Really? Jake Paul is saying he's going to pick Joshua apart? Usyk only won their second fight by split decision. Paul is delusional, IMO. If he wins it's the biggest fix in history. Well, that would get him in the record books. He has never beaten a boxer that was remotely close to being a ranked fighter, but, then, how many boxers has he fought? How many boxers close to their prime has he fought? ONE! AND HE LOST TO HIM. WHAT IN HELL IS HE DOING FIGHTING A 2-TIME WORLD CHAMPION WHO IS STILL VIABLE, IF NOT ON TOP OF HIS GAME??? THIS COULD END BADLY. i THINK AJ KNOWS IT AND WILL JUST THROW JABS AT THE HEAD, AND UNLOAD THE HEAVY STUFF DOWNSTAIRS. IF THIS FIGHT IS ON THE UP & UP JAKE PAUL IS DONE, WELL-DONE! AND HE'LL HAVE REALLY SORE RIBS AND BE PISSING BLOOD INTO THE NEW YEAR.
Monster took his heart, IMO. Also, when a fighter is widely recognized for not having any punching power, going up in weight is not a good idea, unless that fighter has very special boxing abilities. And Fulton is nowhere near as good as he was made out to be.
It's pretty hard to read some of this biased BS by GGG haters asking what he did to make the HOF. Ignoramuses who can't appreciate that he fought his entire prime being ducked by the big money makers and their promoters, until finally after going undefeated and KO'ing nearly everyone put in front of him Canelo finally challenged him after he had turned 35 years old, and then worked his ass off in the ring to AVOID fighting GGG, actually losing the fight and being gifted a draw. Then Canelo resorted to "eating Mexican meat" and failing a drug test thereby delaying the rematch which was a toss-up at best, and being gifted GGG's title and was instantly elevated to being recognized as the "P4P" fighter and getting obscenely large purses for whoever he fought from that point on. Why wasn't GGG given this type of recognition over the previous decade while Canelo and the rest of the prima donas ignored and avoided him??? GGG deserved a lot better, and he deserves a lot better now, that to be belittled and disrespected by a bunch of armchair idiots who lack the judgement to appreciate greatness when it's flattening people right in front of them, and then, at age 35, chases their hero all over the ring and is denied that well-earned victory. Then they proceed to lick "Nelo's" boots like he's a deity or something. Some of you people are in "Oz."
Pryor by KO
Floyd would have to stop running and stand down on his punches to try to survive the onslaught, and that would be his demise. Arguello, with the best right hand short of Tommy Hearns and a left hook in the Roberto Duran category couldn't keep Pryor at bay and I don't think Floyd has the guts to take the punishment he'd have to take to beat a buzz saw like Aaron Pryor. No Way!
After only boxing for 2 and a half years, to reach that level is extremely unusual, if not unprecedented. Deontay's size and natural quickness and athleticism surely helped, but there are a whole lot of people in this world with those same attributes who fail miserably long before they come close to even making the Olympic team. It tells me that he is a quick study with a lot of desire. Anyone who writes him off, with his well-established record of success, after this bump in the road is making a mistake. I've always been impressed by his head movement but I thought it seemed to be missing in this fight. I really think Fury, fighting in a way that he's never fought before surprised him. I know it surprised me, even though he said he was going to do it. I really thought he was just skinning his wind. I know Deontay doesn't agree, but as much as I wanted Deontay to win, I was glad Mark B. stopped the fight before permanent damage was done. Now he can come back to 100%, make adjustments and continue to take care of his family.
Maybe on the slide but I have yet to see him lose. I think he won both canelo fights. Canelo was showier and flashier and had the hometown crowd reacting to every punch even if GGG blocked it. It looks more impressive to slip than block. That's just the way it is. Also, GGG doesn't get enough credit for his jab because like Foreman, like Hagler, his jab is a "power punch."
Sit down and watch the 5 best fights of each of them. Which fighter had the most exciting fights? Which fought the whole time? Which did the jab 'n grab, survival tactic and holding the most? Most boring fights? Selective about opponents? A fighter should fight, a runner should run. If you are looking for the traditional hit, and not be hit type of fighter, look at the young Ali or even watch the Mykall Fox fight against Maestre of a couple of weeks ago and enjoy truly elusive fighters using their quickness, slip and counter without tying up, holding and wrestling to survive. These 2 guys were so slick that their opponents would have been excused for quitting out of pure frustration.
Be careful what you ask for. Accusing Inoue of ducking??? If you want to make him mad, give his father a shove, Of all the fighters you could accuse of ducking, he should be the last. He hasn't fought too many mandatories...BECAUSE HE'S FOUGHT ALL THE CHAMPIONS!!!
Don't Think Fury is in Any Hurry to Dance With Deontay
Do you blame him. He only outlanded Wilder 84-71. That doesn't say to me that Deontay doesn't know how to box. He certainly has unorthodox methods, but you can't argue with success. Would you rather have Fury hit you 84 times or Wilder hit you 71 times? Hate to say it but I can see something happening to make Fury pull out of this fight; a cut or injury during sparring? If Wilder goes heavy to the body, I don't see Fury lasting the distance. Also, Wilder's been fighting better fighters and his timing has, no doubt improved. He's been learning. People don't seem to fare well in rematches with him.
Wilder will do what Wilder wants to do. Usually power is the last thing to go. Inactivity compromises timing and makes it harder to land punches. Quickness suffers with age, IMO, as does balance. But remember George Foreman. The difference with Foreman though, is that he had a much deeper amateur background and a devastating jab. Deontay should really bear down on developing a hard, quick jab, to help him better control distance. If he can do that and train diligently he can still be a major force in the division. He knows better than anyone why he looked SO bad last week, and he must decide if he's still got the determination to dedicate himself to being the best he can possibly be. If he can't bear down and do this, he must decide to quit, for his own good, and go where his interests take him. Money should Not factor into this decision, IMO. Another option would be to talk to Foreman. I think George offered to help him once before, but for whatever reason Deontay didn't take his offer. It might be a good idea to revisit that offer.
GGG sure didn't have the benefit of the doubt. I think the money fighter always has the benefit of the doubt, it's just that it's usually the champ that is the money fighter. Not with canelo, at least in Vegas. Not with Hagler against Leonard.
Deontay failed to mention that not only has he been fighting men 10-20% heavier than he is, he has been FLATTENING EVERY ONE OF THEM, and only one has gotten back up. Deontay has a point. Name another HW who has EVER done this. Go ahead, name one. Tank would have to KO 40 fighters from welter to middle to equal what Wilder has done. Numbers don't lie.
Look for Usyk to try to keep Fury turning, moving in and out at angles and go to the body, heavy, and Fury to hold, lean, shove, punch to the ears in the clinch and uppercut. Fury would be foolish to go southpaw against Usyk but he might be arrogant enough to try it. The ref will play a huge role struggling to keep Fury clean, but will he be forceful, will he penalize Fury as he should, early, to keep control of the fight? Can Usyk get Fury's respect? He has to hurt Fury's body, and again, the ref must NOT let Fury pull his trunks up to his armpits. In a fair fight I believe Usyk can win. If Fury is allowed to "expand" the advantages he already has, Fury may be too much for him.
Not quite Duran/Leonard
Physical dimension-wise the matchup is similar to Duran/Leonard, but age and style make it different. Duran hit like a mule, even as a welterweight and his slipping and countering negated a lot of Leonards reach advantage. Pac has different strengths, even at 40, it seems, as he may still be quicker and his resume is far superior. I won't say Pac can't win because of what I watched Duran do to Leonard, Moore, Hagler, and Barkley but Pac is at the age where many fighters lose the ability to pull the trigger. The timing can go suddenly, even during a fight. I'll watch and hope both fight well and escape serious injury. Kinda still rooting for Pac, even though I think Spence is a class act.
I always like reading what Nonito has to say. He's extremely knowledgeable and clearly explains his reasons for the opinions he holds. In other words, he's not just a bullshitter skinning his wind on here, like so many. He's been on top and in the front line of this business for a long time, and he's still there. He speaks from personal experience, and doesn't just regurgitate things he's heard or read, from someone else doing the same thing. He would make a great trainer when he retires, IMO.
Garcia is definitely no Duran
As a career-long Roberto Duran fan, I initially was in Garcia's corner but the arrogance Spence speaks of came through loud and clear to me also and I began to go for Spence. His humility and ability drew me in. Humility seems such a rare commodity in the world today. Humility is an asset in the learning arena. Basically, if in your own mind you already know everything, your drive to learn more is hampered. You can pick up useful things from almost anyone, even if, on the whole, they are not on your level. I'll bet even in domination Spence learned from Garcia in that fight. And I'll bet he's got the humility to admit it if asked.
I don't like to say it but I'm afraid Butler is just a formality. "Monster" is just awesome in every category and is #1 P4P and has been for a while, IMO. I don't remember seeing a fighter as complete as him and I've been a boxing fan since Ali/Frazier I. I would be very shocked to see Inoue lose, hell, I'd be very shocked to see him not cream Butler early. Sorry, but that's just the way I see it.
Who in hell is this clown???
Joe Frazier an "average" heavyweight??? I think Ali might dispute this pile of crap. He had the power, speed and timing to knock Ali down in the 15th round of a heavyweight fight fought at a pace unheard of in latter day fights at any weight. How many of the murderers row of heavyweight punchers that Ali vanquished actually knocked him down? Half of the fighters rated above him never saw the 15th round. What a foolish assertion!
Kaboom!
If Wilder goes to the body with a vengeance, Fury won't finish. He gave a great account of himself last time but history tells us Wilder is devastating in rematches. He is basically a boxer who is still learning, but with a long strike range and great natural quickness. He is also a quick study and with 12 rounds with Fury and 18 with Ortiz he's had good teachers. And then.....there's the explosive impact of his punch, which doesn't seem to fall off in later rounds like a lot of the big punchers of the past. His conditioning is extraordinary. He has also added some new punches and punching angles. It's hard to fight perfectly for a whole fight, as Fury found out last time. Ortiz found out too. It only takes one.
Bivol sounds like he's just going to keep AB turning and it doesn't matter whether it's in a big ring or small. But it won't allow for much separation. AB is devastating at close quarters and Bivol knows this so he must have an idea what he's going to do. I can't see how a larger ring wouldn't help him and make AB work harder, less clinches, less chance for one to get cut. Any way you look at it I see a great fight. Can't wait. Like both so I won't pick. These guys are like the old time fighters, just don't run their mouths and take care of business in the ring. Respect to both.
Duran was able to get in on SRL in fight 1, but Duran was MUCH faster afoot than Canelo. Canelo is slow on his feet. That's the fly in the ointment. Bivol could circle and change directions much quicker than Canelo could advance, turn and set to punch, and it wasn't close. Also Canelo is credited with being a much bigger puncher than he is. He couldn't even knock a past prime GGG off balance in 3 fights. Jacobs also went the distance with him unscathed, and those fights were at a lower weight class. He couldn't have handled the 37 year old Roberto Duran that beat Barkley, or Barkley himself. We won't even mention Hagler or Hearns. Maybe he could've gotten in, if Hearns let him, but would he have come back out? I don't see how. Maybe horizontally.
I'm always amazed by the condescension shown by self-important people who've been "blessed" with the arrogance/ignorance gene. I just find entertainment in some folk's willingness to totally expose their foolhardiness, without having the slightest clue that they're doing so. If Monster isn't an elite boxer, I'd be entertained(again) to hear who in hell is?
Goodnight
Canelo will wish he'd brought his pillow and pajamas before this is over, and it will be shorter than Mayweather/McGregor. You can't stop a tank with a pea-shooter. In and out combos might work sporadically but it will take perfection and luck, and I don't see it. Sorry...
A whole lot of stuff is being thrown around on here but nothing is being said about how slap happy non-puncher Fury suddenly, after many years, many fights, nearly all boring, suddenly became a puncher. A fighter never needed a KO more than Fury did in the fight with Otto Wallin just prior to Wilder II and "super boxer" Fury couldn't even wobble Otto. That fight actually should have been stopped with the cut being that bad. I don't know when I've seen a fight allowed to continue with a cut as bad as Fury had and he couldn't land sh!t on Otto, so please don't go on about him being a n all time great boxer. He looks like a stork trying to imitate a hummingbird. He is a very boring fighter who surprised Wilder with a style he had never used before coupled with a ref who allowed him to get away with pushing, wrestling , holding and open-handed strikes to the side and even the back of the head, including slaps to the ear. I've heard he was so much better in Wilder II because he hadn't yet reached peak form at the time of the first fight,...but where was that peak form when he so desperately needed a KO in the fight just prior to Wilder II. I want to see a fair fight and let the best man win.
So...GGG is his archrival? Why did he wait around for all these years to fight him again. I still don't think he won either fight. He had his home crowd and his home judges for both fights and both were controversial finishes. He should never have been given GGG's title on either of those performances, especially with his advantages. Sure, he did a few cute dance steps and a few showy moves that made the crowd roar, but the fights, he didn't win either. Now, all of a sudden when GGG is over the 40 mark he wants to fight him again. And, quite coincidentally I'm sure, he gets dinged for doping between fights 1 + 2. Darn Mexican meat! Hasn't he been eating Mexican meat all his life? Goes to show that any skids can be greased with enough dollars at "steak." I'd absolutely love it if GGG, at 40, starched Canelope's socks for him.