by Dafs117Last year there was hope. This year, there’s self-pity.
The revolving door at 154 pounds continues to revolve, with the likes of Paul Williams and Sergio Mora moving up to middleweight, and the star-studded names such as Shane Mosley and Oscar De La Hoya have either headed down south or retired. Their replacements were hardly a fair trade. Although Carlos Quintana and Joshua Clottey are great technicians, they are hardly Pay-Per-View fighters. Quintana and Clottey are suppose to come up from welterweight, but who knows in the current fight game. Unfortunately, so far, Kermit Cintron, hasn’t exactly created the predicted splash, which is impressive if you’re a platform diver, but not in any other sport. The Puerto Rican promised a big showing, but we received a lacklustre play instead.
The death of Vernon Forrest has left the division reeling, with the older, wiser gentlemen at the upper half of the ratings taking time off to reflect on their careers. "The Viper's" death scarred the year, alongside legends Alexis Arguello and Arturo Gatti, and respected fighter Marco Nazareth, who all passed away in a July 2009.
One of the fighters that’s took a break from the ring is Ukranian lefty Sergiy Dzinziruk. Another talented fighter from the Eastern bloc, Dzinzurik recently split with promotion outfit, Universum Box for failing to land him a fight with a desperate Paul Williams. Should return for a successful 2010, quite possibly with new promoter, Top Rank, but who would want to risk their winning streak if the WBO strip his title?
