Will 2014 Be the Year of the Welterweight?

There's a reason the welterweight division has long been considered one of boxing's glamor divisions. At the halfway point between big and small men, the 147 lb. class tends to attract some of the sport's best all-around athletes.

The welterweight division in 2014 looks to be especially compelling with a brilliant mix of young and old talent, heavy-handed battlers and smooth-moving boxers gathered together in the domain of, arguably, the sport's two best competitors, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.

Here's a look at the potentially wild and competitive welterweight scene of 2014:

There's little question that, both financially and competitively, Floyd Mayweather rules the roost at 147. The only question for "Money" is whether he will choose from the deep ranks of the welterweight class for his two scheduled opponents in 2014 or if he opts to take on bigger, stronger challengers. At this point of his career, Mayweather has the pull to make any fight he wants, but is limited to only main stage, commercially viable opposition. He's also limited by who can and will sit down to negotiate a bout. So, with the boxing world at his feet, the five-division world champ will still be cut off from names such as Pacquiao and Bradley in the coming year. That doesn't mean fans can't see him in a meaningful fight, it just means that THE fight won't likely happen this coming year.

Manny Pacquiao, with his dominant return victory over Brandon Rios, is back in his no. 2 spot behind Mayweather and still a money-making force despite a poor PPV buy rate of about 475K for his last effort. A rematch against Timothy Bradley seems the logical choice for Manny's next bout and then everything goes up for grabs as his promotional contract with Top Rank expires at the end of the year. If there is any thought as to whether Pacquiao will re-sign, look for the eight-division world champ to be matched tough and hard in his second bout of 2014. And if Pacquiao becomes a free agent at the end of 2014, expect Pacquiao-Mayweather to be signed within the first six weeks of 2015.

For Timothy Bradley, his controversial decision victory over Manny Pacquiao in June of 2012 turned out to be the worst thing to ever happen to him, professionally. The tough battler from Palm Springs rebuilt his image in 2013 with a hard-earned victory over Ruslan Provodnikov and a decisive decision win over Juan Manuel Marquez. Bradley now stands as a clear no. 3 in the welterweight division with a big money rematch against Pacquiao awaiting him and a TBA for the rest of 2014.

Heavy-handed Argentine, Marcos Maidana is coming off a tremendous victory over Adrien Broner and should reap the benefits in 2014. If a Mayweather bout doesn't materialize, expect some other big money bout for the entertaining battler and new WBA champ. Ruslan Provodnikov has made a name for himself as a fan-friendly warrior capable of winning a war against anyone in the 140-147 lb. weight range. The 25-year-old Keith Thurman had a breakthrough year in 2013 and has proven himself to be more than just an interesting personality with a big punch. Paulie Malignaggi, with his win over Zab Judah has salvaged his name a bit and may get yet another shot at a big fight soon enough. Juan Manuel Marquez's ability to hang with the big boys at welterweight is questionable, but his name and reputation will likely get him a big fight if/when he wants one. The winner of the Victor Ortiz-Luis Collazo bout on January 30 will move on to a bigger match-up later in the year while Robert Guerrero, still living on the money earned from his one-sided loss to Floyd Mayweather last May, will have to return at some point in the coming year and is good enough to give a strong challenge to all but the top two in the division.

On the low rungs of the second tier and high rungs of the third tier are new IBF champ, Shawn Porter, as well as Porter's recent conquest Devon Alexander and former champs Broner and Judah. The UK's Kell Brook is a real talent who may only need a passport and a willingness to fight a top American talent to reach the next level. Argentina's Luis Carlos Abregu is strong, tough, and could be just one punch away from beating just about anyone at 147. Include Amir Khan in this batch of contenders, but mostly based on rumors of an upcoming Mayweather bout rather than anything he ever did in the division. Brad Solomon is also floating around as a thirty-year-old, talented prospect with a less-than-thrilling ring style and no apparent push from his promoter.

In the rebuilding stage are former champs and contenders like Andre Berto, Adrien Broner, Devon Alexander, Josesito Lopez, and Jesus Soto Karass with Brandon Rios likely to find a place at 147 should he opt not to return to junior welterweight.

With these names and talents floating around the welterweight division, 2014 is destined to be filled with quality match-ups, even in the face of stifling boxing politics and competing network battles. Welterweight is still a glamor division in boxing and 2014 may also prove it to be the deepest and most competitive division in the sport.

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