getting "ripped"
getting "ripped" like manny pacquiao is in fact at least 50% genetic but there are other factors as well:
DIET (Low in fat),
METABOLISM (what you eat and what your body turns it into),
AGE (direct correllation to metabolism),
EXERCISE and how your body responds to resistance (i.e. weight training),
i agree that a person's body can't stay that cut and defined all the time. the body has it's own agenda and training will help get it that way but eventually no amount of training wlll keep it that way. age and gravity affect of all.
oldwarrior
hatton/maussa
hatton all the way. inside fighting by hatton will take away wild swinging maussa's attack.
hatton whenever he thinks it's time to collect his bet.
oldwarrior
amir khan
thanks for the link to itv. that'll be one more boxing site to look at regularly.
khan looks like the real goods. hard to say much with an opponent like what was put in front of him but he definitely looks like an offensive fighting machine. didn't see him move his head much but he didn't have too. i'll keep an eye on him.
thanks again,
oldwarrior
mayweather/morales
every fighter has a bad night and every fighter has an opponent whose style gives a fighter trouble.
to my eye, morales didn't have what i call his "controlled fire and aggression". he simply didn't know what to do and his corner was no help in making adjustments during the fight.
i give morales his prompts, he realizes that he needs to make some adjustments in his fighting style. all great fighters come to that crossroad during their career.
look at barrera. arter his two losses to junior jones, barrera made adjustments to his style and it not only saved his career, but it made him a better fighter.
i'd also say that morales, either didn't prepare properly or may have looked past raheem. in any case, he didn't cry like a baby over the loss and for that i respect him.
he'll be back.
oldwarrior
teofilo stevenson
i remember seeing stevenson fight. if i remember correctly, he was a southpaw, about the same height and weight as ali and this was the big turn on about him. i think those who have responded to this query are in the ballpark: you can't fight the heavyweight champion of the world in your first fight. i think if he had taken 10-15 fights and learned the "pro" style, it would've been interesting to see how he would've done.
realistically, i think at least one or two of the fighters in that era (60s-70s) would have given stevenson trouble. Who? no one could say for sure.
i agree that stevenson was a "man amoung boys" in his era.
too bad we will never know.
as for felix savon: a lennox lewis wannabe and lennox owes everything to emanuel steward who fixed his footwork and developed him into a heavyweight version of tommy hearns. savon i think would have gone the same route of jorge luis gonzalez, the guy who riddock bowe made mincemeat out of in the pro ranks.
oldwarrior
raheem opponents
short on time but here goes. anyone with a straight ahead come forward style beats raheem. if they are stronger, this will make it easier. therefore i see the following:
corrales
jose luis castillo
both too strong
chavez
too many punches i don't think raheem can smother him effectively.
barrera
coming forward beats raheem. stronger than chavez so may stop him not with one punch but with effective body punching over the fight
pacquiao
too fast. enough said
juan diaz
raheem beats him with his style
freitas
has trouble with boxers. could be interesting
casamayor
not in his prime but could pose trouble unless raheem outworks him. could go either way
morales rematch
was this an aberation or did raheem expose morales? has morales peaked and now is on the other side of his prime? rematch against pacquiao will answer all these questions. perhaps, like barrera, he will make the subtle changes to his style and reinvent himself. i think this is very possible.
juan manuel marquez
too strong. effective counterpuncher. even at this point in his career, marquez is still hungry. this makes him double dangerous.
oldwarrior
worst referee
as an american who once lived in britain now back in the states.
NO DOUBT........mickey vann
and a blind as a bat judge too.
p.s. get rid of those skin tight, saturday night fever, high rise, faggot black polyester pants!!!!!!!!
oldwarrior
holmes and earnie shavers
i remember that fight too and that left hook was one hell of a punch. earnie either knocked you out or he himself got knocked out. even fighting into his fifties, he was the kind of fighter who young up and coming heavyweights wouldn't fight. he hit too damn hard!!!!!
i'm reminded of the fight with mohammad ali whom he called "the acorn". ali danced and moved and wouldn't trade with him.
holmes had a hell of chin. against tyson, (one of my favorite knockouts) holmes was old and obviously out of shape. against shavers, holmes get up and took care of business. i'd believe what ever holmes said about shavers.
oldwarrior
james toney
deat bozo no no,
there's way too many posts to read but i'll respond directly to yours. i completely agree with everything you said about james. i've had the chance of meeting james outside the ring. a true character to be sure but seriously, he is a walking boxing encyclopedia. he can hold his own with any boxing historian including bert sugar.
he has "swager" which most boxers can't ever say the word properly. when he retires, he's a shoe-in for the hall of fame but i hope that he will team with freddie roach and become a co-trainer of fighters. i think he'd he awesome!!!!!!!!
oldwarrior
heavyweight footspeed
ali patterned himself after his idol: sugar ray robinson. robinson was a terrific tap dancer and attributed his footspeed to hours of tap.
as for ali, no one had faster feet. maybe cassius clay (alter ego) because he was younger. look at clay's footspeed in the 1960 olympics fighting at light heavyweight and tell me you've even seen anyone with feet that fast at that weight let alone at heavyweight!!!!!!!
oldwarrior