The year may have changed, by my prediction largely remains the same.

Berto still has the faster hands, better conditioning, better footwork, is slightly harder to hit and may have a slightly better chin.

Ortiz, on the other hand, has faced stiffer competition (add Floyd Mayweather to his solid resume of opponents) and has more power.

What has changed in 2012, is that the rematch will be in the "Ortiz-friendly" city of Las Vegas, Nevada (the fight took place at Foxwoods in Connecticut last year). I have also changed how I perceive both men’s ring generalship as well as size/strength gap.

In terms of the former, it appears that Ortiz is only effective fighting on his front foot while Berto appears to be the better ring general-with the ability to fight going forward or going back. Additionally, it is now very clear to me that Ortiz is the naturally bigger and stronger man.

However, I still believe that Berto has what it takes to defeat Ortiz this time around. He would also be wise to thank Floyd Mayweather for sucker punching, ahem, softening up Ortiz.

It’s just that these two men, thanks largely to Showtime Championship Boxing’s unprecedented "Super Six" tournament, have clearly faced the best 168-pound boxers in the world.

When the dust settles, I am pretty sure that the more complete boxer will emerge victorious in this super middleweight unification bout. And that boxer is Andre Ward.

The fight will not be a Ward blowout victory by any stretch of the imagination, but I expect him to befuddle Froch the same way he befuddled Mikkel Kessler and Arthur Abraham. Like those two men, Froch is going to find out that Ward is very difficult to hit cleanly, takes a good punch, and has enough snap on his punches to keep him honest.

I also think that Ward, who is arguably one of the smartest boxers I have recently seen both inside and outside of the ring, will be very well-prepared for anything that Froch brings to the table in two weeks. His ring intelligence, buoyed by his highly-decorated amateur career, will be a bundle for a fighter as unrefined (technically) as Froch to deal with.

Look for a hotly-contested, but unanimous decision victory for Andre Ward over Carl Froch on Saturday, December 17. It’ll be a nice bout to end the superfight calendar year.

1. Both men have shown that they can be dropped, so their chins are a push.
2. The hand speed is close but I’d give Khan the slight edge here.
3. Ring generalship is an advantage for Khan because of his ability to revert to boxing behind his considerable jab when needed.
4. Khan’s three best opponents were Marcos Maidana, Zab Judah and Paulie Malignaggi. Peterson’s were Timothy Bradley, Victor Oritz and Victor Manuel Cayo. I think Peterson’s opponents are slightly better, especially because his top opponents were younger and in their prime.
5. Khan is clearly the more powerful puncher.
6. It’s hard for me to discern which fighter is better conditioned. They both have shown an ability to recover after being badly hurt (Khan against Maidana and Peterson against Ortiz). I’ll call the conditioning even.
7. Both fighters are more boxer-puncher, stylistically, rather than slick movers. However, I think Khan has better wheels.
8. Khan (5’10") and Peterson (5’9") are solidly-built, relatively tall junior welterweights. Khan seems to be the naturally stronger fighter however.
9. Is it just me, or does it seem that Peterson tends to get hit a lot? His defense leaves something to be desired.
10. Peterson’s major advantage will be the hometown crowd, which will buoy his fighting spirit and shouldn’t hurt on the scorecards, should fight go the distance.

I have six factors in Khan’s favor, two in Peterson’s and two seemingly even.

This will all add up to a reasonably competitive, but clear victory (via late stoppage) by Amir Khan in a week.

However, I feel that my original prediction may have been correct were it not for the “helping hands” that plaster of Paris provided for Margarito.

I have no hard (no pun intended) evidence of foul play before Cotto-Margarito I, but it’s hard not to ask, “what if?”

But that was then, and this is now.

And now, nothing about my prediction has changed much.

The combination of age (which often leads to more exchanges and less movement), ring wear (which often leads to more susceptibility to cuts and to being hurt), and high stakes (which could lead to a superfight with Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao next year) make this fight desirable to watch.

Is it “must-see-TV?” It’s probably not. But it has all of the makings of a “blood-and-guts” grudge match between two fighters who clearly do not like each other for obvious reasons.

When it’s all said and done, look for a slightly fresher Cotto to out-punch and out-box the plodding Margarito over twelve bloody, dominant rounds.

Bonus Prediction: Abner Mares vs Joseph Agbeko II.

The link above actually points to my Mares-Agbeko I prediction that was proven wrong. But similar to Cotto-Margarito I, it was not without controversy. But unlike Cotto-Margarito I, this controversy was proven and not speculative.

Agbeko appeared to lose mainly because Mares not only got away with repeated low blows, but was actually rewarded for landing one key one (a heinous, fight-altering low blow in the 11th round that was incorrectly ruled a knockdown).

As in their first bout, Mares will likely be buoyed by a partisan crowd in California next Saturday. However, I expect Agbeko to fight even better, similar to his dominant rematch victory over Yonnhy Perez.

And as is often the case in rematches where it was perceived that the loser of the first bout was wronged (see Lennox Lewis vs Evander Holyfield II), Agbeko may get favorable treatment by the referee and/or judges in this fight.

As I did then, I predict that Agbeko will garner a close win. Only this time, he’ll get the “official” victory on the scorecards.

My wish has come true.

Better later than never, right?

Well, not exactly, as I feel this fight is taking place about two or three years later than it should have. But I’m not going to complain. Based on their contrasting styles (Pacquiao as the puncher and Marquez as the counter-puncher), they have made for some scintillating fights.

Unfortunately for Marquez, I do not believe the third, and likely, final installment of this rivalry will be as close as its predecessors.

Here are the five reasons why I think Manny Pacquiao will be raising his left hand in victory next Saturday.

1. (Hand) speed skills. And Pacquiao has a considerable advantage here.
2. Punching power concusses. Marquez already knows this.
3. Good chins win. Pac Man’s ability to withstand Marquez’s punches have been the difference in their past fights.
4. Great footwork preserves. Manny’s better "legs" will serve him well against the seemingly more shopworn Marquez.
5. The strong survive. Way back when they fought at featherweight, Pacquiao was stronger. The gap is even wider now.

Since I focus on five factors above, I predict that this fight will last a factor of five rounds (10 to be exact) in favor of Manny Pacquiao.