marzblkman

Awesome thread and here's whats even more inconceivable about this "stadium". Since these "discussions" have been going on the last couple of years, when has this "road block" EVER been cited?? Arum is so full of schit!! But as someone said, just the construction alone would eat the cost. I recall back in the 80's when fights were held at Caesar's Palace that they would construct makeshift bleechers in the parking lot for the fight. But not an "entire stadium". Also Raphael from ESPN mentioned that UNLV's football stadium & Las Vegas Motor Speedway ALREADY exist. NO NEED for mythical construction since he's so concerned that us "lowly" folks would get to see the fight at an affordable cost,lol. Will we get another, "today he's telling the truth and yesterday he's lying" regarding this??

I agree with the author haters be damned. Bernard Hopkins nowhere near compares to Floyd because what he does DOESN'T translate into dollars. Only hardcore fans of BOXING (not slugging) like myself actually tune into see Bernard.. Bernard's greatest performance in the 2nd half of his career (Pavlik) tanked at the box office. Even Floyd's fight with Baldomir did 300K buys. As far as Ortiz and what he said. Robert Garcia also said that while Ortiz's father wasn't actively involved in his life, he was there. Ortiz definitely embellished his story and Floyd did call him on that. Like him or not, Floyd sells himself better than any boxer out there. Name me ONE boxer presently that makes his HATERs blood boil to where as they want to comment on EVERY aspect of him that doesn't deal with boxing??? The proof is evident.

cotto is a natural lefty too thats why his left jab is so good And his right hand sucks. Thats the problem with a ton of converted southpaws I've sparred with. (cotto's vice versa but you get the point). Their back hand which in theory should be their dominant hand often isn't.

Purses are dictated MORE by what the network offers the promoter for the rights to show the fight vs. the person's name. Hopkins "may" be a bigger name but Hopkins is not a huge draw if he's not matched with the right opponent. Don't believe me? Look at the how poorly Hopkins vs Dawson I in L A drew. They had the audacity to put that on PPV. Lastly, don't you all think Al Haymon has had PLENTY opportunities to sign Hopkins if he wanted Hopkins?

Both fighters are faves of mine in and outside the ring but Floyd by far exceeds Hopkins on the professionalism level. Floyd's pre fights antics are more insulting than they are bitter. Hopkins on the other hand tends to go penitentiary style. Also Floyd has never instigated like kids on a playground for someone else to interrupt their interview. I don't recall (although it was great theater) Floyd ever throwing anyones countries flags.

One more thing. You have a fighter like Tim Bradley. Skilled (especially if you include his "head" lol), young/prime, but UNKNOWN completely outside of the "hardcore" boxing world. He would do himself a big favor or should I say his promoters (whomever they are now) if they would have him fight on FREE TV just for the sake of getting his name OUT THERE. Nowadays, promoters IMO don't know how to build a fighters name. IT used to be with plenty of tv vehicles this was possible. I would be ok, with a rising guy like Bradley fighting, "fair/good" guys on FREE tv.

I personally hate the term "tv friendly" fighter asthat translates loosely into, "slugger, no defense, limited skills, can either knockout or be knocked out". I do think you make a point though but I think part of the problem is this. Boxing is one of the FEW sports (and I'm speaking from the US/Stateside of things) where you really can't follow rise of a fighter casually. I think even if you're a hard-core fan you can't follow the rise of guys because a lot of amateur stuff isn't televised. That said, I think what happens is the average viewing fan doesn't know how to recognize or appreciate a skilled boxer. IMO you have these levels of fighters. Poor- These are guys who not only aren't in shape but probably were picked up from the latest tough man contest. Examples.. None other than KIMBO Slice and the guy who he was fighting. Fair- They understand how to pace themselves, can throw most punches and they do actually train. They can be entertaining and if they're more active or have punching power, they "CAN" beat a guy with a higher skill level.. Examples.. Decent/Good - This is a wide category and a lot of boxers fall in here. These are guys who do one thing good but may have other holes. These are also guys may have been "very good" or are vets that are now shop worn. Examples are "Gatekeeper guys (Zab Judah, Vivian Harris, Chop Chop Corley), Pavlik, etc... Very Good- IMO these are the guys STRICTLY that should be on the premium networks. These are guys who do MULTIPLE things good. Elite/Excellent - IMO there's less than 10 of these in the sport. These are guys who not only do multiple things good, they do them EXCELLENT. They also have the ability to make a "Very Good" fighter look like a "good" or "fair" fighter. Examples.. Money, Pac, Martinez, Klitchko, Donaire, Hopkins, Ward, etc. If more casual fans KNEW how to grade fighters, the networks would know how to match up or choose fighters. Frankly more often than not, a lot of match-making deals more with how a fighter "draws". I will say this though, ESPN's FRIDAY night FIGHTS this year has been more entertaining than HBOs fights.

IT looks like his crooked ass but it's not him. Bob didn't start promoting till the late 60's. Ray Robinson was being promoted by the Madison Square Garden group then. Arum would have been in law school at the time that photo was taken. Good find nonetheless

Allan has good skills and "TALKS" a very good game. Unfortunately when you see his performances against Donny McCrary (sp?) and Miranda, you wonder is this guy just a average/decent boxer or a guy who can have a bad night. It's possible and Andre better not take him lightly but my money is that he doesn't. He'll also revert back to that annoying "LOOKING DOWN" while he's boxing flaw he has.

Golden Boy I believe had one option after the DLH fight on Floyd and an option for another i believe. Steve Kim is a noted Floyd hater but what he says does make some sense. With regard to the injury, I doubt he could find out but who knows who he knows, maybe he could. I doubt Floyd is doing this himself or Leonard Ellerbe. Al Haymon who is a successful concert promoter is definitely part of this if "Mayweather Promotions" is truly taking the lead on this one.

Why couldn't he go through a final eliminator, like Thompson and Povetkin did, and EARN the shot at TWO world titles? I can't believe I read this entire thread but this comment really sticks out. Being that boxing has the PAST black eye it does, do you or anyone else REALLY sincerely, WANT to see these fights?? With exception to Germany (sighing) who really wanted to see Wlad's fights with; Thompson or god forbid Rahman?? I'll definitely give Haye (credit on) this, "NO ONE WANTS TO SEE YOU FIGHT THESE MANDATORY BUMS". That said, we ALL know the modern landscape of boxing (good point about the "Rocky"analogy someone pointed out) isn't what it should be. Sometimes the wrong guys get title shots, sometimes guys who deserve shots don't get them.. That said, in the utterly pathetic Heavyweight division, what is really the "MONEY FIGHT" out there for Wlad or his robot borther?? Vitali/WLAD vs. Poevetkin?? Wlad vs TITTYerola?? Does Haye have a big mouth?? ABSOLUTELY but where I'm from, "closed mouths don't get fed". Atleast this guy while being an admitted "knockout" waiting to happen not only brings BALLS to the table but actually shows up in shape consistently unlike the bulk of the heavyweights (TITTYerola anyone and this guy is young). At the bear minimum I KNOW we're going to have a fight that'll be entertaining unlike Wlad's fight with Ibragamov (way to slap Sultan's jab down). IRONFIST, you know thats bullshit regarding inserting Vitali into the picture here. If these guys weren't related, what does one have to do with the other?? Lennox Lewis during his championship reign says-"If you defeat me, you'll have to then fight the IBF champ Chris Byrd, then I get another rematch". Again bullshit but this is whats happening here. I give Haye a lot of credit in KNOWING he WON'T get a decision in Germany no matter WHAT he does, so we KNOW he'll bring the fight to Wlad. Something hm lemme see, Rahman (sighign), Thompson, Ibragamov, Brock or ANY OTHER ofthe lackluster challengers that "waited in line" for their opportunity with Wlad. I don't mind Haye scooting up one bit

if you are tough and can fight it doesnt matter Respectfully I disagree. The "streets", "prisons" are filled with "tough guys" that couldn't do ANYTHING but absorb shots in the ring. I think being "tough" is an overrated attribute and I'd take a "smart" fighter ANYDAY over it. Frist off to step into the ring, you have to have have some sense of "toughness" there. That said, back to the original question I think it depends. I think fighters with an excessive number of amateur fights (300+) can be stifled in their pro development primarily due to the sheer number of fights they've had and habits(good and bad) that they've developed. "Experience" IMO is as good as how you use it. If you've been fighting a bunch of taxi drivers, set ups, etc (hi Julio Caesar Chavez Jr), regardless of how gaudy your professional record is or lack of an amateur pedigree you have, you won't develop when you step in with "REAL" competition. For you ol skoolers, Dwight Muhammad Qawi I believe had less than 10 amateur fights and this guys was 5'7 fighting at light heavyweight at a time where that division was loaded. However because he had a DAMN good competition in the pro ranks, I'm sure he could adapt more to the steep learning curve he had to overcome despite his lack of an amateur background. One thing I don't care for that the amateur system encourages is "shoe shine" style of punching. Body punching is rarely given it's due in the amateur system (here in the US atleast) but to me, outside of "movement" this is the one clear distinction between the very good/elite fighters and just the the good ones. I wouldn't RUSH someone to be pro but I also wouldn't have them fighting so many amateur fights if I had a young charge either. This may be outside of the scope of here but I know that in tennis Venus and Serena Williams didn't play a lot of junior tennis at all. Their dad felt that he saw plenty of girls (abroad not just the US) that had an excessive amount of junior matches, turned pro very early. Then they burned out by the time they were 23 and 24. With the Williams sisters whether you're fans or not, they've been pro's for nearly 15+ years still in the the top 10 which only a handfull of women can say. I personally attribute that to NOT having played all those "junior matches". Boxing takes much more of a toll on your body than tennis so I think the logic holds true. Just my opinion.

if you are tough and can fight it doesnt matter Amateur experience matters a great deal. It teaches you the ability to adapt to different styles. A lot of people in my gym use high guard, a lot of counter punches, a couple southpaws, 2 ppl there are ambidextrous. On the other hand, you go into a fight with no idea what kinda fighter you're going up against, and find out he bases his style on rolling your punches and waiting on your mistakes. Suddenly you're adapting to this fight plan trying to establish your range and solve this problem. This is just one example. It's not like with the big stars, where you have months to train and prepare for a style coming up with a gameplan, it's a valuable experience that you can only get before you sign pro. It also gets you used to seeing punches coming from all angles and speeds, which is very valuable as well. This isn't to say that some people are lucky enough to have the ability to deal with this without the great am experience ala Duran/Pacquiao, but it certainly helps and is absolutely 100% essential for MOST people. No doubt you make an excellent point here that I CAN NOT dispute. However I think a lot of it still comes back to the individual and how they take what they've experienced and learned. I can think of a lot of professionals (Juan Diaz comes to mind) who have gone through horrid loses and seems like they didn't/don't improve on anything that caused their first loses (from Campbell to Marquez). My biggest concern for an amateur with a lot of fights is the wear and tear in the long term.

This has to be one of the best pieces I've ever read not only describing the "sweet science" but explaining Mayweather's timing. Leave it to the pathetic haters(get a life) to actually bring CHEATArito into the fold of this discussion. Whatever there. This article went over their heads anyways because the CheatRito fans not only can't relate with this but don't understand it. The guy who author this is pretty well round/sound/knowledgeable guy also.

The question regarding Cotto and Tsyu is out of line. It's not Floyd's fault that Tsyu lost to Ricky Hatton because I guarantee that fight would have been made after Floyd beat Gatti. Tsyu lost to Hatton in May and Floyd beat Gatti in June. He's also called Kosta before then. As for Cotto, please. Cotto wanted no parts of Floyd at 140 and at 147, Floyd was chasing the linear title while Cotto was coming up into the division. Also people forget there was a 7 month lead time of him being contracted to fight DLH so much time was taken up within that span.

Outside of liking Oscar Dela Hoya I agree with you completely. They HAVE TO sell it someway but the marketing does seem extremely contrived. I will NOT buy this fight and I've bought the last two ppv'. Not only is this fight a sham, it just shows what I've always considered Oscar to be, a greedy, calculated, right complexion for the connection type of guy. Dela Hoya fans LOVE to say, "he's taken on all comers". I say,thats total crap. Who cares he fought Hopkins when he made $35 million for that fight, some risk. He's also avoided fighting Forrest at welter and Winky at Jr Middle. Both of those fights even now were "makeable" fights but we know Dela isn't going to put himself up where there is too much risk. The dude is one of the biggest "two faced" individuals that somehow has a positive image amongst fans and the media I've ever seen. I guess folks have forgotten the following "I'll be launching a full through, complete investigation"post Mosley II comments Freddie has me in the best shape of my life" pre Mayweather fight, "I had a torn rotator cuff" after the Mayweather fight. "I won't fight a Puerto Rican"/ "I won't fight another Mexican" "I want to fight the winner of Margarito vs Cotto" Those are just a few of the biggest $3 bill there is.

Look here another "hate on Floyd" thread, how original. First of all Osca DIDN'T sell 27,000 tickets so that nullifies the argument there. A lot of the mid level tickets were GIVEN away by various sponsors. Be that as it may, I'm certain in the same situation in Grand Rapids that yes, Floyd could do 27,000 if it were held at Grand Valley St Football stadium which is the only arena that could accommodate that size. If you make an event affordable for Joe Regular, the people will show up. Case in point, Cory Spinks vs. Zab Judah attracted 20K in st. louis so I don't see why it's a stretch to believe Floyd couldn't get the same amount when his profile has increased.

The thread ask do people think Hopkins will get blown out by Joe?? I don't know if some people started watching boxing with Hatton vs Mayweather but there is no precedent whatsoever that Hopkins can be blown out. Joe is a very good fighter but he knows he's in the fight of his life. Theres a ridiculous post here that Hopkins gets stopped in 8th, lol. I'll gladly BOT this thread. Heres the thing, Jeff Lacy who is arguably Joe's biggest win did have some *****s in his armor exposed. Namely in the Omar Sheika fight and early in the Robin Reid fight. On the other hand there isn't a style of fighter that Hopkins hasn't faced from aggressive, tall, fast, smaller, southpaw, etc. He's adapted to them all.. Whats going to happen in this fight is whoever can adjust better will win. People "say" calazaghe adjust well. I've seen Calazaghe fight from the outside and he's pretty basic. Bernard while no where near not even in his prime the volume puncher Calazaghe is, he's a smart calculating puncher. I have no doubt that Hopkins will nullify Calazaghe's speed by coming between his shots with right hands hooks to the body. Some holding, etc. This is going to be an ugly fight because calazaghe will keep coming forward. Hopkins knows southpaws damn near as good as he does conventional fighters. Footwork will decide this fight namely can Hopkins nullify Joe's ability to create angles which I think is excellent on Joe's behalf.

Nobody Tarver? How in the heck can you forget the loses to Tarver and arguably the first fight also along with Glen John when in two out of the five he was KTFO?? Get outta here. So if "weight" (sighing) is still the excuse for Roy in the second fight(which was a year and 3 months after the Ruiz fight mind you), what is the excuse in the 3rd?? Was he weight drained here?? http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc292/marzblkman/RJJ.gif The fight he was being a damn cheerleader in. I just dont' get the discreding of Tarver. Tarver poses a style problem for Roy in that he's a rangy counter-puncher with power. That said, Roy is no push-over and I can't beleive there are people here that think Calazaghe is just going to starch Jones. The only reason I see he was given the decision against Hopkins is that he out PITTY PATTED him. If Roy comes in like he looked against Trinidad where his speed was still there, Calazaghe better look out. As far as Roy against Sam Peter, I dont' see what he needs to really be worried about there. A fat ass James Toney in the first fight pretty much beat him. While someone mentioned (and I agree) that Roy's defense isn't as good as Toney's, I could clearly see Roy outboxing Peter. Fuk, had Jameel McCline had more energy he was on the way to doing that.

I respect the length of your thoughts but this has got to be one of the most ignorant premises I've ever heard of. Why stop with boxing, lets apply the logic to baseball and rank left hitters and pitchers lower and Steve Young in football. Get rid of your hall of fame bust. Your comments regarding floyd committing against Zab are insane. Floyd beat Zab by setting a trap and he clearly stepped toe to toe with Zab after round five. There was hardly any sticking and moving and it was Zab who was often in retreat mode. As a boxer, it's YOUR CHALLENGE to learn to adapt as previously stated. Shadeyfizzle makes excellent point about this and I'll add to it. I notice your argument is totally void of past lefties which tells me you're not that familiar with the sport. You mentioned Whitaker losing to guys if he were a righty. Like who?? Who would Marvin Hagler have lost to since he was a lefty? Keep in mind Hagler fought a war with Tommy Hearns and Tommy's best punch was his right hand, a punch that a left hander is most susceptible to. But I'll end with a question using one of YOUR examples. Explain to me why int he first fight that Spinks CLEARLY won the first 8 rounds against Zab only for Zab to land clear shots later??

Great !!! Finally our Cubans fighting here in miami !!! Rigondeaux could be here if he signs with haymon on step , after the 15 ,,, it is rumored . Hope rigo signs with haymon , plenty of time for him to be in this card .... Hit and not be hit ; can not hit what you don't see . I also live in Miami and can't wait for this. I agree about Haymon getting Rigo also. Finally something being done smart, putting Cuban fighters in shows that occur in Miami.

Rahman to ice Povetkin inside 6. I didn't know that mental wards had internet access. Yeah, because he'll be so physically prepared. In that pic he's easily 270. He's slow, 1-2 puncher, plodding footwork thats even more limited now because he can't keep away a fork. He'll be stopped and/or knocked out. Good riddance. This is his last big payday but I'm sure he'll be back on the ballroom circuit by next year.

No matter what you THINK of Haye, just because the Wlad fight was a stinker DOESN'T invalidate his skills. Absolutely he took a straight, measured path to the heavyweight title but who actually thinks FURY even stands a chance? Haye'$ name means money in the UK and Fury is taking that next. Haye stands NOTHING to gain fighting this slow, telegraphing punching, lummox. This would make his "haters" inflammed even more. The only fighter/fight that Haye should fight next to Vitali is against ARREOLA. Now you're talking about a real fight. Fury is just trying to make headlines.

What is this guys greatest feat? Beating Demarco? Everyone else prior to 2013 were overmatched (Litzau, Rees)or close (see Paulie & Ponce). Point is all he’s been is HYPE and his big ass mouth that people want shut up. aerie hasn’t been at his peak since 2013 literally. PLease stop. The reason he doesn’t “let his hands go” is he doesn’t want to get hit. When you punch you’re vulnerable to be hit. This is why since 2013 against tough opponents( Vargas, Garcia, Porter, Pac, Santiago lol)once he gets tagged he goes into a turtle shell. Oh before someone says “are knocked Porter down). Yep. Flash knockdown on a fight he barely was competitive in and had it not been for that knockdown, he would have lost the last round This dude is a PBC mascot. His big mouth can generate some interest but even his faithful have moved on from him. -not a gym rat -too Undisciplined to make anything below 140 -zero POP at 147lb jes basically a journeyman at this point.

Let me guess, they're going to fight in of all places "GERMANY". Thats fine for Abraham, atleast he wasn't afraid to take risk, venture OUTSIDE of Germany and go up a weight class. Sturm (whom I think has a great jab) will forever be NOTHING but a European fighter since he's OBVIOUSLY afraid to leave Germany let alone the European continent. I agree with the previous poster that Sturm outboxes AA and will NEVER venture cross the pond for a fight w/Martinez or any other top middleweight.

Based on WHAT?? We've become desensitized because we're used to seeing large numbers with the Mayweather and PacMan numbers but prior to them having millions of PPV buys. A good boxing PPV is 300K buys. Chavez has NEVER headlines a major PPV (I'm not talking about that junk in the past against such top notch opponents as Matt Vanda either) and Martinez has never been on a PPV as a main event. Outside of hardcore boxing fans, who knows about this fight that you know of seriously? To get numbers past 500K, you have to appeal the casual fan. Also you have to consider this is right after the holiday (stateside) and schools starting. Trust me, people are going to pony up the coin they want for unknowns to reach that number. Let me offer some more real perspective. Trinidad vs. Hopkins did 475K Trinidad vs. Winky did 510 Trinidad has/had been on PPV for nearly 10 years before those fights despite his retirement. These names Mayweather, Trinidad, Dela Hoya, PacMan are the ONLY fighters in the last 5-10 years (I may be missing one but I doubt it) that can drive PPV sales past 500K without a dance partner. I'm speaking of stateside btw. I'm a huge fan of Sergio Martinez but there's a reason he fights in the MSG Garden Theatre and NOT the ARENA. 400K would be a success and at what they're charging AND a FREE fight on at the same time. PLEASE!!! But it's not like Top Rank hasn't been known to exaggerate before.

DO NOT EVER compare this PIECE OF EXCREMENT TO ROBERT "Manos de Piedra" DURAN again. There is zero similarity in this whatsoever you DIPSCHIT!! Duran's weight started to balloon in between fights documented when he was MORE than 10 years in his career. MIND YOU Duran had fought ALL comers and was already a hall of famer(he would later go on to fight 15 more years but thats another story). This PUNK is 26 years old, has barely fought a notable contender let alone compares in ANYWAY to Duran at that same age. Duran fought tougher opposition, higher frequency and was MUCH better skilled than this guy. GO TO HELL

Dude, relax it's the first week. I could name multple PPViews where the numbers didn't come out OFFICIALLY till the 2nd week. Also, you can look up these numbers (both HBO which is under time warner) and Showtimes under their quarterly and yearly earning statements. that may take too much effort as some here would prefer to stick with mis-information.

I cannot believe this guy got away with faking his out of a fight!!! EXACTLY and why is Hopkins screaming out Bute's name when Bute one doesn't fight Lt Heavy. Hopkins lost me as a fan and I've flown to see him fight. I look for consistency in individuals and from Robert Allen I, Roy Jones II, Joe Calazaghe fight and now this one. I see a TON of consistency alright. Btw, to all those that actually believe Hopkins, I'll pose a question for you. Why did he get up ready and willing to KICK Antwun Echols arse when he was dropped more ferociously there than when Chad did this where he didn't attempt to fight?? Explain that Hopkins defense counsel. Hopkins should only be looking to fight and settle it with Chad Dawson PERIOD!!!

Out of shape? Poor Defense? Please show me one fight up to this point where Chris has shown poor stamina and poor defense? . I forgot to add "FLAT FOOTED" predicable punch pattern. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jw89z4UEpkM Sticking your gloves up is probably the lowest form of defense there is especially if you're NOT countering back or rolling with the shots. He fights anyone that knows how to go to the body that SOFT, pudgy looking body that you're in denial about of his will NOT hold up. When this guy goes 10 rounds and finishes strong then talk to me about his stamina. Otherwise he's just a typical heavyweight, punch/shoot and hope you get'em out type of fighter