Larry Merchant : "168(SMW) is a safe haven division in boxing"

[nmuburner22]

He said that I believe in the Manfedo vs. Calzaghe fight.

Something along the lines of Its a safe haven because its away from the big boys at 175...like Hops..Tarver...Woods..Johnson...Dawson etc...and away from the big boys at 160.... Taylor....Pavlik...Winky..Abraham...Duddy...Mirand a( at the time).

I think hes right.

The SMW has only been around since 1984..its a baby when the history of boxing is concerned...but now when the division contains One good fighter theres a problem.

Its Calzaghe and everybody else.

Almost every other division has an argument about whos the man.....


147...some say Floyd...some say Cotto

160..some say Abraham...some say Pavs

130..some say Guzman..some say Pac

etc.

When there is only ONE semi-elite fighter in the division then that fighter should move up....POINT BLANK.

The best fighters and elite fighters move up and win championships they dont sit in a **** division fighting bums for 15 years.

Roy Jones moved up all the way to Heavyweight for Christ sake.

Floyd moved up as high as 154.

Oscar moved up.

Hatton moved up and challenged himself against the best fighter in the world.

Tito moved up.

Hopkins moved up.

I can go on and on.

[Mozza]

Kessler is a good fighter. Several of the guys you have mentioned - Hopkins, Jones, Wright - have moved up and not went looking for a fight with Calzaghe.

[2501]

you will go to whatever lengths just to hate on calzaghe and anyone who isnt williams or mayweather. this is almost spamming.

[Shanus]

Hopkins moved up after how many years of NO competition whatsoever from 160lbers?

Yeah.

[nmuburner22]

Kessler is a good fighter. Several of the guys you have mentioned - Hopkins, Jones, Wright - have moved up and not went looking for a fight with Calzaghe.

They didint want to fight him in his backyard..there was a stigma that you wouldve gotten screwed by the refs....which isnt true but still that stigma existed.

[nmuburner22]

Hopkins moved up after how many years of NO competition whatsoever from 160lbers?

Yeah.

When he did move up he faced the best LHW in the world...point blank.

[nmuburner22]

you will go to whatever lengths just to hate on calzaghe and anyone who isnt williams or mayweather. this is almost spamming.

Wanna bottle???

LARRY MERCHANT SAID THIS NOT ME!!!!!!!!!!!

LEARN TO READ.

ITS A SIMPLE QUESTION DO YOU AGREE WITH HIM OR NOT..IF YOU DONT THEN SAY WHY HES WRONG AND VICE VERSA.

STOP FLAMING MY THREAD.

[Shanus]

When he did move up he faced the best LHW in the world...point blank.

All be it an overrated, weight drained LHW champion who has looked like complete **** ever since.

[nmuburner22]

All be it an overrated, weight drained LHW champion who has looked like complete **** ever since.

lol...That was very suprising Tarver talked so much **** leading up to that fight.

[Orange Sneakers]

Chris Eubank told Calzaghe 'You don't have to go anywhere. You're the world champ, they should come to you.'

And Eubank told Roy Jones that Calzaghe would be 'career suicide'.

Anyway, Calzaghe has been talking about light-heavyweight since before he even turned pro. He only starved himself to make super-middle because that's where all the money was and all the names were - Benn, Eubank, Collins, Roy Jones... and all the great fights - Benn-McClellan, Eubank-Collins, Littles-Liles... and all his rivals - Francis, Reid, Woodhall...

He said after the fight with Byron Mitchell that he'd be moving up light-heavy, but Frank Warren kept talking him out of it, until finally Warren got him a fight with Glen Johnson in 2004 and Calzaghe pulled out late (and again in 2006!)...