Yes, Barrios was the least challenging WW ATM but more importantly Garcia seems to have gained discipline as well as a mature perspective of his career.
He should aim for that Benn fight in the UK and expand his fan base.
He should NOT fight Shakur next. Shakur by near shutout.
Murtazaliev has elite fundamentals but Tzsyu is the type of fighter that allowed Murt to apply the power game. I think Murt will struggle with a someone like Ennis who brings more movement to the ring.
I see Boots forcing Murt to reset repeatedly untli a crashing counter starts the downfall of Murt.
Smith boxed in a measured way for the first two rounds and landed his right consistently while moving. Gaining confidence, he sat down on his punches for the rest of the fight. That extra bit of leverage helped him KO Matias. Great win for the lad!
Who in their right mind ever thought he could be a champion in the first place?
He lost to Tommy Fury and Tommy Fury is not good. At all.Realistic summary. Jake Paul simply exploited the sport's deficiencies, using his celebrity to draw fans who were starving for something, anything compelling.
I sense Whtitaker is maturing in his approach to fights. Showboat for a few rounds against overmatched opponents or make it a short evening and head to the showers. I think he realizes the latter attracts far more fans. He can be the flamboyant salesman during post-fight interviews.
I think Andy Lee will be a good influence in his corner. Proper mechanics when sitting down on his punches, etc. I'm looking forward to Whittaker's ascension.
The WBC, WBA and IBF had several meetings a few years ago to try to establish an undisputed world champion in every weight class. The WBO was invited, but refused to participate.
The idea was that there would be a WBC champion, WBA champion, IBF champion and WBO champion in each weight class, but that these champions would never be referred to as world champions. There would be one world champion recognized by every organization and that world champion would defend against the champions of each organization.
So fighters would still have to climb the rankings of an organization, win regional titles, etc on their way up the ladder towards that organization's championship and by becoming the champion of one of the four organizations, they would become a leading contender to face the undisputed world champion recognized by every organization.
It was a great idea and the WBC, WBA and IBF were all willing to sign on the dotted line if the WBO would sign too. The WBO just wouldn't do it. The WBO wouldn't even meet to discuss it. So the entire deal fell apart and hasn't been discussed since.What you described retains the current organizational structure of the sport, and this potentially dilutes the talent pool threefold (compared to a single governing body). On the plus side, it provides an opportunity for each weight class to determine a true world champion. Why can't the Big 3 just ignore the WBO, etc, and proceed with the unification fights? Does Top Rank and (now) ESPN have that much jam to stop something like that?
HOW RING MAGAZINE HAS CHANGED RULES TO BENEFIT HBO FIGHTERS AND HARM SHOWTIME FIGHTERS
....Thanks for this illuminating post. I think most long time fans are accustomed to the corruption within the sport, but it's still deeply sobering and frustrating nonetheless.
Had the WBC, WBA and IBF executed their plan without the involvement of the WBO, the sport would be going from four world titles to two world titles. Now, the WBO would own 100% of half of the world titles while the WBC, WBA and IBF would each own 33% of the other world title.
So the WBO's power would grow from 25% to 50%. Would have been an absolute disaster for the WBC, WBA and IBF. Even if logically we can sit here and agree that the joint "undisputed world champion" of the WBC/WBA/IBF would be the real champion, Arum and Warren would still be working pretty much exclusively with the WBO and before long fans, media, networks, etc would simply be referring to the two world champions as if they are equal, just as they currently refer to the four world champions as if they are equal, even though the WBO is light years behind the other three.If Arum and Warren isolate themselves within WBO-sanctioned fights, then necessarily wouldn't your merged organization control about 75% of the talent pool? and thus be able to more frequently mandate far better fights? i.e. offer a better product to promoters and broadcasters. I realize the four ranking lists are not mutually exclusive but wouldn't it serve the sport better to increase transparency, and as a byproduct, highlight the dysfunction at in-house WBO politics by cooperating among yourselves to stage the best fights possible now?
This account is operated by three previous boxingscene posters. One of us has ties to the WBC, one of us has ties to the WBA and one of us has ties to the IBF, so we decided that it made more sense to share one account since so many of our posts involved sanctioning body politics.
Two of us work in the industry currently and one of us worked in the industry previously.
None of us have ties to the WBO, which is why we didn't include them in our name when creating the account.
But further, none of us believe the WBO should have ever been recognized and all of us believe it would benefit the sport if the WBO was de-recognizedNot to hijack this thread but what are your thoughts (and I'm asking the account holders collectively) on consolidating the three sanctioning bodies as a way to completely marginalize the WBO/IBO? Surely three established organizations uniting as one would simplify rankings and enforce compelling best vs best fights for boxing fans. We've heard the WBA is on a mission to remove redundant titles in all weight classes, but has there ever been discussions among your organizations about a merger?
He's a mesomorph with muscles having large bellies. Aerobic stamina is not going to be an attribute of a fighter with that type of body build. He reminds me of Arthur Abraham who fought in spurts to avoid gassing out. Somebody with power and a good engine to sustain a high output offense will be bad for Canelo.
The Golovkin who fought Canelo would get sparked by Mugabi. John's nickname was very apt.
Reloaded, that clip brought back memories! I was hopping up and down and yelling OMFG during that round.
That's an interesting idea. It certainly takes some of the power out of the promoters' hands and gives it back to the fighters.
Tennis benefits from having the Grand Slam tournaments, though. The nature of boxing is such that matches have to be spread out over months and it requires fans to have a longer attention span.Yes, the union's raison d'etre would be to represent the long term interests of the sport and to get the best deal for their athletes. It would be the only entity dealing with the promoters and acts as a buffer between boxers and promoters.
Boxing cannot hold 2-week tournaments like tennis; but consistent, compelling match ups would go a long way towards maintaining fan interest.
This thread goes to the larger topic of how the sport is governed, which is to say, it lacks the transparency and structure required to offer a consistent product. I'd like to see something like this:
fighters > boxing union > promoters > broadcasters
All boxers would belong to an international union that governs the sport. The union determines rankings, match ups, and purse splits. Promoters bid on upcoming fights OFFERED BY THE UNION. The promoter with the best bid then selects who broadcasts the event (or broadcasters, in turn, bid on the event). The key to this structure is that no individual athlete is bound to a direct contract with a promoter or broadcaster, eliminating Business Politics. This can be accomplished by the sport's union lobbying federal governments to outlaw such contracts.
Tennis has a similar structure except it uses tournaments to determine rankings; but ultimately the best athletes are forced to play each other to become the no. 1 seed. And that maintains broad fan interest year after year.
If you honestly think Conor genuinely out boxed/out thought/out smarted Floyd, you have no clue what you are looking at. None.Seriously. I don't know how people saw Conor out-boxing Floyd. Conor was like a quick fire started with kindling then Floyd just pissed on him as the flames went out.
Even if his legs are skinny, he's still transferring energy from the floor up.Right. Efficient transfer of power from the legs (via torque and proper timing) to the hips, shoulder, arm, and finally the fist, is the hallmark of a devastating puncher. Tommy Hearns is a clear example.
I think Lara is a natural counter puncher who engages VERY selectively. Crawford is not averse to exchanges and his overall mind set is comfortably more offensive than Lara's.
I suggest the following changes to the current rules:
1) Score 1 point per knockdown. Forget punch stats or number of rounds won.
2) Two of three judges can override a questionable call by the referee (knockdown was a trip, etc); judges use instant replay (also available to fans) between rounds to resolve the call before the next round begins.
3) 16' ring.
4) Championship fight is 15-rounds.
4) Enforce holding (and other infractions such as non-engagement) by penalizing 1 point each time after the first warning.
5) Weigh-in held two hours before broadcast time.
6) Keep riff-raff and celebrities with chunky glasses out of the ring until winner has been announced. i.e. only referee, two combatants, trainers, and physician (if necessary).
If Thurman and Spence ever fight I think Spence will prove he is the best welterweight in the world.I agree. While he waits for that fight, Spence just needs to keep fighting.
Hard to tell from that KO if Lubin is chinny. It was a short, well-timed uppercut as Lubin pretty much ducked into it. I did notice, right before impact, Charlo turned his fist to get even more snap/leverage into the punch.
soul_survivor, I was unsure about Lubin and eCharlo did his business. That was the most exciting fight of card.
I don't know why you're accusing me of racial bias?? Please clarify.
Donaire's house was dismantled by Rigo's sublime skill set. Nonito was on a high, had just been awarded 2012 FOTY, but that fight shook him to the core.
Walters, with his physicality, was a like a hurricane that blew away the rest of the house.