Fight One: Oosthuizen v Stevenson.
Smart money would have to be on Oosthuizen. No ways Stevenson can win this on points, Oos has the better work rate and superior boxing skills. Adonis can crack however and if he lands early he can floor anybody. I don't think Thomas has ever been dropped though so it would be a big ask.
Fight Two: Periban v George.
I have only ever seen highlights of Periban's fights, so can't really comment on this bout. The little bit I have seen has impressed me though and I'm inclined to think he beats George who despite being a decent fighter is on a level below the others here IMO.
Fight Three: Groves v Dirrell
This is probably the toughest one to call. Both very skilled guys. I would lean towards Groves simply because Dirrell has been so inactive. Then again Dirrell is such an athletic and capable fighter that you get the feeling he could easily overcome any ring rust with a few hard sparring sessions.
Fight Four: DeGale v Rodriguez.
I'd pick Rodriguez here. Edwin has looked solid against his last few opponents and is a pretty good all-round fighter. To me DeGale has been much less impressive when facing high quality opposition.
Wow. Thanks for the heads up.
This could possibly be one of the worst 'come-back' fights I've ever seen a guy
take. I mean - kinda props to Clev, but he just lost to a huge puncher (albeit an extremely talented one) and decides to go up 25lbs in the hope that he'll beat another?
Agreed, I like Cleverly and still think he has something to offer the sport, but why match him against a very similar fighter to the guy who just destroyed him. Makabu is possibly just as talented as Kovalev, hits just as hard and is 25 pounds heavier. Just makes no sense?? He will make a big statement if he pulls it off, but I just don't see it happening. Another KO loss will be very detrimental to his career.
I agree on Lomachenko, will be very surprised if he does not develop into a future superstar with such an outstanding start to his career.
Another really exciting prospect IMO is Zambian Cruiserweight Ilunga Makabu. He has the right mix of skill power and attitude that usually make great fighters.
Ward is so far ahead of anyone else at 168 right now that there just does not seem to be any worthwile fights for him there anymore.
If Chavez jr can get past Martinez and then move up, that would certainly generate some interest. (Cant see Martinez doing the same being a small middleweight as is)
Otherwise perhaps if Rodriguez, Groves, Oosthuzen and Dirrel were to to get a few wins against each other, or other highly ranked smw opposition, we could see a decent challenger emerging.
Also a fight with Pavlik might fill a few seats.
I'm not sure there would be that much inerest in rematching guys he has already dominated. Of course if Bute somehow upsets Froch in their rematch then Ward/Bute makes sense.
Ward's best bet right now is probably to move up to LHW and go after more title's.
Apparently SMW Thomas Oosthuizen's camp tried hard to get a fight at LHW with Cleverly but were turned down, this according to his promoter Rodney Berman.
I think the main reason Froch got booed is because he is a narcissistic self righteous twat. there is not one ounce of humility in his body. I have seen interviews where he refers to himself as a living legend.
You could tell that he was reluctant to give Groves any credit at all for his performance.
It is a pity because Carl has some qualities that could potentially make him a very likeable fighter. His willingness to fight anyone, superb conditioning, great punch resistance and ability to dig are usually traits of a peoples champ.
He definately did not do himself any favours on the weekend.
Groves on the other hand went way up in my reckoning. Both as a fighter and as a person. I hope he gets his rematch.
Well I think Froch is certainly a viable rematch after he took out who was at the time considered on par with Andre Ward. So I think that rematch has meaning. Froch created that meaning.
I would love to see a Chavez Jr fight after Jr. beats Martinez (hopefully my wife does not ever read that sentence).
Outside of those two, I would see no problem with him staying at 168 and creating an ever-lasting legacy. You don't have to jump from division to division to be among the greatest.
It depends on whether you feel that Froch was way better against Bute then he was against Ward, or if Bute was just not as good as everyone thought.
Frankly I think the latter is probably more likely.
No question Froch is world class and he came into the Bute fight in superb shape and hungry, but you could say the same thing about any of his last 8 fights at least. Froch just looked way better against weaker opposition who allowed him to get his shots off.
Having said that though, I guess there will definately be some interest from the Ward camp for the IBF strap. Would be nice if Froch can step up a notch and be more competetive if a rematch does materialise.
Yeah the power is definitely an issue for him along with a very average defence. That said though, he is pretty tough, has a solid chin and throws a lot of punches for such a big lad. I'd say that he will be very difficult to outpoint by any smw other then Ward right now.