To my knowledge, Mark is known to have watched 4 fights. Trinidad-DeLaHoya, where he chipped in $0 out of the $40 pay-per-view charge and felt justified, Lennox Lewis-Holyfield 2, Lewis-Michael Grant and a random Paul Spadafora lightweight title fight.
From this extensive background, Mark began the Knuckle Sandwich team with the consensus #1 fighter in the sport, Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao has an impressive collection of victories: 2 over Marco Antonio Barrera, 2 over Erik Morales, a decision win over Oscar Larios, a decision over Juan Manuel Marquez and a brutal knockout of David Diaz for the Lightweight Title. Still in his 20s, Pacquiao has the best chance of any fighter in the sport at establishing himself as a true all-time great. For his next fight, Pac may decide to tangle with Oscar De La Hoya, a move which will generate great intrigue and great criticism. Pacquiao's short stature and low weight background (former FLYWEIGHT champion) make him a strange opponent for the taller De La Hoya, who once fought Bernard Hopkins at middleweight. Pacquiao will have his work cut out for him, trying to hurt De La Hoya and not be hurt by him in a fight at 147 lbs. In my opinion, Pacquiao's true fighting weight is 130. So, while Pacquiao might be the best fighter in boxing, his fight with De La Hoya at welterweight is actually one he could easily lose.
In the 2nd round, the Knuckle Sandwich picked Miguel Cotto, a skilled fighter who is fresh off of his first career loss. Cotto has all of the tools, but appeared to run out of gas as he was chopped down by Antonio Margarito. Margarito would likely defeat Cotto in a rematch. Cotto is a great fighter, but not the strongest welterweight. Rumors have surfaced that he may fight Andre Berto and that might be his best bet, as Berto is probably less skilled and is definitely less seasonsed. Cotto will likely regain some form of a championship, but his skyrocketing career has slowed down with the loss to Margarito and the retirement of Mayweather.
In the 3rd round, Knuckle Sandwich picked Israel Vazquez, the highly respected WBC Super Bantamweight champion. Vazquez's last fight was an amazing triumph over Rafael Marquez in one of the best fights I've ever seen. Vazquez is a warrior, which means he gets hit a lot. For his sake, I hope he fights some easier opponents before engaging the equally-brave Marquez for a fourth fight.
For his final selection, Mark chose Chris John, the undefeated WBA Featherweight Champion. John's impressive record of 41-0 features a decision over Juan Manuel Marquez in a competitive fight held in John's homeland of Indonesia. John tends to fight obscure opposition, so his reputation is not without its detractors. John needs to fight fellow champions or top contenders to truly establish himself as one of the sport's best. However, his tendency to fight beatable opponents gives him a great chance of piling up the victories.
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2 comments:
I also watched the Tyson-Holyfield ear-biting match. Does it bode well for my team that no one seems to have any definite fights planned? How are the points going to be awarded in this league?
Mark, your fighters will eventually pipe up. Pacquiao will fight someone in November. Cotto might take the rest of 2008 off, though. Chris John will fight someone soon. Vazquez will probably have a fight by December or so.
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