It's Monday. Welcome back for another edition of Observe and Fight, The Boxing Observer's compilation of observations and random thoughts from the week that was in boxing. Get caught up on some of the most recent events you may have missed out on, including a recap of the weekend in boxing, a beefed-up Timothy Bradley, the busiest promotional company in the world, and much more. Without further ado, check out the latest observations from The Boxing Observer.
- Devon Alexander became "Alexander The Great" once again Saturday night. In a fight not a lot of people thought he was going to win, Devon Alexander proved yet again why he was once widely considered one of the sport's rising stars. Alexander schooled Marcos Maidana over 10 rounds (it wouldn't have mattered if it had gone 12) en route to an eye-opening welterweight debut. With issues of making 140-pounds behind him, Alexander has thrown his name into the hat of the top welterweights in the world. It will be interesting to see where Golden Boy wants to go from here with Alexander "The Great" with so much unbelievable talent in this division.
- Speaking of greatness, Adrien "The Problem" Broner showed he has no problems being great on the big stage. In what was supposed to be the toughest test in his young career, Adrien Broner proved ready for the task. Broner came to the ring rapping his own rap song as he entered. Then he proceeded to dance circles, figuratively and literally, before knocking challenger Eloy Perez out in spectacular fashion in the 4th round. The only problem right now for Broner is there is nobody at 130-pounds anywhere on his level and he will have to move due north if he wants his next big fight. Maybe the winner of Rios vs. Gamboa would be a nice fit, if it weren't for that damn Golden Boy/Top Rank feud.
- Holy crap has Timothy Bradley gotten huge in his off time. Bradley has always been a strong, muscular 140-pounder, but him saying he is walking around at 165 pounds right now might just be a flat-out exaggeration. Bradley, who I'm sure has been doing some strength training in preparation for a move up to welterweight, has to be weighing upwards of 175 pounds. On this past week's promotional tour for his upcoming fight with Manny Pacquiao, Bradley's face revealed the entire story. Bradley, who claims to be a vegan, is clearly going to try and out-muscle Pac-Man and come in about 155 pounds or more on fight night. We'll see if his strategy works, but hopefully he doesn't have to drain himself too much to make 147 pounds.
- Anyone who thinks Bradley doesn't have a chance against Pacquiao is fooling themselves. Bradley is not a pretty fighter. He is not a flashy fighter. He is not the fastest, strongest, and smartest either, so you might be asking yourself why he has a chance against one of the top 2 pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Because Bradley has one thing not all fighters possess, the "IT factor." Somehow, someway, Bradley always keeps himself in the fight no matter the opponent.
- Golden Boy Promotions is very busy. This past weekend was the first big fight card of 2012 for Oscar De la Hoya and company, but they show no signs of slowing down any time soon. March brings a rescheduled date for the WBC jr. welterweight championship bout between Erik Morales and Danny Garcia. April sees Abner Mares in his jr. featherweight debut against Eric Morel, followed by a light heavyweight title rematch between Bernard Hopkins and Chad Dawson the following weekend. Floyd Mayweather returns May 5th and two weeks later sees the rematch between Lamont Peterson and Amir Khan. The Victor Ortiz-Andre Berto rematch has been rescheduled for June 23rd, and Robert Guerrero returns the last Saturday in July. Golden Boy Promotions and Richard Schaefer will be very busy, but the fans win in the end.
- Alexander Povetkin proved he is just another Heavyweight champion fraud. Maybe there is something to Teddy Atlas not accepting a Klitschko fight a couple years ago. Cruiserweight champion Marco Huck made Povetkin look average at best in his Saturday night's championship fight in Germany. Whether you thought Povetkin won or lost, it really doesn't matter. Povetkin will never be a legitimate champion and may never accept a fight with the Klitschko brothers based on his most recent performance. Huck, on the other hand, showed himself well and should get some big opportunities, either back at cruiserweight or against other heavyweights.
- Speaking of the heavyweight division, Deontay Wilder is a man-beast. I got my first chance to see him live Saturday night on the Alexander/Maidana undercard and he is a freakish looking specimen. He is at least 6'5" and his body has room to fill out. I'm guessing if he worked out at the NFL Combine, some team would take a chance on him in the late rounds based on sheer potential. He has the killer instinct the heavyweight division is lacking. Give it 2 years and Deontay Wilder could be a long-reigning heavyweight champion.
- Jr. welterweight prospect Sharif Bogere reminds me of a poor man's Timothy Bradley. Bogere looked very impressive Saturday on the non-televised undercard in St. Louis, defeating rugged Sergio Rivera. Bogere didn't do anything flashy, but did everything well, much like Bradley. Bogere is not very tall and not as well built as Bradley, but his hands are heavy and he was able to wear Rivera down over the 3 rounds of the fight. I can't see it being too long until he gets a a title shot.
- The March 24th NBC Sports Network Fight Night is shaping up quite nicely. Main Events did a nice job in its premiere event in January, especially considering they didn't have much to work with. This fight card is looking spectacular considering it's a free televised fight promotion. The main event was already scheduled to be a good one, featuring Zab Judah and Vernon Paris in a jr. welterweight title eliminator. Adding Tomasz Adamek to the card was a stroke of genius by Kathy Duva and company.
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