Junior middleweight is just about as hot as any weight class in boxing. In March, the division's champ Shane Mosley, takes on his top contender, much-avoided slick southpaw Winky Wright. Wright has only had one crack at a star fighter in his career, when Fernando Vargas took him on four years ago. In a fight most felt Winky won, Vargas was awarded the majority decision (I had the fight scored six rounds to six, a draw). Winky is a serious threat to Shane.

Oscar De La Hoya still calls 154 pounds his home, and Vernon Forrest plans to fight there in the wake of his unsuccessful attempt to win back his welterweight title from Ricardo Mayorga - who has since lost the crown to Cory Spinks. Spinks meanwhile, has challenged Mosley, as had Mayorga before the Spinks fight. Vargas is still around, fighting lesser lights as he attempts to come back from his knockout loss to De La Hoya 15 months ago. Now that his contract with Don King has expired, a Felix Trinidad comeback appears to be gaining momentum.

And then there is the winner of the Kasim Ouma-J.C. Candello fight, which took place this last Saturday night.

Kasim Ouma has been beating name opponents and even a couple of legitimate contenders for the last two and a half years now. He's bested opponents-at-this-stage-in-their-careers like Alex Bunema, Michael Lerma and Tony Marshall, as well as fighters with more serious prospects like Angel Hernandez (split decision) and Verno Phillips (unanimous).

Ouma came into the Candello fight an exciting southpaw on an impressive winning streak. He had shown flashes of brilliance throughout his young career (Ouma has only just turned 25): an impressive defense, excellent handspeed, pinpoint accuracy with all of his punches, and even a little pop.

But Kasim "The Dream" had also shown real lapses in concentration and an over-eagerness to fight on the inside even though his boxing ability allows him to control the fight from a distance. He had also frequently decelerated just when it seemed he had his opponent on the way out. Ouma seemed to turn potential spectacular early-rounds knockout wins into dangerous, drawn-out contests. In boxing parlance, Ouma would "let guys back into the fight."

Candello, for his part, had transformed himself over the last year from a fringe contender into a major force. He avenged a points loss to Angel Hernandez with a points win, lost a very competitive decision to Wright, and then totally dominated Julio Garcia before stopping him in the eighth round.

Against Garcia, especially, it looked as though Candello had turned a corner. Early in his career, Candello negated the height and reach advantages he enjoys over most opponents by fighting on the inside. Candello, like Ouma, found success in chest-to-chest combat, usually outworking and often out-skilling his opponent. Against Winky, J.C. proved that he could compete against the elite. Against Garcia, he showed that he could dominate a fight against a hungry up-and-comer from long range. Ouma-Candello promised smart boxing from the outside early and a high-volume-punching gut check late.

Early in the fight, Candello had limited success keeping his distance with his long jab and looping power punches. But even then, Ouma's superior technique and reflexes were more than a match for J.C. As the fight wore on, and the action moved more consistently to the inside, it was no contest. Ouma dominated.

What was really surprising is that Ouma was able to stop Candello, dropping him at the end of the ninth and finishing him in the 10th. It was the first time Candello had been knocked out as a pro. Ouma not only demonstrated real punching power, but also improved focus, turning in the most consistent performance of his still young professional career.

Ouma has arrived as an elite junior middleweight contender, and now seeks a fight with one of its many stars. A shot at the winner of Mosley-Wright would be nice - or even a shot at the loser.

Max Kellerman is a studio analyst for ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights" and the host of the show "Around The Horn."