American heavyweight contender Danny Batchelder, 25-7-1 (12), will be traveling to Berlin Germany to take on former Olympian super heavyweight and fast rising heavyweight prospect, Kubrat Pulev, 6-0 (4), on March 13th. The fight will be part of the undercard of the Marco Huck vs. Adam Richards bout for the WBO cruiserweight title. For Batchelder, it marks the first return to the ring since dropping a decision to former contender Lance Whitaker in July. Batchelder has trimmed down to 220 lbs and has been very focused on his training leading up to this fight. 

“There is a fifth dimension … between science and superstition … it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone.”  I hear these words echo inside my head every time a great fight goes the distance. Rod Serling, a former boxer and author of the teleplay “Requiem for a Heavyweight,” knew a few things about the sport, and I often wonder if his introduction to the 1960’s TV series was a private joke about one of boxing’s greatest flaws - a bad decision. 

Let’s take a look at some of the luckiest fighters in boxing, who have ridden fouls and acting skills to successes that their talents could not achieve. Rodel Mayol - He is the luckiest currently.  It’s one thing to have a propensity for head clashes, but when they always seem to be saving you from defeat at the hands of a superior opponent, it is cause for further examination.  Luis Santana – Mexico has seen it’s share of this trend lately with Mayol, however this country first saw the flopping dynamo in Luis Santana, when the Domincan challenger was able to wrest the WBC Junior Middleweight title from Terry Norris in Mexico City in 1994.  Santana turned his back in round five, and was lightly slapped with a left on the back of the head.  Massimiliano Duran – It is true that Italians are famous floppers culture-wide in sports.  In soccer, however, this is trained into them as a part of the game in order to win penalty points. 

In the first fight card of a monthly new series, a sold out crowd filled Club Nokia at L.A. Live in Los Angeles, CA. Featherweight Charles Huerta (13-1, 6KO’s) won a slightly controversial six round majority decision over Guadalupe De Leon (8-10-4KO’s).  Huerta started out more effective, but gave his height repeatedly as the fight wore on. Lightweight Luis Ramos (14-0-7KO’s), of Santa Ana, scored a whitewash four round unanimous decision victory over Walter Estrada.  Ramos was the quicker of the two southpaws. Estrada (35-12-24KO’s), of Colombia, was unable to control distance, and only scored during Ramos' defensive lapses.  Karl Dargan (7-0-3KO’s) dominated Jose Alfredo Lugo (10-13-1-6KO’s) for 4 rounds, before referee David Mendoza stopped the Lightweight bout in the corner. Junior Featherweight Ricky Lopez from Oxnard (7-0-2KOs) had a rough go of it against always tough Hugo Ramos, yet won a 39-37 nod on all three cards. In what was supposed to be the most competitive matchup on paper, Jessie Vargas (9-0-4KO’s) of Los Angeles defeats Robert Luna. Junior Welterweight Carlos Molina, of Norwalk, scored a unanimous decision over Bahamian Hensley Strachan.

Junior Featherweight (122lbs) It looks as if Steve Molitor will be getting his belt back, but much like Virgil Hill, he will only remain a big deal in his home region.  This is to his failure when taking on bigger names.  Hill, however, beat many good fighters, reigned for a very long time, and eventually did unify.  Hill has a potential hall-of fame career.  Molitor needs to do more than get his belt back against a fromer victim to get anyone to care. In a perfect world, a 4-man eliminator: Juanma vs. Nishioka, and Caballero vs. Poonswat to determine the best, would be the way to go.  In reality, Caballero may have dropped the belt he won from Molitor, but this is the IBF we are talking about, so we all knew that would happen. Bantamweight (118lbs). Gerry Penalosa is apparently still vital, while Morel is looking more ordinary.  A rematch based on a controversial result isn't always a good idea, but this one certainly calls for it. Junior Bantamweight (115 lbs)This division is focused on one potential match-up, and that is about all.  Darchinyan vs. Donaire 2. 

Am I the only one not that excited by the upcoming Pavlik vs. Martinez match-up?  Of course I will be watching, and Sergio Martinez is the best fighter Pavlik has fought since Hopkins, but I am not convinced that "The Ghost's" confidence is all the way back. Sure, Martinez put up a good account of himself against Paul Williams, which is not easy to do.  Yet, he did lose the fight, and rightfully so, therefore I fail to see a single victory on Martinez' record at Middleweight that would justify this title shot.  Even if technically the WBC often allows fighters to fight for a new division's belt if he currently holds one already... there are other factors at work here.  What about Paul Williams?  He won the fight, yet is getting the shaft again. 

Convicted Artist Magazine reports from The John Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas this Friday Night with play-by-play results of ESPN’s Friday Night Fights. El Paso, Texas, highly-ranked contender Antonio Escalante will face one of his toughest opponents when he goes against Mexican Warrior Miguel “Mickey” Roman. This bout is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and is the main event on Friday, February 26th on ESPN’S “Friday Night Fights”. The fight will take place at the Don Haskins Center beginning at 10:00 pm ET/ 8:00 pm MT. Doors open at 6:00 pm. 

Regarding the upcoming reinstatement of Antonio Margarito, I have one thing to say (which I will of course take several paragraphs to say): Do not expect genius out of the Texas commission.  If ever there was an organization reeking of an “old boys’ network”, this is it.  Commissioner Dickie Cole has always seemed to march to the beat of his own drum, and I don’t mean that as a compliment.  Cole seems offended by people having the nerve to point out his errors and negative tendencies.  Mind you, he has no plans of changing them.  He just gets annoyed.  Let’s look at a couple other greatest hits. When local boy Paulie Ayala was handed a gift against Hugo Dianzo in 2001, Cole berated ESPN commentator Teddy Atlas in a childish way for pointing out that an obvious screw job had taken place.  It took fellow commentator Bob Papa to point out the Cole had gotten too big for his britches, and a public smack-down seemed to restore order.  It was only temporary, however.

Lightweight (135lbs) This division seems to merely be a stop-over for some of its most talented participants.  This is not a new phenomenon, however.  From Henry Armstrong to Pernell Whitaker to Oscar de la Hoya, very few people start and end their career at 135lbs. One would be surprised if current world champion Juan Manuel Marquez fights again at 135lbs.  The 140lb division is more exciting, and he only has a few good ones left in him.  It appears as if Edwin Valero will soon chase the big money up to Junior Welter as well.  These fighters always seem to leave the door open to returning, but very few fighters do come back down to a weight once they’ve left it, unless star power forces them down.  If Joan Guzman can get his weight in check, and decide on a style, he can still make some noise.  For now, however, let the noise-making be done by us, as Guzman was clearly beaten by Ali Funeka in their recent controversial draw.  Not that having the IBF belt means you will ever be champion for very long, but a clear victory would have given us someone new to be excited about. 

Max 'Payne' Martyniouk and his younger brother Stan 'The Man' Martyniouk have become the latest sensation of rising boxing and mma stars. Max Martyniouk became quickly recognized in the 155lb division of mixed martial arts due to his size, strength, speed, and athleticism along with successfully sparring against much heavier pro fighters such as James Irvin, Bo Cantrell, Dave Cryer and a hand full of notable professional boxers. While his brother Stan dominates boxing's super lightweight division and spars against notable pros like Stevie Forbes, Juan Lascano, and Juan Manuel Marquez. At only 24 and 25 years old the two brothers are expected to be world champions in there respective sport within the next two years.

Award winning sports journalist Ray Sanchez wrote in his column back in 1996 the following: “Every time I think of Pete Melendez I think of electricity. When he was boxing, he was taut as a wire, quick as the speed of light, explosive as a lightning bolt.” Ray was correct as Pete’s record is absolute proof that the truth is better than fiction. From his first fight in 1949 at the CYO in downtown El Paso to his last fight in 1956 Pete would establish a record fit for a king. And a king he was. Fighting at 112 pounds he established one of the most improbable amateur records in history ringing up 372 wins against only eight losses. Along his magnificent and fabled journey he captured four Regional Golden Gloves Championships, two Texas Golden Gloves State Championships, two National Golden Gloves Championships (1953, 1956) and in 1956 he was the Flyweight victor for the Chicago Golden Gloves Champions versus the New York Champions in the annual inter-city duel. He really was electric and he is an El Paso ‘Hero’.

K "Wild Wild" West vs. Anita Christensen for the WBO World Bantamweight Title. At just 22 years of age, female bantamweight sensation K "Wild Wild" West will be fighting for her first world title; making it a dream come true for the young fighter out of Moreno Valley, California.  West (11-1-1, 2 KO's) will be making the long trip to Denmark to challenge four-time former world champion Anita Christensen (24-1-0 KO's) for the vacant WBO world bantamweight title on March 25, 2010. Since West was a little girl hanging around her father in the gym, in addition to having an outstanding amateur career and making her pro debut in early 2006, this is what she has been diligently training for; a shot at a world title.  Coming off a draw against two-time world champion Ada Velez in January, West is eager to make the trip to Europe and claim her first world championship.

Joe Hanks moved to 11-0, 7 KOs by knocking out Cliff Couser (26-21-2, 14 KOs). Kortney Boden defeats Chris Davis causing the referee to waive off the fight by way of TKO. Jonathon Alcantara victorious by way of unanimous decision against Emmanuel Castro. Lightweight local Arquimedez Garcia looses to Manuel Delcid by way of unanimous decision. You hear the same argument over and over again. On mma forums such as Sherdog or The Underground you often see diehard fans bashing the sport of boxing whenever they are given the chance. They see it as the "old guard," something their father and grandfather watch. They try desperately to establish any sort of distance that connects their generation to their elders in an effort to disassociate from anything seen "un cool." It's a known fact that mixed martial arts does cater to a younger audience, while its combative forefather, the pugilistic art of boxing has had a hard time winning over boxing converts. They are on the other side of the spectrum when it comes to mma; they dont understand it and they bash it just as bad as those on the online forums. I always ask myself the question, why can't us fight fans all get along? I for one am a fight fan. I'm a fan of people punching their brains out with 4ounce gloves and inside a cage and a fan off two fighters beating their brains out with 8 ounce gloves inside a squared circle. To be quiet frank, I like a good ass whooping. Roy Englebrook does as well, the promoter of The Battle of the Ballroom which puts together Orange Counties only hybrid mma/boxing show. This concept has always intrigued me, so when I had the opportunity to see and experience what type of operation Mr. Englebrook I could not pass it up. I ventured out deep into the heart of Orange County and was surprised and please with what I found.

Boxing trainer, writer, mentor, and community leader receives Lifetime Achievement Award. Tom McKay (BA UTEP 1971, MA UTEP 1975)  was born in Balmorhea , Texas in 1934 to Ermine and Raymond McKay. The family moved to El Paso in the late 1930’s and in the late forties, Santos Quijano gave Tom his first boxing lessons at the CYO. A move to Pampa , Texas came next and boxing coach Ollie Wilhelm gave Tom a job at his local theater and a few pointers when time allowed. Then it was off to San Ysidro , California where Tom worked for his brother as a groom at Caliente Race Track in Tijuana , Mexico . Tom only had time for a few workouts at Archie Moore’s Gym. In 1952 Tom graduated from Mar Vista High School , returned to El Paso , worked for Mountain Bell and joined the 19th Rifle Company of The United States Marine Corps. He took up boxing under trainer Al Porteus.

Ringside Coverage by Convicted Artist Magazine. Battle In the Ballroom 26 Season of Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts. Undefeated heavyweight 10-0 Joe Hanks returns to continue his climb into the heavyweight rankings, meeting 9-8 Ryan Thompson in his toughest test to date. Santa Ana’s Jimmy Garcia returns to the ring facing 2-0 Manuel Delcid. Plus, another heavyweight match up see’s Hollywood’s Chris Davis meeting Kourtney Boden out of Henderson, NV. Join the tens of thousands of sports fans who know that in Orange County on six nights a year, the Battle In The Ballroom fights are the most unique and exciting place to entertain clients and friends!

Boxer Ignacio Esparza (16-1, 12KO's) has no fear of taking on the tough guys in the cruiserweight division.  This lack of fear may come from his incredible amateur background of 174 wins against only 1 defeat.  It may come from the fact that the apparent impending departure of Tomasz Adamek leaves a wide open cruiserweight division.  It may also come from the confidence of having had the same original trainer that guided other Guadalajara fighters like Oscar Larios and Javier Jauregui to world titles.  It may come from the knowledge that his only previous departure from his native Mexico (while a loss) resulted in a good deal of buzz from people in the fight game, as to who Ignacio Esparza was.  More than likely, however, his willingness to face anyone comes from his difficulty in getting fights thus far.  Never known as a hot bed of cruiserweight activity, it has been very difficult to get fights for Esparza in his native Mexico .  He has had only 17 pro fights in a nearly 10 year career.  The former WBA Febebol and Mexican Cruiserweight champion was even forced to turn down a fight with BJ Flores due to his visa not being approved in time.

It is commonly believed that when the top division in boxing suffers, the sport suffers with it. It’s an idea parallel to the trickle-down theory of economics. All good things trickle down from the top. The heavyweight division, like rain, falls on the land to be filtered and purified by rock strata before pooling in underground aquifers, thereafter providing life-giving hydration to the rest of boxing community.  No water, and you have a desert. No heavyweights, and you have a boxing wasteland.  And some believe we are currently going though such a drought. Let me start by saying I'm not a huge fan of the heavyweight division. I think it harbors too many lazy cruiserweights who never learned to push themselves away from the dinner table. My favorite division is middleweight division. Men small enough to have speed and large to have power.

There are boxers who not only come to the ring with extraordinary talent and drive, but also that little extra something that elevates them so far above the throng that they ultimately transcend the sport. Some are defined as “showboats,” some as “colorful,” and others “obnoxious.” One can go as far back as Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight champion, to find a fighter whose blatantly superior skills and ring-style made fans sit up and take notice. But it was Johnson’s extracurricular activities that sent ripples through the fabric of society and shocked a nation. Johnson’s penchant for white women, and his ostentatious lifestyle in a time when such behavior was unthinkable, brought all the weighty forces of society down upon him.

Devon Alexander vs. Juan Urango, Arthur Abraham vs. Andre Dirrell, Wladimir Klitschko vs. Eddie Chambers
This fight is being made for the same reason Celestino Caballero vs. Steve Molitor was made.  Two belt holders are being forgotten in a talent rich division.  The unification did nothing for Caballero, except give fighters an excuse to avoid him.  However, it may do more for Alexander.  Namely because there are other good, exciting fighters in the division like Holt, Ortiz, Maidana, and Bradley.  Khan, Pacquiao, and Hatton may avoid the winner, but there are still brawls and dollars to be made.  Not that Alexander will win in the same dominating fashion as Caballero.  Juan Urango is an impressive pressure fighter who has never shied away from the bigger fights.  He also recognizes the belts for what they are... a means to secure the meaningful fights, instead of an excuse to avoid them.

How do you like that, folks?  Vegas is now more corrupt than a third world nation.  The handlers of Light Heavyweight contender Beibut Shumenov couldn’t get the job done wresting the WBA title away from Gabriel Campillo in Kazakhstan , so they had to come to Vegas for the rematch, where apparently even well-known and otherwise respected judges can be bought, or blinded, or whatever-the-hell happened. Shumenov may have gotten the decision, and the WBA strap, yet it was Campillo that served notice as a new light heavyweight threat.  Sadly, much like Felix Sturm, we will likely never see him again, as his debut in this country ended with him getting screwed out his title.  Although Campillo took some time to get started in most of the rounds, his work was 10 times more effective.  Shumenov repeatedly loaded up and threw big combinations, only to have them blocked or parried by the more technically-sound Spaniard. 

Oscar de la Hoya's Golden Boy Promotion company believes it will soon close a deal matching  Floyd Mayweather Jr. against  Sugar Shane Mosley in May.  De La Hoya also confidently predicts  Mayweather will fight against Filipino Manny Pacquiao in the near future.  "That fight has to be," said De La Hoya on Tuesday about the fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao, which collapsed earlier this month following a lawsuit over anti-doping tests. "It is a fight too big to not happen. We just have to overcome an obstacle."  The Golden Boy expressed his beliefs regarding the state of the welterweight division at a Tuesday news conference.  De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions business partner Richard Schaefer are currently working to make the Mayweather vs. Mosely fight happen in Las Vegas on May 1st..  "Different teams are working very hard on this, "said De La Hoya.

Gabriel Campillo, the current heavyweight champion of the World Boxing Association (WBA)  will fulfill his dream of fighting in Las Vegas on Friday 29 January.  The Spanish light heavyweight boxer will defend his belt against Beibut Shumenov of Uzbek in a rematch. Beibut  Shumenov's is a force to be recon with, whose most productive match came in August 2008 when he defeated  world champion Montell Griffin.  The fight will take place at "The Joint"  located inside the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

A voice is a temperamental, idiosyncratic gift.  Each one is unique.  For this reason, singers have historically referred to their voices in the third person singular; "The voice isn't working today," or , "the voice of the great so-and-so…."  The voice is personified as though it has a mind of it's own, and often it does. As a barometer reacts to the slightest changes in air pressure, so do weather changes, humidity, diet, sleep, and air pollution affect the human voice. The slightest disturbance in a highly-tuned voice is blatantly noticeable to the owner. Therefore, elaborate rituals are often followed to maintain a perfect homeostasis. Rituals that rival those of sport stars.

Golden Boy Promotions announced that it reached an agreement to promote Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, the new Mexican boxing sensation. Alvarez is an undefeated junior champion WBC welterweight who appears to be world-class material. Alvarez is ranked 17th in the world and is the presently a WBA Fedecentro Welterweight champion, WBO Latino Welterweight champion, NABF Welterweight champion and WBC Youth Welterweight champion.  The contract with Alvarez will become official during a press conference in Guadalajara, Jalisco Mexico.

Argentine boxer Rodrigo Barrios was arrested on charges of manslaughter after he was involved in a fatal car accident, in which he fled. The accident left a pregnant woman dead and six others seriously injured. "The offense is bailable, Barrios has no previous convictions”, said Barrios defense attorney Jose Vera. Barrios was detained overnight in a police station north of Mar del Plata, a small town about 248 miles south of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The boxer had surrendered to police Sunday night after being on the run.

Coach Martinez was racking up coach of the year honors in 1993 and 1994 while his star pupils continued to shine brightly in amateur boxing. He set even higher goals for 1995 as it was an Olympic qualifying year. Just as sure as there are stars over Texas he set sail for Atlanta, Georgia to land his boxers a heavenly spot on the 1996 United States Olympic Team in the peach state. Jorge and his wife now had three children to support and 1995 represented his best chance of acquiring a position on the Olympic team. It was now or never for Jorge and he began the year with a big bang by winning The El Paso Regional Golden Gloves, The Texas State Golden Gloves and The National Golden Gloves. All the right pieces of amateur boxing strategy had fell perfectly into place and Jorge was assured of a box off for his lifetime goal.

Here are a few matchups that will provide a clearer picture of who is on top of each weight division:  Heavyweights  The Klitschkos are on top, but the contender situation is muddled.  Provided Adamek gets past Estrada, his proposed battle with Arreola will provide some answers as to who is the heir apparent to the heavyweight division. Cruiserweight   Guillermo Jones needs to fight someone, anyone!  Light Heavyweight   Hopkins is holding the division hostage, but a new crop of fighters has replaced him in our minds if not the rankings. Super Middleweight  With the exit of Jermain Taylor, the two most deserving and forgotten 168lbers now get to enter the Super Six. Cunningham vs. Godfrey will priovide some answers as to the second-best fighter in the division, but Adamek needs to make an announcement based on the Estrada fight, so the rest of the division can move on.

Minneapolis, MN- One of Minnesota’s most heralded prospects, and former amateur national champion Javontae Starks(2-0 2 ko’s) is slated to box for the first time in his hometown on February 5 at First Avenue night club when he takes on Matt Ellis (1-1). After fighting twice at Grand Casino Hinckley Starks’ third pro bout will be his first in his native Minneapolis.  While his first bout in the Twin Cities is an exciting prospect Starks’ focus in the professionals is to compete at the same level he did in the amateurs, the national and world stage.

Amir Khan vs. Ricky Hatton.  Ivan Calderon vs. Brian Viloria. Tomasz Adamek vs. Brian Minto. Floyd Mayweather vs. winner of Berto/Mosley. This is the farewell fight that Hatton should be targeting.  Khan brings more domestic excitement and support than Junior Witter ever could, and therefore even more money.  It is also a winnable fight for Hatton.  Khan has made great strides since his loss to Breidis Prescott, but he has never dealt with the pressure that Hatton can bring, plus his chin will likely always make any fight with a puncher interesting.  It is just as winnable for Khan, as speed and skills in excess have been the only things that have brought Hatton down as yet... plus Ricky's chin is also suspect.  It is also not a fight that will diminish any legacies.  If Hatton loses, he will be viewed as to have lost to a championship-level fighter, and to be simply past his prime.  If Khan comes up short, he will have lost to a former undisputed champ, who still has fight left in him, and maybe that the former Silver Medalist just wasn't ready for this step up.  Both men have a lot more to gain than lose... but will their egos allow them to not have the whole Manchester crowd in their back pockets for once?  That (and Marcos Maidana's right hand) are the only things potentially stopping this great fight.

For every Sven Ottke, Paulie Ayala, and Julio Cesar Chavez who seem to win a lot of close, controversial decisions, there are fighters on the other end who come up short consistently, and often do not get the decisions they deserve.  Today, we look at a few of those fighters from the last decade, so as to give them some credit, and let them know we have not forgotten that they are better than their records. Kassim Ouma – We love to talk of his inspirational story, but people never seem to mention how this poor guy gets screwed left, right, and center by judges.  His record shows he has lost four out of his last five fights.  What that record doesn’t show, is that he could have (and usually should have) been declared the winner in three of them (Rosado, Bundrage, and Roman)!  Only the loss to Jermain Taylor was a clear defeat.  Other than that, he only has two losses.  There was only a stoppage loss earlier in his career, as well as the loss to Roman Karmazin.  This trend of unfairness has gotten worse recently with the aforementioned events, but a glance at his wins shows that is not a new phenomenon. 

Wild" West is looking to start off her world title campaign for 2010.   This Thursday, January 21, 2010 at the San Manuel Indian & Bingo Casino in Highland, California, West (11-1-0, 2 KO's) will be squaring off against former three-time world champion, Ada "the Ace" Velez (16-3-2, 6 KO's) in what's sure to be considered a showdown between the past and future of women's boxing.  The bout will be the co-main event of the evening as both fighters slug it out for a title.  West took the fight on short notice but has been active in the gym sparring with sure to be future world champion Dianna Guiterrez.  Guiterrez is a southpaw and has given West a good look of what Velez will bring come fight night.

If you’ve read any of my boxing reviews or essays, then you might know that I’m a huge Muhammad Ali fan. But when the title “Facing Ali” popped up on my list of recommended movies from Redbox a few weeks ago, I thought, “Oh no. Just what we need. Another Ali movie with grainy footage, and the same old archival soundtracks of Howard Cosell yammering insufferably. Why bother?” So I deleted the email and went about my business. But within a few minutes, I was drawn back to my Macbook.  In an almost out-of-body experience, I found myself moving the mouse like an automaton as I pulled the email out of the trash. “Maybe I’ll just look at the summary,”

Jake loved his job on the Sheriff’s Department. However, besides winning state in 1955 he and Paula had their first son, Jacob. In 1957 they welcomed a lovely daughter, Leticia. Their beautiful daughter with a thirst for knowledge, Susanna, was born in 1959. As most informed people in the southwest know, Susanna is the District Attorney in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Jake and his wife sacrificed much of their social life and nonessential items to maintain a budget that would help their children obtain a higher education. Susanna was an intellect and she attended UTEP before graduating with a law degree from Oklahoma University. She was then invited to the prestigious English College, Oxford, for further studies. Nevertheless, Jake had his sights set on improving his status in life and living a moderate middle class lifestyle.

I know that young folk hate to hear old-timers like me yammer on about “how far I had to walk to school when I was a kid,” and reminisce about “how much better music was in my day.” But the fact is, lots of things were better in the old days. And among the things on that myriad list of devolving human endeavors is boxing. Believe it or not, there was a time when you could actually catch a great championship fight on network television - notably, ABC’s Wide World of Sports. And you didn’t have to sell your first born or take a mortgage on your home to buy a ticket to a live event, either. Those were the long lost days when the fans were a cherished part of the timeless drama of Prize Fighting. I witnessed the careers of Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Forman, Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, and Alexis Arguello, unfold

Is it just me, or... Will Celestino Cabellero be left out completely?  Juanma, Vasquez, Marquez, Gamboa, even Nishioka.  These guys won't touch him with a 90-inch reach. Will the Light Heavyweight division remain cluttered for years?  Cloud, Pascal, Dawson, Diaconu, Balszay, Campillo.  These guys aren't going to fight each other much, are they?  Here's hoping Shumenov beats Campillo in their Vegas rematch. He might actually bridge the geographical and promotional gap that will get this mix fighting.  Fighters who will make noise in 2010: Manny Pacquiao, Paul Williams, Kelly Pavlik, David Haye, Shane Mosley, Juan Manuel Lopez, Edwin Valero, all of the super six particpants.