I think that it is hilarious how on a boxing forum, so many of you are clueless about how boxing actually works. 9/10 times a fighters camp and managers make the final decision about who they fight. Fighters blah, blah, blah all day long about "I'll fight this guy and that guy" but rarely have the final word when it comes to making a fight.
Margarito has never endeared himself to the top promotion or management guys so it has always been harder for him to get fights. Other guys in the top ten have management carefully selecting opponents, either lining up big paydays or select guys to protect them for the big payday. Therefore, Margarito is forced to look outside the box to a fighter like Mitchell, who has fallen to washed up veteran status.
I've played a few careers in a few weight classes. I've used create a fighter to make Foreman, Mayweather, Margarito, and the like too.
It did get too easy. Even on hard mode I was always whipping through opponents in four rounds or less.
Interesting note, a little flaw in the game. I made a fighter and just for fun fought every fight rope-a-dope, like that was his style, waved my opponents in, backed myself into the coner, and fought from there. Well, if you do this, some fighters- but not many (like Calvin Brock) will hit you once or twice and then back off and throw punches that dont hit. It is very funny. They will punch themselves out. You can just hang out and block while they punch air and steal the round in the last few seconds. By the third round they'll be exhausted.
Its sort of like Harrison Ford turning down the movie Traffic. He was offered the role that went tot Michael Douglas, but turned it down because he didnt want to be in an ensemble movie where he wasnt the main star when he could go make some crappy action film and collect three times as much money. Bad move for his long term repesct and credibility, smart move for his wallet.
Floyd is the same way. His legacy is already pretty set, and Margarito will still be around, so he's taking the bank fight instead of the legacy fight.
It seemed like every thought Brock had took about five times too long to process and end up being nothing, like a light bulb slowly turning bright, only to fizzle. Not the most eloquent mofo on the planet, but, oh well, he's a good boxer.
Manfredo doesnt have the dicipline to fight in his natural weight class. If he fights Lacy he'll soon realize what its like against a bigger man (who isnt punch drunk like Pemberton) who can take his best shot and dish loads out more power.
That Calzaghe thing must be a rumor. Calzaghe has said he's looking for two more big money fights and then he's probalby retiring. Manfredo is no money fight.
Well, the thing about Floyd since he's gone up is that he can tend to get going a little slower, takes him a couple of rounds to really start clicking. Margarito certianly has a chance in the early rounds to punish Floyd.
The other thing is, Floyd is essentially a speed and reflexes fighter. With the exception of guys like Hopkins and Toney who only got better as counter fighters, most reflex fighters skills decline very fast in their early/mid 30's. The first rounds of the Mitchell and Judah fights made me wonder if that'll happen to Floyd sooner than later, if he can stand the test of time and age.
First that sprang to mind were Taylor and Lacy. Both were extremely coddled fighters, who had it very easy on their road to stardom, lots of cans padding ther records. In terms of their first really big time shots, Lacy folded and Taylor won (eeking out the first, doing better the second)
IMO Manfredo is going to do the most with his career out of all the contenders.With his huge ko victory over Scott Pemberton he has to be considered the top fighter post-contender series.
Bwah-ha-ha! That is hilarious. Pemberton is so punch drunk I doubt he even dresses himself. Manfredo looked like a midget against him and any fighter in that weight class (that isnt a hundred years old) wil give him trouble, the top guys would kill him.
sergio mora = feather fisted show-off
Which is fine for a boxer, as long as they admit it, behave like a strategy fighter who'll outbox you, but Mora acts like he's got it all and is KingBadass.
Raheem pretty much owned Juarez, outboxed him plain and simple, and Jaurez looked positively clueless by the end.
I dont hold "no mas" against Freitas, he blew himself out trying to be a super-slickster and once he gassed he was getting killed. That fight wasnt going to get any better for him, he couldnt move enough to buy some time and regain his energy, so it was either quit or get FUBAR'ed.
This is a good fight. Freitas needs to getr back oin track and raheem is about as hungry as you can get, long avoided, finally getting some good exposure. Skillwise I think they are fairly even and I know its a cliche but it just matters whose heart is really strong enough to take the upper hand.
He's such a joke he makes me sick. He runs around talking like he's one of the best, when nothing he's done (oh, you won a heavily manufactured reality show- big whoop) merits any kind of bluster or attitude. He'll pad out his career fighiting chumps on special ESPN Contender cards that cater to clueless fairweather boxing fans.
I LOVE Augustus- let me get that out of the way- and I think the guy, as a dedicated fighter, spotty record and all, deserves a break and a good payday as much as anyone. I understand him calling out Hatton, trying to get some paychecks because he realizes the timeline of his career has gone past its apex.
And, while I think he'd bring an interesting fight to Hatton, with Augustus record and style and the way Hatton has largely been coddled for most of his career- well, there isnt a shot in Hell of Augustus getting a chance, even at Hatton in a tuneup. Barring two or three straight performances against impressive opponents, he's not going to get a shot at anyone even near the top ten unless he's a last minute replacement (again) or something.
I wasnt really surprised that Maury Povitch won. Brewster has shown that any guy with good boxing technique has a very good chance agaisnt him. Still, not having seen a whole lot of Lyakhovich, I only had his rep as being fairly solid to base that on.
That fight was everything Rahman-Toney should have been. While Lyakhovich and Brewster showed gaping holes in their game, they had guts and put on a great war. I actually think in a rematch, Lyakhovich, if he's smart, has the edge because he did less wrong in the fight than Brewster. As long as Lyakhovich keeps some distance and outboxes bBrewster, doesnt get too overconfident or bloodthirsty, his speed and movement will win any night any time.
Corrales-Castillo and Pac-Morales are great rubber matches. A lot of rep rides on Winky-Taylor. Some other great matches, most of it not on ppv too, so thats a big bonus.
On the downside- I dont think the heavy's will recify themselves this year, certainly got off to bad start with Toney-Rahman. Judah-Mayweather and Hopkins-Tarver shouldnt be happening, not ppv worthy in the least. Calzaghe takes a big win and starts spouting off wanting lame money matches out of his division.
People keep harping on the Soliman fight, where 1) Winky was sick, and 2) Soliman threw tons of ineffective girly punches for 12 rounds. Hardly a litmus test for Winky-Taylor.
However, in both fights with Hopkin's, Taylor looked pretty frustrated dealing with getting through Hopkins defense. Winky's got even better defense than Hopkin's.
I think as long as Winky stays pretty busy and uses that iron wall defense, Taylor will be extremely frustrated in the middle-late rounds, use up his energy, and Winky will take the fight via UD.
Well, onto the actual question of the thread. (Mickey Ward aint the guy in the title?)
Margarito sort of has a win-win situation fighting Mayweather. Barring a performacne like Corrales versus Floyd, he can lose and so what? He lost to the commonly regarded pound for pound best fighter currently out there. No big deal, good payday, and still plenty of high level matches he can take. If he wins, its huge, he topples the undefeated guy at the top of the mountain.
One of my faves (I'm paraphrasing) was in the post-fight for Tyson-Douglas.
Reffering to a Japanese parable or something (the fight was in Japan, remember): "This is like the frog being fed to the snake."
Then after the fight, he said something like, "Apparently that frog was poisonous."
You blow up his comments too much. Talk about bias, seems there is some anti-Kellerman bias.
That same comment is leveled at nearly 80% of all up and coming fighters because it is true. Younger guys who can cut weight and feel no ill effects usually fight at a weight class well below what they could fight at so they will have a bigger size advantage.
De La Hoya's career has shown that once he did in fact move up in weight, around his more natrual size, he ceased to have the same explosive ko power and stamina.
See, it is bias when you talk about everything but the comment brought up in the first post. Kellerman has said some stupid shit, I totally agree; however the original post is about his comments on De La Hoya's early career- which I'm sorry, like him or not, Kellerman's totally right.
Malaluinguini is a joke. He will soon be exposed (actually, how do you expose a guy who hasnt fought good opposition and has looked like a feather fisted crack addict?). He will then go back to fighting bums off the street for his fans (guido retards who could barely pass the GED).
Wow. Byrd thought he'd win standing in front of Wlad with zero movement, plus with his screaming wife henpecking him from the stands? Thats some strategy.
I guess there are worse "keep busy" fights Lyhovitch could take... like fighting my grandmother, whose been dead for fifteen years and probably still has better footwork than Mcbride.
Nate Campbell-Robbie Peden is my favorite knockout. Campbell is handling Peden with ease, darting in and out peppering him with quick power combinations while Peden plods forward barely landing anything. Then (fifth or sixth round, I think?), Campbell gets off a combo- Peden is slightly leaned forward earmuffing- Campbell is right up on Peden, Nate puffs his chest out and drops his hands like "I'm such a badass."- Peden fires off a blind wicked cross that obliterates Campbell.
It is by far the best example of one punch (or inflated ego) being able to determine the outcome of a fight.
I'd rather see Liakovich versus Klitschko than Rahman. Stewart just mentioned Calvin Brock, who could probalby give him some trouble, but I'd still favor Klitschko.
Funny, I still, despite the win, question Wlad's stamina and chin. Byrd did squat to test it. I still think he doesnt beat a hard hitter like Brewster, or an aggressive fighter very easily.
He wont unless he's an idiot. Why would you go to war with a guy that even a b-level boxer can outbox and defeat just by sticking to solid boxing skills of distance, a crisp jab, and an occasional one-two?
Besides, he hasn't tko/ko'ed anyone in years, so its probalby just trash talk. Almost no boxer's say, "I'm not gonna' try to ko him, just outbox him and win a lopsided decision."
Unless De La Hoya has caught a serious case of retardation, he'll outbox, pace himself, and frustrate Mayorga for the first half of the fight,a nd maybe, maybe, pour it on in the later rounds.