Junior Welterweight

Carlos Molina is a largely unknown commodity coming into his fight with Amir Khan that is scheduled for this Saturday, December 15 on Showtime.

Most fans—and even some boxing people—thought Khan was taking on the Carlos Molina who gave James Kirkland all that he could take, and then some, at junior middleweight.

That's a different Carlos Molina.

The Carlos Molina that Khan will be taking on is an undefeated lightweight from Los Angeles who will be moving up in weight to the junior welterweight division for the first time in his career.

Molina understands that he has a huge task in front of him and that beating Khan in his hometown could be his "Rocky" moment.

"This is by far the biggest fight of my life," Molina said. "My dream is becoming a reality and to have it be right here in my hometown will add that extra motivation and desire."

"It's going to be the hometown kid, Carlos Molina coming out still undefeated," he said.

"I think they seen my knockout ratio and they probably think that I don't have too much power," Molina added. "I think they chose the wrong opponent and I am just hungry to win."

With a record of 17-0-1, with only seven knockouts, it does seem as though he was chosen to be just that: an opponent. While his record is very respectable, he hasn't shown a lot of power throughout his career and is moving up in weight to challenge a much bigger man.

Molina has nothing to lose coming into this fight. If he loses, it will be acceptable because he was supposed to. But if he wins, there will be all sorts of opportunities for the Mexican-American fighter.

"Amir Khan is an elite fighter," Molina said. "A win over Khan is going to catapult me and a lot of people are going to know who I am."

"It is going to open the doors to get to fight for a world title, which has been my lifetime goal." 

Dreams can come in true in boxing, just ask Jose "Josesito" Lopez. The Southern California fighter shocked the world earlier this year when he moved up in weight and stopped heavy favorite Victor Ortiz.

After the win, Lopez was rewarded with a shot at Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, a record high payday and a chance at WBC junior middleweight title.

Molina, much like Lopez was against Ortiz, is a heavy underdog and is not expected to win this fight. But if he does win, the same sorts of opportunities could open up for him in both the junior welterweight and lightweight divisions.

Opportunities such as a possible shot at junior welterweight kingpin WBA/WBC champion Danny Garcia or a move back down to his former weight class to challenge WBC lightweight titleholder, Mr. HBO, Adrien Broner would not be out of the question. The fighters share the same promoter and a win over Khan would certainly make Molina a viable contender in either division. 

If Khan were to lose, however unlikely that may be, it would be his third loss in as many fights. A loss at this point would be absolutely devastating, whether it comes by stoppage or decision, and it could be something that he may never be able to bounce back from.

Michael Walters is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand.

Follow @MWalters202

According to RingTV.com’s Lem Satterfield, current lineal junior welterweight champion Danny Garcia and his team have struck a deal to face former champion Zab Judah. Interestingly, the location of Garcia-Judah could come in familiar confines for both fighters:

We have finalized the terms for a fight between Danny Garcia and Zab Judah, said [Richard] Schaefer of Garcia, who headlined the first-ever boxing event at Barclays Center in Brooklyn last month. It's going to be on Jan. 19 on Showtime, and I'm currently holding the Barclays Center.

Judah (42-7, 29 KO), of course, is a Brooklyn native, and Garcia (25-0, 16 KO) made a significant splash in his title defense at the Barclays Center when he practically decapitated Erik Morales with a picture perfect left hook. In terms of marketability, electing to stage Garcia-Judah at the Barclays Center with the Ring, WBC and WBA titles on the line makes sound fiscal sense.

Economics aside, is the prospect of Garcia-Judah a letdown?

Well, the answer is a somewhat complicated one. The fact that Garcia had to contest a second fight against Morales (52-9, 36 KO)—who was a tremendous champion but has clearly seen better days—due to a rematch clause left many feeling disgruntled. Popular opinion seemed to suggest that Garcia, as a young, talented champion, should be facing the other prime contender in his weight class.

Of course, Garcia legally owed Morales a rematch, but after destroying the Mexican legend and future Hall of Famer, it appeared that the path had been cleared for Garcia to face the likes of Lucas Matthysse, Marcos Maidana (who has been recently campaigning at welterweight) or Mike Alvarado.

The selection of Judah as Garcia’s next opponent could prove to be a divisive one, and much of this has to do with how one feels about Judah’s current status as a contender. Two fights ago, Judah was thoroughly dominated in a unification bout against Amir Khan, a fighter whom Garcia stopped in four rounds.

After getting knocked out in the fifth round by Khan, it appeared that Judah’s time as a relevant, championship-level fighter had come to an end. Then, in his last fight, Judah looked sharp in stopping Vernon Paris in nine rounds in a title eliminator. But should this bounce-back win be enough to secure Judah a lineal title shot?

At 35, Judah is certainly past his prime, but that hardly means he doesn’t pose a threat or challenge to Garcia. A naturally gifted boxer, Judah is a fighter blessed with speed and explosive power, especially at 140 pounds. Also, as a southpaw, Judah presents the kind of challenge and test that Garcia, as a young champion, eventually needs to pass.

It is reasonable to suspect that Judah will put forth a more competitive effort than Morales did against Garcia. Morales, it seemed, had aged badly since his first fight with Garcia, and if Judah’s bout against Paris (26-1, 15 KO) is any indication, he appears to have some fight left in him.

Perhaps, challenging for the title in Brooklyn will provide Judah with some extra motivation, and the fight could serve as a means to further enhance Garcia’s profile.

It is understandable to want Garcia to fight the likes of Matthysse immediately. That would undoubtedly be an excellent, world-class bout, and it should happen at some point. On the other hand, in terms of developing Garcia as a champion, there’s no need to rush.

This is not to suggest that Garcia should continue to fight former champions in their mid-30s. Fans will quickly lose patience with Garcia if this becomes the case, and there is no indication that Garcia and his team intend to protect him. As a lineal champion, there is only so much maneuvering one can do.

As a former IBF and WBO junior welterweight titlist and lineal welterweight champion, Judah deserves respect, even if his performances have been uneven in recent years. At 24, Garcia can still benefit from fighting an experienced and talented boxer like Judah.

Garcia seems to be on a meticulously crafted career path that has, thus far, been sound. In terms of his development as a fighter, there is no evidence to condemn his team’s choices; while public opinion about Garcia-Judah will vary, it can be a successful fight from an economic and pure boxing standpoint. And don’t completely count Judah out.

However, Garcia and his team have been put on notice. If Garcia defeats Judah impressively, he will have no choice but to step up and fight his elite contemporaries. Contesting genuine mega-fights is a stage few fighters actually arrive at. Garcia, for now, seems to be giving himself the best chance to someday achieve this status. All he needs now is a bit more patience.

There must be something in the water in the San Francisco Bay Area that is helping produce some great fighters. Andre Ward, Nonito Donaire and Robert Guerrero are three of the top boxers in the sport, and Karim Mayfield is looking to add his name to that list.

Mayfield (16-0-1, 10KOs) will make his HBO debut this Saturday when he takes on Mauricio Herrera in a scheduled 10-round bout. Virgil Hunter, who is best known for working with Andre Ward, trains the San Francisco native. 

Mayfield got a late start in boxing and didn’t take up the sport until he was nearly 20 years old. He feels that his late start could be beneficial, as he hasn’t taken the kind of punishment in the ring that fighters who start at a young age have. 

“He’s a tough guy and I know he’s been through some wars already,” Mayfield said of his opponent Herrera (18-2, 7KOs). “A lot of times that can take a lot out of a fighter and it can actually start to weaken your chin. 

“I always want a knock out, but I am not going to rush it.” 

Herrera has never been stopped in his career, but neither had former champion Stevie Forbes until he stepped into the ring with the ‘Hard Hitta’ as Mayfield is known. 

Since moving down to junior welterweight, Mayfield feels he is too powerful for the other fighters in the division. 

“All of my fights at 140 have been stopped except one, and that should have been stopped, when I dropped Patrick Lopez three times in the title (NABO) fight,” Mayfield said. “I’ve seen that I have been dominating at 140 with my power.” 

Mayfield says he will not be intimidated by fighting on HBO for the first time and that he’s used to fighting on the big stage. 

“I have always fought on major cards,” Mayfield said. “I have always fought on a major stage -- HBO, Showtime; fighting on the undercards of Andre Ward, Andre Dirrell, so I have been on HBO cards, I just haven’t been televised yet.” 

The junior welterweight division is arguably the most talent rich in all of boxing with Brandon Rios, Juan Manuel Marquez, Danny Garcia, Lamont Peterson, Lucas Matthysse, Paul Spadafora and Amir Khan all competing at 140 pounds. 

Mayfield hopes that his fan-friendly aggressive style will have fans clamoring to see him again, but if that doesn’t work, he doesn’t have a problem going another direction. 

“If I got to be the bad guy, best believe the streets will come out of me, I am from the streets but I’m a cool dude,” Mayfield said. 

By being co-promoted by Gary Shaw Productions and Prize Fight, Mayfield should have the ability to fight any of the top fighters in his division and shouldn’t be affected by the ongoing battle between Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions. 

“It definitely gives me an advantage to be able to pick and choose and to see what guy’s next for us, but I am willing to fight anybody,” Mayfield said. 

An impressive win on HBO Saturday could definitely add another name to the mix within boxing’s best division.

Michael Walters is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand.

Follow @MWalters202

Danny Garcia stopped Erik Morales with a brutal left hook at 1:23 of the fourth round to retain his WBC, WBA and Ring titles on the historic boxing card at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Garcia (25-0, 16 KOs), who had previously scored a 12-round unanimous decision over a game Morales (52-9, 36 KOs) in an exciting fight, came into the rematch riding the momentum of a similarly decisive stoppage over the heavily favored Amir Khan. While Garcia's win unfortunately came at the expense the once-great Morales, the spectacular nature of the stoppage will do much to sustain Garcia's career momentum.

In their first fight, Garcia started slow and showed Morales perhaps too much respect. Still, Garcia eventually found his groove in that first encounter, scoring a hard knockdown in Round 11 and finishing strong. The pace of Garcia-Morales II appeared to take off from Round 11 of their last fight as Garcia was more assertive and confident with his game plan.

Garcia worked well to Morales' body, and a straight right hand at the end of Round 3 did major damage as Morales lost his equilibrium and started to walk toward the wrong corner at the end of the stanza.

It didn't take long for Garcia to follow up his success from Round 3, and the subsequent left hook he landed square on Morales' jaw was sickening in how it swiveled the former four-division champion's body as he fell backward. In an alarming scene, Morales' upper body was draped outside of the ropes, prompting his corner to immediately jump up onto the ring apron.

Morales stated in a post-fight interview that this would be his last bout in the United States; he does, however, hope to have a farewell fight in his hometown of Tijuana, Mexico. Many will call for Morales' immediate retirement, but whatever the Mexican legend decides, he will undoubtedly get a call from the Hall of Fame five years after he officially retires.

As for Garcia, he did exactly what he needed to do. While some were discouraged about the prospect of Garcia and Morales having to fight a rematch, Garcia, by scoring a highlight-reel knockout, maintained his impressive momentum and confirmed that he has improved dramatically since his first fight against Morales.

Garcia has a plethora of options moving forward. Of course, he could fight a rematch against Khan, but given his stoppage of Morales, it seems plausible that Khan's team might delay that encounter for the time being.

Other attractive options include Lucas Matthysse, Marcos Maidana and Mike Alvarado, while a less ideal but still appealing level of opposition brings to mind the likes of Zab Judah and Lamont Peterson. Regardless, the boxing world will be paying close attention to whoever Garcia fights next. In terms of fighters on the rise, there are few boxers moving as fast as Garcia.

Fresh off the biggest win of his career, knocking out Amir Khan in their junior middleweight title bout this past July, Danny Garcia should have chose a young and hungry fighter like himself instead of an old Erik Morales who he already beat once before.

If Garcia does beat Morales as he should, he will not prove one thing besides that he can beat a fighter that he already took down earlier this year.

Morales has done nothing to warrant a rematch, making Garcia's decision to fight him for the second time this year even more puzzling.

With the opportunity to build off the hype of the shocking fourth-round knockout of Khan, Garcia blew a chance at building his name up even more passing up fighting a new, worthy opponent rather than Morales again.

The only one set to gain any positive from the bout is Morales, as a win would prolong an already Hall of Fame worthy career that is on it's last leg.

Garcia would be wise to fight a relevant opponent next, that is if he does not get upset, just the way he upset Khan a few months ago.

Losing the first two rounds of the Khan bout, Garcia landed a perfectly timed left hook on Khan knocking him down in the third and eventually finished off a still wobbly Khan in the fourth.

Let's hope that names like Lucas Matthysse, Lamont Peterson and Mike Alvarado pop up as possible opponents for Garcia's next bout. Anyone of those fights would show us if Garcia is as good as he as shown, or if increased opposition would expose something an older Morales can't.

Performance-enhancing drugs may KO another big fight, as Erik Morales has tested positive for a banned substance prior to his Saturday rematch with WBA and WBC junior welterweight champion Danny Garcia. 

According to a report from halestormsports.com, the Mexican legend tested positive for a substance on the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s banned substance list, although the exact substance is not known at this time. 

Ben Thompson of FightHype.com is reporting that Morales' A sample tested positive and the results of the B sample should be known tomorrow.  

It is being reported at this time that the fight will still go on, but the WBA and WBC titles will no longer be on the line. 

In the first meeting between the two, Morales failed to make weight, so one has to wonder if the banned substance could have been furosemide, a diuretic used to cut weight or a masking agent for steroids.

Fellow Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., who has well-documented battles with the scale, tested positive for furosemide following a 2009 fight. 

Morales, who is most well-known for his legendary trilogy with fellow Mexican icon Marco Antonio Barrera and his victory over Manny Pacquiao, was seeking to become a two-time junior welterweight champion with a win over Garcia.

2012 will be known as the year of the PED in boxing, as Lamont Peterson, Andre Berto and Antonio Tarver have all tested positive for banned substances.  

If the news is true that Morales tested positive, this would certainly put a tarnish on an otherwise stellar Hall of Fame career. 

This Saturday on Showtime, boxing fans will be treated to the rare event of four World Championship bouts on one card, all televised live from the brand new Barclay's Center in Brooklyn, NY. It should be a great night of fights, and every fan should certainly be looking forward to it. 

Here's how the four fights break down: 

Pablo Cesar Cano vs. Paulie Malignaggi

As a fan of Paulie Malignaggi, I'm really excited for this one. It puts the boxer against the puncher, as Malignaggi will look to defend his WBA welterweight belt that he won earlier this year on the road in Ukraine. 

The key in this fight is for Malignaggi to do what he does best, which is box, box and box some more. Cano is a good young fighter, but he was outboxed by an old Erik Morales not too long ago, which should provide Malignaggi with the blueprint for victory. 

If Malignaggi does what he's supposed to—which is stay on the outside and control the fight with his jab—and not let Cano get on the inside, it's going to be an easy night of work for the Brooklyn native. Expect Malignaggi to take this one in a wide UD. 

Peter Quillin vs. Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam

In perhaps the least hyped fight of the night, Brooklyn's own Peter Quillin will be taking on Frenchman Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam for the WBO Middleweight title. N'Jikam was previously the interim-titlist before being promoted to full champion status. 

While I admittedly am not that familiar with N'Jikam, he is undefeated at 27-0 (17 KO's), so that's something that has to be respected. He appears to be a solid fighter, and Quillin can't take him lightly if he's going to take the title off him. 

Look for Quillin to get off to a quick start and work behind his jab, throwing sharp, crisp combinations. Quillin has progressed nicely in recent years, and I fully expect him to get the victory on Saturday night. He'll be too fast, too quick and too strong for N'Jikam, and he'll win via a late stoppage, somewhere around the 11th. 

Randall Bailey vs. Devon Alexander

This is a very interesting fight, because on paper Devon Alexander has virtually every advantage imaginable, except one: power. Randall Bailey possesses perhaps the best pure punching ability of any fighter on the planet at the moment.

This means Bailey is never out of the fight, no matter how far behind he falls, as he showed when he knocked out Mike Jones for the IBF Welterweight belt in June. On paper, Alexander should use his superior boxing ability to box circles around Bailey, likely winning every round.

In fact, that's probably exactly how this fight will go. Alexander's going to use his jab, youth and speed to control the fight and make Bailey look old and slow, as Jones did for 10-plus rounds. But with Bailey's power, you just never know what's going to happen, so this fight's going to be interesting and up in the air until the final bell rings.

I'll still take Alexander by decision. He's too skilled and too good to lose to a fighter like Bailey, but with Bailey's power, you just never know.    

Danny Garcia vs. Erik Morales

In the main event of the night, Jr. Welterweight Champ Danny Garcia takes on aging legend Erik Morales in a rematch of their first fight, which took place earlier this year. Garcia won their first meeting comfortably, and to be honest, this rematch shouldn't even be taking place. 

Morales exercised a rematch clause, but unless he pulls out some sort of magic, there's no way he beats Garcia. Garcia isn't great in any one category, but he's workmanlike and does everything well. He has good speed, solid power and decent footwork. He's tough as nails and isn't discouraged easily, as he showed when he fell behind early to Amir Khan only to knock him out. 

This fight should be a repeat of their first fight, with Garcia winning easily and possibly stopping Morales late in the fight. Morales was great once, but his time is over. 

On another note, Danny Jacobs returns to the ring Saturday night after nearly a two-year absence in which he underwent treatment for cancer that temporarily paralyzed him and threatened to end his boxing career. Jacobs has a great story, and at only 25 years of age, he's got plenty of time to rebuild his career. Hopefully, he'll pick up right where he left off. 

Follow Me On Twitter: @RalphLongo

Lack of quality time to train and unexpected political distractions could trigger Manny Pacquiao's losing streak, starting off with his fourth encounter with longtime foe Juan Manuel Marquez on December 8.

While on training for his recent fight with Timothy Bradley, Pacquiao admitted he was distracted before the Marquez fight. Bradley then unexpectedly snatched his WBO welterweight belt in a controversial split decision that drew widespread protest from boxing fans around the world.

It may be recalled that all three judges in the Pacquiao vs. Bradley fight gave identical scores of 115-113, with two judges favoring Bradley.

In a poll posted by CSNBayArea.com, among 53 media people who covered or watched the fight, 50 of them said Pacquiao won the fight, while just three said Bradley was the winner.

In another poll, HBO Sports reported 91 percent of those who viewed the Pacquiao vs. Bradley fight said Pacquiao won, while only seven percent believed Bradley was the victor and two percent deemed it a draw (via InsideSports).

Knowing Pacquiao had indeed won over Bradley, fight fans are saying his fourth fight with Marquez will now trigger his downfall if he gives more time to his politics and less time with serious training.

Early this month, Pacquiao said he has dispensed with his usual training in Baguio City in favor of a full-time, eight-week training at Freddie Roach Wild Card Gym in Hollywood

His eight-week commitment to train with Freddie Roach should have started last October 8, but latest reports indicate he is moving to Hollywood on October 27 (manilatimes.net). This will leave him with only six weeks of training at the Wild Card Gym.

Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, said he is not happy over Pacquiao's delay in reporting to Roach's Gym for training.

"Manny has to decide whether he is a boxer or he's a politician,” a peeved Arum told local sports commentator Ronnie Nathanielsz, via ABS-CBN News.

“I would like for the next two months for him to be a boxer and then the politics will take care of itself when he finishes the fight with Marquez. But that's up to him," Arum added.

Pacquiao is running for reelection as lone district congressman of Sarangani province in southern Philippines. His  wife, Jinkee is likewise running for the first time as vice governor of Sarangani.

It would seem Pacquiao has made some of his fans sad with his political distractions and his failure to fulfill his commitment for restricted, full time and serious training under Roach at the Wild Card Gym.

Meanwhile, his opponent Juan Manuel Marquez, is wasting no time in building his stamina and finding ways and strategies to prove  he is the better fighter by beating Pacquiao on December 8 and to substantiate his claim that he has been robbed of his victories in their last three fights.