Good Sergio Martinez fight last night

[Anthony342]

Good Sergio Martinez fight last night, what did you guys think? I thought the first half was a little slow, but then Sergio was able to time Macklin and figure out how to counter and got to him with those left crosses. Great ending, with the knockdowns at the end of the 11th round. And also, what fights are you guys looking forward to? For me, it's the Kirkland fight and the Danny Garcia vs. Erik Morales fights on HBO next week, along with Mayweather/Cotto, Pacquiao/Bradley and Hopkins/Dawson 2. Kirkland and Garcia usually come to fight though, so their fights should be good ones next weekend.

Also, who do you guys consider the real best fighters and champions in each weight class? These days, it's pretty much whoever has the Ring Magazine or Lineal championship in a weight class right? Guys like Wladamir Klitschko, Sergio Martinez and Juan Manuel Marquez, for instance, Andre Ward, Bernard Hopkins, guys like that. Do you agree?

And I guess if the Ring belt is vacant, I'd say go with the guy with the majority of the major belts or the one that's been in the weight class the longest and has the most wins at that class against the most major contenders? The only one I'm unsure of right now is Super Welterweight, who would be considered the best there? Saul Alvarez?

[The Surgeon]

Anthony there is a thread called History Today for talking about current fighters/fights ect. Just FYI.

I wasnt overly impressed with Sergio, Macklin is an average fighter. Kell Brook looked excellent though, i still have some questions that werent answered but he is CLEARLY world class, id like him to face Berto or Ortiz next, possibly the loser should that fight go ahead as planned.

[wmute]

Anthony there is a thread called History Today for talking about current fighters/fights ect. Just FYI.

I wasnt overly impressed with Sergio, Macklin is an average fighter. Kell Brook looked excellent though, i still have some questions that werent answered but he is CLEARLY world class, id like him to face Berto or Ortiz next, possibly the loser should that fight go ahead as planned.

oh I didnt know about the history today thing. I mean I had always seen it, but I thought it wasa a trivia thing like today march 17 50 years ago so and so defended his title bla bla.

As for Martinez, I think he showed the mindset of a champion. But I think he is slipping.

In general, while I think in this day and age he is a p4p fighter, I am not sure he would have been p4p material 20-25 years ago.

[Barn]

oh I didnt know about the history today thing. I mean I had always seen it, but I thought it wasa a trivia thing like today march 17 50 years ago so and so defended his title bla bla.

As for Martinez, I think he showed the mindset of a champion. But I think he is slipping.

In general, while I think in this day and age he is a p4p fighter, I am not sure he would have been p4p material 20-25 years ago.

He is a good middleweight champion, not great though. I'll wait and see how the rest of his career goes but I don't think he would match-up with the greats from yesteryear.

[Barn]

Anthony there is a thread called History Today for talking about current fighters/fights ect. Just FYI.

I wasnt overly impressed with Sergio, Macklin is an average fighter. Kell Brook looked excellent though, i still have some questions that werent answered but he is CLEARLY world class, id like him to face Berto or Ortiz next, possibly the loser should that fight go ahead as planned.

Kell Brook needs to learn to work the body.

I reckon the man to beat Kell Brook is someone who can move, is quick and has a good right hand to throw over Brook's often slow jab.

Marquez vs Brook at 147 perhaps.

[wmute]

He is a good middleweight champion, not great though. I'll wait and see how the rest of his career goes but I don't think he would match-up with the greats from yesteryear.

I pretty much agree with that statement.

As a middleweight, he is
better than Pavlik and Taylor.
on the level of Benn
a bit worse than Eubank.
considerably worse than Toney, Hopkins, and Jones.

This is to stay within the last 20 years. Problem is, he is a bit smaller than all of these guys I mentioned, so p4p he moves up, to Eubank's level (always IMO).

I would be surprised if he ages gracefully, low hands, counterpunching, fast hands, small for the division.

That beings said, I liked the attitude he showed yesterday. He is serious about being a champ. Many of these "hollywood smile" fighters (Leonard, Mayweather, Martinez, etc) actually have a deep bag of heart to dig in.

[wmute]

How do you guys see McCallum-Martinez would play out?

[Ray Corso]

He had alot of difficulty timing a club fighter who was very predictable. He was unwilling to begin hard work in the 2nd round to be able to end the bout by the 5th or 6th round. The fight was close after 10 and its hard to believe that a MiddleWeight Champion couldn't stop a tough kid who had no balance and no attack other than scoring with punchs that were thrown in defense most of the time.
Can you imagine that fellow fighting someone like LaMatta!!!! Jake would be laughing at him while he chased him around the ring. Tell me that guy wouldn't run from Hagler? If he put his hands up and threw in combination I think theres talent there but to watch a guy box the way he did last night is close to a disgrace. He could never sell a ticket in an exclusive "live show" no one would pay to see that. Ali he ain't! Ray

[Barn]

He had alot of difficulty timing a club fighter who was very predictable. He was unwilling to begin hard work in the 2nd round to be able to end the bout by the 5th or 6th round. The fight was close after 10 and its hard to believe that a MiddleWeight Champion couldn't stop a tough kid who had no balance and no attack other than scoring with punchs that were thrown in defense most of the time.
Can you imagine that fellow fighting someone like LaMatta!!!! Jake would be laughing at him while he chased him around the ring. Tell me that guy wouldn't run from Hagler? If he put his hands up and threw in combination I think theres talent there but to watch a guy box the way he did last night is close to a disgrace. He could never sell a ticket in an exclusive "live show" no one would pay to see that. Ali he ain't! Ray

Hagler would end him.

[The Surgeon]

oh I didnt know about the history today thing. I mean I had always seen it, but I thought it wasa a trivia thing like today march 17 50 years ago so and so defended his title bla bla.

As for Martinez, I think he showed the mindset of a champion. But I think he is slipping.

In general, while I think in this day and age he is a p4p fighter, I am not sure he would have been p4p material 20-25 years ago.

You should check it out, all things current get discussed its a good thread. I love talking about current boxing but NSB is well...NSB! U can discuss upcoming bouts and the like with people who actually know what they are talking about in that thread!

Despite a less the perfect display for the 2nd fight in a row i still rate him around the higher end p4p - TODAY as u say. Historically i cant see him even being competitive with the Haglers and while id rate him over the Taylors and Pavliks i think Kelly gave him some trouble at a time when Pavlik was far from operating at his limited best so an on form confident and strong at the weight Pavlik MIGHT even be better than Serg...

I do like Martinez though, Very fast and a sharp puncher too. He is a boat load tougher than one would expect and he has a good engine to complement his champion's mind set, guys a winner.

EDIT: I think The Body Snatcher would be too much for Martinez. He is a true technician and would not be letting SM get away with that low gaurd unpunished.