Boxing Thread

[shaz619]

Superb fight! and early MOTY candidate, both Jack and Degale proved they are P4P elite talents and no one deserved to lose that fight so the draw is a great result in the end. It was really close and could have gone either way with both fighters achieving knock downs, I didn't score the fight but was slightly edging towards Jack.

I got to take my hat of to Degale, there were a number of occasions I felt he would get stopped but he displayed tremendous heart, courage and one hell of a chin; he was knocked down early in the 12th and had to survive the remainder which was tough but he managed to hang on. Had Degale won the final round or not got knocked down he would have won on the judges cards. Jack to his credit displayed great mental toughness to, he was knocked down in the 1st but came back very well.

The rematch is unlikely unfortunately as Jack will move up to LHW which means his WBC title will be vacated, as Callum Smith and Dirrel are in the top 2 rankings for the WBC I expect them to fight for the SMW title; then later in the year we can get a unification bout between Degale and Smith/Dirrel

 

[shaz619]

Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight showdown with Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium has broken box office records with over 80,000 tickets sold for the April 29 fight. Eddie Hearn has put in a request to increase the capacity for a further 5K tickets, so if anyone is heading there be quick to get some before they are resold for ridiculous prices

 

[shaz619]

[MENTION=94399]Speedster1[/MENTION] [MENTION=43583]KingKhanWC[/MENTION] [MENTION=16]Amjid Javed[/MENTION] [MENTION=1080]miandadrules[/MENTION] [MENTION=133972]shaykh[/MENTION]

Angel Garcia up to his old tricks again lol

Who you guys got for Thurman v Garcia, super excited for this fight

 

[Speedster1]

Was that a setup or something? and the way he is legit saying the N word. Mad

Can't wait for the fight though, hope Thurman wins

 

[miandadrules]

[MENTION=94399]Speedster1[/MENTION] [MENTION=43583]KingKhanWC[/MENTION] [MENTION=16]Amjid Javed[/MENTION] [MENTION=1080]miandadrules[/MENTION] [MENTION=133972]shaykh[/MENTION]

Angel Garcia up to his old tricks again lol

Who you guys got for Thurman v Garcia, super excited for this fight

I've not seen Thurman fight. March is a busy month for me but I'm hoping to catch the fight.

I rarely get to watch fights in the last few years.

Angel Garcia is a tool.

 

[shaz619]

Was that a setup or something? and the way he is legit saying the N word. Mad

Can't wait for the fight though, hope Thurman wins

Don't think it was a set up, Angel Garcia attempts to get under the skin of opposing fighters through bigotry and he's also a bit of a spotlight hogger. When Danny fought Khan, Angel Garcia had said P*ki's can't fight; Khan had that on his mind throughout and was overly aggressive before getting caught; he was a heavy favourite to win that fight.

 

[shaz619]

I've not seen Thurman fight. March is a busy month for me but I'm hoping to catch the fight.

I rarely get to watch fights in the last few years.

Angel Garcia is a tool.

You're a doctor right? This one is worth watching if you manage to, Thurman has good power and is very accurate; he doesn't mind working of the backfoot and tends to find success with counters I'd say he is more skillful then Garcia but it's still a competitive fight which can go either way

 

[miandadrules]

You're a doctor right? This one is worth watching if you manage to, Thurman has good power and is very accurate; he doesn't mind working of the backfoot and tends to find success with counters I'd say he is more skillful then Garcia but it's still a competitive fight which can go either way

Yeah, but I also work with Doctors Without Borders and I'm involved in some research projects.

Fiancé doesn't appreciate me prioritising boxing over her. Even though I told her boxing will always be my first love.

Garcia has solid fundamentals but I have heard good things about Thurman but I've learnt to only judge fighters once I see them. Fans love to use hyperbole.

 

[shaz619]

Yeah, but I also work with Doctors Without Borders and I'm involved in some research projects.

Fiancé doesn't appreciate me prioritising boxing over her. Even though I told her boxing will always be my first love.

Garcia has solid fundamentals but I have heard good things about Thurman but I've learnt to only judge fighters once I see them. Fans love to use hyperbole.

That's really good and am like that to when with Boxing and pro-wrestling. The other thing is if you're in the UK the fights tend to be on at really inconvenient times if you prefer to watch live from the US the main-event tends to begin between 3-30am on a Sunday.

Thurman is definitely not the type of fighter which fans have hyped him up to be, the whole "one time" is just a gimmick; he doesn't even have the one punch KO power but he is skillful. I'd say you should watch Thurman vs Porter to get a picture of what be brings in terms of the strengths/weaknesses, it was a really close fight but his best performance against a top ranked fighter in the 147 division.

 

[KingKhanWC]

[MENTION=94399]Speedster1[/MENTION] [MENTION=43583]KingKhanWC[/MENTION] [MENTION=16]Amjid Javed[/MENTION] [MENTION=1080]miandadrules[/MENTION] [MENTION=133972]shaykh[/MENTION]

Angel Garcia up to his old tricks again lol

Who you guys got for Thurman v Garcia, super excited for this fight

It's time for Thurman to get some recognition. I feel his work rate will get the victory on points.

 

[shaz619]

It's time for Thurman to get some recognition. I feel his work rate will get the victory on points.

He'll be the favourite no doubt given his counters, footwork, work rate, speed and accuracy but I feel like Garcia has been given too much stick by me in the past; yes there were some fights which could have gone either way but the man is a solid all round boxer with a fantastic resume which deserves a bit more respect. Am going to make a bold prediction, Danny is to win via stoppage I'd be a bit more confident if he had some bigger wins at 147 and had been campaigning at that weight a bit longer for me to come to a judgement but I'll still pick him given his world class pedigree

Come to think of it, was looking at the records of the top rank fighters in the 147 division; Thurman, Brook and Porter are the only ones who have faced a genuine welter in each other but that's just one of their notable fights in the division, besides that their resumes consist of names such as Frankie Gavin (no disrespect) , Broner and Diego Chaves for Brook (besides porter), Thurman (besides porter) and Porter (Brook/Thurman) the other fighters they faced in the 147 division were either faded, coming up from a couple of divisions below or moving down from a division up. Porter is the only guy who has fought more then 1 fighter in the 147 division who was a genuine welter with a top rank at 147 and he lost both fights although they were both very close.

 

[shaz619]

Garcia is a 2-1 underdog in his fight vs Thurman.

http://www.boxingscene.com/garcia-2-1-underdog-vs-thurman-i-guess-vegas-dont-like-me--112852

Some paragraphs from the article:

Garcia, a former WBA/WBC super lightweight champion, also was an underdog in what to date have been the two most noteworthy fights of his nine-year pro career.

Argentina’s Lucas Matthysse was more than a 2-1 favorite over Garcia entering their 140-pound title fight on the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Canelo Alvarez pay-per-view undercard in September 2013. Garcia won a 12-round unanimous decision over Matthysse (then 34-2, 32 KOs, 1 NC), whom many boxing experts expected to knock out Garcia in Las Vegas.

Amir Khan also was favored over Garcia, 6-1 according to several Internet sports books, before their fight for Khan’s WBA super lightweight title and Garcia’s WBC 140-pound championship 4½ years ago in Las Vegas. Garcia stopped England’s Khan (then 26-2, 18 KOs) in the fourth round of that bout and changed the course of his career.

“I was looking at Danny Garcia’s record today,” said Lou DiBella, the official promoter of the March 4 card. “He has wins over Amir Khan and Lucas Matthysse, when they supposedly were unbeatable. And he has beaten 10 former world champions in his career. And he still doesn’t get the respect he deserves. And on March 4th, I know he and [father/trainer] Angel [Garcia] are fighting for that respect.”

 

[shaz619]

A deal hasn't be sorted given so many obstacles to overcome but the fact that Khan's and Brook's team are talking is a very positive sign, here's Asif and Hearn:

The fight will surely happen and I think the public are hot for it right now too so it would be best to pull the trigger when the iron is hot; more hype/build/suspense will not always lead to excess $$$. Khan is sorting out some issues at the moment and most likely will have a tune up fight given his hand injury, Kell will probably vacate the 147 world title and have a catch weight bout or move up to 154 for a tune up before facing Khan at 147 late in the year.

Kell has been nothing more then a paper champion which is a shame because he has some ability, the moment he has a legitimate mandatory there is talk of him avoiding it. Kell has said he won't give up his title and if he faces Spence I'll respect that but they're making it seem like it's something which he doesn't need to do, just look at the names which Khan fought after winning his world title fight all were ranked in the top 10 of the Rings ratings and even maidana was his mandatory who was not avoided.

60-40 in favour of Khan is a decent deal and a steal for Kell imo although 70-30 (with a guarantee from the Khan camp besides the PPV split) is not bad at all because he'd be getting the biggest purse of his career, not bad for a lad who can't sell out an arena as the headline act beyond sheffield.

 

[Speedster1]

A deal hasn't be sorted given so many obstacles to overcome but the fact that Khan's and Brook's team are talking is a very positive sign, here's Asif and Hearn:

The fight will surely happen and I think the public are hot for it right now too so it would be best to pull the trigger when the iron is hot; more hype/build/suspense will not always lead to excess $$$. Khan is sorting out some issues at the moment and most likely will have a tune up fight given his hand injury, Kell will probably vacate the 147 world title and have a catch weight bout or move up to 154 for a tune up before facing Khan at 147 late in the year.

Kell has been nothing more then a paper champion which is a shame because he has some ability, the moment he has a legitimate mandatory there is talk of him avoiding it. Kell has said he won't give up his title and if he faces Spence I'll respect that but they're making it seem like it's something which he doesn't need to do, just look at the names which Khan fought after winning his world title fight all were ranked in the top 10 of the Rings ratings and even maidana was his mandatory who was not avoided.

60-40 in favour of Khan is a decent deal and a steal for Kell imo although 70-30 (with a guarantee from the Khan camp besides the PPV split) is not bad at all because he'd be getting the biggest purse of his career, not bad for a lad who can't sell out an arena as the headline act beyond sheffield.

He couldn't sell water to a man in burning trousers )

On a serious note though, brook would be very lucky to get that 60-40 to Khan split, the thing with Brook has always been a question of what he brings to the table though. Getting in the ring with GGG has increased his stock a bit but still Amir deserves that 70-30 split, way bigger name simple as that.

Imagine the fight was soon with all the stuff going on at the moment with Khan, Brook would defo bring something up to try and ruffle his feathers. All the recent press with Amir hasnt helped, ammunition for future Khan opponents and willl be interesting how this affects him

 

[Speedster1]

Great fight last night between Santa Cruz and Frampton. It was another close fight, with Santa Cruz edging it this time majority decision draw on 1 card just like how Carl won the first fight. Great fight nevertheless.

Couldnt help it, but at times during the fight and after the fight it felt like they made this happen so it would go to a 3rd fight hence more public anticipation for the bout and more $$$.. i defo wouldnt put it past them at all...it's a funny old game boxing nowadays. Look how without celebrating much and everything, Santa in his interview even talks about the next fight STRAIGHT AWAY so casually saying 'Next time this that' and the interviewer said 'we will get on to that later' as in saying Boy you have just regained a world title Enjoy that first!!! it just seemed a bit fishy to me. Also the way Carl would get up close to Santa, therefore restricting his oppositions punches as Santa has a long reach, he would get up close but did absolutely nothing. There was times i was like WTH, your in the pocket where u wanted to be why just stand there? I dont know if im being so harsh on Carl but this is what i saw while watching it at 5am, i havent watched it again.

How did u lot see it?

 

[Amjid Javed]

Excellent fight between Frampton and Santa Cruz and was shocked that santa cruz was able to adjust his game plan in this fight and fight more at long range and really make the most of his extra reach and very good Jab. For the 1st half of the fight frampton seemed to lack balance and his normally good footwork and judging of distance seem to fall apart and that cost him to many early rounds early on. By the time he adjusted and started to be able to get inside Sanat cruzs jab it was almost to late to really make a comeback and win the fight. I think frampton was shocked at fact that santa cruz can box and not just brawl. There is definatley a need for a 3rd fight as am sure these can turn it into a famous trilogy which will be remembered for years to come.

 

[shaz619]

Great fight last night between Santa Cruz and Frampton. It was another close fight, with Santa Cruz edging it this time majority decision draw on 1 card just like how Carl won the first fight. Great fight nevertheless.

Couldnt help it, but at times during the fight and after the fight it felt like they made this happen so it would go to a 3rd fight hence more public anticipation for the bout and more $$$.. i defo wouldnt put it past them at all...it's a funny old game boxing nowadays. Look how without celebrating much and everything, Santa in his interview even talks about the next fight STRAIGHT AWAY so casually saying 'Next time this that' and the interviewer said 'we will get on to that later' as in saying Boy you have just regained a world title Enjoy that first!!! it just seemed a bit fishy to me. Also the way Carl would get up close to Santa, therefore restricting his oppositions punches as Santa has a long reach, he would get up close but did absolutely nothing. There was times i was like WTH, your in the pocket where u wanted to be why just stand there? I dont know if im being so harsh on Carl but this is what i saw while watching it at 5am, i havent watched it again.

How did u lot see it?

Excellent fight between Frampton and Santa Cruz and was shocked that santa cruz was able to adjust his game plan in this fight and fight more at long range and really make the most of his extra reach and very good Jab. For the 1st half of the fight frampton seemed to lack balance and his normally good footwork and judging of distance seem to fall apart and that cost him to many early rounds early on. By the time he adjusted and started to be able to get inside Sanat cruzs jab it was almost to late to really make a comeback and win the fight. I think frampton was shocked at fact that santa cruz can box and not just brawl. There is definatley a need for a 3rd fight as am sure these can turn it into a famous trilogy which will be remembered for years to come.

It was a great fight but no where near the Manny/El-Terrible and Barrera/El-terrible fights in terms of action/intensity so am sorry [MENTION=16]Amjid Javed[/MENTION] but it is hyperbole to suggest a "famous trilogy" at best I'd give the first two fights a 7/10. [MENTION=94399]Speedster1[/MENTION] You're not far off because Boxing is a business at the end of the day especially in this era but I don't suspect foul play with regards to the fighters themselves I don't believe the action was scripted. Frampton was overconfident and never quiet found the rhythm I found him to be wild and he allowed Cruz to control the pace by using his pressure against him, it was very unusual as far as Framptons tactics were concerned because he's at his best setting traps and countering of the back foot but he acknowledge immediately in the post fight interview where he went wrong.

 

[KingKhanWC]

He'll be the favourite no doubt given his counters, footwork, work rate, speed and accuracy but I feel like Garcia has been given too much stick by me in the past; yes there were some fights which could have gone either way but the man is a solid all round boxer with a fantastic resume which deserves a bit more respect. Am going to make a bold prediction, Danny is to win via stoppage I'd be a bit more confident if he had some bigger wins at 147 and had been campaigning at that weight a bit longer for me to come to a judgement but I'll still pick him given his world class pedigree

Come to think of it, was looking at the records of the top rank fighters in the 147 division; Thurman, Brook and Porter are the only ones who have faced a genuine welter in each other but that's just one of their notable fights in the division, besides that their resumes consist of names such as Frankie Gavin (no disrespect) , Broner and Diego Chaves for Brook (besides porter), Thurman (besides porter) and Porter (Brook/Thurman) the other fighters they faced in the 147 division were either faded, coming up from a couple of divisions below or moving down from a division up. Porter is the only guy who has fought more then 1 fighter in the 147 division who was a genuine welter with a top rank at 147 and he lost both fights although they were both very close.

That is a bold prediction but Garcia has surprised everyone before as you mentioned. Danny knows his strengths and is well aware of his ability, sticks to doing what knows and gives it his all. But I feel if Thurman can stay off the canvas , he should win this by a unanimous points decision.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Frampton gave it his all as before but Santa Cruz learnt from the first bout, he stayed outside of range and bead Frampton to the jab on almost every occasion. If the trilogy fight takes place in Belfast, the crowd might come into help Frampton to connect and hurt SC.

 

[shaz619]

Frampton gave it his all as before but Santa Cruz learnt from the first bout, he stayed outside of range and bead Frampton to the jab on almost every occasion. If the trilogy fight takes place in Belfast, the crowd might come into help Frampton to connect and hurt SC.

Good post bro, we need to give Santa Cruz more credit because he made it difficult for Frampton by boxing off the back foot and completely control the pace; Frampton made mistakes but was bamboozled. In terms of action the fights are being overrated in my opinion, the fights are being compared to the wars between barrera, manny, morales etc

 

[shaz619]

Fantastic fight between David Price and Christian Hammer, very entertaining; unfortunately Price did not take it seriously and had prepared for 6 rounds rather then 12. His fitness let him down more then anything but Hammer did the business and deserves credit for getting of the canvas to stop Price.

Great performance from Eubank jr vs Quinlan, did well to display his skillset; was wild at times but very good at range and on the inside whilst bobbing/weaving quiet well with a bit of fancy footwork, also the work-rate of Eubank jr is exceptional! Not sure if this move up to SMW is best for him but time will tell. Say what you want about Quinlan but he didn't come to lay down, he fought to the best of his abilities with a champions spirit; sustained a lot of punishment but kept trying and you got to give him credit for his heart and unwillingness to hand over his world title belt just like that.

Despite some earlier problems with the stream decent effort from ITV, hopefully they build on this and put on a better card.

 

[Amjid Javed]

[MENTION=94399]Speedster1[/MENTION] [MENTION=43583]KingKhanWC[/MENTION] [MENTION=16]Amjid Javed[/MENTION] [MENTION=1080]miandadrules[/MENTION] [MENTION=133972]shaykh[/MENTION]

Angel Garcia up to his old tricks again lol

Who you guys got for Thurman v Garcia, super excited for this fight

I think Thurman has the better hand speed and power and that will be the telling factor in the fight for me, Garcia is quite slow and ponderous in the ring at times and hopefully he doesnt get another dodgy decision which hes not deserved.

 

[shaz619]

I think Thurman has the better hand speed and power and that will be the telling factor in the fight for me, Garcia is quite slow and ponderous in the ring at times and hopefully he doesnt get another dodgy decision which hes not deserved.

Is that right? you've been wrong before, remember Wladmir v Fury this is your chance to one up the bear after I defeated you with me prediction that Fury would be victorious and now I am predicting a Garcia win

 

[shaykh]

While Amir continues to overstate his value the rest of the division is getting on with things...

Brook is likely to be fighting Spence...something his detractors including Khan thought he wouldn't do...im waiting for Khans next excuse after this fight...thats if of course Brook wins...Spence looks class...

Thurman is fighting Garcia...

And Khan I guess can focus on making new videos in the meantime...

Been away from this thread for a bit...I scored Ward V Kov for Ward...although I see how someone could score it the other way...how did you guys score it?...

 

[shaz619]

While Amir continues to overstate his value the rest of the division is getting on with things...

Brook is likely to be fighting Spence...something his detractors including Khan thought he wouldn't do...im waiting for Khans next excuse after this fight...thats if of course Brook wins...Spence looks class...

Thurman is fighting Garcia...

And Khan I guess can focus on making new videos in the meantime...

Been away from this thread for a bit...I scored Ward V Kov for Ward...although I see how someone could score it the other way...how did you guys score it?...

Brook is a no name bum who is only relevant somewhat in Sheffield. He is lucky that the 70/30 is being offered, in all honestly it should be 95/5 in favour of Khan. Brook is not a real world champion, he is an insult to a world title belt and an absolute disgrace to the sport of boxing. He beat Porter while holding for the entire fight when many experts believe it was a day light robbery, if we give him credit for the win he still beat a guy who drew with Diaz and then he'd defend his belt against taxi drivers before trying his best to sneak out of a mandatory defence vs Errol Spence, if he is taking the fight good! its something which he is supposed to do (but cheerleaders will make a big deal out of it while not acknowledging how Khan made defences vs the best at 140 when he became champ)! instead of being a coward with no heart who hides in Sheffield and faces bums before being overly rated by narrow minded casuals.

Khan mean while will enjoy the luxuries of a stellar career having earned sums which Brook can only have wet dreams over because unfortunately he doesn't have the skill or heart or a pair to be honest with you to have a career which compares even 1/4 to Khan's, soon he will be exposed and will go back to headlining events in Sheffield vs the local butcher and cabbie.

Brook and Hearn FEAR Khan so have priced themselves out, they FEAR him so bad that they won't take advantage of a Khan past his prime, one who just had surgery on his hand and one who's having many family problems. Brook should know his place and be thankful that Amir is willing to do a charity by allowing him 30% of the purse, but unfortunately like always he doesn't really have a pair does he? what can I say. Khan has no obligation to face this no name bum he has many options unlike the world bum champion of Sheffield with a networth which is barely a mill but for the first time when there has been positive movements when it comes to the negotiations they call off the fight after begging Amir for a pay day. They don't want the fight but are using Amirs name for publicity.

 

[shaz619]

While Amir continues to overstate his value the rest of the division is getting on with things...

Brook is likely to be fighting Spence...something his detractors including Khan thought he wouldn't do...im waiting for Khans next excuse after this fight...thats if of course Brook wins...Spence looks class...

Thurman is fighting Garcia...

And Khan I guess can focus on making new videos in the meantime...

Been away from this thread for a bit...I scored Ward V Kov for Ward...although I see how someone could score it the other way...how did you guys score it?...

These were my posts after I had watched the fight:

115 - 113 to Andre Ward, I gave Kovalev about 4 rounds and Ward 8. Thought the judges score cards were about right.

Incredible comeback by Ward in the fight, he was literally down and out; caught off guard completely and was bullied for the first 3 rounds (knocked down in round 2) but then kept calm, found his rhythm and absolutely dominated Kovalev, sensational. Heck it got to a point where Kovalev would initiate the clinch and try to wrestle Ward when he was getting frustrated, Ward tends to fight dirty in that regard but he didn't need to as much. Kept out of range with his swift footwork and upper body movement (worth mentioning that each time he'd move in or out they'd be an attack to the body, these would slow Kovalev down over the course of the fight) then would get on the inside, slipping and sliding with counter left hooks and rights.

To Kovalevs credit he stuck to his fundamentals and found success with some stiff power shots, looking back perhaps he should have gone to the body a bit more but it's not easy against a guy like Ward.

Very entertaining bout between two of the worlds best, credit to both for putting on a show; Andre refused to take his foot off the gas and that was also pivotal in him winning the fight because it could have taken a couple of big rounds from Kovalev to turn things around but man after that fantastic start he just fell victim like those before him to the magic of Andre Ward.

 

[shaz619]

Amir is a much bigger draw then Kell, and I base that on the fact that Khan has been fighting in elite company. However, the way Kell has sat on his world title and refused to travel or hunt the big names speaks volumes!

 

[shaz619]

Lets get to the facts with regards to this legend Kelly Brook who FINALLY could be facing Spence. Lets take a look at his antics.

Kell/Spence did look like it was going to happen when Spence beat Chris Algieri (very convincingly with a fifth-round stoppage) then called out Brook.  Now with Brook having a long lay off with injury, then coming back to defend his strap against Kevin Bizier, this looked like a great a fight and at the right time for both. As loud as Spence shouted, the silence from Brook was deafening. Then Eddie Hearn would say in an interview that: ”No matter how loud Spence shouts for the fight behind closed doors him and his people don’t want it and we would have no problem making the fight otherwise.”

Now anyone who has watched Spence over the years knows this is a down right lie; the kid has always looked to challenge himself and move up as fast as possible. As for Kell Brook, he has one world level win against Shawn Porter to his name, which was in August 2014, and although that was great win for Brook it was a close fight in fact many scored it the other way. Brook was supposed to fight Jessie Vargas which would have been fine with but then we find out Brook never actually signed to fight Vargas in a unification fight, instead he elected to fight GGG at middleweight. Now this was a great act of BRAVERY! or was it? Brook went into that fight knowing no matter what, he had a pass and not only that but his IBF title was safe at home where he likes it in his Sheffield bum-flakes cereal box.

The IBF would then order Kelly Brook to take the Spence fight. As it turns out Brook only wants big paydays if he’s to bother making the weight but I can’t imagine he got paid big cash to fight Bizier or Gavin also worth pointing out his lust to move up to 154 the moment spence came up . Amir has made no secret of the fact that he prefers the fight later in the year due to his hand surgery and other personal issues but the problem for Kell here is that he'd have two choices, face spence or vacate his world title; vacating his world title would mean that he doesn't have anything to bring to the negotiations table and even then he has devalued his own championship with his cowardly behaviour.

Brook getting his hands on that IBF title was the worst thing that could have happened for the welter division, and for his fans. He didn’t want to go on the road to get the big names like Garcia or Thurman, but he would much rather stay in UK and hold the title hostage while becoming an irrelevance. However, after all his shenanigans there is a chance that he will face Spence after being forced into a corner and being left no choice at all having attempted to avoid making the defence but does it change the fact that he lacks a fighting spirit who is an insult to a world title belt and would do his best to avoid taking the tough fights? NO. He doesn't have my respect at all, I see him as the man who epitomises the casual boxing fanbase and the gullible worshippers of Matchroom [MENTION=94399]Speedster1[/MENTION]

 

[shaykh]

Lets get to the facts with regards to this legend Kelly Brook who FINALLY could be facing Spence. Lets take a look at his antics.

Kell/Spence did look like it was going to happen when Spence beat Chris Algieri (very convincingly with a fifth-round stoppage) then called out Brook.  Now with Brook having a long lay off with injury, then coming back to defend his strap against Kevin Bizier, this looked like a great a fight and at the right time for both. As loud as Spence shouted, the silence from Brook was deafening. Then Eddie Hearn would say in an interview that: ”No matter how loud Spence shouts for the fight behind closed doors him and his people don’t want it and we would have no problem making the fight otherwise.”

Now anyone who has watched Spence over the years knows this is a down right lie; the kid has always looked to challenge himself and move up as fast as possible. As for Kell Brook, he has one world level win against Shawn Porter to his name, which was in August 2014, and although that was great win for Brook it was a close fight in fact many scored it the other way. Brook was supposed to fight Jessie Vargas which would have been fine with but then we find out Brook never actually signed to fight Vargas in a unification fight, instead he elected to fight GGG at middleweight. Now this was a great act of BRAVERY! or was it? Brook went into that fight knowing no matter what, he had a pass and not only that but his IBF title was safe at home where he likes it in his Sheffield bum-flakes cereal box.

The IBF would then order Kelly Brook to take the Spence fight. As it turns out Brook only wants big paydays if he’s to bother making the weight but I can’t imagine he got paid big cash to fight Bizier or Gavin also worth pointing out his lust to move up to 154 the moment spence came up . Amir has made no secret of the fact that he prefers the fight later in the year due to his hand surgery and other personal issues but the problem for Kell here is that he'd have two choices, face spence or vacate his world title; vacating his world title would mean that he doesn't have anything to bring to the negotiations table and even then he has devalued his own championship with his cowardly behaviour.

Brook getting his hands on that IBF title was the worst thing that could have happened for the welter division, and for his fans. He didn’t want to go on the road to get the big names like Garcia or Thurman, but he would much rather stay in UK and hold the title hostage while becoming an irrelevance. However, after all his shenanigans there is a chance that he will face Spence after being forced into a corner and being left no choice at all having attempted to avoid making the defence but does it change the fact that he lacks a fighting spirit who is an insult to a world title belt and would do his best to avoid taking the tough fights? NO. He doesn't have my respect at all, I see him as the man who epitomises the casual boxing fanbase and the gullible worshippers of Matchroom [MENTION=94399]Speedster1[/MENTION]

Hmm I think we can both accept that both Khan and Brook took their latest fights for the money...both made sense for them in terms of risk/reward...both got a lot of money and their stock hasn't dropped...

Garcia and Thurman haven't exactly been fighting stellar opposition either...tbf Garcia's opposition post Mathysse has been an absolute disgrace other than Herrera which is a fight he lost...

And as for Thurman his biggest win is also Porter and Kell did a better job than Thurman did...

On Vargas...lets be honest...the guy isnt a contender so its not a duck...GGG was a much better fight for all reasons...

On Spence...he's class and in terms of risk/reward it makes sense that Kell would want Khan...arguably he would prefer Garcia and Thurman too...Khan is the most winnable and makes the most money...so targeting Khan makes perfect sense...Spence brings no name value and brings a lot of risk...so in that sense i think its good that Kell is taking the fight because for non mainstream fans this is an excellent fight...

 

[shaz619]

Hmm I think we can both accept that both Khan and Brook took their latest fights for the money...both made sense for them in terms of risk/reward...both got a lot of money and their stock hasn't dropped...

Garcia and Thurman haven't exactly been fighting stellar opposition either...tbf Garcia's opposition post Mathysse has been an absolute disgrace other than Herrera which is a fight he lost...

And as for Thurman his biggest win is also Porter and Kell did a better job than Thurman did...

On Vargas...lets be honest...the guy isnt a contender so its not a duck...GGG was a much better fight for all reasons...

On Spence...he's class and in terms of risk/reward it makes sense that Kell would want Khan...arguably he would prefer Garcia and Thurman too...Khan is the most winnable and makes the most money...so targeting Khan makes perfect sense...Spence brings no name value and brings a lot of risk...so in that sense i think its good that Kell is taking the fight because for non mainstream fans this is an excellent fight...

Khan wanted that huge box office fight he longed for which he didn't get from Floyd when it comes to the magnitude of the contest, Canelo gave him that and he became 10 mill richer but he still had 20 mill in his back pocket and he could well have taken easier fighters for a guaranteed 4-5 mill from his purse. Brook on the other hand benefited from a big pay day but he also avoided making a defence to Spence, now all of a sudden Khan is this big name who'd get him a nice fat check so it makes it perfectly acceptable for him to try and avoid getting in the ring with Spence. That's hypocrisy, boxing has become a business but am still an old school fan who values a world championship belt and fighters who take on all comers. He has defended his belt vs Bizier, No No dan, there has been talk of moving up to 154, vacating his title and avoiding facing a top ranked contender for more money, what does that say about him as a champion? what is that IBF title even worth when it is disrespected like that? the champion makes the title but am not sure he agrees with that philosophy. I get the business but it doesn't earn Kell any respect, besides none of you really rate Khan anyway and to be fair he has faded so it does little as far as Kells standing is concerned at 147. Those fighters have a superior resume to Kell actually and Porter fought better vs Thurman then he did vs Kell; Thurman didn't do much holding either.

 

[Amjid Javed]

All division weights should just have a super 6s competition to see who is the best. Both at featherweight and welterweight cururently with the fighters around such a competition would be really worth watching.

 

[shaz619]

All division weights should just have a super 6s competition to see who is the best. Both at featherweight and welterweight cururently with the fighters around such a competition would be really worth watching.

Agreed but Kell Brook will not be participating in such a competition, it's is an atrocious idea from his perspective. Although [MENTION=133972]shaykh[/MENTION] will disagree, it's beyond me why he supports Kell so much (being someone who is fairly knowledgeable on the sport) a guy has the worst resume for a world champion in the history of boxing. Kell should never be allowed to compete for another world title again, absolute disgrace. Also, they overestimate his value; they want 50/50 from Khan yet can't sell out an arena beyond Sheffield in the proposed bout vs Errol Spence which is supposed to be off a very high profile. They will say oh well Spence is not really a name ha ! but we thought Kell was this big draw Johnny Nelson aka Kelly Brook's boyfriend has also criticised Spences resume ) [MENTION=94399]Speedster1[/MENTION] for someone with only 21 fights being an up and comer he has actually not done too bad for himself, but how do you defend a guy with 37 fights yet only one name worth talking about at 147?

 

[shaz619]

Can't wait for Garcia/Thurman !

 

[shaz619]

I'd change Amir marrying Faryal and instead marrying some girl from the pind, so he can focus on his boxing.

Freddie Roach is a great coach but didn't help Amir's defence much, Hunter is much better in this area but not Amir has lost some attacking instincts, he could do with a mix of the two.

That was the original plan I think Brother Amir gave into temptation lol

Freddie has his flaws but under him came the best spell in Amir's career; but I understand why he left him, he needed Freddie to dedicate more time and that camp for the garcia fight was just god awful on many levels and I'd say even worse then the one for Prescott. Issues with the strength/conditioning coach, issues with the coach who preferred to spend more time with other fighters despite this being Khans most important fight for the lineal title, feuds amongst members of team Khan and what summed up everything was brutal sparring session Khan was indulging in literally days before a fight apparently to "blow some steam" it was so awful the camp in general and then during the fight itself Khan did not listen to Freddie at all in his corner.

If you watch the fight, Khan got caught and lost his balance but instead of holding etc (I believe he would still have survived) he decided to go all macho and paid for it, sadly with the awful camp and poor conditioning, awful frame of mind and a bad game plan he was not going to absorb the punishment as well as he did vs Maidana. As much as Angel garcia's comments got to him there was just a lot more then that which contributed to the defeat.

That being said, Hunter is a defensive mastermind and great at getting Amir to listen to him; but in an ideal world where Freddie would dedicate his 100% to Amir in the build to his fights and there was a big respect between them I'd like to think that he'd be the perfect coach for him not to mention all the help from Ariza. Amir performed really well in his fight v Canelo it was the best I'd have seen him from a technical stand point in years he controlled the pace so beautifully and was very sharp but he gassed due to the in-ring inactivity, wasn't in the best shape given that the weight wasn't compatible and moving up 2 divisions was just too much, it was always going to take just one bomb to take him out clean after Canelo had slowed him down with some body work as well.

Recently though, Amir headed back to the Wildcard for some sessions and had a chat with Freddie; good to see them bury the hatchet top stuff after all the bad blood.

 

[KingKhanWC]

That was the original plan I think Brother Amir gave into temptation lol

Freddie has his flaws but under him came the best spell in Amir's career; but I understand why he left him, he needed Freddie to dedicate more time and that camp for the garcia fight was just god awful on many levels and I'd say even worse then the one for Prescott. Issues with the strength/conditioning coach, issues with the coach who preferred to spend more time with other fighters despite this being Khans most important fight for the lineal title, feuds amongst members of team Khan and what summed up everything was brutal sparring session Khan was indulging in literally days before a fight apparently to "blow some steam" it was so awful the camp in general and then during the fight itself Khan did not listen to Freddie at all in his corner.

If you watch the fight, Khan got caught and lost his balance but instead of holding etc (I believe he would still have survived) he decided to go all macho and paid for it, sadly with the awful camp and poor conditioning, awful frame of mind and a bad game plan he was not going to absorb the punishment as well as he did vs Maidana. As much as Angel garcia's comments got to him there was just a lot more then that which contributed to the defeat.

That being said, Hunter is a defensive mastermind and great at getting Amir to listen to him; but in an ideal world where Freddie would dedicate his 100% to Amir in the build to his fights and there was a big respect between them I'd like to think that he'd be the perfect coach for him not to mention all the help from Ariza. Amir performed really well in his fight v Canelo it was the best I'd have seen him from a technical stand point in years he controlled the pace so beautifully and was very sharp but he gassed due to the in-ring inactivity, wasn't in the best shape given that the weight wasn't compatible and moving up 2 divisions was just too much, it was always going to take just one bomb to take him out clean after Canelo had slowed him down with some body work as well.

Recently though, Amir headed back to the Wildcard for some sessions and had a chat with Freddie; good to see them bury the hatchet top stuff after all the bad blood.

Good post, totally agree. I would say Roach recogonised Amir's talent in movement and attack so focused on this which really did pay off in his early years. After the first two rounds the opponents were changing to plan B because they didn't expect the amount of punches thrown in combinations from a near perfect distance. It's good Khan has made up with Roach, Freddie seems a great guy and of course is one of the all time great trainers.

 

[shaykh]

Brook V Spence is sealed...its actually a much better fight than Brook V Khan...

Criticism seems to be laid at Brook...but tbf he simply sought money fighters which Spence wasn't...but he wasn't targeting soft touches...

He wanted Thurman or Garcia but they are fighting each other...likelihood is the winner of Spence/Brook will get the winner of that fight...Kells continuously targeted Amir and he also had a go at trying to tempt Canelo and Cotto...and also Pacquiao...can't criticise him for targeting these fights...

Even Spence in his criticism of Brook has acknowledged that he is Brooks only remaining option...

I still think criticism is a bit silly considering the fighters Brook targeted weren't easier fights...they were bigger fights and the fact that Kell is fighting Spence now is good news...

If Kell was avoiding Spence he could just as easily vacate his belt which he isn't doing...a lot of fighters vacate when they have a dangerous opponent...

As for who wins?...Kell doesn't make 147 easily...and then there is the GGG factor...that guy does ruin fighters...

But if Brook makes weight comfortably I see him outboxing Spence...

 

[shaz619]

Typical excuses from Brook cheerleaders, he is an insult to a world title; which sane boxing fan would defend his resume is beyond me. This coward attempted every trick in the book to duck spence now his fans are making it out to be a big deal, after winning the title he has held that championship hostage and defended vs bums in Sheffield whilst refusing to travel or hunt top fighters at 147 but merely looked for the big pay day to cash out, when you're a champion it is your duty to fight your mandatory's and the best in the division in order to cement your status as a world champion. You know I use to blame Hearn, but look at who Crolla has fought; Kell is a coward.

Do ya'll even read what you post? ) could have easily vacated LOL then the Khan fight would be out the window wouldn't it and he desperately needs that pay day vs Amir, if he vacates that title and moves up then that big pursue is no more and that title is a tool his promoter can use at the negotiations table as well not that he gives a damn about that belt, It's more like a british championship. I also don't buy this bs about his weight as an excuse or the fact that it's the "bigger fights" he yearns for, the guy was happy beating bums for peanuts with his paper championship status. What Kell wants more then anything is a big pay day and a low risk fight, he is a product of the Eubank model which matchroom made so famous.

Anyhow I pretty much addressed the narrow mindedness surrounding Kelly Brook in this post, it's a good education look past your fandom:

Kell/Spence did look like it was going to happen when Spence beat Chris Algieri (very convincingly with a fifth-round stoppage) then called out Brook.  Now with Brook having a long lay off with injury, then coming back to defend his strap against Kevin Bizier, this looked like a great a fight and at the right time for both. As loud as Spence shouted, the silence from Brook was deafening. Then Eddie Hearn would say in an interview that: ”No matter how loud Spence shouts for the fight behind closed doors him and his people don’t want it and we would have no problem making the fight otherwise.” Now anyone who has watched Spence over the years knows this is a down right lie; the kid has always looked to challenge himself and move up as fast as possible. As for Kell Brook, he has one world level win against Shawn Porter to his name, which was in August 2014, and although that was great win for Brook it was a close fight in fact many scored it the other way. Brook was supposed to fight Jessie Vargas which would have been fine with but then we find out Brook never actually signed to fight Vargas in a unification fight, instead he elected to fight GGG at middleweight. Now this was a great act of BRAVERY! or was it? Brook went into that fight knowing no matter what, he had a pass and not only that but his IBF title was safe at home where he likes it in his Sheffield bum-flakes cereal box. The IBF would then order Kelly Brook to take the Spence fight. As it turns out Brook only wants big paydays if he’s to bother making the weight but I can’t imagine he got paid big cash to fight Bizier or Gavin also worth pointing out his lust to move up to 154 the moment spence came up . Amir has made no secret of the fact that he prefers the fight later in the year due to his hand surgery and other personal issues but the problem for Kell here is that he'd have two choices, face spence or vacate his world title; vacating his world title would mean that he doesn't have anything to bring to the negotiations table and even then he has devalued his own championship with his cowardly behaviour. Brook getting his hands on that IBF title was the worst thing that could have happened for the welter division, and for his fans. He didn’t want to go on the road to get the big names like Garcia or Thurman, but he would much rather stay in UK and hold the title hostage while becoming an irrelevance. However, after all his shenanigans there is a chance that he will face Spence after being forced into a corner and being left no choice at all having attempted to avoid making the defence but does it change the fact that he lacks a fighting spirit who is an insult to a world title belt and would do his best to avoid taking the tough fights? NO. He doesn't have my respect at all, I see him as the man who epitomises the casual boxing fanbase and the gullible worshippers of Matchroom

He will make weight compatibly, Hearn has only been using that excuse as a safety net. Brook will win by way of a late stoppage. Khan is past his prime but if he can somehow manage to win a world title at 147 the unification fight vs Brook would be huge. After Khan's tune up he'll be facing the winner of Garcia/Thurman or Manny Pacquiao late in the year ; incredibly tough fights.

 

[shaz619]

Another thing worth pointing out is am not entirely sure if Hearn/Brook really want the Khan fight or are they genuinely thick?

In the mainstream British media all they ever do is disrespect Khan and his career, how can they expect fans to take the fight seriously with such narrow mindedness? The art of cutting a good promo is to insult your opponent to a degree that is fine but you put them over as well, Bellew has said all kinds of colourful things but he has put Haye over as dangerous fighter. No one is saying you should hug it out but when you constantly derail your opponent then the question fans must ask themselves is why do you want to face him? sure its due to the money but the paying customers don't look at it like that and Khan didn't accumulate a networth of 30 million by taking short cuts during his career like Kell.

 

[shaz619]

Brook has had plenty of chances to take the Spence fight before these Khan negotiations began and after his injury but he didn't take the fight then even when talks previously broke down with Khan, instead he has picked the likes of No No Dan, Bizier and Gavin; has there ever been a champion to have made three defences vs bums back to back after becoming champion?

Quote from Spence:

"He's a great fighter but he's getting too much credit for fighting me," Spence Jr told BoxingScene.com

 

[shaz619]

So this excuse that he was chasing the big purse all along is bs when he happily defended his title for peanuts against average domestic talent, Kell has had a number of chances to face Spence he is only facing him now when all options have dried up to duck him without looking bad

 

[shaz619]

More quotes from Spence, he did an interview recently:

“I don’t wanna hear no excuses,” Spence told BoxingScene.com. “If he needs an excuse, he should’ve moved up.” “Most fighters you run into have to lose a lot of weight to make weight,” Spence said. “Nobody walks around at their fight weight. Even me, I’m a big welterweight. Me and Kell Brook are probably the same size. I walked around at 170-plus. I have to drop a lot of weight, too. I don’t see that as a factor at all and I’m not gonna rely on weight drain or him having to lose weight as a factor in the fight.”

 

[Amjid Javed]

Should be a good fight between Spence and Brook, i can see spence winning by late stoppage.

 

[shaz619]

) Say what you want about Angel Garcia but he's a great character the sport could do with, just needs to calm down a little bit at times lol but I do appreciate that old school mentality where you're not just talking smack for the sake of it but because boxing is serious when you step in that ring your opponent is trying to kill you metaphorically speaking so there is no need to sugar coat the sport, it's barbaric and beautiful at the same time. Fair play to Garcia for always stepping up, deserves a lot more credit then he does; they (Danny/Angel) hunted out Thurman he didn't come for them.

 

[shaz619]

Two weeks left !

 

[chacha kashmiri]

The Adrian broner v. Adrian fight looks interesting

Dang , I missed it on twitter live

 

[shaz619]

Khan is rumoured to be in negotiations to face the Pac Man, if the fight is in the next few months it would be a big mistake for him to take it. E.g personal issues, devastating KO loss in his last fight and just had surgery on his hand which has not been tested in the ring; Khan is definitely among the few who are a bit stronger mentally but you just never know in the face of such adversity. However, if he does not take the fight now then there's a chance it will not come again; the Pac Man will want to feast on Khan's issues rather then get in the ring with an Amir which is better prepared.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Khan is rumoured to be in negotiations to face the Pac Man, if the fight is in the next few months it would be a big mistake for him to take it. E.g personal issues, devastating KO loss in his last fight and just had surgery on his hand which has not been tested in the ring; Khan is definitely among the few who are a bit stronger mentally but you just never know in the face of such adversity. However, if he does not take the fight now then there's a chance it will not come again; the Pac Man will want to feast on Khan's issues rather then get in the ring with an Amir which is better prepared.

If offered he will take it , most likely late May as it's Ramadan soon after. This again is a great fight for Khan, if he loses to Pacman, it won't put him into retirement esp since it could end up as an absolute classic bout. He might want to get away from the drama over the last few months and needs to perform really well as many of his fans aren't as excited about him as they once were.

 

[shaz619]

If offered he will take it , most likely late May as it's Ramadan soon after. This again is a great fight for Khan, if he loses to Pacman, it won't put him into retirement esp since it could end up as an absolute classic bout. He might want to get away from the drama over the last few months and needs to perform really well as many of his fans aren't as excited about him as they once were.

True, he will take it without thinking twice; Amir yearns for glory, Pac-Man can be the answer he has worked for since he turned pro as 17 year old. Personally, Amir is a British ATG for me and in the confines of his strengths and weaknesses he has achieved unprecedented success, the hype early on in the UK was unrealistic but that is understandable when you see a bacha make experienced buddeh look like fools on an Olympic stage. However despite all he has achieved, there has been little love from Brits and often he is the subject of great ridicule. Beating Manny would not just cement his greatness as a British fighter, but perhaps the Brits would become a bit more accepting of him.

There's no doubt about it, Manny for me is still the no.1 welter in the world; I watched both his fights recently vs Bradley (he performed even better then he did in the first two fights) and vs Vargas, he may not be the fighter he was in 2009 but he still levels above the likes of your Thurmans, Garcia's, Porters and Kell Brook's. Manny retains power which ought to be respected, he moves well on his feet and while he doesn't create as many angles as he did he can still side-step and catch you, both Vargas and Bradley were dropped, Pac-Man looked a lot sharper then he did vs Floyd where he went into the fight with a shoulder which was hurt. When you put into perspective Manny's prowess as it stands it's a big ask for Khan to defeat him, this is the hallmark of a hall of famer; even past a certain age their skill is enough to compete at the elite level even when the body starts to decline a little bit.

However, styles make fights and if Khan prepares adequately then he can defeat the Pac-Man on points. But in order to achieve this he needs two tune ups to shake of his ring rust, improve in-ring stamina, test out the surgically repaired hand which was operated on last 1/4 of 2016 which has got a bit too much action over the years and ensure he is in the right frame of mind mentally given the personal issues / overcoming the scarring caused by loss to Canelo. If all of these were to happen, Khan has a great camp and Virgin orchestrates a great plan then Manny would not have an answer to Khan's speed who himself has declined physically given the mileage on his body, there's a lot of wear and tear; on top of that there are very few who can control range better then Khan and he's not an easy fighter to win Rounds against. The strength/conditioning would need to be on point to, Alex Ariza use to focus on his legs a lot and ensure a very solid foundation so he would absorb punishment better, his chin is not as bad as it is made out to be but he has become vulnerable to getting hit clean; this can be prevented with improved strength/conditioning.

Notice how Khan slowed down in the fight v Canelo, he was boxing beautifully; the best I had seen him in some time and while the body shots slowed him down he gassed and began to stand in the middle too long instead of moving out of danger.

Unfortunately there's a big chance the fight will happen before Ramadan, these days you need to perform badly to nail the big fights because boxers are only interested in low risk high reward. I remember Floyd v Khan was close to happening and then Khan made Alexander look like he shouldn't have taken up the sport, he was a respected world champion as well, watching that Floyd probably didn't want a piece of Khan. Now Amir was brutally KO'd by Canelo and you combine that with all the issues he's having and you find him in a position where Team Manny are willing to play ball, the sport of boxing is a funny sport.

For Khan though maybe Kell fight would have made him a fair amount, but what he has longed for is respect; Manny from Khan's perspective is worth all the sacrifice and obstacles given the stakes. Manny btw also holds the legitimate lineal welterweight world championship in addition to the WBO world title, Ring Magazine belts have lost a bit of luster since Golden Boy bought the company and allowed for the belt to be won amongst the top 4-5 rather then no.1 and no.2 in the rankings.

Going back to Manny's prowess, since 2005 when Manny lost to Morales there have been three fighters who have been the Pac-Man:

Bradley (very dodgy decision when Manny clearly won, feel Arum did a bit of forgery to ensure he could make money from the rematch)

Marquez (A clean win for Marquez via a KO after losing previous classics in close bouts)

Floyd (Had injured his shoulder but credit to floyd for the win)



It just puts into perspective how big a task it is to defeat a hall of famer like Manny, a win over him is very very rare but such stats make for a sweeter reward if you can manage to beat him.

 

[KingKhanWC]

True, he will take it without thinking twice; Amir yearns for glory, Pac-Man can be the answer he has worked for since he turned pro as 17 year old. Personally, Amir is a British ATG for me and in the confines of his strengths and weaknesses he has achieved unprecedented success, the hype early on in the UK was unrealistic but that is understandable when you see a bacha make experienced buddeh look like fools on an Olympic stage. However despite all he has achieved, there has been little love from Brits and often he is the subject of great ridicule. Beating Manny would not just cement his greatness as a British fighter, but perhaps the Brits would become a bit more accepting of him.

There's no doubt about it, Manny for me is still the no.1 welter in the world; I watched both his fights recently vs Bradley (he performed even better then he did in the first two fights) and vs Vargas, he may not be the fighter he was in 2009 but he still levels above the likes of your Thurmans, Garcia's, Porters and Kell Brook's. Manny retains power which ought to be respected, he moves well on his feet and while he doesn't create as many angles as he did he can still side-step and catch you, both Vargas and Bradley were dropped, Pac-Man looked a lot sharper then he did vs Floyd where he went into the fight with a shoulder which was hurt. When you put into perspective Manny's prowess as it stands it's a big ask for Khan to defeat him, this is the hallmark of a hall of famer; even past a certain age their skill is enough to compete at the elite level even when the body starts to decline a little bit.

However, styles make fights and if Khan prepares adequately then he can defeat the Pac-Man on points. But in order to achieve this he needs two tune ups to shake of his ring rust, improve in-ring stamina, test out the surgically repaired hand which was operated on last 1/4 of 2016 which has got a bit too much action over the years and ensure he is in the right frame of mind mentally given the personal issues / overcoming the scarring caused by loss to Canelo. If all of these were to happen, Khan has a great camp and Virgin orchestrates a great plan then Manny would not have an answer to Khan's speed who himself has declined physically given the mileage on his body, there's a lot of wear and tear; on top of that there are very few who can control range better then Khan and he's not an easy fighter to win Rounds against. The strength/conditioning would need to be on point to, Alex Ariza use to focus on his legs a lot and ensure a very solid foundation so he would absorb punishment better, his chin is not as bad as it is made out to be but he has become vulnerable to getting hit clean; this can be prevented with improved strength/conditioning.

Notice how Khan slowed down in the fight v Canelo, he was boxing beautifully; the best I had seen him in some time and while the body shots slowed him down he gassed and began to stand in the middle too long instead of moving out of danger.

Unfortunately there's a big chance the fight will happen before Ramadan, these days you need to perform badly to nail the big fights because boxers are only interested in low risk high reward. I remember Floyd v Khan was close to happening and then Khan made Alexander look like he shouldn't have taken up the sport, he was a respected world champion as well, watching that Floyd probably didn't want a piece of Khan. Now Amir was brutally KO'd by Canelo and you combine that with all the issues he's having and you find him in a position where Team Manny are willing to play ball, the sport of boxing is a funny sport.

For Khan though maybe Kell fight would have made him a fair amount, but what he has longed for is respect; Manny from Khan's perspective is worth all the sacrifice and obstacles given the stakes. Manny btw also holds the legitimate lineal welterweight world championship in addition to the WBO world title, Ring Magazine belts have lost a bit of luster since Golden Boy bought the company and allowed for the belt to be won amongst the top 4-5 rather then no.1 and no.2 in the rankings.

Going back to Manny's prowess, since 2005 when Manny lost to Morales there have been three fighters who have been the Pac-Man:

Bradley (very dodgy decision when Manny clearly won, feel Arum did a bit of forgery to ensure he could make money from the rematch)

Marquez (A clean win for Marquez via a KO after losing previous classics in close bouts)

Floyd (Had injured his shoulder but credit to floyd for the win)



It just puts into perspective how big a task it is to defeat a hall of famer like Manny, a win over him is very very rare but such stats make for a sweeter reward if you can manage to beat him.

Firstly you have to respect both fighters, never can anyone criticise either boxing of ducking anyone. They both have always wanted the big fights against opponent's who were considered favourites to beat them. Pac got the respect after beating Goldenboy even though imo he should have been respected much before esp after his fights against the other Mexicans. I can understand why the beating of Oscar giving him high praise, even though Oscar was arguably past his best, he was still a brilliant fighter, had the reach over Pac and also had the home crowd. I think it's fair to say Oscar was at one point one of the most popular fighters in the world, charisma, looks and a never die attitude. So to not only win against this champion but to teach him a boxing lesson was such a great sight for any real boxing fan, I remember being in awe, thinking Manny could end up being one of the top 5 greatest of all time. Thing with Manny is he sounds so gentle, he's a very religious guy, family man, gives to people as much as he can, never arrogant at all but in the ring he is a total machine, well oiled with incredible range of shots and combinations.

Let's be honest at his peak Amir would have no chance at all but now that Pacman has the mileage , Khan has a very good chance of beating him on points and by a decent margin if he boxes at range and with ring intellect. For me has to weather the early storm, Manny will come out all guns blazing, looking to shake up Khan with some clean shots to the head and body. It's fascinating as both used to spar together so have a little experience of each others skills and ability. For this reason I'm sure Manny won't want to allow Khan to settle and find his range. The amazing thing about Pac is he is always on the front foot, even against those who are getting the better of him with their range or with the power, he won't fall back looking to counter much. His countering style is such he can move forward and counter if he wants to, not many fighters have this ability, not many that I have seen anyway.

It's going to be a classic imo and I hope they do fight in Dubai as I really want to see this one live. Can't take the risk of trying to get to Vegas with Trump atm lo.

 

[shaz619]

Firstly you have to respect both fighters, never can anyone criticise either boxing of ducking anyone. They both have always wanted the big fights against opponent's who were considered favourites to beat them. Pac got the respect after beating Goldenboy even though imo he should have been respected much before esp after his fights against the other Mexicans. I can understand why the beating of Oscar giving him high praise, even though Oscar was arguably past his best, he was still a brilliant fighter, had the reach over Pac and also had the home crowd. I think it's fair to say Oscar was at one point one of the most popular fighters in the world, charisma, looks and a never die attitude. So to not only win against this champion but to teach him a boxing lesson was such a great sight for any real boxing fan, I remember being in awe, thinking Manny could end up being one of the top 5 greatest of all time. Thing with Manny is he sounds so gentle, he's a very religious guy, family man, gives to people as much as he can, never arrogant at all but in the ring he is a total machine, well oiled with incredible range of shots and combinations.

Let's be honest at his peak Amir would have no chance at all but now that Pacman has the mileage , Khan has a very good chance of beating him on points and by a decent margin if he boxes at range and with ring intellect. For me has to weather the early storm, Manny will come out all guns blazing, looking to shake up Khan with some clean shots to the head and body. It's fascinating as both used to spar together so have a little experience of each others skills and ability. For this reason I'm sure Manny won't want to allow Khan to settle and find his range. The amazing thing about Pac is he is always on the front foot, even against those who are getting the better of him with their range or with the power, he won't fall back looking to counter much. His countering style is such he can move forward and counter if he wants to, not many fighters have this ability, not many that I have seen anyway.

It's going to be a classic imo and I hope they do fight in Dubai as I really want to see this one live. Can't take the risk of trying to get to Vegas with Trump atm lo.

True, throughout their careers they have refused to pad their records or hold world titles hostage whilst refusing to hunt the big names; you got to respect that and their desire to be the best the old fashioned way. Manny was always very popular in the early 2000's I'd say, Nas paved the way for the lower weights to shine and the fans began to appreciate the classic fights they put on consistently whilst facing the best; and in that time period Manny was ranked by many publications as the no.1 P4P best in the world. I do agree that the Oscar win made him a mainstream phenomena, no one expected a guy who fought at 129 pounds to pummel a fighter who was naturally bigger although it has to be said that on fight night Manny weighed more then Oscar, people also forget that Oscar gave his greatest performance vs Floyd a year earlier but in his own words after the fight Oscar said "Sometimes the heart wants to fight but the physical doesn't respond" I think he had lost it mentally when it came to his desire to fight. Yeah in that moment I believe Oscar was the wealthiest boxer in history and the biggest draw in the sport ever before being taken over by Floyd eventually.

I totally agree, Manny was my favourite fighter even younger I'd stay up late to watch his fights and normally I'd only do that with WWE at times lol tbh am not sure even Floyd would beat a prime Manny, I'd expect Khan to fair better then Hatton did but inevitably be stopped. But at the same time when we look at how good Manny was we sought of underrate what he is right now which is an elite fighter who can beat any of the top names, Khan may have a better chance now but that's not to say he'd be the favourite going in imo; I've given a lot of respect to Manny due to what he has achieved in his career but also due to his recent performances, looks great! watch his fights vs Bradley/Vargas. I can see Khan beating Manny if he prepares as well as I said in me previous post, in May I can see it being an entertaining potential Fight of the Year Candidate but Manny will win. What made that pressure even more lethal in the past was the scary footwork and angles he'd create; it's almost as if Manny would hit you from every direction he is still effective and relies on his experience, sets traps and is patient, but like you say always comes forward.

True, if you were friends with PM of Britain you may be able to get in I remember Amir had to fight Maidana or Peterson but his paperwork was rejected, one call to David Cameron sorted him out and the fight took place. If the fight is in the UK I will probably go to it, there has been talk of holding it in our country as well although Dubai is the favourite if the folk there can provide the sums which they have put on the table. I guess for Amir it would be the closest thing to fighting in Pakistan, he'd get more support there then ever; would be bit like the adulation Ali got in Kinshasa lol Amir Bomaye!

 

[Belawal2014]

[MENTION=46929]shaz619[/MENTION] April 23rd is confirmed for Khan v Pacman.

 

[shaz619]

[MENTION=46929]shaz619[/MENTION] April 23rd is confirmed for Khan v Pacman.

As me and [MENTION=43583]KingKhanWC[/MENTION] expected the fight has been made for April and one which Khan was not going to refuse because it was his best chance of getting Manny to step in the ring with him on the back drop of his surgery, previous KO loss scarring and various personal issues; if the fight was in November and Khan had a tune up fight or two I'd have him as a favourite going into a bout. But in April Manny will exploit all the issues he has.

It's definitely an exciting fight no doubt and probably the biggest of the year for me although am incredibly hyped for Garcia/Thurman next week

 

[shaz619]

[MENTION=1080]miandadrules[/MENTION] Khan/Manny is confirmed for April 23rd who do you have as the winner and does Khan have a chance? also what is your prediction for Garcia/Thurman? the fight is next week can't wait!

 

[shaz619]

Man what a year for 147 lb division! it's almost like a super 6 tournament:

Kelly Brook v Errol Spence IBF world title
Garcia v Thurman WBC and WBA world title
Amir Khan v Pac Man WBO world title

How delightful !

All fighters are ranked in the top 10 at 147, quality fights.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

If it goes the distance this is gonna be one hell of a fight.

 

[shaz619]

If it goes the distance this is gonna be one hell of a fight.

Will be exciting while it lasts and a potential FOTY candidate, late stoppage for Manny I reckon after Khan gets up from a couple of knock downs

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Will be exciting while it lasts and a potential FOTY candidate, late stoppage for Manny I reckon after Khan gets up from a couple of knock downs

After seeing khan's much improved defense against canelo I believe he can go the distance.

 

[shaz619]

After seeing khan's much improved defense against canelo I believe he can go the distance.

If it were to go the distance then Amir wins, he's very hard to win rounds against and outbox. I'd actually pick Khan as the winner were the fight in November, but with all the issues he has had, last fight being a KO loss potential scarring, inactivity and recent hand surgery I can't see him winning. This is why Manny has taken the fight and why Khan has accepted even if it is at a short notice with only 8 weeks to prepare, Khan only went into camp 2 weeks ago.

Khan will have to fight real dirty and do whatever necessary to win, hold, not afraid to clinch etc, push Manny back and use the jab continuously to keep him off at distance. There is only so much Virgil can improve when it comes to a fighter who has a naturally aggressive style but the promising changes I've seen is that Amir is a bit more patient and will not indulge in a mindless tear up and will hold. He doesn't move his head much though and has a tendency to stay in the pocket too long at times, plus the footwork is not as great as it once was so his dominance in the range department can be hindered also due to fitness.

What is your prediction for the fight? and are you watching Garcia/Thurman next week? I didn't realise you were a boxing fan

 

[shaz619]

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/b...han-manny-pacquiao-fight-23-april-eddie-hearn

"In what looks a coordinated social media announcement designed to bypass respective advisers Amir Khan and Manny Pacquiao are telling the boxing world they are happy to fight each other on 23 April, five years after their last sparring sessions in the Los Angeles Wild Card gym of Freddie Roach.

It is not “a done deal”, as some are claiming, because they have yet to bring together Pacquiao’s contract lawyer, Michael Koncz, and his promoter, Bob Arum, which lately has been like docking the royal yacht in Camden Lock.

However, as the fighters tweeted within a couple of hours of each other in the early hours of Sunday morning UK time, they have “agreed terms”. Certainly they are in a good place to finish off the bargaining over money – which ought to drift north of £10m each – and settling on one of three designated venues: Bolton, the United States or the Middle East – which offers quite a cultural range of options.

It is a fight that should have happened long before this, although nothing is straightforward in the fight game. Pacquiao had to wait more than five years to get Floyd Mayweather Jr in the ring and he suffered for the delay when the best defensive boxer of the past quarter of a century outpointed him over 12 rounds in 2015.

The notion that Khan – whose defence leaks like Swansea City’s on a bad day – might similarly benefit by catching the 38-year-old Filipino at the right time near the end of his illustrious career is not as clearcut.

Khan has issues, for a start, not the least of them his devastating knockout defeat on his last fight 10 months ago, to Saúl Álvarez at 155lbs, his third bad stoppage in 35 fights over 12 years of high-grade campaigning. He said in his faraway youth he could envisage retiring at 27. That deadline came and went three years ago.

The lure is still strong – but he needed surgery on his right hand after the Álvarez fight and, as well as the physical and psychological bruises he has accumulated, by the time he fights Pacquiao, he will have 13 months of ring rust to shed. Pacquiao, meanwhile, fought twice in 2016, comfortably outpointing Tim Bradley and, in November, Jesse Vargas.

Nevertheless, if it happens, this fight will be a major event – although there is no guarantee it will be in the UK, given 23 April is a Sunday. If Arum has his way, they will cash in on a $38m pot being offered in the United Arab Emirates – although there have been more broken promises for big fights in that region than even Naseem Hamed and Chris Eubank conjured up in their prime.

“There’s a couple of locations we’re looking at,” Khan said on Snapchat. “One is UK, one is Dubai and one is in the USA. We should find out in the next couple of days. The fight is going to be for the WBO [welterweight] title and it’s a fight I know I can win. I know a lot about Manny Pacquiao.”

Over on Twitter Pacquiao was telling his followers: “Negotiations between team Pacquiao and team Khan have come to terms for the April 23 bout as this is what the fans wanted.”

For someone whose last appearance in a boxing ring was worryingly horizontal Khan probably did not need to do much hard talking to persuade Pacquiao to shelve another April fight he had agreed to: against the former schoolteacher from Queensland, Jeff Horn.

When Eddie Hearn offered Khan what would have been a major payday against Kell Brook, the Bolton fighter said he would need a tune-up to get ready – and then rejected Hearn’s proposal anyway. Hearn last week described as “incorrect” the initial rumours that Khan-Pacquiao would happen. On Sunday Khan landed a farewell blow on a promoter with whom he has not had the warmest relationship.

“I think Mr Eddie Hearn doesn’t know what he’s on about when he said the fight is not going to happen,” Khan said. “I don’t think Eddie even speaks to Bob Arum to quote the fight between [me] and Manny Pacquiao is impossible. So Eddie stop hating, keep your quotes to yourself and the fight between me and Manny Pacquiao is happening.”

Khan would seem to regard the risk against Pacquiao as more lucrative than taking on Brook – and perhaps less injurious to his career prospects. If he loses again to a legend he might just be able to parlay a fight with his Sheffield rival – providing Brook beats the mandated challenger for his version of the welterweight title, the estimable American, Errol Spence.

But that bout, like Khan-Pacquiao, is agreed but not inked. One of the cast-iron truths of boxing is do not believe a fight is happening until the first blow lands – and even then look twice."

Some key points from an opinion piece which put the fight into perspective in terms of Khan's chances for me

 

[Chief Destroyer]

If it were to go the distance then Amir wins, he's very hard to win rounds against and outbox. I'd actually pick Khan as the winner were the fight in November, but with all the issues he has had, last fight being a KO loss potential scarring, inactivity and recent hand surgery I can't see him winning. This is why Manny has taken the fight and why Khan has accepted even if it is at a short notice with only 8 weeks to prepare, Khan only went into camp 2 weeks ago.

Khan will have to fight real dirty and do whatever necessary to win, hold, not afraid to clinch etc, push Manny back and use the jab continuously to keep him off at distance. There is only so much Virgil can improve when it comes to a fighter who has a naturally aggressive style but the promising changes I've seen is that Amir is a bit more patient and will not indulge in a mindless tear up and will hold. He doesn't move his head much though and has a tendency to stay in the pocket too long at times, plus the footwork is not as great as it once was so his dominance in the range department can be hindered also due to fitness.

What is your prediction for the fight? and are you watching Garcia/Thurman next week? I didn't realise you were a boxing fan

Manny is probably the only guy who can go toe to toe with Amir when it comes to flat out speed but Amir wins on length. I don't think hit footwork has regressed at all. He was moving exceptionally well against Canelo. He's a more composed fighter now and evaluates the situation better thus better at conserving energy when it's not necessary to run around which probably gives the impression he has slowed down. He was a bit wild in his early days.

Virgil doesn't really have to change much physically. Amir's problems are mental and the more he stays with Virgil the more he learns. His natural gifts make up for his flaws. Amir doesn't have to move his head much, there's hardly anyone who can keep up with him. He should be dictating the terms at all times. The more he's able to read his opponent the slower everything becomes for him and he will be in complete control.

With Virgil, he's been learning to adapt to different styles at different stages of the fight and executing, so far I've only seen improvement in Amir's game. He looked a million bucks before getting caught. Best I've seen him. I expect him to build on what he showed last fight. Since he's gonna be dropping in weight, not only will he feel lighter, he now knows what a punch from middleweight feels like. Not only against Canelo but all the sparring he did prior.

Difficult to say, Pacman likely wins either way but I won't be surprised if Amir takes it to 12.

I got Thurman in that one. Garcia is too slow and doesn't read half as well as Thurman does.

Brook v Spence is going to be a boxing lesson but Brook probably survives the 12. Spence is a baaad man. Dangerous fighter.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

It's unfortunate Amir didn't get his dad's big face lol. He'd be a force if he did.

 

[miandadrules]

[MENTION=1080]miandadrules[/MENTION] Khan/Manny is confirmed for April 23rd who do you have as the winner and does Khan have a chance? also what is your prediction for Garcia/Thurman? the fight is next week can't wait!

Can't see Khan winning, unfortunately. He simply doesn't have the versatility to outbox Manny.

I know many people believe that Khan has exceptional boxing skills but I strongly disagree. He throws the same combination over and over, regardless of the situation or if there is even an opening. I've always maintained from the time he made his debut that the most important thing was to develop his ring IQ and skills and to build him slowly. I would have turned him pro under Jimmy Tibbs and then brought in Manny Steward or even Naazim Richardson.

However, his management just cared for the quick buck and went with Oliver Harrison (who I know personally and is a great guy but he is no Tibbs or Steward).

I expect this fight to go like every other Khan fight. He'll start fast and by the third he'll start to slow as Manny gets to him. Though I don't think Manny will be particularly ruthless but it will be a stretch if it goes past 8. Khan is fortunate that Manny isn't the buzzsaw he was in his prime.

I also have no faith in Virgil Hunter formulating even a half effective plan.

On a side note I hope Khan retires after this. I'm not a fan of his but the number of concussions, let alone brutal knock outs he has suffered indicate he is going to experience some neurological deficit probably sooner than later.

I still haven't had a chance to see a Thurman fight yet so I can't comment. I've been to four different continents in the last six weeks and I fly out to Tokyo on Tuesday and I'm not sure I'll be able to watch the fight there. I'm hoping to download it and watch it on the plane ride home.

 

[Amjid Javed]

The key to the Khan vs Pacman fight will be does Pacman still have the power to get KO wins, something he hasnt done for quite a few years. So to me unless Pacman can KO khan then he will otherwise get outboxed. Should be a good fight though.

 

[miandadrules]

The key to the Khan vs Pacman fight will be does Pacman still have the power to get KO wins, something he hasnt done for quite a few years. So to me unless Pacman can KO khan then he will otherwise get outboxed. Should be a good fight though.

I disagree.

It wouldn't surprise me if PAC wins on points. Khan lacks the versatility to outbox Pac over 12. He won't adapt even to the slightest adjustments Pax makes.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

After seeing khan's much improved defense against canelo I believe he can go the distance.

His improvement in defence really wasn't much more than keeping his gloves up when he's not throwing punches, or attempting to hold when he does get hit rather than trying to go toe to toe. For someone with his hand speed and reach, Khan shouldn't really be getting hit much at all. But when he's been caught it's often when he's throwing a punch himself like in the Canelo fight.

I just don't think Khan's got either the temperament or patience to win a fight from the outside, which is what he would need to do to win a fight over 12 rounds. I'm not even sure he's got the fitness any more, he was slowing considerably after the first few rounds in his last fight. Still an interesting fight though considering Manny is also past his best.

 

[shaz619]

Can't see Khan winning, unfortunately. He simply doesn't have the versatility to outbox Manny.

I know many people believe that Khan has exceptional boxing skills but I strongly disagree. He throws the same combination over and over, regardless of the situation or if there is even an opening. I've always maintained from the time he made his debut that the most important thing was to develop his ring IQ and skills and to build him slowly. I would have turned him pro under Jimmy Tibbs and then brought in Manny Steward or even Naazim Richardson.

However, his management just cared for the quick buck and went with Oliver Harrison (who I know personally and is a great guy but he is no Tibbs or Steward).

I expect this fight to go like every other Khan fight. He'll start fast and by the third he'll start to slow as Manny gets to him. Though I don't think Manny will be particularly ruthless but it will be a stretch if it goes past 8. Khan is fortunate that Manny isn't the buzzsaw he was in his prime.

I also have no faith in Virgil Hunter formulating even a half effective plan.

On a side note I hope Khan retires after this. I'm not a fan of his but the number of concussions, let alone brutal knock outs he has suffered indicate he is going to experience some neurological deficit probably sooner than later.

I still haven't had a chance to see a Thurman fight yet so I can't comment. I've been to four different continents in the last six weeks and I fly out to Tokyo on Tuesday and I'm not sure I'll be able to watch the fight there. I'm hoping to download it and watch it on the plane ride home.

I totally agree with you there, his in-ring IQ is not of a high calibre in that sense but what most advocate is the fact that he's not the easiest cat to win rounds against given his raw talent in terms of the hand speed and footwork given his solid amateur/olympic pedigree. But if you take away natural gifts then Khan would probably struggle. Those coach's would have been excellent, I think that were it not for the hype after he won an olympic medal as a 17 year old perhaps smarter decisions would have been made as far as his career was concerned.

Virgil has made some decent tweaks but nothing drastic, he gets too much credit for being Andre Ward's trainer; I don't really see him as a defensive specialist.

That's an interesting point which I've thought about as of late, what would you say is more damaging; 6-12 round wars where fighters absorb an accumulation of punches or fights where the fighter doesn't get hit as much but is taken out by a very brutal single punch KO. However, no doubt; they do effect you immensely and Khan probably should retire, he has a lot of wear/tear and physically/psychologically I think he is done having made his debut as a 17 year old. Problem is while Khan has had a decent career he yearns for that big career defining win and I feel he will continue for that reason. After Tyson and Nas retired Khan has been one of my favourite fighters who I enjoyed watching, never seen him in a fight which wasn't exciting; other then him I loved Carl Froch and Manny whom I'd stay up to watch in the early hours.

Manny may be past his absolute prime but he's still an elite fighter, many people have not watched his fights against Timothy Bradley and Vargas in 2016 but having seen them they indicate to me he's got a fair amount left in the tank and has a very big chance of beating the top welters at 147.

Here's a video of Porter v Thurman, it's not the best quality but watchable; otherwise a better quality could be downloaded from somewhere.

 

[shaz619]

His improvement in defence really wasn't much more than keeping his gloves up when he's not throwing punches, or attempting to hold when he does get hit rather than trying to go toe to toe. For someone with his hand speed and reach, Khan shouldn't really be getting hit much at all. But when he's been caught it's often when he's throwing a punch himself like in the Canelo fight.

I just don't think Khan's got either the temperament or patience to win a fight from the outside, which is what he would need to do to win a fight over 12 rounds. I'm not even sure he's got the fitness any more, he was slowing considerably after the first few rounds in his last fight. Still an interesting fight though considering Manny is also past his best.

I'd say his greatest performance was vs Kotelnik where he did just that, Kotelnik is no mug but is often forgotten given his early retirement and not being a name, he was a silver medalist at the Olympics who became world champion and just had enough with the sport when he was screwed by the judges when they gave Devon Alexander the decision; he should have been a unified world champion that night. Other then that fight Amir controlled range beautifully vs maidana but in the late rounds lost the plot and took a beating.

At this stage of his career he doesn't have the fitness to stay out the pocket for 12 rounds and there are a lot of miles on his body to, he has been inactive for a year in addition to everything else and all the other issues mentioned

 

[shaz619]

Manny is probably the only guy who can go toe to toe with Amir when it comes to flat out speed but Amir wins on length. I don't think hit footwork has regressed at all. He was moving exceptionally well against Canelo. He's a more composed fighter now and evaluates the situation better thus better at conserving energy when it's not necessary to run around which probably gives the impression he has slowed down. He was a bit wild in his early days.

Virgil doesn't really have to change much physically. Amir's problems are mental and the more he stays with Virgil the more he learns. His natural gifts make up for his flaws. Amir doesn't have to move his head much, there's hardly anyone who can keep up with him. He should be dictating the terms at all times. The more he's able to read his opponent the slower everything becomes for him and he will be in complete control.

With Virgil, he's been learning to adapt to different styles at different stages of the fight and executing, so far I've only seen improvement in Amir's game. He looked a million bucks before getting caught. Best I've seen him. I expect him to build on what he showed last fight. Since he's gonna be dropping in weight, not only will he feel lighter, he now knows what a punch from middleweight feels like. Not only against Canelo but all the sparring he did prior.

Difficult to say, Pacman likely wins either way but I won't be surprised if Amir takes it to 12.

I got Thurman in that one. Garcia is too slow and doesn't read half as well as Thurman does.

Brook v Spence is going to be a boxing lesson but Brook probably survives the 12. Spence is a baaad man. Dangerous fighter.

Algeri has been in the ring with both men and he said they are arguably as quick as each other Amir/Manny. The thing is, Amir is a very linear fighter so the length is neutralised vs the Pac-Man and as miandad mentioned his combinations are very one dimensional; Manny is a very tricky opponent given that even at his age he punches from various angles which you do not see coming, that is something which Amir will find very challenging. I agree with you that based on Amir's recent performance he did look good up until that KO, he controlled the pace beautifully, had a command over range and wasn't as wild, kept his hands up, was more composed and was making better decisions with regards to his shots; but then Canelo adjusted, began to find his range, Khan would begin to slow down and Canelo would add to that with the body shots and BOOM! a counter Khan did not see coming.

While it can be argued that he is an improved fighter in certain aspects based on the performance vs Canelo I question his fitness, you can say that perhaps his footwork has not regressed; but can he keep that up for 12 rounds? this is why I say the head movement is vital but it's not something which Khan has been able to do throughout his career, his biggest assets have been the speed and feet; maybe against other fighters his natural gifts can help override the flaws but against someone like Manny everything will need to be on point including his in-ring generalship.

Mind you he has not fought for a year, hand surgery, personal issues and no tune ups to take away the ring rust from the scarring of KO loss vs Canelo and just improve that stamina in general; if the fight is to go ahead on April then he has only 8 weeks! Manny on the other hand looked exceptional in 2016 vs Bradley and Vargas.

Garcia is a little underrated, I got a feeling he will surprise us; my only question mark with him is the weight, am not sure how his body will react to being at 147 but if were not to factor that in then on the surface his is an excellent fighter with counter-punching skills which are not given as much respect and that plays into his hands on fight night. Yeah Spence is a scary scary fighter but this is a big step up and one has to wonder if it has come a bit too early for him.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Algeri has been in the ring with both men and he said they are arguably as quick as each other Amir/Manny. The thing is, Amir is a very linear fighter so the length is neutralised vs the Pac-Man and as miandad mentioned his combinations are very one dimensional; Manny is a very tricky opponent given that even at his age he punches from various angles which you do not see coming, that is something which Amir will find very challenging. I agree with you that based on Amir's recent performance he did look good up until that KO, he controlled the pace beautifully, had a command over range and wasn't as wild, kept his hands up, was more composed and was making better decisions with regards to his shots; but then Canelo adjusted, began to find his range, Khan would begin to slow down and Canelo would add to that with the body shots and BOOM! a counter Khan did not see coming.

While it can be argued that he is an improved fighter in certain aspects based on the performance vs Canelo I question his fitness, you can say that perhaps his footwork has not regressed; but can he keep that up for 12 rounds? this is why I say the head movement is vital but it's not something which Khan has been able to do throughout his career, his biggest assets have been the speed and feet; maybe against other fighters his natural gifts can help override the flaws but against someone like Manny everything will need to be on point including his in-ring generalship.

Mind you he has not fought for a year, hand surgery, personal issues and no tune ups to take away the ring rust from the scarring of KO loss vs Canelo and just improve that stamina in general; if the fight is to go ahead on April then he has only 8 weeks! Manny on the other hand looked exceptional in 2016 vs Bradley and Vargas.

Garcia is a little underrated, I got a feeling he will surprise us; my only question mark with him is the weight, am not sure how his body will react to being at 147 but if were not to factor that in then on the surface his is an excellent fighter with counter-punching skills which are not given as much respect and that plays into his hands on fight night. Yeah Spence is a scary scary fighter but this is a big step up and one has to wonder if it has come a bit too early for him.

I don't disagree. Regarding their speed, I'd say Amir is more explosive that he pulls off quick combos faster but Manny is a relentless machine.

Any boxer who can make Floyd quit a sparring session is ready. He's extremely poised. Never gets ahead of himself.

 

[shaz619]

I don't disagree. Regarding their speed, I'd say Amir is more explosive that he pulls off quick combos faster but Manny is a relentless machine.

Any boxer who can make Floyd quit a sparring session is ready. He's extremely poised. Never gets ahead of himself.

I really want Amir to win and was hoping someone would counter all me arguments regarding why he is going to lose emphatically to give me a bit of hope Love both fighters so in a way I can't really lose, Manny has not KO'd anyone for years so if he wins in such a fashion it would be a great highlight for him but hopefully Amir isn't hurt so bad if the fight ends that way.

Yeah Manny is crazy, I had a few doubts myself after the floyd fight but man did he proved me wrong with his best performance vs Bradley in their trilogy and then just dominated the younger fighter in Vargas who is a decent top 10 welter. You should check out both those fights, made for great viewing; would also show you watch Amir will be up against

 

[Chief Destroyer]

I really want Amir to win and was hoping someone would counter all me arguments regarding why he is going to lose emphatically to give me a bit of hope Love both fighters so in a way I can't really lose, Manny has not KO'd anyone for years so if he wins in such a fashion it would be a great highlight for him but hopefully Amir isn't hurt so bad if the fight ends that way.

Yeah Manny is crazy, I had a few doubts myself after the floyd fight but man did he proved me wrong with his best performance vs Bradley in their trilogy and then just dominated the younger fighter in Vargas who is a decent top 10 welter. You should check out both those fights, made for great viewing; would also show you watch Amir will be up against

I watched the Bradley fight, didn't watch Vargas. Not the prime Manny but he's still got it.

 

[shaz619]

I watched the Bradley fight, didn't watch Vargas. Not the prime Manny but he's still got it.

Agree with that, I still see this version beating Thurman, Garcia , Spence and Brook. Joshua v Wladmir, who you got? it is sought of hard to call and 50/50 in a way but am edging towards Joshua given that am not sure what to expect from Klitchko given his age and inactivity Joshua has the advantage over him in that sense.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Agree with that, I still see this version beating Thurman, Garcia , Spence and Brook. Joshua v Wladmir, who you got? it is sought of hard to call and 50/50 in a way but am edging towards Joshua given that am not sure what to expect from Klitchko given his age and inactivity Joshua has the advantage over him in that sense.

Haven't followed the heavyweight division much lately but I will be rooting for Brother Joshua.

 

[shaz619]

Haven't followed the heavyweight division much lately but I will be rooting for Brother Joshua.

Am just hoping for a really entertaining fight, think it will end in a stoppage

Also an interesting stat, out of the 48% who emphatically voted in favour of Khan to face Manny in a four way poll; 86.4% of the voters were from America! [MENTION=131867]London_Lahori[/MENTION] [MENTION=43583]KingKhanWC[/MENTION]

The Khan fight is scheduled for May 20th in UAE (on a Saturday), will be live from America on the 19th during a Friday, I think it should still do a decent buyrate but a lot of people tend to have a night out on a Friday so am unsure how it will go down in the US but here in the UK we've been use to watching a big fight on a Friday in the past.

That poll seemed to have been very influential in Amir getting the fight according to Manny's promoter, it should also put the doubts to rest in terms of those who questioned Khan's popularity in America and how respected he is there, the mecca of boxing.

 

[shaz619]

http://www.boxingscene.com/ricky-hatton-i-think-pacquiao-too-much-khan--114109

Ricky Hatton: I Think Pacquiao Will Have Too Much For Khan

"Manny has seen better days but I think he might still have a bit too much for him [Khan]," Hatton told Business Insider. "I hope I am wrong but Amir is coming off a heavy knockout defeat and that's his third heavy knock out. There are only so many times you can come back from [the] brutal knockouts Amir has had."

 

[London_Lahori]

Am just hoping for a really entertaining fight, think it will end in a stoppage

Also an interesting stat, out of the 48% who emphatically voted in favour of Khan to face Manny in a four way poll; 86.4% of the voters were from America! [MENTION=131867]London_Lahori[/MENTION] [MENTION=43583]KingKhanWC[/MENTION]

The Khan fight is scheduled for May 20th in UAE (on a Saturday), will be live from America on the 19th during a Friday, I think it should still do a decent buyrate but a lot of people tend to have a night out on a Friday so am unsure how it will go down in the US but here in the UK we've been use to watching a big fight on a Friday in the past.

That poll seemed to have been very influential in Amir getting the fight according to Manny's promoter, it should also put the doubts to rest in terms of those who questioned Khan's popularity in America and how respected he is there, the mecca of boxing.

Just wonder what time it will be in the UK.

 

[shaz619]

FIGHT WEEKEND IS HERE!!!!! HYPED

Top fights to see for those who do not watch the under-card bouts:

Keith "ONE TIME" Thurman vs Danny "SWIFT" Garcia for the UNIFIED WORLD WBA/WBA WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Tony " THE BOMBER" Bellew vs David "THE HAYEMAKER" Haye in a Heavyweight bout

My Predictions

Bellew will give a better account of himself then expected but will be inevitably stopped.

Danny Garcia will become the unified world welterweight champion.

 

[shaz619]

FIGHT WEEKEND IS HERE!!!!! HYPED

Top fights to see for those who do not watch the under-card bouts:

Keith "ONE TIME" Thurman vs Danny "SWIFT" Garcia for the UNIFIED WORLD WBA/WBA WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Tony " THE BOMBER" Bellew vs David "THE HAYEMAKER" Haye in a Heavyweight bout

My Predictions

Bellew will give a better account of himself then expected but will be inevitably stopped.

Danny Garcia will become the unified world welterweight champion.

50% of the prediction was right

Looking at the fight a bit more objectively now rather then based on reputation I could see Bellew winning (weight was a bit overblown to when Tony fought as a heavyweight in the ABA's), I felt he'd have a chance if it went past 6 but never would I put money on that happening. Haye suffered an injury mid way through this fight but credit to Bellew and it just goes to show that Haye is past his prime and the fitness is just not there anymore, in his 30's the man has become very injury prone and when you're inactive in top level fights for about 4 years you ought to struggle immensely. He feels he has a bit to prove but for me he has achieved so much as a fighter and there is no need to continue plus he does't need the money.

Bellew did not lose his cool, boxed beautifully off his back foot and threw punches linearly; simple stuff and with a bit of patience he picked his moments and allowed Haye to self destruct before going in for the kill. He looked great at the weight, I feel he can be competitive at HW although not sure if he'd win a world title; think he'd definitely have the potential to beat the likes of Hughie Fury, Joseph Parker and give Joshua a good fight as well. He has spoken of retiring so I feel like he could be done in 2-3 more fights with him having a young family.

 

[shaz619]

Great fight between Thurman/Garcia, Thurman's work-rate was excellent to start off with and his footwork was brilliant; Danny would adjust and come on stronger as the fight went on and although it was close felt he did enough to nick the decision. Thurman however ends up winning the fight on 2 of the judges scorecards via a split decision to become the unified world champion at 147, congrats to him.

 

[in_cutter]

Great fight between Thurman/Garcia, Thurman's work-rate was excellent to start off with and his footwork was brilliant; Danny would adjust and come on stronger as the fight went on and although it was close felt he did enough to nick the decision. Thurman however ends up winning the fight on 2 of the judges scorecards via a split decision to become the unified world champion at 147, congrats to him.

I thought both boxers went in half hearted. Danny was too flat footed, Thurman looked classy.