Or is this old timers merry-go-round just gonna peter out and leave us with a dead sport? Pavlik, Dawson, Linares, Kirkland, Bradley, Berto, Khan, Baysanguyrov, Latimore, Angulo, Cloud, Mohammedi, Prescott, Piriyapinyo.....is this what a P4P list looks like in 5 years? Is opening up a Ring Magazine and reading about these guys all we've got to look forward to? And will any of us even bother if it is? Someone tell me there are shining knights on the horizon that I don't know about, ffs! :crying:
You forgot valero and the little cuban guy that everyone is banging on about - I can't even remember his name :: Well, your post certainly illustrates a worrying lack of solid talent appearing in boxing, but I refuse to believe that boxing is dying, or that interest is waning. Lack of talent yes, but you have to admit, interest in boxing in the UK has increased over the last few years, without a doubt. I don't know about Scotland, but it's certainly the case in England. I see more and more people becoming interested in boxing, there started to be ITV coverage, and now setanta etc.
Yup...a few years ago, when I used to talk boxing in the pub, people had not a clue who or what I was on about. Now, at elast people know WHO I am on about...ITV, for all their faults, have given boxing an audience again, and for that at least should be commended... MTF
Gatti, I agree, he is due for a KO sometime soon, just like Khan. However, he is still considered by many to be part of a "new wave" of talent, that's the only reason I mentioned him.
I thought Andre Ward would be good but he'll be fighting ranked contenders about 5 years from now at this pace.
the difference is if Gamboa gets KO'd it will be because he his so cocky. That is something he can correct though. Khan just has a shitty chin and terrible defense. and I don't think getting pounded by Pacquiao on this training camp will help much. Talent wise the sky is the limit for Gamboa but he needs to check his attitude and cut down on the showboating.
I kept hearing about this guy, and was watching him prepared to be blown away. Hes so overrated its not funny. Well, maybe not overrated because I dont hear his name so much any more, but not as good as a lot of people claimed he was going to be.
It's because he was so successful as an amateur...ended up with a winning streak of like 4 years and a gold medal at the olympics. Winning the gold at 178 and then dropping down to 160 makes sense on paper, but it didn't work. He's far better back at 168. I'm not sure if he avoided Dirrell at 165, but obviously he could have made 165 in the ams. Consider me one of the overraters. I think he is a great prospect and may end up being a great pro.
If you look closely, the present p4p list top 10 is mostly made out of people that came out of nowhere. The ones you mention are the most popular among future faces, but in the end it will be the tough and tested ones that will climb up the ladder.
Dirrell & Ward Actually Avoided EACH OTHER N the Am's.... THE ONLY Reason Ward Campaigned @ 178 was Because Dirrell was @ 165 & they DIDN'T Want to Face Each Other...Apprarently, they're CLOSE Friends & DIDN'T Want to "Go There"... UNLIKE Jermain Taylor & Jeff Lacy, Ward & Dirrell R Friends & Olympic Teammates who DON'T Seem to EVER Want to Fight 1 Another... REED:dunno:
Berto sucks. Linares is for real. Juan ma is for real, as is Caballero. A lot of the problem is the fan's fault. A fighter loses one fight and they write him off. That keeps great fighters down and allows inferior ones, with "better" managers emerge. Winning isn't everything. Problem is, HBO thinks a fighter must be undefeated to market.
Well, you gonna tell me I'm wrong? You gonna tell me who's coming through that's gonna be the future of this sport or are you just gonna be a smart arse? There isn't a guy among those I listed who's even anywhere near the Mosley/Marquez level, never mind a true future ATG. And since we've already seen that great fighters have been EXTREMELY thin on the ground in the 00's (almost all relics from the 90's era) I think we should be genuinely CONCERNED that the '10's' might be when we see them dry up altogether. Shit, if Ward-Dirrell is what we're gonna be talking about in a few years boxing is in REAL trouble. I wouldn't turn around to watch these guys fight in my garden, they have all the ring guile of a double end bag. (:shit:)
1st of All, U're like What???...21 Years Old???::... 2nd, YES, REED IS Telling YOU that YOU'RE Wrong...REED Noticed that YOU'VE Been on this "Doom & Gloom" Kick for Quite Awhile Now & Frankly, the Shit is Getting OLD, Dude... Aren't YOU the Guy that Said Boxing has Been DECLINING for the Last 25 Years, Even Though YOU HAVEN'T Even Lived 25 Years???::...When YOU Said that, REED listed Guys from the 90's as PROOF that Boxing ISN'T/WASN'T Declining from the Last 25 Years... The PROBLEM w/YOUR List is that it DIDN'T Include a Single 2008 Olympian, if REED's Not Mistaken...& U're ALREADY Writing Off Guys when they're NOT Even @ the Halfway Point of their Careers....If U've LIVED & (More Importantly) WATCHED Boxing Looooooooooong Enough, U Realize that the Sport is CYCLICAL...Just Look @ the Heavyweight Division, Historically... The Sport of Boxing was Alledgedly "Declining" After Joe Louis Retired...It was Also "Declining" After Marciano Retired...When Ali Retired, Boxing was "Done", According to the "Doom & Gloomers"...& Now, N the Post-Tyson Era, Boxing's 1nce Again "Declining":boohoo:... If U're Sooooo SURE that the "Sky is Falling", STOP Watching... REED:hammert:
Age, shmage. Tapes tell you just as much whether they're 5 hours old or 50 years old and I've seen SCORES if not hundreds of them particularly from the fighters of the last 25 years and fighters from various other eras as well. That being the case I've seen enough boxing to be able to contextualize the boxing I see pretty well, whether I'm 21, 12 or 81. Anyway gotta go, hope you're right.:bears:
dsimon writes: Reed Hut Hut is a great poster you are being a bit tough on em frankly. And the young uns are entitled to opinions... especially if Double is! :: Actually Double had a great post this thread.... Having said that yes boxing is cyclical and you mention Marciano which is apro po because not a few of the old timers who had seen Louis gloriously ascend and protect what rightly belonged to him alone (the belt) all felt that when Marciano was crowned the sport had suffered a decline. But... I have never seen a heavy weight division as weak as this and I would be lying if I didn't say that sometimes it scares the shit out of me. The heavyweights are the heart of boxing imo and will always be despite people like Hebrew wedding shirt who like the lawn jockeys throwing 500 punches a round. ::
U're Right, Brother DSimon... REED WAS a Bit Harsh...SORRY for that, Hut-Hut...By Nature, REED is an OPTIMIST & the LACK of that Irritates REED, Particularly as it Pertains to REED's Favorite Sport (Boxing)... Still, that's NO Excuse to B a PRICK...Again, SORRY Hut-Hut...& U're Correct...If U're Astute Enough to APPRECIATE the Videos &/or DVD's U've Watched, it Really DOESN'T Matter what your Age is... REED:hammert:
You've got a point anyway REED. ALWAYS better to be optimistic, even if you turn out to be wrong than to focus on negatives. I think these last two PPv farces have just pissed me off so fucking much Im seeing the bad in everything boxing wise right now! :: Plus I gotta say the modern style of fighter that amateur boxing seems to be producing right now is pretty much the antithesis of what your Hutster enjoys watching. But these are my issues....:kidcool:
Things will pick up when HBO and showtime bite the bullet and put on shows featuring guys that nobody has heard of on a typical Saturday show (I know there's ShoBox but that's not what I'm talking about). As a youngster THAT was part of the enjoyment of watching Tuesday Night Fights. If guys get seen early, win or loss, then they can build a fanbase. It's ridiculous that the standard way some of these fighters gain a decent fanbase is on some minor upset of an already established, and then they lose the bandwagoners on the first loss because they're pushed too quickly.