The Army Boxing Thread

[binnie]

Originally posted by binnie

Mayweather UD Hatton.

My heart says "Hatton's gonna get close, he's going to throw some of those crippling bodyshots, and spend all night with his head on Floyd's chest, eventaully wearing him down." But my head knows that ain't going to happen. Floyd will move around him and throw four, five, six punch combinations to his head all night. And Ricky will take them all night, and just keep coming. The sad thing is that I just don't think that Hatton comes forward fast enough to get near enough to Mayweather. I hope that I am wrong

Ok, that was my prediction from the 29th of August. I'm modifying it: I still think that Floyd will win but it'll be close - I think I underdestimated Ricky's durability. floyd might throw the fast combinations but I don't think they'll be enough to hold Ricky off him, and sooner or later he's going to catch Floyd with something. I'm expecting a great fight - Mayweather by split decision

[binnie]

http://www.courant.com/sports/other/hc-foxboxsun1202.artdec02,0,6106605.story

Donaire, Forrest retain boxing crowns by TKO at Foxwoods
By TOMMY HINE | Courant Staff Writer
December 2, 2007
MASHANTUCKET - — It has reached the point where Antonio Tarver can't avoid Chad Dawson, New Haven's unbeaten WBC champion, much longer. He is fast running out of boxers.

Tarver disposed of another one Saturday night at Foxwoods, successfully defending his IBO light heavyweight championship when referee Steve Smoger stopped the bout after Danny Santiago was sent to the canvas for the second time with 2:53 left in the fourth round.

The crowd, which had booed the fighters for their lack of action at the end of the second round, chanted "Stop Ducking Dawson" after the fight was stopped. Tarver (26-4, 19 KOs) ignored the crowd, and he said he didn't hear the earlier boos.

"I didn't hear the crowd. I was too busy trying to execute," Tarver said.

"Early in the fight, Danny took some large shots. I broke him down early. I'm a patient fighter. That was our game plan."

Santiago's record fell to 29-4-1, with 19 KOs.

Tarver said he might like to defend against Jeff Lacy next.

"Just set 'em up, and I'll knock them down," Tarver said. "This is my division. Anyone who wants to be champion has to fight me."

Tarver's fight was the last of three title bouts.

In his first challenge since winning both the IBF and IBO flyweight championships, Nonito Donaire successfully defended the two titles when referee Charlie Dwyer stopped a scheduled 12-round bout with Luis Maldonado at 1:16 of the eighth. When Dwyer stepped in, blood streamed down both sides of Maldonado's disfigured face.

"Stop the fight," some fans yelled. Thirty seconds later, Dwyer did.

"I felt sluggish," Donaire (19-1, 12 KOs) said. "I had to rely more on my power than I usually do."

In the other title bout, Vernon Forrest successfully defended his WBC super welterweight title after he knocked down Michele Piccirillo for the third and final time, and referee Arthur Mercante stopped the fight at 2:21 of the 11th round.

"He hit me more than I expected," Forrest (40-2, 29 KOs) said. "He gave me some good work."

But it was Piccirillo (48-4, 30 KOs) who took the bulk of the punishment. Forrest sent Piccirillo to the canvas at the end of the sixth round and again in the ninth with an overhand right. When Forrest landed two more overhand rights to the head, Piccirillo went down and couldn't get to his feet before Mercante finished the count.

Maldonado (37-2-1, 28 KOs) was in trouble in the second round in his fight with Donaire when a clean punch opened a cut over the Mexican's left eye. An unintentional head butt in the third round opened a cut over Maldonado's right eye, and he bled profusely the rest of the fight.

In the fourth round, Donaire switched to southpaw, confusing Maldonado even more.

"He was fighting awkward," Donaire said. "If I had my legs in this fight, it would have been a lot easier for me. ... He's a great, strong fighter. I think tonight validated me. My next goal is to unify the titles and be the first Filipino to do so."

Maldonado was knocked to the canvas later in the seventh, but he was on his feet and took the standing eight count seconds before the bell.

One round later, it was over.

Unbeaten Tony Grano of Hebron (13-0-1) had a second-round TKO of John Battle in a scheduled six-round heavyweight bout on the undercard.

[binnie]

I'm surprised that there aren't more takers on Hatton-Mayweather. Here's a little synopsis as I see it:

Myth number one - Hatton is a glorified club fighter/slugger:

That is clearly bullshit. Ok, Hatton doesn't have Floyd's skills (who does?), but he's hardly a one dimensional slugger like Baldomir (who Mayweather has been sparring with for this fight, significant?). Ricky can do a lot more than simply charge forward and bang; he creates angles, he has fast hands (again, not as fast as Flyod but few are) and he is an excellent inside fighter. I'm sorry, but it is just bullshit to claim that a guy who has won three 'world' titles at two weights is a club fighter (IBF light-welter against Tszyu, WBA welter against Collazo, and IBF light welter against Urango.)

Myth Number Two - Hatton hasn't fought anybody.

It is certainly true that he hasn't fought anyone like Floyd, but he's got a decent record and he is undefeated. Critics say that Tszyu was old and inactive (36 and hadn't fought in 13 months) and that Castilio was a shot fighter. Well, that's conjecture but one's things for sure: until Hatton, no-one had put Castilio away and that old tough guy wanted no more of the Hitman after four rounds. Old or not, that;'s impressive. And Tszyu was still regarded as one of the best PFP fighters in the world - it was only after he lost that he suddenly became 'past it'. Reminds me of how Jeff 'the 168lb Mike Tyson' Lacy suddenly became a bum once Calzaghe spanked him.
But anyone's record can be spun to look bad. Lets look at Mayweather. He beats Zab Judah, who was coming off a loss; he beats Baldomir, a joruneymen who got lucky against the erratic Judah and had never really done anything else of note; and he beats De La Hoya, himself a candidate for the "old" tag. If one were to be really nasty, they might point out that at 140 and 147 he never fought Tszyu, Margarito, and now Paul Williams or Cotto. Do I believe that any of this tarnishes how great a fighter Mayyweather is? No (although I don't think he's the best fighter in the world). Anyone's who's watched him should no he' a great champ, and the same thing shoudl be evident when you watch footage of Hatton.

Myth three - Hatton can't hack it at 147.

Well, he looked bloody awful against Collazo, but that was largely due to rushing up to the weight and being sick at the time. We will have to wait and see if he is better this time. One thing in his favour is that he hasn't ballooned between fights, and he's been nearer to fighting weight for weeks, actually listening to his nutritionist. We will have to wait and see.

Myth four - Hatton holds.

Well, it's actually true lol! As I said above, there's far more to Hatton than brawling. But I expect him to employ holding tactics on Saturday. Let's try and understand his thought process: "I am in the ring with one of the fastet, most skilled boxers in the world. Do I want to leave him room to do his thing, or do I want to get hold of him, wear him down, and make him fight my fight? Mmmm". Having said that, I think that LFoyd is a better inside fighter than people give him credit for so even if the fight does go this way it could be entertaining. Any Floyd fan who accuses this of been boring is really guilty of pot-kettle-black. It's almost always Floyd's opponetns who makes the fight.

I see this being a close fight. If Floyd's hands are as brittle as reports suggest then he is in for trouble because if he hasn't got the power to fend Ricky off then the Hitman will chase him all night, 3 minutes per round. Hatton seems really up for this, and I'm expecting a classic. Will Hatton be able to hit him? I think so. Will Mayweather cope with the pressure? I think it will bring out an even better Floyd. Mayweather's footwork will save the day for him on a close split decision.

[DlocRoth]

On that HBO 24/7 shit, Mayweather has been playing up how badly broken down his body is....especially his hands.

Everybody here knows I have been slurping Floyd for years...and I won't stop now....


BUT...he may be in for a beat down. Can't believe I said that.

Having said that, ALL Floyd does is train. He'll be ready. He'll probably bust his right hand again, and still dance around and tap Hatton all night. Then get the decision, and people will boo because it wasn't exciting enough.

[binnie]

Originally posted by DlocRoth


BUT...he may be in for a beat down. Can't believe I said that.

Having said that, ALL Floyd does is train. He'll be ready. He'll probably bust his right hand again, and still dance around and tap Hatton all night. Then get the decision, and people will boo because it wasn't exciting enough.

Yeah, I have it a feeling that it COULD go that way but I'm hoping it won't. I'm not too sure that he'd be able to hold Hatton off one-handed, and consequently he might have to fight.

For boxing, it's win-win either way. The welterweight division is packed with good fighters at the moment: Hatton, Mayweahter, Williams, Margarito (don't count him out), Mosely, De La Hoya wants a piece and Cintron is on the up and up. Plenty of killer fights waiting to be made.

[jhale667]

Here's hoping it's a good fight...I'd like to see Floyd try to trade rather than peck and dance away all night.
I still don't think Floyd's ever fought anyone who could truly test him...and anyone who could, he's stayed the hell away from...
If he's not careful, Hatton will knock him into the next area code...

[binnie]

I just hope it's not an anti-climax, although I'm pretty sure it won't be.

Will be watching it with my dad. By the time it's finished it'll be 4am UK time - good thing we're used to it after all these years of watching boxing!

[DlocRoth]

Don't worry, Bin....

Just start drinking about 8 PM.

The time will fly.

[binnie]

Originally posted by DlocRoth
Don't worry, Bin....

Just start drinking about 8 PM.

The time will fly.

Well, there's actually some decent British boxing on before (about 10PM our time) so it'll be ok.

I'm looking forward to Lacy-Manfredo on the undercard, largely because I think it'll be funny. I give Lacy 4-5 round to shake off the ring rust and then it's only a matter of time until Manfredo is horizontal. Unless Manfredo has found some amazing new set of skills or something, lol...

[binnie]

Heavyweight "unification" signed - a step in the right direction I guess...

From fightnews.com

Klitschko-Ibragimov NYC Presser!
First heavyweight unificaton since the 90s

December 5, 2007

By Matt Richardson

Boxing is a funny business.

The last time there was a heavyweight unification bout, Emanuel Steward brought his talented but fragile heavyweight title-holder to Madison Square Garden in an attempt to unify the heavyweight division and add clarity to the sport's premiere division.

Flash forward 8 years and Steward is bringing a new talented but fragile heavyweight title-holder to the Garden in an attempt to once again unify the heavyweight division.

In 1999 Steward was in the corner of Lennox Lewis when he fought Evander Holyfield to an appalling draw in the main arena of the Garden.

In 2008, Steward will be in the corner of Wladimir Klitschko as Klitschko takes on his WBO counter-part Sultan Ibragimov in a fight that should help clarify the status quo in the division.

"This is a historic fight and a historic event," Klitschko, 49-3, 44 KO's said at the press conference to announce the fight on Tuesday morning at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square. "The fight is officially on. This is such a great fight, such a great city in such a great arena."

The fight will be held in the main arena of the Garden on Feb. 23, 2008.

"Sport is the only one language...one religion," Klitschko said. "It's about performance and I'm looking forward to putting on a great performance in this unification."

"You will see a great unification fight," Ibragimov, 22-0-1, 17 KO's said during a brief speech at the podium. "You will see a great fight with real heavyweights."

"This is a fight that I'm excited about," Steward said. "Wladimir Klitschko and Sultan Ibragimov are starting to come together to form one super heavyweight."

"Wladimir's become so proficient. He's become a master at controlling the ring. I'm very happy with his progress," said Steward.

"(Unification) is an important of what HBO and these fighters are trying to do," said HBO's Kerry Davis, who called the HBO-televised card a "great night of heavyweights."

In addition to the fight's broadcast the network will also show a 90-minute porgram entitled "Joe Louis: American Hero Betrayed." The program will air before the Klitschko-Ibragimov fight on the East Coast and after it on the West.

Still, both fighters and much of the media were skeptical of labeling the Klitschko-Ibragimov bout a "unification" when there are still belts being held by Ruslan Chagaev (WBA) and Oleg Maskaev (WBC). "I'm a boxing fan and I'm looking as a fan of boxing for one heavyweight champion," Klitschko said honestly.

"I hope that later we can get another title and another one. This is not the undisputed championship, it's just a unification," he said.

Steward however, had the quickest and likely most accurate response. It didn't matter anyway, the hall of fame trainer said, because it will last "about six months then it'll be split up again."

JABZ

In support of one of the many charities he assists, Klitschko is offering fans a chance to sign their names to the robe he will wear upon entry and exit into the ring for the fight against Ibragimov. "I'm going to enter the ring with this robe and I'm going to exit the ring with this robe," Klitschko said as he wore the draping red and gold attire over his blue suit. Interested parties will have to cough up $199 a signature. Klitschko says he expects to have as many as 10,000 signatures on the garment. There is also allegedly a deal in place for the robe to be purchased post-fight for $150,000. All proceeds will go to charity.

In addition to a huge size advantage, IBF champ Klitschko is actually a year younger than Ibragimov at 31 years old.

Tickets go on sale today thru Ticketmaster. According to promoters approximately 75 percent of the tickets are $300 or less.

[Don Corleone]

Originally posted by DlocRoth
Having said that, ALL Floyd does is train. He'll be ready.

Not necessarily

It’s one thing going through the motions of training - it's something else to train with the hunger and determination that you need for a fight of this size.

In this fight Ricky has that, Floyd on the other hand I'm not sure of.

I think Floyd, his team and his huge ego have made a mistake and underestimated Ricky - Ricky will go at Floyd like few fighters have, and will keep coming at him, and will keep throwing punches.

My prediction is a close fight, but Hamilton to take a points win.

[naturochem]

Originally posted by Don Corleone
Not necessarily

It’s one thing going through the motions of training - it's something else to train with the hunger and determination that you need for a fight of this size.

In this fight Ricky has that, Floyd on the other hand I'm not sure of.

I think Floyd, his team and his huge ego have made a mistake and underestimated Ricky - Ricky will go at Floyd like few fighters have, and will keep coming at him, and will keep throwing punches.

My prediction is a close fight, but Hamilton to take a points win.

Ricky looks fuckin shreaded... haven't seen the weigh-in's, but I hope he isn't right at the limit like he was in the (rather lame..) Collazo fight, when he moved up to welterweight and over-bulked himself. He'll need far more speed, & reflexes on overdrive to deal with Gayweather's quickness & ability, let alone the best defensive skills in boxing...

I think Ricky has a slight chance, and truly hope he knocks that little fuck's hundred thousand dollar dental work down his fuckin throat!! But, this will truly be the challenge of Ricky's blue-collar lifetime....

[binnie]

Originally posted by Don Corleone
Not necessarily

It’s one thing going through the motions of training - it's something else to train with the hunger and determination that you need for a fight of this size.

In this fight Ricky has that, Floyd on the other hand I'm not sure of.

I think Floyd, his team and his huge ego have made a mistake and underestimated Ricky - Ricky will go at Floyd like few fighters have, and will keep coming at him, and will keep throwing punches.

My prediction is a close fight, but Hamilton to take a points win.

Good to see you in here Don! I hope that you're right about this, I really do. I say plit decision for Mayweather, as I think it'l be close - but I desperately want Hatton to win.

Originally posted by naturochem
Ricky looks fuckin shreaded... haven't seen the weigh-in's, but I hope he isn't right at the limit like he was in the (rather lame..) Collazo fight, when he moved up to welterweight and over-bulked himself. He'll need far more speed, & reflexes on overdrive to deal with Gayweather's quickness & ability, let alone the best defensive skills in boxing...

I think Ricky has a slight chance, and truly hope he knocks that little fuck's hundred thousand dollar dental work down his fuckin throat!! But, this will truly be the challenge of Ricky's blue-collar lifetime....

Ricky has been at or under weight for around a week - he has prepared his body fol welter this time. He won't be as shitty as he was against Collazo

[Don Corleone]

Originally posted by binnie
Good to see you in here Don!

Thanks, didn't know we had a boxing thread or I'd have been here sooner - I enjoy watching boxing.

[janarak]

For my two peneth,
I would love Hatton to do one on Mayweather , But my heart says he wont.
I think Hatton Has a chance as mayweather might not take this serious as he should ,were as Hatton knows this is the fight of his life.
I think Hatton has looked poor at times both Luis Collazo and Urango caused him trouble.But he looked good against Castillo.
End of the day how much does Mayweather still want it.
Heart and head say mayweather and my wallet at the bookies in the morning will be going mayweather in the 6th.