:: :laughing: :: With a chair maybe. Ike was a real good prospect. I have alot of his early bouts, but his ko over Byrd or his questionable win over Tua is not enough. Sorry
Hate to sound like a broken record, but this is why I tend to not do MMs with unproven guys/early prospects vs. guys who we have the full, complete career on. There's not much to go on with Ibeabuchi, as much as I liked him. It's just a bit of a skewed vision/comparison...you can only "draw" on Ike's 20 bouts (only 2 of which are with relatively elite competition and one 'win' is debatable).....whereas you can draw from Joe's 72 bouts, at prime, post-prime, etc. Apples to oranges. :dunno:
yes. but things like chin, hand-speed, power and physicality can be observed and evaluated objectively, regardless of competition.
Not necessarily. To point out the obvious - if a fighter has never been in with a puncher, you can't say you have "observed and evaluated his chin objectively" regardless of competition. And even then, it is not a lock - we have seen time and time again how boxers who have stood up to opponents that were big punchers but had poor technique - were hurt by more elite fighters who were more accurate, better skilled punchers/boxers. Hand-speed is also an item in which perception/evaluation can change depending on the opponent and on performance over time. Physicality? Once again - beg to differ. Everyone thought Mosley was this great infighter...until he got in there with Forrest. Lastly...when competition has been subpar, you don't get to see how a fighter adjusts, reacts and changes his approach/style when faced with more elite opposition on a consistent basis. All of those physical advantages can go out the window in an instant. We all know of fighters who have looked like they were the second coming "regardless of opposition"....until they have faced better fighters and have failed at adapting or adjusting - or have lost the test of wills and played the opponent's game. If your premise above were true, the supposedly better man in those attributes would win every single time....and we know in boxing that is FAR, FAR from being the case. Peace.
As good as Ike may have been, his win over Tua tends to make me think we were never looking at the saviour heavyweight boxing. I think Louis would put on a pretty savage eating on the way to a decision.
