Boxing

[RichC]

Khans response, tough to really know who to believe at the moment; so much bull**** in this sport although I can't quite believe he didn't know he's rated by the IBF

That's bull****. That's the first I've heard of that. My advisor hasn't said anything about that. It's funny how Eddie Hearn is saying that I'm not taking the fight with Bradley when everyone knows a Bradley fight is what I always wanted. I wanted the fight with Bradley a long, long time ago," stated former world champion Amir Khan, who disputed a claim by promoter Eddie Hearn that he turned down an opportunity to face former welterweight champion Timothy Bradley in an IBF eliminator to determine Kell Brook's next mandatory challenger. According to Khan, who wasn't even aware that he was ranked by the IBF, he was never notitified about a potential fight with Bradley.

"I think Eddie Hearns is just trying to put me down by saying, 'Look, he's saying he wants to fight these top guys, but he's not fighting them.' I mean, we just can't get them made. Like I said, Cotto was one and Broner was another one. I mean, I wouldn't be mentioning these names if I didn't want to fight them. The reason I mentioned them is because I want to fight them. I'm not even on the IBF route. I'm high up on the WBA and the WBC route. This is the first I've heard of the IBF route, so I think he's talking **** there. That fight wasn't even offered to me," Khan explained during a recent conversation with FightHype.com. "I got no notice from the IBF and my advisor has never said to me that I have to fight Tim Bradley in an eliminator. That's bull****. They're just trying to make me look bad. That fight's never been offered to me."

http://www.fighthype.com/news/article19917.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

[spud_gun]

I wouldn't believe Eddie Hearn if he were to tell me that water is wet.

[marcus50bucks]

Think Khan knows he's picked the wrong fight as you say from the media backlash,i think he should go for the Kelly Brook fight but if he has a change of opponent now then he'll pick Broner,i feel if he loses to Brook it will be too big a loss for him and will loose credibility state side.Khans just biding his time and staying away from big fights until he can meet either Pacquiao or Mayweather

Probably been reading this thread and then sobbing softly


He has been having the piss taken out of him in America over his choice of opponent and words like "Protected", "Avoiding" "Overrated" "No surprise" are being used.


One commentator came out with a comments about how Khan has been talking about beating the best guys for more than half a decade but has managed to avoid stepping into to the ring with any of them during that time.


Am sure there will be a bit of a media campaign by Khan's people to ensure that some Khan friendly mouth pieces try to talk him up on air, but it does appear that him going after yet another low risk and light hitting opponent (not to mention the fact it is another opponent who normally competes in the division below Khan) has done a bit of damage to his US reputation.

I'm interested to see what he has to say for himself if he decides not to go ahead with the Algieri fight.

[spud_gun]

Can we stop calling Kell Brook Kelly Brook. Please

His name isn't Kelly.

[Doc_Piptorious]

I wouldn't believe Eddie Hearn if he were to tell me that water is wet.

True but then again Khan is pretty good at bull**** as well as seen by his current attempts to claim that his next opponent has not been decided upon despite Khan himself being in a video talking about how Algieri is his next opponent.


But if Khan is now coming out and claiming that Bradley is a fighter he really wants to get in the ring with and if he is claiming that he does not have his next opponent lined up, then he should simply issue a formal challenge to Bradley to meet him in June.

[marcus50bucks]

True but then again Khan is pretty good at bull**** as well as seen by his current attempts to claim that his next opponent has not been decided upon despite Khan himself being in a video talking about how Algieri is his next opponent.


But if Khan is now coming out and claiming that Bradley is a fighter he really wants to get in the ring with and if he is claiming that he does not have his next opponent lined up, then he should simply issue a formal challenge to Bradley to meet him in June.

[Doc_Piptorious]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/oth...ack-fight.html

Kevin Johnson is decent choice opponent for Joshua in my eyes. He is a step up on anyone Joshua has fought to date.

Johnson really should not be able to beat any good up and coming prospect, but he is technically sound, has a good defence, and is the kind of guy who in losing can still manage to go the distance.

He is also a light enough hitter (by heavyweight standards that is) and as such is a guy who likes spoil and fight in a very defensive manner.


In terms of some of Johnson's recent losses, Chisora could not stop him last year and Fury could not stop him less than two and a half years ago.

If Joshua can get a stoppage win against Johnson, even a 35yo Johnson, then he will have done something that nobody else has managed to do to Johnson in any of his six defeats (five of those defeats have come in his last six fights)

[RichC]

Tough to really tell so far how heavy handed Joshua actually is, be good to see him in there with someone that won't just stand there to be hit.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Yeah it is exactly the level of fighter he should be getting put in with at this stage if he is to develop further.

He passes this test and he can can start to getting moved up a level every second or third fight until he hits about the 20 fight mark. Then if he is still doing well he could be moved into eliminator fights for a tilt at a proper title shot.


I have my doubts about Joshua (his actual level of power and his D being my main concerns) but if he beats Johnson in a convincing manner, then he will be putting himself on track to show that he can develop well and move up in class.

[spud_gun]

Tough to really tell so far how heavy handed Joshua actually is, be good to see him in there with someone that won't just stand there to be hit.

He doesn't appear to have one punch knock out power.

All of his stoppages have been due to flurries of punches rather than single shot KOs

In some respects that's a little worry given the quality of opposition he's fought so far.

[Doc_Piptorious]

He doesn't appear to have one punch knock out power.

All of his stoppages have been due to flurries of punches rather than single shot KOs

In some respects that's a little worry given the quality of opposition he's fought so far.

My thoughts exactly. He strikes me as a fighter who puts other boxers to the canvas thanks to the cumulative effect of his punching rather than him carrying any real one punch power.


Now there have been plenty of really good, and in some cases great, heavyweights who did not have real heavyweight power and who generally broke their opponents down to the point where it looked like one shot caused the stoppage or KO, but generally for a Heavyweight to get away with a lack of real power at the business end of the division he either has to have an excellent defensive game, or be a very high end all rounder.


It is very early doors in Joshua's career but, and I think I commented on this earlier in this thread, he seems to be lacking somewhat when it comes to the basics. His defensive positioning always looks suspect to me, and he has a very bad habit of leaving himself exposed after throwing. By leaving himself exposed I do not mean in the regular way a fighter will be exposed for a fraction of a second after missing with a big shot but rather in that he throws a big shot, misses and seems to have to take a look instead of making it difficult for a counter to connect.

To date none of this has been a problem for him as the calibre of his opponents has been pretty low, with all due respect towards them as being record fillers is a horribly tough and low paying career for the most part. But they are flaws that any mid level heavy or better would expose if the opportunity was presented to them during a bout.


That's why I am impressed with his handlers putting him in with Johnson and also with him backing himself to go in against a guy who is an older journeyman, but still a bit of a durable and wily character.


My gut is still that Joshua will prove to maybe be a Michael Grant level heavy at best in terms of true ability, but I really hope that Joshua starts to develop quickly from here on in and proves himself to be a much higher level heavy because the division really needs an injection of life, and for me nothing beats watching an exciting heavy go to work ( Although I must admit that the middles and super middles can be the most perfect of fighters for me when that special fighter rolls around every decade or so) and the crowd reacts.

[Daniel 7]

Just finished watching Adonis Stevenson's fairly easy win against Bika. What a cunt. Absolute vile cunt that bloke. I hope Kovalev takes his ****ing head off.

[Darth Marty]

Yeah me too. If he takes the same amount of punches from Kovalev it will likely happen to.

I think Stevenson is a vastly over rated show boating ****wit who will get shown up against the tough as **** Kovalev. I cant wait for that fight to be made.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Just finished watching Adonis Stevenson's fairly easy win against Bika. What a cunt. Absolute vile cunt that bloke. I hope Kovalev takes his ****ing head off.

Adonis Stevenson is so left centric in his style it is not funny. Some guys like Pac can get away with it because they have a lot more to them like movement, ring savvy, conditioning, speed etc etc., but Stevenson is like a guy with one good trick and that's it.


He is pretty durable, and rugged (and that is my polite way of saying dirty ), but is like a caveman in terms of ring savvy compared to some of the better fighter in the super middle and light heavy divisions.


In my opinion a complete prick of a person as well and one who seems to think he is Sugar Ray Leonard or Ali when it comes to being Mr Look at me in and out of the ring.


Kovalev takes him out 8 times out of ten for me, I say 8 because as one dimensional as Stevenson is he does have that left and he can frustrate with the dirty stuff.


Watched him as one of the sparring partners for Andy Lee a few times about three or four years back and what you see in competitive fights is the same left centric dirty style he brings to sparring.

[marcus50bucks]

Frampton offered £1.5m to fight Quigg in Manchester on July 18th. Make it happen