Just to keep the palates whetted, here are a few rumored bouts floating around...
- Michael Katsidis still has his fight date, despite the withdrawal of Robert Guerrero as his opponent. There are a couple of rumors out there, but the stronger one at the moment seems to be that Joan Guzman may jump in as his opponent. Guzman was last seen getting outclassed by Ali Funeka, but because he officially came out of the fight with a draw, he's still eligible for a title bout. The other rumor is a Juan Diaz rematch, as Katsidis and Diaz have had some trash talk flying back and forth. However, it seems like logistical issues may prevent that from happening in late March, although I wouldn't be surprised if we see that fight eventually. The two fighters have trended in opposite directions since they first fought, and Katsidis came in to the fight with one of the worst game plans I've ever seen.
- In what could be a very exciting crossroads fight, Librado Andrade and Adrian Diaconu are discussing a bout at light heavyweight in Montreal. This would pit two guys who both like to apply pressure and move forward against each other. It makes sense for Andrade as well, as he probably has about as much of a fan base in Montreal (where he trains, and where he's fought three times) as he does anywhere else. A win over Diaconu may put Andrade in line to face Jean Pascal, while a win over Andrade by Diaconu would get him right back in the light heavyweight mix.
- In a battle of regional attractions, it seems that NYC favorite John Duddy may be facing NoVa favorite Jimmy Lange in May. Both guys are a step below world class, but make exciting fights. For this one to have any possibility of happening, both fighters would need to get past opponents in March, including Duddy's fight against 23-1 Michael Medina on the Pacquiao-Clottey undercard.
- It's been thrown around on here a couple times before already, but rumor has it that Gary Shaw and Bob Arum are discussing a Timothy Bradley-Edwin Valero matchup. As explosive as that sounds on paper, this sounds like a publicity ploy to me. It's not in Bob Arum's nature to schedule someone for a dangerous fight against someone without a ton of name recognition if that other fighter isn't also a Top Rank fighter. I realize Valero is probably still chasing Manny Pacquiao, but if he wants to move up to 140, a fight against recent Top Rank signee Kendall Holt makes a lot more sense to me.
- OK, so not a rumored bout, but rumor is that Wladimir Klitschko and Hayden Panettiere might be talking marriage. This is probably just tabloid speculation, but feel free to slag away in the comments. Also amusing is how the picture in the link actually cuts off half of Wlad's head, since Hayden is so short.