The dazzling and disgraced Juan Guzman has been handed a world title shot against undefeated Timothy Bradley on August 1st. This would be Guzman's first foray into the realms of welterweight, although he was always drained at super-feather and lightweight - so that shouldn't be a factor.

Guzman is a beautiful mover in the ring and there is no doubting his abundant skill. But for me, he is simply a wasted talent. A fighter who should have been a pound-for-pound top ten, but will be remembered for his lack of dedication to the sport. He failed to make his end of the bargain in proposed fights with Nate Campbell and Alex Arthur. Only he will know why those fights did not happen. He didn't make weight for the Campbell fight and was apparently forced to duck the Edinburgh battle with Aruthur due to "visa issues". He has caused much disappointment to his fans and fans of boxing alike. I was going to go to the Edinburgh fight because I loved watching Guzman and thought it would be a privilege to have a fighter of his class on our deprived shores.

But a boxer is not strictly defined by his results, but his commitment to the sport and conduct in and out of the ring. While Guzman is undefeated, he fought three fights in three years and his appeal has plummeted like his name out of boxing's consciousness. So when this news broke, of a supposed world title fight against Bradley, I had mixed emotions. The over-riding feeling was: Joan, you lucky boy.

He has a chance to re-etch his name among the sports elite fighters, if he can take Bradley's 0 in impressive fashion. Bradley is in many ways the opposite of Guzman and this would, stylistically, make a great fight. No doubt. Guzman's quick-fire combinations and counter-punching off the ropes vs Bradley's intelligent pressure, relentless work ethic and superior strength. All things considered I think Bradley will be a narrow betting favourite, if the fight happens (big, big IF), but Guzman is a formidable opponent. If he shows up, Guzman will look to use his superior skill to make Bradley miss and counter him all night long. When all is said and told, he is more than capable of achieving this.

Enzo Maccarinelli has departed from his long term training camp in a last ditch attempt to resurrect his flailing career.

He insists he left Enzo Calzaghe's gym on good terms and would not attribute any blame to Cazlaghe for his devastating loss to Ola Afolabi.

Calzaghe has abruptly gone from hero to zero, as his once brimming gym has become a barren barnhouse in Wales, where most of the exciting talent has disappeared.

Once the gym had three world champions - Joe Calzaghe, Enzo Maccarinelli and Gavin Rees. But Rees' glory was short-lived as he was broken down by methodical Andriy Kotelnik in his first defence, Maccarinelli came up short in a crushing KO to David Haye and Joe Calzaghe has retired. Undefeated prospect Nathan Cleverly, whose skills were developed under Enzo Calzaghe, has swiftly flown the Newbridge nest as he approaches crunch time is his career - a commonwealth British title fight. Bradley Pryce was touted as a future world champion before being recently obliterated by Matthew Hall.

Enzo Maccarinelli hinted that his preparation was not substantial enough for the Afolabi fight, admitting he did no sparring and felt gassed after the first round. He fought a rugged, sloppy fight, landing some solid shots, but the confident Afolabi showed a growing belief, had heavy hands and caught Enzo with the money shot in the 9th which sent Macca's head spinning. He was significantly down on the scorecards but Enzo was in la-la land, back in the place David Haye had put him.

Calzaghe has been vilified for Enzo's defeat and lack of sparring, but the fact is that sparring is not an essential ingredient in the Newbridge gym, which is more focussed on hardcore stamina and speed building. Joe Calzaghe was not a prolific sparrer, as his father pointed out, but Calzaghe is a one-off in terms of skill and he could rely on his natural talent in the ring - so long as his stamina was tip top, which it always was. 'Super Mac' is a different animal to Joe Calzaghe.

Maccarinelli has placed his trust in Preston-based Karl Ince, who is no stranger in the camp and has helped Enzo Calzaghe in the corner before. He is a former fighter and well respected, and will give Macca the "freshening up" he believes he needs. He also admitted he had become too distracted at home in Newbridge and is aware that his future is in the balance.

He has been handed a chance to get himself back in the reckoning against Denis Lebedev, an undefeated Russian who is also on Frank Warren's books. The bout will take place on June 27th and will be for the WBO Intercontinental Championship. Can Maccarinelli rid the demons of two brutal KO's in his last three fights? He has admitted training for UFC and has a strong desire to switch sports eventually, believing his heavy hands could do serious damage in the octagon. Has this taken his focus off the prize in boxing?

Enzo is a skilled fighter, who hits hard and works the body really well - a trait of his former camp in Newbridge. But he has a suspect chin and he may well need more than a change of scenery and trainer to rejuvinate his declining career. He aims to be the first Welshman to reclaim a world title.

Until Saturday Joe Calzaghe was in a privileged position, where no matter who undermined his legacy, the reality was there was no one good enough to fight him.

That is no disrespect to the super middleweight division, which is rife with talent and one of the most compelling weight classes at the moment. Mikkel Kessler is a formidable fighter, and there is a strong cluster of fighters below him in the ranks - Bute, Andrade and Balzsay being a few. There was talk of Kelly Pavlik moving up, but his status plummeted when Bernard Hopkins ruthlessly took his 0 and his spirit in a dominant subjection.

But Calzaghe was unique. He had reached a pinnacle in his career where, after reigning at the top for 11 years, beating just about every type of fighter and style that can be produced, fights that could motivate him were becoming scarce.

He defended his title against brawlers, bangers, undefeated prospects and finished by beating two hall-of-fame legends. His legacy was complete and taunts from the domestic champion Carl Froch were laughable. He had far bigger fish to fry, and Froch did not belong in the ring with him.

That has changed. Froch heroicly took the WBC belt from Jean Pascal in a scintillating slugfest, and announced himself to the world stage. But no one could predict the impact he would make in his first defence of title against the man who had twice beaten Hopkins.

He defied many critics who thought Taylor's pedigree, speed and skill would be too much for the rugged Brit. Make no mistake, Froch's performance was flawed, he was letting the fight slip away from him, sticking his chin out and taking heavy shots from Taylor. He was duly dumped on the canvas for the first time in his career. But his response to this adversity, in Taylor's own back yard, was phenomenal. He imposed his will on Taylor and knocked him out seconds before the fight would have gone to the judges, and his title would have inevitably gone back into the hands of Taylor.

In beating a 'marquee fighter', Froch has elevated himself into a league of fighters which Calzaghe can't dismiss. The Cobra demands, and now commands respect in the boxing world. Calzaghe is retired. But there will be voices within him, telling him to fight Froch. To relieve this irritant. He can ignore the voices, but after Froch's fighting talk following his KO of Taylor, the voices will be louder than ever. His first thought after the gruelling defence of his WBC crown was - "look at me now Joe, i'm everything I said i'd be, now come and fight me and prove your not afraid of me." His attitude was refreshing: "Come on Joe" he said. "It's just a fight, what's the worst that can happen?" A cunning approach to the subject, a new ploy to coax the Welshman out of "pipe and slippers" lifestyle and I have no doubt the message got through. Calzaghe is a proud man and very conscious of his legacy and status; he does not want any questions hanging over his achievements. Froch is a lingering question, which may have arrived just too late for the Cobra to get his wishes, but would it be a good fight for Froch?

I think not. Calzaghe's work rate would give him nightmares and the Welshman, unlike Taylor, has the heart of a lion. He is not deterred by power, as he proved against Kessler, who landed some fierce blows on him. His mesmeric, ballerina-like footwork, his range and rapid hand speed have surprised and bewildered every opponent he has faced. Unlike Taylor, Calzaghe would be able to execute a game plan to perfection, with supreme confidence in his ability to do so.

Froch keeps his hands low, gets too involved at times and neglects his defence. He relies on his heart, heavy hands, strong chin and precision counter-punching. He is vulnerable to a big puncher and we saw against Taylor that if he takes enough heavy shots he can go down. Taylor decided not to jump on Froch and in fact, was the perfect gentleman as he gave him space and time to recover his legs.Calzaghe would not KO Froch, but he would land a multitude of clean shots on him and enough to back-up the Nottingham banger.

What is exciting is that Froch underperformed against Taylor and there is more to come from him. According to him, his slow start was down to a rushed warm-up and nerves of the big occasion, his entry into the elite class. Froch can be a great, dominant world champion, but there is one man who has the power to change that and it's the sublime, retired Joe Calzaghe. Beware the Welshman.

The first question I have to raise about Andre Ward's next, and by far most dangerous fight is: what makes him the favourite?

The hyped-up 2004 Olympic gold medalist is 18 fights into his pro career and has been carefully pitted against opponents who all share the same common denominator: they don't throw leather at him. Such is the reticence of Ward's victims thus far, he has enjoyed a dominant, trouble free build up to the fight of his life. There's nothing better for your confidence than when the opposition sit back and let you do your thing. Such was the case in his recent defeats of Henry Buchanan, Esteban Camou, Rubin Williams and Roger Cantrell. Ward was allowed to showcase his skills, fight at his pace, always gaining confidence, and landing telling shots at will.

Ward has a solid enough shot, but certainly not concussive. It's more precision and speed, combined with a good punch output, which do the damage. And his stylish array of punches are aesthetically pleasing - A+ material. Ward looks a natural in the pro arena, but like all modern boxers in the nascent phase of their development, his chin has not come close to being tested. Not since he was dazed in his second pro fight.

To his credit he has beaten everyone who has been placed in his path and he has done it with style. He has shown stong potential, has a high work rate and his speed will cause problems for your average super middleweight. He also has a real instinct to finish a fight.

In my opinion, Ward is facing his right of passage as he is thrown into the lair of Pantera, Edison Miranda, who is a big puncher and has fought on the fringes of world titles for years now. He is an intimidating, rough, rugged, flawed, but very live fighter who has knocked out the majority of his opponents and only fallen short against two outstanding men: one of the pound-for-pound heaviest punchers, undefeated King Arthur Abraham and another heavy puncher, who backs you up with 100 punches a round, Kelly Pavlik. These fights were at middleweight where Miranda was constantly drained. Sometimes he shed a staggering 60 pounds to get down to the 160 limit. He traded leather with Pavlik in a memorable fight, where Pavlik's relentless style, and granite chin, took the Columbian by surprise. He took a ridiculous amount of punishment, giving out plenty himself, before wilting in the seventh. No shame in that.

He was alway out of his depth against IBF world champion Aruthur Abraham, who twice beat Miranda, once with a broken jaw, caused by a Columbian headbutt, and the most recent with a spectacular KO in the fourth. Abraham is reserved in the ring and only explodes sporadically, but his power in phenomenal. But Miranda does have something in common with Pavlik and Abraham, he is a warrior. He willingly takes punishment, will hunt you down and trade with you until one of you goes down. He is not a smart fighter, nor does he protect himself enough, but he has great confidence in his ability to apply pressure and once he lets his hands go, you're in a dangerous place. You can only survive the Panther's lair by having courage and some good whiskers. Does Andre Ward have either of these attributes? We are about to find out. But once things for sure, although Miranda will probably always be on the peripheral of the world class, he is good enough to destroy anyone below that tier of exceptional fighters who can stand toe-to-toe with him and come out on top.

Having said that, Miranda has now moved up to super middleweight, hence this fight with Ward, and he has looked a little sluggish in each of his recent KO's. Certainly his speed has dminished. But he still possesses that brutal power which enables him to bully opponents and drag them into a war, which he usually wins.

Ward will look to use his speed and work Miranda from the outside as he is pursued by the Columbian. He has good jab, can mix it up and is confident enough to switch to southpaw if he thinks it will work. I don't think Ward will be intimidated easily, nor will any of Miranda's roughhouse tactics phase him too much. But Pantera has at least twice as much pluck, power and pressure than anyone Ward has fought. It's a gigantic step up in class. Miranda has fought two of the world's best fighters and has nothing to fear in Ward. This fight will come down to how Ward copes with Miranda's power. Ward has the skills to outbox Miranda and will not have a problem finding the target. He can outland Miranda, but who will land the telling shots? The punch will dicatate the momentum of this fight. I don't think Ward's power will trouble Miranda, at least until the later stages, but if Ward can stand up to Miranda's punch, maybe he can claim a memorable, late stoppage with the accumulation taking it's toll on the Columbian.Ward is good at avoiding punches and must use this skill, constantly moving so that he avoids being embroiled in a war. He should thrive on fighting in his back yard in Oakland CA.

Yet if the Columbian catches him, pins him on the ropes,and drags him into his fight, I envisage another Miranda KO and a crushing blow to the prospects of Andre Ward. I have an overwhleming feeling that Ward is fighting Miranda too soon. Based on that i'm saying Miranda by KO in the 7th, with Ward still emerging with a bright future.

Juan Manuel Lopez has reached a point where he must feel invincible. Three consecutive first round KO's over fighters who were meant to test him. When I say test him, I mean on paper. Because in actual fact Sergio Medina's record flattered to deceive and Cesar Figeuroa was there for the taking with 5 KO defeats to his name already. That leaves Daniel Ponce De Leon, previously undefeated, never dropped and a fearsome puncher himself. In this fight, a straight-up shoot-out, Ponce De Leon emerged confidently, swinging freely, as always, with no respect for the power of Lopez. He soon paid the price as Lopez found the opening for his devastating right hook quickly and Ponce's legs were jellified thereafter. He was soon a sitting duck. Lopez's more measured, less anxious approach paid off.

One man who mocks Juan Maunel Lopez's resume thus far is the wily Philipeano veteran Gerry Penalosa. He is in a different league to anyone 'Juanma' has fought. He has sublime ring craft, is frightening durable and possesses the type of precise, systematic punching that we attribute to Juan Manuel Marquez. He is versataille and adapts in the ring once he finds a game plan to execute. Usually this involves, like Marquez, luring his opponent to make the first move and finding the telling counter-punch. Unlike many of 'Juanma's victims, Penalosa will find a way to negate the brutal power of the Peurto Rican southpaw. He completely disarmed Ponce De Leon in their world title fight, where the Mexican somehow won a unanimous decision by a disgusting margin, when he had been counter-punched, backed-up and made to miss for most of the fight.

So what fight did the judges see? Well, they saw Ponce De Leon throw many, many punches while Penalosa was more sparing with his. But while Ponce's punches were blocked, Penalosa found the telling shots, mainly the right hook over Ponce's lazy left and occasionally a left-hook over the top. These would snap back Ponce's head and temporarily stop him in his tracks. Effective aggression. Ponce threw some good body shots throughout, but none of them affected the tough-as-nails Penalosa, who never stopped pursuing the Mexican. Penalosa actually had De Leon running for the last few rounds, changing his strategy so he wasn't open to the right hook which had been landing flush all night. What cannot be taken away from Penalosa is that he found a strategy that worked, the punch that landed and out-boxed the champion for most the fight.

Can the Ponce De Leon fight be used as a blue print for Saturdays mouth-watering clash between Penalosa and Lopez? In some respects, yes. It may be the closest blue print we will find as to how this fight will pan out. Ponce and Lopez are both southpaws who have relied on their heavy hands. Ponce De Leon showed good work rate in his fight with Penalosa, something which ultimately impressed the judges. We haven't seen 'Juanma' even close to fighting anyone who has made him work. 'Juanma' has risen to the top with his exhilerating one-punch power, which may be far superior to Ponce's. When he lands to the head and body, his opponents seem to wilt before him, crumbling pathetically. Will Penalosa, who has never been stopped in 54 fights, suddenly go to pieces under Juanma's seemingly super-human power? This fight will go a long way to proving how unstoppable Juanma actually is, because if there's anyone who can soak up punishment and protect himself effectively, it's Penalosa. Juanma will more than likely be taken the distance in a gruelling fight and how he will respond to this will determine his future.

Juanma is not a combination puncher and he will need to be, to subdue Penalosa. Ponce De Leon managed for a few rounds to keep Penalosa quiet as he threw non-stop combinations. These were wild and left him open to Penalosa's precision counter-punches, but at least he was able to fend off the Philapeano. Penalosa will protect his head and willingly soak up punishment to the body and perhaps we will see how brutal Juanma is when he lays in to Penalosa's exposed ribs.

I have a strong feeling that Penalosa will take 'juanma' to school. He will respect the power of Juanma and this means that he will not be opening up until the later rounds, should it go that far. He will look to find a weakness in the Peurto Rican and if there is a chink, he will exploit it. We really don't know if Juanma can take a punch, or an accumulation of precise punches - that Penalosa will deliver. If he can, this fight could well go to the hands of the judges and their impressions will decide the fate of the super-bantamweight title. But wlll Juanma find a plan b if his power does not subdue the courageous, and seemingly unflappable Penalosa?

I found Wladimir Klitschko's retort to David Haye's artistic t-shirt highly amusing. Haye enjoys goading his opponents because he believes, like many of us, that the present heavyweight champions of the world do the division a grave injustice. That is, in relation to the history of heavyweight champions who inspire such awe in our minds eye. Louis, Marciano, Liston, Ali, Foreman, Frazier. These names are loaded with prestige and presence, they command respect, fear and admiration.  I won't waste words on this topic because it's been exhausted. Suffice to say we eagerly await a true great to emerge and demolish the current status quo.The point is - Haye has a point. His disgust is shared by many boxing fans.

I'm not beginning to suggest that Haye will become the undisputed heavyweight champion and mark his name in history among the greats. But when Wladimir Klitschko became rather upset with Haye's t-shirt, depicting him triumphantly holding each of the Klitschko's heads, with their bodies strewn in a heap on the floor, he used a phrase which invoked the words of one of the all time greats. Klitschko basically said that, although he could finish the fight quick, he would prolong Haye's punishment for the full 12 rounds, as a result of the Brit's insolence and disrespect. Ring any bells?

His angry response was fair enough, and it created a necessary drop of bad blood betweeen the two. Hype must be generated and milked for this fight, because it is arguably the biggest heavyweight title fight in six years, since Dr Iron Fist, Vitali, fought Lennox Lewis and was winning until he suffered a horrendous cut, which brought it to a premature end in the sixth.

But Wladimir's words echoed the words Jack Johnson, used before his long-awaited shot at the World Heavyweight title - as opposed to the exclusively "Coloured" version of the title he had been forced to endure for years. Johnson would fight the champion Tommy Burns in Australia and knew that he would finally be the acknowledged world champion, as he would surely dominate the much smaller, lighter, and generally inferior specimen. Tommy Burns had uttered taunts before the bout along the lines of: "Aint no nigga ever gonna take my title".

So Johnson uttered some prophetic words of his own, in his respectful manner, to the tune of: "I'm going to make his beating extra long to teach him a lesson." He did just that, fighting a patient fight, revelling in the moment, owning Burns in the ring by holding him, landing the odd explosive combination in close quarters, which may have taken a few of Burns' teeth out. But while landing heavy shots which crumpled Burns, he physically held him up so as to prolong the fight and the pain for the white man. A statement to the world, which shocked onlookers so much that the police ended up halting the contest in round 14, with the live transmission also being cut.

Wlad Klitschko, ever the scholar, will be acutely aware of the history of heavyweight boxing and perhaps regards himself as an extension of the divisions prestige and honour. He has delusions of grandeur and why not? He is recognised as the best, at the moment. But does he imagine he is so dominant that he can carry a dangerous fighter like Haye for an entre fight, owning him, perhaps toying with him the way Jack Johnson owned Tommy Burns, smiling at the cameras while he paws away the hopeless Brit? He may realise a crushing truth on June 20th: he is a worthy champion standing tall in a barren division, but he is only keeping the throne warm, for he will be usurped by a great champion.

A few fights this year have inspired awe and will take some beating. Juan Manuel Marquez staked his pound-for-pound claims with a perfect performance over 'The Baby Bull' Juan Diaz - ten years his junior. Ever the ring technician, Marquez took a few rounds to get used to Diaz's pressure, before carefully dissecting him with precise, measured counter-punching and crucially, banking the body shots. Most boxers would have wilted under Diaz's non-stop assault that night, his performance was close to perfect, he just fought the better boxer and the same result would happen every time. Considering the 35-year-old Marquez handed Joel Casamayor his first stoppage defeat last September, he really is the man to beat in the lightweight division.

But the stand-out performance for me is 37-year-old Shane Mosely's brutal annihilation of the seemingly unstoppable freight train, Antonio Margarito. Let's put this in context. Shane Mosely is supposed to be approaching the twighlight of his long, illustrious career. He earned world titles in three weight divisions, beating Oscar De La Hoya twice in the process and was only beaten by two men, Winky Wright and Vernon Forrest before meeting the man-of-the moment Miguel Cotto and just falling short.Then he struggled to contain the wild puncher Ricardo Mayorga at light-middleweight, in a fight which could have gone either way before his KO in the dying seconds of the 12th.

He always maintained he still felt good. What he did to Antonio Margarito will go down in history as the moment the man who takes your heart, had his heart taken for the first time. Hand wraps aside, Margarito was fresh off a stunning KO of Miguel Cotto, who had looked unbreakable in his welterweight reign. Cotto won the first six rounds for me, boxing beautifully off the ropes, counter-punching the Mexican and making him look foolish with his inferior speed and timing. But the fight turned in the seventh as Cotto's game plan started to look fallible. He could not suppress Margarito's desire no matter how many clean, hard shots he landed. Margarito did not have any artificial wraps on his chin, he simply took every punch Cotto threw without flinching. And as he began to dig at Cotto's ribs, the pendulum swung towards the Mexican and a battered Cotto had nothing left in the 11th.

It was established here that you can't run from Antonio Margarito, because he will take your punches, cut off the ring and punish you eventually. The Mexican is so confident in his chin, he walks through punches gleefully just to show he can take them and pin you against the ropes. He owns the trenches and his favourite game is to hunt you down before dragging you into his lair - a terrible place.

Until he fought Mosely. He can't have expected what 'Sugar' was going to bring at his age. Mosely went out in the first round to take Margarito's heart - he went for broke - meeting him head on. He used his fast, heavy hands to great effect, landing a multitude of bombs early on to gain Margarito's respect. He did just that. Margarito smiled after having his head constantly snapped back by the power of Mosely's right hand, which landed all night. The smile became a regular occurence, an acknowledgement that he had felt the punch. The smile died down eventually. Mosely won every round on route to his 9th round TKO, using dazzling combinations, pummeling a befuddled Margarito, who was totally out of his depth and knew it. He was unable to execute his usual game because every time he came forward he ate Mosely's fists. The dynamite in Mosley's hands was perhaps underestimated by the over-confident Mexican, who did not use anywhere near enough head movement or defence to protect himself.

It was Mosely's finest performance. He threw caution to the wind, took the heart of the Mexican warrior and showed more than ever that he can trade with the best. Sugar is the dominant welterweight force, with nothing to prove, but perhaps if Andre Berto gets past Juan Urango, Mosely could find the motivation to take away his 0.

Yurioriki Gamboa put in his most measured performance to date as he amassed all his amateur skills and speed to brtually box Jose Rojas into a 10th round stoppage. He was patient, even jabbed to the body, hovered on the outside and waited for Rojas to make a move before launching devastating counter-punch offensives. The Cuban battered Rojas with an array of beautiful, single power shots, which were delivered periodically in each round and had Rojas running the entire fight.

In truth, the fight was a hideous mismatch. Gamboa landed a big right hand in the first round, which caused swelling in the right eye of Rojas and duly won his respect for the entire fight. Rojas wanted to stay in there for the full 12, but the referee had seen enough when Gamboa forced Rojas back for the upteenth time in the fight, looking poised for a late, spectacular finish. There were a couple of trademark flurries from Gamboa, anxiously rushing accross the ring, throwing bombs towards the back-pedalling Rojas. But for most of the fight Gamboa displayed a new poise, where he was prepared to wait for Rojas to throw first, make him miss then pounce to devastating effect. This approach makes Gamboa even more formidable, because I can't see a way to beat him if he is patient and tempers his fury. He has the skills to outbox and overwhelm any featherweight in the world, it's down to his trainer Ismael Salas to make him realise and utilise what he possesses. Salas will be happy with his progress tonight.

Cuban trainer Ismael Salas has the opportunity to refine one of the rawest boxing specimens in the world. His challenge: to instil an element of defence into one of the most explosive and exhilerating talents to emerge in recent history.

Yuriorki Gamboa is reckless abandon personified. In fact, the Cuban, who is a 2004 Olympic gold medalist with abundant amateur pedigree, treats boxing's oldest adage, "protect yourself at all times", with scorn and derision. Defence is absent from his game. The only way he seeks to avoid punches is by hovering outside punching range, then when he hurls one of his hayemakers, he frantically bobs his head to make them miss. Attack is defence for Gamboa and he will also look to simply overwhelm his opponents with fast, hard combinations. He has supreme confidence in his style.

His energy is indomitable. He bounces around the ring as if there are springs in his feet, with his arms always  hanging by his sideas he faints this-way, that-way, until he sees an opening and pounces. His attacks are devastating and his hand-speed is bewildering. Because his hands start from waist height, he is able to launch attacks from every angle, usually in the form of hooks, which you can only catch on slow motion playback. Gamboa seems to rush his fights, but he can keep his ferocity going the distance and has proven this over ten rounds.

He is 5,5 yet has the aura of Mike Tyson. He has bulldozed his way up the featherweight rankings, using his heavy hands and relentless attacks to overwhelm all 14 of his opponents so far - 12 by KO. He has won nine of his 14 win inside two rounds, but has twice gone ten rounds and these are the fights which Ismael Salas will study if is to improve Gamboa's rugged approach. Both those fights, against Darling Jimenez (Salas was brought in as a result of this fight) and Roger Gonzalez, had a fundamental likeness. They both demonstrated how you can tuck up tight with a defence, survive Gamboa's onslaughts and be selective with your punching, waiting for him to rush in head first then BAM!

Gamboa's been down four times and is a counter-puncher's dream. He will gift you free shots throughout because he doesn't put his hands up and plunges in with his shots from distance, sometimes head first. He has never been in serious trouble and he has showed good recovery powers. But he can be caught flush with well-timed, short punches which will temporarily halt the Cuban. You can't trade with him because if you leave yourslef open he will turn your lights out quick. But Jimenez - possibly one of the most durable fighters in the division - soaked up Gamboa's attacks all night (lord knows what pain he went through), waited for him to make the inevitable mistake and then opened up with precise shots on the button. It was intelligent boxing, and an incredibly gutsy performance. The man from the  Dominican Republic was never put down and exposed Gamboa's style as deeply flawed. Yet Gamboa never tired, kept throwing punches and ultimately battered Jimenez, whose eyes were bulging and practically shut by the end of the fight - a lop-sided decision. One noticable thing about Gamboa's attacks against the tightly guarded Gonzalez (TKO'd in 10) and Jimenez, is that he never thought to go to the body, where he could have done a world of damage. He seemed intent on taking their heads of and has been known to waste punches in this respect. Conversely his conditioning is tip-top and he doesn't stop throwing; punch out-put is not an issue.

So as Gamboa enters fight 15 against Jose Rojas, with the Cuban a strong favourite to knock the 37-year-old Venezuelan out, there are a myriad technical enhancements he could make to become one of the most successful Cuban fighters of all time. The question is: can Ismael Salas, or any trainer, change the Cuban's incorrigible tendency to neglect defence? If not, surely another knockdown and eventual KO is a distinct likelihood for the exciting Cuban, who is yet to reach his prime.

Cristobal Arreola is rountinely dismissed by a large portion of the boxing public. He has a big heart, carries a large weight on his shoulders - being the great American heavyweight hope - and a bulging belly to go with it. He is a unique heavyweight in that he uses stylish combinations to punish his foes and  has accumulated an impressive KO ratio, earning him some respect in the division.

He made easy work of Jameel Mcline on Saturday night in a fight which has evoked anger throughout much of the boxing public, who saw in Mcline a fighter who was there to pick up a pay cheque and keep the Arreola bandwagon chugging along without any resistance. A couple of token left hooks in the third round were about all the old-timer Mcline could muster before being put on the floor and out of his misery in the fourth as he showed scant desire to get back to his feet. Yet he still managed to demonstrate Arreola's vulnerabilities in a microcosm.

The Mexican/American put some good attacks together, particularly giving Mcline's 'jelly belly' the attention it deserved. But he weighed in at 255lbs and the most concerning thing about that is that he seems comfortable at the weight.. Yes, he is winning fights impressively, but his excess flab and blatent lack of dedication in training will be exposed. It's simple physics, the more fat you are carrying, the more your speed is compromised, the easier a target you become and that is why it can be very beneficial to achieve something close to your physical prime. Arreola wants to be a world champion and fight the best, and he has the skills to hang with the best, without question. His strong amateur background carries through in his punch-repetoire. And his style and willingness to trade is far more inspiring than some of the eastern European World Champions. But his career will nose-dive faster than he can eat burgers if he isn't training for 12 hard rounds. At the moment, I see a good fighter in Arreola, whose conditioning will get found out against any of the current top five heavyweights. David Haye would probably embarass him as well. The fact is, none of the World Heavyweight champions inspire fear anymore, they are all beatable and that is what gives the flabby heavyweights, such as Arreola hope. Vitali Klitschko may still be formidable or he may, as I suspect, be a little sluggish and a sitting duck for someone with David Haye's speed. But the Ukranian commands the most respect in the division and would pulverise a 255lb Arreola. Shed 20lb of Arreola, to a weight he was fighting at not so long ago, and i'm certain his plight will be taken a little more seriously. He is definitely a people's fighter, whose humility and willingness to entertain can go a long way in this heavyweight era. 

Strong chins don't grow on trees. Genes are constant and once a boxer has been struck down - he is always liable to go down again. But the spectrum of 'chin strength' is vast and while some fighters are painfully fragile to a big punch, others can be put down by a flush shot and still recover their senses, swiftly putting the incident behind them.

Joe Calzaghe, undefeated throughout his 15-year career, was on the canvas four times, yet never looked in trouble. He always had a response, usually by fighting fire with fire,  swiftly snuffing out the danger. Byron Mitchell dropped Calzaghe so heavily that it the Welshman did a transition from standing upright to being a crumpled heap on the floor in a split second. But such was his instinct, he jolted back to his feet, realised he was in deep waters and finished Mitchell in that very same round - the second.

Calzaghe was unique and his recovery powers are part of what made him unbeatable. Contrary to Calzaghe, some fighters have seemingly iron plated chins and just don't go down. Shane Mosely has to be in this category because he has one of the most awe-inspiring resumes in boxing, and yet has never been put down, to my knowledge. Even after fighting animals like De La Hoya, Cotto, Forrest, Vargas, Mayorga, Margarito, all of whom landed big shots on 'Sugar', but could not make enough impression to drop him.

And then there's Amir Khan. The 22-year old enigma has been dropped three times, one in a devastating knock out defeat to Columbian slugger Breidis Prescott. Khan's first knock down, against power-puff puncher Willie Limond, rang alarm bells to the expectant British public. Khan survived a rocky patch after being clubbed down in a rather ugly attack from the Scot, who threw everything he had to finish the fight. No-one knew what how to react; this wasn't meant to happen. Limond was a natural super-featherweight who had eight stoppage wins from 29 fights. Khan bounced back to finish Limond spectacularly, but when lightening struck twice, against Michael Gomez - another super featherweight - Frank Warren must have been trembling with fear. His brightest young 'superstar' had a fundamental chink, which would almost certainly hinder his entire career.

Briedis Prescott, a young puncher who had bypassed the radar of much of the general boxing public, obliterated Khan and exposed his frail chin in front of the world on Khan's first box office appearance. For the Khan camp, it had been a catastrophe waiting to happen. Khan has made habitual mistakes in routine fights which, for someone of his potential, should not have happened. And now he had faced an opponent equal to his size (Prescott had campaigned at light-welterweight) his chin had wilted under a couple of wild swings from the Columbian.

Still, on the positive side, Khan has an exhilerating edge to his style and can finish fights ruthlessly, with precise flurries of heavy punches. For he is heavy-handed, and has lightening fast hand-speed. But that won't carve him a legacy. Neither will his defeat over the half-blind Barrera, no matter how impressively he dominated the Mexican legend. Khan is a work in progres and perhaps Freddie Roach will refine his skills, defence and footwork enough to make the Brit a genuine force on the world stage. But how long before he faces another puncher? He has been wisely nudged up a weight so as to avoid the animals who await him at lightweight and would lick their lips at the prospect of fighting the fragile Bolton boy (Marquez, Valero, Katsidis, Casamayor etc). Khan doesn't belong in that class, yet, and maybe he will have some joy at light-welter, starting with the tough, but slightly one-paced WBA champion Andrej Kotelnik. It is possible that Khan could outbox him if he stuck to a game plan, but what then? Juan Urango? Kendall Holt? Timothy Bradley? And pigs will fly.

Former Olympian Jeff Lacy was a victim of over-hype syndrome and is in the midst of a vertical plummet. He clings on to his career with courage and grit, but it is surely slipping away from him - for one reason or another.

Lacy has suffered injuries, like his left shoulder, which have dramatically limited his arsenal, which was never the most luxurious array of weapons to begin with. He has a thumping right hand, which is capable of backing opponents up. Periodically, this is set up with an impressive jab. But after his unravelling at the hands of Joe Calzaghe, who single-handed exposed the fearsome bully, the monstrous puncher in Lacy as a tragic myth, the Olympian has looked painfully vulnerable. He has just about lost every ounce of the aura which once engulfed him when he was bulldozing his way through the super middleweight division, overwhelming Robin Reid (whom Calzaghe struggled against) and Scott Pemberton.

There's nothing more statisfying for me when a boxer who shows potential, is defeated for the first time, but picks himself up and comes back stronger. I desperately wanted to see Mikkel Kessler bounce back and win the world title because he is a world class fighter for me, who came undone against one of the elite fighters of our times. Kessler is back with two impressive knock outs and the Welsh demons have surely been exorcised. In Lacy's 'comeback' after Calzaghe, it is painfully apparent that he is still carrying those demons. There is a pattern to his fights now, which started with the Vitaly Tsypko fight. He lands thudding right hands in an attempt to assert himself early on, yet when he realises that his power is not making a huge impression, the way it used to, doubt creeps into his mind like a poison. He runs out of ideas, gets tagged repeatedly and ends up clinging onto his opponent, or rugby tackling them like he did against Epifanio Mendoza. Sad. Barring of course, Jermaine Taylor, Lacy's best buddy, who probably went easy on the fallen Olympian anyway, Lacy has encountered crisis after crisis against average fighters. Both the Tsypko and Mendoza decisions were controversial and he could have easily lost both.

He didn't. He got through them, with a little help from the judges and he managed to grind out a win against Manfredo Jr, whislt not disgracing himself against Bad Intentions - even having Taylor on the canvas at one stage. To his credit, Lacy has never been stopped, but is he a spectauclar stoppage waiting to happen? Or is he, like he says, in a better place now and reinvigorated with a new mental strength?

His career has some parallels with British Olympian Amir Khan, yet Khan is far from fallen. Though he has fell a few times, Khan still has a chance to put things right. Lacy is on just about his last chance tonight, against Otis Griffin, who has three stoppage defeats in his last four fights. Get the job done Jeff, and show us all you have something left to give.

Wladimir Klitschko has  dismantled ten heavyweights following his knock out defeat to Lamon Brewster in 2004, with only two going the distance. His probing jab is his central armoury, it forms the basis of his defence and sets up his powerful straight rights. He keeps his opponents infuriatingly out of reach and breaks them down, as they slowly realise that they are going to need to produce something special to even get close to the big man. He is the force of the modern heavyweight era.

The first point to make about Wlads current dominance, an unavoidable truth, is that he has largely beaten a bunch of cumbersome, old, has-beens and sometimes not even 'beens', just 'has'. Not since he fought Samuel Peter, recently demolished by Vitali, has Wlad fought anyone remotely youthful. That is all you need to say about the modern heavyweight division and that is why the division needed the 28-year-old Bermondsey bomber David Haye. He has disrupted the equilibrium and poses a major threat to all the current cream-of-the-heavyweight crop.

Haye punched ridiculously hard at cruiserweight and has also proved he can carry the bombs at heavyweight, destroying Thomasz Bonin in around a minute, and  wiping out Monte Barrett in five. In the modern heavyweight standard, both were dangerous fights for a cruiserweight in his nascent heavyweight days. Haye has supreme confidence and so he should. He's young, possesses KO power and has lightening hand-speed for a big man. He has the attributes to resurrect the heavyweight era, making the undisputed champion a global icon once again.

Haye is making a big step up against the Ukranian champion, but look at it from his perspective: What does he have to fear from Wladimir? The Ukranian has never fought a heavyweight as quick as Haye. His measuring, left paw, usually so effective in subduing opponents, cannot be as effective against Haye; Wlad will not see some of the punches coming his way. He is a big target for the Hayemaker and you can see what Haye is thinking when he states: "His style is made for me".

Klitschko lacks the power of surprise and he is one-dimensional - usually to dominant effect. His style is one of the most awkward to combat. It takes a special punch to topple Klitschko. But he's used to fighting heavyweights who are either old (Thompson), slow (Rachman) or lack a big punch (Ibragimov), and if Haye's speed wasn't enough of a problem - he has the special punch in him to turn out Wlad's lights.

Don't get me wrong. Haye does not like being hit and even some of Barrett's wild, clubbing blows, which only grazed the Brit, still made his legs unsteady. The Hayemaker is liable to crumble against a hard-hitter. That's why he gets to work quickly and is often axious to get the other man out of there. In short, Haye will be beaten if he is tentative and allows Wlad to get into his mechanical rythm.

But for me there's no danger of that happening. Haye will land some bombs early on, he will take Wlad right out of his comfort zone and when Wlad is stunned for the third or fourth time, Haye will swarm all over him and finish him in exhilerating style - around the fourth. Wlad's plod is coming to a screeching halt. This will surely set Haye up for a clash with Wlad's brother, Vitali, who has an iron chin and will be a whole different kettle of fish.

There is good reason for former undisputed middleweight king Jermaine Taylor to utter the words "Carl who?". While Bad Intentions was mixing with, and beating legends like Bernard Hopkins, Froch was scrapping with domestic nobodys. Taylor has pedigree and commands an imperious resume, whilst  the Nottingham banger has a large pile of domestic KO's as his collectables. He always said he was heading for the top and now he is finally mixing in the world class a the age of 31, following his gutsy victory over the previously unbeaten Jean Pascal.

One fundamental question hanging over the Cobra now is: will his thunderous punch carry in the world class as it did against the average collection of Brits and Europeans he left in his wake? If he has dynamite, he has a chance because Jermaine Taylor was left in a crumpled heap by Kelly Pavlik's right hand. Yet in the second fight, Taylor's more measured approach almost nicked him a win over Pavlik, whose right hand was starved of chances to connect with Taylors jaw. Taylor at his best is a classy fighter, with a level of power and speed which make him a fearsome opponent for anyone. That is a genuine concern for Froch, who shipped a frightening amount of heavy shots against Pascal. He took them like a warrior, without a flinch, but Taylor will hurt Froch without question if he lands with the regularity that Pascal did.

However, Froch has a unique style that Taylor may struggle to deal with. With his left arm by his side, invitingly, the Cobra hovers just outside his foe's range, waiting for them to open up before striking venomously from obscure angles. He conserves his energy well, likes to slow the pace down, before unloading a barrage of shots at close range. Froch controls fights with his power and he has thus far, always stifled his opponents with his power. Even Jean Pascal, who stood up to Froch throughout the entire fight, tired in the second half and didn't stay as busy. If Froch can earn Taylor's respect the way Pavlik did, forcing Bad Intentions into a more defensive retreat - this fight can belong to the Cobra. If Froch is careless, which he often is, in taking too much punishment, he may come undone against Taylor, who has too much power and snap in his shots to be taking in abundance.

Froch may be right in saying that he is in his prime, but at 31, he does not have the time to be making comebacks. This is it for the Cobra. A noteable fact is that Taylor has looked jaded since his second victory over B-Hop in 2005. Could it be that Froch is facing him at the right time in his career? Using his fights against Winky Wright and Cory Spinks (where he struggled) in this analysis may be irrelevant because they are crafty, defensive opponents who can make it difficult to look good. But Pavlik's dominance over Taylor is a useful blueprint because it showed that Bad Intentions can be bullied into retreat. Let's remember that Taylor is a natural middleweight and used to fighting smaller fighters than Froch.

Froch has rarely fought outside the comfort of Nottingham, but I think he's made for the world stage and will relish this moment. I see the Cobra stunning Taylor early on and Taylor will be faced with the question: to trade or not to trade? Taylor's pride will dictate him and he will be drawn into the Cobra's battlezone, exchanging bombs before being halted around the 10th by a swarm of stinging blows. Froch will announce himself to the world and be lined up for potential mega-fights with the likes of Pavlik, Mikkel Kessler and Arthur Abraham - all of whom are likely to be fighting in the 167lb division.

Floyd Mayweather Jr is rumoured to be on his way back and that can only be good for boxing. The defensive master exemplified how you can win a fight without being the aggressor. His popularity wavered. He was messiah in the eyes of the purists yet to some his style was infuriating and he became a pantomime villain, a role he loved to play. His status as our pound-for-pound king of boxing made his personality disappointing for the average boxing fan. Floyd was enigmatic on camera, he showed flashes of humility and happiness, but his overwhelming persona was one of contemptuous arrogance. However his unblemished record was a testament to the fact that he was unique and no-one had found a way to beat him.

But boxing needed a hero. As Floyd fought  withered opponents such as Arturo Gatti and Carlos Baldomir, perhaps side-stepping the more dangerous fights against Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto, Manny Pacquiao slowly dissected an array of the worlds best super-featherweights in exhilarating fashion.

His style was selfless. He didn't just fight for himself, he fought for the sport and the fans.  He exhibited lightening speed, pin-point accuracy and knock out power in his stinging left hand. Not to mention his adorable, humble showmanship. His uncultured defence left him open to the counter-punch, but his ferocity could not be contained. Juan Manuel Marquez discovered this in both their epic fights, where the Mexican, who possesses sublime skill and a gorgeous, intelligent counter-punching style, found the Philipeano a little hot to handle. Who actually won those fights is an argument which will continue throughout history, but it cannot be questioned that the more dangerous of the two was always the Pacman.

Pacquiao has evolved before our eyes. He has slowly shed his former, wreckless style for a seemingly unbeatable combination of speed, timing, precision and power. He has realised, with some help from Freddy Roach, that he can pick his opponents apart, methodically and systematically. Before he was like an animal possessed. He would stand in front of his opponents without a huge amount of lateral movement, footwork or strategy. He was looking to engage, trade and utilise his dynamite hands. Now he glides in and out, picks his punches, always moving, fainting, bobbing. He waits patiently before moving in for the kill, throwing that damaging straight-left hand, which never fails to breach the guard of and surprise his opponents. His precise, potent combinations are so quick they're a blur and it's no wonder the whole crowd erupts in exhaltation.

If he does get caught, it seems to have a peverse affect on Pacman, where he will become excited and turn on the showmanship, bashing his fists together or reassuringly raising his gloves high above his head. The peoples king in his element. Outside the ring he is perhaps the most humble champion in recent history. He refuses to engage in verbal warfare or the pre-fight boxing pantomime which often ensued where Mayweather Jr was involved. To him, boxing is ultimately a job, the promoter his employer and the fans his to serve.

Pacman's next opponent, Ricky Hatton,will draw thousands of loyal supporters and will safely mark the occasion in our history books. It's a fight for the fans, a clash of two of boxng's heroes. Hatton came up short against Mayweather Jr, but has never ducked a challenge and remains a dominant force in the 140 pound weight division. Questions were raised after he was picked apart and eventually stopped by Mayweather Jr, but he answered those questions emphatically, winning every round in his comeback fight against Juan Lazcarno and then rolling back the years with a brutal 11th round annihilation of the highly-rated Paulie Malignaggi.

Hatton's intelligence, speed and footwork are all underrated. He comes forward and his style is relentless, but he is unpredictable and possesses some beautiful shots in his repetoire. Uppercuts, hooks, body-shots - he has them all and can unleash them to devastating effect. Pacman beware. Hatton confuses his opponents with medium-range shots, particularly his leading left, which will create openings for him at close range. Apart from Mayweather Jr, those who have tried counter-punch Hatton have failed and been overwhelmed.

But a glaring fact remains, Ricky has been rocked in multiple fights by walking into punches as he ploughs into close range. Trainer Mayweather Sr has tried to eradicate this from his game and in the Malignaggi fight we saw a much-improved Hatton, who was harder to hit. But Pacquiao is in the form of his life, punching harder than ever and his accuracy is a genuine concern for Hatton, who has a fair bit of scar tissue around his eyes.

If Pacquiao quickly opens a cut it could be a torrid night for Hatton. But I believe the fight will be a classic. Hatton will hurt Pacquiao as the two engage toe-to-toe and we could see Manny in troubled waters against the unrelenting Manchunian who has never looked in trouble, fighting at his comfortable 140lb weight. But if Pacquiao uses his jab, stays off the ropes and fights smart, he will simply outbox Hatton. He is too fast, his combinations are too quick. Although Hatton won't stop coming forward, he will be tire, slow down as he is picked apart and leave himself open in the later rounds for a spectacular finish for Pacman.

The beauty of this fight is that there will be moments for both fighters throughout, and it is guaranteed to deliver an awe-inspiring spectacle for the public. Sadly, it could mark the end of Ricky Hatton. He deserves his shot at the best, but if he falls short again, I don't see much motivation for him to continue - unless a Mayweather Jr rematch presents itself. The Hitman is convinced he can beat Mayweather and was hindered by the referee Joe Cortez in the last fight. I think a better fight would be Mayweather Jr putting it all on the line against Pacquiao. But that's the stuff of fantasy, let's enjoy what will be a momentous fight on May 2nd as two of boxing's most popular heroes battle for pound-for-pound supremacy.