A brilliant performance from Ward last night, very clinical and precise. There were signs in the last 2 rounds that Froch was beginning to get into the fight but as the saying goes-'too little too late'.
I'll be honest when I say that this was the first full fight I have seen Ward in and his skills blew me away. Froch is no mug, he's worked his way up like a journeyman does, with hard graft and tough fights, but Ward made him look frustrated in there. I'm a big Froch fan and I think the style in which Ward won the fight was why afterwards I was feeling a mix of resentment towards him but also admiration. America has got some serious talent with this guy.
What I would say is that now the British -> America boxing circus has gone on for the last BIG fights in recent memory, it would be the right things to see some of these great American fighters do the honourable thing and come to Britain to fight. Only the fighters can know what difference fighting on home soil makes, but i've never seen Froch looks so anxious before a fight.
Bring some of these fighters to the UK and let the home advantage show if it's what it's cracked up to be.
On the third point, I think that Dawson looked just as good or better before Pascal got to him. I'm not saying I think Ward will fade like Dawson because I think he has more heart and is more proven. However, I do think that we need to wait before declaring him a great and a pound for pound king!
Totally agree with you. What impressed me most about Wards performance was that he never looked out of control. Even though some rounds were low on action, he just exhuded this quality that only a few fighters show. To keep it up for a grueling 12 rounds was very impressive, but yes, watch and wait...
Defintely too early to be talking about ward as the next #P4P king (even though the ranking is bull**** anyway). He does show all the signs though, his defence, accuracy and movement may not be up to Floyds yet but I haven't seen anyone come so close to that kind of perfection so we should just watch how his next few fights pan out. Preferably getting a convincing win over Bute and seeing what comes next.
Prior to this fight I read an article in the Guardian (a very well respected paper) in the UK in which the writer branded everyone that bashes Khan on "boxing forums''as ''idiots''. This comment annoyed me to no end because alot of doubters like me come up with very logical critiques for Khans ringmanship.
I was pretty satisfied with the overall result as I had Peterson ahead without the points penalty for Khan.
The referee was very questionable and I can't really recall a fight in which a boxer can bore his head so much into the opponents body without more breaks being called by the referee. Many times in the last 6 rounds we see Peterson swarming Khan, pressing to the point where there is literally nothing Khan can do but try to hold him down/push away. The referee was a shocker no doubt about it.
That being said I grow tired of Khan's self-belief spectacles.
Pros of this guy: Amazing Handspeed
Solid Accuracy
Cons: Loose Defence
Lack of Punch Power
Lack of Strength
Now, he took some huge blows in that fight, and it was good to see him take a hit well for once, but to me he still looks like the same pigeon chested boy that lost to Breidiss Prescott. He just doesnt have the physique to cut it with the best, and I don't think he ever will.
My 2 cents.
Dissapointing outcome, impartial fight fans can only see this one way-a marquez victory. Atleast if quality of work counts for anything in the ring then there can be little doubt of the victor. It is a disgrace that such huge fights can be marred by poor scoring, I realise we are all pundits but that's not to say we are blind and stupid. Another anti climax.
The whole P4P ranking is bullcrap. People band around "he's number XXX P4P" like it really means alot. What matters is the fighters skill pure and simple. P4P rating mean nothing in relation to this since noone can actually pin point what P4P really means.
The whole P4P ideology is just nonsense. A great fighter is a great fighter but put him against someone that counters his fighting style and he can look ordinary, just like Martinez did last night. P4P is just there to sound important and beat some chests but in the ring means f-all.
Barkers performance just goes to show that if you have the heart and will you can do alot in the ring. Martinez is no doubt one of the best but the P4P tag to his name means nothing.
I wish boxing promoters and fight fans would cut this P4P rhetoric out. It just makes people sound foolish.
the only sportsman I have ever met was Henry Cooper. It stands out in my mind cos I was only 10 or so and his hand was like a bears paw and he looked like a giant to me. A true gent to the last knockings. It was at a charity fund raiser for the terminally ill, he was definitely the epitomy of true class. A great man in and oustide the ring.
glad I didn't spend a cent on this joke fight and got to see the KO within minutes, cheers for linking.
Happy to see the bigger twat got KO'd, maybe they can both leave the division now
He promised it last time but of course the injury prevented his movement. There were plenty of opportunities in the wlad fight to punch, but you could see something was holding him back from punching.
Yeah the fact that Wlad is the superior fighter had nothing to do with it. Haye could have been on the top of his game for all we know-Wlad just nullified him.
I see, I hope you do not like Muahmmad Ali, Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather.
Oh wait, that Ali quote...
Ali called Frazier a Gorilla, an uncle Tom and even had a Gorilla in the ring and was punhing it and calling it Joe. His views on the 'white man' was also pretty contreversal because of his associations with The Nation of Islam.
Ofcourse Ali came out with some terrible things but he was a poet inside and outside the ring. That outweighed the level of negative things he did. Arguably the greatest HW and showman to have boxed, slightly different to Haye and Chisora don't ya think.
I bet you read the Daily Mail.
For not liking Haye or Chisora? Yeah that really goes with the Daily Mail mentality. I'm more of a Guardian man myself, you've heard of that?
People like you are a waste of space. Keep quiet because the **** you come out with is pure hate.
Listen, if you had any respect for the history of the sport you would understand, both these guys have dragged british boxing through the sh*t. I'm ashamed of both of them, in one corner you've got a scumbag that spits, slaps, gf beats, and in the other you've got someone who talked their way into the HW division showing some disgusting hype promotion on the way, only to blame defeat on a toe and act with no sportsmanship.
If you want to support fighters like this then you're fuc*ing stupid and you will get more scumbags like this in the division. Maybe scumbags like watching other scumbags fight.
Can't believe I missed this fight!! :lame: But what you gonna do, family stuff… Will have to wait for the fight to be uploaded
Wait till you see round 3 man-one of the most incredible rounds I have witnessed. Brutal.
That was so one-sided i'm not sure BUtes team will want anything to do with it. I guess ultimately it will come down to business-is Butes health worth gambling with a big pay day? Or will he take a lesser fighter on home soil again.
The latter for sure...
You don't agree that Alexander clinched more?
How can you when the video tells the truth?
I say again, I didn't think the clinching was too bad. Infact, if Maidana had been more effective inside there would have been way more holding.
Accept that he was out-performed. Just like DempseyRollin said-> pot-kettle-black. You get the idea.
Alexander actually clinched more against Maidana then Khan did against Peterson.
Don't agree.
Maybe you were rooting for the brothas?
Lol come on man really? Just give Alexander his due.
The three back head punches warranted a point deduction but that's not exactly swinging the 9-10 rounds he dominated.
I like Maidana a heck of alot btw.
Tactically dominated. So the clinching was slightly excessive, but it was up to Maidana to adapt. He literally threw no combinations and showed very little footwork.
Like others have said, there was little wrong with the clinching since Alexander was the one rolling combinations. It was all part of his gameplan.
I wish more brawlers like Katsidis were around but there is nothing wrong with what Alexander did in there.
He out-classed Maidana and he should get his credit without nit-picking one aspect of his performance.
Perhaps the most revealing counter-stat:
Number of times Maidana complained: 0
He knew he had no answers himself so he probably doesn't warrant defence on forums.
Clinching is part of the sport, it might be negative but it occurs in every fight because it's effective.
It's good you teach the different defensive methods but if your fighting, all the fluffy techniques go out the window. Mix that with coming against a guy like Maidana who only ever goes route 1, then you've got a fight with clinching.
It wasn't excessive and I don't have anything more to say about it.
As has been said by lots of guys, it was simply a great display from Alexander. He soon figured how to punish Maidana and I was also suprised at how much he was prepared to go to war. Considering the questions about his heart from the Bradley fight he handled the guts part very well.
There was a fair amount of holding but it was nothing to complain about. Smoger did a fine job and didn't let the holds go on for too long. I think there were a few occasions where he could have penalised for repeated rabbit punches behind the head in the clinch, but both guys were guilty of this.
Maidana had plenty of opportunity to nail his man but was outclassed on the night.
What I wonder is was Alexander's classy performance the reason Maidana was ineffective all fight, or, was the Maidana he faced a shot-Maidana. Let's not forget two of his last three fights have been 12 round wars and he has taken alot of punishment.
If last night wasn't excessive holding I don't know what is.
Maybe there was too much, i'll have to view the fight again. My thoughts while watching were that it was a clinical performance from Alexander. Clinching normally pisses the hell out of me so not sure why I didn't register it too much.
Khan vs Peterson fight...that was excessive holding.
Maybe...maybe not. It's a shame their Primes didn't meet. Prime Lewis vs Vitali of a couple years back and current Wlad, now those would be heavyweight fights worth sitting up again for.
Can only dream.
It's not about what you "think".
It's about the fact that you stated that Khan clinched EXCESSIVELY against Peterson.
If that's really what you think, then what do you have to say about Alexander actually clinching Maidana more?
I can't even decipher what the hell you're getting at.
Of course its about what I think since its my mind that processes the fight. Just like your opinion that you are presenting fact, is just what YOU "think."
Your desperately holding onto the excessive clinching line when it wasn't there, but like I said i'll watch the fight again and decide for myself if it was a massive issue like you are making out.
He didn't clinch more than Khan vs Peterson and that's not what I ment either, that's you jumping to conclusions. I didn't say it was Khan doing the clinching.
My panties are just fine.
I'll try and explain what I ment by my comparison more clearly.
The Khan vs Peterson fight was full of head-bore clinching and back of head rabbit punching, the ref was so poor in dealing with it that Khan resorted to pushing. There was standard clinching in Alexander vs Maidana but they were split swiftly by Smoger. If you've been in a ring before you'll know that clinching is often inevitable.
This is where my take on the fight differs from yours. I see the clinching as being more a sign of Maidanas failure to adapt and test Alexander, than it being a negative tactic from Alexander.
The facts are there but facts can be interpreted differently.
So the question your asking is why some felt robbed by Hayes performance against Wlad when we all knew what to expect?
Unless you have mystic abilities, part of the excitement with boxing is that it can change in an instant. We all knew how it PROBABLY would turn out, but that doesn't detract from the hype Haye built, leading to an expectation that he might fight more aggresively like in his cruiser days.
Looks like you are simply defending Haye on what was essentially a flawed gameplan against a superior fighter. Wlad schooled him and it was a yawn fest.
A touch choice to choose just 3. I'm going to discount any fighters pre 1970 since I have not seen enough footage of the greats to say who excited most back then.
It goes:
1.Duran
2.Hagler
3.Katsidis/Tyson
Chisora would get slaughtered in both those fights. No, Chisora's destiny is that of a journeyman fighting other fat bums and padding the records of up-and-coming hopefuls.
So your labeling Chisora at journeyman level when he legitimately won the European title against Helenius and gave Vitali one of the biggest fights in his illustrious career? I can understand you defending Klit but don't be dumb. If anything, calling Chisora a journeyman makes Vitali look way worse.
Good to know this journeyman had Vitali puffing from round 4, nice logic.
that was a great performance from Del Boy! what a warrior, atlast a Kilt opponent that actually turns up and fights. he is an absolute comedian with his antics, it added spice to what would have otherwise been another vintage yawn-fest from vitali.
chisora vs haye/price is what I want to see next
the british love a nearly man.
losers mentality.
Yeah it's a real flaw in the national psyche. Being passionate about an underdog is outrageous and we all love to lose.
In fact the british love good sport. Pedigree mentality.
Exaggeration on my part. But yes, the whole thing to me is exciting because we may finally get to see some heavyweights fight because they really want to. not just as another formality.
Yeah fair point, I agree we need a fight with some extra tension. It's a very dry division and it has been for a long time but it's a shame they don't save the beating till the bell rings.
The only thing this fight shows is that people have become disillusioned with the HW division and no longer understand the tension that there can be between boxers.
Definitely disillusioned but not lacking understanding. I get that fights happen and there might be hatred that comes to blows but still, we got to expect some level of proffessionalism from these elite fighters. They have even less reason for animosity since boxing is the sport that enables them to physically punish each other in the ring. Let it be settled in there.
The slap was the tipping point but if he'd left it at that and Haye had stayed away from the post-fight, then we could be talking about something much better: what was finally a decent heavyweight fight, full of bravery and heart.