Junior welterweight notes
Posted Dec. 1, 2009 at 11:41pm
By Doug Fischer
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For the past two weeks fight fan-sites, message boards and boxing forums have been buzzing with rumors of a proposed 140-pound tournament involving young junior welterweights that could play out on HBO next year.
The participants of this four-man single-elimination tournament are rumored to be undefeated titleholder Devon Alexander, South American banger Marcos Maidana, UK star Amir Khan and 2008 Prospect of the Year Victor Ortiz (provided Khan defeats Dmitriy Salita on Saturday and Ortiz beats Antonio Diaz on Dec. 12).
The kick-off bout to the tournament is rumored to be an Alexander-Maidana showdown that would be the main event of an Boxing After Dark broadcast in March.
While that’s a fascinating matchup, and certainly a possibility, it’s not close to being finalized, according to Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, whose company represents both Maidana and Ortiz.
Schaefer said that Alexander is just one option for Maidana, who stopped Ortiz in the fifth round of a wild brawl in June. Schaefer added that the rumors about a junior welterweight tournament are just that, rumors.
“I don’t think ‘tournament’ is the right word,” Schaefer told RingTV.com. “HBO is interested in buying good fights and they are interested in the 140-pound division. I’m not sure they want to lock themselves into a tournament because they can wind up with a matchup that isn’t good.
“Maidana-Alexander is a good matchup and that’s a fight that could happen, but there are other fights for Maidana. He won the WBA’s interim title when he beat Victor Ortiz, which means he is the mandatory challenger for the Khan-Salita winner. If he wants that fight it would have to be made within 90 days of Saturday’s fight. Which direction Maidana goes depends on how those negotiations go.”
Schaefer said that a rematch with Ortiz could also be possibility for Maidana.
“Let’s see how Victor does against Diaz,” Schaefer said. “That’s a tough fight but if he beats him he might want to fight Maidana again. That’s something he’s talked to us about. He wants that rematch.
“The beautiful thing about Maidana is that it really doesn’t matter to him who he fights next. He’s such a devastating puncher and he’s so secure in his ability to take a punch that he’s confident that he can beat anyone we put in front of him.
“Maidana has made it clear that he’ll fight anyone, but he’s mentioned that his dream is to fight Floyd Mayweather at 147 pounds. He says that’s the fight he wants after he cleans out the 140-pound division. I told him if really goes out and beats everyone at junior welterweight he’ll make a big enough name for himself that a Mayweather fight could be a possibility. If Maidana were to beat Khan, Alexander, maybe a veteran like Nate Campbell, who knows? With his style he could quickly pick up a following in the U.S.”
ANOTHER 140-POUND PLAYER
Maidana (27-1, 26 KOs), who defended his interim title with a third-round knockout of William Gonzalez in his native Santa Fe, Argentina, on Nov. 21, isn’t the only junior welterweight bomber from that country that Golden Boy Promotions has an interest in.
The same night Maidana fought Gonzalez, Lucas Matthysse extended his undefeated record with a fourth-round knockout of Florencio Castellano in Buenos Aires.
Matthysse (25-0, 23 KOs) is the 27-year-old younger brother of Walter Matthysse, the wild-swinging welterweight fringe contender who was stopped by Paul Williams and Kermit Cintron in high-profile bouts a few years ago.
However, the younger Matthysse isn’t the one-dimensional slugger his older brother is, according to Golden Boy Promotions matchmaker Eric Gomez, who was ringside for the Castellano fight.
“This kid can do more than punch,” Gomez said. “He can box. He can defend and he can move when he needs to. He’s a real talent and we’d like to get him on U.S. television.
“We might try to make a fight with Matthysse and Vivian Harris in early 2010.”
The participants of this four-man single-elimination tournament are rumored to be undefeated titleholder Devon Alexander, South American banger Marcos Maidana, UK star Amir Khan and 2008 Prospect of the Year Victor Ortiz (provided Khan defeats Dmitriy Salita on Saturday and Ortiz beats Antonio Diaz on Dec. 12).
The kick-off bout to the tournament is rumored to be an Alexander-Maidana showdown that would be the main event of an Boxing After Dark broadcast in March.
While that’s a fascinating matchup, and certainly a possibility, it’s not close to being finalized, according to Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, whose company represents both Maidana and Ortiz.
Schaefer said that Alexander is just one option for Maidana, who stopped Ortiz in the fifth round of a wild brawl in June. Schaefer added that the rumors about a junior welterweight tournament are just that, rumors.
“I don’t think ‘tournament’ is the right word,” Schaefer told RingTV.com. “HBO is interested in buying good fights and they are interested in the 140-pound division. I’m not sure they want to lock themselves into a tournament because they can wind up with a matchup that isn’t good.
“Maidana-Alexander is a good matchup and that’s a fight that could happen, but there are other fights for Maidana. He won the WBA’s interim title when he beat Victor Ortiz, which means he is the mandatory challenger for the Khan-Salita winner. If he wants that fight it would have to be made within 90 days of Saturday’s fight. Which direction Maidana goes depends on how those negotiations go.”
Schaefer said that a rematch with Ortiz could also be possibility for Maidana.
“Let’s see how Victor does against Diaz,” Schaefer said. “That’s a tough fight but if he beats him he might want to fight Maidana again. That’s something he’s talked to us about. He wants that rematch.
“The beautiful thing about Maidana is that it really doesn’t matter to him who he fights next. He’s such a devastating puncher and he’s so secure in his ability to take a punch that he’s confident that he can beat anyone we put in front of him.
“Maidana has made it clear that he’ll fight anyone, but he’s mentioned that his dream is to fight Floyd Mayweather at 147 pounds. He says that’s the fight he wants after he cleans out the 140-pound division. I told him if really goes out and beats everyone at junior welterweight he’ll make a big enough name for himself that a Mayweather fight could be a possibility. If Maidana were to beat Khan, Alexander, maybe a veteran like Nate Campbell, who knows? With his style he could quickly pick up a following in the U.S.”
ANOTHER 140-POUND PLAYER
Maidana (27-1, 26 KOs), who defended his interim title with a third-round knockout of William Gonzalez in his native Santa Fe, Argentina, on Nov. 21, isn’t the only junior welterweight bomber from that country that Golden Boy Promotions has an interest in.
The same night Maidana fought Gonzalez, Lucas Matthysse extended his undefeated record with a fourth-round knockout of Florencio Castellano in Buenos Aires.
Matthysse (25-0, 23 KOs) is the 27-year-old younger brother of Walter Matthysse, the wild-swinging welterweight fringe contender who was stopped by Paul Williams and Kermit Cintron in high-profile bouts a few years ago.
However, the younger Matthysse isn’t the one-dimensional slugger his older brother is, according to Golden Boy Promotions matchmaker Eric Gomez, who was ringside for the Castellano fight.
“This kid can do more than punch,” Gomez said. “He can box. He can defend and he can move when he needs to. He’s a real talent and we’d like to get him on U.S. television.
“We might try to make a fight with Matthysse and Vivian Harris in early 2010.”
