His power seems legit, his handspeed is pretty good, and his overall offensive arsenal isn't bad. His defense doesn't seem too good, he isn't that quick on his feet, and his chin and stamina have yet to be tested. Overall, I don't see him as the 2nd coming of Trinidad or anything, but his power will make him a player at 147-154. Outside of Thurman and the Ginger, there's no one really from 147-154 with legit KO power. I think he'll knock out Zaveck.
I've just taken a quick look at his fight with Quintana. I noticed his lack of head movement and I think you're right about his defense not being too good.
The good news is he's 24, and has only had 19 fights, so he still has room to improve. But the bottom line is he has power, and that you can't teach. Overall, guys like Thurman and Canelo are good for the sport, because they're young and have power and have exciting styles that casual fans can become drawn to. I'm rooting for Thurman, because on top of his exciting style, he has the personality to become mainstream known. With young talents like Broner, Thurman, and Canelo around, the notion that boxing maybe dying is horseshit.
THIS... The Posters Beating the "Boxing's Dying", "There's No More Stars" Drum are LAZY Ass Fans.... REED:boohoo:
Maybe. But there's no doubt as fans we've had to lower our expectations or be disappointed at every turn. Take PBF/Pacquiao. Even 15 years ago, the equivalent of this fight (ODH/Trinidad) got made.
But it Only Got Made AFTER Dela was READY for it to Happen... Trinidad was STRUGGLING to Make 147 by the Time the Fight Happened & in Fact, NEVER Fought @ 147 Again...The Fight was RELEVANT for about 2 Years, PRIOR to it Transpiring... Going Back even Fuuuuurther, Ray Leonard Made Thomas Hearns WAIT, Before Finally Facing him...Boxing History is LITTERED w/High Profile Bouts that NEVER Happened OR Occurred LATER than it Could have... REED's Point it, the "Disappoinment" or "Lowered Expectations" that You Speak Of, AIN'T Exclusive to TODAY's Era of Boxing REED:nono:
SRL/Hearns and ODH/Trinidad both got made in timely fashion. PBF/Pacquiao? If they made it tomorrow it would be too late. Nevertheless, you're right that boxing history is littered with examples of fights that should've been made but never were. But I'm having a hard time thinking of a fight as anticipated as PBF/Pacquiao had been that never happened.
agREED... But REED Thinks that has More to w/Floyd Mayweather's LACK of Concern for his Legacy ("Legacy DON'T Pay Bills), Rather than Being an All Inconclusive Indictment on Today's Fighters...Just Look @ What Andre Ward has Done in his Last 6 Bouts...He's PUSHING the Envelope... REED:hammert:
Legit is a relative term though. Like I said, he obviously isn't a puncher with the superstar talent of say, a Trinidad. Can he be as good as Canelo though? Not sure, Canelo is awhole more polished at the moment, and is 2 years younger than Thurman, but he's also had a lot more experience. We'll see in the next year or two if Thurman is legit enough to be a top fighter at 147-154. But he certainly doesn't have the ELITE level of talent/skills that Broner has.
there are very clearly fewer skillful, quality fighters in the pro ranks these days... to me, you'd have to be blind not to notice it
I tend to agree but I think the argument could be made that today's fighters are just as skilled but in a different way. It seems like fighters much more now than before, especially American ones, are much more adverse to trading, hold a lot more and don't fight on the inside. Is it my imagination?
It's because they never actually learned proper boxing. You're jittery and shit at anything when you don't really know what you're doing.