Title Fights Scheduled (Apr 30-May 2)

Here it is, the most awaited weekend of the year. The Saturday night (or whatever time of day wherever you are) where the pound for pound king will try to rewrite boxing history in capturing his sixth division title.

Up first, on Apr. 30 in Panama City, Panama, hometown hero and unified champ Celestino Caballero [31(22)-2(1)-0] will defend his WBA Super Bantamweight and IBF Junior Featherweight titles against Jeffrey Mathebula [22(12)-1(1)-2] of South Africa. Mathebula is the mandatory IBF challenger as well as the #1 ranked contender. To be honest, I haven't seen Mathebula in action so I don't have any idea on how he fights. I know Caballero will still be lanky and unorthodox and throwing bombs from wide angles. Since Mathebula is practically as tall as him then this will be interesting. Caballero's long bombs might not work against Mathebula since they have similar reach so he can be countered in some ways, provided Mathebula knows how. Mathebula's list of opponents does not say much since they are as unknown as he is. So, I can't imagine Caballero losing his unified titles at home to somebody who will be fighting outside his country for the first time in his career.

Then on May 2 in Bremen, Germany, another Panamian titleholder, Anselmo Moreno [24(8)-1(0)-1] will defend his WBA Bantamweight title against Germany-based Ukrainian and former titleholder Wladimir Sidorenko [21(7)-1(0)-2]. This is a rematch from last year when Moreno took the title away from Sidorenko via a unanimous decision also in Germany. Moreno succesfully defended his title twice while Sidorenko did not see action since. A year long hiatus might not do well for the challenger who incidentally is a lot older. This is a battle of below average punchers and will likely go to the scorecards once again. Based on their first match, homecourt does not necesarilly favor Sidorenko.

Then in Las Vegas, NV, in the undercard of the biggest fight of the year (thus far), Mexico's Humberto Soto [47(30)-7(1)-2] on late notice has been called in to action to defend his WBC Super Featherweight title against Canada's Benoit Gaudet [20(7)-1(1)-0]. Steven Luevano was originally scheduled to defend his WBO Featherweight title against Bernabe Concepcion but injuries cancelled his supposedly fourth undercard appearance to a Manny Pacquiao fight. Soto is fresh from an easy stoppage win a month ago over Antonio Davis. If he barely broke a sweat against Davis then Gaudet does not need any warming up. This will most likely be an easy pay check for Soto.

And of course, the fight everyone's waiting for, Ricky Hatton [45(32)-1(1)-0] of the UK will defend his Ring Junior Welterweight title against the pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao [48(36)-3(2)-2] of the Philippines. Also at stake is Hatton's less-regarded IBO title. There's nothing left to say about this fight as every boxing website has it in its main page. The Hitman is undefeated in the 140-lb. division and Pacman is on a roll since after the first fight against Eric Morales. That's 9 straight which includes 4 possible hall of famers. Hatton's only defeat is at 147 lbs against the previous pound for pound king. I expect Hatton to fall short again against the current pound for pound king. Pacquiao is on track to capture his 6th division title after ruling the 112 (WBC), 122 (IBF), 126 (Ring), 130 (Ring/WBC) and 135 (WBC) pound weight classes. Thus, tying his most recent casualty the golden boy.

My Predictions:
Caballero by early to mid stoppage.
Moreno retains by decision.
Soto by very early KO.
Pacquiao by 9th round stoppage.

Title Relinquished - WBC Super Lightweight

As first reported by Fight News early today, the WBC stripped Timothy Bradley of his WBC Super Lightweight (140 lbs.) title. It is quite ironic that Bradley just recently unified his WBC title with the WBO after defeating Kendall Holt a couple of weeks ago. The WBC claimed that Bradley is reneging on an earlier agreement that he will be defending his title against the WBC mandatory, Devon Alexander. There were no TV buyers for a Bradley-Alexander fight which made the fight financially not practical for Bradley. According to Bradley, the commitment the WBC is looking from him is to drop the WBO title. The WBC seem to be discouraging title unification. I wish the sanctioning bodies will start opeining their eyes and realize that title unification is needed to determine the real champion and that is what fight fans are looking for. In fairness, I know that they actually made an effort to change their policies to accomodate title unifications but things seem to be changing as they are gradually backing off from that concept. Well, mainly because they are losing their grasp on declaring their mandatory challengers because unified titleholders have longer voluntary periods due to their multiple titles. Oh man. The politics of boxing sanctioning bodies. It's a never ending dilemma.

Just an additional note that I find quite funny. The WBC and in particular Jose Sulaiman did not appropriately compose their press release on the stripping. They stated that the reason Bradley is not fighting Alexander is because he is "probably afraid". That sounded more like it was written by a disgruntled message board poster. They need to hire a speech/press release writer or replace him/her if they already have one.

By the way, the vacant title will eventually be decided between #1 ranked Alexander and former titleholder who Bradley dethroned, Junior Witter.

Below is the updated tally with one less title for the US.

As of Apr. 28, 2009

Rank	Country	No. of Titles	Title Holders
1st	USA	11	Andre Berto - WBC147 Timothy Bradley - WBO140 Chad Dawson - IBF175 Vernon Forrest - WBC154 Steven Luevano - WBO126 Shane Mosley - WBA147 Kelly Pavlik - WBC160;WBO160;Ring160 Cory Spinks - IBF154 Brian Viloria - IBF108
2nd	Mexico	9	Cristobal Cruz - IBF126 Raul Garcia - IBF105 Juan Manuel Marquez - Ring135;WBA135;WBO135 Fernando Montiel - WBO118 Edgar Sosa - WBC108 Humberto Soto - WBC130 Israel Vazquez - Ring122
3rd	Puerto Rico	7	Ivan Calderon - WBO108;Ring108 Miguel Cotto - WBO147 Jose Lopez - WBO115 Juan Manuel Lopez - WBO122 Roman Martinez - WBO130 Daniel Santos - WBA154
4th	Ukraine	5	Sergiy Dzinziruk - WBO154 Vitali Klitschko - WBC200+ Wladimir Klitschko - IBF200+;WBO200+ Andreas Kotelnik - WBA140
5th (3 are tied)	Armenia	4	Arthur Abraham - IBF160 Vic Darchinyan - WBA115;WBC115;IBF115
5th (3 are tied)	Japan	4	Takahiro Aoh - WBC126 Hozumi Hasegawa - WBC118 Daisuke Naito - WBC112 Toshiaki Nishioka - WBC122
5th (3 are tied)	Panama	4	Celestino Caballero - WBA122;IBF122 Guillermo Jones - WBA200 Anselmo Moreno - WBA118
8th	Argentina	3	Hugo Hernan Garay - WBA175 Omar Andres Narvaez - WBO112 Victor Emilio Ramirez - WBO200
9th (7 are tied)	Hungary	2	Karoly Balzsay - WBO168 Zsolt Erdei - WBO175
9th (7 are tied)	Philippines	2	Nonito Donaire - IBF112 Donnie Nietes - WBO105
9th (7 are tied)	Poland	2	Tomasz Adamek - IBF200;Ring200
9th (7 are tied)	Romania	2	Lucian Bute - IBF168 Adrian Diaconu - WBC175
9th (7 are tied)	Thailand	2	Denkaosan Kaovichit - WBA112 Oleydong Sithsamerchai - WBC105
9th (7 are tied)	UK	2	Carl Froch - WBC168 Ricky Hatton - Ring140
9th (7 are tied)	Venezuela	2	Jorge Linares - WBA130 Edwin Valero - WBC135
16th (10 are tied)	Colombia	1	Juan Urango - IBF140
16th (10 are tied)	Denmark	1	Mikkel Kessler - WBA168
16th (10 are tied)	Germany	1	Felix Sturm - WBA160
16th (10 are tied)	Ghana	1	Joseph Agbeko - IBF118
16th (10 are tied)	Indonesia	1	Chris John - WBA126
16th (10 are tied)	Italy	1	Giacobbe Fragomeni - WBC200
16th (10 are tied)	Nicaragua	1	Roman Gonzalez - WBA105
16th (10 are tied)	Russia	1	Nikolay Valuev - WBA200+(co)
16th (10 are tied)	South Africa	1	Malcolm Klassen - IBF130
16th (10 are tied)	Uzbekistan	1	Ruslan Chagaev - WBA200+(co)

Title Fight Results (Apr. 25)

Great weekend for boxing fans as HBO and Showtime delivered on back to back nights and live streaming was humming.

First up in Krefeld, Germany, Hungary's Karoly Balzsay successfully defended his WBO Super Middleweight title by stopping Maselino Masoe of Samoa in the 11th. I saw the highlights of the first 10 rounds and the full 11th. If the highlights indicate the rest of the fight then I'm glad I didn't have to go through watching the whole fight. There's more action in the 12th round of Froch-Taylor than the highlights of this fight. Nevertheless, Balzsay took care of business and a crunching short right after a solid lead left finished Masoe off. Masoe's got to retire. He had a decent career with a middleweight title to show. Balzsay needs to be tested more. Based on this fight and his title winning bout against Denis Inkin, I believe he's a far fourth compared to the other 3 titleholders - Mikkel Kessler, Carl Froch and Lucian Bute. Heck! He probably won't even survive a fight against Allan Green after what Green showed in the Froch-Taylor undercard. I'm not sure when he's due for a mandatory. With Andre Dirrell rated #1, I seriously doubt Balzsay retaining his title. Fight News

In the main event of the Krefeld card, Germany's Felix Sturm practically came out unscathed in retaining his WBA Middleweight title via a 7th round stoppage of Japan's Koji Sato. Sato clearly was not in Sturm's league. Yet, Sturm is not even the best 160 pounder not only of the world but in Germany as well. Sato seem to catch Sturm's every jab like he was an all star catcher in the Japanese baseball league. Well, baseball's popular in Japan so can't blame him. Anyway, the stoppage looks right as Sato's right eye is swollen shut and his corner is poised to throw in the towel. Sturm has to stop fighting patsies and man up to Arthur Abraham. Then, the winner for all the marbles and the belts including the Ring against Kelly Pavlik at the end of the year. That's my wish to complete an already great year in boxing. ESPN; Boxing Scene; Fight News

Over here in the east coast, UK's Carl Froch did what he needs to do in the last round to retain his WBC Super Middleweight title, knock Jermain Taylor out. That was a great fight and I say the fight of the week at least. It was a close fight but Taylor seem to have the upperhand as proven by the scorecards which was later reported. Froch was down in the third for the first time in his career but managed to tire Taylor out with increasing pressure every round. Taylor may have been the better fighter that night but if you can't finish you're still the loser. With the 168 pound class dominated by the Europeans and the 160 pounds being Pavlik's domain, I'm not sure where Taylor goes from here. I say try Sturm but expect to fly to Germany. Froch wants Joe Calzaghe but Calzaghe will not budge from his retirement rocker just for him. Froch's got to aim for a unification bout or a rematch with Taylor is not a bad idea. ESPN; Boxing Scene; Fight News

For the last title fight of this amazing boxing weekend, Puerto Rico's Juan Manuel Lopez retained his WBO Junior Featherweight title by stopping the brave Gerry Penalosa of the Philippines. Two-time trainer of the year Freddie Roach had to stop the fight before the start of the 10th to avoid further damage to Penalosa who was getting hit with ridiculous amount of power shots yet remained standing. This is Penalosa's first stoppage loss in a career that started in 1989. Probably the most technically skilled boxer coming from the Philippines. Lopez has not seen the 9th round in quite awhile. In fact, this was only the second time in his career to go past the 8th having stopped everyone else before that. With Israel Vazquez reportedly back after an eye injury from the Rafael Marquez trilogy, that'll be a great next fight for Lopez and definitely his toughest test to date. WBA and IBF titleholder Celestino Caballero will be an excellent fight too since Caballero is expected to get past Jeffrey Mathebula this coming Thursday. That's a different challenge for Lopez with the tall and unorthodox yet heavy hitting Caballero. Boxing Scene; Fight News

As I posted in a prior entry, Penalosa also loses his WBO Bantamweight title after this fight regardless of the result. The only reason he kept it inspite of not fighting his mandatory, Eric Morel, is to keep the title of this card legitimate, "Campeon vs. Campeon". Mexico's Fernando Montiel is elevated from interim to the full title and expected to defend against Morel on June 27 in the Pavlik-Sergio Mora undercard.

Prediction Result:
It wasn't an early stoppage for Balzsay but wasn't difficult either.
As expected, easy fight for Sturm.
Did I say Froch by late KO? How late can you get with 14 seconds left?
Penalosa proved his worth but Lopez was simply devastating.

4 out of 4 on a Saturday night. I admit the 3 was easy but the Froch pick was contrary to the popular and oddsmakers' forecast. My record is up to 23-3 and a draw.

Tally changes is not because of the dethroning of any of the titleholders but because of the Penalosa stripping and the Montiel promotion.

As of Apr. 25, 2009

Rank	Country	No. of Titles	Title Holders
1st	USA	12	Andre Berto - WBC147 Timothy Bradley - WBC140;WBO140 Chad Dawson - IBF175 Vernon Forrest - WBC154 Steven Luevano - WBO126 Shane Mosley - WBA147 Kelly Pavlik - WBC160;WBO160;Ring160 Cory Spinks - IBF154 Brian Viloria - IBF108
2nd	Mexico	9	Cristobal Cruz - IBF126 Raul Garcia - IBF105 Juan Manuel Marquez - Ring135;WBA135;WBO135 Fernando Montiel - WBO118 Edgar Sosa - WBC108 Humberto Soto - WBC130 Israel Vazquez - Ring122
3rd	Puerto Rico	7	Ivan Calderon - WBO108;Ring108 Miguel Cotto - WBO147 Jose Lopez - WBO115 Juan Manuel Lopez - WBO122 Roman Martinez - WBO130 Daniel Santos - WBA154
4th	Ukraine	5	Sergiy Dzinziruk - WBO154 Vitali Klitschko - WBC200+ Wladimir Klitschko - IBF200+;WBO200+ Andreas Kotelnik - WBA140
5th (3 are tied)	Armenia	4	Arthur Abraham - IBF160 Vic Darchinyan - WBA115;WBC115;IBF115
5th (3 are tied)	Japan	4	Takahiro Aoh - WBC126 Hozumi Hasegawa - WBC118 Daisuke Naito - WBC112 Toshiaki Nishioka - WBC122
5th (3 are tied)	Panama	4	Celestino Caballero - WBA122;IBF122 Guillermo Jones - WBA200 Anselmo Moreno - WBA118
8th	Argentina	3	Hugo Hernan Garay - WBA175 Omar Andres Narvaez - WBO112 Victor Emilio Ramirez - WBO200
9th (7 are tied)	Hungary	2	Karoly Balzsay - WBO168 Zsolt Erdei - WBO175
9th (7 are tied)	Philippines	2	Nonito Donaire - IBF112 Donnie Nietes - WBO105
9th (7 are tied)	Poland	2	Tomasz Adamek - IBF200;Ring200
9th (7 are tied)	Romania	2	Lucian Bute - IBF168 Adrian Diaconu - WBC175
9th (7 are tied)	Thailand	2	Denkaosan Kaovichit - WBA112 Oleydong Sithsamerchai - WBC105
9th (7 are tied)	UK	2	Carl Froch - WBC168 Ricky Hatton - Ring140
9th (7 are tied)	Venezuela	2	Jorge Linares - WBA130 Edwin Valero - WBC135
16th (10 are tied)	Colombia	1	Juan Urango - IBF140
16th (10 are tied)	Denmark	1	Mikkel Kessler - WBA168
16th (10 are tied)	Germany	1	Felix Sturm - WBA160
16th (10 are tied)	Ghana	1	Joseph Agbeko - IBF118
16th (10 are tied)	Indonesia	1	Chris John - WBA126
16th (10 are tied)	Italy	1	Giacobbe Fragomeni - WBC200
16th (10 are tied)	Nicaragua	1	Roman Gonzalez - WBA105
16th (10 are tied)	Russia	1	Nikolay Valuev - WBA200+(co)
16th (10 are tied)	South Africa	1	Malcolm Klassen - IBF130
16th (10 are tied)	Uzbekistan	1	Ruslan Chagaev - WBA200+(co)

Title Fight Result (Apr. 24)

Experience paid dividends as Cory Spinks is once again the IBF Junior Middleweight champion. Spinks recovered from a first round knockdown and outhussled the younger Deandre Latimore via split decision. After the knockdown, I thought Latimore became too eager to finish early and seem to load up more than he needs to which missed badly more than it connected. Latimore still managed to control the first half with Spinks probably taking at best 2 rounds. But by the sixth onwards, Latimore's first half energy is gradually receding. Spinks threw more double jabs at a distance and a lot of rights to the body when close. They're both spent in the closing rounds but Spinks continue to connect the meaningful shots. Spinks' advantage on experience was obvious and Latimore had problems adjusting. I thought if Latimore continued to pressure without exerting as much energy with his wide swings as he did in the first half, he could've broken down Spinks. Latimore can now charge this fight to experience. If he learned something from it then he'll probably get another title shot. With the Don King-promoted Spinks' skills on the decline, although he did better than I expected in this fight, he'll probably get dethroned in his first defense. So might as well go for the one that will make the most financial sense. If the Don King-Floyd Mayweather Jr. marriage really happens as reported, then that is Spinks best option. I know how farfetched that idea is but not impossible specially if the Marquez deal fails. Besides, that's Don King so expect the unexpected. Another option that might be appealing to hardcore fans is a unification against the WBA titleholder Daniel Santos who is also in King's stable. ESPN; Boxing Scene; Fight News

Prediction Result:
I thought it's in the bag after the knockdown, but, not so fast. I overestimated Laimore's hunger and youth advantage.

Another setback, therefore, my record is down 19-3 and a draw.
Tally changes as the US adds another title and more distance to the rest of the world.

As of Apr. 24, 2009

Rank	Country	No. of Titles	Title Holders
1st	USA	12	Andre Berto - WBC147 Timothy Bradley - WBC140;WBO140 Chad Dawson - IBF175 Vernon Forrest - WBC154 Steven Luevano - WBO126 Shane Mosley - WBA147 Kelly Pavlik - WBC160;WBO160;Ring160 Cory Spinks - IBF154 Brian Viloria - IBF108
2nd	Mexico	8	Cristobal Cruz - IBF126 Raul Garcia - IBF105 Juan Manuel Marquez - Ring135;WBA135;WBO135 Edgar Sosa - WBC108 Humberto Soto - WBC130 Israel Vazquez - Ring122
3rd	Puerto Rico	7	Ivan Calderon - WBO108;Ring108 Miguel Cotto - WBO147 Jose Lopez - WBO115 Juan Manuel Lopez - WBO122 Roman Martinez - WBO130 Daniel Santos - WBA154
4th	Ukraine	5	Sergiy Dzinziruk - WBO154 Vitali Klitschko - WBC200+ Wladimir Klitschko - IBF200+;WBO200+ Andreas Kotelnik - WBA140
5th (3 are tied)	Armenia	4	Arthur Abraham - IBF160 Vic Darchinyan - WBA115;WBC115;IBF115
5th (3 are tied)	Japan	4	Takahiro Aoh - WBC126 Hozumi Hasegawa - WBC118 Daisuke Naito - WBC112 Toshiaki Nishioka - WBC122
5th (3 are tied)	Panama	4	Celestino Caballero - WBA122;IBF122 Guillermo Jones - WBA200 Anselmo Moreno - WBA118
8th (2 are tied)	Argentina	3	Hugo Hernan Garay - WBA175 Omar Andres Narvaez - WBO112 Victor Emilio Ramirez - WBO200
8th (2 are tied)	Philippines	3	Nonito Donaire - IBF112 Donnie Nietes - WBO105 Gerry Peñalosa - WBO118
10th (6 are tied)	Hungary	2	Karoly Balzsay - WBO168 Zsolt Erdei - WBO175
10th (6 are tied)	Poland	2	Tomasz Adamek - IBF200;Ring200
10th (6 are tied)	Romania	2	Lucian Bute - IBF168 Adrian Diaconu - WBC175
10th (6 are tied)	Thailand	2	Denkaosan Kaovichit - WBA112 Oleydong Sithsamerchai - WBC105
10th (6 are tied)	UK	2	Carl Froch - WBC168 Ricky Hatton - Ring140
10th (6 are tied)	Venezuela	2	Jorge Linares - WBA130 Edwin Valero - WBC135
16th (10 are tied)	Colombia	1	Juan Urango - IBF140
16th (10 are tied)	Denmark	1	Mikkel Kessler - WBA168
16th (10 are tied)	Germany	1	Felix Sturm - WBA160
16th (10 are tied)	Ghana	1	Joseph Agbeko - IBF118
16th (10 are tied)	Indonesia	1	Chris John - WBA126
16th (10 are tied)	Italy	1	Giacobbe Fragomeni - WBC200
16th (10 are tied)	Nicaragua	1	Roman Gonzalez - WBA105
16th (10 are tied)	Russia	1	Nikolay Valuev - WBA200+(co)
16th (10 are tied)	South Africa	1	Malcolm Klassen - IBF130
16th (10 are tied)	Uzbekistan	1	Ruslan Chagaev - WBA200+(co)

Title Fights Scheduled (Apr. 24-25)

Full slate this weekend as HBO and Showtime (twice) will televise 3 of the 5 title bouts. My DVR will be quite busy Saturday night.

On Apr. 24 in Saint Louis, MO, hometown fighters Cory Spinks [36(11)-5(1)-0] and Deandre Latimore [19(16)-1(1)-0] will vie for the vacant IBF Junior Middleweight title. I don't remember the last time St. Louis hosted a title fight but this indeed is the perfect fight to host. A former undisputed welterweight champ against an up and coming heavy handed potential star. But more importantly, whatever happens, the belt will stay in St. Louis. Spinks is arguably at the tailend of his decent career with losses to Verno Phillips and Jermain Taylor. Some would argue that he was robbed against Taylor. I have Taylor winning on my cards but do admit that it could've gone either way. Spinks, by the way, is the son of Leon and the nephew of Michael. Both former heavyweight titleholders who fought 2 of the best in Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson, respectively. Latimore is fresh from an impressive and surprising knockout win over the formidable Sechew Powell. I believe Latimore is reaching his peak and an impressive win against Spinks will take him to another level in his career. The only problem I have with Latimore is his inactivity. His fight against Powell was 10 months ago. These are not big named fighters but I feel like this is a must see Friday night for hardcore fans. This will be televised by Showtime at 11 pm ET.

On Apr. 25, Krefeld, Germany will be hosting a championship doubleheader. In the main event, Germany's Felix Sturm [31(13)-2(1)-1] will defend his WBA Middleweight title against Koji Sato [14(13)-0(0)-0] of Japan. There was a good possibility that Sturm and Arthur Abraham could've unified their titles this year. But my opinion upon following various reports, Sturm and his handlers are afraid of Abraham. They're making all this excuses of professionalism or lack thereof just to prevent the fight from happening. Sturm is best remembered among American fans in his controversial loss to Oscar Dela Hoya in 2004. If he took the Abraham fight then he wouldn't be fighting a nobody yet dangerous and undefeated Sato. Sato is the best ranked middleweight of Japan but will be fighting outside Japan for the first time since his debut in 2005. I don't expect Sato to give Sturm any problems. I hope Sturm fights Abraham next and the winner gets to the big showdown against Kelly Pavlik before the end of the year for all 4 belts and the Ring title as well.

In the other title fight in Krefeld, Hungary's Karoly Balzsay [20(14)-0(0)-0] will defend his WBO Super Middleweight title against Maselino Masoe [29(27)-5(3)-0] of Samoa (formerly Western Samoa). This will be Balzsay's first defense of the title he took from Denis Inkin last January. Masoe was the WBO Middleweight champ until he was dethroned by Sturm in 2006. Balzsay has an overwhelming age and height advantage but if Masoe clips him, he'll be in trouble. Masoe has knockout power but a suspect chin.

Also on Apr. 25 in Mashantucket, CT at the Foxwoods Resort Casino, UK's Carl Froch [24(19)-0(0)-0] will defend his WBC Super Middleweight title against former undisputed Middleweight champ Jermain Taylor [28(17)-2(1)-1] of the US. If their last title fights are an indication, then this will be a barnburner. Froch's slugfest against Jean Pascal last year to claim this title was clearly a fight of the year candidate. Although it wasn't shown live here in the US, Fox Sports aired it late December. Taylor's title fight against Pavlik was action-packed too although he got stopped in the seventh. He dominated a ruined Jeff Lacy in the eliminator last December to earn this title shot. This is tough to call but I'm inclined to pick the Brit because I see some Pavlik in Froch and we all know what Pavlik did to Taylor in their two bouts. Taylor seem to be favored but that is probably because of the unfamiliarity of oddsmakers to Froch. This will be covered by Showtime at 9 pm ET.

The same night in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, heavy hitting Juan Manuel Lopez [24(22)-0(0)-0] of Puerto Rico will defend his WBO Junior Featherweight title against the WBO Bantamweight champ Gerry Penalosa [54(36)-6(0)-2] of the Philippines. Lopez stopped 6 of his last 7 opponents in under 3 rounds including 4 in the first. This is probably the first time that Lopez will fight a veteran tactician who will not be intimidated unlike most of his recent opponents. Lopez is highly favored to win but will be interesting how he will adjust to a good counter puncher. According to the WBO and various reports, Penalosa will be the bantamweight champ going into this fight to preserve the “Champion vs. Champion” title of the card. But, will be stripped after the bout. This will then elevate interim titleholder Mexico's Fernando Montiel to the full bantamweight title. Therefore, a loss by Penalosa will not only deprive him of Lopez's 122-lb. title but will be stripped as well of his 118-lb. belt. I've mentioned this in previous blog entries except for the recent stripping decision made by the WBO due to Montiel winning the interim title. If Penalosa fought and won against his mandatory first, which is Eric Morel, then he can keep his title even if he loses to Lopez. This will be covered by HBO at 10 pm ET.

My Predictions:
I have the young and hungry Latimore by late stoppage or decision.
Easy fight for Sturm and will stop Sato early.
Balzsay also by early stoppage.
With bated breath, Froch by decision or late KO.
I want Penalosa to win but Lopez is on a mission and wins by decision.

Title Fight Results (Apr. 18-19)

Great night or morning for Filipino fight fans as the Araneta Coliseum, site of arguably the best heavyweight title fight in history, hosted 2 title fights to a contented and boisterous full capacity crowd.

Long-time IBF Junior Flyweight titlist Ulises Solis of Mexico was finally dethroned by US olympian and Hawaii-born Brian Viloria. A wicked right in the 11th knocked Solis out and his seemingly invincible hold of this 108-lb. belt. Solis has been dominating in his previous 8 defenses that losing to Viloria this way seem to be far fetch going in to the fight. Viloria proved me wrong as he showed that he still got what it takes to proudly claim another belt. I've always doubted Viloria's heart specially in the critical stages of a title fight but overcoming the world's second best junior flyweight is highly commendable. By the way, in my opinion, Ivan Calderon is still the top dog in the 108-lb. class. Viloria, I believe in the first half dominated but seemed to slow down in the 7th. I thought, here we go again but lo and behold, Solis dethroned violently. Utmost respect to the Hawaiian Punch and to the crowd that inspired him because of his filipino ancestry. A rematch against WBC champ Edgar Sosa will be huge and Hawaii's got to host it. His Olympics tormentor, the eternal WBA champ in recess, Brahim Asloum will be appealing also to hardcore fans. Boxing Scene; Fight News

In the main event, Nonito Donaire of the Philippines clinically prevailed over Raul Martinez of the US by knocking him down then out 4 times in 4 rounds. Donaire succesfully defended his IBF Flyweight title for the third time after the referee decided, which I agree, that Martinez was simply outmatched regardless of whether he still can continue after the 4th knockdown. Donaire's hybrid left hook/uppercut found its target quite often that Martinez can't seem to take his guard down and throw punches. Donaire's performance definitely keeps the clamor alive for a rematch against his other left hook victim Vic Darchinyan. This will most probably be the last time we see Donaire as a flyweight as 112 lbs. seem to be getting difficult for him to meet. There's not a lot of competent match-ups in the super fly if Darchinyan moves up to bantam and dethrones Joseph Agbeko on July 11. So 118 will be Donaire's very likely destination unless he makes a quick stop at 115 and challenges the highly beatable WBO champ Jose Lopez. This I believe will be the better path for Donaire to a least get noticed for the P4P list. Afterwhich, he moves up to 118 against potentially Darchinyan or eventual WBO 118-lb. champ Fernando Montiel. Unless, Darchinyan gets Montiel first or Bob Arum not allowing 2 of his titleholding stablemates slug it out. There will also be Hozumi Hasegawa who I believe is the best 118 pounder or Anselmo Moreno. A lot of options for the fast rising Donaire. Boxing Scene; Fight News

Earlier, in South Africa, the 3 best South African 130 pounders completes the full circle as Malcolm Klassen dethrones Cassius Baloyi to take his IBF Junior Lightweight title via stoppage in the seventh. On April 2007 Klassen lost the same title to Mzonke Fana. Then Fana lost the title to Baloyi on April 2008. This time, April 2009, Klassen regains the title from Baloyi. Not a bad coincidence for trivia buffs. I did not see the fight but I hope somebody puts it up in youtube since reports indicated that it was an entertaining fight. Well that's probably asking too much after I got my boxing fix quite satisfyingly from the Donaire card. Boxing Scene; Fight News

Prediction Results:
Good to see Viloria getting his heart back and proved me wrong.
Donaire was the easiest to predict so I, at least, got this right.
I was actually hoping for a Klassen win to complete the full circle but I thought Baloyi's length will prevail.

So with my first prediction setbacks in tow, my record is now 19-2 and a draw.
Tally changes as the US is pulling away once again from Mexico and the rest of the world.

As of Apr. 19, 2009

Rank	Country	No. of Titles	Title Holders
1st	USA	11	Andre Berto - WBC147 Timothy Bradley - WBC140;WBO140 Chad Dawson - IBF175 Vernon Forrest - WBC154 Steven Luevano - WBO126 Shane Mosley - WBA147 Kelly Pavlik - WBC160;WBO160;Ring160 Brian Viloria - IBF108
2nd	Mexico	8	Cristobal Cruz - IBF126 Raul Garcia - IBF105 Juan Manuel Marquez - Ring135;WBA135;WBO135 Edgar Sosa - WBC108 Humberto Soto - WBC130 Israel Vazquez - Ring122
3rd	Puerto Rico	7	Ivan Calderon - WBO108;Ring108 Miguel Cotto - WBO147 Jose Lopez - WBO115 Juan Manuel Lopez - WBO122 Roman Martinez - WBO130 Daniel Santos - WBA154
4th	Ukraine	5	Sergiy Dzinziruk - WBO154 Vitali Klitschko - WBC200+ Wladimir Klitschko - IBF200+;WBO200+ Andreas Kotelnik - WBA140
5th (3 are tied)	Armenia	4	Arthur Abraham - IBF160 Vic Darchinyan - WBA115;WBC115;IBF115
5th (3 are tied)	Japan	4	Takahiro Aoh - WBC126 Hozumi Hasegawa - WBC118 Daisuke Naito - WBC112 Toshiaki Nishioka - WBC122
5th (3 are tied)	Panama	4	Celestino Caballero - WBA122;IBF122 Guillermo Jones - WBA200 Anselmo Moreno - WBA118
8th (2 are tied)	Argentina	3	Hugo Hernan Garay - WBA175 Omar Andres Narvaez - WBO112 Victor Emilio Ramirez - WBO200
8th (2 are tied)	Philippines	3	Nonito Donaire - IBF112 Donnie Nietes - WBO105 Gerry Peñalosa - WBO118
10th (6 are tied)	Hungary	2	Karoly Balzsay - WBO168 Zsolt Erdei - WBO175
10th (6 are tied)	Poland	2	Tomasz Adamek - IBF200;Ring200
10th (6 are tied)	Romania	2	Lucian Bute - IBF168 Adrian Diaconu - WBC175
10th (6 are tied)	Thailand	2	Denkaosan Kaovichit - WBA112 Oleydong Sithsamerchai - WBC105
10th (6 are tied)	UK	2	Carl Froch - WBC168 Ricky Hatton - Ring140
10th (6 are tied)	Venezuela	2	Jorge Linares - WBA130 Edwin Valero - WBC135
16th (10 are tied)	Colombia	1	Juan Urango - IBF140
16th (10 are tied)	Denmark	1	Mikkel Kessler - WBA168
16th (10 are tied)	Germany	1	Felix Sturm - WBA160
16th (10 are tied)	Ghana	1	Joseph Agbeko - IBF118
16th (10 are tied)	Indonesia	1	Chris John - WBA126
16th (10 are tied)	Italy	1	Giacobbe Fragomeni - WBC200
16th (10 are tied)	Nicaragua	1	Roman Gonzalez - WBA105
16th (10 are tied)	Russia	1	Nikolay Valuev - WBA200+(co)
16th (10 are tied)	South Africa	1	Malcolm Klassen - IBF130
16th (10 are tied)	Uzbekistan	1	Ruslan Chagaev - WBA200+(co)

Title Relinquished - IBF Welterweight

According to multiple reports, Joshua Clottey of Ghana has officially relinquished his IBF Welterweight (147 lbs.) title. His planned unification bout against Miguel Cotto on June 13 at the Madison Square Garden in New York will now be for the WBO title only.

Clottey never intended to relinquish his title as he signed the contract before the deadline imposed by the IBF to make it a unification bout. Unfortunately, Cotto did not sign the contract on time. Despite an appeal by Clottey to the IBF to reconsider since it was not his fault that the deadline was not met, the IBF still stripped him of his title. There was pressure also from the handlers of mandatory challenger Isaac Hlatshwayo of South Africa which gave the IBF no choice. Hlatshwayo will most probably fight Rafal Jackiewicz of Poland for the now vacant title.

Cotto probably wasn't aware that his delay cost them the IBF belt. But, if Cotto was fully aware then he probably did not want the IBF title in the first place. The IBF will mandate him to defend against Hlatshwayo if he defeats Clottey. Obviously, Hlatshwayo is not financially appealing to Cotto. Who cares about a fight against Hlatshwayo if there's Manny Pacquiao, Shane Mosley or Floyd Mayweather Jr. among the possibilities?

Anyway, with Ghana losing one title, they're down to 1. Here's the updated list.

As of Apr. 17, 2009

Rank	Country	No. of Titles	Title Holders
1st	USA	10	Andre Berto - WBC147 Timothy Bradley - WBC140;WBO140 Chad Dawson - IBF175 Vernon Forrest - WBC154 Steven Luevano - WBO126 Shane Mosley - WBA147 Kelly Pavlik - WBC160;WBO160;Ring160
2nd	Mexico	9	Cristobal Cruz - IBF126 Raul Garcia - IBF105 Juan Manuel Marquez - Ring135;WBA135;WBO135 Ulises Solis - IBF108 Edgar Sosa - WBC108 Humberto Soto - WBC130 Israel Vazquez - Ring122
3rd	Puerto Rico	7	Ivan Calderon - WBO108;Ring108 Miguel Cotto - WBO147 Jose Lopez - WBO115 Juan Manuel Lopez - WBO122 Roman Martinez - WBO130 Daniel Santos - WBA154
4th	Ukraine	5	Sergiy Dzinziruk - WBO154 Vitali Klitschko - WBC200+ Wladimir Klitschko - IBF200+;WBO200+ Andreas Kotelnik - WBA140
5th (3 are tied)	Armenia	4	Arthur Abraham - IBF160 Vic Darchinyan - WBA115;WBC115;IBF115
5th (3 are tied)	Japan	4	Takahiro Aoh - WBC126 Hozumi Hasegawa - WBC118 Daisuke Naito - WBC112 Toshiaki Nishioka - WBC122
5th (3 are tied)	Panama	4	Celestino Caballero - WBA122;IBF122 Guillermo Jones - WBA200 Anselmo Moreno - WBA118
8th (2 are tied)	Argentina	3	Hugo Hernan Garay - WBA175 Omar Andres Narvaez - WBO112 Victor Emilio Ramirez - WBO200
8th (2 are tied)	Philippines	3	Nonito Donaire - IBF112 Donnie Nietes - WBO105 Gerry Peñalosa - WBO118
10th (6 are tied)	Hungary	2	Karoly Balzsay - WBO168 Zsolt Erdei - WBO175
10th (6 are tied)	Poland	2	Tomasz Adamek - IBF200;Ring200
10th (6 are tied)	Romania	2	Lucian Bute - IBF168 Adrian Diaconu - WBC175
10th (6 are tied)	Thailand	2	Denkaosan Kaovichit - WBA112 Oleydong Sithsamerchai - WBC105
10th (6 are tied)	UK	2	Carl Froch - WBC168 Ricky Hatton - Ring140
10th (6 are tied)	Venezuela	2	Jorge Linares - WBA130 Edwin Valero - WBC135
16th (10 are tied)	Colombia	1	Juan Urango - IBF140
16th (10 are tied)	Denmark	1	Mikkel Kessler - WBA168
16th (10 are tied)	Germany	1	Felix Sturm - WBA160
16th (10 are tied)	Ghana	1	Joseph Agbeko - IBF118
16th (10 are tied)	Indonesia	1	Chris John - WBA126
16th (10 are tied)	Italy	1	Giacobbe Fragomeni - WBC200
16th (10 are tied)	Nicaragua	1	Roman Gonzalez - WBA105
16th (10 are tied)	Russia	1	Nikolay Valuev - WBA200+(co)
16th (10 are tied)	South Africa	1	Cassius Baloyi - IBF130
16th (10 are tied)	Uzbekistan	1	Ruslan Chagaev - WBA200+(co)

Title Fights Scheduled (Apr. 18-19)

On Apr. 18 in Mafikeng, South Africa, IBF Junior Lightweight titleholder South Africa's Cassius Baloyi [36(19)-3(0)-1] will defend his belt against compatriot Malcolm Klassen [23(14)-4(0)-2]. This will complete the round-robin among, presently, the 3 best ranked South Africans and the last 3 titleholders in the IBF 130-lb. division - Baloyi, Klassen and Mzonke Fana. Klassen once held the same title until he was dethroned by Fana on April 2007. Then Baloyi took Fana's title exactly 12 months later. This time, it's Baloyi defending against Klassen after 2 years to the month since this round-robin started. This does not make any headlines to the rest of the world but is obviously huge in South Africa. This is a tough fight to call but Baloyi's huge height and reach advantage is difficult to ignore.

On Apr. 19 (Apr 18 ET) in Quezon City, Philippines in the historic Araneta Coliseum, IBF Flyweight titleholder Nonito Donaire [20(13)-1(0)-0] of the Philippines will defend his title against the dangerous and undefeated Raul Martinez [24(14)-0(0)-0] of the US. Donaire wasn't impressive in his last win against Moruti Mthalane compared to his previous fights while Martinez knocked his opponent out in the first in his last fight. Martinez's list of opponents though does not really impress anyone, to say the least. Donaire, with the homecrowd behind him will be too much for Martinez and will make it a point to make up for the unremarkable performance against Mthalane. Besides, he needs to keep winning to earn a title shot in the higher weight classes against possibly a rematch with his KO of the year victim Vic Darchinyan.

On the same card, Mexico's Ulises Solis [28(20)-1(0)-2] will defend his IBF Junior Flyweight title against Brian Viloria [24(14)-2(0)-0] of the US. This will be Solis' 9th defense of an impressive title run. Viloria will be banking on the homecrowd because of his filipino lineage. It will be tough to figure which Viloria will show up in this fight. He's back in his groove in the last few fights but they were against insignificant opponents. The last 2 fights that mattered which was a couple of years ago were both losses against Omar Nino Romero (not counting the no contest) and current WBC 108-lb. champ Edgar Sosa. Viloria, in my opinion, showed no heart in those fights where he had every opportunity to win yet was so dismal considering how meaningful those fights were. Solis meanwhile is at the peak of his game with remarkable wins one after another including 3 straight against formidable filipino challengers - Rodel Mayol, Bert Batawang and Nonito's older sibling Glenn Donaire. This card will be covered by Top Rank PPV Saturday night in the US at 9 pm (ET) for what I believe an affordable $24.99. Not bad for hardcore fans.

My Prediction:
Baloyi by late stoppage or decision.
Donaire will successfully defend his title by mid-fight stoppage.
Solis will continue on with his impressive run and stop Viloria late.

Title Fight Result (Apr. 11)

A bloody end to what became, I believe, an entertaining fight to hardcore boxing fans. The timing was also perfect with the Paul Williams-Winky Wright fight in HBO wrapped up, there were a few minutes before the main event started in Azteca America. It was way too late here in the east coast but a hardcore fan like me needs to stay up for that. So, the thrice rescheduled IBF Mini Flyweight title fight finally happened in La Paz. Mexico's Raul Garcia successfully retained his title by TKO in the 6th over Ronald Barrera of Colombia. The fight started slow in the first with Garcia contented on circling around Barrera while throwing jabs from afar. Action picked up in the second with exchanges increasing as the fight progress. In the fifth, Barrera was cut above the right eye. I did not notice how he got the cut nor were there replays to show it. It might have been due to the accumulation of punches his been taking to that spot. The announcers might have mentioned it but my comprehension of spanish wasn't exactly fluent. Anyway, Barrera's face was a bloody mess so is Garcia's gloves. The sixth was halted with the ringside physician checking the cut out. As the action resumed, Garcia went after the cut like there's no tomorrow. Barrera was obviously bothered by the blood that continuously affected his sight. The referee finally stopped it to prevent further damage. Garcia is definitely one of the better 105-pounders and it would be nice to see a unification bout against other titleholders in this less regarded division. A rematch with Florante Condes would be a good option for him too. Unfortunately, Condes' handlers can't seem to find a way to get him back in the ring for meaningful fights. Boxing Scene; Fight News

Prediction Results:
A better Garcia showed up compared to the first fight with Barrera and the mid-fight stoppage proved that.

Another notch to my score which is now 18-0 and a draw.
There are no changes in the tally with the titleholder successfully retaining.

Title Fight Scheduled (Apr. 11)

On Apr. 11 in La Paz, Mexico, the thrice scheduled IBF Mini Flyweight title fight between titleholder Raul Garcia [25(15)-0(0)-1] of Mexico and Ronald Barrera [26(16)-5(0)-1] of Colombia will, hopefully, finally take place. As I've posted in my previous entries, this is a rematch from a title eliminator early last year where Garcia won easily by decision. That eliminator gave Garcia the shot to dethrone Florante Condes whose belt now he defends. It looks like Azteca America will still be covering starting at 11 pm ET.

My Prediction:
Garcia will win again by decision or late TKO.

Title Fight Results (Apr. 4)

Timothy Bradley survived 2 knockdowns in the first and the last round and won by unanimous decision over Kendall Holt. Bradley is now the unified 140-lb. titleholder by keeping his WBC Super Lightweight and dethroning Holt from his WBO Junior Welterweight belt. Bradley's consistent pitbull-like attack took Holt out of his gameplan. By the middle rounds, the body shots obviously took its toll on Holt and was throwing lesser jabs. Bradley's in tremendous shape which allowed him to withstand the knockdowns specially the one in the first that if it was any other boxer, the fight would've been over. Bradley is mandated by the WBC to defend his titles in his next fight against the #1 contender as part of his arrangement in postponing his mandatory for this unification bout. The very likely challenger will be Devon Alexander. Besides, with titleholders and marquee names in the division busy the next 3 months Bradley has no choice but to defend against his mandatory. ESPN; Boxing Scene; Fight News

Venezuela's Edwin Valero wins his second division title by stopping Colombia's Antonio Pitalua in the usual Valero manner. A TKO in the 2nd gives Valero his 25th win in as many knockouts. Valero is the new WBC Lightweight titleholder. With the way the first round was going, I felt like Pitalua will survive a few rounds than I expected. In the start of the second, the Valero we're accustomed to came out and a short right shocked Pitalua. Pitalua was obviously wobbly getting up. Valero smelled blood and the onslaught continued with Pitalua going down and barely standing up for the second time. Another Valero blitz then the referee finally stopped the fight with Pitalua obviously no chance of finishing the round vertical. A unification fight against Juan Manuel Marquez will be a fight fan's wish unless Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaeffer gets what he wants (see ESPN article below). Anyway, it's still a possibility depending on how things shape up with the Pacquiao-Hatton fight and the Mayweather comeback. If all 3 snobs Marquez then Valero and the fight fans might get their wish. ESPN; Boxing Scene; Fight News

Edgar Sosa of Mexico easily outclassed Thailand's Pornsawan Porpramook and successfully defended his WBC Light Flyweight title via TKO in the 4th. This is Sosa's 8th defense of what was a vacant title he won against Brian Viloria. I did not see the fight so I don't have any opinion but based on reports it was practically a walk in the park for Sosa. Boxing Scene; Fight News

For the third time, Raul Garcia's defense of his IBF Mini Flyweight title against Ronald Barrera is rescheduled again to Apr. 11. I already have my DVR set up early in the week because of the simultaneous title fights last night. In fact, it was listed on Azteca America in the guide clearly indicating that it is the Garcia-Barrera fight. Well, the reason according to FightNews.com was television commitments. Anyway, hopefully Azteca America still carries it next week since there are no other title fights scheduled for that weekend.

Prediction Results:
Bradley indeed won by decision.
Valero indeed won his second division title by stoppage.
Sosa indeed stopped the Thai early.

That's 3 more to my running score of 17-0 and a draw. The streak is still on.
Tally changes shows Bradley with 2 titles and Venezuela climbing up to 10th tied with 6 others.

As of Apr. 5, 2009

Rank	Country	No. of Titles	Title Holders
1st	USA	10	Andre Berto - WBC147 Timothy Bradley - WBC140;WBO140 Chad Dawson - IBF175 Vernon Forrest - WBC154 Steven Luevano - WBO126 Shane Mosley - WBA147 Kelly Pavlik - WBC160;WBO160;Ring160
2nd	Mexico	9	Cristobal Cruz - IBF126 Raul Garcia - IBF105 Juan Manuel Marquez - Ring135;WBA135;WBO135 Ulises Solis - IBF108 Edgar Sosa - WBC108 Humberto Soto - WBC130 Israel Vazquez - Ring122
3rd	Puerto Rico	7	Ivan Calderon - WBO108;Ring108 Miguel Cotto - WBO147 Jose Lopez - WBO115 Juan Manuel Lopez - WBO122 Roman Martinez - WBO130 Daniel Santos - WBA154
4th	Ukraine	5	Sergiy Dzinziruk - WBO154 Vitali Klitschko - WBC200+ Wladimir Klitschko - IBF200+;WBO200+ Andreas Kotelnik - WBA140
5th (3 are tied)	Armenia	4	Arthur Abraham - IBF160 Vic Darchinyan - WBA115;WBC115;IBF115
5th (3 are tied)	Japan	4	Takahiro Aoh - WBC126 Hozumi Hasegawa - WBC118 Daisuke Naito - WBC112 Toshiaki Nishioka - WBC122
5th (3 are tied)	Panama	4	Celestino Caballero - WBA122;IBF122 Guillermo Jones - WBA200 Anselmo Moreno - WBA118
8th (2 are tied)	Argentina	3	Hugo Hernan Garay - WBA175 Omar Andres Narvaez - WBO112 Victor Emilio Ramirez - WBO200
8th (2 are tied)	Philippines	3	Nonito Donaire - IBF112 Donnie Nietes - WBO105 Gerry Peñalosa - WBO118
10th (7 are tied)	Ghana	2	Joseph Agbeko - IBF118 Joshua Clottey - IBF147
10th (7 are tied)	Hungary	2	Karoly Balzsay - WBO168 Zsolt Erdei - WBO175
10th (7 are tied)	Poland	2	Tomasz Adamek - IBF200;Ring200
10th (7 are tied)	Romania	2	Lucian Bute - IBF168 Adrian Diaconu - WBC175
10th (7 are tied)	Thailand	2	Denkaosan Kaovichit - WBA112 Oleydong Sithsamerchai - WBC105
10th (7 are tied)	UK	2	Carl Froch - WBC168 Ricky Hatton - Ring140
10th (7 are tied)	Venezuela	2	Jorge Linares - WBA130 Edwin Valero - WBC135
17th (9 are tied)	Colombia	1	Juan Urango - IBF140
17th (9 are tied)	Denmark	1	Mikkel Kessler - WBA168
17th (9 are tied)	Germany	1	Felix Sturm - WBA160
17th (9 are tied)	Indonesia	1	Chris John - WBA126
17th (9 are tied)	Italy	1	Giacobbe Fragomeni - WBC200
17th (9 are tied)	Nicaragua	1	Roman Gonzalez - WBA105
17th (9 are tied)	Russia	1	Nikolay Valuev - WBA200+(co)
17th (9 are tied)	South Africa	1	Cassius Baloyi - IBF130
17th (9 are tied)	Uzbekistan	1	Ruslan Chagaev - WBA200+(co)

Title Fights Scheduled (Apr. 4)

There are 4 title fights this weekend with 3 televised at least in the east coast.

On Apr. 4 in Montreal, Canada, 140-lb. titleholders Timothy Bradley [23(11)-0(0)-0] and Kendall Holt [25(13)-2(2)-0] will clash to unify the WBC Super Lightweight and WBO Junior Welterweight titles. If there's a battle of east and west on May 2, this is the battle of east coast vs. west coast. California native Bradley against my fellow Jerseyan Holt. I saw both of their last few fights and Holt has the advantage in both reach and height but I feel like that will not matter against Bradley who pack more wallop although his KO record does not really say so. I think Bradley's style is suited against Holt who I believe was lucky against Ricardo Torres in that one-round classic last July. I'm sure everyone who saw that fight can figure that if not for that quick accidental headbutt, he couldn't have knocked the daylights out of Torres. The fight will be covered by Showtime at 10:45 ET.

Same night in Austin, TX, Venezuela's Edwin Valero [24(24)-0(0)-0] will once again fight in US soil after over 4 years to take on Antonio Pitalua [46(40)-3(1)-0] of Colombia for the Pacquiao-vacated WBC Lightweight title. This will probably only be the second time that Valero will meet a decent live underdog since Vicente Mosquera. Pitalua is a heavy-handed veteran whose last fight was a stoppage win against Jose Armando Santa Cruz who I thought should've won against Joel Casamayor a couple of years ago. The will be a good re-debut for Valero in the US to show his unbelievable power. Valero's fights in Japan though showed that he's still raw and his defense is suspect but it's been reported that that's where he concentrated on going into this title fight. We'll soon find out if Valero is indeed the real deal specially in the bigger stage with HBO PPV covering.

In Ciudad Victoria, Mexico, WBC Light Flyweight champ Edgar Sosa [34(18)-5(1)-0] of Mexico will defend his title for the 8th time against Thailand's Pornsawan Kratingdaenggym [21(16)-2(0)-0] also known as Pornsawan Porpramook. This will be Kratingdaenggym third attempt to win a world title. Lost to Donnie Nietes for the vacant WBO Mini Flyweight title and to Oleydong Sithsamerchai for the fellow Thai's WBC Strawweight title. No TV coverage in the US as far as I know even in the spanish channels. I don't think I'll miss much with Sosa having fought better challengers before, this may be a walk in the park for him.

As for the fourth title fight this weekend, hopefully this will really be it. The twice rescheduled IBF Mini Flyweight title defense of Mexico's Raul Garcia [25(15)-0(0)-1] did not only move from Mar. 21 to Apr. 11 and finally to Apr. 4 but from Guadalajara to La Paz. Garcia will be challenged by Ronald Barrera [26(16)-5(0)-1] of Colombia. This is a rematch from a title eliminator early last year which Garcia won easily by decision. That eliminator gave Garcia the shot to dethrone Florante Condes whose belt now he defends. The good thing about the date change is at least now there's TV coverage by Azteca America. If you understand spanish or you don't mind then the spanish broadcasted network will be fine.

My Prediction:
Bradley unifies the titles by decision.
Valero wins his second division world title by, of course, stoppage.
Sosa will take care of his 8th defense early.
Garcia will win again by decision or late TKO.