Alex Arthur

[hitterwitter]

What do you think about this, another big domestic fight. I think Arthur will have to much power for Docherty and will win by ko in the middle rounds.

What do you people think of Arthur's new defensive style, since the loss to Gomez and the change in trainers he doesn't seem to let the punches go when opponents are in trouble, i know before he left him self way to open and took a lot of shots and always had his chin up, but he has gone totally the other way more worried about his defence.

It's ok changing his style so he doesn't get hit, but there has got to be a Compromise all the good things he did before the Gomez fight he doesn't do.

The fight against Ruiz was a perfect example he had him hurt on a number of occasions and instead of following it up with big shots he backed off and let ruiz back in the fight, the old Arthur would have knocked Ruiz out.

Can Arthur make it on the world level ?

[barryboy]

Yep agree with you there, Arthur will probably win by tko in about 8 rounds with Docherty having a cut up face, I don't think Craig has the firepower to hurt Arthur & he cuts so easily I think it's a certainty that blood will flow. Hopefully it's the other way round though cos every time I hear Arthur speak I cringe, sorry to say but the guys an arse & I hope Craig does a number on him
I thought Arthur looked o.k. against Odumase, it was obvious his defence had improved & he took the guy out no problem but the thing with Ruiz is he was just so defensive it was hard for Arthur because in the early rounds the guy would attack really hard then go on the run but in the later rounds the guy was just moving & covering up so I don't think that was the best opponent to look good against.
As for world level he's in a hell of a division so that would be a big ask, we'll see how he goes on Friday first (Fingers crossed he gets done lads!)

[barryboy]

Here's a report from today's Daily Record.

IT'S RICHEST FIGHT IN SCOTTISH HISTORY BUT I'D GIVE UP MY CASH FOR WIN OVER ARTHUR SAYS CRAIG DOCHERTY

THE BIG SHOWDOWN

By Hugh Keevins

CRAIG DOCHERTY admits he'll be a glory hunter when he fights Alex Arthur for the British super featherweight title on Friday. But only in the interests of satisfying his curiosity.

The richest domestic contest in the history of Scottish boxing carries a championship and the prospect of a shot at the European title as added incentives.

Glaswegian Docherty, the Commonwealth champion, who takes on Arthur in his Edinburgh home town, said: 'This was the fight that had to happen.

'I've fought for bigger titles but I've never had a bigger fight.

'It's not about money and it's not about titles. It's about glory.

'I would give my share of the purse back if I won this fight. That's how much it means to me.

'I don't want to end up an old man saying to myself, 'I wonder if I could have taken Arthur?' 'Deep down I knew we were destined to face each other one day and now we'll discover who's best.'

Arthur's management won a second purse bid to stage the fight in the capital and give the former British champ home advantage as he seeks to regain the crown.

Since then, Arthur has been turning up the heat, starting with the boast he would run naked along Princes Street if Docherty beat him.

Then there were suggestions that Docherty had left previous trainer John McDermott because he was less than committed to the hard work required to remain at the highest level.

Docherty, now back with former trainer Kris McAdam, lifts his sweatshirt to show a perfectly honed body and asks: 'What would he know about my level of commitment?

'I left John because I felt stale and wanted to try something new. Talk is cheap before a fight but nothing can help you when you're in the ring.

'We'll just have to wait and see if Alex can justify what he's been saying when we get it on. I've never been decked in my professional career.

'People can throw bombs at me and I'll just keep on coming at them. If Alex thinks I'm the underdog going into this fight,that's fine by me. Everything he says is water off a duck's back.'

McAdam says Docherty is a changed man since they last worked together.

He said: 'Craig used to question everything you asked him to do but now he volunteers for work.

'He's done 100 rounds of sparring against some of the best fighters in Britain and is getting stronger all the time.'

Tommy Gilmour, Docherty's manager, insisted the split between McDermott and the boxer was amicable. He said: 'I can guarantee Craig went back to Kris a better fighter than he was before he joined John - and that's the ultimate compliment I can pay him.

'Kris now has even better raw materials to work with and I know Craig has done the work necessary for this fight.'

The Docherty camp are now concentrating on making sure there are no hiccups in their man's final preparations.

That includes booking him into an Edinburgh hotel on Thursday night after the weigh-in.

Gilmour said: 'I would rather Craig was resting at a hotel than stiffening up in a car stuck in traffic on the M8.'

[Ark]

I totally agree

[gulch]

Arthur's definitely more cautious since his loss to Gomez and with it he's lost a lot of his appeal.
When he was in full flight letting punches flow he was a joy to watch.
Okay he was quite open to counters but surely a bit of tightening up instead of a complete change was all that was needed.