WEIGHING THE WEEKEND WARS

By Michael Swann

This weekend the boxing gods have blessed us with a gourmet buffet of compelling matchups. As promised in last week’s column, our objective today is to break them down and pick the winners. However, I wouldn’t recommend getting a second mortgage to visit your local bookmaker based on these prognostications considering my recent record. Having given fair warning, here are my weekend selections:

CORRALES-CASAMAYOR III

This is the main event on Showtime Championship Boxing this Saturday at 9 p.m. ET/PT, (delayed on the west coast), the second night of fight cards during the network’s Free Preview Weekend. Diego “Chico” Corrales, 40-3, 33 KO’s, the WBC and Ring Magazine lightweight champion faces former super featherweight titlist Joel Casamayor, 33-3-1 (21), in the rubber match of their trilogy in what should be the most exciting fight of the weekend, broadcast from Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

Their first fight in October 2003 was a slugfest with Corrales floored twice and Casamayor once before the fight was stopped by ring physician Margaret Goodman at the end of the sixth round after Diego’s mouthpiece had cut through his lip from the inside out. Corrales, who had staggered Casamayor at the end of the round after receiving the cut, pleaded with Goodman for one more round, but had to settle for a rematch in March 2004.

In the rematch, Corrales got off to a fast start, outboxing Joel to build an early lead, and held on to win a razor thin split decision despite being floored in the 10th.

Surprisingly, most boxing experts don’t seem to give the underrated Casamayor much of a chance. A recent poll of boxing experts favored Corrales 58-6, with two picking a draw.

I don’t see it as being that easy. Since their first fight and rematch, Corrales has fought Acelino Frietas and two brutal battles with Jose Luis Castillo. Let no one ever say that Chico is not a warrior, but the fact remains that he has absorbed a lot of punishment in recent years. The good thing for Corrales is that early this year he suffered a rib injury that scrubbed the first attempt at a third fight with Castillo in February, and Castillo’s weight problem canceled the rescheduled date in June, so he’s had a full year to refresh his body.

Corrales has the advantage in size and power; Casamayor has more speed and is the superior technical boxer. Corrales is more versatile though and can box as well as slug as he did in Casamayor II. Casamayor’s history is that he rises to the level of his competition.

If Corrales boxes intelligently and patiently, I think he still has the goods to defeat Casamayor. But he is not a quality defensive fighter and his natural instincts may draw him into an unnecessary brawl that might once again expose his weak chin. In what appears to me as a pick-em fight, the advantage may be Joe Goossen in Corrales’ corner.

Pick: Corrales SD 12

DARCHINYAN VS. DONAIRE

This one is a no-brainer - Darchinyan, Darchinyan, and Darchinyan - probably by the seventh round. Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan, 26-0 (21), is the most explosive flyweight in the world and the IBF/IBO titlist. Glenn “The Filipino Bomber” Donaire, 16-2-1 (9) doesn’t figure to run, so he’ll just be brave victim #27.

It should be noted that both fighters are promoted by Gary Shaw, who has been trying to get a world title unification bout for Darchinyan. Unable to get WBA belt holder Lorenza Parra or WBO titlist Omar Narvaez to fight “The Lord of the Flies,” Donaire gets the call.

Seemingly, no one wants to fight Darchinyan, including Jorge Arce, who has ridden cowboy hats and lollipops to a high profile not supported by his ring credits. Arce’s claim to fame is his bloody brawl in his first fight with Hussein Hussein, who is nowhere near Darchinyan’s league.

Arce, who has somehow managed to retain the title of WBC interim flyweight champion since June 2005, recently won a WBC super flyweight eliminator over Masibulele Makepula and said after the fight that he would fight Darchinyan. But, actions speak louder than words.

SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION
THE SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT TOURNAMENT SEMI-FINALS

BUCHANAN-MENDY

On Friday, October 6 at 11 p.m. ET/PT, (also delayed on the west coast), Showtime kicks off their Free Preview Weekend with an intriguing double header from the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California.

The opening bout of the Gary Shaw promoted event features Jean Paul Mendy, the 32 year old French super middleweight champ, 22-0 (12), and Henry “Sugarpoo” Buchanan, 14-0 (11). Mendy reached the semi-finals by blowing out Dallas Vargas at 1:45 of the opening round. Buchanan won an easy decision over Lucas Green-Arias, fighting with a broken hand incurred in the first round.

I’ve seen Buchanan on several occasions and he has power along with the speed and boxing skills that he displayed against Green-Arias. He can fight inside and has a good uppercut. Mendy is a southpaw who looked like a world beater against Vargas, but he still doesn’t have Buchanan’s pop, and many of his victories came against weaker European competition.

Buchanan was booed by the small crowd in Vegas who were unaware of his injury last time when it appeared that he was showboating in the 10th round. The pick here is that this one will never go that far -Buchanan TKO round seven.

HANSHAW - BUNTING

Tony “The Tyger” Hanshaw, 20-0 (13), got here with a shutout decision over Esteban Camou. LaFarrell “Memphis Fairway” Bunting, 16-1-1 (16), entered the tournament as a last minute substitute for the injured Sakio Bika, (who, thank God, has recovered in time to make more money by fighting Joe Calzaghe), and on short notice stopped Jose Luis Herrera in the fifth round.

Hanshaw had over 300 amateur fights under his belt and turned pro after losing a decision to Jermain Taylor in the 2000 Olympic box-offs. He had a unanimous decision victory over eventual IBF middleweight title challenger Kingsley Ikeke in 2001, but two extended layoffs have slowed his progress. He has good technical skills and showed a sharp jab and good movement against Camou, but he’s not a big puncher.

Buntings looked overly cautious and slow in his victory over Herrera, and his punches lacked crispness. But he showed his power with the fifth round TKO.

I’m going to pick Hanshaw’s quickness and accuracy to take the plodding Bunting by unanimous decision.

HBO CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING

VALUEV-BARRETT

WBA heavyweight titleholder Nikolay Valuev is one big dude at 7’0”, 320 pounds, with an 85” reach. Cassius Clay might have said, “He’s too ugly to be champ.” Regardless, he came by his nickname “The Beast from the East” honestly, maybe even from birth. When we said we wanted a heavyweight champion that was larger than life, this wasn’t what we meant, but he is the tallest and heaviest of all time.

He’s more Mountain Rivera than Marciano, yet (horrors) here he is at 44-0 with 32 KO’s, closing in on The Rock’s perfect 49-0, almost a sacrilegious thought. After a career of knocking off International creampuffs, Valuev KO’d Clifford Etienne in May 2005, escaped with a disputed majority decision over Larry Donald that October, then lifted the WBA title with an even more disputed majority decision over John Ruiz in Germany. In June this year, he successfully defended it against Owen Beck with a third round TKO, also in Germany.

Now the hirsute Valuev is set to appear on HBO this Saturday in the main event against Monte “Two Gunz” Barrett, 31-4 (17). Barrett was last seen mugging 12 rounds with Hasim Rahman in August 2005, losing an ugly unanimous decision. Like Valuev, he also stopped Owen Beck last year, his TKO coming in the ninth. Barrett, a small heavyweight by today’s standards to start, will probably be outweighed by 100 pounds, and give up nine inches in height and seven inches in reach.

Etienne, Donald, Beck, even Ruiz and now Barrett - Valuev hasn’t come all that far from his creampuff years - so he has to be favored to win by an early round stoppage, particularly if Barrett takes one look at him and is blinded.

The broadcast from Chicago will begin at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. If you live in the East, crank up the Tivo because Corrales-Casamayor is the priority that night.

ADAMEK -BRIGGS II

The Valuev - Barrett co-feature is worth watching, second only to Corrales - Casamayor this weekend. Undefeated WBC light heavyweight belt holder Tomasz Adamek, 30-0 (21), and Australian Paul “Hurricane” Briggs, 25-2 (18), fought in May 2005 in a bout that was acclaimed as one of the fights of the year.

The fight might have received even more buzz except that it was relegated to off-TV status for a showing of the previous week’s Winky Wright - Felix Trinidad PPV replay. HBO ended up with egg on their corporate faces when in the televised main event, Lamon Brewster starched Andrew Golota in 53 seconds.

Clips of Adamek-Briggs I are available on You Tube. Those who saw it live call it a classic. Adamek won the first fight by majority decision, 114-114, 115-113, and 117-113. The Pole and the Aussie went toe to toe in a brutal slugfest. Adamek suffered a gash outside of his left eye after a clash of heads in the second round and the blood poured for the rest of the fight. But he came on strong down the stretch to take the vacant title.

I’m picking Adamek to win again because:

1) He is the titleholder
2) He is undefeated
3) He is a Pole fighting in Chicago
And, 4) He is tough. He broke his nose in training for the first fight, fought through the pain and the blood from his eye, and still did enough to win.