After witnessing the debacle of a fight between Paul Williams and Kermit Cintron last weekend on HBO, I can't help but think that Cintron's "fall" outside of the ring will greatly hinder his chances of being featured on another major network for quite some time. This incident, combined with the belly-aching he did against Sergio Martinez and his tear-filled breakdown against Antonio Margarito, will likely hurt Cintron's future marketability, which mean we'll probably find him on ESPN2 in the very near future.
As Expected, Donaire-Darchinyan rematch dead in the water...
Jr. bantamweight champion Vic Darchinyan will not get his rematch with Nonito Donaire this summer due to...well...who cares? Since Donaire knocked Darchinyan out in five rounds nearly three years ago, both sides have been hopelessly attempting to make a rematch. Orginally, the rematch was impossible to make due to Donaire's decision to leave promoter Gary Shaw, who also promotes Darchinyan, to become Top Rank's de-facto Pacquiao clone. Finally, just when it appeared as though Shaw was putting his hurt feelings aside and talks started heating up, the fight was pronounced dead in the water. Why there has been any kind of demand or interest in this rematch in the first place is beyond me since Donaire's victory was pretty definitive.
HBO Looks to Freddie Roach as new Analyst...
I had hoped that Lennox Lewis, or as I call him, Lummox Lewis, would get canned by HBO for his near useless commentary and fight insight. Thankfully, it has finally happened. Trainer Freddie Roach is the hopeful to replace Lewis on future Boxing After Dark telecasts. While I do think Roach is genuinely a good guy, I can easily see this job not being a good fit for him due to his battle with Parkinson's Disease as well as future scheduling conflicts given all the fighters that he trains. If not Roach, HBO should really try to get Roy Jones Jr. or Sugar Ray Leonard, both of whom have been great commentators in the past.
Potshot Picks
Amir Khan vs. Paulie Malignaggi
Khan is going to have an advantage in power and reach, but the crafty Malignaggi will surprise the green champion with his superior craft and speed. If Malignaggi could get hit clean by the plodding Juan Diaz, Khan is going to find his mark and probably hit Malignaggi with some ferocious shots down the stretch. While I hate to call a fight based on politics, there's no way Golden Boy is going to let Khan lose, so the verdict here is Khan by disputed decision.
Victor Ortiz vs. Nate Campbell
Ortiz is hoping that a good showing against former lightweight king Nate Campbell will erase the memories of him quitting against Marcos Maidana last June. He will come in very motivated. Campbell may be crafty and will be coming in fighting with a huge sense of urgency, but it was evident in his last fight against Timothy Bradley that there already may be nothing left in the tank. I'll take Ortiz overwhelming Campbell and stopping him early.
Potshot Picks: 11-2
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