bout would own two belts,be an exciting winner and the second best fighter in the division,
That's pretty good stuff there...

WBA & WBO-WBC Flyweight title unification
Juan Francisco Estrada vs Roman Gonzalez.

This rematch from a excellent fight at light flyweight that saw Gonzalez win a deserved decision and since then Estrada moved up to grab two titles at 112 pounds,while Gonzalez won the lineal and WBC versions of the crown.
This might happen as the first fight was good,the winner would have three belts and Top Rank is looking for someone to eventually headline vs Zou Shiming,who will likely have the fourth title (IBF) soon.
Plus HBO is interested,which says a lot because they rarely are interested in the below 126 pounders.
I think this happens and the winner will either be the target for Shiming or maybe even avoided by him....

No comments: