The schedule this week is pretty sparse, apart from the one bigsexyhugemouthwatering fight: Andre Ward vs. Carl Froch. Since it’s one of the very best fights that can be made right now and we have no idea who is going to win, we’ll just have to deal with an otherwise quiet week. There are a fair few good boxers fighting, just not against other boxers of note. Shows and boxers worth mentioning, such as they are, include Marco Antonio Rubio against Matt Vanda, a battle of second generation Mexicans in Omar Chavez vs. Jorge Paez Jr., junior featherweight Roberto Marroquin fighting on FSN/Fox Deportes, Orlando Salido and Hernan Marquez.
For once the video on top has something to do with the schedule. Who do you reckon got the best of the staredown? Froch’s smugness annoys me an entirely unreasonable amount, so I’m inclined to think that Ward came out on top.
- Andre Ward vs. Carl Froch, Saturday, Showtime, Atlantic City. There’s probably a tendency to underestimate just how good and important this fight is. Not only is it the final of the Super Six, it’s a fight between two arguably top-10 pound-for-pound fighters and a fight between two of the three best super middleweights in the world, which will crown a lineal champ. Tim will have the full preview later in the week. There are some interesting fights on the non-televised undercard as well. British welterweight prospect Kell Brook (25-0) makes his American debut against Luis Galarza (17-2). Brook looks impressive, mixing good fundamentals with agression and power. Light heavyweights Yordanis Despaigne (9-1) and Edison Miranda (34-6) are fighting different opponents in an attempt at building buzz for the February 2012 rematch of their July fight, which Despaigne won mainly by pretending he’d been low blowed. Neither of their opponents, Cornelius White (17-1) and Kariz Kariuki (24-9-2) respectively, figure to too be much of a challenge. Also on the card, Tongan American heavyweight prospect Bowie Tupou (21-1) faces Donnell Holmes, owner of an improbable 33-1-2 record, his sole defeat coming against Brian Minto.
- Roberto Marroquin vs. Carlos Valcarcel, Saturday, Fox Deportes/FSN, Thackerville Oklahoma. Texan junior featherweight prospect Roberto Marroquin headlines the year’s final edition of Top Rank Live from Oklahoma on Saturday. He’s taking on the tough Carlos Valcarcel (12-3-4). Marroquin (20-1) is still on the comeback trail after a shock loss to Francisco Leal in a bloody fight in April. Marroquin seems to have a nice mix of skills and power-punching, with an especially nasty uppercut. Puerto Rico’s Valcarcel figures to be a good stop on Marroquin’s comeback train and will give him nothing for free. Also, lightweight prospect Jose Roman (12-0) faces the dreaded TBA.
- The Rest. It’s a big week for Mexican veterans/inflictors of huge upsets. First, middleweight veteran Marco Antonio Rubio (52-5-1) fights Matt Vanda (44-13) in Las Vegas on Friday. Rubio kind of likes these types of fights, so I’m not sure whether to feel sorry for him for not doing better after his shock victory over David Lemieux earlier in the year.. Then on Saturday Juan Manuel Lopez conqueror Orlando Salido (36-11-2) fights the Dominican Republic’s Carlos Manuel Reyes (23-1-1), who lost to the only .500 fighter he ever faced, in a featherweight bout in his hometown of Ciudad Obregon in Mexico. It’s more of a stay busy bout for Salido, who has his eye on a much anticipated rematch with Lopez next year… Flyweight action hero Hernan “Tysoncito” Marquez (32-2) faces recent Giovani Segura victim Eddy Zuniga (7-6-1), hopefully on the way to facing Segura himself, on Friday in Mexico… Second gen Mexicans Omar Chavez (27-0-1) and Jorge Paez Jr. (29-4-1) have a little anticipated (at least north of the Rio Grande) welterweight scrap lined up Saturday night in Tuxtla Gutierrez. Omar, who is just mediocre, will most likely be too much for Paez Jr., who is truly terrible.
