Andreas Kotelnik vs. Amir Khan – June 27 (postponed to July 18)
Kotelnik's WBA junior welterweight title
Televised, TBA
Working past Gavin Rees in a 12th round TKO at the beginning of 2008, Andreas Kotelnik (31-2-1; 13 KOs) finally grabbed some attention including a WBA light welterweight title. Ranked sixth in the world by BoxRec.com, Kotelnik will now face one of his toughest opponents yet.
Amir Khan (20-1; 15 KOs) might not place high in assorted lightweight rankings, but books believe him to be the better fighter here. As of June 2, Khan is being touted as a $2.00 favorite despite stepping up in weight for the second time in his career.
Khan is coming off a technical decision win over veteran fighter, Marco Antonio Barrera. Entering this tangle against a tough, Eastern European fighter, Khan is going to need every ounce of speed he can squeeze out of his 5’10” frame.
The word circulating around this event is that Kotelnik is over hyped. One look at his resume helps explain that at 31 he’s still hard pressed to be considered a full fledged veteran. The talent he’s faced just can’t be considered legitimate championship material.
Either way, fight fans should be in for a sharp exchange. Where Kotelnik will want to battle his way on the inside, Khan is going to want to stay on his bicycle. Speed vs. brawn in this one.
This bout has been postponed to July 18 after Kotelnik developed a tooth infection.
Kelly Pavlik Update
Kelly Pavlik (35-1; 31 KOs) was forced to cancel his June 27th fight against Sergio Mora due to a staph infection. Inside sources also indicate that Pavlik wasn’t impressed with the contract from day one so it’s not a big surprise that this one was scrapped.
Pavlik is hoping that talks involving a meeting between IBF middleweight champ Arthur Abraham or WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch will come to fruition. Once more details become available check back for an update.
The much anticipated comeback of Floyd Mayweather Jr. will have to wait. After suffering from what’s being called a cartilage injury to the ribs, Mayweather is waiting for official prognoses from doctors. But after increasing chatter surrounding poor initial box office sales, it almost feels that the injury has been generated as a result. Listen, when we have a professional fighter like Juan Manuel Marquez moving up two weight classes to meet Mayweather then fans are going to grow weary of where their $49.95 pay per view dollars are going.
But who needs to bank on Mayweather-Marquez for the pinnacle of boxing action when we have plenty of other matches on tap for ’09? That brings us to three fights on the docket that are screaming for attention.
Daniel Jacobs vs. George Walton
10 rounds, middleweight division
June 26 on ESPN2
Jacobs wins by TKO in the 8th round
He’s only been fighting professionally since December of 2007 (on the Mayweather-Hatton undercard), but that hasn’t stopped Daniel Jacobs (16-0-0, 14 KOs) from making a large splash. At 22, Jacobs is already displaying veteran type skills and patience. But there’s still plenty of room for improvement. At the heart of Jacobs’ tactics is power. A career record of 16-0-0 is complimented by 14 KOs and constant work to the body is hallmark of this kid’s ring generalship. He makes you work for every penny of the pay day at hand.
George Walton (20-3-0, 12 KOs) doesn’t look impressive in comparison to the hyped up, Jacobs but that doesn’t mean he’ll enter the ring as a pushover. Walton has claimed wins in his last four fights after coming off a disappointing showing versus Fulgencio Zuniga back in 2004. Now Walton isn’t the highest caliber of fighters and at 35 maybe rephrasing the point that he won’t be a pushover would be smart. Even though odds haven’t been published yet expect Jacobs to be valued as a sky high favorite.
This is just a spring board fight for Jacobs. He’s got the goods but lacks the experience and name brand recognition. But if he continues chopping up the opposition expect Daniel Jacobs to burst onto the scene in what’s already a talented division (just not nearly as entertaining as the welterweights).
Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Olivier Lontchi
12 rounds, for Lopez's WBO junior featherweight title
June 27 on Top Rank PPV
There’s not a lot of coverage on the lighter weight fighters generally speaking, but watch a highlight real, several rounds of past matches or an entire exchange on tape and you’ll see why Juan Manuel Lopez (25-0-0, 23 KOS) is beginning to gain notoriety. How about two stretches of back-to-back-to-back KOs including his most recent breeze past Daniel Ponce de Leon, Cesar Figueroa and Sergio Manuel Medina? But it was in his last victory against defensive genius Gerry Penalosa that we really began to see what all the commotion was about. What Lopez did from the start of the fight was pick away at the shell defense without exposing himself to pot shots and counters. While “Juanma” is a power puncher we almost lost sight of his youth through technical fighting. This looked like a veteran with big name wins under his belt. That’s the scary part. Juan Manuel Lopez is ahead of his time. He fights brain first, brawn second when needed.
While this bout isn’t expected to be on the edge of your seat entertainment its predicted to see Lopez nearing that all important “next step” in his career. Oliver Lontchi (18-0-2, 8 KOs) is a top-20 ranked fighter in the world but investing too much time in his strengths and weaknesses almost feels like a waste of time. Any fighter can win on just one punch, just don’t expect it to be in Lontchi’s favor. The reason behind this quick look is all about Lopez and his introduction into the mainstream media. It’s just a matter of time until his popularity explosion leads to big pay days.
Timothy Bradley Jr. vs. Nate Campbell
12 rounds, for Bradley's WBO junior welterweight title
August 1 on Showtime
Two names that have already made a mark in the rankings will collide on the first day of August. Timothy Bradley Jr. (24-0-0, 11 KOs) has a whole lot of years ahead of him and if his last three victories are any indication of the future then we’re dealing with superior talent.
Nate Campbell (33-5-1, 25 KOs) will be eyeing Bradley’s WBO junior welterweight title. A huge split decision win versus Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz in March of last year pushed Campbell into the spotlight. Gone are the days when he offered his chin to Robbie Peden and received nothing but the matt under his behind. Now at 37, Campbell knows that his time in the ring is slowly coming to an end. He’s still got the speed to contend with the greats in his division but how much longer can he fend off younger opponents like Bradley?
If there’s a major flaw in Bradley’s game it’s his defense. If you watched the Holt fight then you know right off the bat that a first round, counter shot knockdown put “Desert Storm” front and center for concern. Then again, that’s why it’s a learning process as Bradley builds up his ring experience.
Again, there’s no odds to speak of at the moment, but check back later for the latest money figures. For reference, Bradley took his last victory against Holt as a $1.70 favoirte. Add the fact that Campbell will be moving up in weight and how will that effect the opening line?
Joshua Jacobs can be reached at jacobs@vegasinsider.com.
