General Boxing Thread

[GBJ]

In addittion to GBJ's excellent and far more comprehensive write up, just my thoughts around Lee; he's been fighting at a much higher level than Fury for a while, losing early on to Chavez Jnr, and having two good bouts winning and losing against Vera, he was told he'd found his ceiling then. He is now the current WBO Middleweight Champion, in which he beat the highly rated and then unbeaten Korobov by stoppage to win, and then got off the canvas twice to earn a very credible draw against another highly rated and unbeaten American in Peter Quillan to retain his belt. In both fights he was expected to lose, even though Kid Chocolate ballsed up his weight. He's an excellent fighter who for me has earned the right to be in the top ten though excellent performances, coming back from adversity and defeats, fighting a higher callibre of opponents and actually achieving something, that for me won over potential, and I did give consideration to the handicap Fury has in a poor division.

For the record, Fury would be just outside my top ten, and like I say, depending on his perfomance against Klitschko could completely change the running.

See, that brilliant reply sums up, just how hard it is to actually compile a list in the first place, never mind have everyone agree with it.

 

[duncan bulgaria]

My list was of boxers I've actually seen fight or in my era , of course Mayweather is in a different league to some of who I posted but I just don.t get excited watching his fights like Nigel Benn or Sugar ray Leornard , these guys would stand toe to toe with their opponents and at times I would say they'd be willing to die than quit in the ring .

What amazes me so much about SRL is that he was an alcoholic throughout most of his boxing days which makes his speed and stamina even more impressive

 

[Ricey]

Mike Tyson is my favourite boxer of all time. I always enjoyed watching Prince Nassem and Ricky Hatton but best British for me is Lennox Lewis.

 

[GBJ]

these guys would stand toe to toe with their opponents and at times I would say they'd be willing to die than quit in the ring .

Can't have a comment like that without reliving this... For those who haven't seen it, this is 3 minutes of excellence

http://youtu.be/x2tPAhdsY34

2 men, who went life & death with each other, and neither contemplating quitting. Sheer brutality & bravery. These guys encountered the most brutal, savage trilogy, in boxing history. Also, just wanna add, this kind of encounter doesn't happen with the likes of Howard Foster or Ian John-Lewis as the referee


I met Buddy McGirt (Gatti's trainer) after the Hatton-Malignaggi weigh-in, (he was Paulie's trainer at the time) back in 2008. We spoke for a few minutes about Paulie's chances against Hatton, and generally had a laugh. He seemed a very humble & knowledgeable man. I'm still gutted, I never actually asked him about this fight. But through a mix of booze & general merriment, my mind went blank

 

[GBJ]

Mike Tyson is my favourite boxer of all time. I always enjoyed watching Prince Nassem and Ricky Hatton but best British for me is Lennox Lewis.

Hatton will probably always remain my favourite. Not necessarily for how good he was, but purely for the experiences. I've told some of my Vegas tales before, so I won't bother going into them again, but believe me, the memories from those trips are priceless. I don't think there'll ever be anyone who comes close to that level of fanatical support.

 

[Ricey]

Hatton will probably always remain my favourite. Not necessarily for how good he was, but purely for the experiences. I've told some of my Vegas tales before, so I won't bother going into them again, but believe me, the memories from those trips are priceless. I don't think there'll ever be anyone who comes close to that level of fanatical support.

I loved Hatton and would have put him as my top had it not been for the defeats. I know it was against two of the greatest P4P fighters of this century but it was devastating for me to watch. Lewis pips it for having the fight and tenacity to beat possibly one of the great heavyweights of all time. The whole Tyson Lewis build up was excellent and how Tyson was afterwards was brilliant.

 

[GBJ]

I loved Hatton and would have put him as my top had it not been for the defeats. I know it was against two of the greatest P4P fighters of this century but it was devastating for me to watch. Lewis pips it for having the fight and tenacity to beat possibly one of the great heavyweights of all time. The whole Tyson Lewis build up was excellent and how Tyson was afterwards was brilliant.

Tell me about it, Imagine being in the arena at the time!! I'll never forget seeing the towel fly through the air in slow motion, just as Hatton falls for the second time against Floyd. Then the subsequent rush of officials, journo's & photographers as they scramble into the ring, or surround the apron, all seemed surreal. Gutted was/is an understatement.

It's fair comment though. Hatton was never gunna be the best, his failure to keep himself sensible between bouts definitely shortened & stunted his career. but his ferocity, tenaciousness & all-action style is what carried him. He'll always remain the most followed fighter in British history.

I met Lennox Lewis the night of the Hatton-Mayeeather fight, in the lobby of The MGM's Signiture building. He was surrounded by bodyguards, who wouldn't let anyone get near him, but I managed to grab his attention & have a very brief conversation. And by brief, I do mean about 17 seconds.

 

[Blue_Wes]

Can't have a comment like that without reliving this... For those who haven't seen it, this is 3 minutes of excellence

http://youtu.be/x2tPAhdsY34

2 men, who went life & death with each other, and neither contemplating quitting. Sheer brutality & bravery. These guys encountered the most brutal, savage trilogy, in boxing history. Also, just wanna add, this kind of encounter doesn't happen with the likes of Howard Foster or Ian John-Lewis as the referee


I met Buddy McGirt (Gatti's trainer) after the Hatton-Malignaggi weigh-in, (he was Paulie's trainer at the time) back in 2008. We spoke for a few minutes about Paulie's chances against Hatton, and generally had a laugh. He seemed a very humble & knowledgeable man. I'm still gutted, I never actually asked him about this fight. But through a mix of booze & general merriment, my mind went blank

Cracking video, the best quote I've seen around the Gatti Ward trilogy, that pays tribute to the men comes from Gatti himself, when he says he always wondered what it would be like to fight his twin, now he knows.

 

[Blue_Wes]

Fair point I will wait until both the cards have been announced and who will be on it before deciding.

The 12th September card ain't worth 2-bob. The undercard is basically area level*, only 1 decent fight on there & thats Hibbert vs Ryan.

I'm not knocking area level though, it's just I wouldn't pay £60-£100 for the privilege of watching it.

Ha, so I'm now going to this. Mrs Blue_Wes bought me a couple of tickets as a surprise. She's never been before, and I'm always banging on about boxing, so thought she'd treat me and try it herself.

 

[Ricey]

Ha, so I'm now going to this. Mrs Blue_Wes bought me a couple of tickets as a surprise. She's never been before, and I'm always banging on about boxing, so thought she'd treat me and try it herself.

I had an email about it, the best seats I could get were £60 a pop and looked like they were up in the gods!

 

[Ricey]

Andre Ward has said he will fight GGG! That could be a very interesting fight.

 

[Blue_Wes]

I had an email about it, the best seats I could get were £60 a pop and looked like they were up in the gods!

Won't be too bad in the O2 to be honest, as long as you're row N downwards. You're elevated so it's not too bad a view, even if you aren't on the floor.

Don't mention to Mr Ringside Only, GBJ gets snobby with his tickets ;)

 

[Ricey]

Won't be too bad in the O2 to be honest, as long as you're row N downwards. You're elevated so it's not too bad a view, even if you aren't on the floor.

Don't mention to Mr Ringside Only, GBJ gets snobby with his tickets ;)

Have the released who is on the under card yet?

 

[Blue_Wes]

Andre Ward has said he will fight GGG! That could be a very interesting fight.

Fair play to him, he will happy fight the best. He was trying to tempt Kolorov into a fight at Light-heavy, he'd already shown he can move to that weight easily by dismantling Chad Dawson. I'd fancy him to beat either GGG or Kolorov.

 

[GBJ]

Won't be too bad in the O2 to be honest, as long as you're row N downwards. You're elevated so it's not too bad a view, even if you aren't on the floor.

Don't mention to Mr Ringside Only, GBJ gets snobby with his tickets ;)

:hilarious::hilarious:

No substitution for class son :winking:

TBH though, as long as you get central seats in the lower tier, there's not s bad seat at The O2. I wouldn't recommend the corner blocks of the lower tier, but blocks 101, 102, 103, 111, 112, 113 are superb.

Wouldnt waste my my money in the upper tier though. Sat there for Froch Kessler II, and watched the screens all night, because you couldn't actually make out which punches were landing cleanly etc.

 

[GBJ]

Have the released who is on the under card yet?

It will be mainly area-level fighters. Hibbert Vs Ryan should be a very good fight though.

 

[GBJ]

Fair play to him, he will happy fight the best. He was trying to tempt Kolorov into a fight at Light-heavy, he'd already shown he can move to that weight easily by dismantling Chad Dawson. I'd fancy him to beat either GGG or Kolorov.

The thing that worries me about GGG stepping Upto 168lbs is the fact he's very small. Even at middleweight, he comes in small. Would prefer him to step down to 154lb & chase Canelo/Cotto/Floyd.

 

[Blue_Wes]

The thing that worries me about GGG stepping Upto 168lbs is the fact he's very small. Even at middleweight, he comes in small. Would prefer him to step down to 154lb & chase Canelo/Cotto/Floyd.

Yeah, agree that's the more competetive fight, I think Ward would probably ease to a points victory over Golovkin if he went up a weight.

GGG still hasn't got that global appeal either, and a fight against Ward, who for all his talents also struggles in that area, isn't going to solve it. A fight against Canelo or Cotto, with their massive following's in their own back yard, would put GGG in the spotlight he deserves to be in - it's a winable fight, it's a fight where the styles would make for an exciting fight, and it would endear him to a far greater audience than he currently has. Every aspect makes sense for GGG to drop down.

 

[GBJ]

Yeah, agree that's the more competetive fight, I think Ward would probably ease to a points victory over Golovkin if he went up a weight.

GGG still hasn't got that global appeal either, and a fight against Ward, who for all his talents also struggles in that area, isn't going to solve it. A fight against Canelo or Cotto, with their massive following's in their own back yard, would put GGG in the spotlight he deserves to be in - it's a winable fight, it's a fight where the styles would make for an exciting fight, and it would endear him to a far greater audience than he currently has. Every aspect makes sense for GGG to drop down.

I wouldn't say ease to a points win, but I'd fancy Ward to win by 3-4 rounds. Although, I don't think he is unbeatable, even Paul Smith managed to rattle him with a big overhand right. If Triple G can walk him down & get into range, I can see him stopping Ward with body shots. Or that wicked left to the body, followed by the right hook to the jaw. Well, that's if he can carry that power up a division. Hatton couldn't. Khan couldn't. There's numerous fighters who couldn't/haven't.

But we've seen before, even if he could carry the power, the puncher doesn't always succeed against the boxer, regardless how fearsome they are. Look at Matthysse & Garcia. I fully expected Lucas to decapitate him, but Garcia made a fool of him. I'd hate to see that happen to Golovkin

I'd say GGG beats Cotto & Canelo at (light)middleweight. That's a more natural weight for him than supermiddle

 

[GBJ]

Mick Hennessey's got a show on tomorrow night, live on Channel 5 at 10pm. Hughie Fury goes in against some Brazilian. Worth a watch (or at least worth a SkyPlus) just to see the future British HW king & AJ conqueror in action :)