GGG and Rigo and their fans love to talk about being feared and avoided. And that may be true. However they're stuck fighting underwhelming opponents. Khan had trouble securing the big names such as Floyd and Manny, so he said f-it and moved up to face Canelo.
GGG, I will admit, was willing to move up for Chavez Jr and Froch. However, GGG had the same option to move up and face Ward but decided not too unless for a cw that he didn't require of Chavez Jr or Froch.
Rigo on the other hand cant get a good name at 122, and has refused to go up to 126 for Lomo or Santa Cruz or Mares.
I don't blame Rigo or GGG for staying at their respective weight classes, but I'm tired of hearing how they can't get big names to step in the ring while they make no effort to move up or down to get one. Khan was willing to do that and I give him props for it. Shoot even Ward is nearing a fight with Kovalev later this year, which required him to move up to LHW.
No he didn't. Broner never went up and fought the equivalent of Canelo in his first fight in a new weight class, he went up and fought Paulie the weakest welterweight ever. Another thing is Broner was ****ing massive at 130/135 pounds, cutting tons of weight, it was inevitable for him to move up and fight people his own size.
he didnt belong at 147, ive never said maidana was as good as canelo that wasnt my point... ur taking the whole point to a whole other place... broner belongs at 140 the bottom line is he moved up 2 divisions with no obligation to do such.
And are you sure Ward wants to fight GGG?
See my issue with ward is if wanted to fight GGG he would have came back at SMW not light heavy. Yes he is coming back from a court battle and an injury but he is in good shape. My guess is he really had no intention of fighting GGG.
Yup. Khan chased the big fight.
I love Rigo but he didn't test the waters at 126 and paid dearly. 126 has the big names and the most money and since he's giving up his advantages they will be more willing to fight him. I've spoken on GGG enough so no need to go after him again.
Smaller fighters that move up in weight and beat bigger guys is one of the things I love most about boxing.
That's exactly what I'm saying.
That's not how it really works, not everybody is Pacquaio or prime Roy.
I respect your position and you do raise some good points, but I just don't see how this fight can be anything other than a cash grab for Khan. You are right that the clock is ticking on Rigo and GGG but those guys are sitting prettier than Khan career and legacy wise; top of their weight class, undefeated, and a top 3-5 P4P ranking. There's no financial incentive on the horizon (GGG has his at his division, just has to wait him out) for either guy to consider giving up a size advantage.
Perhap Khan just didn't want to risk losing to a fellow countryman in Brook?
True that I can see where you're coming from. I'd figure he'd have a way better shot at beating Brook while making really good money. But I can see how damaging a loss to him can be for his career compared to being an underdog to Canelo.
Dont forget about broner, he did this as well!!!!
He moved up which I give him credit for but not for a big fight though. Malignaggi wasn't a big fight and neither was Maidana. Even though Malignaggi was easy pickings for a guy like Broner, still props for moving up to WW. He had no obligation to do that.
Khan who is younger than those two, actually has available big fight options, and has less reasons to be desperate enough to move up still did.
Also on Khan. That's the thing he has Kell Brook, a huge fight in the UK, whom he has a good chance at beating, yet chose to move up..
Khan may be younger in years but career wise he is on his way out. Dude knows that he can't afford one more loss to the top contenders at 147 or he becomes irrelevant so why not cash out with Canelo and then come back down to fight Brook next. Why would he fight Garcia or Thurman for one mill with a high possibility of getting knocked out again and risk loosing that Brook payday?
You have to put it in perspective tough. The payscale at 122-126 is naturally lower so you have to look at where the big money fights are. Rigo's biggest money fights have been at 126. That is the division that has the fighters consistently appearing on networks right now.
In GGG's case, it's a matter of how confident are you that Canelo will fight him on time and not wait until he's 37 and showing signs of decline.
That's true too.
i think fighters like Canelo is what makes it hard for fighters like GGG to make up their minds. do you wait for 6 months to a year to make what you wouldn't make in 2 years (i.e. Canelo is likely a 5-10 million payday, however vs. any other fighter 1-2 million pay day... plus after fighting and beating Canelo all future paydays would be much higher than the 1-2 million paydays), i don't like it but i understand it.
obviously there are differences between the 3 scenarios. as most posters posted there aren't big money fights available for GGG and Rigo in the divisions above like there was for Kahn with Canelo.
So there is no lessons to be learned, however GGG and Rigo considering their age would not have a whole lot to lose if they go for half decent money fights (like Loma and degale/Jack). With GGG if he gets pass Degale/Jack he can try to unify 168 because unlike 160 at 168 he will be by far the biggest name and fighters with size advantage will more likely line up to fight him. If he manages to unify which will be a tough feat, as good as golovkin is he will always be at a size disadvantage in that division. either way if manages to unify and Ward vs. Kovalev happens and Ward wins (i favor Kovalev but its boxing and anything can happen) then there could be a mega fight between them... there is history, there is intrigue there is high level of skill that will interest the purists and explosiveness that will interest the casuals. Anyways this is my wet boxing dream... and i am sure that most GGG fans/haters and Ward fans/haters would love this scenario.
You have to put it in perspective tough. The payscale at 122-126 is naturally lower so you have to look at where the big money fights are. Rigo's biggest money fights have been at 126. That is the division that has the fighters consistently appearing on networks right now.
In GGG's case, it's a matter of how confident are you that Canelo will fight him on time and not wait until he's 37 and showing signs of decline.
Absolutely true. Insecure fans will try to distract from the point by saying Kahn is in over his head but at least he's grasping at greatness rather than wallowing in mediocrity like the others.
Please. All Khan is grasping for is money. That's all he's ever wanted. He's not fighting the top guy in the next division (Lara), and he's not fighting the top guy in MW (Golovkin). He's fighting the guy who brings him a ton of money.
Khan went from being a 'Khandashian' diva to a true warrior overnight without changing anything.
obviously there are differences between the 3 scenarios. as most posters posted there aren't big money fights available for GGG and Rigo in the divisions above like there was for Kahn with Canelo.
So there is no lessons to be learned, however GGG and Rigo considering their age would not have a whole lot to lose if they go for half decent money fights (like Loma and degale/Jack). With GGG if he gets pass Degale/Jack he can try to unify 168 because unlike 160 at 168 he will be by far the biggest name and fighters with size advantage will more likely line up to fight him. If he manages to unify which will be a tough feat, as good as golovkin is he will always be at a size disadvantage in that division. either way if manages to unify and Ward vs. Kovalev happens and Ward wins (i favor Kovalev but its boxing and anything can happen) then there could be a mega fight between them... there is history, there is intrigue there is high level of skill that will interest the purists and explosiveness that will interest the casuals. Anyways this is my wet boxing dream... and i am sure that most GGG fans/haters and Ward fans/haters would love this scenario.
I know it's hard for you to understand this stuff so I'll keep it basic; beating Canelo would be a great feat for Khan. It doesn't matter if I think he'll get crushed. He's young, healthy, and has every reason to reach for the stars. I give credit to those who deserve it. Half the guys here are too busy making excuses for their cowardly heroes.
Of course beating Canel owould be great feat for Khan. But he is taking the fight for the big money (10+ millions). Not because of greatness. I know your IQ is a bit low, I understand. Don't worry if you can't see more deep, you are gonna be ok.
Yup. Khan chased the big fight.
I love Rigo but he didn't test the waters at 126 and paid dearly. 126 has the big names and the most money and since he's giving up his advantages they will be more willing to fight him. I've spoken on GGG enough so no need to go after him again.
Smaller fighters that move up in weight and beat bigger guys is one of the things I love most about boxing.
I guess I'll give him credit for being a sacrificial lamb for a fat payday, if it pleases you. I'd say the same about Thurman if he abandoned his division for a huge payday and a sure loss. It's stupid, we saw how it worked out for Gamboa when his midget ass fought Crawford.
No you wouldn't, "Abandoning" his division? because of one fight sure... Before it was "He didnt deserve to fight so so and so at 147" and what huge payday? $8M? He makes more fighting Brook over here compare to that.
I get that, but its not like GGG and Rigo are spring chickens, especially Rigo. They can't just continue fighting lowly contenders and hope for one of the guys in their division to man up. Also the fact that they're p4p fighters mean they should have the talent to be able to move up and compete.
Khan who is younger than those two, actually has available big fight options, and has less reasons to be desperate enough to move up still did. GGG and Rigo need to take more risks in their careers or time may pass them up and they'll have no big fights to show for it.
Also on Khan. That's the thing he has Kell Brook, a huge fight in the UK, whom he has a good chance at beating, yet chose to move up. Even a rematch with Garcia does well in the States, for the WBC strap, and has a better chance at winning than the Canelo fight, yet chose to move up.
That's not how it really works, not everybody is Pacquaio or prime Roy.
I respect your position and you do raise some good points, but I just don't see how this fight can be anything other than a cash grab for Khan. You are right that the clock is ticking on Rigo and GGG but those guys are sitting prettier than Khan career and legacy wise; top of their weight class, undefeated, and a top 3-5 P4P ranking. There's no financial incentive on the horizon (GGG has his at his division, just has to wait him out) for either guy to consider giving up a size advantage.
Perhap Khan just didn't want to risk losing to a fellow countryman in Brook?
Just stop, if Thurman has annouced he would be fighting Canelo at 155 we would all be calling him warrior etc, give credit where credit is due even if the name involve is Khan.
I guess I'll give him credit for being a sacrificial lamb for a fat payday, if it pleases you. I'd say the same about Thurman if he abandoned his division for a huge payday and a sure loss. It's stupid, we saw how it worked out for Gamboa when his midget ass fought Crawford.
Rigo and GGG are top P4P talent and the "man" at their divisions, Khan is neither. Plus, Rigo is small as it is for his weight class and Golovkin is perfectly suited for 160, no need to jump up and take risks when there isn't a Canelo type superstar above them. Rigo already fought the man at the division, an equally dangerous fight like Khan is taking, in Donaire As I said, Khan has plenty of guys waiting to fight him but he's chosing a fat check and quick death for his troubles.
I get that, but its not like GGG and Rigo are spring chickens, especially Rigo. They can't just continue fighting lowly contenders and hope for one of the guys in their division to man up. Also the fact that they're p4p fighters mean they should have the talent to be able to move up and compete.
Khan who is younger than those two, actually has available big fight options, and has less reasons to be desperate enough to move up still did. GGG and Rigo need to take more risks in their careers or time may pass them up and they'll have no big fights to show for it.
Also on Khan. That's the thing he has Kell Brook, a huge fight in the UK, whom he has a good chance at beating, yet chose to move up. Even a rematch with Garcia does well in the States, for the WBC strap, and has a better chance at winning than the Canelo fight, yet chose to move up.
Wouldn't that mean that they would be the ones who would have even more of a reason to move up to get the big fights thats not available at their current weight? Also unlike Khan, who has a little chance in winning, GGG and Rigo would be live dogs or maybe even money in those fights.
Rigo and GGG are top P4P talent and the "man" at their divisions, Khan is neither. Plus, Rigo is small as it is for his weight class and Golovkin is perfectly suited for 160, no need to jump up and take risks when there isn't a Canelo type superstar above them. Rigo already fought the man at the division, an equally dangerous fight like Khan is taking, in Donaire and showed the world what he had. As I said, Khan has plenty of guys waiting to fight him but he's chosing a fat check and quick death for his troubles.