With 2008 in the books the focus now shifts to 2009 which appears to be taking form quite well. If this were a Hollywood script, the month of January would be aptly dubbed 'Welter-Skelter', as two very intriguing fights with scary implications will take place and ultimately shape how the rest of the year in the division unfolds.
In the first showdown, young stud Andre Berto (23-0, 19KO's) will take on a slick southpaw cut from the classic 'under-the-radar-but-above-the-rim' fabric, when he squares off against Luis Collazo (29-3, 14KO's). This fight should be a very intriguing one because it pairs the loaded welterweight divisions least experienced champion against a salty veteran who may push the young Berto to the very brink of his talent. Many continue to overlook the value of this fight but other than big name notoriety, it's a bit hard to understand why. In many ways it's considered a safe fight for Berto because Collazo isn't much of a power puncher, but the reality here is that he doesn't have to be. He's hard to hit, he's quick, and he's offensively gifted. When you add to that list the fact that he can take a punch quite well, it makes him a very tough opponent for a fighter whose resume doesn't boast a name any bi gger than David Estrada or Steve Forbes. There's very little question that Berto has a bright future ahead of him but that shine could easily fade if his performance falls short.
Only a week later, things in the storied division hit another high note as two huge forces collide when the iron-chinned Antonio Margarito (37-5, 27KO's) takes on 'Sugar' Shane Mosley (45-5, 38KO's). This fight pins the biggest figure in the division against arguably the biggest name in it. The youth and stamina of Antonio Margarito are expected to prevail but anyone counting the older veteran out has obviously not watched much boxing lately. Only two months ago we saw the sports ageless wonder, Bernard Hopkins, step in the ring and turn back the hands of time against youthful KO artist Kelly Pavlik in a one-dimensional showdown. Apparently that victory gave Mosley much to think about as he ditched his Father/trainer, Jack Mosley, and ordered the services of the same man who engineered that Hopkins performance, famed trainer Nasim Richardson.
Mosley's last performance was arguably the worst he's ever looked in any victory, but it's no secret that he still has one of the best chins in the sport, his last-second-of-the-last-round KO of Ricardo Mayorga proved that he can still fight the distance, and at the end of the day, Miguel Cotto and Paul Williams aside, there's probably no other true threat to him in the welterweight division. Those facts alone also make this a very intriguing affair. Where the division goes from there will depend on many things, but the outcome of this fight could be the deciding factor. A Mosley victory presumably sets the stage for him to face Berto by summer time to unify the WBA/WBC straps (conditional upon him defeating Collazo), while Margarito is slated to take on Miguel Cotto for the now vacant WBO strap regardless of his outcome with Mosley. That leaves the IBF Joshua Clottey waiting in the wings for the first to sign the dotted lines, which means we coul d ultimately see a unified division by years end.
This proverbial blueprint to welterweight unification all looks simple on paper, but as we've learned in life, paper burns. When you add Paul Williams to the equation and consider the possible return of former Pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather jr., all the perceived logic flies out the window.
There's no true telling how things will unfold, but one thing we do know is that it'll be a blast watching it as it happens!
Stay tuned...
