The best way to build a star is by putting them through "the gauntlet", true or false

[The Big Dunn]

In the current era of boxing you do not need to run the gauntlet to be a star. Canelo, GGG, and Wilder look to have star potential and none has what would be considered a "gauntlet" resume.

If you get a string of KO's it seems like casual fans will gravitate toward you if marketed properly.

[New England]

it depends on the fighter. size is arguably the biggest factor.


long HW take a while to mature and learn how to use their bodies. tyson was in his prime in his early 20's. lennox lewis is actually older than mike tyson.



bantamweights may very well be in their primes by their 20th birthdays, and totally washed up by 27 or 30.



fighters should be moved deliberately. that doesn't mean they are protected. that also doesn't mean they should just be thrown to the wolves to make them better suited to take on tough challenges.


lots of promotors used to build talented fighters locally, and move from there. you gradually step up your level of competition, fight a number of different styles. you start out with a plan over several fights / years, but you also want to monitor your guy's progress. if you feel that he's ahead of schedule, you bump up his elvel of competition, and try and get him on TV. if he needs more time, take him off of TV and get him rounds with durable journeymen. if you're talking about a top fighter, who signs out of the amateurs a good sized deal, this strategy will actually cost you money.


if you think your guy is a mirage, you can promote him like one, and try and cash out.

[New England]

In the current era of boxing you do not need to run the gauntlet to be a star. Canelo, GGG, and Wilder look to have star potential and none has what would be considered a "gauntlet" resume.

If you get a string of KO's it seems like casual fans will gravitate toward you if marketed properly.

canelo turned 25 the other day, and he's fought trout, lara, and floyd freaking mayweather. it looks like he's fighting cotto next.


for perspective, thurman is 26
spence is 25

[-PBP-]

canelo turned 25 the other day, and he's fought trout, lara, and floyd freaking mayweather. it looks like he's fighting cotto next.


for perspective, thurman is 26
spence is 25

And as is the case with most Mexican fighters they have little to no amateur careers. His 30 or so fights against cab drivers was his learning and development process.

[Deevel916]

Ideally yes but what if you're not as good as Floyd or Pac ?

Khan has fought stronger overall comp than most fighters going around but he's considered a bum because he has lost a couple of fights.


It's a fine line, you want to see guys fight the best eventually but I'm
Not sure the ufc model works great either, with champions having a 22-9 record etc.

That's the difference between UFC and Boxing fans though. In UFC you're constantly matched up with tough comp. Therefore fans dont discredit the fighters by calling them bums after a few losses.

One can argue about which sport is harder and takes more skill, but in UFC their fans show the fighters more respect due to the fact that not only do with they have to defend against just punches. You also have to be ready for and defend against take downs, kicks, elbows, submissions, etc.. The greatest of MMA fighters can lose on any given night with just one move. Boxers train for one fighting style only and train to defend against JUST punches.

[New England]

And as is the case with most Mexican fighters they have little to no amateur careers. His 30 or so fights against cab drivers was his learning and development process.

you can say the same thing about wilder. he made the olympic team because of his talent, but he hardly knew how to box.


the difference between the two is size. HW take a long time to mature, particularly ones who have long limbs that take a while to fill out. wilder still looks like he needs time to figure out that gigantic body of his, and his boxing identity.

canelo knows exactlty what he does well, and how to win fights with his skills. he came up short against floyd, but so have 50 other dudes.

alvarez has been moved properly. he needed to grow / mature into a grown man and a solid 154 lber. once they felt he had, they cut him loose.

in five years he may be too heavy to make 160 lbs. he'll get killed at 168. expect canelo to take on tough fights for big money for the next few years. then, expect him to retire, and get into promoting.

[Eff Pandas]

I think its more in the middle, in a grey area more than true or false, black or white.

I think the core boxing audience doesn't allow guys to get too big til they have fought some elite level guys. Then again that same core boxing audience doesn't like a guy with too many L's on his record while becoming a star so you don't wanna be going against too elite of a gauntlet. I'd say the best of the stars typically are the ones who can run thru a gauntlet of opposition like Floyd & Manny though, but more often then not the stars are well moved cuz "stars" can't have a L too soon in their career these days due to the overly critical slant, hardcore fans & casuals, on losing a fight that people that watch boxing have.

[New England]

That's the difference between UFC and Boxing fans though. In UFC you're constantly matched up with tough comp. Therefore fans dont discredit the fighters by calling them bums after a few losses.

One can argue about which sport is harder and takes more skill, but in UFC their fans show the fighters more respect due to the fact that no only do with they have to defend against just punches. You also have to be ready for and defend against take downs, kicks, elbows, submissions, etc..

yeah, but the punches that predominate most of their top end matches look like they were thrown by amateur boxers at best.

[Deevel916]

yeah, but the punches that predominate most of their top end matches look like they were thrown by amateur boxers at best.

Maybe that's because they're not boxers. You cant even take a boxing stance when fighting in MMA as you have to always be in position to defend against a take down.

[Eff Pandas]

That's the difference between UFC and Boxing fans though. In UFC you're constantly matched up with tough comp. Therefore fans dont discredit the fighters by calling them bums after a few losses.

Exactly, different situations in different sports. In boxing the status quo is basically 4 years of fights a top fighter is gonna win pretty easy so when you get to 8 L's on your record it does mean something. Thats basically the rule for most solid prospects who are considered to have championship potential. In the UFC if you keep winning you keep getting pushed higher & having 8 L's doesn't mean so much.

Jon Jones is a perfect example of how high you can go quickly in the UFC. He went from UFC nobody to UFC champion over 8 fights in 2.5 years. A Jon Jones talent in boxing who came from nowhere is probably sitting undefeated just having entered the alphabet rankings around now & is probably 3-4 years from having enough **** you money to be involved in a hit & run accident that could end his career.

Loma is about the only guy with a UFC type schedule & personally I'd love to see more of it. I wanna see a whole lot less guys with 25 fights who've had 0 real tests. I'm anti-the Deontay Wilder career trajectory & more Loma career trajectory. L's are overrated.