The "Witton Lane" Boxing Chat Thread

[The_Rev]

He's got the physique of a Calvin Klein model, that doesn't necessarily mean he's ready to win the Heavyweight title again.  35 years of age, 3 years out of the ring, suspect shoulder, there are quite a few questions he needs to answer and he needs to do it quickly because time is not on his side at all. 

[foreveryoung]

12 hours ago, The_Rev said:

He's got the physique of a Calvin Klein model, that doesn't necessarily mean he's ready to win the Heavyweight title again.  35 years of age, 3 years out of the ring, suspect shoulder, there are quite a few questions he needs to answer and he needs to do it quickly because time is not on his side at all. 

Been training Christmas day, I think it proves he really wants to get back on it. Be interesting to have him back. 

[Dr_Pangloss]

Haye's always trained like an animal, he's just too small and lacks the style to be a meaningful heavyweight champion (he was only ever a paper champ before). His power is exceptional and will have a punchers chance against anyone but he lacks the ability to get inside on most of the high level big guys.

Edited December 28, 2015 by Dr_Pangloss

[YGabbana]

So, Paq vs Bradley 3. What a shite pointless trilogy.

Much like Floyd, Paq is going out on a pointless fight.

[Dr_Pangloss]

If I had to defend the fight I'd say that Bradley is still a top welterweight and one of the best in the world right now, so it's a much better farewell fight than choosing a bum like Andre Berto. 

However given that this is only a 'rubber' match because Pacquiao was jobbed on the cards first time around, I personally don't have much appetite for this fight. But given Pacquiao clearly doesn't have the appetite for this sport any more, and against Floyd demonstrated some gun-shy-ness, I think Bradley actually has his best chance if scoring a legit. win in this one.

[Arj Guy]

I had Pacquiao winning both fights. What an absoloute joke this is. No doubt they'll use the fight to settle the score bullshit to promote the fight

[stuart_75]

Khan v Brook happening then?

Hopefully glass jaw Khan will get smashed.

[foreveryoung]

17 minutes ago, stuart_75 said:

Khan v Brook happening then?

Hopefully glass jaw Khan will get smashed.

Khan having a glass jaw is a bit of a myth if you watch him. Anyway I would much rather Brook get put back down to earth. He has built up his reputation fighting mostly bums, so Khan hopefully will be a good challenge. Khan is much faster than Brook, so should be a good fight. 

Over to you Dr Pangloss.

[YGabbana]

If I had to defend the fight I'd say that Bradley is still a top welterweight and one of the best in the world right now, so it's a much better farewell fight than choosing a bum like Andre Berto. 

However given that this is only a 'rubber' match because Pacquiao was jobbed on the cards first time around, I personally don't have much appetite for this fight. But given Pacquiao clearly doesn't have the appetite for this sport any more, and against Floyd demonstrated some gun-shy-ness, I think Bradley actually has his best chance if scoring a legit. win in this one.

Arum is claiming HBO had no interest in Khan because they didnt think it would sell.

Id bet my house that it would of got more ppv money than bradley will.

[RichardCanning]

Interesting to see some pedaling GGG v Saunders as a possibility in the new year. Whilst there is only going to be one winner (GGG) it makes you wonder if BJS is doing the correct thing in taking a bucket load of money before GGG moves up a weight class by fighting him, or is it the wrong thing as it will effectively end BJS's career with the pummeling he will inevitably take?

[stuart_75]

47 minutes ago, RichardCanning said:

Interesting to see some pedaling GGG v Saunders as a possibility in the new year. Whilst there is only going to be one winner (GGG) it makes you wonder if BJS is doing the correct thing in taking a bucket load of money before GGG moves up a weight class by fighting him, or is it the wrong thing as it will effectively end BJS's career with the pummeling he will inevitably take?

Frightening thought. Paramedics required at ringside I think.

[SpanishVilla]

Must admit I was surprised to see BJS entertaining the GGG fight. Fair play to him for taking it if he does, boxing needs more champs biting the bullet and doing unification fights. It's the only way we find out who is really the best in each division. Even though it's obviously GGG in this case, and this particular example is a bad one, but you know what I mean.

[Dr_Pangloss]

On 12/31/2015 at 13:14, foreveryoung said:

Khan having a glass jaw is a bit of a myth if you watch him. Anyway I would much rather Brook get put back down to earth. He has built up his reputation fighting mostly bums, so Khan hopefully will be a good challenge. Khan is much faster than Brook, so should be a good fight. 

Over to you Dr Pangloss.

Lol I can't help but be baited. 

Khan has better speed, reflexes and combinations. Brook has significantly more power and IMO although close, has the better jab. Brook is also the sharper more accurate puncher and physically the much bigger, stronger man. Brook is a very big welterweight, Khan is a very average sized welterweight. 

Brook IMO will beat Khan by stoppage, Khan is very stiff in terms of his head movement and will get countered when trying to rush Brook on the inside. But it's a good fight. 

In terms of Brooks resume, yes it's pretty shit, but that win over Porter is better than anything Khan has ever done at welterweight. Brook is rightly ranked above Khan at Welterweight by any even reasonably sane list (Ring Magazine, Boxrec etc). 

[Dr_Pangloss]

31 minutes ago, SpanishVilla said:

Must admit I was surprised to see BJS entertaining the GGG fight. Fair play to him for taking it if he does, boxing needs more champs biting the bullet and doing unification fights. It's the only way we find out who is really the best in each division. Even though it's obviously GGG in this case, and this particular example is a bad one, but you know what I mean.

He recently said that he'd need £4m to fight GGG, which suggests he's bluffing and a total coward. Golovkin doesn't even make that much for a fight.

[OutByEaster?]

Is Golovkin vs Alvarez a go-er?

 

[Dr_Pangloss]

On 12/30/2015 at 21:54, YGabbana said:

So, Paq vs Bradley 3. What a shite pointless trilogy.

Much like Floyd, Paq is going out on a pointless fight.

But still against a top welterweight, one of the best in the world in fact, rather than the Berto's of this world. Hardly a terrible fight, despite the fact that a fight with, let's say, Crawford, would be a little more compelling. But I guess Crawford is not well known enough to drive PPV sales, whilst Bradley, is the most well known of all of Top Rank's welterweight stable. 

It's not a fight that I'm personally excited about, but it's hardly a bad fight IMO. 

[Dr_Pangloss]

27 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said:

Is Golovkin vs Alvarez a go-er?

 

Probably is, however the question is what weight it will take place at.

2015 was very much the year of the A-side, with the likes of Mayweather, Cotto and then Alvarez using their 'A-side' status to dictate (or at least try to) conditions on their opponents in order to derive some sort of advantage. 

Canelo will be pushing for Golovkin to fight below the middleweight limit of 160lbs, this will disadvantage GGG. So I guess the weight will be the biggest negotiation point. 

[Dr_Pangloss]

I did this last year so I'll do it this year, it's my boxing end of year awards, probably the most prestigious awards in all of boxing!

Fighter of the year: Tyson Fury. Yes, what he did is without a shadow of a doubt the best achievement in the sport for a while. Going to a legitimately great, long reigning champs backyard and snatching 3 of the 4 recognised world titles off him in a relatively dominant display. Fury made himself the heavyweight champion of the world in one fight, no other achievement ranks up there this year by a long shot. 

Fight of the year: Has to be Takashi Miura vs Francisco Vargas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nFtSorIfGI . Great back and forth action and a stunning finish. Other contenders for me were Edwin Rodriguez vs Craig Baker, Huck vs Glowacki, Dimitri Kudryshov vs Durodola and Matthysse vs Provodnikov.

Knockout of the year: Tempted to go with Canelo's stoppage of James Kirkland, it was as brutal a beat down as it gets. However I'm going to give it to Zoltani Tete's one punch wipe out of Paul Butler. This was a very, very good, competitive fight, ended by a perfectly timed, beautiful left uppercut, which had Butler collapsing to the floor and on queer street when he got up, the ref had no choice but to stop it.

Break through of the year: Probably Roman Gonzalez. If I remember correctly he was my fighter of the year last year, this year, he didn't exactly fight the best in his division, but after an exhibition against a lower ranked contender, he stops the excellent, but aging, Brian Viloria in a very good fight later on in the year. I believe it's the first time Viloria had ever been down and confirmed that Gonzalez can take a good punch. The reason Gonzalez gets break through of the year, despite having over 40 pro fights, is that this was year he won universal recognition, becoming a fixture on HBO and being crowned pound for pound number one by Ring Magazine. He's 'only' a flyweight, so this is quite a big deal. 

Loser of the year: I'm going to have to say Keith Thurman. He's rightly considered a potential star, but 2015 was very much a damp squid and I feel he has lost momentum. Baring in mind, he hold a version of the WBA World Title, Thurman only squared off against aging and wash up boxers such as Robert Guerrero and Luis Collazo. He beat them both convincingly (although Collazo gave him some issues and managed to hurt him if I remember correctly), but this really isn't the level of opposition a world champ who is 27 years old should be facing. He needs a big 2016. EDIT: Kell Brook could equally win this 'award' for the exact same reasons.

Guys to look out for in 2016: 

(1) Naoya Inoue - Flyweight destroyer who was one of the fighters of the year in 2014, only fought once in 2015, but has 9 pro fights, 8 knockouts and already a two weight world champion (and only 22). He's one of the most complete talents and skillful fighters in the sport right now. 

(2) Errol Spence - Brilliant fighter with pretty much everything, power, hand speed, combination punching and ability to stay in the pocket. Will become a world champ this year if handled properly, one of the best welterweights out there IMO. 

(3) Marcus Browne - Will emerge as a real force at light heavyweight. He is lightening fast and punches with a lot of power. He's rangy, tall and has a devastating body attack. Does however need a chin check and I've not seen him get hit clean yet.

(4) Artur Beterbiev - Enormous punching light heavyweight, possibly more powerful than Kovalev. A fight between the two is possible this year, as they have a lot of bad blood stemming from their amateur days. 

(5)  Felix Verdejo - Looks to be the real deal, 22 years old, super fast and very skillful. Needs to answer questions about his chin (not really been tested) and could do with being stepped up but appears to have the lot. 

(6) Anthony Joshua - I'm a skeptic but it's hard not to rank him. Tremendous power and a massive hype train behind him, everyone will be watching him this year and surely his level of competition will improve. Let's see what he does. 

(7) Joseph Parker - Heavyweight from New Zealand with shit loads of power but also extremely fast hands for someone who is 6 ft 4, he throws a lot of punches in combination for a big man but is often using the jab well to set up his power shots. He could be a bit of a bust since he has not fought anyone, but at 22 he appears to have a very unique skill set for the division.  

Edited January 1, 2016 by Dr_Pangloss

[KHV]

4 hours ago, Dr_Pangloss said:

Lol I can't help but be baited. 

Khan has better speed, reflexes and combinations. Brook has significantly more power and IMO although close, has the better jab. Brook is also the sharper more accurate puncher and physically the much bigger, stronger man. Brook is a very big welterweight, Khan is a very average sized welterweight. 

Brook IMO will beat Khan by stoppage, Khan is very stiff in terms of his head movement and will get countered when trying to rush Brook on the inside. But it's a good fight. 

In terms of Brooks resume, yes it's pretty shit, but that win over Porter is better than anything Khan has ever done at welterweight. Brook is rightly ranked above Khan at Welterweight by any even reasonably sane list (Ring Magazine, Boxrec etc). 

I actually fancy Khan for this one. I agree with everything you have said and I don't know why but I think Khan might just upset Brook here. It's just a gut feeling, Khan has been chasing Mayweather and Pac Man and got nowhere so I think he will want to make a statement and beating Brook would be a great way to do it.

[KHV]

2 hours ago, Dr_Pangloss said:

I did this last year so I'll do it this year, it's my boxing end of year awards, probably the most prestigious awards in all of boxing!

Fighter of the year: Tyson Fury. Yes, what he did is without a shadow of a doubt the best achievement in the sport for a while. Going to a legitimately great, long reigning champs backyard and snatching 3 of the 4 recognised world titles off him in a relatively dominant display. Fury made himself the heavyweight champion of the world in one fight, no other achievement ranks up there this year by a long shot. 

Fight of the year: Has to be Takashi Miura vs Francisco Vargas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nFtSorIfGI . Great back and forth action and a stunning finish. Other contenders for me were Edwin Rodriguez vs Craig Baker, Huck vs Glowacki, Dimitri Kudryshov vs Durodola and Matthysse vs Provodnikov.

Knockout of the year: Tempted to go with Canelo's stoppage of James Kirkland, it was as brutal a beat down as it gets. However I'm going to give it to Zoltani Tete's one punch wipe out of Paul Butler. This was a very, very good, competitive fight, ended by a perfectly timed, beautiful left uppercut, which had Butler collapsing to the floor and on queer street when he got up, the ref had no choice but to stop it.

Break through of the year: Probably Roman Gonzalez. If I remember correctly he was my fighter of the year last year, this year, he didn't exactly fight the best in his division, but after an exhibition against a lower ranked contender, he stops the excellent, but aging, Brian Viloria in a very good fight later on in the year. I believe it's the first time Viloria had ever been down and confirmed that Gonzalez can take a good punch. The reason Gonzalez gets break through of the year, despite having over 40 pro fights, is that this was year he won universal recognition, becoming a fixture on HBO and being crowned pound for pound number one by Ring Magazine. He's 'only' a flyweight, so this is quite a big deal. 

Loser of the year: I'm going to have to say Keith Thurman. He's rightly considered a potential star, but 2015 was very much a damp squid and I feel he has lost momentum. Baring in mind, he hold a version of the WBA World Title, Thurman only squared off against aging and wash up boxers such as Robert Guerrero and Luis Collazo. He beat them both convincingly (although Collazo gave him some issues and managed to hurt him if I remember correctly), but this really isn't the level of opposition a world champ who is 27 years old should be facing. He needs a big 2016. EDIT: Kell Brook could equally win this 'award' for the exact same reasons.

Guys to look out for in 2016: 

(1) Naoya Inoue - Flyweight destroyer who was one of the fighters of the year in 2014, only fought once in 2015, but has 9 pro fights, 8 knockouts and already a two weight world champion (and only 22). He's one of the most complete talents and skillful fighters in the sport right now. 

(2) Errol Spence - Brilliant fighter with pretty much everything, power, hand speed, combination punching and ability to stay in the pocket. Will become a world champ this year if handled properly, one of the best welterweights out there IMO. 

(3) Marcus Browne - Will emerge as a real force at light heavyweight. He is lightening fast and punches with a lot of power. He's rangy, tall and has a devastating body attack. Does however need a chin check and I've not seen him get hit clean yet.

(4) Artur Beterbiev - Enormous punching light heavyweight, possibly more powerful than Kovalev. A fight between the two is possible this year, as they have a lot of bad blood stemming from their amateur days. 

(5)  Felix Verdejo - Looks to be the real deal, 22 years old, super fast and very skillful. Needs to answer questions about his chin (not really been tested) and could do with being stepped up but appears to have the lot. 

(6) Anthony Joshua - I'm a skeptic but it's hard not to rank him. Tremendous power and a massive hype train behind him, everyone will be watching him this year and surely his level of competition will improve. Let's see what he does. 

(7) Joseph Parker - Heavyweight from New Zealand with shit loads of power but also extremely fast hands for someone who is 6 ft 4, he throws a lot of punches in combination for a big man but is often using the jab well to set up his power shots. He could be a bit of a bust since he has not fought anyone, but at 22 he appears to have a very unique skill set for the division.  

I have to say I enjoyed Mitchell and Linares for a fight of the year contender