Never Judge A Book By Its Cover

The month of June for Boxing was filled with controversy, steroid scandals, and of course great fights. The biggest thing the average outside fan, plus even the occasional hardcore Boxing fan will take away from last month, was the judging scandal of Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley. And to there credit it did dominate the headlines of Boxing. Judging in Boxing does need a make over and in do time there will be some changes made.

Another portion of fans may say they take away steroid testing in Boxing still needing a upgrade. Boxing should implement a unified steroid testing policy. But Boxing is doing something right though, other wise no one would be getting caught. Above all though there is one thing that should be taken away from the month of June in Boxing, the future of the sport.

There are problems to be fixed within the sport yes, but more often then not everyone focuses on all the bad instead of the good. And Boxing is still doing a lot of things good. For instance future fights and even future talent and stars in the making. The future shined bright in June.

The week after the Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley controversy, we got to see once again one of the more exciting stars in the sport coming up Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. back in action. Like his Hall of Fame father Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., Chavez Jr. sparkled as he fought his way to a action packed TKO victory, over Irish southpaw Andy Lee. After the fight it was announced that a bout that fight fans have wanted for some time had been made, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Sergio Martinez September 15^th. In recent years we have seen possible great fights avoided due to promoters own priorities. This time around we will see just what the public wants, which is a young exciting Chavez Jr. going up against the worlds number three pound for pound fighter southpaw Sergio Martinez.

Then just another week after Martinez vs. Chavez Jr. was signed, a young hungry under dog Josestio Lopez pulled a huge upset over Victor Ortiz. Going into the June 23^rd bout at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Ortiz was the six and a half favorite over Lopez. The stakes on the line were if Ortiz were to win, he would be the next opponent inserted into the Canelo Alvarez sweepstakes. Lopez had other thoughts though as he ripped Ortiz in the 9^th round breaking Ortiz's jaw, forcing Ortiz to quit on his stool giving Lopez the win by TKO. This fight summed up what we love about Boxing. The underdog with no shot, that suddenly battles through the odds to pull off the impossible.

Then lastly just this last Saturday we saw future superstars Erislandy Lara and Gary Russell Jr. take care of business. Cuban amateur standout Ersilandy Lara who still could face Canelo Alvarez in September, dominated Freddy Hernandez. Hernandez at the end simply put, had more cuts on his face then jabs landed. Lara showed why he could be a future number one Junior Middleweight in the world. Also we saw Gary Russell Jr. another amateur standout this time from U.S.A. Boxing run over his opponent Christopher Perez. The lightning fast and powerful Russell made quick work knocking down Perez numerous times before finally getting the TKO stoppage. Even with lesser opposition Lara and Russell both showed why they are top prospects. 

So now as we roll into the month of July and look back at June, don't focus on the problems of Boxing, focus on the future, as well as the good things. With great fights being made, plus upsets, and future stars who hold the ability to excite fans, we should all be excited. The future holds big things for Boxing including more upsets and talent being cultivated right in front of our very eyes . So upon further review are you still bummed about June's downers? Or are you excited at the amazing things we saw? It's okay to believe in a little of both, but if you think Boxing lost in June, then just look again and you may be surprised at what you find.