Sons of Peter McNeeley- Boxing Thread

[BGrif21125]

Any of you guys looking to attend Manfredo-Spina? Not often two belt contenders from NE get to fight each other. Both guys are Italian, reeks of old-time crowd!

[post="449975"][/post]​

Anyone going ahead and attending this? The title of Baddest Italian in Providence is at stake.

EDIT: I'm also interested to see Calzaghe for the first time tonight. I'd like to get a read on how he might fare against someone like Jermain Taylor moving up from 160.

 

[Spacemans Bong]

Heard it was a hard fight, and that Bika was a bit dirty (granted these are Welsh people). Looking to see it ASAP, got caught out by some of the quick early bouts as the fight was over by the time I got home.

 

[eddiew112]

Bika butted hits with Joe quite a bit. He was penalized for it, and then warned for hitting after the bell. The huge cut over Joe's eye in the 4th was caused by a headbutt. But overall, good job by Joe fighting through it, as Bika did give him a good fight.

 

[Gene Conleys Plane Ticket]

Anyone going ahead and attending this? The title of Baddest Italian in Providence is at stake.

EDIT: I'm also interested to see Calzaghe for the first time tonight. I'd like to get a read on how he might fare against someone like Jermain Taylor moving up from 160.

[post="496349"][/post]​

Calzaghe-Bika was a sloppy affair, mainly due to Bika's style. Not sure I'd call it "dirty," but it was definitely roughouse. I also think Calzaghe was trying too hard to make an impression on the HBO audience. He did a lot of showboating and clowing in the early rounds, until he got cut from a headbutt. Then he played it serious the rest of the way. He defintely won the fight by a wide margin, but Bika was too tough and too awkward to let Calzaghe look truly impressive. Calzaghe himself said he was disappointed with his performance after the fight.

He also said that he wants to fight Bernard Hopkins next. I think that in Europe there will be an outcry for him to fight a 168-pound unification against Mikkel Kessler, who obliterated Markus Beyer -- another top super-middleweight -- on the same night. HBO showed some quick highlights of that fight (though reportedly they had rights to show the whole thing -- I don't know why they elected not to; it was only 3 rounds). Kessler looks young, strong and very powerful. I wonder if Calzaghe will want any part of that fight.

EDIT: If you still haven't seen the Calzaghe-Lacy fight, pay the $1.99 to download it from iTunes. It's well worth it. Calzaghe gives one of the most masterful performances in that fight you'll ever see.

 

[eddiew112]

EDIT: If you still haven't seen the Calzaghe-Lacy fight, pay the $1.99 to download it from iTunes. It's well worth it. Calzaghe gives one of the most masterful performances in that fight you'll ever see.

That it was Gene, that it was. I thought Bika went over the line though, he got warned by the ref for multiple infractions, including hitting after the whistle. Now we can start the countdown for Baldomir-Mayweather. I will go on the record saying Baldomir has a great chance to win this fight. When u got strong hands and a rock solid head, you always got a good shot.

 

[BGrif21125]

Now we can start the countdown for Baldomir-Mayweather. I will go on the record saying Baldomir has a great chance to win this fight. When u got strong hands and a rock solid head, you always got a good shot.

[post="501959"][/post]​

I can't wait for this one, the start of the best 6 week stretch of big fights in recent memory.

Mayweather is around a 7/1 favorite, and I think that's accurate. Baldomir is a tough, solid fighter who deserves to be considered the undisputed champ, but I just can't see him being able to handle Mayweather. Speed and technique are going to win out almost everytime. The hand and foot speed gap in this fight will be huge. I have Mayweather winning an easy decision, somewhere in the neighborhood of 117-111, maybe 118-110. Baldomir could have his moments though in the early rounds. It will be interesting to watch, for sure. Anytime you've got the #1 PFP fighter challenging for an undisputed title, it's a must-buy.

I just can't see Floyd losing anytime soon at 147, if he loses it will be at 154 or above.

 

[eddiew112]

I can't wait for this one, the start of the best 6 week stretch of big fights in recent memory.

Mayweather is around a 7/1 favorite, and I think that's accurate. Baldomir is a tough, solid fighter who deserves to be considered the undisputed champ, but I just can't see him being able to handle Mayweather. Speed and technique are going to win out almost everytime. The hand and foot speed gap in this fight will be huge. I have Mayweather winning an easy decision, somewhere in the neighborhood of 117-111, maybe 118-110. Baldomir could have his moments though in the early rounds. It will be interesting to watch, for sure. Anytime you've got the #1 PFP fighter challenging for an undisputed title, it's a must-buy.

I just can't see Floyd losing anytime soon at 147, if he loses it will be at 154 or above.

[post="502476"][/post]​

I am going to go way out on a limb and say that Baldomir makes it very close, almost knocking out Floyd in the middle rounds. Dont sleep on Carlos' hands, they were very suprising in the Gatti fight. If you watch the tape Arturo was surprised as well. Final decision 116-112 Mayweather. Also, it might be worth it to watch the concluding chapter of the great trilogy that was El Terrible-Pac Man. Additionally, it is not Joe Calzaghe's turn to get that big American fight he has deserved for years. His incredible hand speed and natural talent will make him tough for guys like Winky Wright and Jermain Taylor. I think he has the ability to beat them both, if he can fight within himself, like in the Lacy fight.

 

[BGrif21125]

HBO will be showing three fights on the PPV telecast.
Paul Williams vs. Jacy Kuhn
Robert Guerrero vs. Orlando Salido for the IBF Featherweight Title
Mayweather vs. Baldomir

Looks like a great card. Obviously everyone here already knows Paul Williams and how entertaining his fights are. Guerrero turned in a real impressive performance on the Toney-Peter undercard on Showtime and is a very talented up-and-comer. Then the main event should be very entertaining as well. Definitely worth whatever price they're charging.

I believe HBO On-Demand will have both Mayweather-Gatti and Baldomir-Gatti available starting next week.

 

[eddiew112]

HBO will be showing three fights on the PPV telecast.
Paul Williams vs. Jacy Kuhn
Robert Guerrero vs. Orlando Salido for the IBF Featherweight Title
Mayweather vs. Baldomir

Looks like a great card. Obviously everyone here already knows Paul Williams and how entertaining his fights are. Guerrero turned in a real impressive performance on the Toney-Peter undercard on Showtime and is a very talented up-and-comer. Then the main event should be very entertaining as well. Definitely worth whatever price they're charging.

I believe HBO On-Demand will have both Mayweather-Gatti and Baldomir-Gatti available starting next week.

[post="503899"][/post]​

Has Paul Williams fought anybody really good yet? Of course, he is probably getting ducked because of his style. I would like to have had his stamina when I fought, throwing that many punches, with many of them being hard shots.....Paul gimme ur talent.
EDIT:
Forgot about Sharmba Mitchell, even though he was washed up and completely outsized.

 

[eddiew112]

BGriff sometime we oughta have a SOSH PPV party, for one of the big upcoming superfights.

 

[BGrif21125]

Ex-champ Trevor Berbick found dead of unknown causes in Jamaica. He's of course best known for fighting both Ali and Tyson, I believe Larry Holmes is the only other fighter to do that.
Berbick beat Ali in '81 in Ali's final fight, and then 5 years later was destroyed in 2 rounds by a 20 year old Tyson, with Tyson becoming the youngest heavyweight champ ever.
Link

 

[eddiew112]

Sounds like Trevor had some umm "run ins" with the law in his life after boxing. Boxers truly need to come together in a sort of union to help each other out after their carrer is over. It is sad watching what happens to some of these guys. The problem is, we got these fucking promoters who spit out these guys when they lose it. Boxers need to take back their sport!

 

[Lanternjaw]

Some decent pre-fight stories and coverage over at ESPN's boxing page, including predictions by some of today's better-known welterweights.

Consensus opinion seems to be "Mayweather should win, but he better be prepared for a war."

Apparently Baldomir is being dubbed the new Cinderella Man. Rafael's article discusses some of the comparisons between Baldomir and Braddock.

I may get lured into another PPV... I'm a sucker for a good underdog story.

After watching Baldomir dominate both Judah and Gatti (although Gatti really seemed like a shell of his pre-Mayweather self) -- he seems extremely difficult to hurt, and he's got a nice, hard straight right hand -- I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Baldomir by TKO in the 10th.

 

[BGrif21125]

Baldomir is a great Cindarella story, but he's in a whole other league tonight. He beat Judah, but Judah was completely unprepared, going so far as to work the corner for his brother's fight on the undercard about an hour before his own fight. In other words, he totally disrepected Baldomir.
And Baldomir did beat Gatti, but it was the Gatti that had already been ripped to shreds by Mayweather.
Baldomir is physical and tough, but boxing is about speed, speed and more speed.

I hope it's a great, down to the wire, competitive fight, but I think Baldomir is about to get the boxing lesson of his life. I have it either 9 rounds to 3, or maybe even 10 to 2, for Mayweather.

Definitely a fight worth ordering though, IMO. Anytime the #1 pound-for-pound fighter is challenging for an undisputed title, it's a must-see in my book.

 

[BGrif21125]

I'll start off the Mayweather-Baldomir reactions, I'm interested to hear what the rest of you guys (Eddie, Gene) think about what you saw.

This fight went pretty much as I expected it to. Through the first 5 rounds, Mayweather was hitting Baldomir with every punch in the book, completely outclassing Baldomir with his hand speed and defense. In the 5th, Mayweather landed one big right hand after another, and while I never got the idea that Floyd could hurt him with any one punch, it looked to me like Baldomir would get stopped around the 9th or 10th from the accumulation of punishment.
Then in the 6th, you could clearly see Floyd land a right hand and then wince in pain, and from that point on he had to fight one-handed. People are criticizing him for not stopping Baldomir, but if he hadn't hurt his hand I believe he would have, so I can't fault Mayweather for his performance.
Casual fans want to see the brawling and the KO's, but the essence of world-class boxing is hitting your opponent and not getting hit in return, and Mayweather has perfected it. I don't see how any real fan could not marvel at his defensive technique, it's brilliant to watch. He just fought a guy who was supposed to be his most dangerous opponent ever, and I don't think he got hit with 5 meaningful punches the whole night.
If Floyd's hand is OK, there is not a single fighter on the planet who can hang with this guy. Not one.

The postfight interview was definitely the highlight of the night. Merchant's question was a little negative, seeing that he knew Mayweather had hurt his hand, but it was certainly an acceptable question, and one Mayweather could have answered like an adult. Instead, Floyd reverted back to the early-to-mid 20's version of himself, and reminded people why he at one time was considered the biggest asshole in the sport, which in a sport like boxing is really saying something, because there's a lot of competition for that crown. Although at least I'll give Floyd credit for sneaking in that "tax that ass" comment about Oscar at the end.

I did find it a little weird that the HBO crew spent so much time questioning Floyd's performance, when they spent years defending Pernell Whitaker for similar type performances (and rightfully so) that didn't win over the hearts of the crowd. And you can't chalk it up to Floyd's abrasive personality, because Pernell was one of the cockiest showboats around.

Anyway, let's all hope that Mayweather-De La Hoya can get worked out, because that is the one fight that can put boxing back in the mainstream sports discussion, at least for one night anyway. That would be the biggest fight of the decade. Lewis-Tyson may have been a bigger spectacle, but certainly wasn't a competitive matchup.
As for Floyd saying he's going to retire after his next fight, I'll believe it when I see it. The ratio in boxing for announced retirements to actual retirements is about 50:1. It's easy to contemplate retirement when your right hand is throbbing, once you feel better, it's back to business as usual. Mayweather isn't leaving the game when he's clearly in his prime.

 

[Lanternjaw]

I thought Steward was dead-on when he said that previous greats like Hearns (granted, that was his fighter), Leonard, et al would've tried to get Baldomir out of there instead of dancing around a thoroughly outclassed opponent all night. Mayweather had an opportunity to shine last night, and although he certainly did on the scorecards he probably hurt his marketability as an exciting fighter to watch. He looked like a Chris Byrd in his prime -- zero power and virtually unhittable against a fighter with an orthodox style.

I'd like to see Mayweather suck a few pounds and a few of the Pacquiao/Morales/Barrera class of lighter weight fighters pack a few on to get a real matchup.

Does a quicker Baldomir with a powerful left hook do any better on the cards then what we saw last night? I think thats what you get with a DeLaHoya matchup. I'd buy that fight as well, but I suspect we'd see the same sort of dancing clinic.

I've been watching prize fights for 25 years so I'd consider myself a serious fight fan, and someone who can recognize a special boxer. Mayweather is, as Lampley would say, a virtuoso fighter. Unfortunately, he's closer to Pernell Whitaker than he is to Ray Leonard.

The postfight interview with Merchant was definitely the highlight... Larry obviously hit a little too close to the target with that question that everyone who'd paid $50 wanted answered.

Wish I'd forgone last night's PPV for the free Briggs fight.

 

[BGrif21125]

First off, keep the boxing posts coming LJ, I never realized you were a boxing fan. As I'm sure you know, there's a disturbing lack of fight fans on Sosh, so the more discussion the better. Nice to see there's another long-time boxing fan on the board.
I have to disagree with you on several points, however.

I thought Steward was dead-on when he said that previous greats like Hearns (granted, that was his fighter), Leonard, et al would've tried to get Baldomir out of there instead of dancing around a thoroughly outclassed opponent all night.

I have tremendous respect for Steward, and normally I think he's spot on with just about everything he says. But last night was an exception.
He spent the whole pre-fight saying Baldomir was going to give Floyd a real tough fight, and then 30 minutes later, he's criticizing Mayweather for not finishing an "outclassed opponent." That's classic flip-flopping, talking out both sides of your mouth, whatever you want to call it, etc.
And Mayweather had an injured, possibly broken hand! He would've finished him if he actually had two fists to use.
And while Hearns would've taken his man out, the Leonard analogy from Steward was way off IMO. Leonard made a career of dancing around the ring.

Yes, they're right, Mayweather may be no Sugar Ray Robinson, but that's like criticizing a CF for not being as good as Willie Mays.
And I know they're criticizing Mayweather because he compared himself to fighters like Robinson, but boxers have been making ridiculous statements since the beginning of time, Floyd is hardly the first nor the last.

I'd like to see Mayweather suck a few pounds and a few of the Pacquiao/Morales/Barrera class of lighter weight fighters pack a few on to get a real matchup.

Those 3 are all phenomenal fighters, but Mayweather absolutely destroys every one of them. He's faster, stronger, more skilled, you name it. There's a reason none of them called him out back when Mayweather was at 130/135 and they were only several pounds apart. They wanted no part of him.

Unfortunately, he's closer to Pernell Whitaker than he is to Ray Leonard.

Pernell Whitaker is arguably the greatest lightweight of all-time (Duran would beg to differ), and possibly one of the best dozen fighters who ever lived, so Mayweather has accomplished a lot if he's in the same sentence with him.

I actually think at this point that Mayweather has reached a level of dominance very similar to that of a prime Pernell Whitaker, in that he'll only lose if:
a. he gets very old
b. he gets robbed by an absolutely ludicrous decision
c. he starts abusing drugs

Unfortunately, all 3 of those happened to Whitaker, we'll see about Mayweather.

 

[5050HindSight]

I didn't pony up for the PPV, so I'll have to wait for the free HBO replay to see this one. Doesn't sound too exciting, but hopefully they put the post-fight interview on the replay. How were the undercards?

Wish I'd forgone last night's PPV for the free Briggs fight.

[post="518512"][/post]​

You didn't miss much there. Unless you prefer standing around to dancing around, cause that's pretty much all they did. Both fighters were dead tired by the 12th, Briggs had his hands down at his belt the last 2-3 rounds, and Liakhovich was so tired he didn't do anything about it...hoping he'd done enough to win on points. Briggs did get semi-aggressive, and managed to knock Liakhovich out, but other than that this fight was a dud. The knockout was really the only exciting thing about this fight...so if you saw the highlights you saw the fight.

I know it's been mentioned before by me and bgrif and some others probably...but it's EXTREMEMLY STUPID that showtime refuses to put up ANY punch numbers. Throw us a fricking bone here, showtime. Hire a couple of interns counting, anything, i just want to know how many punches have been thrown and landing. Is that too much to ask?

 

[BGrif21125]

but hopefully they put the post-fight interview on the replay. How were the undercards?

[post="518551"][/post]​

It's already on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLMZ10oB8zk

 

[Lanternjaw]

I know it's been mentioned before by me and bgrif and some others probably...but it's EXTREMEMLY STUPID that showtime refuses to put up ANY punch numbers. Throw us a fricking bone here, showtime. Hire a couple of interns counting, anything, i just want to know how many punches have been thrown and landing. Is that too much to ask?

[post="518551"][/post]​

No kidding... the decision against James Toney last month really punctuates the need for Showtime to deliver punch stats. Toney got screwed.

 

[Lanternjaw]

He spent the whole pre-fight saying Baldomir was going to give Floyd a real tough fight, and then 30 minutes later, he's criticizing Mayweather for not finishing an "outclassed opponent." That's classic flip-flopping, talking out both sides of your mouth, whatever you want to call it, etc.

I didn't catch the prefight. No doubt thats flip-flopping... regardless, its better than defending a previosuly bad prediction, lol.

And Mayweather had an injured, possibly broken hand! He would've finished him if he actually had two fists to use.

I dunno about that... Baldomir never seemed hurt and has only been KO'ed once before, early in his career. Mayweather just doesn't seem to have a lot of power. He's got everthign else without any question, but he's no knockout artist.

And while Hearns would've taken his man out, the Leonard analogy from Steward was way off IMO. Leonard made a career of dancing around the ring.

Leonard was a crowd-pleaser, though... he knew when to turn it up. Perhaps its just that Leonard had better opposition. Mayweather has never eaten a Hearns-like RH.

Those 3 are all phenomenal fighters, but Mayweather absolutely destroys every one of them. He's faster, stronger, more skilled, you name it.

I don't see that at all... Chris Byrd (in his prime) was supposed to be unbeatable (faster, more skilled, impossible defense) and nobody wanted any part of him. Along comes a promising young Ike Ibeabuchi and Byrd caught one good shot and his aura of invincability evaporated. Those 3 guys hit hard enough and are quick enough to actually land some meaningful punches against Mayweather -- I'd love to see what kind of chin he has, and see how he'd react to a close fight. As far as I know, only Jose Luis Castillo has even given him a test... and he's barely a notch below the big three. Unfortunately, I think Corrales (the new Arturro Gatti?) has taken too many hard blows to be considered a legit test for Mayweather.

Pernell Whitaker is arguably the greatest lightweight of all-time (Duran would beg to differ), and possibly one of the best dozen fighters who ever lived, so Mayweather has accomplished a lot if he's in the same sentence with him.

Yeah, but you won't ever see a Whitaker fight listed in any tome of boxing's greatest fights. I'm definitely biased towards towards fighters, though... Whitaker and Mayweather are tremendous boxers. I watch Mayweather to see if someone can turn him into a fighter for 12 rounds -- that'll define him for me.

I actually think at this point that Mayweather has reached a level of dominance very similar to that of a prime Pernell Whitaker, in that he'll only lose if:
a. he gets very old
b. he gets robbed by an absolutely ludicrous decision
c. he starts abusing drugs

Unfortunately, all 3 of those happened to Whitaker, we'll see about Mayweather.

I saw that Whitaker-DeLaHoya fight as well... the champ got robbed. What was that? 1999? That sucked.

 

[BGrif21125]

I don't see that at all... Chris Byrd (in his prime) was supposed to be unbeatable (faster, more skilled, impossible defense) and nobody wanted any part of him. Along comes a promising young Ike Ibeabuchi and Byrd caught one good shot and his aura of invincability evaporated.

[post="518594"][/post]​

I lost track of the heavyweight divsion for a bit during the late 90's, but I don't ever remember Chris Byrd being considered more than a top 3 or 4 heavyweight, nor was he a top 5 or 10 Pound-for Pound guy. I would argue that he was never considered unbeatable, Lennox Lewis would've KO'd him if they ever fought.
He and Mayweather are both defensive-oriented guys and they're both from Michigan, but I think the similarities end there.

Unfortunately, I think Corrales (the new Arturro Gatti?) has taken too many hard blows to be considered a legit test for Mayweather.

I love Corrales, but I think the 2001 Mayweather-Corrales fight showed that Diego is no match for Floyd. People forget this, but Corrales was top 10 PFP at the time of that fight and the "experts" were split 50/50 on who would win. Mayweather embarassed Corrales, he won every minute of every round and knocked Corrales down 5 times. It was even more lopsided than the Mayweather-Gatti fight IMO.

Yeah, but you won't ever see a Whitaker fight listed in any tome of boxing's greatest fights. I'm definitely biased towards towards fighters, though... Whitaker and Mayweather are tremendous boxers. I watch Mayweather to see if someone can turn him into a fighter for 12 rounds -- that'll define him for me.

Ya, a lot of it just comes down to personal preference. I enjoy watching pure boxers as opposed to brawlers, but I know that puts me in the distinct minority. I'm always going to rate guys like Mayweather and Whitaker higher than most others will.
I'm so skewed towards the finesse side of boxing that I actually enjoy watching Cory Spinks fight, I don't think there's another person on the planet who would admit to that.

I saw that Whitaker-DeLaHoya fight as well... the champ got robbed. What was that? 1999? That sucked.

That was 1997 IIRC, and what's funny is that was only the 3rd worst decision of Whitaker's career. He got robbed as a young fighter against Jose Luis Ramirez in Europe, and avenged the loss about a year later by beating Ramirez in the US, twelve rounds to zero.
Then in '93, he clearly beat Julio Caesar Chavez (who was 88-0 at the time) in front of 70,000 Chavez fans in the biggest pound-for-pound fight of the 90's, but the fight was declared a draw by a throughly corrupt group of judges.
Whitaker should've been 44-0 when he fought Trinidad in '99, which is the only fight he ever legitimately lost. And that night, Whitaker was an old, bloated, out of shape, cocaine addict. And despite being in that pathetic physical state, he stood right in front of Trinidad and ate all his punches for 12 rounds, which is something no other fighter ever did. Tells you something about what a great chin Whitaker had.

 

[eddiew112]

Ya, a lot of it just comes down to personal preference. I enjoy watching pure boxers as opposed to brawlers, but I know that puts me in the distinct minority. I'm always going to rate guys like Mayweather and Whitaker higher than most others will.
I'm so skewed towards the finesse side of boxing that I actually enjoy watching Cory Spinks fight, I don't think there's another person on the planet who would admit to that.

That would put you pretty skewed. This debate could go on and never be over with. My style when I fought was a mixture, I had a O.K. amount of natural talent but nothing special. I also had a better than average punch and chin/pain resistance. I was comfortable fighting both ways, and those are the fighters I love watching. They can respond to any challenge. But I would say I am biased against Floyd because he is primarily a natural talent/technical boxer. I would pay 1000 dollars to see Tito or Fernando Vargas take on Floyd when they were both in their primes. The brawler makes boxing the show it is, the technical boxer makes it a sport. Everyone loves the guy who throws bombs and has a heart the size of Mt Everest, yet even someone of Floyd's incredible talent cannot get PPV buys or even an auidence. Floyd didnt even sell 80 percent of the house against Baldomir. Overall, it is much more fun to see a brawler beat a technical fighter than the other way around. Watching Joe Frazier beat up on Ali is fun, but watching Ali beat on Foreman is sad, because he takes away everything that makes Foreman great, and that makes him an average fighter.

 

[Daily Conundrum]

Damn, I can't believe I never noticed this thread. To be fair, I have noone to blame for myself - if it doesn't have a NSFW tag on it, I'll probably never click on it.

 

[BGrif21125]

Weigh-in for Saturday's heavyweight title fight:
Klitschko- 241
Brock- 224

I certainly understand that most people will be rooting for Brock because he's from the US, but I'd like to see Klitschko step up and establish himself as the dominant guy in the division. Above all else, this division needs a linear, undisputed champ, and in my opinion, Klitschko is the only guy with the talent and skills to clean out the division.

Vegas thinks this ends in a KO, but for some reason my gut has been telling me Klitschko by decision all week.

 

[eddiew112]

Weigh-in for Saturday's heavyweight title fight:
Klitschko- 241
Brock- 224

I certainly understand that most people will be rooting for Brock because he's from the US, but I'd like to see Klitschko step up and establish himself as the dominant guy in the division. Above all else, this division needs a linear, undisputed champ, and in my opinion, Klitschko is the only guy with the talent and skills to clean out the division.

Vegas thinks this ends in a KO, but for some reason my gut has been telling me Klitschko by decision all week.

[post="526227"][/post]​

Ehh Brock is a bum, there is no way he knocks Klistchko out. Your gut is right on.

 

[eddiew112]

Are you planning on watching this? Whats the line for it?

 

[BGrif21125]

Whats the line for it?

[post="527655"][/post]​

Klitschko -450
Brock +300

Rounds:
Over 9.5 +150
Under 9.5 -200

P.S.- Morales-Pacquiao I & II are both up on HBO On-Demand.

 

[Gene Conleys Plane Ticket]

Ehh Brock is a bum, there is no way he knocks Klistchko out. Your gut is right on.

[post="527654"][/post]​

Brock is not a bum. He's a well conditioned, technically proficient heavyweight. He's not a match for Klitschko, though. Klitscko's got too much size, too much power. Brock's got to get inside on him and I just don't know how he can do that. Klitschko by late stoppage. 9th, maybe 10th round.

 

[5050HindSight]

Anyone else watching Klitschko-Brock? I'm pretty sure Larry Merchant had an extra two or three shots before coming on the air tonight. Jim Lampley just had to tell him to pick up his microphone. good times.

Edit: and now, as klitschko enters the arena, Merchant just called klitschko a "huge, beautiful man".

 

[BGrif21125]

Unfortunately, I'm not at home tonight, so I can't watch the fight. I'll be checking it out first thing tomorrow morning on HBO2.

I think HBO has to inject Merchant with a speed/adrenaline cocktail these days just to make him able to call the fight.

I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that Kiltschko will not verbally berate Merchant or use the phrase "tax that ass" during his postfight interview.

 

[5050HindSight]

Brock looks pretty awkward in there so far...within the first 10 seconds he almost slipped, which led to him taking a hard punch. About a minute later he did slip. And there have been a few other times where he has almost fell. It's kind of weird.

Plus he has Scalabrine-esque man-boobs...not a good sign since he's already giving up 30 pounds or so to klitschko.

 

[5050HindSight]

and under 9.5 rounds is the winner.

 

[eddiew112]

Brock is not a bum. He's a well conditioned, technically proficient heavyweight. He's not a match for Klitschko, though. Klitscko's got too much size, too much power. Brock's got to get inside on him and I just don't know how he can do that. Klitschko by late stoppage. 9th, maybe 10th round.

[post="528268"][/post]​

I am sorry, but when your best opponent is Clifford Etienne, then your a bum in my book.

What do you all think about Floyd going back down to Super Feather and fighting Manny Pacquiao? I want to see someone who can really throw bombs face Floyd.

EDIT: OK, Floyd has faced some very hard punchers, but I am talking about one of the hardest hitters vs great technical fighter, just so you all dont jump all over me.

 

[Gene Conleys Plane Ticket]

I am sorry, but when your best opponent is Clifford Etienne, then your a bum in my book.

What do you all think about Floyd going back down to Super Feather and fighting Manny Pacquiao? I want to see someone who can really throw bombs face Floyd.

EDIT: OK, Floyd has faced some very hard punchers, but I am talking about one of the hardest hitters vs great technical fighter, just so you all dont jump all over me.

[post="528533"][/post]​

I think Jameel McCline is a much better fighter than Etienne. In any case, I think Brock showed in the first four rounds tonight that he's a quality fighter. But Klitschko is just the best there is right now and Brock didn't show enough upper body movement. As Lennox Leiws said, you can't stand in front of a guy who can punch.

I went to the fight at MSG tonight. I didn't know what to expect, but the atmosphere was pretty electric. I don't know the official atendance, but it was a very good crowd -- mostly Ukranians who were going crazy for Klitschko.

As for Mayweather, it would be physically impossible to drop down to 130 at the age of 29 after fighting as a 147-pounder. If you want to see Floyd fight someone who can crack him, then lobby for a fight against Antonio Margarito or Kermit Cintron. But neither of those will evver happen because despite his big talk, Floyd isn't really interested in testing himself against a bigger, stronger fighter. Ultimately, I think Mayweather would rip either of those guys apart, but it might not be a total walkover as most of Floyd's fights have been (especially since he went up to 140 and 147) and he refuses to take that risk.

 

[BGrif21125]

I went to the fight at MSG tonight. I didn't know what to expect, but the atmosphere was pretty electric. I don't know the official atendance, but it was a very good crowd -- mostly Ukranians who were going crazy for Klitschko.

I originally had planned to go up to NYC for this fight, but unfortunately I couldn't get up there this weekend.
Considering the strong Russian/Ukranian base in that area, I expect a Klitschko fight against either Valuev or Maskaev would be held in MSG. Also, if Briggs is the next opponent for Wlad, I'd expect that fight to be at MSG too, since Briggs is a Brooklyn native. Hopefully I can catch one of those fights, I can't imagine anything better in terms of atmosphere than a big fight at MSG.
Was it easy to follow the action? I always wondered that it might be tough to see what was going on in the ring unless you had really good seats. I would still go to a big fight even if I was in the nosebleeds, but I've always wondered about this.

What do you all think about Floyd going back down to Super Feather and fighting Manny Pacquiao? I want to see someone who can really throw bombs face Floyd.

Like Gene said, it's impossible for Floyd to move back down in weight. The rest of his career will be at 147-154. However, if Floyd had fought one of the great featherweights (Morales, Barrera, Pacquiao) back when he was in the 130-135 range, he would've destroyed each one of those guys. He would have been the naturally bigger fighter, and would've enjoyed a huge speed advantage against all those guys, as he does against every opponent. I would've been surprised if Morales, Barrera or Pacquiao made it past the 8th round with Floyd at 130-135. Pacquiao's got great power, but punching power doesn't mean anything when you're facing an unhittable opponent. Ask Diego Corrales, Arturo Gatti, and Carlos Baldomir.

But neither of those will evver happen because despite his big talk, Floyd isn't really interested in testing himself against a bigger, stronger fighter.

I know this is beating a dead horse since it's been discussed before (and I freely admit to being a Mayweather fanboy), but I think it's extraordinarily premature to criticize Floyd for not wanting to fight bigger, stronger guys when he is in the process of negotiating a fight against De La Hoya.
DLH is bigger, stronger, and a hell of a lot better than either Margarito, Kermit Citron, or anyone else at 147 that Floyd hasn't already beaten up.
He fought the best at 130 (Corrales), the best at 135 (Castillo). Gatti was overmatched, but he was a beltholder and the biggest name at 140. Judah is the most physically talented fighter other than Floyd at 147. Baldomir was the undisputed champ until he got chewed up and spit out last weekend.
De La Hoya would be the most lucrative non-heavyweight fight ever. His opponent selection has been a slow and sometimes frustrating process, but in the end he's fighting the best guys. Now if he backs out of a DLH deal and fights someone like Cory Spinks, then it should be open season to criticize Mayweather. But that hasn't happened.

Anyway, on to Pacquiao-Morales III. I expect nothing less than a great fight.

 

[Gene Conleys Plane Ticket]

I originally had planned to go up to NYC for this fight, but unfortunately I couldn't get up there this weekend.
Considering the strong Russian/Ukranian base in that area, I expect a Klitschko fight against either Valuev or Maskaev would be held in MSG. Also, if Briggs is the next opponent for Wlad, I'd expect that fight to be at MSG too, since Briggs is a Brooklyn native. Hopefully I can catch one of those fights, I can't imagine anything better in terms of atmosphere than a big fight at MSG.
Was it easy to follow the action? I always wondered that it might be tough to see what was going on in the ring unless you had really good seats. I would still go to a big fight even if I was in the nosebleeds, but I've always wondered about this.

From where I was sitting, in the next-to-uper deck (they didn't sell the uppermost deck) I could see everything just fine. I admit I was a little worried about that myself going in. Of course, it's a different experience than watching on TV and there are always going to be things you miss. I never would have known Klitschko was cut except that they showed the cut on the big screens in the arena between rounds (I preferred to watch the live action, not the screens, while the fight was going on). I also didn't notice the big, red mark on Klitschko's left side from Brock's body shots. But on the HBO broadcast which I watched later, it was very clear.

In the arena, from where I sat, I knew Brock was doing OK in the first four rounds, but when I watched the HBO broadcast, I saw that he did much better than I had perceived. Still, it wasn't that big of a difference. I saw the first 6 rounds 5-1 for Klitschko. From TV, I might have given Brick an additional round, but not by any great margin.

As I said, the atmosphere was quite intense -- even though it was clear that most of the crowd wasn't even sure who Brock was. They were there to root for Klitschko, or to root against him. I can only imagine what it'll be like if and when he fights Briggs at MSG -- but I'm definitely going if it happens!

Anyway, that was the first time I'd been to a pro fight in over 10 years and I'd forgotten what an incredible sports-fan experience it is -- especially a heavyweight championship fight. It's got to be one of those to-do-in-my-liftime things on any true sports fan's list.

It was also pretty cool that Muhammad Ali was in the building (to see Laila fight on the undercard). I don't go in for fanboy moments, but Ali was such a transcendent, iconic and -- people forget this in our era of media-manufactured throwaway celebrities -- important figure that somehow just being in the same building as him felt significant.

Like Gene said, it's impossible for Floyd to move back down in weight. The rest of his career will be at 147-154. However, if Floyd had fought one of the great featherweights (Morales, Barrera, Pacquiao) back when he was in the 130-135 range, he would've destroyed each one of those guys. He would have been the naturally bigger fighter, and would've enjoyed a huge speed advantage against all those guys, as he does against every opponent. I would've been surprised if Morales, Barrera or Pacquiao made it past the 8th round with Floyd at 130-135. Pacquiao's got great power, but punching power doesn't mean anything when you're facing an unhittable opponent. Ask Diego Corrales, Arturo Gatti, and Carlos Baldomir.
I know this is beating a dead horse since it's been discussed before (and I freely admit to being a Mayweather fanboy), but I think it's extraordinarily premature to criticize Floyd for not wanting to fight bigger, stronger guys when he is in the process of negotiating a fight against De La Hoya.
DLH is bigger, stronger, and a hell of a lot better than either Margarito, Kermit Citron, or anyone else at 147 that Floyd hasn't already beaten up.
He fought the best at 130 (Corrales), the best at 135 (Castillo). Gatti was overmatched, but he was a beltholder and the biggest name at 140. Judah is the most physically talented fighter other than Floyd at 147. Baldomir was the undisputed champ until he got chewed up and spit out last weekend.
De La Hoya would be the most lucrative non-heavyweight fight ever. His opponent selection has been a slow and sometimes frustrating process, but in the end he's fighting the best guys. Now if he backs out of a DLH deal and fights someone like Cory Spinks, then it should be open season to criticize Mayweather. But that hasn't happened.

Anyway, on to Pacquiao-Morales III. I expect nothing less than a great fight.

[post="528582"][/post]​

Yeah, but Henry Bruseles? Sharmba Mitchell? Sorry, he knew that Gatti would be a walkover and he loses points for taking the Judah fight after Judah had just lost to a then-journeyman. I don't fault him for fighting Baldomir because Baldomir was the true, linear champion. But no one really expected anything but a mismatch there. And Floyd discredited himself in the fight be refusing to "go for it." He just stuck and moved the whole fight even as Baldomir was practically begging to get knocked out.

Let's face it, since moving above lightweight, Floyd has been extremely reluctant to challenge himself. Yes, DeLa Hoya is bigger and stronger, but he's also well past his prime and assuming they fight next May, will have fought just once in almost three years. That's not only an extremely winnable fight for Mayweather, it's obviously a massive payday, which may be the one thing he's willing to take a chance for -- albeit a rather slight chance.

Floyd needs his Joe Frazier, his Tommy Hearns, his Jake LaMotta. Who knows? Maybe that guy doesn't even exist. But the point is, Floyd's not even looking for him -- in fact, he's avoiding looking for him. It's a shame, because Mayweather is clearly one of the most physically and mentally gifted boxers ever to step in the ring, but the nature of boxing is that, until he's really challenged by a worthy opponent, he can't be called "great." That's just a career wasted in my book.

 

[eddiew112]

From where I was sitting, in the next-to-uper deck (they didn't sell the uppermost deck) I could see everything just fine. I admit I was a little worried about that myself going in. Of course, it's a different experience than watching on TV and there are always going to be things you miss. I never would have known Klitschko was cut except that they showed the cut on the big screens in the arena between rounds (I preferred to watch the live action, not the screens, while the fight was going on). I also didn't notice the big, red mark on Klitschko's left side from Brock's body shots. But on the HBO broadcast which I watched later, it was very clear.

In the arena, from where I sat, I knew Brock was doing OK in the first four rounds, but when I watched the HBO broadcast, I saw that he did much better than I had perceived. Still, it wasn't that big of a difference. I saw the first 6 rounds 5-1 for Klitschko. From TV, I might have given Brick an additional round, but not by any great margin.

As I said, the atmosphere was quite intense -- even though it was clear that most of the crowd wasn't even sure who Brock was. They were there to root for Klitschko, or to root against him. I can only imagine what it'll be like if and when he fights Briggs at MSG -- but I'm definitely going if it happens!

Anyway, that was the first time I'd been to a pro fight in over 10 years and I'd forgotten what an incredible sports-fan experience it is -- especially a heavyweight championship fight. It's got to be one of those to-do-in-my-liftime things on any true sports fan's list.

It was also pretty cool that Muhammad Ali was in the building (to see Laila fight on the undercard). I don't go in for fanboy moments, but Ali was such a transcendent, iconic and -- people forget this in our era of media-manufactured throwaway celebrities -- important figure that somehow just being in the same building as him felt significant.
Yeah, but Henry Bruseles? Sharmba Mitchell? Sorry, he knew that Gatti would be a walkover and he loses points for taking the Judah fight after Judah had just lost to a then-journeyman. I don't fault him for fighting Baldomir because Baldomir was the true, linear champion. But no one really expected anything but a mismatch there. And Floyd discredited himself in the fight be refusing to "go for it." He just stuck and moved the whole fight even as Baldomir was practically begging to get knocked out.

Let's face it, since moving above lightweight, Floyd has been extremely reluctant to challenge himself. Yes, DeLa Hoya is bigger and stronger, but he's also well past his prime and assuming they fight next May, will have fought just once in almost three years. That's not only an extremely winnable fight for Mayweather, it's obviously a massive payday, which may be the one thing he's willing to take a chance for -- albeit a rather slight chance.

Floyd needs his Joe Frazier, his Tommy Hearns, his Jake LaMotta. Who knows? Maybe that guy doesn't even exist. But the point is, Floyd's not even looking for him -- in fact, he's avoiding looking for him. It's a shame, because Mayweather is clearly one of the most physically and mentally gifted boxers ever to step in the ring, but the nature of boxing is that, until he's really challenged by a worthy opponent, he can't be called "great." That's just a career wasted in my book.

[post="528758"][/post]​

I was speaking in theoretical terms about Manny. Floyd is a much naturally bigger man it would be unfair, heck Manny shouldnt even be at 130. He started his carrer at 105. I think Floyd's brawler is just a few years behind him..it would have been worth it to see him fight Kostya Tzsyu. Even seeing him fight a guy like Morales would have been interesting. But I cannot see any guy currently at welter give him any trouble. And thats a shame, because Floyd needs a challenge. I think the only guy who could give him any trouble would be Paul Williams, and that is only because his style is so unique. However, Floyd would have plently of counter opportunites against him.

But on to the Morales-Pacquiao fight. I see this fight being an almost exact repeat of the second one. Morales will be devastated again from months of trying to make weight. I dont care what is coming out of camp about how he is on schedule, when you have as many fights under the belt as he has, it gets harder and harder everytime to make an unnatural weight.

Jermain Taylor fights Kassim Ouma on Dec 8. I dont expect Ouma to challenge Taylor much. Hopefully there can be a Taylor-Calzaghe battle sometime in the near future..

My favorite fighter Winky Wright is fighting Ike Quartey. I expect this to be an easy fight for Winky.

A guy from Hartford, Mike Oliver, recently won the USBA Super Bantamweight title. He is currently 17-0-0 with 7 KO's. He is also ranked 11th in his division by BoxRec. He is probably New England's best prospect out there right now.

Luis Collazo recently won a fight against a guy who was 10-3... I cant believe he fell that fast that quick. Maybe he could fight Floyd.

John Ruiz returns to the ring in Germany on Nov 18.

 

[BGrif21125]

John Ruiz returns to the ring in Germany on Nov 18.

[post="529668"][/post]​

Hmmmm..... November 18th, do I watch Morales-Pacquiao or the John Ruiz fight???
I'm going to need all week to come to a decision on this one.

Luis Collazo recently won a fight against a guy who was 10-3... I cant believe he fell that fast that quick. Maybe he could fight Floyd.

I'd like to see Collazo fight a Top 10 guy at 147 in his next fight. Hopefully over the next year or so, we'll get to see as many fights as possible among the contenders, such as Cotto/Margarito/Williams/Judah/Collazo/Citron. There are so many quality fighters right now at 147, it would be a shame if these guys didn't face off.

 

[Gene Conleys Plane Ticket]

But on to the Morales-Pacquiao fight. I see this fight being an almost exact repeat of the second one. Morales will be devastated again from months of trying to make weight. I dont care what is coming out of camp about how he is on schedule, when you have as many fights under the belt as he has, it gets harder and harder everytime to make an unnatural weight.

My take exactly. And it's not just the weight, its the mileage on him. Morales has been in so many wars and he's taken as much punishment as he's dished out in many bloody fights. I expect him to get stopped again, maybe a little earlier than last time. In a way, I hope this is not a gruelling war because I'm concerned for Morales' long-term health.

Jermain Taylor fights Kassim Ouma on Dec 8. I dont expect Ouma to challenge Taylor much. Hopefully there can be a Taylor-Calzaghe battle sometime in the near future..

My favorite fighter Winky Wright is fighting Ike Quartey. I expect this to be an easy fight for Winky.

Yeah, both of these fights are just table-setters for the Taylor-Wright rematch which seems likely to take place in the spring. I thiknk HBO is hooing for spectacular performances from both guys against these credible -- but clearly inferior -- opponents. That way they can justify putting Taylor-Wright II on Pay-Per-View. The problem is, Wright never gives a spectacular performance. He may be the most unbeatable fighter in the sport, but he's also the dullest. And Taylor is one of those fighters who seems like he should be exciting, but for whatever reason he's never quite as aggressive as he needs to be. I wonder if Ouma's 1,000-punch work rate will give him trouble. It might.

Luis Collazo recently won a fight against a guy who was 10-3... I cant believe he fell that fast that quick. Maybe he could fight Floyd.

Collazo did himself more harm than good with his excellent-but-not-quite-enough performance against Ricky Hatton earlier this year. His problem is that from an ecnomic standpoint he brings nothing but negatives to the table as an opponent for a top fighter. He has no significant fan base to speak of and he's got just enough skills and a style that, as Hatton discovered, can make you look pretty terrible. And he doesn't even have a belt anymore. So why would any of the top welterweights want to fight him? He brings nothing to the table but a difficult fight. It's unfortunate, but that's the nature of the boxing business.

John Ruiz returns to the ring in Germany on Nov 18.

Speaking of bringing nothing to the table.

[post="529668"][/post]​

 

[BGrif21125]

I saw the replay of Klitschko-Brock last night. It was pretty slow at the beginning, but once Klitschko established his jab in the 5th, it was over for Brock. As long as Klitschko fights at a measured pace (which Steward will make him do), he is clearly the best fighter in the division.
James Toney could give him problems because he's such a smart and technically perfect boxer, but at his advanced age, I don't know if he could handle someone of Klitschko's size for 12 rounds. Plus, Toney doesn't have a belt, so Klitschko has no reason to fight him.
Brock has nothing to be ashamed of. For a guy who didn't turn pro until 26, he certainly turned in a respectable performance.
I was glad to see that HBO made a point to show a clip of Ali entering the arena. A very stirring scene. If there's one athlete's career that I wish I was old enough to have experienced, it would be Ali's.

Collazo did himself more harm than good with his excellent-but-not-quite-enough performance against Ricky Hatton earlier this year. His problem is that from an ecnomic standpoint he brings nothing but negatives to the table as an opponent for a top fighter. He has no significant fan base to speak of and he's got just enough skills and a style that, as Hatton discovered, can make you look pretty terrible. And he doesn't even have a belt anymore.

This is 100% accurate. When you're a fighter of Collazo's stature, the absolute worst thing you can do is make a big-name opponent look bad, yet still lose the fight.
What happened with Collazo vs. Hatton is similar to when Winky fought Vargas back in the late 90's. Winky made Vargas look horrible, but lost by a close decision. After that, no one wanted to fight Winky because they knew it would be a rough night, and they didn't have to fight him because he didn't have a belt. It took him 5 years after the Vargas fight to get anyone significant to fight him.

My take exactly. And it's not just the weight, its the mileage on him. Morales has been in so many wars and he's taken as much punishment as he's dished out in many bloody fights. I expect him to get stopped again, maybe a little earlier than last time. In a way, I hope this is not a gruelling war because I'm concerned for Morales' long-term health.

This is exactly how I felt when the third fight was announced. But this past week I reviewed the first two fights, and now I feel different. Not only did Morales win the first fight, he clearly won 4 of the first 5 rounds in the second fight, and then his legs just completely gave out. Now I give credit to Manny, because he took advantage of it, but he didn't really do anything different from the first fight.
Morales only had 4 months between his loss to Raheem at 135 and his second fight with Manny at 130. That was too fast a turnaround. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Morales has one great fight left in his HOF career. Morales by decision in an extremely close fight.

 

[Gene Conleys Plane Ticket]

Mayweather-De La Hoya is officially on, according to this story. The fight will take place May 5, Cinco de Mayo, of course.

Obviously, this is the biggest fight in boxing at least since Lewis-Tyson. I'd say it's the biggest non-heavyweight fight since Hagler-Leonard. I expect it to top 1 million PPV buys and may even get into the 1.5 million range (Lewis-Tyson did 1.8).

My question is, will this fight get coverage in the "mainstream" sports media, ESPN, etc.? I'm very curious to see.

 

[BGrif21125]

Mayweather-De La Hoya is officially on, according to this story. The fight will take place May 5, Cinco de Mayo, of course.

Obviously, this is the biggest fight in boxing at least since Lewis-Tyson. I'd say it's the biggest non-heavyweight fight since Hagler-Leonard. I expect it to top 1 million PPV buys and may even get into the 1.5 million range (Lewis-Tyson did 1.8).

My question is, will this fight get coverage in the "mainstream" sports media, ESPN, etc.? I'm very curious to see.

[post="530872"][/post]​

I'll respond to the last statement first.
This fight will get mainstream coverage, but not to the level of Tyson-Lewis. This is because the mainstream media, like many "casual" boxing fans, thinks that boxing= heavyweights. So because this fight is at 154 (or at least I assume it is), it won't get the same level of attention.
Now, among hardcore fight fans, this will get just as much attention, if not more, than Lewis-Tyson. Those around the sport knew that Tyson was a shell of his former self, and that Lewis would likely win rather easily.
Here, you've got the unquestioned best fighter in the world against DLH, who is past his prime, but is still in good shape and is certainly still a dangerous fighter. DLH-Mayorga had around 950K PPV buys, so I expect this fight to be in the 1.5 million range.

As for where this fight ranks among fights in recent decades:
DLH-Trinidad was a megafight in the Latino community, two undefeated champs, but mainstream wasn't as big. Trinidad, despite being a long-reigning champ, had never really been on a huge PPV event before.
Mayweather isn't a household name by any means, but I think he has more exposure than Tito had up to '99. Also, this fight features the #1 PFP fighter, which DLH-Trinidad did not, since Roy Jones still was #1 back in '99.

If this fight is marketed correctly, it could be every bit as big as Leonard-Hagler or Leonard-Hearns. And you KNOW there is going to be plenty of trash talk and drama in the upcoming 6 months. Floyd Jr. can't keep quiet for that long, and neither can Floyd Sr. And there's nothing America likes more than a soap opera.

I've been looking for a good excuse to go back to Vegas for a weekend this spring. This might be it.

EDIT: According to DLH, Mayweather Sr. hasn't agreed to train him yet, they still have to sit down and discuss it.

 

[bosoxx05]

Bgriff, does DLH have a chance? I'm not a hardcore boxing fan by any means, but if all of Mayweather's fights are like his previous, I might just hold out for the replay.

 

[BGrif21125]

Bgriff, does DLH have a chance? I'm not a hardcore boxing fan by any means, but if all of Mayweather's fights are like his previous, I might just hold out for the replay.

[post="531036"][/post]​

As of this moment, I would give Mayweather about a 70-75% chance of winning this fight, with De La Hoya at about 25-30%. I would expect most media or fan polls leading up to the fight to be closer to 60-40, maybe even 50/50.
This is because of:
A. DLH's popularity and big name
B. Underappreciation of Mayweather's finesse style, and also because of his rather abrasive and unlikeable personality.

De La Hoya definitely has a chance, he will be the best opponent of Mayweather's career and this will also be fought at a weight at which Floyd has never fought before.
Also, Mayweather loves to throw straight right hands, which always leaves him somewhat vulnerable to a left hook, which is by far De La Hoya's best punch.

As for advice on whether or not to order the fight, I might be the wrong person to ask because I order virtually every one. But put it this way, if you spent money on Lewis-Tyson, then you better spend money on this one.

 

[eddiew112]

Bgriff, does DLH have a chance? I'm not a hardcore boxing fan by any means, but if all of Mayweather's fights are like his previous, I might just hold out for the replay.

[post="531036"][/post]​

This is a must order. If you dont wanna dish out the dough for what could possibly be an awful fight (a risk you must always take), go watch it at a bar. If you live around Boston, Good Times at Assembly Square in Somerville is a great place to watch a fight. But I agree with BGrif, Oscar's left gives him a possible KO opportunity, and it is actually something Floyd is somewhat vulnerable to.

 

[BGrif21125]

Looks like Floyd Sr. will stay on as Oscar's trainer.
Link

Some highlights:

"My father can say whatever he wants to say," the WBC welterweight champion said. "He's said he taught me everything I know but not everything he knows. I'm glad he didn't, because then my record would be like his."
"He lost to one legend, Sugar Ray Leonard [by 10th-round TKO in 1978] but his other losses were to journeymen and cab drivers."

"My dad is a grumpy old man," he said. "I respect him as a man and a trainer, but he wishes his career went like mine."

And loving words from Dad:

"I don't have to whip his ass, but I'll still spank him. That night, he will respect me even if we don't speak again, he will respect my skills. He'll know he shouldn't have been on the other side of the fence."

Off course, Floyd Jr. is trained by his uncle Roger (Floyd Sr.'s brother), who is currently in prison for knocking out the front teeth of his mother-in-law.
No one will ever confuse the Mayweathers with the Brady Bunch.

 

[Lanternjaw]

I told myself I'd stay away from the PPV cards... ack.

Had to see Pacquiao Morales III after reading reports on Morales' tremendous camp and how -- for the first time in ages -- he actually looked healthy and cheery at a weigh-in. This fight is gonna rock.

 

[BGrif21125]

I told myself I'd stay away from the PPV cards... ack.

[post="536661"][/post]​

I did the same thing. I was staring at my cable box at 8:59, "Should I order this or not?....hmmmm"
The answer ended up being the same one as the last 20 times I've done that. I'll be watching.

These are two guys who always deliver the goods.

 

[eddiew112]

While Taylor tries to move closer to a fight with Calzaghe (42-0, 31 KOs), the unified super middleweight champ from Wales will try to do his part by making his historic 20th title defense March 3 (HBO) in Cardiff against Peter Manfredo Jr. (26-3, 12 KOs), the runner-up in the first season of "The Contender" reality series. The camps reached an agreement this week and the contracts were signed Friday, a source directly involved in the deal told ESPN.com. Official announcement is expected the week after Thanksgiving. In addition to Calzaghe-Manfredo, the telecast probably will include the HBO debut of lightweight mega prospect Amir Khan, the 2004 British Olympic silver medalist. A Calzaghe victory could pave the way for him to come to the United States for a showdown with Taylor later in 2007.

Rafael's Notebook

Great job Petey. Even though he probably has no chance in this fight, I always love to see a local guy get his big shot. Also will look forward to seeing Amir Khan. Good Luck, I ll be rooting you on!