Essential The Official Boxing Random Thoughts Thread...All boxing heads ENTER.

The axe murderer

The axe murderer

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reservoirdogs

reservoirdogs

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chunky_mcdaniels said:
Your'e right, it's so easy to sit back from this nice armchair and criticise someone that has moved up in weight like that and still knocked out a top fighter in Kovalev, i agree.

Golden Boy/Canelo/Reynoso always looking a little funny in the light with those b fighter negotiations for mines though.

The timing of the Kovalev approach was masterful tactics
  • Just come off the Yarde fight, big fight, long fight. Kovalev had what like 8 weeks to get ready for Canelo? I could be wrong with that number, but i remember it was clearly designed to ensure that Kovalev didnt' have a smooth run into the fight. (let's not discuss, whether or whether not Kovalev was on the take, rape case, old fighter pressure, last payday, 'Sergei, don't dive, but just perhaps take the steam off that last little bit towards the end there. Drop your guard differently in those last few exchanges in a manner in which you haven't at any stage even remotely similar to at any point in the fight thus far.') I'm still undecided on that, but i wouldn't put it past Golden Boy for a second.
  • They approached Plant 2 weeks after he fought Fiegenbutz over 10 rnds and wanted a fight in 8 weeks (again with the short lead in time.)
  • The wanted to fight Billy Joe, which granted, is a step up in boxing IQ, ring generalship, but clearly is a fighter whom struggles with conditioning, and lets be honest, would be open to some sort of 'cash payment' if the situation called for.
I'm far from a conspiracy theorist, but i think i'm like most fight fans in that i believe true immortals in the ring are the ones who take on anyone, anytime. It's not a realistic attitude, as money, uneaten legacy, negotiations, contracts take precedence, today and yesterday for the most part.

Doesn't mean i don't notice it though.
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A-side shenanigans exist and numerous "A-sides" lived with them, like Leonard, Mayweather and yes, Canelo too.
With that said I'd add a few things to your examples.

Kovalev: I remember they did some serious effort to make that fight BEFORE Kovalev vs Yarde but Yarde's mandatory status was up and Kovalev wanted to get through that fight first and then Canelo. So in this case fighting Kovalev after the Yarde fight wasn't a calculated cherry-pick but Kovalev wanted it this way. I don't think that the fight ended up on a way that would suggest Kovalev fighting only recently played a part either.

Plant: You are right in that 8 weeks preparation isn't that much in this day and age but I could argue that's only because fighters earn more and became more comfortable, not because their bodies couldn't handle it. In earlier times some boxers boxed every second week. I guess it was very damaging to their bodies so I'm not suggesting fighters today should do that but 8 weeks isn't the same category. I think realistically a fighter should be ready in 8 weeks.

BJS: He isn't the most disciplined guy out there but many think that he's a fighter who fights down the level of his opposition and when push comes to shove he shows out. Might be true, might not be true, but that makes him an interesting opponent for Canelo. Also many think Canelo would struggle hard with his style and Canelo's stamina though it improved isn't his strength either. With Canelo it's not because the lack of discipline but maybe because his body type and that he throws almost every of his shots hard.
 
patscorpio

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Thurman: My Biggest Mistake In 2019 Was My Weight Management
By Jake Donovan

Published On Sat Jun 6, 2020, 09:33 AM EDT

Whatever comes of his 2020 campaign, Keith Thurman has vowed that it won’t include any of the same mistakes he made the prior year.

The former welterweight titlist has been forced to sit on the lone loss of his career—a split decision defeat at the hands of Manny Pacquiao—for more than 10 months, and likely much longer as the sport continues to remain on hold due to the ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The decisions made in his life leading to that point have all been taken well into consideration as self-maintenance continues while waiting for the chance to return to the ring.

“Really, it’s more my wife encouraging me to not eat ice cream during the quarantine,” Thurman (29-1, 22KOs) quipped to BoxingScene.com of the secret to keep his weight down before getting to what really worked. “We’ve just been doing a lot of home cooking. It’s allowed us to control my weight.

“My biggest mistake in 2019 was my weight management. I’m really upset at myself for limiting myself, for not being the best that I can be because I didn’t prepare properly. I put myself in a very hurtful situation last year.”

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Last January marked what should have been a triumphant comeback for the Florida-bred welterweight. Instead, he showed flaws in a 12-round win over Josesito Lopez, his first fight in 22 months after having suffered multiple injuries over that stretch following his March 2017 title unification win over Danny Garcia.

Thurman himself acknowledge—jokingly or otherwise—that he looked vulnerable enough versus Lopez to entice Pacquiao to agree to a fight. Their memorable title fight last July resulted in the first loss of Thurman’s career, a 1st round knockdown leaving him in an early hole he was never able to overcome.

By his own account, the greatest disservice he dealt himself heading into both fights was failing to stay in reasonable shape outside of training camp.

“The first fight (back) against Josesito Lopez, I can forgive for that. I can forgive myself for having to lose 35 pounds after 22 months of inactivity,” notes Thurman. “I can truly forgive myself for that right there. I cannot forgive myself for regaining every pound and having to re-lose it in a brand new training camp against Manny Pacquiao. When I already touched 147 in 2019, I should not have ever let myself (blow up) to 182 pounds again.

“Even with surgery after Pacquiao fight, with the dissatisfaction after the loss and inactivity, I hit 192. I was like ‘You’re not gonna be Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman ever again if this is how you want to live life.’ So, I just had to pull myself out of that mindset. I got down to 182, and I still wasn’t even healed yet. I told myself that I was at least down to where I was last time. The goal is just to keep bringing it down.”

Recent footage of the 31-year old training NFL quarterback Jameis Winston at his St. Pete Boxing Club showed Thurman holding true to his word, appearing at least in pre-training camp shape.

“168 is where I want to walk around before my next training camp,” Thurman notes. “If I’m at ’65, ’68 at the next start of my training camp, I think it will be a lot easier to maintain. Also to push myself and get the kind of performance that I want out of myself.”
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