FIGHTING WORDS

BY BERNARDO “BMIKEA” MIGUEL

The last few weeks have seen some amazing fight headlines. Pacquiao giving Margarito a pounding

in the ring (I call it "Karma of the Fist" or "Fistic Karma" for short) and Sergio Martinez giving everyone the knockout of the year by putting down Paul Williams in the second round of their fight. It's

the type of excitement that boxing needs to stir the imagination, grab the headlines and show sports fans that there is still the potential for great things to happen.

As fans of the sport, we are all ready to see some renewed energy in the area of upcoming fights and match ups. I am sure I speak for a lot of the fans when I say that the last few weeks in professional boxing

Have been completely exciting.

The possibilities for the next fight for Pacquiao are always a hot topic for discussion (though I would bet we all want to see him fight Mayweather).

We are also waiting to see if the powers that be in boxing will capitalize on the dynamic performance of Sergio Martinez and get him matched up with a worthy opponent.

The question is simple. Will we see fights that we can all appreciate as fans or will this opportunity be squandered? Let's hope that the movers and shakers are "ready" to take advantage of the possibilities and go for it.

We also have the Froch Vs. Abraham fight happening - capturing boxing headlines and attention. Showtime Boxing's efforts at bringing a "series" of fights between name boxers via the "Super Six" events has been a great idea. Though the tournament has had some setbacks along the way, the concept brought some great excitement to the sport and I hope they try it again and perhaps adjust it based on the challenges they encountered this first time around.

I give Showtime an "A for effort" at trying to get creative and do something interesting to showcase some great fighters and matches.

Being ready is a theme that carries throughout not only these fights mentioned but also here on the local scene in Chicago. Speaking with our paper's founder, Miguel Mijes, I learned about a young kid that put on a good fight in his match at Hamlin Park's recent boxing exhibition in October.

The young fighter's name is Raul Diaz and he fights out of Fuller Park here in Chicago. He has only been boxing for one year but he is already on his way to compete in Rockford, Illinois in the Silver Gloves Tournament on December 11th & 12th. Raul is 12yo and already conducts himself in a very respectful manner.

When I congratulated him on his accomplishments after only 1 year of boxing, he told me, "I train hard." I was impressed to say the least! Raul is an example of someone who understands that he needs to be ready in order to accomplish his goals. He told me that he does want to be a professional fighter one day and he is willing to do whatever he can to prepare himself. For example, he gets up at 5:00am to start training before he goes off to a full day of school.