Comments Thread For: Beterbiev-Murat Bout in Play, Gonzalez Takes a Pass

[MDPopescu]

Beterbiev and Kovalev are the most avoided at the LHW. At least Kovalev gave Beterbiev a shot but Haymon opposed. In case Haymon gets that IBF belt without a fight it will be another big shame for boxing.

[BendOver]

To be fair, all those above Murat in the rankings (Chilemba, Gonzalez, Hopkins, Barrera, etc) turned the fight down.

to be fair they offered ****ty money

[Scipio2009]

There's a good chance Kovalev will vacate the IBF belt. But Fonfara and his team have made it clear that they're gunning for that Stevenson rematch. Even if they try and position themselves for a chance at Kovalevs title I strongly doubt that Haymon would try and overpay just so he can 'poach' a title for Fonfara.

Fonfara would likely prefer to have the Stevenson rematch but, with Kovalev moving off of the mandatory challenger spot finally, Stevenson owes the WBC at least one fight. The WBO move keeps Fonfara moving, while also making the likely Stevenson rematch an even bigger fight.

Would also pause on the backing of Fonfara; Fonfara is starting to emerge as a ticket attraction in Chicago, especially with his audience starting to come out for him. You add that Artur Szpilka is developing well underneath in Chicago, and there's value in making the title move.

Frankly, I doubt that Haymon would have to overpay either; Fonfara is seemingly a better ticket-seller in Chicago than Kovalev is anywhere else, Fonfara's sheer size/toughness/power makes a Kovalev fight competitive, and Duva (avoiding another possible bid) is seemingly unwilling to lay out big money for her fighter, with Kovalev-Fonfara being worth more to Team Fonfara than to Main Events.

If Fonfara pulls it off, Chicago gets a Chicago-based, Polish world champion to rally around and come out to watch (while also getting to see Szpilka and the other young Chicago/Polish fighters on their way up); added benefit of an extra dig at Main Event's business.

[Scipio2009]

Beterbiev and Kovalev are the most avoided at the LHW. At least Kovalev gave Beterbiev a shot but Haymon opposed. In case Haymon gets that IBF belt without a fight it will be another big shame for boxing.

$500k and 25% of the Canadian TV money (with no mention of any of the other money on the event heading to Beterbiev) was a bull**** offer, especially knowing that he was already going to be made mandatory anyway. Pending his win, Beterbiev is now entitled to 25% of the purse bid (GYM will do their due dilligence, ballparking what all of the potential revenue streams could be worth, and bid accordingly).

You can't call Kovalev "avoided" when Stevenson wants to fight him, Beterbiev wants to fight him, Sullivan Barrera (apparently) wants to fight him, et al, and none of those fights will be allowed to happen because Kathy Duva asks "how high?" whenever HBO tells her "jump".

[HI-TECH Boxing]

I don't know how reliable this is but according to this site Murat may turn down the fight:
http://www. boxwelt.com/2015/10/titelstories/erol-ceylan-murat-beterbiev-fruhestens-im-nachsten-sommer-moglich/

[Calculating...]

I wish Hopkins accepted Beterbiev, that would of been exciting

Don't blame Murat for cancelling, Beterbiev is the last man I'd fight in the world. The power is just UNREAL

[MDPopescu]

I wish Hopkins accepted Beterbiev, that would of been exciting

Don't blame Murat for cancelling, Beterbiev is the last man I'd fight in the world. The power is just UNREAL

... Erol Ceylan: "Murat-Beterbiev possible at the earliest next summer!"... This in the context in which Beterbiev badly needs a contender next... for the IBF eliminator match...

[... When I watched Beterbiev in the Cloud fight, his 'inside working' drew my attention -- I smiled, because my first thoughts were about Andre Ward...]

[HI-TECH Boxing]

Want a ridiculous rating? Jim Lampley and The Fight Game have moved Ward into the number 1 spot on their P4P list simply because he has had one fight. They claim that his Super Six achievements are enough for him to rate the top of the P4P rankings, even though that was four years ago.

And people wonder why normal sports fans do not look at boxing as a serious sport?

I'm not even a Chocolatito fan, but in my opinion he's done more than Ward. Not only recently but overall. It took Ward 4.5 years to step up in competition to face his first test in Edison Miranda. In his 19th fight.
It took Chocolatito 3 years to step up and fight a 4 year reigning World Champion, going into their fight, in Yutaka Niida.
Ward beats Miranda in a competitive fight, while Roman destroys Niida in 4.

Ward has had 9 fights since Miranda and not all of the 9 fights have been against good competition. He fought subpar opponents like Shelby Pudwill, Allan Green and Paul Smith. Decent opponents like Bika, Rodriguez and drained Dawson. I don't even know where Arthur Abraham goes. He's only fought two good names in Kessler and Froch, but for some reason people act like he's so ahead of everyone else.
They question Chocolatito, who is more accomplished, but act like this guy is the clear #1 p4p.

HBO for some reason is on this guys nuts again.