By Jackie Kallen
I guess every boxing fan has certain matches in their head that they’d like to see for one reason or another. I have compiled a list this morning of the fights that I’d like to see if I could put any two fighters in the same ring at the same time. This is fun and gives me a lot to think about.
In the heavyweight division I’d enjoy seeing undefeated Bulgarian Kubrat “The Cobra” Pulev against either of the Klitschko brothers. At 32 years old and standing just under 6’5″, this may be the man to beat them. He has never fought outside of Europe and is not very well known over here, but he is a menacing man.
In his last outing in February, he stopped previously undefeated Alexander Ustinov in the 11th round of their IBF International title fight. He has KOed more than half of his opponents and at 17-0, he is ready to make some noise in the HW division.
In the Light Heavyweight division I would love to see the winner of the June 8 fight between Chad Dawson and Adonis Stevenson face off against southpaw Lucian Bute. Bute’s only loss was last Spring’s defeat at the hands of Carl Froch. He is a heavy-handed man who fights with mean intentions.
I love watching Andre Ward fight anyone. He has neatly disposed of all 26 of his opponents and is clearly the top man in his division. He is also one of my Top P4P favorites. I would like to see how Andre Dirrell would fare against him.
At 21-1, Dirrell’s only loss was a close split decision against Carl Froch almost five years ago. Dirrell had a point deducted in the fight or the results would have been different. He is a southpaw and would clearly come into the fight to win.
Sergio Martinez has long been one of my most beloved boxers. Watching him has been high on my list. He seems to be slipping a bit at 38 years old, but I would give anything to see how he’d do against superstar Gennady Golovkin. It would be a war with the 31 year-old GGG gunning for the knockout. He has flattened 23 of his 26 victims, so Martinez would be lucky to get out of the fight on his feet. But he’d sure as hell give it his all.
The 154 pound division excites me a lot. I would enjoy nothing better than an ’80 style quartet of Alvarez, Trout, Martirosyan and Cotto mixing it up against each other. Throw in Demetrius Andrade for flavor and maybe even Ishe Smith. This could give us hours of fun and pleasure. There is no end to the possible pairings in this weight class. Shawn Porter is working his way up to the top and you can always toss Lara into the fray.
Never discount the welterweights. Anywhere that Floyd Mayweather is–is the place to be. He has promised us five more fights, so the welters of the world are chomping at the bit to get a slice of that pie. Timothy Bradley is undefeated and surely feels he is the man to beat Money. He looked impressive in his March victory over Provodnikov, coming back from a knockdown to score the W. He and Mayweather would be an interesting clash of styles.
Keith Thurman is young (24) and also without a loss on his record. He hasn’t fought anyone at the top level yet but he managed to crush 18 of his 20 opponents. Not bad. And he is hungry. I’d pay to see him mix it up with Mayweather.
A total dream match would be Matthysse against Danny Garcia. Or Alvarado. These three guys are a good as it gets so mix them all up and we will get some amazing fights. You can throw Rios into the group, too, for even more excitement.
Broner/Malignaggi is happening on June 22 so I don’t have to dream about this one. I like both of these guys but I must admit to being partial to Paulie. He is such a great guy and is turning into an excellent announcer. He knows and loves his sport and handled their x-rated press conference with as much dignity as he could.
Broner is good at trash-talking and tried to get to Paulie. The verbal jabs got ugly and although I am not sure Paulie has what it takes to shut Broner’s mouth–I know he’ll try his best and make it a great fight.
Perhaps not all of these dream matches will ever materialize. But a fan can have fantasies. That’s what keeps it interesting.
Jackie Kallen is a boxing manager who has been in the business for over three decades. Her life inspired the Meg Ryan film “Against the Ropes” and she was a part of the NBC series “The Contender.” www.JackieKallen.com, www.facebook.com/JackieKallen