By Jason Thompson
(Ring the Bell) Ding! Ding! Ding! Ladies and gentlemen. For the thousands in attendance here at the EA SPORTS Studios and the millions in attendance around the world. Leeeeeeeeeeeeetttttttttttttsssssss GET READY TO TALK ABOUT THE NEWEST ROSTER REVEAL FOR FIGHT NIGHT ROUND FOUR!
Manny Pacquiao – Also known as “Pac-Man” and, if you cannot pronounce his name, just remember that it’s Man-ee Pac-EEEEEE-OWWWWW! Widely considered the best pound for pound boxer in the world he destroyed Oscar De La Hoya and encouraged the Golden Boy to call it quits. I am just guessing but I predict more guys will fight with Pacquiao than any other boxer. Quick, powerful, mean… he really is the total package.
Miguel Cotto – Last July Cotto suffered his first professional loss, an 11-round brawl with Antonio Margarito. (Did Margarito have illegal hand wraps in that one?) Cotto bounced back last February destroying Michael Jennings. I know there are some who are not impressed by Cotto. I am definitely not one of them. He is the best welterweight in the world.
Winky Wright – Ronald “Winky” Wright is one of the toughest draws in all of boxing. He is a south paw with a knack for making fighters fight ugly. He is a south paw that likes to work inside and really understands how to frustrate his opponents. His wins over “Sugar” Shane Mosley were brilliant. Same goes for his win over Felix “Tito” Trinidad. At 51-5-1 he has come out on the short end of a couple of “controversial” score cards – he dominated Jermaine Taylor despite the “Draw” and should have had a draw against Bernard Hopkins which was scored a loss.
Emmanuel Augustus – No one could ever say Augustus did leave it all in the ring. Of all of the boxers in FNR4 Augustus is the one who has a style that could truly be called “unconventional”. “The Drunken Master” boxed like he had an iPod on during the fight- punching and literally while throwing jabs, rights, hooks and WILD uppercuts. Trust me. You will load up Augustus more than a few times in FNR4.
Nate Campbell – If Campbell would have made weight against Ali Funeka, he would be the holder of the IBF, WBA, and WBO belts. If there is a knock (besides not making weight) it’s his lapses of judgment in the ring. If the user could control “The Gallaxxy Warrior”, which we will all be able to do in FNR4, his record would be perfect at Lightweight.
Corey Spinks – “The Next Generation” has fighting in his blood (his father is Leon) and just won the IBF junior Middleweight belt. If his win over Deandre Lattimore is any indication, Spinks can now couple his speed with impressive stamina working the clinch and tasking his opponents with “chasing him” for rounds striking when the legs of the opposition wear out. Spinks may be a better brawler than I thought.
Vivian Harris – “Vicious” is 29-3-1 as a junior welterweight he is a stand and shoot kind of fighter. His style appears to be maturing. How tough is Vivian Harris? Many think Floyd Mayweather dodged Harris because he wanted no part of him.
Kermit Cintron – “The Killer” is 30-2-1 with his two losses coming against Antonio Margarito (who has been banned) so you could say, non one currently in boxing has ever beat Cintron. There is nothing to criticize about Cintron’s style but he may be one that you may need to keep clean – in his last fight he suffered a 5th round cut that was not the result of a head butt which is how it was called. He also barely beat a 10 count against Sergio Gabriel Martinez in the same fight. The fight was called a draw with a rematch that is almost mandatory given their last fight.
Ricky Hatton – So many of us FNR4 demanded Hatton and, here he is… the newest in the FNR4 roster. “The Hitman” has an incredible 45-1-0 record and is a Rock Star in England. This Saturday, May 2nd, Hatton will enter the ring against Pacquiao in what will be THE defining moment in both boxers’ careers. If only FNR4 were available now! It is not a stretch to predict this will be the fight of the year.
So what do you think of the latest roster reveal?