It's been a slow news cycle for the last week, for obvious reasons, but lo and behold there are a few things going on...
Boxing - Marquez-Morales in April? | Fightnews
Fightnews has reported that there's a strong likelihood that Juan Manuel Marquez's next fight will come in April against faded Mexican legend Erik Morales. This one's been a long time coming, and Morales has been angling for this for a while now. The two future hall-of-famers have never fought each other, and once the WBC's 140 pound title is officially vacated after Bradley-Alexander, it is likely that this fight would be for that title, making the winner the first Mexican four-division titlist, albeit in a very hollow way. It's many years too late for this fight, but with Manny Pacquiao off the table, it's probably the biggest money fight left for Marquez.
Bennie Briscoe: A winner in the ring without a world championship | Philadelphia Inquirer
This past week, Bennie Briscoe, probably one of the best modern fighters to never win a title, died at the age of 67. This article reminisces about the great's career. RIP.
Erdei vs Campillo Clash For The Vacant WBA Title? | Boxing Scene
Earlier in the week, former light heavyweight titlist Gabriel Campillo pulled out of his bout with Thierry Karl, which had been scheduled for later in the month for the European title. Speculation is that instead, he will be facing Zsolt Erdei for what will soon be the WBA's vacant regular title, since the Braehmer-Shumenov winner will be elevated to super champion. If it happens, this is a really good fight for both men to show where they are really at. Erdei was one of the top light heavyweights in the world for nearly a decade, but after a drawn out promotional dispute, he has been inactive for quite a while and has only fought once since signing with new promoter Lou DiBella. In either case, as the #1 contender, Campillo is guaranteed the title fight, even if Erdei decides to take a pass.
Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. Explodes on Security Guard -- On Tape | TMZ.com
Floyd Mayweather Jr. unleashed a nuclear verbal attack on a guard inside his Vegas community last weekend -- all because the guy didn't recognize him . Not a good year for Mayweather.
Khan could face Katsidis | Sky Sports
With Amir Khan fresh off a hard fought victory over Marcos Maidana in a fight of the year candidate, he's looking to take a slightly easier fight at home his next time out. He had been angling for a fight against Zab Judah, but that was taken out of the equation when Main Events won a purse bid for Zab Judah against Kaiser Mabuza earlier this week. While Khan's manager is denying the rumors, it sounds like his next fight may come against lightweight action fighter Michael Katsidis. While Katsidis is a solid name, he's also a known quantity. He'll certainly try to make a good fight, but he can't outbox Khan, and if Marcos Maidana couldn't knock him out at 140, I doubt Katsidis can either.
Naazim Richardson: Shane Mosley Will 'Smash' Manny Pacquiao | Boxing FanHouse
No big surprises here, but Mosley's trainer Naazim Richardson is already trying to build up this fight. Also picking Mosley early is Floyd Mayweather Sr. Sounds like wishful thinking to me - if Pacquiao actually loses, then Floyd won't have the cloud hanging over his head that he never faced Pacquiao. Only time will tell whether Pacquiao will suffer the same fate - history has a tendency to misremember these kinds of things.
Rigondeaux is Aiming To Terminate Willie Casey on 3/19 | Boxing Scene
In what has to be the title fight with the fewest combined fights I can remember, former Prizefighter winner and current European titlist Willie Casey (11-0) will take on interim titlist Guillermo Rigondeaux (7-0) for what is now the full WBA title at 122 pounds. The fight will be in Casey's hometown of Limerick, and the fight has reportedly already sold out. While Casey is quite inexperienced, if he can maintain pressure, this could be an interesting style matchup. Rigondeaux is about as sparse with his punches as any top level fighter, while Casey is a brawling pressure fighter who likes to come forward and throw punches in bunches. The fight should be available internationally via legal stream at rte.ie.
Veteran Rubio sets the scene | SuperSport
The boxing year got off to a low-key start when Marco Antonio Rubio beat Wilson Santana on Saturday night. This was basically a warmup fight, as Rubio is tentatively slated to fight David Lemieux in a title eliminator sometime early in the year. Also on the card, slugger Marcos Reyes moved to 19-1 with 17 knockouts, while Mickey Roman knocked out recent whipping boy Angel Priolo in a round.