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Artur Gatti
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2004 was a good year for Boxing fans, we were delivered a lot of the fights we wanted to see. The good news is that 2005 has a lot of promise of more of the same. Three blockbusters will headline the first three months of the new year, with still more to come.
January 29th will bring the Boxing world it's first big fight of the new year. On the 29th, Boxing gladiator Arturo Gatti will step into the ring with fellow gladiator Jesse James Leija. What a way to start the new year! I think anytime Boxing fans hear that Gatti is fighting they stop and ask when. The fact that he's fighting Leija makes this bout ever the more exciting. These guys are two warriors, and expect them to go at it hard for as long as their bodies can withstand it. Leija is coming off upsetting Panchito Bojado, and showed that he still has a lot of gas left in his tank. Gatti is coming off a devastating body shot KO of Leonard Dorin. Both have expressed respect for each other and both have expressed interest in fighting one another for a long time. It will happen on the 29th and should be a treat.
That fight will be followed up the next weekend, February 5th with a rematch between Cory Spinks and Zab Judah for the world welterweight championship. Spinks won the first fight, but Judah dropped Spinks late and believes he can do it again. On February 19th, Golden Boy Promotions will present Bernard Hopkins defending his middleweight title against Howard Eastman. Also on the card, Shane Mosley is set to return to the ring, and back at 147.
On March 5th arguments will get settled in the lightweight division, as Diego Corrales takes on Jose Luis Castillo. Both fighters have been on a roll and have practically cleaned out the division. Corrales has wins over Joel Casamayor and Acelino Freitas, while Castillo has recent wins over Casamayor and Juan Lazcano. These are two fighters who don't mess around much in the ring, and should be an exciting fight.
This is just a sampling of what 2005 will offer Boxing fans; there should be many more stories. There is a heavyweight division still up for grabs. Young stars like Juan Diaz, Ricky Hatton, and Miguel Cotto will continue to climb up the ladder of their respective divisions and face tougher challenges. Big names like Oscar de la Hoya and Shane Mosley are going back to welterweight. Fernando Vargas is expected back in action in 2005. Can Glen Johnson continue his roll in 2005? Can Barrera continue his winning ways? Who will be the next big upset victim? So many questions that will get further engaged in this new upcoming year. It should be fun.
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© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2005
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By Tom Dickey (January 10, 2005) 
