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

[mr. smoke weed]

Man I love this shyt. Im down w bullet head but fukk. How you gonna have all this heaping praise like beating p4p vets when you haven't even been tested! What happens when t craw gets in with someone who can time his stance switches? When he moves forward he drops his left and cocks both hands slightly before he throws anything. You think them wide ass hooks are gonna land clean on pac man? Even khan could tag t craw serious if he worked behind the jab side stepped feinted and came w a straight right. Craw has defensive lapses.

 

[Remote]

Man I love this shyt. Im down w bullet head but fukk. How you gonna have all this heaping praise like beating p4p vets when you haven't even been tested! What happens when t craw gets in with someone who can time his stance switches? When he moves forward he drops his left and cocks both hands slightly before he throws anything. You think them wide ass hooks are gonna land clean on pac man? Even khan could tag t craw serious if he worked behind the jab side stepped feinted and came w a straight right. Craw has defensive lapses.

We'll see.

I don't think he's ready for Pacquiao and won't ever fight him since Pacman is on his way out.
But I think he could beat anybody currently at 140.

He'll have to prove it but if he wins 2 fights in convincing fashion in 2016, I think he becomes a much bigger household name.

 

[mr. smoke weed]

We'll see.

I don't think he's ready for Pacquiao and won't ever fight him since Pacman is on his way out.
But I think he could beat anybody currently at 140.

He'll have to prove it but if he wins 2 fights in convincing fashion in 2016, I think he becomes a much bigger household name.

It's not about household name or not my breh. This is boxing and were boxing heads. I like Crawford a lot and see a lot
Of potential but you can't crown dudes who haven't seriously rumbled with other elite talent. Look at lil g, kovalev before hop, the examples could go on forever. Gotta see how they look against elites before crowning em

 

[Remote]

It's not about household name or not my breh. This is boxing and were boxing heads. I like Crawford a lot and see a lot
Of potential but you can't crown dudes who haven't seriously rumbled with other elite talent. Look at lil g, kovalev before hop, the examples could go on forever. Gotta see how they look against elites before crowning em

I think that's fair

 

[ℒℴѵℯJay ELECTUA]

It's not about household name or not my breh. This is boxing and were boxing heads. I like Crawford a lot and see a lot
Of potential but you can't crown dudes who haven't seriously rumbled with other elite talent. Look at lil g, kovalev before hop, the examples could go on forever. Gotta see how they look against elites before crowning em

100 %!

 

[LinusCaldwell]

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours and thank you for the support with the podcast!

www.fteswl.com

 

[LinusCaldwell]

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours and thank you for the support with the podcast!

www.fteswl.com

 

[Axum Ezana]

It's not about household name or not my breh. This is boxing and were boxing heads. I like Crawford a lot and see a lot
Of potential but you can't crown dudes who haven't seriously rumbled with other elite talent. Look at lil g, kovalev before hop, the examples could go on forever. Gotta see how they look against elites before crowning em

hop was 50. kov has a better win vs pascal avg ass.

 

[Axum Ezana]

 

[Axum Ezana]

http://www.boxingscene.com/gassiev-thomas-final-ibf-eliminator-slated-12-29--98622

https://www.boxing247.com/press-box...-wladimir-klitschko-vs-tyson-fury-event/49988








geale vs bika?

 

[Axum Ezana]

Sheriff Foster: The King with the Killer Punch

He was the deputy sheriff of the Albuquerque Police Department in New Mexico but the undisputed sheriff of the world during his explosive reign as light heavyweight champion between 1968 and 1974. Bob Foster, who passed away on November 21 at the age of 77, was one of the greatest of all the 175-pound champions, making a record 14 successful defenses of his crown in an era when such statistics were far more meaningful and carried far greater substance.

A tall and intimidating figure, Foster was a smart boxer and a terrific puncher. Like his great predecessor, Bob Fitzsimmons, Foster’s extruded physique and tremendous power made him a freak and almost a misfit of his own weight division. Many of his challengers couldn’t even get past his reach and were bombed into submission by Bob’s awesome left hook and slashing right crosses.

The left hook with which Foster deprived dikk Tiger of the championship in the fourth round in 1968 was one of the greatest I have ever seen. It was a devastating, lightning strike out of nowhere that sat dikk down like an obedient dog and toppled him back for the full count. Watch that punch on the film and it is almost too fast to follow. Never before had the great Tiger been knocked out for the count in his illustrious career and only once before had he been decked, briefly so by Emile Griffith.

An equally thunderous and perfectly timed left hook sent Mike Quarry into dreamland, also in the fourth round, at Las Vegas in 1972. So distressed was older brother Jerry Quarry at seeing the effect of that blow that he was already a beaten man when he faced Muhammad Ali a short time later in the evening’s main event.

Three months after the chilling knockout of Mike Quarry, Foster traveled to London to defend his title against southpaw Chris Finnegan at the Empire Pool, Wembley. I saw that great fight and will never forget it. The spirited Finnegan held no fear of big Bob and actually seemed to be taking control of the fight around the midway point. But the deadly Foster could lower the boom at any time and knocked out Finnegan with one sudden left hook in the fourteenth round.

Earlier in his reign, in January 1969, Bob blitzed New Jersey slugger Frank DePaula in one round at Madison Square Garden. The colorful DePaula, who would be shot to death a year later, had secured his chance in the 1968 fight of the year against former champion, dikk Tiger. dikk won a unanimous decision in a memorable brawl that saw DePaula score two second round knockdowns before being decked himself twice in the third.

The rangy Foster had no intention of getting himself into that kind of slugfest, but suddenly he found himself on the floor in the opening round from a DePaula left that looked more like a shove. Foster’s calmness was impressive as Frank’s fans cheered wildly. Bob took the mandatory eight-count and then set about coolly chopping DePaula down. A hard right followed by a vicious left hook produced a delayed knockdown where Frank seemed to freeze on his feet before dropping to the canvas. He gamely arose but was soon knocked over again by a whistling right.

This time DePaula wobbled badly when he made it to his feet and Foster wasted no more time. A left jab and then a short, cracking right to the jaw sent Frank down for a third time and prompted referee Johnny LoBianco to stop the fight at the 2:17 mark.

After sampling Foster’s power, DePaula said: “I wasn’t hurt. My feet went from under me. I don’t like that three-knockdown rule. I took better punches than that from Tiger and didn’t go down.”

A man often says things like that after getting knocked around by a puncher like Bob Foster.

Like ducks in a shooting gallery, Foster’s line of challengers kept getting shot down. Roger Rouse, Mark Tessman, Hal (TNT) Carroll, Tommy Hicks, Brian Kelly and Vicente Rondon were all ruthlessly dispatched inside schedule. Ohio’s Ray Anderson survived the full 15 rounds with Bob but only after doing a good impression of a roadrunner.

Late in Bob’s reign, hardy South African Pierre Fourie twice took Foster the 15 rounds, but the only real blemish on Foster’s great reign came in his final defense when he was awarded a hotly disputed draw with Argentina’s tough Jorge Ahumada in Foster’s hometown of Albuquerque. But Bob was pretty much at the end of the trail by then and should have adhered to his decision to retire.

He came back to win five fights in a row, but lost his last two to Mustafa Wasajja and Bob Hazelton.

Transition

Unlike Bob Fitzsimmons, Foster could never make a successful transition to the heavyweights. When he was young and inexperienced, he was bested by Doug Jones, ErnieTerrell and Zora Folley.

When Bob reached his prime, his only realistic targets at the higher weight were two titans in Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali. Both men swept Foster aside, but that was no disgrace. Michael Spinks won the heavyweight championship from the aging and fading Larry Holmes and even then disputably so. Foster, by contrast, was crushed in two rounds by a Frazier at the peak of his powers in 1970 and overwhelmed by a still very formidable Ali in 1972. But Bob never gave up against Muhammad, trying again and again to blow him down with those monster shots that shattered the light heavyweights of the day.

Even as a raw youngster, Bob Foster’s talent and tenacity were clearly apparent. Young fighters learned the hard way in his era. He was mixing with the best virtually right from the start of his career and never got disheartened by the clobberings he took from bigger and wiser opponents. Bob showed immense courage in only his tenth fight against the seasoned Doug Jones. Down and almost out in the first round, Foster bravely rallied in the following rounds and brought the crowd to its feet as he cut loose with hard punches to have Jones in trouble. Having had only three days to train for the fight, Bob eventually succumbed to Doug’s pressure in the eighth round, but the skinny youngster had marked his territory as one to watch for the future.

Bob never could stop picking on the heavyweights, but gradually he found his natural domain and began to shoot for the light heavyweight championship. It was a sensible decision. Only one man ever got the better of him at that weight and that was the great Peruvian, Mauro Mina, who unanimously outpointed the younger Foster in Lima in 1963. What a shame that Mina had to retire in 1965 because of eye troubles. A championship match between Bob and Mauro would have been a contest to savor.

Foster made a big statement of intent in December 1964 when he stopped the eternally tough Henry Hank in nine rounds at Norfolk, Virginia. Bob gave all the credit for that victory to one of the great cuties of the game, middleweight Holly Mims. “With Holly telling me what to do, I knew I’d take Hank out,” Foster said. “I’ve been working out with Holly and he kept coming in at me the same way Hank does. Holly said if I could get to him with a left, I could get to Hank. I hit Holly with the left, I hit Hank too.”

Mims was pleased to have contributed and said: “Bobby did it perfectly. Hank and I split a couple of decisions in 1959 and I had a good idea of how to lick him. I told Bobby how Henry likes to bore in with his left shoulder, hands down low, and how that makes him open on his right side for a left hook. That’s all Bobby needed, a little know-how.”

Foster beat Hank again in 1965, but it was in 1967 that Bob began a sustained and serious run to the light heavyweight championship. A second round knockout of Andres Selpa, who had compiled an astonishing 135-47-29 record, was followed by a crushing third round triumph over long-time contender Eddie Cotton.

Big Bob was out to bag himself a Tiger and did so on May 24, 1968, with that spectacular one-punch finish at Madison Square Garden.

Absolute

Bob’s belief in himself was always absolute and he wasn’t shy about appearing arrogant and big-headed. Asked if he would have beaten Michael Spinks, Foster had no doubts. “There was too much amateur in him,” was his explanation.

Foster could often be scathing in his choice of words when provoked. After bombing out Vicente Rondon in two rounds, the champion vented his spleen on both Rondon and the WBA.

It was undoubtedly the sweetest victory of Bob’s career. The WBA had stripped him of his championship in late 1970, shortly after his knockout loss to Joe Frazier for the heavyweight title. Rondon knocked out Jimmy Dupree in six rounds for the WBA belt in February 1971 and then saw off the challenges of Piero Del Papa, Eddie Jones, Gomeo Brennan and Doyle Baird before a unification showdown with Foster at the Convention Center in Miami Beach in April 1972.

‘Showdown,’ if we’re being candid, was a poor choice of word. Rondon froze completely and was smashed to the canvas twice before being stopped in the second round. Was Bob pleased to end it quickly? Not on your life. “Two rounds wasn’t enough,” he barked. “I wanted to punish Rondon for 15 rounds to beat the dumbest, scaredest boxer I’ve ever seen until his eyes were swollen shut. Rondon pressed me and any light heavy who presses Bob Foster should get an immediate mental examination.”

Rondon weighed in for the short-lived affair two pounds over the limit at 177, but the Miami Beach Commission decided to call it 175 after Rondon’s manager Felix Zabala claimed that the scales were misbehaving. It transpired that Rondon had needed time in a steam bath just to get to 177 after originally weighing 183.

These shenanigans didn’t put Foster in a charitable mood. “The WBA let a heavyweight fight for the light heavy title,” Bob said. “Now ain’t that sportsmanlike?”

It wasn’t a good thing to upset Robert Lloyd Foster. He could hit you very, very hard.

Life has finally shot the sheriff, but I don’t doubt that he will rest in peace and be fondly remembered.

 

[Newzz]

“[Al Haymon] gives me three opponents and I tell [him who I want to fight]. I’m in such a good position. When I hear fighters thank Al Haymon [I know why]. I’m going to be thanking Al Haymon, trust me. It’s not just that he pays you well, he’s a very, very nice humble intelligent man and all he cares about is his fighters,” James said.

He’s targeting next summer for his major fight. “This is why I’m so easy to work with because I’m willing to fight anyone. If they say [Gennady] Golovkin, why not?” he said. “I’d rather he came up to super-middle, I don’t think he’s big, he’s five foot eight. He hits extremely hard, he cuts off the ring very well. But I’m telling you, he got beaten before in the amateurs. He got Olympic silver… Trust me, he’s beatable.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

So James DeGale is willing to fight GGG? Hopefully we see that matchup, even though I don't think highly of DeGale, I think he's a step up in competition for Golovkin

 

[theflyest]

Man I love this shyt. Im down w bullet head but fukk. How you gonna have all this heaping praise like beating p4p vets when you haven't even been tested! What happens when t craw gets in with someone who can time his stance switches? When he moves forward he drops his left and cocks both hands slightly before he throws anything. You think them wide ass hooks are gonna land clean on pac man? Even khan could tag t craw serious if he worked behind the jab side stepped feinted and came w a straight right. Craw has defensive lapses.

Crawford hasn't fought anybody man.

I don't even bother anymore, because boxing fans are so quick to believe into the hype before they have faced a top tier guy.

Top Rank is terrific at making fighters look good.

Once he faces a top guy, maybe I'll be convinced, but I never buy into any kind of hype if you haven't faced what I view as a top guy.

 

[Axum Ezana]

Year-end world title bouts in Japan
By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Boxing Beat

Everything comes in three, but our year-end world title promotions repeat for more than three years. WBA 130-pound champ Takashi Uchiyama as well as WBA 112-pound ruler Hiroki Ioka will fight on New Year’s Eve in four consecutive years. Why do our television networks, exactly not our promoters, love to show boxing events in the end of the year? Simply because of getting high TV ratings since people take holidays after the closing of government and industry offices for the year and stay at home to watch television at home box offices. Under recession it might be more economical of time and money to watch TV rather than go out and spend money for gambling or drinking. Housewives also love their husbands to stay at home no matter what they might do rather than go outside for enjoying time of wine and roses. Boxing is interesting enough to attract men to stay at home to kill time during tedious holidays.

As previously, we will see many world championship bouts to be scheduled in the end of the year here in Japan, as follows:

<img src="http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/inoue-yaegashi.jpg" alt="inoue-yaegashi" width="410" height="281" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-314954" />

December 29, Tokyo
WBO junior bantamweight champ Naoya Inoue will defend his belt against top contender Warlito Parenas of the Philippines in Tokyo. On the same bill, formerly two-class world titlist, veteran Japanese Akira Yaegashi will make an ambitious crack at the IBF junior flyweight belt against Mexican southpaw Javier Mendoza to aim for his third throne. We may see Erik Morales, Mendoza’s mentor and manager, here in Tokyo.

<img src="http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/uchiyama-taguchi1.jpg" alt="uchiyama-taguchi1" width="410" height="274" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-314953" />

December 31, Tokyo
WBA super-feather super champ Takashi Uchiyama will put his belt on the line against Nicaraguan Oliver Flores, and his stablemate Ryoichi Taguchi will defend his WBA light-fly title against Luis De La Rosa of Colombia.

<img src="http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/ioka4.jpg" alt="ioka" width="410" height="293" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-314952" />

<img src="http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/takayama1.jpg" alt="takayama1" width="410" height="296" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-314951" />

December 31, Osaka
Three-time world champ Hiroki Ioka will participate in a grudge fight with former titlist Juan Carlos Reveco, dethroned by Ioka here eight months ago, to defend his WBA flyweight throne in Osaka. IBF minimum titlist, veteran campaigner Katsunari Takayama will defend his diadem against Mexican Jose Argumedo in the semi-windup.

<img src="http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/tanaka2.jpg" alt="tanaka2" width="157" height="215" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-314950" />

December 31, Nagoya
Having acquired a world belt just in his fifth pro bout, 20-year-old genius Kosei Tanaka will make his initial defense of the WBO minimum championship against Filipino Vic Saludar in Nagoya, the third biggest city in Japan.

Funny enough, last year, our fight scribes in Tokyo were watching Ioka fight in Osaka by small television while covering the defenses of Uchiyama and Taguchi at the press box. You may need a couple of televisions to see world title goes in Osaka and Nagoya while viewing the defenses of Uchiyama and Taguchi with your own eyes in Tokyo. Such an extravaganza for our fight scribes will happen again as history repeats itself also this year.

Kovalev talks Pascal, Beterbiev, Stevenson and Ward
By Miguel Maravilla
Photos: Emily Harney

WBO, WBA and IBF light heavyweight champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (28-0-1, 25 KOs) of Russia is set to make his next title defense in a rematch against Montreal’s Jean Pascal taking place at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada on January 30, live on HBO World Championship Boxing. Fightnews.com caught up with the “Krusher” as he talked about his upcoming rematch with Pascal, new contract, Adonis Stevenson, and Andre Ward.

“I’m disappointed. It’s hard for me to find a new opponent but we fight anyone who is available,” Sergei Kovalev told Fightnews.com. He scored an exciting eighth round TKO over Pascal this past March and Pascal’s team called for an immediate rematch.

“It was an offer from his team. They thought the fight was stopped early, so I want to put a period to that,” Kovalev said. The champ will go into Pascal’s hometown of Montreal once again. “I’ve fought everywhere. I won my titles against Cleverly in Wales and all of my amateur career I fought in other places,” Kovalev said. “I beat [Pascal] once in Canada and I am going to do it again.”

Kovalev is coming off a third round knockout over IBF mandatory challenger Nadjib Mohammedi in July, while Pascal had his hands full on the undercard winning a controversial decision over previously undefeated Cuban Yuniesky Gonzalez.

“He has a new coach and he is trying to get better,” Kovalev said. Pascal will now be working with Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach.

Kovalev will begin his camp for Pascal working with his trainer, former world champion John David Jackson.

“I trained in Oxnard for my last fight. I will probably train on the East (Coast) for this fight. Since the fight is in Canada and its cold out there,” Kovalev said. “John helps and maintains me. We do good mitt work together. I like working with him, we understand each other. John is a good coach.”

Kovalev was 19-0-1, 17 KOs at the time he signed with Main Events in 2012. He went on to win his first world title with a knockout over Nathan Cleverly in winning the WBO light heavyweight title. Along the way he added the WBA and IBF light heavyweight titles with a dominating decision over future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins. This past weekend Kathy Duva of Main Events announced that Kovalev and Main Events had come to a new contract agreement.

“Main Events is proud to announce that Sergei has made a new deal with us. We are really happy he will be with us a very long time.”

Kovalev stated, “I have new contract. I am happy and excited, we are all a team.”

Not to look past Pascal, but there are lots of talk of potential showdowns in the division with WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson, undefeated Arthur Beterbiev, and former super middleweight champion Andre Ward.

“My goal is to win all four belts. We are doing everything for this,” Kovalev said.

<img src="http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/kovalev-harney300.jpg" alt="kovalev-harney300" width="300" height="200" class="alignright size-full wp-image-314922" />
Originally hoping to fight countryman Arthur Beterbiev (9-0, 9 KOs), but that fight was never finalized leaving Kovalev with no opponent and he settled for a rematch with Pascal. “We were supposed to fight in Russia and we made him an offer but he didn’t accept it,” Kovalev said. “I want to fight in Russia someday.”

A fight with WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis “Superman” Stevenson (27-1, 22 KOs) hasn’t been easy to put together. Coming off a third round TKO over Tommy Karpency, Stevenson recently taunted and teased Kovalev via social media for a fight.

“I am ready for Stevenson but he hasn’t signed. We made an offer to split the purse 50/50 but he never accepted,” Kovalev said. “I don’t think of Adonis as a fighter, I just want his belt. I usually want someone to kick his ass so I can get his belt or I would do it myself. He understands a fight with me is a big risk and his opponents are not getting better fight by fight.”

Ward, who was inactive for over year since November of 2013 when he dominated Edwin Rodriguez to a decision returned to the ring this past June with a ninth round TKO over England’s in his hometown of Oakland. Ward recently vacated the WBA super middleweight title and was slated to fight on this past weekend’s Canelo Cotto Pay per view card however a knee injury forced Ward to withdraw.

“He’s an Olympic champion and is the last American gold medalist. He’s a very smart technical fighter. Ward is a good person and boxer. My goal is to beat him,” Kovalev commented. That fight seems most likely to come together as both Ward and Kovalev have signed deals with HBO. Ward recently inked a three-fight deal last month and Kovalev signed early this year. All indications point towards a potential showdown in the future.

“We are already signed with HBO next fall. Right now, step-by-step we’re going to make this fight. It’s a big road for this fight,” Kovalev said.

Promoter Kathy Duva added, “We’ve had talks with MGM and Madison Square Garden. There’s a lot of interest for this fight. No California or Russia if this fight happens.”

In the meantime, the 31-year-old Kovalev’s main concern is Pascal. “I am not looking past my opponent out of respect. First I will focus on Pascal and then we will see what happens after.”

 

[Axum Ezana]

Crawford hasn't fought anybody man.

I don't even bother anymore, because boxing fans are so quick to believe into the hype before they have faced a top tier guy.

Top Rank is terrific at making fighters look good.

Once he faces a top guy, maybe I'll be convinced, but I never buy into any kind of hype if you haven't faced what I view as a top guy.

who do you believe beats him at 140?