Boxing

[Doc_Piptorious]

Surprised you didn't mention Nas as being a very good switch hitter. He's right up there, no doubt about it imo. In fact ingles fighters had this in their locker with their unconventional style.

He was able to fight orthodox or southpaw and switch between them during fights, but he never came close to being Hagler level at switch hitting and would not have him in the same ballpark for it as Crawford or Ward either.

Hamed was good, maybe very good, but certainly not elite level as a boxer nor as a switch hitter. Prime Hagler was elite level at it. So was Ward, and Crawford is up there too.


In terms of British fighters, Junior Witter was probably a smoother and cleaner switch hitter than Hamed in terms of sheer technique, but he is not getting within an ass's roar of any best at switch hitting list of mine either.

[Mr Darko]

[ame="https://youtu.be/oY9ovhLqTF0"]'DO YOU KNOW WHO DEONTAY WILDER IS?' - TYSON FURY TAKES TO STREETS OF L.A AND ASKS RANDOM PEOPLE! - YouTube[/ame]

Hearn done this in New York with similar results

[Pablo]

His beard

He's actually looking in good shape (at least by his standards).

Do people think it'll be a good fight?

I've never watched a full Wilder fight only highlights, but he looks a scrappy fighter.

Fury is crafty and will no doubt make it tricky for him.

On paper to me it come be a dull one unless one of those big punches land.

[Zapater]

'DO YOU KNOW WHO DEONTAY WILDER IS?' - TYSON FURY TAKES TO STREETS OF L.A AND ASKS RANDOM PEOPLE! - YouTube

Hearn done this in New York with similar results

As amusing as that it is, it's hardly a fair test. More shows the state of boxing. Fury thinks people know who he is, I really doubt most people on the street do. And if they have, it's more likely that they know about him for his alcohol/coke abuse than being familiar with him in the ring. Many people don't know who Oscar de la Hoya is, so it's not like it's a slight against the person.

Someone on here in the Social Media thread didn't even know who Joe Root was. If you don't follow the sport, the participants are peripheral unless they transcend their sport in some way or another.

[Pablo]

True. I suppose the point is that in the glory days lots of US boxers did transcend their sport: Ali, Tyson etc. They were sporting icons.

Right now it seems no-one in the US apart from the hardcore fans are interested in heavyweight boxing anymore.

It's far more popular here and Joshua and Fury (arguably for different reasons ) have definitely transcended the sport and became known outside of their sport.

[Shaggy]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY9ovhLqTF0"]'DO YOU KNOW WHO DEONTAY WILDER IS?' - TYSON FURY TAKES TO STREETS OF L.A AND ASKS RANDOM PEOPLE! - YouTube[/ame]

[Doc_Piptorious]

His beard

He's actually looking in good shape (at least by his standards).

Do people think it'll be a good fight?

I've never watched a full Wilder fight only highlights, but he looks a scrappy fighter.

Fury is crafty and will no doubt make it tricky for him.

On paper to me it come be a dull one unless one of those big punches land.

Visually he looks to be in the best shape of his career. Now how much of that new look is gym built rather than cardio built is up for debate, but if the latter then he will have put himself in a position to grind out a result.


Don't think it will be a good fight to watch though unless one hurts the other early and it turns into a short lived shoot out. Am expecting an ugly mauling clinch filled bout where time feels like it has ceased to exist.


How game Wilder is will be key to whether or not it is entertaining. If Fury can get into his head and get him to turn a bit gun shy as happened with Wlad, then we get the bore fest. But I suspect Wilder is far less cerebral than Wlad in terms of his approach and won't be over thinking things before the bell rings.


As low calibre a heavyweight fight it is, compared to fights of years gone by, it is one where each guy's main strength is what the other guy is vunerable to.

Fury we know can be hurt and go down when hit by a semi decent hitter, and Wilder has problems with range against a guy who can switch hit and who clinches a lot.


So Wilder has the power to put Fury to sleep, and throws a lot of the punch that Fury often leaves himself very much open to ( the over head right). Plus Wilder is very undisciplined in how he throws so he often throws punches in from very unorthodox angles which is both a pro and con for him.

But Fury switch hits and fighters that do that seem to leave Wilder very flat footed at times and sees him taking a wide stance when throwing which very much affects his range and very much leaves Wilder open to a hook every time he gets his range wrong.

Fury is also a heavy bloke so I suspect we will see him clinch a hell of a lot, especially near the ropes, and use the big weight difference to sap Wilder's energy. Takes a lot of of the tank to have to keep pushing back an 18 or 19 stone man who is leaning on you constantly.


So is an interesting fight from that pov imo. But in terms of it being a classic heavyweight title bout, it is very much middle of the road to low quality.

[Zapater]

Visually he looks to be in the best shape of his career. Now how much of that new look is gym built rather than cardio built is up for debate, but if the latter then he will have put himself in a position to grind out a result.


Don't think it will be a good fight to watch though unless one hurts the other early and it turns into a short lived shoot out. Am expecting an ugly mauling clinch filled bout where time feels like it has ceased to exist.


How game Wilder is will be key to whether or not it is entertaining. If Fury can get into his head and get him to turn a bit gun shy as happened with Wlad, then we get the bore fest. But I suspect Wilder is far less cerebral than Wlad in terms of his approach and won't be over thinking things before the bell rings.


As low calibre a heavyweight fight it is, compared to fights of years gone by, it is one where each guy's main strength is what the other guy is vunerable to.

Fury we know can be hurt and go down when hit by a semi decent hitter, and Wilder has problems with range against a guy who can switch hit and who clinches a lot.


So Wilder has the power to put Fury to sleep, and throws a lot of the punch that Fury often leaves himself very much open to ( the over head right). Plus Wilder is very undisciplined in how he throws so he often throws punches in from very unorthodox angles which is both a pro and con for him.

But Fury switch hits and fighters that do that seem to leave Wilder very flat footed at times and sees him taking a wide stance when throwing which very much affects his range and very much leaves Wilder open to a hook every time he gets his range wrong.

Fury is also a heavy bloke so I suspect we will see him clinch a hell of a lot, especially near the ropes, and use the big weight difference to sap Wilder's energy. Takes a lot of of the tank to have to keep pushing back an 18 or 19 stone man who is leaning on you constantly.


So is an interesting fight from that pov imo. But in terms of it being a classic heavyweight title bout, it is very much middle of the road to low quality.

As it goes, it's a boxing match, not a six pack competition. Which Fury would also lose too haha.

Pretty much spot on. Most probably will be a borefest. Confident Fury will have a similar gameplan to the Wlad fight. Work awkward angles, keep wilder off balance with quick shots so he can't load up or get off first.

Fury's fitness will be key though. I don't believe he can hurt Wilder with a single shot - so in the latter rounds I wonder how he'll hold up. Gym fit and fight fit are different entities. Clinching and leaning a lot will help his cause. Kill Wilder's legs.

----

Gvozdyk should be a represent a good challenge for Stevenson but he hasn't fought anyone of note, only a few gatekeepers. Good amateur pedigree and educated hook could provide some problems. But his upright Eastern European stance combined with his chin sticking out a bit when he presses could be his undoing as it's waiting for Stevenson to time him with a big left hand. Regardless, definitely my choice for fight of the weekend.

[Doc_Piptorious]

As it goes, it's a boxing match, not a six pack competition. Which Fury would also lose too haha.

Pretty much spot on. Most probably will be a borefest. Confident Fury will have a similar gameplan to the Wlad fight. Work awkward angles, keep wilder off balance with quick shots so he can't load up or get off first.

Fury's fitness will be key though. I don't believe he can hurt Wilder with a single shot - so in the latter rounds I wonder how he'll hold up. Gym fit and fight fit are different entities. Clinching and leaning a lot will help his cause. Kill Wilder's legs.

----

Gvozdyk should be a represent a good challenge for Stevenson but he hasn't fought anyone of note, only a few gatekeepers. Good amateur pedigree and educated hook could provide some problems. But his upright Eastern European stance combined with his chin sticking out a bit when he presses could be his undoing as it's waiting for Stevenson to time him with a big left hand. Regardless, definitely my choice for fight of the weekend.

Was watching some of Wilder's fights last night and it left me feeling even more convinced that switch hitting against him is the way to go. The amount of times he gets tagged clean by left hooks and left crosses is quite high, and against Molina, just to name one, he was rocked quite badly by a left a couple of times after leaving his right side exposed.



It's almost amusing that the most glaring opening that each of them leaves plays to the other's best shot.


Fury has a habit of carrying his left very low at times and Wilder throws a mean over head right.

Wilder leaves his entire right side exposed a number of times in every fight and Fury has decent accuracy with his left hook.

If Fury had a big shot on him, he would be a big favourite in my eyes such is the frequency that Wilder leaves that right side exposed.




As for Stevenson - Gvozdyk. Gvozdyk has fought nobody at all of note, and Stevenson is 41 now.



Stevenson is the more talented of the two imo and has been in with a much higher calibre of fighter throughout his career, and for me he is the sort that is very calculated in terms of who he takes on.


On paper it should be another Stevenson win unless Gvozdyk has been doing a great job at hiding a few extra gears.

[spud_gun]

The big man has had a shave.

He's gonna dance like a ballerina for 12 rounds.

It's going to be a thing of beauty.

[Doc_Piptorious]

The big man has had a shave.

He's gonna dance like a ballerina for 12 rounds.

It's going to be a thing of beauty.

[Vermilion]

Wilders only grain of hope, this is what he'll be looking to do though..

Fury obviously a better boxer now,

edit: Just as daft though.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqIkCJaQ-6o"]STEVE USS CUNNINGHAM KNOCKS DOWN TYSON FURY! - YouTube[/ame]

[spud_gun]

Wilders gonna hit Fury with USS Cunningham?

[Vermilion]

I mean he'll need to land that sort of punch to win this, don't see him out boxing Fury, unless Fury really disappoints on the night.

[labourRed]

Wilder is giving away over 3stone. I'm not sure that's a good idea.

I might watch it from bed if i can be arsed, not paying for it though, **** that.