Fighting Ennis for a belt you were unfairly stripped of at a weight you're struggling to make makes little sense. Especially the case when he'd likely be stripped again when he beats Ennis. Let the kid fight a few live bodies at 54 and get at him there if the money's right and Ennis has something to offer.
Hatton in before Laciar, Roman, Michalczewski, Starling, and Nunn??? This is especially the case when he vacated a belt at 147 to move back down without ever attempting ot defend it. Won't mention the looooong list of great fighters that have never even made the ballot.
Add the IBHOF voting system to the legitimacy of these sanctioning bodies and modern day big fight judging - it's a joke.
They all say the same thing until they're in the matrix with Bud. Side note, but given all the criticism Mayweather got from casual fans for not 'fighting opponents in their primes', the intense interest some of those same fans have in seeing a 26 year-old fight a past prime and dangerous 37 year-old is puzzling...
Zepeda fought a crafty, experienced, slippery southpaw and got the job done. Fight was not as close as this journalist seems to think either. By this logic, Zepeda was 'exposed' so he should fight a bigger, faster, stronger, younger, all around better, elite southpaw in Stevenson? Silly logic.
A win is a win and somehow when it isn't pretty a fighter's 'exposed'? The boxing media really needs to cut it out with these narratives. Good win for Zepeda. Lives to fight another day and win or lose, fan or not, he gives his fans what they pay for.
For the 'Stevenson has the skills and IQ to outbox Davis' contingent, Nunn had far more skills/IQ and was out boxing Toney beautifully when he was finished. Good chance Toney knows what he's talking about here...
Of course not. Let the utterly false 'there wasn't enough fuel in Ryan's system to affect the outcome of the fight' narrative persist and ride off into the night on it to protect your fighter.
Spoken just like a promoter that knows Ryan doesn't win this fight if he's clean and actually makes weight. The depths this addict will go to to protect his company and his brand. Once a great fighter, now a sad man, and hasn't been good for boxing for a long time now.
If Lomachenko really wanted those belts, he wouldn't have intentionally taken the 12th round off and let the champion fully recover and come back in what could've likely been his last shot at lightweight undisputed. Telltale sign of an entitled fighter who thinks fan sympathy will sway the judges.
Fight the 12th and you earn a draw. Earn a draw and Haney almost certainly fights a rematch. Lomachenko didn't leave it all in the ring and he paid for it. It's that simple. No one here should feel sorry for him.
Wilder's made ZERO excuses for the loss and was very congratulatory of Joe. He is 38, been through wars, and has been inactive. So be the rest. No need to put words in the man's mouth with a non-article.
Devin Haney's entered the ring at 160 (Lomachenko) and 165 (Prograis) for his last 2 fights. To be clear, Sergio Martinez was the exact same weight the night he defended his Ring MIDDLEWEIGHT title against Barker.
Haney's already said he won't agree to a rehydration clause to fight Davis. Davis isn't fighting a super middleweight that takes 36 hours to rehydrate and shouldn't. Good chance this fight will never happen.
Vasiliy Lomachenko hasn't fought at 126 in 8 years. He's been coming DOWN in weight to fight at 135 since 2018. Regardless of who anyone thought won, OK to stop with the "natural featherweight" nonsense...
Like Usyk a lot and he's great for the sport, but the "greatness" accolades have gotten excessive and probably for obvious reasons. The likes of Lewis, Tyson, Holyfield, and Holmes for that matter weren't praised as all time greats while they were still active fighters. It was always about the next challenge.
Usyk's only beaten 6 heavyweight opponents. One was stopped by Andy Ruiz and another was stopped by a guy who was stopped by Andy Ruiz. That equals top 10 all time great heavyweight? He's at least competitive in most eras, but the excessive praise says a lot about how far the division and the sport's fallen in general.
Charlo didn't say he's a HOFer if the world ended today Mr. Fitzsimmons. Clearly said IF he upsets a reigning super middleweight undisputed champion. To that notion, Charlo is correct.
Tim Bradley, Arturo Gatti, and Carl Froch are in the HOF for goodness sake! A Canelo win certainly seals the deal.
Wait...so the 'knock' on Floyd by fans who obviously didn't watch his entire career was that he never fought anyone in their prime (false). Now the same fans want to see Ennis fight a 36 year-old? Makes sense...
Sad that boxing's come to this. Shakur's a good fighter, but he hasn't beaten anyone at 135 with a win against a top 15 opponent. Why not just clean up the division around Haney and earn it instead of petitioning sanctioning bodies to give you what you haven't earned? This "path of least resistance" nonsense is hurting the sport...
Let's examine Bud Crawford's resume, shall we?
38-0, 29 KOs
Won world titles in 3 divisions
1st 4-belt undisputed champion at 140 in history
16-0 in world title bouts
All that says 1st ballot Hall of Famer without Errol Spence....and that's coming from a long time IBHOF voter.
These "smaller man" narratives have reached nauseating levels. As limited as he was, Deontay Wilder just fought a man 44 pounds heavier and taller 3 times. Never got the benefit of this narrative. Mayweather fought opponents with double-digit fight night weight advantages for 13 years. Never got the benefit of these narratives. Whitaker didn't get one against Vazquez and neither did the greats of yesteryear.
Love boxing, but the sport gets softer and softer by the year...
Another manufactured, overhyped Golden Boy fighter. Y'all keep going on about Davis's competition and resume, and in the end, an aged Gamboa, Barrios, Cruz, and Hector Garcia were all harder fights. Never even tried to get up either. Says a lot about his heart. Easiest day at the office in 4 years.
The only guys calling Crawford's opponents bums are guys typing on a couch with an 0-0 pro record. Top 10 opposition is the best opposition in the world, but y'all wouldn't understand that.
Where was all this 'market' talk when Ugas, Danny Garcia, and the blown up lightweight got fights? The real Errol Spence and Al Haymon came out as soon as a fighter they know they can't beat chased him.
If these fights don't materialize, it is the A side's fault, period. This case is no different.