Comments Thread For: Junior middle is getting its act together, and not a moment too soon

[BlackRobb]

How many times have we heard this?

[Indamerd]

It seems to me that a lot of what occurs outside the ring is posturing and histrionics to drive up interest in bouts and thus returns. Professional sports are drowning in bs.

[SteveM]

Gotta disagree with you here, SteveM. IMO, Thurman would have beaten ALL of those guys. AND he's gonna beat Fundora. No sarcasm here. I'm straight up serious.

Hmmm. Interesting. I liked Thurman as a WW when he was on his run. And if, somehow, I had a chance to hang out with a boxer for a day and just goof around, Keith would be high on my list.
But, his power was absent once he moved up to top tier opponents. So at 154? I'm sure that quite a few will pick Thurman to win when he fights Fundora but this is 37 year old inactive Keith. Fundora will find him and likely stop him.
As for prime Keith I know he could have outboxed Tszyu - but I doubt he could have taken the incoming - we all know he doesn't take body punches well. Lubin was a good boxer/puncher before he was ruined so I think he would have out-toughed Keith. Lubin also had (not now) a tough chin.
Anyway - we fight the fights to get clarity - have yourself a great day.

[SteveM]

I didn't include Canelo because he left the division (move to Middleweight) a couple of years before things got really good in the division, with all the guys I mentioned. There was a little crossover, of course (Trout/Lara) as you mentioned.

Hmm - fighting at 155 was his way of avoiding those guys before he was ready to go up to engage Golovkin - that's my take.

[Tag, You're Hit]

Hmmm. Interesting. I liked Thurman as a WW when he was on his run. And if, somehow, I had a chance to hang out with a boxer for a day and just goof around, Keith would be high on my list.
But, his power was absent once he moved up to top tier opponents. So at 154? I'm sure that quite a few will pick Thurman to win when he fights Fundora but this is 37 year old inactive Keith. Fundora will find him and likely stop him.
As for prime Keith I know he could have outboxed Tszyu - but I doubt he could have taken the incoming - we all know he doesn't take body punches well. Lubin was a good boxer/puncher before he was ruined so I think he would have out-toughed Keith. Lubin also had (not now) a tough chin.
Anyway - we fight the fights to get clarity - have yourself a great day.

I don't think Keith's power was absent at WW against top opponents. I think top opponents are just harder to knock out. Boxers at the elite level have a lot of attributes that separate them from the guys below. A solid chin is a one of them, part of which is knowing how to take a punch, keep your chin tucked, see/prepare for the punch coming, etc. Plus effectively hiding when you're hurt.

But Keith hurt all the top guys he fought. Put The Ghost down, rocked Porter multiple times, wobbled Danny, etc. Plus, and I take this with a pinch of salt, Keith recently admitted he wasn't going for KO's anymore. He started using his boxing skills more. And just like he didn't need KO's to beat the top guys at 147, he doesn't need KO's at 154 either.

The thing about Keith - much like Crawford and Spence in this respect - is that even after long layoffs he doesn't show ring rust. He's in the groove right away. His footwork, punch selection, head movement, etc is all there from the jump.

As for how I think it would've played out with the list we're discussing, my thought are:

Tszyu: Tim comes in straight, doesn't fight well off the back foot, doesn't have good head movement, his punch selection isn't surprising, and he's not very fast. He has good power, but not great power. His aggression, determination, and engine were his best qualities. Keith would've (still might if they fight) gotten him with angles and beat him to the punch with speed. Though Keith has gotten hurt multiple times to the body, he's still never been dropped by a body shot.

Lubin: Erickson never beat guys at the top level. And I like Lubin. I thought he was gonna give Vergil a good fight - even thought he could pull the upset. Boy, was I wrong about that one. So, I think he could've been tricky for Keith being a southpaw with power and movement, I think elite fighters like Keith separate themselves.

Garcia and Mendoza: Both are solid fighters, but nothing spectacular. I just don't see them as being close to Thurman's level.

But, like you said, we can only KNOW from actual fights. So, I'm hoping Sebastian and Keith actually make it to the ring as currently scheduled this time around so we can find out! Thanks for your thoughts/insight.

[Tag, You're Hit]

Hmm - fighting at 155 was his way of avoiding those guys before he was ready to go up to engage Golovkin - that's my take.

If I'm being real, Canelo was always working an angle to keep things uneven in a fight. Giving short notice to opponents he fought, rehydration clauses, aging out, etc. Canelo was still elite, but he usually stacked the deck when he could. And he definitely avoided the most dangerous opponents in their prime.