RETURN OF THE MAGNIFICENT 7

DeGale/Dirrell would be a good match-up and Dirrell is only 27 now. DeGale/Williams too would be awesome.

 

I think you've gone off the deep end.

Let me put it to you like this....Andy Lee, who has become a nothing man on the 160 scene, would wax the shit out of Paul Smith all night.

 

Only time will tell with DeGale. I'm going to buy a chunky t-shirt to show my support and belief in him. Even if it's pink

 

To be fair I don't think Shake was talking about DeGale/Dirrell right now. Which I'd agree with. Maybe in a year and a half, two years time. The good thing from the point of his development there are some decent fighters to hone his skills against at domestic level like Quigley, Anderson and Groves, plus Magee at Euro level, before he hits the world stage. A good mix of styles to work against. There's a clear road to world level you can see being mapped out for him. I think Warren is past the days where he holds fighters back now, and I think he knows he has a unique talent in DeGale which you don't want to stifle.

 

Yes I was suggesting the likes of Dirrell/Williams in the future for sure. He's going to have to take on the best of what Britain/Europe has to offer first obviously. Can't wait to see him improve his skills to new levels.

 

Yes- but you were suggesting Abraham vs DeGale right now off the back of the Paul Smith fight, right? And I am saying that Andy Lee would stop Paul Smith on cuts in 10 rounds. Maybe Andy Lee should take on Arthur Abraham.:dunno:

 

That was me.

And no, I didn't say he would beat Abraham because he just beat Paul Smith. If it was any other domestic super middle outside of Froch I would have said it. It was a complete performance, and he showed a versatility Abraham has never demonstrated throughout his career, and he didn't come close to hitting top gear. As I said before, it wasn't about the opponent, it was about the manner of victory.

 

Exactly, me old mucka. I was saying this stuff way before the Smith fight.

The QPR thing does help his cause also, no doubt ::

 

Even before the Degale/Smith fight, Groves was on the Ringside programme on sky and watched a clip about what DeGale thought of him and the look on Groves face was priceless. I could see the fear in his eyes and hear it in his voice as he responded to the clip.

 

The manner of the victory had a lot to do with the opponent. It usually does.

 

It can. However you watch guys like Floyd and RJJ tear through lesser guys in their early careers and you knew they had something special, same thing.

 

^

 

Did they get booed in their debut also?

 

Wasn't it the scousers supporting Smith who booed DeGale? Not surprising.

 

You know nothing until somebody punches back. DeGale is nowhere near the level of Roy Jones or Floyd Mayweather. He punches with the inside of his gloves/arms, his jab is more of a backhand slap. Roy Jones would have shredded Smith face faster than Edward Scissorhands. Two rounds max and Smith would have been knocked out, and not some mercy stoppage on the feet after nine rounds.

 

We shall see homeboy. As Roy Walker says, I say what I see. You are just not enlightened yet. The futures bright, the futures chunky

 

Too bad I´m not Petre or I´d pay shot 41 year old Roy Jones to beat up Paul Smith now just to prove a point. ::

 

Sam Horton thought the same ::
DeGale is very accurate. His punching power is underestimated.

 

Smith deserves credit and respect tho.

He was the British Champion and the British title is a notable one. He did defend it, in a war vs Dodson, showing true grit + heart in the process. He can be proud of what he's achieved for sure.

 

Hut Hut and Slicey.

Just to reiterate, I like DeGale. I rooted for him in the olympics, and I'll root for him in the pros too. He's a good fighter, and he seems pretty likeable.

But he's not even close to being as good as you think.

He IS a natural fighter, I agree with that. Unlike a thoughtless robot style fighter like Khan, DeGale thinks about what he's doing in there.

He seems to be one of those guys that just KNOWS how to fight. He knows what to do in the ring, and when to do it, which is of course a big part of being a thinking fighter.

However, he slaps more than Calzaghe, like ElTerrible said. He really is slappy. And unlike Joe, his jab is more of a backhand slap.

He's not particularly fast or powerful, we have no idea how tough he is, how good his chin is, how good his stamina is etc.

When his best opponent is Paul Smith, it's pretty hard to gauge how good he is, and elevate him to best prospect ever status.

He's more likeable than Calzaghe, but as of now, there is no way he's as good.

 

Jaysus.

Dodson had never been brilliant, then he was in a car crash and nearly died, then he fought Froch and was taken out by 1 bodyshot, then he sliced and diced Smith but lost a decision. Smith needed 12 rounds to deal with him, and he also needed 12 rounds of hell to deal with somebody called Quigley.

Smith was a good amateur but a poor pro.

 

He DID slap a little bit and his style was somewhat disjointed early on, but did you see the Smith fight Mex? The improvement is insane, AND he's getting better. MWS, like I stuck my neck on the line with Pacquiao all those years back, I'm now going to do the same with DeGale. Bring this statement back to haunt me down the line I don't mind - By the time James DeGale finishes his career he will be one of the top 3 greatest British boxers ever, if not the best.

 

I don't think De Gale's quite on the RJJ/Floyd level but he's gonna be a champion as good as say Martinez, Calzaghe or Ward. Ie an outstanding p4p level fighter, not elite ATG.

 

Mex knows me, I don't beat around the bush. If I'm wrong then I'm wrong, all I know is over the years I have never made a truly horrible call.

 

Slice, well funnily enough I didn't want to jump the gun, as I haven't seen him fight for a while, so I watched a couple of rounds of the DeGale fight.

I'll watch the whole fight in a minute actually, I've just been working over 12 hours a day.

And the thing is, he didn't look hugely different to early on. Better yes, but only as much as you'd expect, naturally. Still pretty slappy too.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying he's a scrub. He's clearly a very good fighter, and I look forward to him levelling up and fighting a borderline world class fighter to test himself etc.

The boy knows how to fight, no doubt, but I just don't quite see what you and hut see in him.

He actually seems almost like a slower version of Calzaghe to me.

But yeah, after our Pacquiao debates years ago, I'm reticent to go against Slicey too much ;)

 

I have very high hopes for Frankie Gavin. I think he's going to be a massive hit.
I've been looking back at his fights and he's got alot of promise.
He's got a very distinctive style which I like and enjoy watching and will only get better as the level of opposition increases. He's got good movement, his southpaw style will cause others trouble, he thinks about his shots and has solid punching power.
I'm looking forward to seeing him against Dean Harrison in the new year (if that is still to be scheduled).

 

I'd agree he's slower than Calzaghe and probably not as powerful either. It's very unlikely he'll prove as fit or tough either. But he's a far, far more slippery, well schooled & all round skillful customer, IMO. In fact he might be the best British technician to come along since Buchanan. I'll sure as fuck enjoy his career more than Calzaghe's. I don't think he's a slapper I just think he varies the power of his punches like Calzaghe & Leonard did and that isn't a technical deficiency.

All Im willing to predict is that he'll be a world champion and he'll have a couple memorable performances at that level.....predicting whether somebody will have the X-factor of longevity/consistency/dedication/luck to go beyond that to 'greatness' is a mugs game.

 

That's a fair assessment Hut, I don't disagree with any of that.

It's just that earlier you and Slice seemed to be going a bit OTT.

Wasn't it you that confidently proclaimed he'd be better than Calzaghe at first?

I agree he is slippery and skilled.

Do you know what impresses me most about him? Craftiness. It's pretty fucking rare for someone with 9 fights to be as crafty as he is.

It is against domestic level guys though, so I'm interested to see him move up in class.

The other thing that impresses me is his ability to punch from a variety of positions, and his punch variety.

But the thing is, it's pretty rare for elite fighters NOT to have elite physical talents. As you said, not only is he slower and (probably) less powerful than a prime Slappy Joe for example, odds are he probably can't match that natural stamina and toughness either.

Marquez is the main one that comes to mind really. And Frock too if you can just about consider him a (borderline) elite fighter based on his accomplishments.

DeGale is an interesting fighter though, I look forward to seeing him progress, and hopefully stop punching with the inside of his gloves :kidcool:

 

I've read DeGale wants to fight Magee next.

 

Isn't Magee fighting Bute?