By Sean McDaniel 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist James DeGale could be fighting for a world title in 2011 if he’s busy enough to get a number of fights under his belt before the end of the year. DeGale (9-0, 7 KO’s) is undefeated as a pro and is looking better and better in each fight. When he first turned pro, there were a number of fans and even fighters that felt that DeGale lacked the hand speed and the power to make it big in the sport. However, DeGale has opened a lot of eyes with impressive performances against Carl Dilks and Paul Smith recently, stopping both of them inside the distance.
Year: 2011
Will Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. fight anyone good in 2011? How about Lemieux?
By Dan Ambrose: Unbeaten middleweight contender Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (41-0-1, 30 KO’s) has taken the slow approach to his pro career, fighting mostly fluff 2nd tier opponents again and again while being rewarded with excellent rankings by the sanctioning bodies. As of now, the 24-year-old Chavez Jr is ranked #1 by the World Boxing Council and #4 by the WBO despite having beaten only one fringe contender John Duddy during his seven year pro career.
Margarito says that if he fights Cotto, he’s going to be champion once again
By Chris Williams: Former IBF welterweight champion Antonio Margarito (38-7, 27 KO’s) is still recovering from the beating he took from Manny Pacquiao in November. Margarito suffered a fractured right orbital bone in that fight, which required surgery to repair the problem. Margarito is now well on his way to healing and is looking to fight for the title possibly in June against old nemesis World Boxing Association (WBA) junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto (35-2, 28 KO’s).
Andre Ward is going to smoke Arthur Abraham
By Scott Gilfoid: There’s little question that the unbeaten WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward (23-0, 13 KO’s) is going to be in the finals of the Super Six tournament. It’s almost academic at this point that Ward is going to be there facing someone, probably Glen Johnson. The only guy that really had any chance of beating the Ward was Andre Dirrell, but he had to depart from the tournament after sustaining an injury in his exciting fight with Arthur Abraham (31-2, 25 KO’s) last year in March.
Warren thinks Froch will be “too young and strong” for Glen Johnson
By Scott Gilfoid: Promoter Frank Warren thinks that World Boxing Council (WBC) super middleweight champion Carl Froch (27-1, 20 KO’s) will have the edge in youth and power in his next Super Six tournament fight against 41-year-old Glen Johnson (51-14-2, 35 KO’s). Warren believes that those attributes will be enough for Froch tow in and make it into the finals of the Super Six tournament, where Warren sees Froch likely facing American Andre Ward.
Guillermo Jones might be the best fighter in the cruiserweight division
By Dan Ambrose: One guy that rarely gets mentioned when boxing fans and writers are appraising the best fighters in the cruiserweight division is WBA cruiserweight champion Guillermo Jones (37-3, 29 KO’s). One of the reasons why the 38-year-old Jones is so often ignored by boxing fans is because he so rarely fights.
Chisora still wants his shot against Wladimir Klitschko
By Sean McDaniel: Unbeaten British heavyweight champion Dereck Chisora (14-0, 9 KO’s) is still waiting and still wants his shot against IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (55-3, 49 KO’s), says Chisora’s promoter Frank Warren. And Chisora, 26, has a contract he signed for the canceled fight with Klitshko.
Prediction: Montiel is going to ruin Donaire’s world
By Dave Lahr: Former IBF flyweight champion Nonito Donaire (25-1, 17 KO’s) is supposed to be the next Manny Pacquiao in the minds of many of Donaire’s loyal fans. I don’t see it. Donaire will be moving up in weight to take on WBC/WBO bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel (44-2, 34 KO’s) on February 19th at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Has David Haye forgotten about Vitali Klitschko?
By William Mackay: For some reason WBA heavyweight champion David Haye (25-1, 23 KO’s) has only been mentioning one half of the Klitschko brothers, saying he wants to fight IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (55-3, 49 KO’s) next in 2011. But for some reason, Haye has been ignoring the tougher Klitschko brother, WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (41-2, 38 KO’s).
2011 could be Manny Pacquiao’s last year in boxing
By Jim Dower: With the pressure of trying to juggle his political career with a career in boxing that’s finding him facing bigger and stronger opponents, eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KO’s) could be hanging up the gloves in 2011 unless his promoter Bob Arum is able to convince Manny to stay on longer and perhaps wait for a fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr.