The Army Boxing Thread

[sonrisa salvaje]

The Mayweather fight was not what i imagined. The best part was the post fight interview with Kellerman and the near Mosley skirmish. I knew going in that the weight and size difference was going to be a factor, but i didn't think it would be enormous like it was. You could tell pretty much after round 2 that it was going to be a long night for JMM. The fight that Floyd needs to make is with Shane. He needs to fight one of the big boys his own size and stop trying to make guys come up. He just seems so scared to take a legitimate risk. That has always been my problem with him. Even when he goes up in weight he hand picks the easiest champion to fight in which he can get a belt.

[jhale667]

Well, JMM landed around three clean shots all night. lol!

It was comfortable seeing my favourite fighter get taken to the clinic, but Floyd was mezmerizingly good on Saturday. I'm guessing Mosely will be next.........

Missed it, can't wait to see the replay..

[sonrisa salvaje]

One more funny thing about the skirmish, Floyd and his group settled down pretty quick once B Hop stuck his face in there! LOL.

I am setting the over/under at 3 rounds on the Vitali Klitschko - Chris Arreola fight. Binnie, you want over or under?

[binnie]

Over - I say Vitali will finish him around round 8 or 9. Arreola will be a mess.

As for Mayweather, we have to remember that the size discrepancy here is being overplayed by his critics. Mayweather is NOT a natural welter, he spent most of his career at 130lbs, and JMM at 126, so there is not a HUGE difference. On that form, he beats Mosley, Cotto, Pacquiao and Berto all night every night.

I am no fan of the man, but it is pretty hard to deny his legacy: Castillio, Chico Corrales (a MUCH bigger guy), Oscar De La Hoya (who Mayweather moved up for and conceded ring size and gloves), Ricky Hatton, Zab Judah (a beast back in the day)......and a host of guys one step down from that level.
I don't think he's ever really ducked anyone - Margarito might have posed a challenge but it seems hard to conceive of it given the boxing lesson that a slower and much easier to hit Mosely gave him.

But yes, Mosely-Mayweather would be a great fight. A tougher challenge than Pacquiao, IMO. Mosely is tougher than Pac, has hands which are as fast, and has a better set of skills. That being said, whenever Shane has come up against really slick boxers he struggles - Winky Wright and Vernon Forrest spring to mind. If he can find Mayweather, his hand speed and power pose problems - but something tells me he'd spend 12 rounds looking.

The winner of Pacquiao-Cotto is the mega fight though. Everyone is assuming that Cotto is already beaten, but this is no cake walk for the Pacman.

As for the near post-fight PBF-Golden Boy tangle, I think it was staged by Golden Boy, who are in need of a mega fight. Max Kellerman is a dumbass: all of those Hall of Famers around him and all he can say is 'Jim'. The guy was asking Floyd questions then holding the mic so far away you could barely hear Pretty Boy speak, and then interupted him anyway. Unbelievable.

[binnie]

Vitali Klitschko - Chris Arreola

To some pundits Chris Arreola is the saviour of the Heavyweight division. "He's got great power" they say, "he throws better combinations than any heavyweight out their" they insist, and "he's American (well, close enough.)" The last part is the key to the hype around Arreola who, were he Eastern European, would not be getting this title shot. US boxing fans are so desperate for a new young gun to come up and steal the glory back from the Eastern bloc that they have now, ridiculously, placed all of their hopes in this tubby over-grown journeyman. That's a lot of weight for Arreola to carry!

However, Arreola has one thing going for him: motivation. Most US heavys of recent years who have travelled the pond to face one of Klitschko brothers have talked a good fight, but when the bell rings their hesitation bellies the reality - that they have come for a payday and an ass-whoopin'. Arreola is different - he genuinely fancies his chances, and has a home town adavantage. Who knows, maybe that self belief will propel him to greatness; maybe, at 38 Vitali is finally staring to get old.

Make no mistake though, 'Dr. Iron Fist' is a massive step up in class and SIZE for Arreola. He will be hit harder than ever before, and you never know how a man will react to tha. What is ACTUALLY going to happen in this fight is a beat down. Arreola will undoubtedly have his moments in the first three of four rounds. From then on, however, Vitali will take over will his solid jab and power punching, swatting the tubby one like to a brutal stoppage. The effect on Arreola's career will depend on how long he or his corner decides to persevere. I think he's a proud man, and expect the beat-down to effectively be career ending.

Vitali KO between rounds 8-10

[sonrisa salvaje]

I think your giving Arreola too much credit by saying he'll last until 8-10. I don't think he has the stamina to last 5. I'm calling for 3rd -4th round KO because i've seen Arreola rocked by lesser men than the good Doctor. I think Arreola comes in and goes for broke in the first couple rounds. Once the early onslaught is avoided and Arreola is gassed, he will be taken out shortly thereafter.

[binnie]

You may well be proven right. I'm just banking on Arreola's will to win and Vitali's natural patience to combine and buy Chris a few more rounds.

Either way, I don't see how Arreola wins this.

[jhale667]

I think he's a proud man, and expect the beat-down to effectively be career ending.

Agreed, especially since Arreola is saying things like "He'll have to kill me to stop me."

Careful what you wish for, big fella...

[sonrisa salvaje]

You may well be proven right. I'm just banking on Arreola's will to win and Vitali's natural patience to combine and buy Chris a few more rounds.

Either way, I don't see how Arreola wins this.

I agree with you. One thing that makes this fight something to look forward to is what you are talking about. If Arreola's will to win is what we think it is, he will go after the big man instead of conservatively standing on the outside trying to win a jabbing contest. We have seen that fight over and over again. If Chris doesn't realize he is in over his head and goes for it, it should be damn entertaining no matter how long it goes.

[DlocRoth]

Floyd.

I like Arreola. As you have all pointed out, the dude HAS heart. And he can hit. Plus I hate everybody with the last name Klitschko.

[sonrisa salvaje]

Props to Binnie who had the fight pegged. I give Chris a standing ovation for his effort against Vitali. That was one of the best heavyweight fights in a long time even though it was one sided.

[binnie]

Agreed. I think the ref made a good call - Arreola's pride was going to send him into a dangerous territory.

I think his days as a contender are over, however. Who's he going to challenge next, Wlad?

[binnie]

Kelly Pavlik - Paul Williams Dec 5th.

Given that both of these guys average 100 punches per round, this should be a killer! I don't think Pavlik has fully recovered mentally from Hopkins, but I wonder if Williams will be able to consistently take his punch. Should be a great fight.

Rumours are that Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr are finally having a rematch. Pretty meaningless now, really. Jones' legs are gone, which means he might have problems finding Bhop. I would have prefered Hopkins to have taken on Dawson, but Golden Boy needs a 'mega' fight and this is one that will undoutedly do reasonable PPV.

[sonrisa salvaje]

Kelly Pavlik - Paul Williams Dec 5th.

Given that both of these guys average 100 punches per round, this should be a killer! I don't think Pavlik has fully recovered mentally from Hopkins, but I wonder if Williams will be able to consistently take his punch. Should be a great fight.

Rumours are that Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr are finally having a rematch. Pretty meaningless now, really. Jones' legs are gone, which means he might have problems finding Bhop. I would have prefered Hopkins to have taken on Dawson, but Golden Boy needs a 'mega' fight and this is one that will undoutedly do reasonable PPV.

Pavlik + Williams = fight of the year candidate

I kind of wonder who would actually spend 50 bucks to see an over the hill Jones vs the seemingly ageless BHop. I wouldn't think that even the most staunch supporters of both fighters would be willing to fork out the money in this economy.

[binnie]

Well, Roy still has to fight Danny Green so I'm not sure its a done deal yet.

Pavlik-Williams has the potential to be a classic!