Boxing

[Assassin]

I think that would be the outcome myself, but Matthysse has a major weakness in that he will often try to take his opponent on at their own game.

If he stuck with an in your face style mixed with his technically sound groundings, then he gives anyone in the division problems, but he often tries to be that bit too clever (to be fair he is technically good enough to get away with it against most fighters) and that has cost him in a few bouts.

He goes jab for jab with jabbers, he becomes a purist at times against technicians, he brawls against brawlers and he goes punch for punch with heavy hitters.

I think that an A game Khan could possibly use a similar gameplan against Matthysse to what Garcia did (albeit a gameplan that took into account that Khan does not absorb headshots like Garcia can), and get a result against Matthysse. He would need to draw Matthysse out and at all costs not get into a proper gunfight with Matthysse.

Khan does have the talent to take on and beat Matthysse level fighters, but what I would question is whether or not he has the mentality to take them on. He does need to beat a heavy hitter and figure out what to do with them though as it is a major weakness of his. I feel that any big hitter from the second tier up would probably has a 50/50 or better chance against Khan whereas I would not be giving the same big hitters a 50/50 or better chance against Garcia, or Bradley due to how those two have learned on the job against big hitters.

Matthysse I do love watching though. Proper old school fighter in terms of mentality, and I always admire a brawler who can box. No shortage of heart in the guy and probably is the most consistent of the second tier guys.

I remember the Molina fight. He tried boxing in the same style as Molina and got put down twice. Once he reverted back to his own style he basically handed out a systematic beating to Molina.

Its not just the head shots Khan would struggle with. A few of Lucas's stoppages have come from explosive one off body shots

[Chris]

To be honest I despise the whole "super" champion lark and everything similar to it.


Bad enoughthat for each division there has to be a belt for each sanctioning body, but sanctioning bodies having multiple belts for the same division really grinds my gears.

Just makes things even more sordid, and opens things open to even greater levels of ranking fixing and various other corruptions.

Yep, it's utter bollocks.

[Doc_Piptorious]

I remember the Molina fight. He tried boxing in the same style as Molina and got put down twice. Once he reverted back to his own style he basically handed out a systematic beating to Molina.

Its not just the head shots Khan would struggle with. A few of Lucas's stoppages have come from explosive one off body shots

Yeah he almost cost himself dear against Molina. It is the biggest weakness he has. He sometimes tries to show he can do it all rather than forcing the other guy to deal with his best qualities.

When fighting to his strengths he is a nightmare for other fighters, and there is nobody in the division that he would not cause serious problems for. But his tendancy to try and meet the other guy using the other guy's strengths is risky, especially at the top end of the division.


It shows supreme confidence to try that, and the guy does score highly in pretty much every department so he can nearly always get away with doing it, but a few of his defeats were very avoidable imho if he had stuck to his own strengths round after round.


Must admit I would have loved to have seen him in against Mayweather Jr or Pac of a few years back. Not saying he would have beaten them (although I think he would have given Pac a really tough time and current version Pac I think he might beat) but he would have given them more of a contest than many who faced them.


But he and some others really are the gatekeepers that need to be beaten by any fighters who want to be call themselves the best in the welter or light welter divisions.

If you don't beat Matthysse and his peers, then don't be pretending that you cleaned out the division.

That's why I respect guys like Garcia because he has worked his way through the likes of Matthysse and continues to meet those guys. Sure he has a few easier fights but he does not avoid the challenges as a result.


Would love to watch Matthysse vs Khan though. It would either see Khan reach new heights as a fighter or see Matthysse put in a destructive performance. Don't think there would be a lot of chance for there to be middle ground.

[spud_gun]

Cruiser is the only belt Roy hasn't held between Middle and Heavy.

One of my all time favoruites. Hope he does the business and then retires

[Doc_Piptorious]

Cruiser is the only belt Roy hasn't held between Middle and Heavy.

One of my all time favoruites. Hope he does the business and then retires

Technically he does hold a cruiser belt at the moment albeit one of the WBU trinkets.

But even if he does beat Enzo he will not be the cruiser champ, he will simply be the Super Champion which is as worthless was the WBU strap.

Jones Jr has nothing to prove to the world of boxing or to the public. He was the best of the best for a spell and it took until he was heading towards his mid 30s before the defeats started to rack up.

At 33 or 34 years of age he was 49-1 and a genuine multi division strap holder.

He might have some misguided notion that he has something to prove to himself (along with a need for money) but I wish he had someone that he would listen to whispering "enough" into his ear.

The worst thing that could have happened to him is the unbeaten run he is currently on. It has spurred him on despite barely scraping past guys that could not dream of even being genuine top 40 guys let alone any sort of contender.

Really hate seeing guys like Roy getting into the ring, because his health is not worth any short term delusion of a Rocky Balboa style fairytale.

Reminds me a little of Tyson's latter days and seeing Tyson get beat by a guy I fought in the unpaid ranks. Was a tad surreal and sad and there is something even sadder about Jones Jr as I think there is more than a whiff of desperation there as at least Tyson quickly called it a day.


Actually typing about Tyson brings to mind the fate (non Tyson related f course ) of the last guy he beat in the ring. Etienne still has over 90 years of his prison sentence to go, and will be seeing out the rest of his natural life there.

[Chris]

Yesterday at the Federal Migration Service in Moscow, Russia, future Hall of Famer Roy Jones Jr. was presented a passport making him a Russian citizen.

“Thank you very much to everybody,” said Jones after Tuesday’s ceremony. “It feels nothing better than to be a citizen of the United States of America and Russia. I had no clue, no thoughts in life of ever becoming a Russian citizen, so this is much bigger than me, much bigger than life. I’m a person who’s here to be happy, to enjoy people, to help people make it a better place, to encourage other people to come to Russia, because Russia is good, and the people of Russia are good.

“So thank you once again. This is one of the most happiest days of my life.”

Then Roy kissed his passport, slipped it into his jacket pocket, gave the thumbs up sign and said “Ah.”

Realpolitik aside, and from the less than sublime to the more than ridiculous, it has been reported on several websites that 46-year-old Roy Jones (62-8, 45 KOs) and 35-year-old Enzo Maccarinelli (40-7, 32 KOs) will fight for the vacant WBA World cruiserweight title in Moscow on December 12.

That news, such as it is, has been distributed far and wide, with considerably more jawboning than due diligence.

Having spoken this morning with Gilberto Jesus Mendoza, Executive Vice President of the WBA, he told me in no uncertain terms that Jones and Maccarinelli fighting for the WBA title is a “false rumor.”

How and why these rumors get started is a subject for another day, as it the eagerness of writers to take the ball and run with it, even if the ball is deflated.

http://www.wbanews.com/boxing-news/false-rumor-jones-maccarinelli-and-the-wba

Ha! I'm a bit suspicious as this come out yesterday but good news anyway!

[Doc_Piptorious]

Looks like my original thinking that it will be a WBU sanctioned bout may turn out to be correct.


Was genuinely surprised earlier in the thread and was shocked to think the WBA could sanction such a bout (not that the WBA are angels when it comes to that side of things)


Defo reeks of being a WBU bout and Hyrunov's fat head in the picture only strengthens that assumption.

[spud_gun]

Could be worse. It could be for the PBC 'World' Heavyweight Championship

@Jaco who did you spar in the Ams that beat Tyson? Danny Williams or Lennox Lewis

that must be a fairly decent story to tell down the pub

[Doc_Piptorious]

Could be worse. It could be for the PBC 'World' Heavyweight Championship

@Jaco who did you spar in the Ams that beat Tyson? Danny Williams or Lennox Lewis

that must be a fairly decent story to tell down the pub

Kevin McBride. Fought him twice in the unpaid ranks.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Ward's move to light heavy has been finalised along with the signing of an agreement for him to fight Kovalev.

Both he and Kovalev are to have one fight and if they both win then they fight each other. Terms have been agreed by both parties and HBO have signed Ward to the fights as part of his three fight deal with them.


Ward's pre Kovalev fight is mooted to be against Alexander Brand in November, and Kovalev's pre Ward fight is to be a rematch against Jean Pascal in January.



Ward- Kovalev is a mouth watering prospect. Have to favour Kovalev, but has all the ingredients to be as exciting a fight as the one I hoped would happen between GGG and Ward.

[marcus50bucks]

Carl Frampton v Scott Quigg on the 27th Feb is official

[Chazza]

Tyson Fury 'may retire' after Wladimir Klitschko bout

British heavyweight Tyson Fury says he may retire after his world title bout against Wladimir Klitschko this month.

The undefeated 27-year-old will fight reigning champion Klitschko for his WBA, IBF and WBO belts in Dusseldorf on 28 November.

The bout was due to take place last month but was rearranged after the Ukrainian, 39, suffered a calf injury.

"After this fight I won't have anything else to achieve and I'm on to a new part of my life," Fury told BBC Sport.

"If I've not got the motivation to carry on anymore then what would be the point?"

Fury has previously taunted Klitschko, dressing up as Batman for a press conference in September , and says motivation could be an issue for his opponent too.

"He's got tons of money, he's been successful for 11 years as a champion. What more does a man need? That's what's going to let him down on the night," he said.

"But you've got to give him credit where credit is due because to take on a young, ambitious guy like myself who's taller, bigger, faster, younger is a challenge in itself."

Fury added he would be open to a fight with fellow British heavyweight and Commonwealth champion Anthony Joshua should he decide against retirement.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/boxing/34703914

[Daniel 7]

He had a crazy interview on BBC North West tonight, banging on about how the only thing he cares about is getting into heaven, and that he doesn't give a **** about his fight and how noting on this earth matters. He was saying how winning wouldn't change his life at all, because he's got everything he wants already "What would it mean, a few more quid in my pocket? What does that matter?"

Barmy, or trying to get in Klit's head?!

[Doc_Piptorious]

Rattled

[spud_gun]

Carl Frampton v Scott Quigg on the 27th Feb is official

Amazed that Hearn managed to get one of his fighters a decent fight.

PPV all the way.

Frampton by UD