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General Boxing Thread
Ricky Otto
President⭐
Okolie is the lad that Joshua has something to do with isn't he?
Like I've mentioned before, I love reading this thread as a Casual boxing fan as it is very informative. Just wondering if either of you guys could recommend a good website or blog to get up to date boxing information i.e where you get the info you post here?
Like I've mentioned before, I love reading this thread as a Casual boxing fan as it is very informative. Just wondering if either of you guys could recommend a good website or blog to get up to date boxing information i.e where you get the info you post here?
Yeah that’s Okolie he was one of the boxers in the Team GB for Rio. He’s in the same management team as Joshua.
I get a lot of my information from different places, a Podcast I listen to which is excellent is the Boxhard Podcast. It’s not boast towards any of the promotional teams like Sky’s Toe 2 Toe Podcast obviously they favour Matchroom. It had guests and covers fights all over the world rather than just the big fights. I read a lot of stuff on Twitter, Boxing News and Boxrec. I also watch every televised fight I can. Being out in the Falklands has helped with that because they show all televised fights on there. But when I’m back I will endeavour to watch as much as possible.
Yeah, possibly I am a little harsh on them. I mean, I've genuinely got nothing against them, well, other than the fact that they're embroiled with Hearn & the racist body builder.
It should be a decent enough scrap while it lasts, although I'm just not excited about it.
I don't listen to podcasts TBH. Or read any websites for that matter! Most of my info comes from social media, or through the grapevine of various gyms & active fighters. That alone has been an excellent source of insider knowledge for me over the years.
In truth, my actual knowledge of the current goings on, is just purely through watching a lot. You'd be surprised how easy it is to pick up. My missus for example, 6-years-ago hated boxing, and would never watch it. These days she can actually talk better boxing stuff, than most men. She knows the fighters, the stables, the belts, the champions, the mandatories. She knows who's beaten who, who's ducked who & who's in-line for who. And all that's just from watching it with me. She still doesn't understand why the fighters like to cuddle during a fight so much, but you can't win them all I guess.
Once in a while I'll loiter around Checkhookboxing.com. It's a great forum (for the most part) with quite a few thousand active members. They have a very good lounge (our version of the pub) section, and an excellent Brit forum for all your Boxing needs.
Well I look a **** now! What an absolute **** fight that was. It was a complete and utter joke and it was just one novice against another. Both fighters were awful! But as usual the commentators Bellew especially trying to talk the fight up when it was a complete waste of 30 mins.
And from the sounds of things the Gassiev v Dorticos fight was like the Usyk v Bredis fight a fight of the year contender. Couldn’t get a stream or a way to access that one. If I had have known how **** the Matchroom main event was going to be I would’ve done something completely different. Waste of my evening and time. :sad:
And from the sounds of things the Gassiev v Dorticos fight was like the Usyk v Bredis fight a fight of the year contender. Couldn’t get a stream or a way to access that one. If I had have known how **** the Matchroom main event was going to be I would’ve done something completely different. Waste of my evening and time. :sad:
I was playing poker until the early hours of Sunday morning, so didn't see it live. Unfortunately for me, I've got the boxing on automatic series link record, so when I woke up yesterday I found it on the Sky Planner. Didn't know the result, or anything else from the night, so thought I'd give it a watch. Urgh. Awful. Absolutely Awful. There would have better fights outside of pubs & clubs on Saturday night.
My brief summation; IC looks domestic level at best. Can't see him doing anything special, he's far to small for a Cruiserweight, has appealing stamina & zero power.
Okolie has bambi legs. His footwork is horrendous & clumsy. I lost count of the times he went to plant his feet, only to step on IC's feet. His general movement was amateurish. He didn't know how to change angles, and when he found his way inside (due to IC's lack of stamina) he failed to land clean. On top of that, his legs are like matchsticks.
Put simply, there was a reason the good tickets were still available for £40, right up until the evening. This had "potential dog5hit" written all over it, regardless of what the Sky hype machine were telling everyone
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Ricky Otto
President⭐
So Chaps what is your take on the Eubank Jnr v Groves fight? Simple for Jnr or not? Gonna pay for this one and watch the other semi that you get included in the price the week after
Really looking forward to this one. On paper I have George Groves being too good and too experienced for Eubank. However, despite being a massive Groves fan, I have to admit he worries me.
Groves is frustrating. He's clearly always been a talented fighter, but just hasn't evolved into the fighter everyone knows he can be. He makes too many silly mistakes, which comes down to a lack of concentration, IMO. The knockout shot that Froch caught him with at Wembley, was down to poor concentration & a silly mistake. Froch himself has said it was a Hail Mary punch, in that everything had to go right in those few split seconds, which they did.
Groves then went 12-rounds with Badou Jack, who seemed to surprise everyone when he dropped Groves. Again, a lack of concentration.
Even Going back through his career, there's evidence of poor concentration. The Paul Smith Jr, fight; Groves won by brutal KO in the second round, however, Smith had him rocking at the end of the first. A similar story with the Kenny Anderson fight. On another night, that could have gone the other way. All through bad concentration & switching off at the wrong time.
Anyway, the point I'm making is Groves is a very good, technical boxer. Certainly World Level. He won't ever reach that genuine Elite Level, unless he stops letting himself down with silly mistakes.
I'm double busy today, so can't go into detail about how overrated Eubank is ATM, but I promise I will get to that either later or tomorrow.
My take on this:
I am a fan of neither of them but I have a genuine dislike towards Eubank Jr, whether that is down to his Dad's constant involvement and not letting him step out of his shadow or the fact he's just an arrogant ****. The social media stuff gets on my tits the whole Blackwell thing annoyed me and the Kell Brook tweets too.
Anyway, everyone makes such a big deal about his win against Yilderin. Someone who hasn't really been tested at a high level and was an up and coming prospect. Great upper cut to win the fight but against someone like Groves, Eubank just won't get chances like that. Like GBJ says Groves has a habit of switching off due to lack of concentration and with someone like Eubank's speed he will try and capitalise on this. Personally I don't think that Eubank has the KO power to KO a big super middle like Groves.
I want Groves to win and the Callum Smith to be the overall winner. I predict it will be a Groves KO in the later rounds, what I would love is his corner to throw the towel in! That would be the best possible outcome to shut that gobby prick up.
I am a fan of neither of them but I have a genuine dislike towards Eubank Jr, whether that is down to his Dad's constant involvement and not letting him step out of his shadow or the fact he's just an arrogant ****. The social media stuff gets on my tits the whole Blackwell thing annoyed me and the Kell Brook tweets too.
Anyway, everyone makes such a big deal about his win against Yilderin. Someone who hasn't really been tested at a high level and was an up and coming prospect. Great upper cut to win the fight but against someone like Groves, Eubank just won't get chances like that. Like GBJ says Groves has a habit of switching off due to lack of concentration and with someone like Eubank's speed he will try and capitalise on this. Personally I don't think that Eubank has the KO power to KO a big super middle like Groves.
I want Groves to win and the Callum Smith to be the overall winner. I predict it will be a Groves KO in the later rounds, what I would love is his corner to throw the towel in! That would be the best possible outcome to shut that gobby prick up.
Ricky Otto
President⭐
Cheers chaps, I have seen them both fight but obviously haven't seen them as many times as you guys. The bookies have Jnr as favourite but looks like it could be a contest. I had thought that Groves was much older as he seems to have been around a while but see he is only 29! When I look at it with fresh eyes Groves' price at the bookies does look rather appealing.
I always loved Eubank Snr in the good old days of the big fight live on ITV on Saturday nights, so naturally have been drawn into following Jnr. I also love the idea of the super series. Looking at world rankings it isn't the best of the best in the division, which is a shame, but there are few big players in there. I know the best in the division is going to be the main draw and will probably never get involved with a competition like this but is there a possibility the winner of this will get the next shot at the number 1, who seems to be Gilberto Ramirez?
I always loved Eubank Snr in the good old days of the big fight live on ITV on Saturday nights, so naturally have been drawn into following Jnr. I also love the idea of the super series. Looking at world rankings it isn't the best of the best in the division, which is a shame, but there are few big players in there. I know the best in the division is going to be the main draw and will probably never get involved with a competition like this but is there a possibility the winner of this will get the next shot at the number 1, who seems to be Gilberto Ramirez?
Ok, Eubank Jr.
Weight: he's a natural middleweight, fighting at Super Middleweight. He hasn't faced decent competition at that weight before, aside from an over-the-hill Arthur Abraham, who was not much more than a walking punch bag. This will be his first big test, of fighting someone who is actively World Class at SMW. Some People still don't understand the significance in this. A general rule of thumb in boxing is that a good big guy, will always best a good little guy. Groves will be naturally bigger & stronger, which instantly gives him an advantage.
Punch: Eubank has made a reputation for himself of throwing a high volume of punches. Again, I have to come back to the fact that he hasn't been in with World Class opponents, aside from Billy Jo Saunders at Middleweight, who schooled him for 8 rounds. Good opponents will not let him throw flurries. Groves will keep him on the back foot, at the end of his jab. And make no mistake, Groves has a superb jab. What that does, is stops Eubank from planting his feet & throwing punches in bunches. You can't throw if you're constantly off balance.
You've all heard of the term "in-and-out?", in which a fighter will get in close, land some good, clean punches, then step away again, in order to avoid counter punches. Well Eubank doesn't fight like that. He goes in & stays there. Throwing punch after punch. Groves just happens to possess a wicked counter-punch. That short hand right hook, which he's used previously to drop the looks of Froch, Glenn Johnson & Paul Smith. Eubank will know this, and of course it will mean that in the past where he's planted his feet, let his hands fly, and not been too worried about real dangerous shots coming back at him. For the first time ever, he's gunna have to worry about that. Little mindf*cks like that, can instantly change how a fighter approaches a fight, and more often that not, it's detrimental to them.
I would also add that Eubank's power is questionable at best. He has struggled to stop fighters of his own weight, let alone a weight above. As tough as Arthur Abraham is, he's an old man these days, yet Eubank couldn't put a dent in him. People can point to his impressive stoppage of Yildrim, in his last fight, but aren't aware that Yildrim was a no-hoper & his only previous "big-name" fight was against Marco Antonio Periban, (the same one who got starched in 3 rounds by James DeGale, back in 2014)
movement: Again, very good against domestic & maybe European level opponents. He's still yet to show it on the big stage though. BJS showed that if you take away Junior's balance, by keeping him at the end of a jab, and making him move around the ring, then he has very a very poor offense. To me, it seems like he either doesn't know how to stalk/walk down an opponent, OR he knows his limits & can't afford to do so.
Chin: Yet to be properly tested. Abraham didn't test it & BJS is bordering on feather-fisted. He has taken a fair few stinging shots from what I recall. Even when he does plant his feet & throw flurries, he's still susceptible of catching one or two coming back at him.
Positives: He has a winning mentality. He may go into this fight more cautious than any he's ever been in, but he'll go in there confident nonetheless. You've got to believe that regardless of your personal opinions towards his dad, you can't deny that he's instilled that champions mentality in his boy. If he can stick to a gameplan, of frustrating Groves & nicking rounds, then he'll grow in confidence & look for a late stoppage, IMO. Bottom line, he will do whatever it takes to win this fight.
Also, Groves has the ability to disappoint on the big stage. I still don't think he's been the same mentally, since the first Froch fight. You just know that Groves has it in him, to switch off at a crucial moment & get severely punished for it. This is Eubank's biggest hope IMO. It's probably he's only way of winning. It's why I think, that Groves will win the first half of the fight at a canter, and then Eubank will up the pressure from round 7-onwards & try and force George into a mistake, from which Eubank will look to win via stoppage.
FWIW, my full fight prediction is this;
- Groves to boss the first six rounds
- Eubank Jr to come on strong, from round 7 onwards
- Groves will tire & probably have at least one hair-raising moment
- Groves wins on points
Weight: he's a natural middleweight, fighting at Super Middleweight. He hasn't faced decent competition at that weight before, aside from an over-the-hill Arthur Abraham, who was not much more than a walking punch bag. This will be his first big test, of fighting someone who is actively World Class at SMW. Some People still don't understand the significance in this. A general rule of thumb in boxing is that a good big guy, will always best a good little guy. Groves will be naturally bigger & stronger, which instantly gives him an advantage.
Punch: Eubank has made a reputation for himself of throwing a high volume of punches. Again, I have to come back to the fact that he hasn't been in with World Class opponents, aside from Billy Jo Saunders at Middleweight, who schooled him for 8 rounds. Good opponents will not let him throw flurries. Groves will keep him on the back foot, at the end of his jab. And make no mistake, Groves has a superb jab. What that does, is stops Eubank from planting his feet & throwing punches in bunches. You can't throw if you're constantly off balance.
You've all heard of the term "in-and-out?", in which a fighter will get in close, land some good, clean punches, then step away again, in order to avoid counter punches. Well Eubank doesn't fight like that. He goes in & stays there. Throwing punch after punch. Groves just happens to possess a wicked counter-punch. That short hand right hook, which he's used previously to drop the looks of Froch, Glenn Johnson & Paul Smith. Eubank will know this, and of course it will mean that in the past where he's planted his feet, let his hands fly, and not been too worried about real dangerous shots coming back at him. For the first time ever, he's gunna have to worry about that. Little mindf*cks like that, can instantly change how a fighter approaches a fight, and more often that not, it's detrimental to them.
I would also add that Eubank's power is questionable at best. He has struggled to stop fighters of his own weight, let alone a weight above. As tough as Arthur Abraham is, he's an old man these days, yet Eubank couldn't put a dent in him. People can point to his impressive stoppage of Yildrim, in his last fight, but aren't aware that Yildrim was a no-hoper & his only previous "big-name" fight was against Marco Antonio Periban, (the same one who got starched in 3 rounds by James DeGale, back in 2014)
movement: Again, very good against domestic & maybe European level opponents. He's still yet to show it on the big stage though. BJS showed that if you take away Junior's balance, by keeping him at the end of a jab, and making him move around the ring, then he has very a very poor offense. To me, it seems like he either doesn't know how to stalk/walk down an opponent, OR he knows his limits & can't afford to do so.
Chin: Yet to be properly tested. Abraham didn't test it & BJS is bordering on feather-fisted. He has taken a fair few stinging shots from what I recall. Even when he does plant his feet & throw flurries, he's still susceptible of catching one or two coming back at him.
Positives: He has a winning mentality. He may go into this fight more cautious than any he's ever been in, but he'll go in there confident nonetheless. You've got to believe that regardless of your personal opinions towards his dad, you can't deny that he's instilled that champions mentality in his boy. If he can stick to a gameplan, of frustrating Groves & nicking rounds, then he'll grow in confidence & look for a late stoppage, IMO. Bottom line, he will do whatever it takes to win this fight.
Also, Groves has the ability to disappoint on the big stage. I still don't think he's been the same mentally, since the first Froch fight. You just know that Groves has it in him, to switch off at a crucial moment & get severely punished for it. This is Eubank's biggest hope IMO. It's probably he's only way of winning. It's why I think, that Groves will win the first half of the fight at a canter, and then Eubank will up the pressure from round 7-onwards & try and force George into a mistake, from which Eubank will look to win via stoppage.
FWIW, my full fight prediction is this;
- Groves to boss the first six rounds
- Eubank Jr to come on strong, from round 7 onwards
- Groves will tire & probably have at least one hair-raising moment
- Groves wins on points
I'll have money on a Groves points win. He's 5/1 with SkyBet, which is Quite decent TBH.
The Sauerlands have already started planning for the second series. As this was the inaugural one, there's still some things that could be ironed out & made better, but all-in-all, I think they've done excellently. For example, I don't believe for a second that we'd be seeing Groves Vs Eubank without it.
The talent they recruited has been spot on FWIW. Ramirez reminds me of the Switzerland national team. They've earned a high ranking, without facing anyone good. Ramirez might have earned the points to be classed as one of the best, but he's far from it IMO. Quite simply, the winner of the respective series, will be classed as THE number one guy in the division.
And TBH, both the Super Middleweight & Cruiserweight divisions have suffered a massive slump in the last few years, and haven't had the stand-out talent that's been evident in the past. It's the perfect reason why The Sauerlands chose those two divisions to start off with, to re-ignite some interest. Like I said, they're currently planning the second series, and I'd personally love to see them do a Heavyweight series, and a Welterweight series next. I think that this one has been such a success, that even big-name fighters would be very interested in entering.
Ricky Otto
President⭐
A very in depth analysis! Thank you.
I see a lot of question marks and negatives for Jnr there, but interestingly you still think he'll go the distance? I'm looking forward to the fight and the rest of the series. I know boxing rankings are often not representative of who really is the best in the division and having never seen Ramirez it's good to ask people who live and breathe the sport ( I only saw he was ranked number 1 by several sources and he is unbeaten) . The fact that you think the winner of this series is the best in the division makes it a very exciting competition. I'd love to see it across other weight classes if they can attract the same level of quality.
I think this has a GG points victory written all over it, but I really won't be surprised with any outcome TBH. A points victory seems to make the most sense, so that's why I'm going with it.
I should add though, I've been on a good roll when it comes to fight predictions, so I'm due a complete and utter curveball at some point :omg:
I'm hoping for another excellent line-up in the next series. I think when this one was put together, there was a lot of cynics who had written it off before it had even started. I think I was verging on the side of seceptical TBH. It's been proven successful, which hasn't gone unnoticed by boxers & promotions all over the world.
As mentioned, I would like a Heavyweight & Welterweight series featuring these lineups;
HW;
- Anthony Joshua (WBA, IBF)
- Deontay Wilder (WBC)
- Joseph Parker (WBO)
- Tyson Fury
- Carlos Takam
- Vyacheslav Glazkov
- Dillian Whyte
- Daniel Dubois
WW;
- Keith Thurman (WBA, WBC)
- Errol Spence (IBF)
- Jeff Horn (WBO)
- Manny Pacquiao
- Lucas Matthysse
- Shawn Porter
- Amir Khan
- Kell Brook
Highly unlikely, but WOW, what lineups they would be
Ricky Otto
President⭐
A middleweight series could be good if they get the main players. The biggest problem is filling it with half decent competition. Aside from the top 3-4 guys, it's difficult to fill in the blanks.
I can name 6, which would certainly be worth a watch. Not sure who's deserving of the final 2 spots though;
- Saul Alvarez
- GGG
- Billy Jo Saunders
- Demetrius Andrade
- Jermall Charlo
- Danny Jacobs
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Intriguing. I'm assuming it's the heaviest of his career. Normally when a fighter does something like that, it conveys a message that he's looking to add extra power to his abilities. Eubank may be looking to get stuck into Groves from the opening bell & try to end it quick. Not sure if that's a wise tactic or not. As predictable as it would have been, his best chance of winning, was to take Groves into the second half of the fight, then try to catch him. I've obviously covered Groves problems with concentration & stamina.
Very strange gamble from Eubank, who's simply not known or respected for his power. It'll be an excellent move if it pays off.
Also, as a side note, I really really hope Snr is wearing his Police badge tonight. I have no idea why I find it so amusing, but I do.
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