Who will pick up the baton at 140....

after Amir Khan and Tim Bradley officially ditch the division?

Kendall Holt

Holt, a devastating puncher with good handspeed, can crush his opponents when he's on form. On a good day, he puts his punches together well and can bang to head and body.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGfUDI2d2H4[/ame]

But whilst his punching ability make him a potentially dangerous opponent to many, his lack of ring I.Q and questionable punch resisting make him an even more dangerous opponent for himself.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JL4uxrFLAQ[/ame]

After a good start against Timothy Bradley, he ditched his jab and fell into a lackadaisical rut, being soundly outpointed although he did make Tim touch down briefly late as well. He didn't put his shots together and fell in love with his power, which will always be a problem for him. He always holds wins over Demetrious Hopkins (a bizarre split decision, where I felt he won comfortably) David Diaz, Isaac Hlatshwayo, and has gone 1-1 in two highly controversial bouts with fellow vulnerable gunslinger Ricardo Torres.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iVdvzjA-IY[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4hCva2esz8&feature=related[/ame]

He has a good test tonight in his first fight back at 140 following a keep busy fight at Welterweight with Julio Diaz, a career Lightweight who is past his best and has always had the reputation of being chinny. Danny Garcia is a decent prospect and ranked no.9 by The Ring (home cooking IMO), and if he pulls off the upset he legitimises himself as a genuine contender in a still stacked 140lb division.

Robert Guerrero

Guerrero is now looking to snatch a scalp or two at 140lbs, after previously claiming straps at 126 and 135lbs. A sharp punching southpaw, 'The Ghost' is untested at this weight, but has just put in a career best performance against perennial contender Michael Katsidis, comfortably outboxing the always game Australian pressure fighter, and battering him with accurate shots from mid-range for 12 rounds.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=397Lzj9e2iA[/ame]

Guerrero has never stayed in a division long enough to make a claim for the no.1 spot, will this change at 140lbs? He has decent wins over Escebedo, Klassen and Litzau as well as a win over a past-it Joel Casamayor, where Guerrero was sat down late after fighting well early.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D31ShWI5HfY[/ame]

Will Guerrero be at the weight long enough to make a run at ruling the division?

Lucas Matthysse

A far more well-schooled puncher than his compatriot Marcos Maidana, Lucas Matthysse impressed many with his effort against Zab Judah last year.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucmJ_BHR3oI[/ame]

Similarly hard done by against Devon Alexander over ten rounds, who like Zab he sent to the canvas, Matthyse also beat up faded former titlist Vivian Harris, and drubbed tricky veteran DeMarcus Corley. A matchup with former amateur rival Maidana makes sense to me.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHe3rCGvHDA&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL86C2948F52765373[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jpOgiC7LfU&feature=related[/ame]

Marcos Maidana

Will he move up in weight as well. 'Chinese' Maidana is a fearless slugger who can be outmanouvered but is rarely outfought. He can be hurt, stung and dropped, but he has heavy hands and sheer toughness that make him a dangerous contender despite his apparent crudeness. After taking on Kotelnik overseas and going the distance in a close and competitive 12 rounder, the man from Argentina looked to be better than his built-up record suggested. When hot prospect Victor Ortiz was put in with him, Maidana got off the deck to batter him to a stoppage.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2jSMVOxA8c[/ame]

But Maidana is known to most for his action-packed fight with the now no.1 in the division (IMO) Amir Khan, who he had on ***** street late in the fight but ultimately lost a wide decision to.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYFqvXUwVjM[/ame]

Which leads nicely into

Erik Morales

An outside bet, the veteran 'El Terrble' has had to pare his game down, but is now using ring smarts to find openings and remain competitive with younger, fresher, and more powerful opposition. Considered by many including myself to be a lamb to the slaughter against Marcos Maidana, Morales fought superbly throughout despite a grossly swelled eye from round one and a relentless opponent, demonstrating why he is one of the toughest blokes in the history of boxing, but struggled to keep pace down the stretch and lost a decision in a competitive fight. The stylistic matchup ultimately favoured Morales, with the sloppy and slow Maidana being perfect for him to pick his shots against, and use his ring smarts to avoid shipping too much damage.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGqzzrICNHI[/ame]

Whereas the consensus beforehand was that Morales-Maidana was an unnecessary matchup, after it Morales was given heaps of respect. Scheduled to fight Lucas Matthysse, it was again seen as a bad fight for him. Matthysse, less wild and more patient that Maidana, was felt to have a big edge on the Mexican legend. The fight was cancelled, but is it still down the line? Morales instead faced relatively untested prospect Pablo Cesar Cano, and beat him up to force a stoppage, bloodying him with choppy shots and landing a lot of right hands.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFgF9DrTyDA&feature=related[/ame]

I would say Morales doesn't have much longer left, and will eventually come up against someone too fast and fresh enugh to outlast him. I don't see him proving himself the best at 140.

If none of these, then who?

Kotelnik, Alvarado, Katsidis, Rios, Garcia?

 

Guerrero is a very good shout lads, how I forgot him but thought of Katsidis I don't know atsch

OP updated :good