Kevlarcovered

Khan's credibility is going downward. Having lost his last two fights, he ought to be thinking about making himself a stronger fighter, about somehow enhancing his skill-set, not talking nonsense about boxers being unworthy of him. Reality check for Khan. He appears to have failed to realize that right now he is ranked lower than Joan Guzman. Granted that he is the more popular fighter of the two, the one with the money and the fans, but let's not fool ourselves, his stock has dramatically sunk. He just announced that Joan is not being considered, so that makes sense, really. Joan is too much of a risk for Khan at this point in his career. Let Amir Khan fight a someone with a style that fits his own a little better. Then we'll talk about Joan giving him hell.

Yes, Khan's team realized how risky it would have been to match Khan against Guzmán. I do not blame them. Yet again, I would have loved the fight as a Joan's fan. Joan beating Khan would have mean a lot more to his positioning than, say, fighting Allkhverdiev, who in my opinion is also a harder test for Joan, with less profit. Let's see!

I saw García against Khan and was surprised at the outcome. Khan was obviously the better fighter the first rounds until he got hit. I see a fight against Joan going the same way, the only difference is Khan's jaw, definitely more fragile than Guzman's. No intention on taking merit off García's performance, though. He went in to fight and fight he did. He did what he had to do to win, with the tools that he has available, but the truth is that it appears Khan got overconfident. That is a mistake Joan himself has made a few times. Hopefully, if this fight does happen, he will go in with this in mind. A prepared, focused Joan Guzman should have no major problems against a fighter like Danny. UD for JG, if García does not get reckless. If he does, then I see Joan knocking him down by the fifth.

There will always be people for and against. Joan deserved, at some point, all the negativity thrown at him. But, honestly, it's about time people started cutting him some slack. A lot of worse things have happened in boxing than a talented boxer not making weight, like Pacquiao's loss to Phony Bradley, or Money's "win" over Ortíz, to name a couple. Those things weaken just as much, or even more, the image of the sport. But, for some uncanny reason, Joan appears to be one of those athletes who, regardless of talent or the things they do to redeem themselves, the followers of the sport simply prefer to hang him. He seems to have that kind of aura around him, a magnet of hatred. Well, yes, he has a lot to do with that magnetism, but he is not entirely guilty. So, why not just let the man be! If he has shown something other than his problems, it is that he is a boxer who is willing to entertain the public. He goes in to fight and to challenge and to showboat and to offer a spectacle, both of his abilities and of his persona. This ****iness works for some athletes, yet it is a flaw, imperdonable, for others. No one knows whether or not it will work for them. Obviously, it does not work for Joan. But it does not matter, in the end, because it is his style and it has worked well for him, like it or not. I have no doubt in my heart Joan will win a third world title. I only wish he did it against some decent opposition. It would soften the path, hopefully, for him and open doors for some money fights. At the end of the day, two or three money fights is what he needs to retire in peace. To the haters (and the Puerto Ricans who hate) Danny García is brave and has power, but he still has some way to go before he can defeat Joan. He may not know it, but his managers certainly do. I respect their decision if they choose not fight this man, Joan is seriously a danger for anyone.

If Guzman is able to best Allakhverdiev and win the title, I wonder what fight he could get next... ? Well, the moment of truth has come. Joan is finally getting the title fight that he has been craving for for the last two years. At this stage in his career, this is the crucial test. This will define Joan's future. Winning will possibly open the door for the money fights all boxers dream of, and could very well lessen the bad-mouthing against him. A loss, however, could very easily send Joan down to the pits of boxing irrelevance. He would not only lose his Invictus, but also back up his detractors' statements that he was more show than essence. Personally, I think this is the single most important fight in Joan's career, and, possibly, against the most dangerous of his opponents. Although fairly new, Allakhverdiev is a very tough fighter. I think Joan can win his third title in November, but it will not be an easy fight. Not at all. Go Joan!

The benefit of the doubt is fine with me. Joan has a serious test with The Russian. But I am confident that he will become world champion again. He has to take the fight seriously if he wants to win, though. With regards to the weight issues, I think it's about time people start leaving the topic behind. I mean, nobody hears about Bradley & Pacquiao just a few months after 'The Disgrace'. So, I just think Guzman is one of those people love to hate.

Guzman never found his groove, Khabib took a round off and came back. The only thing Guzman found was Khabib busting his face up and overwhelming him. Guzman's face was breaking, his hand, his leg, he is aging and there is nothing he can do about that. Khabib with his speed, accuracy, timing, and combos is going to make some noise at 140. Guzman is past it and either back to the drawing board or retirement but a rematch is not necessary....it is upward for Khabib, not backward. ...then either you are a hater or fell asleep during rounds 5, 6 and 7. Khabib, clearly, got frustrated when Joan started boxing. Mind you, Joan did not box the first 4 rounds of that fight, he went it to slug it out with a younger, taller and (it is clear now) stronger boxer. I give it to khabib: he fought more intelligently and with more drive than Joan, that's why he won. Joan did not use his boxing skills (and I keep wondering whether or not such idiocy was planned) until it was too late. Then, fate (and Khabib's pushing him) brought in the injury. That's that. A rematch would be fair for Joan, but not for Khabib. This was Joan's chance to shut all of you haters out there and he blew it. I don't think he would give Khabib an immediate rematch had it been the other way around. So, yeah, as much as I'd like to see them fight again (and I'm sure Joan can beat him if he boxes more smartly) I don't think it would be a wise step for the Russian at this point. Risky and low-reward.

'The Russian Kid', with all due respect to Joan, is a very hard test. I believe Joan can win this fight, but I don't see an easy win, nor do I see Joan winning if he does not go in fully trained and fully focused. I have seen four or five of Khabib's fights, including Mazuba's, and have been very impressed. He is tough, courageous, and no slouch in the speed department. Joan has the edge due to experience, slickness, etc. I am a real Guzman fight, but truly, I have more respect for this Khabib than I have for Khan. I think I would be a lot more comfortable knowing Joan is fighting Khan than this "Kid".

I laughed when they referred to him as a "superstar" in the first sentence. It's too bad they don't have a Professional Boxers Rookie Combine so guys like Guzman could give keynote speeches on how NOT to manage your career. You know, like Pacman Jones is doing for the NFL rookies. I laughed when I read your comment. You would have to be dominican, or smart, to understand that Joan Guzman IS a Superstar IN the Dominican Republic, which is what the article states. And, yes, all Joan needs is a chance at the bigger names to become champion again. Now, that's the difficult part: Names don't want to fight Joan, not even at 35. Yet, it might come, then Haters will hate!

That was the problem of Guzman, throughout his career ... Precisely for lack of a large public tracker. The top of each division to which he belonged would flee because his style and skills will represent too much risk for a gain that could not be very lucrative. Totally agree with you on this one, sir. No one wanted to risk it back then, and no one logically wants to risk it now. Joan, aside from having made gross mistakes in his career, came into the sport with the very bad luck of not being appealing to the masses. Charisma is something that you either have or not in you. Guzman is charismatic in terms of talent and skill, but not in market appeal. A pity. It's going to be extremely hard for Acquinity to actually make some bucks out of Joan's career at this point. But, hope is the last thing we lose.

I care! Third belt for Joan.