MANFREDY TO "TEST MAYWEATHER" IN DECEMBER

"El Diablo" Angel Manfredy has tried every way possible to get a title shot over the last couple of years. And yet, the closest he got was a scrap with Arturo Gatti at 135 lbs. with NO belt on the line. That will no longer be the case as Floyd Mayweather, the newly crowned WBC titleholder has got some balls and is willing to meet the always eager for battle Manfredy.

BOTH GUYS HAVE IT

Angel has all the tools needed to take out Mayweather. While at the same time, Floyd has all the skills necessary to send El Diablo back to East Chicago with his third pro loss. This is what makes good fights! Manfredy should come into the fight with a game plan called fundamentals.

Basic boxing stylists can steal the speed away from anyone if they get the jab in at the right time, Angel Manfredy excels at that. The pick is Manfredy by close decision.

NOT SO LATER ON

Mayweather is about a year or two away from his peak. He can only get better. And by his 24th birthday he may unify the 130 lb. division and lay his sights on the 135 lb. crowns. The only needed area of improvement for Floyd Jr. is that he needs to refine his defense a little bit.

WILL HE CONTINUE TO LEARN?

New techniques are some times hard to teach naturals such as Pretty Boy Floyd.  One reason is that you don't want to take him out of his "natural" fighting rhythm. And two, Floyd is said to be calling his own shots these days!

A SIGNAL FOR OTHERS?

Floyd Mayweather Jr.. is going to force a lot of fighters to do things they don't want to do. Which is to start fighting the best out there. The only one at 130 lbs. I see able to best Jr.. is Angel. If Manfredy can't meet the challenge, young Mayweather will clean out the division.

This will prompt champs in other divisions to want to unify. Some guys I can see doing this would be Roy Jones, Shane Mosley, Naseem Hamed, and maybe even Mark Johnson.

CLEARLY SUPERIOR

Roy Jones could easily smack around anybody at 175. Mosley is untouchable at 135, and would whack out Cesar Bazan or any other competitor at that weight. Naseem Hamed already can lay claim to the IBF championship of which he was stripped, as well as the WBA belt taken from Wilfredo Vasquez, adding to his WBO title. Mark Johnson could also unify. But I doubt he would want to, because he'll get chicken scratch for each fight as nobody seems interested in 112 lbers. (flyweights).

THREE QUESTIONS

Is Mike Grant really the best heavy wimp out there as so many claim? Well, isn't it about time we all found out? Is the heavyweight division just a pool of mediocrity seeing Grant, a fighter who has boxed only seven years in his life, is the future heir apparent?

A DIVISION WITHOUT IDENTITY

HBO's Boxing After Dark seemed at one point like it would bring the young heavyweights to a point of title contention. Michael Grant could easily go into London and take Lewis' WBC belt. Then get on a plane back to the U.S. and show Evander Holyfield that maybe he should move to a career of impregnating women who have problems getting knocked up.

THE REAL QUESTION IS...

Who would want to fight a dominant Michael Grant after that? And would the fan interest still be there?

CONTENT JUST TO HAVE A BELT

These new "Heavy Wimps" seem to think for some reason that the NABF (North American Boxing Federation) title is the most prestigious belt in the world. Where is the hunger, the ambition that saw Mike Tyson win the heavyweight title at such a young age?

CONSPIRACY?

Is there a secret coalition of heavyweights trying to keep everybody unbeaten?

HEAR ME OUT...

There is now an intricate subdivision circuit in the heavyweight class. First, you've got the "World" Champs Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield. Then come the "world" class challengers in Michael Moorer, Andrew Golota, and Henry Akinwande.

FRINGE CONTENDERS

Finally you got the North American fighters. They will face no international competition because they all prize those almighty NABF or USBA trinkets. What would happen if a chump like Vaughn Bean won a title? Would any of the 28 and younger heavyweights try him? Or will they just fall to floor chanting: "We're not worthy."

Of the younger guys, only Shannon Briggs seems to want to really be somebody. So if Chris Byrd, Mike Grant, Ike Ibeabuchi, David Tua, Larry Donald, or Hasim Rahman happen to read this, please feel obligated to get the show on the road. Do any of you guys have any plans to "EVER" challenge a top contender?

It was Dale Carnegie who said: He who fails to plan, is planning to fail!

Rodney Verges

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