The Army Boxing Thread

[jhale667]

I didn't watch the whole Klitschko fight, but at one point it seemed like Emmanuel Steward was like "Why are we still HERE?"

[binnie]

Originally posted by binnie
Vasquez-Marquez III this weekend - who ya picking?

For my money, as long as Vasquez doesn't have to pull-out because of cuts, he wins this one in the later rounds by a TKO.

Cuts could change everything though....

Another binnie prediction comes true!

What an absolutely outstanding fight, hell, what an absolutely outstanding trilogy!

[binnie]

Fellas, there is a fight this Saturday that you HAVE to watch. It is been aired on US time.

David haye vs Enzo Maccrinelli for the WBA, WBC and WBO Cruiserweight belts.

These two are undoubteldy the best cruisers out there and they both punch like nothing on planet earth, probably harder than ANY of the heavies out there (reports from sparring suggest that these guys spark heavies no problem.)

David Haye is 21-1 with 20 knock outs, and is regarding as the best Cruiser out there after demolishing Jean Marc Mckmeck (watch Jean's face when the body shots connect.) Maccrinelli is 28-1 with 20-something knocouts. He is trained by Joe Calzaghe's father and has improved with every fight he's had under that tutelage.

Both guys have been stopped, both have questionable chins (not glass-jaws by any means, but not Oliver McCalls either!) so this means big guns blazing and a knock out for sure. This will be huge in the UK, and you guys should check it out too!

[ALinChainz]

I'm on it Bin ... any unification on TV I'm usually on it.

The more fights like this, the better for the sport.

[binnie]

Exactly. Whilst Klitscho-Sultan was a dull fight, at least it's a step towards unification.

If we could have a unified heavyweight champ in two years, it'd be great for the sport.

It's a credit to Pavlik that he wants to win another belt at 160 before moving up. If the fight between he and Arthur Abraham can happen, it will be a classic, trust me. Both are brawlers and punchers, and Abraham has been in more wars than Atilla than Hun. Pav will edge it, but I think it'll be a great war.

[binnie]

Lots of great fights in the next couple of weeks.

This weekend,

Juan Diaz vs Nate Campbell.

Diaz will win this I think, but it'll be tougher than people expect. I reckon UD. Maybe a knockdown but no stoppage as Diaz isn't an explosive puncher.

Sam Peter vs Ruslan Chagaev.

Well, maybe not a 'great' fight lol. I suppose the smart money is on Peter as Chagaev is almost as old a Holyfield, but Sam looked terrible against McCline and is a very vulnerable fighter. I really don't feel confident in making a prediction, but I feel Chagaev may cause an upset. Let's hope Peter has a good night.

David Haye vs Enzo Maccrinelli.

Bound to be a good fight. All the smakrt money is on Haye: naturally bigger, fought better opposition, hits even harder and more unorthodox. That being said, I fancy Maccrinelli for an upset either by later round stoppage or points victory. Haye looked incredibly easy to hit in his fight with Morcmeck, and Maccrineeli has a great jab - together, that spells trouble. If Enzo keeps his head and doesn't get into a brawl in the early rounds, I predict he'll win. (knowing my luck, Haye will spark him in one round and I'll look like an idiot, lol...)

15th March.

Manny Pacquiano vs Juan Manuel Marquez.

This should be exceptional. Hard to imagine Pacquiano losing, but I've got a feeling that Marquez will take this as he seemed to have Manny figured out after the first round of the last fight. I'm a huge Manny fan, but I'm not convinced he can pull this one off....

[ALinChainz]

Haye believes he will move to heavyweight and become a star of the division.

I agree about Peter, he should be a bulldozing powerhouse, but he leaves a lot of it in the gym or something because he has a tendency for lackluster performances.

[ALinChainz]

And I think Manny will win this fight ... he seems to rise to the big fight occasion.

[cadaverdog]

Is it just me or does anyone else feel like sports in general have
lost a lot of popularity.
Take boxing for example Just a few years ago anybody could name
a handfull of boxers.
Sugar Ray Leonard , Hearns , Hagler , Duran , Chavez , Tyson ,
Foreman , Ali , Frazier , Norton and lots of others.
But know if your not a big boxing fan , their are only a couple of big names Del La Hoya , Roy Jones jr.
Why aren't athletes big celebs like they used to be?
Come to think about it Roth fans are a dying breed.
How many new artists have such loyal fans?
Or athletes?
Nascar in the south is still full of fans whose very lives revolve around
Their particular hero.
But other sports?
Not so much.
Maybe I'm just getting too old .

[binnie]

Boxing has definitely lost popularity because of poor fight making: for 15+ years the top guys in each division haven't fought each other as often as they did in the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s, there are a lot of belt holders and not a lot of champions.

Also the heavy weight division is in a talent-void: that's the weight which is the ambassador for the sport and pulls in the casual fans.

As for the more general point, about there being a decline in fanbases in general, I think that might be overstated. There are plenty of global superstar actors, and plenty of bands with huge followings.

[jhale667]

Originally posted by ALinChainz

I agree about Peter, he should be a bulldozing powerhouse, but he leaves a lot of it in the gym or something because he has a tendency for lackluster performances.

Seems like that guy can definitely dish it out, but can't necessarily take it...jaw seems a little questionable...

He did knock Kiltscho down what, 3 times in one fight? Didn't see it...

[cadaverdog]

Originally posted by binnie
Boxing has definitely lost popularity because of poor fight making: for 15+ years the top guys in each division haven't fought each other as often as they did in the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s, there are a lot of belt holders and not a lot of champions.

Also the heavy weight division is in a talent-void: that's the weight which is the ambassador for the sport and pulls in the casual fans.

As for the more general point, about there being a decline in fanbases in general, I think that might be overstated. There are plenty of global superstar actors, and plenty of bands with huge followings.

I disagree with your last point but as this is a boxing thread
I will not elaborate here.

[binnie]

Originally posted by jhale667
Seems like that guy can definitely dish it out, but can't necessarily take it...jaw seems a little questionable...

He did knock Kiltscho down what, 3 times in one fight? Didn't see it...

True, but Klitscho doesn't have the best jaw in the world, in any other era he wouldn't have been champ for long.

Peter has a big punch. But that's it. He has no defence, no real speed and he is off-balance a lot of the time.

It makes me laugh when people compare him to Mike Tyson: firstly, he doesn't have THAT kind of power, and secondly, Mike's punches were pin-point accurate and very quick. Peter's aren't.

The way he struggled with a former middleweight, James Toney, tells us everything we need to know about Peter. He's an average fighter in a heavyweight division populated solely by journeymen.

[jhale667]

Originally posted by binnie
True, but Klitscho doesn't have the best jaw in the world, in any other era he wouldn't have been champ for long.

Peter has a big punch. But that's it. He has no defence, no real speed and he is off-balance a lot of the time.

It makes me laugh when people compare him to Mike Tyson: firstly, he doesn't have THAT kind of power, and secondly, Mike's punches were pin-point accurate and very quick. Peter's aren't.

The way he struggled with a former middleweight, James Toney, tells us everything we need to know about Peter. He's an average fighter in a heavyweight division populated solely by journeymen.

Tyson in his prime was able to throw three (pinpoint, HARD, accurate) punches a SECOND...yeah, by the time you could say "One one thousand" - he could have nailed you THREE TIMES...no way Peter is anywhere near in that ballpark.

And I totally agree with you about the "populated by journeymen" comment...I was watching the Joe Louis documentary, and it (the current heavyweight scene) reminds me of the "bum of the month club", as they called it....only there's no Brown Bomber, just the bums....

[binnie]

It's only going to take one half-decent heavy to come along and clean up, if politics lets him...