The Featherweights
By Tom Donelson

INSIDE BOXING (May 30, 2005) - The upcoming SHOBOX special is putting a spotlight on the featherweights. If there is a division that emphasizes the globalization of boxing, this division does. SHOBOX is taking a break from its emphasis on young and talented prospects and showing a special surprise- Scott Harrison vs. Mike Brodie in the Battle of Britain.

Harrison, the defending WBO featherweight champion, is a slugger who has trouble with boxers. Brodie is a slick boxer, who had two tough bouts with WBC champion In Jin Chi and the style guarantee to give Harrison trouble.

The WBA and IBF champion is the slick boxing Juan Manuel Marquez and for the most part, he is the recognized champ of the division because of his many fights in the states. And Indonesian Chris John is the not quite WBA champion or is it that Marquez the Super champ and John the regular champ? Either way, John is a good fighter with claim to a piece of the featherweight title.

The highest- ranking American is Rocky Juarez, who is scheduled to fight In Jin Chi in what could be a classic brawl for Chi WBC version of the featherweight championship. And Chi has already gone the distance with the legendary Erik Morales, so this is one tough fighter. Even though Mexican stars Barrera and Morales had moved up to the 130-pound division, the featherweight divisions is still populated with excellent boxers and some great match-ups.

Friday night battle between Harrison and Brodie is a classic boxer-slugger match-up. For Brodie, there can be no mistakes. Scott Harrison has the strength to stay in the fight and wait for the one mistake from Brodie and there is still questions about how much Brodie battles with In Jin Chi has taken from the slick boxing Brodie. If Harrison wins and wins impressively against a very tough foe on SHOBOX, this could lead to some big paydays with Marquez or the winner of the Juarez-Chi.

The most saleable fighter of this bunch is Juarez for two reasons. The first being that he is an American and the second is that his fights usually features a fight ending left hook. Juarez is one of those fighters that when he hits you, you take step backwards. Against Chi, he is fighting one of the toughest fighters and a fighter who has been toe to toe with Erik Morales. So Juarez will not have anything that Chi did not see from Morales.

Chi has a chance to make a name for himself with the American audience when he fights Juarez. A victory over a known American star will not just give him credibility but more importantly, notoriety. And notoriety means money!

While Marquez is the recognized king of the featherweight hill and his eyes is tuned to fighting big paydays with his fellow Mexican stars Morales and Barrea, there is no certainty that he is even the best featherweight. That is an issue yet to be decided in the ring but here is what is known. England features two of the world best featherweights in Harrison and Brodie, Korea has Chi, and Mexico contribution to the debate on the world best featherweight is Marquez. And waiting for his shot to unify the title is Rocky Juarez. There are some exciting bouts for boxing fans. And Friday night, the road to the featherweight unification begins.