May Days

The month of May is usually an interesting time in boxing. In recent years, it’s been the host of Oscar De La Hoya’s annual Cinco de Mayo fight festivities and the setup month for fights later in the year. It was also in May of last year when we were all excited about the first De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jnr clash. Here I’ll take a look at the months events so far and ponder what lies ahead this early summer (or winter, wherever you are). As I squeezed in two Oscar references already, where better to start?

Bye, Bye, Bye, Mr. De La Hoya

People who know me (and there are ten of them) always complain that I take too long to say goodbye. On the telephone, for example, I’ll say ‘bye’ at least three times before I eventually go. I write this because this year is the ‘Golden Boy’ of boxings stuttering farewell.

I thought De La Hoya looked tight, in shape and, above all, determined in his fight against Steve Forbes on May 3rd. He had a great snap to many of his punches and at times caught the eye with sweet combinations. As a setup for September 20th and his rematch with pound-for-pound king ‘Money’ Mayweather, it was effective in getting him in to ring shape (something Mayweather himself is risking by not fighting before then) and going some way towards showing the world that he is worthy of his rematch with Floyd.
However, the Forbes fight didn’t make it any easier picturing a different outcome. Indeed, De La Hoya at times was troubled by Forbes’ elusiveness and speed and was wary of some of the 31 year-old Contender contestants’ own combinations. As game and skilful as Forbes was, he is not as fast, elusive or powerful as Mayweather.

My May report predicts that Oscar could be on his way to another points defeat.
Not that there is any shame in that, though. May was a wonderful start to the final year of De La Hoya’s championship-laden, glorious, glamour-filled career.

Witter Fritters Away Hatton Hope

Big news on my side of the Atlantic (that being the British side) this May was Junior Witter’s May 10th defence of his WBC Light-Welterweight crown against unbeaten American Timothy Bradley and Ricky Hatton’s comeback fight two weeks later against Juan Lazcano. As I write this, the former is history and the latter yet to come. ‘Former’ being the appropriate word because Junior Witter is now the former WBC World Champion after losing a split-decision to the 24 year-old Bradley. Truth be told, ‘split’ seemed a little harsh as Bradley’s victory seemed clear to all; he even floored the erstwhile champ with a killer right hand in round 6.

For Witter this is a disaster, for British boxing a shame. Had Junior won the fight he’d have had more opportunity to call-out Big-Box-Office Hatton and he, his camp and his fans would have had more ammunition to fire at the ‘Hitman’ for refusing to fight him.

Hatton never really wanted to fight Witter anyway, for whatever reason you choose to believe. Now he won’t have to. His own May 17th fight with Lazcano is being used as a setup (there’s that word again) for a fight with charismatic New Yorker Paulie Malignaggi. Malignaggi himself defends his IBF Light-Welterweight strap in a rematch with Lovemore N’dou on the Hatton-Lazcano undercard. Both should emerge victorious, unless their plans, like Witter’s, are sent sprawling to the canvas.

The Rest of May Crazy

The intriguing Zab Judah-Shane Mosley ‘Last-Chance Saloon’ fight on May 31st was suspended after Zab fell and cut his arm requiring a thread-thinning 50 stitches. This was a shame as I actually tipped this to be a fight of the year candidate. I guess now it will be fight of later-in-the-year (oh ho, ho, ho).

May 17th sees the tenth pro fight of 2004 Olympic gold medallist, Yuriorkis Gamboa. The Cuban Super-Featherweight is seen as one of boxings more exciting prospects with hard, fast hands and slick feet: judge for yourself when he takes on Darling Jimenez.

You see, like the big city of your dreams, there is always something going on in boxing in May. And, like the big city, it has crushed some and dazzled others, leaving us all looking and hoping to the bright future.