Notable Boxing Comebacks and Failures of April 2014
By Robert Brizel, Head RCM Boxing Correspondent
Moscow, Russia (April 18th, 2014)–Happy happy Easter holiday 2014 to all boxing fans around the world. The month of April 2014 was a month of triumph and tragedy around the world. Some of the results are worth a second look.
Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao made the comeback of the year so far, decisioning (31-0) Timothy Bradley to regain the WBO World Welterweight title, and more importantly, put his potential lucrative matchup with Floyd Mayweather Jr. back on the table with this key win. The risky rematch cost Bradley his shot at Floyd, and left him with no title in no-man’s land.
Shannon ‘The Cannon’ Briggs returned to heavyweight action after three and a half years absence, and fought two heavyweight bouts in eight days. If Briggs continues to maul his opponents at this rapid rate, the likes of Wladimir Klitschko, Chris Arreola, Alexander Povetkin, Robert Helenius, Kubrat Pulev, Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury will be forced to fight him.
Eddie Chambers won two heavyweight bouts in the United Kingdom in attempt to climb back into the mix. Tony Thompson decision end Odlanier Solis Fonte, and Steve Cunningham decisions Amir Mansour to remain in the heavyweight game. David Price stopped Ondrej Pala, while Manuel Charr decision end Kevin Johnson, keeping their distance heavyweight hopes alive. Onetime Olympian Devin Vargas got stopped by tough journeyman Jason Bergman, while Laszlo Toth got knocked out in the second round by 79 loss fighter Csaba Olah, a fighter he had beaten a year earlier.
Pennsylvania promoter Russell Peltz was a big comeback winner, signing rapidly rising middleweight contender Thomas ‘Cornflake’ LaManna and heavyweight prospect Joey Dawejko after he decision end Derric Rossy. Both fighters are young and hungry for the amazing opportunities Peltz Promotions will provide them.
Welterweights Rafael Jackiewicz, Cruiserweights Yunier Dorticos and Mateusz Masternak, welterweight Raymundo Beltran, middleweights Louis Rose and Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam and Andy Lee all scored important comeback wins. Eric Fields, who lost to Dorticos, and Fulgencio Zuniga, who lost to N’Jikam, have faded from contender status into obscurity. Monte ‘Two Gunz’ Barrett got knocked out by Luis Ortiz, a year after Shane Cameron knocked him out as well, effectively ending his boxing career as a heavyweight of note. Monte was never beaten in Atlantic City, it should be noted.
Looking forward into the hourglass of time, Sergio Gabriel Martinez must beat Miguel Cotto at middleweight. Aging Bernard Hopkins must beat Beibut Shumanov at light heavyweight. Canelo Alvarez must beat Erislandy Lara at light middleweight. Could Martinez beat Peter Quillin or Gennady Golovkin? Could Hopkins beat Brahmer, Stevenson or Kovalev? how would Canelo perform against Marco Antonio Rubio or Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.? will Wladimir Klitschko fight Deontay Wilder Or Kubrat Pulev, the two most dangerous challengers of the moment? Who will win the technical war versus knocks explosion bout between welterweights Chris Algeiri and Ruslan Povodnikov? How would Tito Bracero do against Danny Garcia, Zab Judah or Sadam Ali? If Chris Arreola win a piece of the heavyweight title, would he then rematch Tomasz Adamek? Will Mike Jones fight again? All these questions still remain unanswered.
But who knows? As long forgotten Sergei Khomitsky proved in his win over Frank Buglioni, and Zaurbek Baysangurov proved in his win late in the twelfth round against Guido Pitto, it ain’t over till it’s over.
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