Boxing

[Maximus Decimus]

41 minutes ago, Bob8 said:

If it is like last time, I expect there will soon be hundreds of MMA fans claiming it was a dubious decision and that Mayweather actually lost.

Well the Japanese lad did land a shot on him so percentage wise that probably makes him better than Pacquiao. 

[Maximus Decimus]

2 hours ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

Just to change the subject slightly:

Fight of the Year 2018?

Shortlist of contenders for me in no particular order:

Deontay Wilder vs Tyson Fury: Fury’s Lazarus impression

Dillian Whyte vs Joseph Parker: Whyte clings on in the final round

Anthony Joshua vs Alexander Povetkin: Great finish by AJ 

Josh Warrington vs Carl Frampton: Leeds man swarms all over Frampton early on

Tony Bellew vs Oleksandr Usyk: The Bomber bombed out by a cracking finish

Gennady Golovkin vs Saul Alvarez: Canelo backs up the great Triple G at times

Callum Smith vs George Groves:  Brutal showing by the Liverpudlian

Dereck Chisora vs Carlos Takam: Unbelievable take out by Del Boy

Vasiliy Lomachenko vs Jorge Linares: Two legends in great boxing action

Deontay Wilder vs Luis Ortiz: Great heart shown by Wilder in a real test

 

If I had to pick my favourite five:

1. Wilder vs Fury

2. Smith vs Groves

3. Loma vs Linares

4. Golovkin vs Alvarez 

5. Joshua vs Povetkin

 

I think Fury’s recovery to beat the count from that final round knockdown against Wilder will live very long in the memory.

Fight of the year can be judged so many ways. Overall, I'd have to say Fury-Wilder for the whole package, the size of the event, the performance of Fury and then the drama. Boxing wise it wasn't the highest quality but it was gripping from start to finish.

I really enjoyed Loma-Linares too, the quality of Loma and then the suddenness of the knockdown. It was like seeing Mayweather put down it was so unexpected.

Got to put Whyte-Parker and Haye-Bellew 2 in there as well for two eventful fights. 

[DavidM]

3 hours ago, Maximus Decimus said:

Fight of the year can be judged so many ways. Overall, I'd have to say Fury-Wilder for the whole package, the size of the event, the performance of Fury and then the drama. Boxing wise it wasn't the highest quality but it was gripping from start to finish.

I really enjoyed Loma-Linares too, the quality of Loma and then the suddenness of the knockdown. It was like seeing Mayweather put down it was so unexpected.

Got to put Whyte-Parker and Haye-Bellew 2 in there as well for two eventful fights. 

We tend to think about the highest profile fights but there’s been so many barn burners on undercards , many involving Mexicans !

Edited December 31, 2018 by DavidM

[Bob8]

I am in Las Vegas and in a few hours, I will head off to train at a local gym. 

It just occured to me how great that is!

[Maximus Decimus]

1 hour ago, Bob8 said:

I am in Las Vegas and in a few hours, I will head off to train at a local gym. 

It just occured to me how great that is!

Oh for the life of Bob8!

[Futtocks]

3 hours ago, Maximus Decimus said:

Oh for the life of Bob8!

Better that than the life of John Wayne Bob8.

[Bob8]

5 hours ago, Maximus Decimus said:

Oh for the life of Bob8!

 

2 hours ago, Futtocks said:

Better that than the life of John Wayne Bob8.

I have now been to a boxing gym in Las Vegas and not had my penis chopped off. 

All in all, an unusually good afternoon.

[Gerrumonside ref]

Just a heads up that the Manny Pacquiao vs Adrien Broner world title fight from Vegas is being shown live on ITV4 in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Should be a good one.

[Maximus Decimus]

2 hours ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

Just a heads up that the Manny Pacquiao vs Adrien Broner world title fight from Vegas is being shown live on ITV4 in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Should be a good one.

Wow surprised by that, thanks for the heads up. 

[Maximus Decimus]

Big news recently is that Khan has took the fight with Crawford in America over the Brook fight. I can understand the logic but I think not facing Brook will overshadow his legacy. 

Also, Canelo has took a fight with Jacobs which should be a good fight. I was impressed with Jacobs against GGG. 

Most of the recent news is dominated by the ongoing sagas between the heavyweights. Wilder-Fury II looks likely but is not guaranteed and Whyte looks like he's had enough; he's annoyed at AJ for a low offer and is hinting at leaving Hearn. Wembley is booked for April 13th and currently it's looking unsure who AJ will be facing. 

Huge rumours abound that Klitschko is coming back. He denies it but Whyte has said he definitely is and they were in talks about a fight 

Interesting times.

[DavidM]

On 1/18/2019 at 8:02 PM, Gerrumonside ref said:

Just a heads up that the Manny Pacquiao vs Adrien Broner world title fight from Vegas is being shown live on ITV4 in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Should be a good one.

Typical Broner fight of recent times .  Lazy , bemusing performance . Thoroughly beaten by a guy looking way off his peak himself then the odious , deluded reaction of a man who needs serious help .

By the way what about the cut Badou Jack got . Geez remind me never to go see that doctor 

[Maximus Decimus]

1 hour ago, DavidM said:

Typical Broner fight of recent times .  Lazy , bemusing performance . Thoroughly beaten by a guy looking way off his peak himself then the odious , deluded reaction of a man who needs serious help .

By the way what about the cut Badou Jack got . Geez remind me never to go see that doctor 

His reaction was just bizarre; how you can average less than 8 punches a round and think you won is beyond me. 

That said, Pacquiao clearly isn't quite the fighter of old and it certainly didn't whet the appetite for a second Mayweather fight. He found it hard to catch Broner and reminded me of Mayweather a bit, he's too small to close the gap against a decent mover. The difference with Broner is that Mayweather throws enough to win. 

[Gerrumonside ref]

7 hours ago, DavidM said:

Typical Broner fight of recent times .  Lazy , bemusing performance . Thoroughly beaten by a guy looking way off his peak himself then the odious , deluded reaction of a man who needs serious help .

By the way what about the cut Badou Jack got . Geez remind me never to go see that doctor 

Yes, a delusional response from Broner and that deep cut almost the length of Jack’s forehead was ridiculous.

[DavidM]

Had your tea?..Good

before and after 

[Bedford Roughyed]

Was that fight stopped?

[DavidM]

9 minutes ago, Bedford Roughyed said:

Was that fight stopped?

No . The doctor inspected it twice and just asked if he could see . The corner said ‘ you’ve a little cut it’s worse than it looks ‘ then a big punch opened it right up and they just kept cleaning the blood up . He was never in the fight either and it was a scandal really , but you see this in American rings when you’d never see it here . Even the comms said it should be stopped . It got to the point I was even worried about his blood loss , it was literally pouring down him 

Edited January 21, 2019 by DavidM

[Bedford Roughyed]

So... Jarrell Miller vs. AJ....

[DavidM]

Interesting seeing the reaction to this fight. AJ’s star seems to be waning a little among many fans who aren’t to chuffed with the way he’s going , and of course following the Wilder - Tyson bandwagon. Miller is a hyped fat lump who’s done nothing of note but coincidentally is under Fast Eddie also . Yes he’s got decent movement for a fatty but he’s going up a huge amount here . To me Fast Eddie is messing up AJ . Fighting between Sep and Apr was ridiculous enough , but Sep to June is crazy . He should be fighting three times a year as the heavyweight champ . The fighter everyone wants to see and everyone wants to fight . And he’s a young fit guy who’s hardly exerting himself . But Eddie has turned him into a PR money making commodity , and the rarer his appearances the more his value increases and the more folk will pay to see him . Simple as that , not about the boxing public at all . This is another PVP cash cow which doesn’t really merit it . That camp has to be careful where it’s going with AJ or they’ll lose good will 

[Bedford Roughyed]

35 minutes ago, DavidM said:

Interesting seeing the reaction to this fight. AJ’s star seems to be waning a little among many fans who aren’t to chuffed with the way he’s going , and of course following the Wilder - Tyson bandwagon. Miller is a hyped fat lump who’s done nothing of note but coincidentally is under Fast Eddie also . Yes he’s got decent movement for a fatty but he’s going up a huge amount here . To me Fast Eddie is messing up AJ . Fighting between Sep and Apr was ridiculous enough , but Sep to June is crazy . He should be fighting three times a year as the heavyweight champ . The fighter everyone wants to see and everyone wants to fight . And he’s a young fit guy who’s hardly exerting himself . But Eddie has turned him into a PR money making commodity , and the rarer his appearances the more his value increases and the more folk will pay to see him . Simple as that , not about the boxing public at all . This is another PVP cash cow which doesn’t really merit it . That camp has to be careful where it’s going with AJ or they’ll lose good will 

Up until a few months ago, Team AJ could do no wrong and seemed to be ahead of the game.  I really like him and think he really is the best out there, but boy they have dropped a clanger with this one.  Not sure they are reading the mood music correctly.  

[DavidM]

4 minutes ago, Bedford Roughyed said:

Up until a few months ago, Team AJ could do no wrong and seemed to be ahead of the game.  I really like him and think he really is the best out there, but boy they have dropped a clanger with this one.  Not sure they are reading the mood music correctly.  

And that’s before we get into the debate about all the people who’d organised to watch him on April 20 at Wembley , as they were told months ago . Public perception changes quickly so you’ve got to be careful . 

[Maximus Decimus]

9 hours ago, DavidM said:

Interesting seeing the reaction to this fight. AJ’s star seems to be waning a little among many fans who aren’t to chuffed with the way he’s going , and of course following the Wilder - Tyson bandwagon. Miller is a hyped fat lump who’s done nothing of note but coincidentally is under Fast Eddie also . Yes he’s got decent movement for a fatty but he’s going up a huge amount here . To me Fast Eddie is messing up AJ . Fighting between Sep and Apr was ridiculous enough , but Sep to June is crazy . He should be fighting three times a year as the heavyweight champ . The fighter everyone wants to see and everyone wants to fight . And he’s a young fit guy who’s hardly exerting himself . But Eddie has turned him into a PR money making commodity , and the rarer his appearances the more his value increases and the more folk will pay to see him . Simple as that , not about the boxing public at all . This is another PVP cash cow which doesn’t really merit it . That camp has to be careful where it’s going with AJ or they’ll lose good will 

I certainly see this differently; in my opinion his opponents are playing a blinder. There's no doubt that the way the Fury-Wilder fight went has shifted the dynamics in the heavyweight division considerably.

I think they've struggled to get a fight at all for AJ this time around. Wilder just isn't interested and Fury has decided he wants to do the rematch with Wilder's team. The next obvious candidate - Whyte - has also decided not to take it. Even Miller played hardball and was by no means a guarantee. I think under the circumstances, the Miller fight is a decent result as it opens the gate to fighting in the US against an opponent who will do a good job of talking it up.

The proof of this is in the way things have gone since his last fight. They have spent the last few months trying to bring Wilder to the table including AJ doing so publicly a number of times. Then as it became clear that it wasn't likely to happen, AJ rather embarrassingly appeared at the Whyte fight (where he got boo'd) trying to sell the idea of AJ and Whyte. Allied with the fact that it will likely have cost a lot to cancel Wembley, it doesn't seem to be how you would act if it was planned. 

AJ/Eddie Hearn are being heavily criticised for their offers but not enough attention is paid to the other fighters IMO; A-sides playing hardball is nothing new. Take Whyte, he has turned down more money than he could ever get on his own with 3 World titles on the line to become the mandatory for Wilder/Fury (where he will almost certainly earn less). You'd think he'd be biting his hand off to get a world title shot but he's more bothered about what percentage he feels is right. It's the same with Fury and Wilder, they are more bothered about their split than trying to take 75% of the belts and/or become undisputed champion for more money than they get fighting each other.

 

 

 

[Maximus Decimus]

AJ-Miller has broken the record for pre-sales at the MSG and could sellout as early as today or tomorrow.

This is pretty damning when you consider that despite being an American Heavyweight champion, Wilder only sold 13,000 (with an additional 4,000 freebies) for his fight against Fury.

I suspect most of these are Brits but it will still confirm the idea that AJ is the real global superstar of boxing. It's not going to help Wilder in his attempt to freeze AJ out and pretend he doesn't exist. 

[Gerrumonside ref]

Just now, Maximus Decimus said:

AJ-Miller has broken the record for pre-sales at the MSG and could sellout as early as today or tomorrow.

This is pretty damning when you consider that despite being an American Heavyweight champion, Wilder only sold 13,000 (with an additional 4,000 freebies) for his fight against Fury.

I suspect most of these are Brits but it will still confirm the idea that AJ is the real global superstar of boxing. It's not going to help Wilder in his attempt to freeze AJ out and pretend he doesn't exist. 

Think Anthony Joshua will need a convincing victory to win over the American public as his reputation there has been trashed by all accounts.

As we all know, Madison Square Garden is a tough crowd particularly if the action doesn’t really hot up from the opening bell. 

I believe Hearn has mismanaged the last six months of Joshua’s career, allowing Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder to outmanoeuvre Joshua in terms of status in the critical US market.

 

[DavidM]

24 minutes ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

Think Anthony Joshua will need a convincing victory to win over the American public as his reputation there has been trashed by all accounts.

As we all know, Madison Square Garden is a tough crowd particularly if the action doesn’t really hot up from the opening bell. 

I believe Hearn has mismanaged the last six months of Joshua’s career, allowing Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder to outmanoeuvre Joshua in terms of status in the critical US market.

 

Yes , looking at the general vibe on various boxing sites from fans there they do disparage big Josh a lot . I think a lot of it is simply he isn’t American . To me despite everything he is still the best heavyweight in the world , as well as a genuinely nice engaging guy . Maybe Americans struggle with that to , tbh the level of odious offensive juvenile bad mouthing and antics from boxers  there turns me off . But it’s accepted there and even welcomed  far to much . I believe Josh will do a job on Miller , I’m reminded of Lennox and Tua for some reason . I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a 12 round boxing workout from the outside , but a KO on his big American gob would be sweet and hopefully win over some doubters . Then the Wilder or Fury fight simply MUST HAPPEN . No more excuses , Josh needs it boxing needs it 

[Maximus Decimus]

17 minutes ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

Think Anthony Joshua will need a convincing victory to win over the American public as his reputation there has been trashed by all accounts.

As we all know, Madison Square Garden is a tough crowd particularly if the action doesn’t really hot up from the opening bell. 

I believe Hearn has mismanaged the last six months of Joshua’s career, allowing Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder to outmanoeuvre Joshua in terms of status in the critical US market.

 

As I said earlier, the drama of the Wilder-Fury fight was a godsend for them and has allowed them to get one over on AJ.

The reality that Wilder thought a 60% Fury would be an easy chance to boost his profile and record was forgotten when Fury got miraculously got up in the final round. Now the narrative is that they are the best fighting the best while AJ is ducking.

Since this Wilder has used his newfound power to try and destroy AJs profile. A sold out MSG demonstrates just how hard this will be to achieve.