A Slow Month for Boxing Fans!

With half of 2013 already gone, boxing fans have had little to talk about the last couple weeks and while the action this past weekend was entertaining, July, to say the least has been a little slow. That should all change with the lineup this weekend down in San Antonio, Texas.

However, while the fights this weekend will finally put life back into the boxing world heading into August, here is a list of 5 fights from the first half of 2013 that are worth a second or third watch.

Austin Trout vs Canelo Alvarez- This fight had no fight of the year attached to it or any memorable moments, it did however, showcase Canelo and what may be things to come this September. Originally, the plan was to showcase Canelo on the May 4th Mayweather-Guerrero undercard, however, without a guarantee that Canelo would get a shot at Mayweather directly after, Canelo and his team chose to headline their own card.

While many felt that no matter what Trout would do come fight night he was already the loser as many believe that the Texas commission is far from being a fair commission when it comes to certain fighters and promotional companies.Canelo proved to be the better fighter.

However, while Canelo showed some signs of improved defense there was little els improvement. Add that many felt Canelo did enough to pull out a win, a few including our very own Mike Maestas felt Trout outworked Canelo to a clear cut win. In the end, the judges gave the nod to Canelo and with the win, he also got his wish.

September 14th, 2013 Canelo will face p4p king Floyd Mayweather.

Which is why this fight deserves a second look. The Trout fight should be enough reason to show boxing fans…

Canelo is not ready for Mayweather.

Mike Alvarado vs Brandon Rios- Immediate rematch fights are almost always never as good as the first fight but few fighters bring the kill or be killed mentality the both Alvarado and Rios bring into the ring. The rematch proved to be just as good as the first as both men once again traded punch for punch for 12 entertaining rounds. However while the first one had a dramatic stoppage, the rematch went the distance with this time around Alvarado handing Rios his first loss and he handed Alvarado his first loss in the first fight. While fight fans are hoping for a rubber match both men also earned bigger names and bigger fight purses. Rios will face one time p4p fighter Manny Pacquiao and Alvarado is going to defend his title in his backyard of Denver, Colorado against Ruslan Provodnikov.

Amir Khan vs Julio Diaz- Khan reminds me of Fernando Vargas. A young and hungry fighter that was willing to fight anyone they put in front of him, however while Vargas initially showed he had heart and a decent chin, Khan has no chin. After being exploited but Breidis Prescott in 2008, Khan reworked his defense and strategy under the guidance of hall of fame trainer Freddie Roach. However after a questionable loss of Lamont Peterson and a stunning KO loss to Danny Garcia. Khan chose to hire a new trainer. This time around he picked Virgil Hunter, Andre Wards head trainer and while the relationship is still pretty new, Khan’s still is still pretty soft. While Khan is aware and good at usually good at covering his weak chin, Khan has proved he his on the down side of his career. Khan getting dropped and struggling more than many expected against Diaz proved that unless he learns to fight like a Klitschko, his career may not be around in 2 years.

Any fight that involves Gennady Golovkin and or Lucas Matthysse.

Quite possibly the two best fighters in their respective weight classes right now, Golovkin and Matthysse are on a mission. Destroy their opponents in a little time as possible. Matthysse may be the less of complete fighter between the two, but since his last loss 2 years ago, Matthysse has reeled off 6 straight wins. Add the fact that he is getting better with every win and Matthysse is proving to be the most dangerous man in the 140lb division. Golovkin like Matthysse is a one man wrecking crew and with a ridiculous 89% knockout ratio, triple G is quickly becoming a household name.

Timothy Bradley vs Ruslan Provodnikov- Bradley had become a silent figure after his questionable win over Manny Pacquiao and while many believe that he did not beat Pacquiao, Bradley took it upon himself to shut any and all critics up with a thrilling performance against the tough Russian, Provodnikov. Ruslan would hurt Bradley early in the fight and with the fight going back and forth with hard shot landing for both men, Ruslan would almost pull the upset victory as he dropped Bradley in the 12th round. However, in the end Bradley would remain the champion with a hard earned unanimous decision. The fight simply had everything you want from a fight of the year candidate, drama, action, knockdowns and most of all both men leaving it all in the ring for the boxing fans sick twisted enjoyment.

The first half of 2013 was pretty entertaining, yet this July things have cooled off a bit with major fights. The Mickey Bey-John Molina Friday night fight was entertaining and if these 5 fights from the first half of 2013 are not worth the replay, here are some July fights from previous years also worth watching again.

Paul Williams vs Antonio Margarito (7-14-2007) This fight should remind anyone how good and active Williams was. A fighter with a punch rate of 100 thrown per round, Williams embodied hard work.

Bernard Hopkins vs Jermain Taylor (7-16-2005) Hopkins was going for his 21st title defense at middleweight when he lost to the new kid at the time Jermain Taylor.Taylor would win by decision ending Hopkins incredible win streak at 20. At the time Hopkins was 40 years old and many thought he may call it a career after the loss but yet here he is, 8 years later, breaking down barriers and proving at the ripe old age of 48 he is still one of the best.

Miguel Cotto vs Antonio Margarito- (7-26-2008) This is a fight that is tough to watch; yet watching is sort of like a car accident, you know you should’t but it’s too hard to look away. Cotto was in control of the fight early on, then slowly but surely Margarito was coming on, walking through Cotto’s punches with a uncomfortable ease. As the fight goes on, Miguel’s face shows the punishment that at the time was believed to be from the heavy hands of Margarito may have actually been because of a little extra in the glove. This fight can make any fight fan angry and if Margarito actually cheated and used paris of plaster in his wraps, karma will be none too kind.

Emanuel Augustus vs Mickey Ward (7-13-2001) Before Ward vs Gatti, Ward was still trying to make his way onto a majr network television when in 2001 Ward and Augustus put on what many would come to expect from Ward. All action type of fights. I remember watching this fight at home by myself giving it a standing living room ovation. It was the Ring magazine 2001 fight of the year. That’s all you need to know about the fight.