McGregor's a con artist and as mentioned, his disrespect for boxers and boxing in general is going to make it really satisfying watching him getting beat down. Personally, I hope he gets seriously hurt. More than just a knockout.
You can really tell who doesn't know about boxing when they stylistically relegate Hagler to a brawler/inside fighter. The guy was one of the smoothest out-fighters/counter-punchers ever at middleweight, with an absolute shotgun of a right jab. It's really embarrassing the lack of knowledge many newer boxing fans have, but then again, boxing doesn't exactly attract the sharpest tools of our society.
Overall, it's a very good effort I'd say.
Some of the guys I think are too HIGH
- Julio Cesar Chavez
- Ricardo Lopez
- Rocky Marciano
- Jack Dempsey
- Manny Pacquiao
- Salvador Sanchez
- Bernard Hopkins
- Floyd Mayweather
- Manuel Ortiz
- Panama Al Brown
- Khaosai Galaxy
- Carlos Zarate
- Pancho Villa
- Eusebio Pedroza
- Lennox Lewis
- Marcel Cerdan
- Jack Johnson
Some guys I think are too LOW
- Holman Williams
- Emile Griffith
- Tony Canzoneri
- Carlos Ortiz
- Luis Manuel Rodriguez
- Gene Tunney
- Jimmy McLarnin
- Jose Napoles
- Miguel Canto
- Tommy Hearns
* Khaosai Galaxy shouldn't come close to a top 100 list. His resume is way too thin and is definitely not as good as others in his weight region such as Hilario Zapata, Sung Kil Moon, Gilberto Roman, Jiro Watanabe, Nana Konadu, etc.
* Luis Manuel Rodriguez and Carlos Ortiz have great resumes and should be higher, especially Rodriguez.
* Holman Williams should be above Marcel Cerdan
* Jack Johnson shouldn't be above Ray Leonard
* Emile Griffith should NOT be behind Floyd Mayweather (same goes for Hearns being behind Pacquiao)
But like I said, great effort and an excellent list!
Don't forget about Juan Manuel Marquez. His body attack started early against Diaz and it really paid off later on. Kellerman commented that Diaz was talking a breather in one of the middle rounds, but I believe it was simply the body punches that were zapping some energy from Diaz.
Anything Hatton can do, Chavez can do better. Anything Hatton tries, Chavez has the answer for. Chavez beat better technical boxers in Camacho, Taylor, and Mayweather and beat strong pressure fighters like Ramirez along with a fantastic knockout artist/boxer puncher in Rosario. This is a mismatch IMO, and Hatton would be cringing whenever those body shots start landing. Ends before 8.
Gamboa by knockout.
Linares holds no advantages aside from height and reach. He's slower than Gamboa, can't fight inside, and depends on fighting at his pace in the center of the ring. The problem with that is Gamboa is lightning quick and his swarming tactics would take Linares out of his comfort zone. I really don't see this lasting long.
Hatton, just due to the size, weight, and physical strength. I'd have to see Marquez at 140 first against a B-/C+ opponent to get a feel how he would perform at the weight.
This has been an awful month for boxing. Forrest was a fantastic fighter and one of the better technical boxers of the decade. Had it not been for his shoulder injuries so early into his title reign, he could have become a truly great fighter. I really believe he had that type of talent and ability. I hope he gets the respect he deserves and gets voted into the HOF.
Fitting that his final performance was a masterclass. I'll forever enjoy watching him beat down Sergio Mora over 12 lopsided rounds.
You know. Shit like this makes me have less and less faith in humanity every day. Here was a guy who worked hard his entire life, became successful with all that sweat, blood, dedication and hard work. It then ended with it all gone because of some f*cking punks that need to be burned alive.
All we have left is memories and legacy. Memories and legacy do not cut it after something like this. He deserved to live a great life with all the sacrifices he made.
Exactly; this guy worked his whole life to reach the level of success he did, both in the boxing ring and from a financial standpoint. And just when he's about a year or two and a couple solid performances from retiring, where he could finally sit back, enjoy himself and spend time with his family, something so senseless like this happens. Life's unfair to too many good people.
Cotto ISN'T the same fighter he used to be. It's obvious if you look closely, and it has nothing to do with Clottey. You can watch the Michael Jennings fight for reference too. Shit, you can watch him hitting the pads after Margarito and before and you'll see some differences.
Some specifics...
- Knees and legs are shakier/lack the bounce they once had.
- Footspeed/handspeed has decreased.
- Lacks snap in his right hand (watch how it comes off against Jennings and Clottey). Apparently, he tore his rotator cuff in preparation for Jennings according to his strength/conditioning coach.
- Doesn't seem as co-ordinated.
- Is very heavy on his front foot which has led him to lead further in than ever, making him even more vulnerable to uppercuts.
- Defensive reflexes have seemed to slow.
If Pacquiao beats him, it's still a big accomplishment because it's basically a former 122 pounder and a guy who could still make 135 beating somebody who's still a top WW, despite being on the decline.
Dirrell makes a lot of fundamental/technical errors (offensively and defensively). He’s a great athlete, probably tops in this tournament as far as pure athleticism and speed go, but there’s so many questions about him that have yet to be answered. If he does very well in this tournament, it’ll mean he’s improved as a fighter because the version who fought Oganov and Findley shouldn’t be favored over any of the other five, IMO.
Chin may be awfully shaky, too.
I believe that Cotto is damaged and I saw a lot of troubling things going back to the Jennings fight. Here's a little rundown of my observations:
- He doesn't use his defense to set up his offense as much as he did in the past. He displayed a lot of subtle skills against Mosley, Judah, and Quintana with regard to slipping punches and coming back with counterpunches. When thrown at now, he almost always covers up and has to reset completely. He’s become a more basic fighter without this dimension.
- His right hand has little snap on it and it comes off very odd (refer to the Jennings fight for reference). It’s just straight. His personal trainer, Phil Landman, said he tore his rotator cuff in preparation for Jennings because he tried to do too much, too soon. That’s the reason for it. In fact, he just doesn’t look as fast, or as coordinated as he used to.
- He throws uppercuts from range. He hasn’t stepped in to throw a compact inside uppercut since the Margarito fight. Everything is a leap-in uppercut from either mid-range or long-range, and everytime, he misses the target.
- He’s heavier on his front foot than he was previously. His knees/legs have lost some bounce and he’s more flatfooted than ever before. And he doesn’t push-off the backfoot and step with the frontfoot on each punch now to create maximum leverage and power. Refer to the Judah and Quintana fights to see how Cotto used to be able to propel himself forward, almost to the point where he was leaping. Ever since the Margarito fight, he hasn’t shown the legs to do that. Simply put, he’s more static and stationary and doesn’t look as sturdy on his legs. This is the most worrying sign for me.
- Cotto was never the kind of fighter who could stop on a dime and punch; he always needed some time to get set, and that time has increased just slightly. I doubt he’s as well equipped to deal with movement and speed as he was when he fought guys like Quintana, Judah, and Mosley. Bad news if he can’t close distance quickly against Pacquiao.
- His defensive reflexes and overall reflexes/reaction times appear to be slowing. It’s not to the point where he can be labeled a shot fighter by any means, though, but there has been a decline. This slowing of reflexes has forced him to take more blows and cleaner blows than ever. He can’t lessen the impact by slightly rolling with a punch.
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IMO, Cotto is clearly past his best. Just watch his pre-Jennings/Clottey fights, recent fights and even his past training sessions hitting the mitts compared to the ones now. Night and day how much better he looked. He appeared to be ultra-confident and that confidence just isn’t all there anymore. However, while he’s physically on the downside, a good trainer would help him extend his career more than somebody like Joe Santiago. If he takes a serious beating from Pacquiao, he ought to think about calling it a day sometime soon (which I think he will anyways, as he’s said). And this is coming from a big Cotto fan.
Bingo.this was what I noticed during the Clottey fight,that and getting square on an awful lot. The most noticeable thing when that happened was he would look a bit panicked or indecisive,possibly(though maybe not hugely) a bit gunshy.
You know, maybe some of the things I wrote were a result of Clottey’s style or Jennings being in survival mode and not giving much offense for Cotto to work with, but that point you bolded, I’m sold on. His legs don’t look the same. Good point about him getting squared up and slightly gunshy/indecisive. I agree completely.
Mayweather's never faced a fighter of Calzaghe’s caliber or especially at the level of a 160 pound Roy Jones Jr, for that matter. Hopkins was clearly weakened by the middleweight limit when he ‘lost’ to Taylor, though he should’ve gotten at least one victory out of those two fights.
And Hopkins has the single greatest performance between the two: his domination of the undefeated Trinidad, who once again, was better at that time than anybody Mayweather’s ever fought.
One has tested himself against the very best for a decade and a half.
I'm taking Kessler to go undefeated throughout the tournament. He's a somewhat basic technician, but extremely effective due to his range control, speed, timing, and accurate punching. Can't see him losing, unless he's really slipped since he last fought.
On the nights Benitez defeated Duran and Hearns (I, for one, thought he looked magnificent even in that loss), then Williams would have been completely outclassed.
Yes. Cotto is past his prime, unfortunately.
A few observations from his last two fights:
1. His legs/knees aren't as steady as they used to be. They don't have the same elasticity or bounce and most of his weight in on his front foot, which has effected his balance.
2. His footspeed and handspeed have decreased. The fights back this as does his training videos when he's hitting the mitts. Reflexes have slowed a bit as well, so he'd be best served to use a more shell-like defense rather than the split guard.
3. His punches lack the snap they once had. Mainly the right hand. In the training camp for the Jennings fight, he tore his rotator cuff. Conditioning coach Phil Landman said it was because he was trying to do too much, too early in the camp. Watch that fight and notice how his right hand comes off. It's a push-punch and he can only throw it reasonably well sporadically. The Clottey fight was a bit better, but it's not laser straight the way it was against Judah, Mosley, and Margarito. It's definitely more push than snap.
4. He doesn't have quite the same timing anymore.
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Margarito definitely took something away from him that he'll never get back. The wars with Judah, Mosley, and Torres didn't help either. Enjoy him while he's around, because he wont be fighting at the top level for much longer. He was never great, just very solid overall, but looking at his last two fights in depth, he's on the slide. No question. Hate to say it, too, because he's my favorite active fighter.
I'll throw Mark Johnson into the mix. Unbelievable talent; skills, reflexes, offensive variety, a versatile defense. Very overlooked mainly because he didn't get much recognition or exposure.
In a P4P sense it would be a hell of a fight, but not at 160. Pavlik's size, strength, and power would be too much. He'd back Margarito up, rendering him ineffective, and he'd land huge power punches off of the jab. Middle round stoppage after a bad beating.
A guy like Abraham would knock Margarito's head off - not a TKO, but a KO.
Pacquiao has the best offense in boxing. Comparing his offense to Paul Williams is downright laughable, and quite frankly, not worthy of a real response.