HBO ending the year strong

Let's face it. Showtime kicked HBO's ass this year. However, whereas Showtime has 0 shows through the end of the year, HBO is redeeming itself with several good matchups to close out the year. I personally have criticized HBO a lot for their dwindling programming, but they deserve credit for giving us a solid Decembet.

Nov 25: Kovalev vs. Sharbranskyy

Dec 2: Cotto vs. Ali

Dec 9: Lomachenko vs. Rigondeaux

Dec 16: Saunders vs. Lemieux

 

We should use this thread for the Kovalev-Sharbranskyy RBR

 

Lomachenko vs rigondeaux is a good matchup on paper but could be dull

The rest are awful shitty matchups

 

Cotto/Ali is a competitive fight. And so is Saunders/Lemieux. In both cases, the winner is in doubt, imo.

 

Overrated.

Shot.

Awful.

 

Not a p4p list. Lol. It is a list of upcoming matchups over the next four weeks. Was that clear?

 

Cotto is a hall of famer but he's at the end of the line and ali is a smaller mediocre fighter. I don't give a fuck about that fight

Shabransky is basura. Kovalev will kill him. Lemieux can punch but is a front runner. Never seem saunders but from what I'm told he is not compelling to watch. Probably the most competitive of the 4 fights but basically would have been a boxing after dark undercard at best during hbos heyday

 

You are correct that these matchups do not signal a return to HBO's glory days. But these fights are not mismatches. And they occur for four consecutive weeks. Those are boxes HBO hasn't always checked. That is all I'm saying.

 

Kovalev - Sharbranskyy is garbage, as is the undercard. Shows how far HBO has fallen when instead of matching up Kovaleb and Barrera, they "build it up" by matching them with no hoppers (and let's face it, neither is a draw and never will be so it doesn't even make business sense)

 

Who is Kovalev? that overrated has-been that lost twice when he faced feather-fisted Ward?

 

Can't believe hbo is showing more gamboa.

 

Amazing. HBO really is second rate. Before our eyes.

 

This is beyond ridiculous

 

Nice fixed fight to kick it off. Gamboa UD by obvious fix.

 

They just said on broadcast that barrera was offered kovalev fight but turned down the offer. I guess your point stands: at the end of the day, hbo didn't pony up the cash needed for the fight. Also, given he ended up on the undercard, barrera wasn't exactly backed into a corner.

 

Sharbranskyy has a glass jaw

 

Seemed that way. And also, no defense. Kovalev landed 62% of his power punches!

 

shabransky doesnt have a good chin bu this problem is he has zero defense. he's a club fighter. this card was crap. barrera vs valera was ok but the other two fights were trash. gamboa is lucky lomachenko has not already beat him down because that sure helped him with the judges as he is now a viable name foe for the next fight after rigondeaux

 

Gamboa is horrible. Cannot believe hbo continues to try to hype him. I thought he looked like shit last night and clearly lost to Sosa. Would be pathetic if Loma faced him.

 

Kov would still beat Trasherbiev.

 

Gamboa isn't horrible, he's simply shot to shit. You're acting like Sosa exposed him or something.

The Gamboa of 6-7 years ago wouldnt have had any trouble with a guy like Sosa.

 

I agree. He clearly lost that killer instinct.

He could care less about losing multiple points for holding. Didn’t even try to argue it at all.

 

Even in his, "prime," he was chinny and unworthy of even a fraction of the praise heaped on him.

 

He always had flaws, but in his prime he would have easily handled a scrub like Sosa.

 

Same reasons I didn't even bothered to watch that crappy card full of has-beens.





Babe of the day: Leryn Franco

 

Lomachenko vs Rigondeaux is an ESPN Fight...






REED

 

Shit. My bad. I guess schedule is not "that" impressive. Still glad to see 3 cards to close out year, when showtime had none. But taking away the Loma fight, clearly hbo's quality is down the tubes.

 

Kovalev is probably among the most effortless power puncher ever. It seems like he's putting nothing on his punches yet they make thunderbolt sound and they fuck up anyone they lands on.

I think it's a mission for our very own gauze tape detective Double L

 

I also think he has illegal wraps like Tito

 

So now it appears that HBO is building toward an eventually Kov-Bivol matcup. They need to build it for at least a year, Bivol ain't ready for Kov yet. Give him a few tests in 2018, and see how the matchup looks for 2019.