Hasim Rahman vs. Monte Barrett — August 13

This is a big fight, so why aren’t people excited? This is the former heavyweight champ of the world versus the former WBC Continental Americas champion (what?). For some reason, I can’t see either fighter winning, so I’ll go with the guy I’m rooting for: Monte Barrett, who has a ton of heart but for some reason I think will get stopped in a tough fight late, maybe the 10th round. I see this being a slugfest that begins slowly, picks up steam by the fourth round and ends with the referee stepping in. Rahman and Barrett both taste the canvas and Rahman wins a thriller similar to his victory against Corrie Sanders. Rahman by 10th round TKO.

Mitch Abramson

(Mitch Abramson has written for the New York Times and the Village Voice. He is also a featured writer for The Sweet Science, and the winner of the June 2005 CJ Award for superlative boxing journalism. His work can be found right here)