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Pair of title bouts kick off boxing's second season

November 5, 2009 12:45 PM | Posted by   Chris Iorfida  

Boxing takes place year round, but there are two distinctly busy time frames.

One takes place between late January and June, and the second occurs late in the calendar year. Generally speaking, the sport's biggest bouts don't compete directly with the championships taking place in the major pro sports.

There's a host of fights that will help shape the sport's landscape in 2010. Here's the skinny on the top bouts on the calendar to round out the year.

Nov. 7: Nikolai Valuev vs. David Haye, Bayern, Germany

The seven-foot Russian Valuev is not much more than a curio, the benefactor of a questionable decision over a decrepit Evander Holyfield his last time out.

But he'll have an advantage of half a foot and over 110 pounds on Haye. The arrogant Brit is just what the heavyweight division needs outside of the ring, but he's barely tested at the division inside the ring. The former cruiser champion has the mobility and punch to trouble the giant, but will he have the stamina? Haye, who can set up grudge matches with Vitali and/or Wladimir Klitschko with a win, has been past nine rounds only once.

Not to fear, says the 29-year-old.

"The combination of my hand speed and Valuev's immense head is going to cause an explosion," Haye told the BBC this week. "This is my chance to make history. I've dreamed of the moment Valuev falls to the canvas and I truly believe it will be one of the most jaw-dropping knockouts of all time."

Nov. 7: Chad Dawson vs. Glen Johnson, Hartford

The undefeated Dawson takes on the cagey vet Johnson in a rematch of one of the most compelling bouts of 2008. The first encounter was a pick-'em fight after 12 rounds, so it was disappointing to see the judges asleep at the mat, all three giving Dawson a too-wide four-point cushion on the cards.

Johnson vows not to leave it in the hands of the judges this time, with the bout taking place in Dawson's hometown. Dawson plans to honour murdered UConn football player Jasper Howard by wearing his No. 6 into the ring.

Nov. 14: Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto, Las Vegas

This one reigns supreme above all others on the list, the biggest fight of the year and one many fight fans reasonably accept could be the best fight of the year.

There will much more on this fight in this space next week but the central questions are:

Has Pacquiao bitten off more than he can chew by taking on a fighter much more potent and closer to his prime than the Filipino power's recent victims, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton? Does the Puerto Rican Cotto have enough left in the tank after a gruelling loss to Antonio Margarito and tough, debated win over Joshua Clottey, both occurring in the last 16 months?

Nov. 21: Mikkel Kessler vs. Andre Ward, Oakland

The final bout of the first stage of the super-middleweight tournament is the most intriguing, and potentially most exciting. The unbeaten and smooth boxer Ward takes on the great Dane Kessler, who despite a well-deserved reputation as a boxer-puncher has never beaten anyone as talented as Ward.

Nov. 28: Lucian Bute vs Librado Andrade, Quebec City

Bute and Andrade meet again after their controversial first fight in Montreal last year. Bute was cruising to a decision until hitting the wall in the 12th. Andrade dropped Bute in the final seconds and, had there been even just one more minute left in the bout, was almost assuredly heading to the win.

HBO Boxing, which has helped carry the sport the last two decades, will venture to Canada for the first time in 25 years to broadcast the rematch, with a lightweight title bout between Joan Guzman and Ali Funeka also on the card.

Dec. 5: Paul Williams vs. Sergio Martinez, TBA

The only disappointment on the list, as this came about when a more potentially explosive Williams-Kelly Pavlik bout was scrapped by the latter's injury. Williams-Martinez is still plenty intriguing, however, with the Argentine a slick boxer who could trouble the volume-punching American.

Dec. 11: Jean Pascal vs. Adrian Diaconu, Montreal

Pascal and Diaconu do it again for a Bell Centre crowd. The Laval native Pascal won the title from the previously unbeaten Diaconu on June 19 at the same venue, one of the best bouts to take place in any country this year.

Pascal knocked down the 31-year-old Diaconu in the fifth, but was hurt himself on a few occasions in the bout.

Also fighting before the end of 2009:

Canadian Steve Molitor and legend Bernard Hopkins take tune-up fights, and flashy Indo-Brit Amir Khan and Timothy Bradley in separate title defences, potentially setting up a meeting against each other down the road.

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