Freelancer

Hmm tough one, I'd say Maidana-Broner. Now when it comes to beer cups thrown at them, definitely Hamed, think he got hit by one while suspended in mid-air, great ring entrance.

The man's style is terrible to look at, at least for me. His defense can be atrociously bad, always a fraction of a second late to swat that punch that catches him but he hits like a truck and he can take a punch and his ring IQ is high. He doesn't look it when you see those awkward punches, he looks almost clumsy and yet somehow he keeps winning because he's damn clever and a great puncher.

It really doesn't matter if he would have gotten up quicker, he was still done and wobbly. No ref would have allowed him to go on even if he beat the count.

You don't know that. Then what was the oxygen for? A breath of fresh air? He got caught flush, dropped like a brick and the smart thing to do was to stay down until he felt able to get up, which he tried to do. Of course he wanted to go on, it was the biggest fight of his career but the ref didn't need a count to see where it was going.

Too many pro boxers can't live off the sport and need to keep regular jobs, I think the figure is around 95%. So...promote, promote, promote, increase media coverage of the sport that on the long run will create more interest on all levels and bring in more money, bigger purses for fighters, that creates the premise for more talent to become pro. With more boxers able to dedicate fully to training we'd see an increase in quality overall on the long run. More boxers, less tomato cans. Oh ye and ship Arum to the north pole.

I credit Froch with a lot more ring smarts that Pavlik, both can take punishment and deliver with Pavlik a bit more one-dimensional and rigid. If they would both have a good training camp I think it would eventually turn into a long entertaining war in the ring, maybe heading for a decision.

They handle the media very well, always knowing what to say. I don't know what to make of Larouche as a trainer . I agree with him that Bute is as fit as he can be but when I see a complete lack of defense (that could of been seen in his previous fights also) it feels like he's wasting his boxers potential. I'm sure that Larouche realises that his figher's last chance of redemption is a Froch rematch but I feel it's going to be a lot harder to come back from (compared to the Andrade rematch). Different caliber figher and a different trauma to deal with. Stephan will need to come up with a different tactical plan while Bute should find his heart to go along with his skill, otherwise I don't see any way of fixing this damage.

Bute lost his composure against punchers like Andrade (had more to do with gassing out) and Froch (who utterly destroyed him). If Ward's punches can affect Bute to a degree in which he can't think properly to set up his left hook and uppercut it will be an easy UD for Ward. If Bute won't feel the many punches Ward will eventualy land on him and is able to stick to his ussual program, Bute will have his chance for a KO. Then again we've seen Ward neutralize Froch with great movement and timing, closing distance and all that so the more reasons for Ward to get a UD.

Heh, what really baffled me was his way of searching for the ropes even when his legs were still strong. All of a sudden he gave up his stance, placed his earmuffs on and that was that. I don't know who's more to blame, him or his corner but their game plan was utter ****.

Kudos to Froch. He came into the fight ready to take Bute's head off and Bute wasn't ready for it. Froch was ready to take any punches and proved himself once again. I'm a fan of Bute but after this display it's hard to see him take the belt back in a rematch. Btw this fight doesn't justify a rematch IMO. You can't aply the same tactics you had in 9 title defenses at home in a fight with a very determined opponent in his homeground. Bute should of had a plan B, instead he failed when tested, made it obvious that he doesn't have a good defense and went in survival mode fast. I hope that in case of a rematch he will learn from this defeat and improve just as he did after the first andrade fight but I have my doubts.

IMO Bute left his heart at home for this fight. He reminded me of Cotto's atitude and mentality prior to his Floyd bout. After this *performance* I think it's safe to say that Bute's chin hasn't been tested before at pro level, not in his title defences and definetly not in sparring. I think he looked at it too much like a job or sport and wasn't mentally ready for war. And tonight, faced with a real battle he folded.

Brian Magee who fought the 2 of them has went for Bute to win , anyone know who Glenn Johnson picks? Johnson picked Bute to win in 12 rounds. He also sparred with him for this fight.

I think it was a great effort by Martinez but I don't think it would be ideal to go for the rematch. Sergio will be ~6 months older and he would have to stick to the same taxing game plan in the ring facing an opponent that can knock him out while he doesn't have the power to put Chavez down. I think we'd pretty much watch the same fight unless Roach or whoever gonna coach Chavez can come up with an actual plan instead of the *be the heavy bag and wait for a mistake* tactic that we saw now.

I replaced Hunter in my head with Iverson and perception with practice.

It's fun to go to some amateur tournament and out of four **** fights you get to see someone who's the real deal. And you never heard of the guy before and this is the first time you see him in the ring and you know, hey, this one could be the next (insert name here). Of course it can also happen while watching pro's but there everything is laid out in front of you beforehand. Those types of pleasant surprises are seldom.

This is common for someone trying to detox. If that's the case. Alcohol is the worst to kick Yup, the body doesn't like it when one goes cold turkey, of anything and in some cases it can be fatal. I'd rather he had it from that though rather than all the punches. That would be more serious. Hope he gets well.

Yeah, it's more of a balance between the two, money and status. But if you're to take away the money, well that'll leave us watching bar fights. And that's perfectly normal, high risk, high reward. If I'm training like a madman, puking my guts out and then go and get hit in the head I expect to get paid handsomely. I certainly don't agree with turning boxers into victims. It's a choice they made. Still, the vast majority of pro's can't really live off their boxing income.

I like Groves he's good but a bit green. I think he was about to gas out in the Froch fight because he didn't pace himself but maybe he learned from that experience for his next bout.If he didn't, then seasoned opposition is gonna be a problem for him. Not a fan of triangle theories but in the case of the one that got crushed by Froch versus the one that made him look bad in his last fight, I'd go with Groves. He's got a good chance at beating them both frankly.

Poise. Some guys have all the physical abilities in the world but if you cant stay calm it'll throw all your gifts away. That goes for reflexes, timing (which is up there in terms of rarity). Poise goes hand in hand with many things like courage under fire, anticipation, etc etc. You can make a lot out of a little if you can keep your head in the fight and keep your eye on the prize. You know how when you see a great fighter go down yet you know its far from done? Guys like Martinez and marquez go down but you never quite feel like they're done. It's Danny Garcia's greatest gift as well and the fact he has good power can create opportunities for him even when losing. Floyd has supreme poise and focus he's like a f ucking zen master when he's there. Doesnt matter if hes on the ropes, being chased, etc. You know who could use some poise? Bute. If he would just relax when they throw at him he has all the skill and power needed to get them off. But he panics. It's not courage he lacks, but poise/confidence +1 for the zen ability As for the chin? I dunno. Sure, then and there in the ring, great to have but often leads to dictating the way one fights. I bet it's quite the rush to laugh at your opponent while eating shots and walking him down, also spectacular for the fans but I always feel that these guys that take too many punches will eventually forget how to wipe their own ass.

Yeah, but how does that help us, i.e. the fans that already exist? Well I'd like to go all butterfly effect here and say that a popular boxer helps a skilled opponent with less popularity, and that translates into more quality fights in the future for the one that proved his worth in the ring, fights that you and I get to watch. And that goes for all the up and coming professionals. The more popular the sport itself is, the higher the expectations some of them will have, the better they train and perform in the ring. But I'd be seriously stretching it, so I'll have to go for no idea. I don't see any sort of immediate win for the existing fans.

Nah, I sort of get it and in a twisted weird way it's how things work already but I couldn't really root for a fighter just because he's popular. However, popular boxers, major draws are of great help to their opposition. They're catalysts because whoever they're facing gets a level of exposure they wouldn't obtain otherwise and that in essence is good for boxing because that guy that fights Canelo or Broner or Mayweather or Cotto might have just gained some fans from the neutral pool. The downside is that some exploit this by overrating them and asking for more money. But if you don't have these guys that bring in more casual fans then no one gets more exposure. I'd much rather have the cake and eat it too though, as in an elite boxer that is also a huge draw and not some pampered fraud that'll crash and burn at the first gatekeeper. Personally I think Thurman has a good chance at becoming a draw soon.

But how does that help us as fans of the sport? By keeping boxing relevant. No one is born a hardcore boxing fan, they all need a gateway and they can get that through a well marketed fight. Unfortunately it just so happens that some of the draws aren't all they're supposed to be but that's just fine, as long as they won't be pampered forever and eventually thrown to the wolves. Like Broner. Granted they weren't planning on it but meh. I suppose there's a fine balance there.

Bute is infinitely more skilled than Pascal but if you don't let your hands loose in a sport that relies on punching, you are pretty much out of a job. I thought he would take a few rounds to warm up and then put Pascal to shame. Instead, he has nightmares of the Froch fight all night long and loses a lop-sided match. He should retire, he is done at the top level. Bute had the capability to make this an easy fight but he chose to live in the past instead of doing what he wanted to do. Bute stopped throwing combinations a long time ago, ever since they fed him opponents with an exposed liver. Bad habit. Tonight I was hoping he'll atleast go into amateur mode and slap Pascal for a few rounds on the cards but I guess twitching himself out of a career was better.

Pacquiao for the speed, angles and power Garcia for his great timing and ring smarts Thurman if he keeps adding stuff to his toolset, which he does with every fight Bradley, the last for a lack of KO power

Everything he does, Floyd does better. IMO he has to mix it up, have about 10 plans ready for when Floyd adapts to his game and keep switching. I like his new coach, maybe he'll come up with sumthn. Only problem is that of the old dog and the new tricks.

Margarito doesn't fight that way anymore he's training to be more technical and use his jab more he ain't the relentless pressure fighter he use to be. I think Mosley has something to do with that. Sounds like teaching an old dog new tricks. I don't see it giving results. I also can't see Cotto trying to outbox Marg in the rematch. There's a lot of pressure and tension in this one for him. He should definetly stay off the ropes though.

Cotto did well, took his time, stayed calm and ignored Mayo's traps. It works better for him than giving too much and entering survival mode later in the fight.

Take last night for example. Any other boxer that had endured the bullsh*t that Mayorga dishes in pre-fight build up would not have given the ref a chance to break it up. "Protect yourself at all times". He should have finished him while he was waiving his hands at the ref and it would have been well within the confines of the rules. Cotto decided to take the gentleman route with a man who showed him no respect at all whether it was hype or not. Im not saying he'sa punk but a nice guy type and sometimes in this sport they pay the price for it in the media. The way he kind of strawled in the ring around an injured Foreman that didn't want to quit was also something not many boxers would do.

Hey Vaw-JR, what's the deal with adding the "!"? You only make Sergio sound cocky when infact in the article he's just being confident. BIG change in tone if you add the "!" don't you think? lol. Anywho, after reading the entire thing, Sergio admitted he's not over confident and just confident on his hard work. He wasn't being cocky at all, which is what I like about him. Yeah the title given by Percy Crawford is some sensationalist hogwash. Turned out Sergio didn't talk out of his ass. He answered that question in a natural way.

It kind of is a waste of time. But event organisers and all these peeps that think they know *what the target audience wants* are gonna say it's not. You could look at it as having a psychological impact on the underdog but most of these guys have seen it all and won't really be impressed by flashing lights and a band.