SPADAFORA TO REMAIN IBF CHAMPSPADAFORA TO REMAIN IBF CHAMPby Stephen S. Johnson
(INSIDE BOXING) - The IBF Lightweight Champion, Paul Spadafora, will retain that title for quite some time. He carefully selects opponents that pose no threat to his IBF title. He is on record as saying that any bout against either Floyd Mayweather, Jr. or Arturo Gatti would be a non-title match.
Just what is Paul Spadafora out to prove? Apparently nothing.
We already know he is uninterested in fighting anywhere other than
Pittsburgh. We already know he is unwilling to fight Stevie Johnston or Jose
Luis Castillo…unless they are willing to make the trip to Pittsburgh.
The Spadafora people truly believe their boy has no need to fight anyone who has any chance of defeating him. Nice work, if you can get it.
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. travel to Pittsburgh and fight Spadafora in a non-title bout? That will never happen. Mayweather is "the man" and will never go to Pittsburgh, accept the smaller purse and kick the ass of Spadafora in a non-title match.
Arturo Gatti would jump at the chance to fight Spadafora. Gatti last fought at 156 pounds against Oscar de la Hoya. The lightweight limit of 135 pounds would qualify him for the non-title bout Spadafora is seeking. Gatti can no longer make any weight under the welterweight limit without being physically drained. Just the type of opponent Spadafora is looking for.
Spadafora is actually a junior middleweight. Losing the weight to fight at 135 pounds has been a source of controversy for him the last couple of years. Gatti, in his prime, would have had no problem with Paul Spadafora. Now, he is just another fighter looking for a payday.
Until Paul Spadafora is pushed into a title fight with Jose Luis Castillo, Stevie Johnston or Floyd Mayweather, Jr. that is held outside his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania there is no further need to mention his name in the lightweight division.
To proclaim oneself "the best lightweight in the world" does not mean hand picking past their prime fighters. It does not mean fighting in the comfort of your back yard each and every time out.
The comparison of the career of Roy Jones, Jr., who is afforded the luxury of hand picking opponents, is ridiculous. Roy Jones, Jr. is the undisputed Light heavyweight Champion of the World.
The day Paul Spadafora is referred to as the Undisputed Lightweight Champion of the World is the day he can forever pick who he fights, where he fights and when he fights.
Until that time comes, may his boxing career rest in peace with the likes of Prince Naseem Hamed.
11/28/01