I am gonna use the Ring rankings as the template here, taking their No.1 in each division and lining him up against the No.2 in the division above; from straweight right up to HW. No warm-up fights for the little man; he's straight in with the division's No.2 in the weight division above. How do these guys fair in these match-ups: Roman Gonzales 21-0 (19) v Ulises Solis 27-1-2 (20) Ivan Calderon 32-0 (6) v Daisuke Naito 33-2-3 (21) Nonito Donaire 19-1 (12) v Fernando Montiel 37-2-1 (28 ) Vic Darchinyan 30-1-1 (24) v Anselmo Moreno 23-1-1 (8 ) Hazumi Hazegawa 25-2 v Rafael Marquez 37-5 (33) Israel Vasquez 43-4 (31) v Steve Luevano 36-1-1 (15) Chris John 41-0-1 (22) v Humberto Soto 45-7-2 (29) Edwin Valero 24-0 (24) v Nate Campbell 32-5-1 (25) Juan Manuel Marquez 49-4-1 (36) v Paulie Malignaggi 25-1 (5) Ricky Hatton 44-1 (31) v Paul Williams 35-1 (26) Antonio Margarito 37-5 (27) v Verno Philips 42-10-1 (21) Vernon Forrest 41-3 (29) v Arthur Abraham 28-0 (24) Kelly Pavlik 34-1 v Lucian Bute 22-0 (18 ) Mikkel Kessler 40-1 (30) v Bernard Hopkins 49-5-1 (32) Joe Calzaghe 46-0 (32) v Tomasz Adamek 35-1 (24) Steve Cunningham 21-1 (11) v Vitali Klitschko 51-3 (45) MY PICKS ARE IN BOLD. The little guys did surprisingly well in my picks, but alas still lost out in the end - Little men: 7 Big men: 9 Who do you choose? Just post your score if you couldn't be bothered copying and pasting over my stuff.
The moment I typed it in I started thinking about that one, and what a lopdided contest it would be. Hatton would be butchered in there. Same applies to Cunningham up against Vitali Klitschko.
Don't forget it wasn't that long ago that Adamek was down at LHW (I think apart from the late kd Dawson handled him pretty easily - he can be outboxed). I think Joe would just be a bit too smart for the Pole.
I think Hatton could make 135 pretty easily - he is usually 139 and eats on the morning of the fight. Williams would take longer than three - Hatton's heart would see him in to the midrounds. Unless Williams turned up on Quintana I form, conclusive beatdown.
Be interesting to see if anyone picked the little men to spring a surprise victory; I think its pretty close myself.