The Welters...

By Luis "The Beast" Cadiz
Photos By Bret "The Threat" Newton

 
The New Year is upon us, literally only a few days away. 2007 was the year that boxing regained the luster it once had, by making matches the boxing public wanted to see. Mixed Martial Arts, M.M.A. for short, was being touted as the replacement for boxing, the supposed ailing sport that was getting long in the tooth and had a problem finding a younger audience and keeping the faithful fans it already has. Well M.M.A. can stay put because boxing has regained its rightful throne. One of the hottest divisions this year was the welterweights with Mayweather Jr. vs. Hatton, Cotto vs. Judah and Mosley, Paul Williams vs. Margarito and Kermit Cintron vs. Walter Matthysse. 2008 can be better than the year that is about to pass, especially in the welterweights, but a series of events have to occur in order for the welters to dominate the boxing scene.

Floyd Mayweather Jr:


The supposed best fighter "pound for pound" on the planet. In his last fight, against Ricky "The Hit man" Hatton, he stated at the end of the bout that he, "...had nothing left to prove..." First of all, how can you call yourself "pound for pound the best boxer on the planet" if you choose your competition. If you take a look at "The Pretty Boy's" resume at the welters, he has only fought one legitimate welterweight in Carlos Baldomir. The others, Sharmba Mitchell, Zab Judah and Ricky Hatton, especially the 5 foot 6 inch Brit, were all blown up jr. welters. I didn't mention Oscar DelaHoya because that fight took place at 154 pounds, although Mayweather didn't make that weight because he came in at 150 pounds. He didn't unify with any of the other champions and he's called the best welterweight. He's in one of the hottest weight classes and decides to call up a jr. welter, Hatton, to prove he's the best. I see a scared little man in a land of giants. Until he gets into the ring with the big boys, Paul Williams, Kermit Cintron and Miguel Cotto, the only big thing about Mayweather Jr. will be his ego. If I had my way in 2008, Mayweather Jr. steps it up and gets into the ring to prove who's the best welterweight against the other champs and earn the "pound for pound" title.

Miguel Cotto:
Photo By Ray Bailey


2007 was a very good year for the Puerto Rican star. Contrary to Mayweather Jr., Cotto has fought legitimate welters in Carlos Quintana and Shane Mosley, although Mosley began his career at 135 pounds he did win the welterweight title and defended it 3 times before losing it to Vernon Forrest. Cotto did take the Mayweather route in facing two former jr. welters in Oktay Urkal and Zab Judah. He has looked more dominating against stiffer competition and this has earned the Caguas native a place in the "pound for pound" list. Things have changed though in the Cotto camp. When the media interviewed Cotto in the past, he would give the same generic answer, "... Miguel Cotto will fight the person that his promotional company places in front of him..." always referring to himself in third person. Now Cotto says, these are his own words, that he will fight anyone in the welters, leaving out his promotional company, being Top Rank, in the sentence. Guess what Miguel, you are not the only welterweight champ on the island now because Paul "The Punisher" Williams has moved in to Guaynabo City. If I had my way in 2008, Miguel Cotto and Paul Williams unify their titles in the Coliseum of Puerto Rico. The fans would pack the place as they would also turn the event into a turf war, Caguas vs. Guaynabo. The island is big enough for only one true welterweight champ.

Paul Williams:


Here we have a true welterweight champion. 2007 had him taking on the man no one wanted to get into the ring with, Antonio Margarito. On July 14th, he dominated Margarito over 12 rounds and has now become the most feared welter on the planet. Paul towers over two of the champs, Williams' 6 foot 1 inch frame against the smaller Mayweather, 5'8", and Cotto, 5'7". The reach difference is also outrageous, Mayweather has a 72 inch reach, Cotto a 67 inch reach versus an outstanding 82 inch reach for Paul. The work rate for Paul is also incredible, he threw 1,258 punches against Margarito. These elements, combined with heart and will, not only earned Paul the WBO welterweight title but it also scared the other champs as well. Mayweather will have nothing to do with Williams, so the "Punisher" basically retired "The Pretty Boy" without throwing a punch. Cotto was supposed to unify with Margarito this past November, but Paul's upset victory over the former Mexican champ prompted Top Rank to find another opponent for Cotto, enter "Sugar" Shane Mosley.  Paul almost had his unification bout in 2008 against Kermit Cintron, the IBF titleholder, but Kermit hurt his hand against the rugged and very durable Jesse Feliciano. If I had my way in 2008, Paul Williams gets the unification bout he so rightfully deserves and proves that he's the true, undisputed welterweight champion of the world.

Kermit Cintron:


On July 14th, Kermit demolished Walter Matthysse in under two rounds. That night he impressed everyone, Boxing fans, HBO commentators, his trainer Emmanuel Steward, everyone. This past November 23rd, he had his hands full with Jesse Feliciano and people began to question what had happened to Kermit in that particular performance. "The Killer" Cintron claimed that he had hurt his hand during the first round and that affected his performance. I have to give Jesse Feliciano credit, he took Kermit's best shots and pressured "The Killer" into looking bad that night. It was a TKO loss for Feliciano, but he didn't touch the canvas once under the onslaught of Kermit's bombs. That night I saw that Emmanuel Steward had made changes in Kermit's boxing skills for the better, but Steward hasn't been able to get to Cintron's heart. Kermit's first loss, against Margarito, came about because the former Mexican champ pressured him constantly until the 5th round, when Kermit finally succumbs in TKO fashion. This would make you think what would have happened to "The Killer" Cintron in his blown unification bout against "The Punisher" Williams. Now Kermit says that he wants to fight Margarito again, proving that what happened in the first fight was just a fluke. If I had my way in 2008, Kermit would get the best orthopedic surgeon around to correct the IBF champ's troubled hand. Once that problem is taken care of, he would continue, as originally planned, with his unification bout with Paul Williams first, leaving Margarito for later on.

In a time when all the top boxers are looking to be crowned the best "pound for pound" fighter in the world, I would just prefer some honesty. The best only face the best, in their respective weight class. If Mayweather decides to leave his pseudo retirement again, he may decide to challenge Manny Pacquiao this time around. While many of you who read this may have chuckled at the thought, some promoter has probably concocted some way of making this, or something like this, a reality. I'm making a new category, along with "pound for pound" fighter, we now have "buck for buck" fighter. Any fighter that chooses his competition and prefers to face unrealistic challenges for money is a "buck for buck" fighter. All those that welcome any and all challengers, no matter what the stakes are, that's a "pound for pound" fighter. May 2008 bring us more "pound for pound" fighters giving us the bouts we are dreaming of, especially
in the welterweights.

Happy New Year to all Pound4Pound readers...

God Bless Everyone

Luis M. Cadiz Sr.


 Questions or Comments? Please email Luis "The Beast" Cadiz