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the junior welterwegiht division seems to be looking really good right now, yes the WW and SMW's seem to dominate the forums but imo the jr WW division is not far behind. hatton, pauli malignaggi, holt/torres and young tomothy bradley are all good fighters. but the arrival of zab judah has really shone the limelight on the division. imo all these fighters will be hungry to prove their worth - bradley, hatton and paulie are all arguably one good performance away from being in the top 10 p4p lists.
anyways here iv broken down each fighter in the divsion and tried to see which fighter will be the jr welteweight king in the next few years - up until 2010 at least:
RICKY HATTON: the undisputed champ but according to some on the slide, everyone knows about his lifestyle, eating/drinking habits and his style mean that he wont age well in boxing terms. ricky is one of my favourite fighters but he hasn't developed how id hoped since the kostya tszyu fight. in fact id say that his hit-and-hold style at the minute is probably one of the worst to watch.
imo his reign at the top of the jr WW division is not going to last long if he carries on how he did before the mayweather defeat. maybe the challenges that are coming in hattons way in the shape of these fighters are exactly what he needs, then theres the mayweather snr factor maybe he could get ricky to use his jab, throw in the odd feint, lateral movement and use his head to try and figure out what punch to throw. instead of going charging in head first at 100mph.
of course i could be wrong and the long term effects of all those donner kebabs and barcadi's could have already begun, and maybe he is too old now to change his ways - when he gets in trouble is he really going to remember what, mayweather told him or is he going to do what comes natural to him. but call me crazy i think the defeat is what ricky needed, and i think the sudden emergence of tough challenges in judah and bradley in particular could reignite the fire in ricky.
PAULIE MALIGNAGGI - a terrfific fighter and one who is probably one good performance away from being in the top 10 p4p. blindgly quick with hands and feet, a knack for showmanship, paulie also puts his punches together well and seems like someone who takes his training and preparation seriously. it shows i cant recall him at the end of fights looking gassed. but behind therazz matazz lies a real fighter he grinded out his last win and showed a tough chin and heart against cotto.
paulie is made of tougher stuff but his lack of snap and power could well mean that fighters just walk straight through him, whats more against the one elite fighter he has faced (cotto) he was well and truly outclassed. yes it was a long time ago but maybe he lacks the mentalilty on the big stage, maybe all that talk is just a smokescreen.
ZAB JUDAH: like paulie also very quick in fact id say even quicker but he has a big punch, in fact he has a huge punch for a jr WW. also his record shows that he has been in there with the best of them, hes not someone who lacks the big fight experience. on talent alone he is one of the best fighters weve seen over the last 10 20 years.
judah's weakness though is there for all to see, judah folds like a cheap suit when someone puts good constant pressure on him. his chin and courage are non existent and he lacks focus and seems to drift off in between fights, he starts sharp and strong but halfway through he gets lazy gets caught and from there on in...well we all know what happens.
but this is juahs last chance, and he knows it, if he loses to any of the fighters mentioned here his career as top bracket fighter is well and truly over. so who knows maybe he will find a way to recapture former glories.
or maybe iv missed something in bradley and hatton.
TIMOTHY BRADLEY: bradley is a fighter who i really like as well, an article i recently read said that he isn't quick but he'll beat you to the punch all night, he isn't thatr powerful but he has enough to keep you off him and respect him, he isn't the smartest but hes overcome different styles before, but its his toughness though and chin that really set him apart from good contender to possible champ.
at the minute we dont know a whole lot about this kid but his big fight experience isn't really there...yet. whats more it ould be interesting to see how he would do against other fighters who are quicker (zab, paulie or stronger (ricky).
so vote in the poll - who will be the best jr welterweight from now till 2010.
if iv missed anyone out feel free to stick them in and explain.
________
******
anyways here iv broken down each fighter in the divsion and tried to see which fighter will be the jr welteweight king in the next few years - up until 2010 at least:
RICKY HATTON: the undisputed champ but according to some on the slide, everyone knows about his lifestyle, eating/drinking habits and his style mean that he wont age well in boxing terms. ricky is one of my favourite fighters but he hasn't developed how id hoped since the kostya tszyu fight. in fact id say that his hit-and-hold style at the minute is probably one of the worst to watch.
imo his reign at the top of the jr WW division is not going to last long if he carries on how he did before the mayweather defeat. maybe the challenges that are coming in hattons way in the shape of these fighters are exactly what he needs, then theres the mayweather snr factor maybe he could get ricky to use his jab, throw in the odd feint, lateral movement and use his head to try and figure out what punch to throw. instead of going charging in head first at 100mph.
of course i could be wrong and the long term effects of all those donner kebabs and barcadi's could have already begun, and maybe he is too old now to change his ways - when he gets in trouble is he really going to remember what, mayweather told him or is he going to do what comes natural to him. but call me crazy i think the defeat is what ricky needed, and i think the sudden emergence of tough challenges in judah and bradley in particular could reignite the fire in ricky.
PAULIE MALIGNAGGI - a terrfific fighter and one who is probably one good performance away from being in the top 10 p4p. blindgly quick with hands and feet, a knack for showmanship, paulie also puts his punches together well and seems like someone who takes his training and preparation seriously. it shows i cant recall him at the end of fights looking gassed. but behind therazz matazz lies a real fighter he grinded out his last win and showed a tough chin and heart against cotto.
paulie is made of tougher stuff but his lack of snap and power could well mean that fighters just walk straight through him, whats more against the one elite fighter he has faced (cotto) he was well and truly outclassed. yes it was a long time ago but maybe he lacks the mentalilty on the big stage, maybe all that talk is just a smokescreen.
ZAB JUDAH: like paulie also very quick in fact id say even quicker but he has a big punch, in fact he has a huge punch for a jr WW. also his record shows that he has been in there with the best of them, hes not someone who lacks the big fight experience. on talent alone he is one of the best fighters weve seen over the last 10 20 years.
judah's weakness though is there for all to see, judah folds like a cheap suit when someone puts good constant pressure on him. his chin and courage are non existent and he lacks focus and seems to drift off in between fights, he starts sharp and strong but halfway through he gets lazy gets caught and from there on in...well we all know what happens.
but this is juahs last chance, and he knows it, if he loses to any of the fighters mentioned here his career as top bracket fighter is well and truly over. so who knows maybe he will find a way to recapture former glories.
or maybe iv missed something in bradley and hatton.
TIMOTHY BRADLEY: bradley is a fighter who i really like as well, an article i recently read said that he isn't quick but he'll beat you to the punch all night, he isn't thatr powerful but he has enough to keep you off him and respect him, he isn't the smartest but hes overcome different styles before, but its his toughness though and chin that really set him apart from good contender to possible champ.
at the minute we dont know a whole lot about this kid but his big fight experience isn't really there...yet. whats more it ould be interesting to see how he would do against other fighters who are quicker (zab, paulie or stronger (ricky).
so vote in the poll - who will be the best jr welterweight from now till 2010.
if iv missed anyone out feel free to stick them in and explain.
________
******
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