General Boxing Thread

[GBJ]

Haye Bellew in 24 hours. Let's address the technical side first....

Tony Bellew is Cruiserweight champion of the world. On paper at least. He's dodged the tough unification fights, to chase a big payday. And you know what, personally I don't blame him. I'd do the same. He's got a handful of fights left in his career, which translates to only a handful of lucrative paydays available. Well played Tone, you've got what you wanted. Unfortunately, it will come at a price. The last time Bellew stepped in against a genuinely dangerous puncher, he got his senses scrambled. And not just a little bit scrambled, properly scrambled & seasoned with salt & pepper & served with bacon & a fried tomato. That fight against Adonis Stevenson will be a walk in the park compared to the danger of this fight.

Haye will step into the ring at not far short of 17st, which is incredible considering he fought Wlad (his last competitive HW fight) at 15st. IIRC, he's heavier than his last two fights, which would indicate he's going for an extreme power, which would indicate a game plan of early stoppage, (which in fairness you haven't got to be an expert to ascertain). He has an incredible KO ratio, which doesn't bode well for Bellew.

It is a mismatch. It is a bit farcical. But I'm secretly looking forward to it.

I'm not a Haye fan by any means, although he has managed to claw back some respect of late. But I am unquestionably #TeamHayemaker tomorrow night. And no, it's not because of my burning dislike (because hatred is a bit too strong) of Bellew, but because a win for Haye, will undoubtedly push him closer to an AJ fight. With Tyson Fury currently enjoying his European tour of kebab shops, it's unlikely he'll be meeting the golden boy anytime soon, so Haye IMO, resembles THE only person to properly match Joshua. Forget about that breakdancer Wilder, forget about rankings & organisations, and all that bollocks, this fight not only generates millions upon millions, but it is bound to be an genuinely entertaining encounter. The styles should blend seemlessly to give us a great fight IMO, especially from the technical point of view.

So my inevitable prediction is, Haye to win via decapitation tomorrow night, in whatever round his friends & family have lumped on. If I was betting on it (I'm not, because there's no value) I'd lump on Haye to end it in rounds 1-3. That being said, it wouldn't surprise me if Haye stretched it out until the 5th/6th for the monetary value.

 

[Ricey]

I cannot believe all the hype this complete and utter mismatch has got! Anyone who knows anything about boxing knows Haye wins by KO when he decides (probably early rounds). So many casuals have jumped on this one and are making out like it's going to be a good fight!

It's a guy who has fought at light heavy and a world champ cruiser vs a unified cruiserweight champ who then moved up to heavy and became world champion! It's on the same levels as GGG vs Brook and Canelo vs Khan.

Personally I don't even think the undercard is that exciting either to warrant paying for the PPV. I will be on team stream for this fight.

I do hope Derry Matthews knocks out Ohara Davies though!

I want Tony Bellew to win as any of you may have read previously I cannot stand Haye. But what I WANT isn't going to happen because I know this is a total mismatch and like GBJ says Haye wins when he WANTS!

The real fight this weekend is in the early hours of Sunday morning UK time. Garcia vs Thurman in a welterweight unification. This is not a mismatch and is going to hopefully be a really good fight. Both undefeated fighters with similar records it's a proper 50/50 fight. For me I WANT Garcia to win and I think he will do it either by late stoppage or unanimous points win.

So boxing fans if you want to see a real fight don't waste £15.99 on the Sky Sports PPV circus. Stay up until the early hours and watch a real battle of real champs.

 

[GBJ]

Personally I don't even think the undercard is that exciting either to warrant paying for the PPV. I will be on team stream for this fight.

I do hope Derry Mathews knocks out Ohara Davies though!

You should check out these guys on Twitter & see their take on it @Stream_Planet

I think Derry is finished. The way he was dispatched by Campbell in his his last fight was shocking, and certainly something I wasn't expecting. Sad to see, as I'm a fan of his, but it's inevitable. My fondest memory of him, will be when he lost almost every round to Tommy Coyle, but somehow managed to pull out a devastasing KO punch, which almost ended Coyle. I fancy OD to win, but how he wins, is dependant on Derry's resistance through the fight. If that resistance falters early, like it did against Campbell, then I expect a stoppage in the mid-rounds. On my accumulator though, I've gone for OD to win on points.

Eggington vs Malignaggi is a bit of a nothing fight. Paulie (who I'm a big fan of) is being put up there for Eggington to get a big (albeit way-past-prime) name on his resume. That being said, Paulie ain't no chump & has the heart of a lion, so I'd expect him to try & make something of it. I've gone Egg to win on points here.

The undercard is poor, but it was to be expected. Haye - Bellew will sell enough PPV purchases on their own, Hearn didn't need to make any competitive (and therefore costly) undercard fights. It's a Sad state of affairs, but whilst he's got dunces on Twitter hailing him as the saviour of British Boxing, nothing will change.

The real fight this weekend is in the early hours of Sunday morning UK time. Garcia vs Thurman in a welterweight unification. This is not a mismatch and is going to hopefully be a really good fight. Both undefeated fighters with similar records it's a proper 50/50 fight. For me I WANT Garcia to win and I think he will do it either by late stoppage or unanimous points win.

So boxing fans if you want to see a real fight don't waste £15.99 on the Sky Sports PPV circus. Stay up until the early hours and watch a real battle of real champs.

Yeah this should be a cracker. Unification fight, with two undefeated fighters, vying for that number one spot in the 147lbs division. Its a tough one to call, because Thurman is a pure savage puncher, who could stop anyone in the division. However, Garcia is incredibly clever, and has proven he can outsmart big punchers. He made Lucas Matthysee look silly when they fought, and that was back when Lucas was held in the same regard as Triple G!!

I've gone for Garcia to win on points here. I feel he'll frustrate Thurman & edge him on rounds. I think it'll be very close, potentially a split decision, but a Garcia win.

 

[Ricey]

Well well well! Bellew wins and Haye's age and injuries caught up with him. This is the end for Haye! If he needs surgery on that achillies then I can't see him coming back.

Bellew did well at the start and looked good before the injury. Haye looked wild and old. I'm not a fan of Haye but massive respect for him for carrying on even with that injury.

 

[Ricky Otto]

Well well well! Bellew wins and Haye's age and injuries caught up with him. This is the end for Haye! If he needs surgery on that achillies then I can't see him coming back.

Bellew did well at the start and looked good before the injury. Haye looked wild and old. I'm not a fan of Haye but massive respect for him for carrying on even with that injury.

I really like bellew, the game plan was spot on, ok he got lucky with the injury but even without it he would have done a lot better than anyone expected. His punch power was really lacking at that weight and most heavyweights would have finished haye off earlier. Can't see bellew making it to the big time, but he has heart and is better than many give him credit for

 

[GBJ]

Well that wasn't in the script. I guess the rumours about Haye's injury, earlier in the week, were true Afterall.

Lets start with the positives, from both fighters.

Haye; Incredible heart & bravery to continue. After the injury, and the first knockdown, you could tell by the look on his face, as he sat on the canvas, that the reality was sinking in, that he couldn't do anything to stop his night ending in defeat. He knew he wouldn't win, but he wasn't going to stop, for anything. He now joins a list of fighters, who have been severely incapacitated during a fight, but refused to quit, which puts him amoungst very good company.

Bellew;
- Started well & got the better of the first round exchanges.
- Deservedly won the opening round, which was unexpected.
- Treated Haye with the dignity & respect he deserved after the fight. He Didn't overreact with celebrations & even swatted that creep Hearn away, with aplomb.
- his defence was excellent for the first couple of rounds.
- And finally, the record books will always read Bellew TKO11 Haye.

And now the negatives;

Haye;
- looked erratic & wild in the opening rounds. His balance & footwork were way below the standard that's expected of him.
- First round was a disaster for him. I wonder if the injury was in the back of his mind, and he knew he had to end it quickly, before it affected him.
- He settled after the second round, and started to ease into his rhythm, but never really shone, despite winning every round (bar the first).
- Haye begging for a rematch was cringeworthy.
- This is a potential career ender for Haye. At his age, it'll be hard for him to recover & fight professionally again.

Bellew;
- For all his good work in the first, he couldn't buy another round, up until the injury.
- He sat off Haye during those early rounds & rarely looked threatening. All part of the gameplan maybe, but it's heavyweight boxing, and paying fans want to see bombs thrown.

- Perosnally I can't really afford much credit to Bellew. He was losing on the cards, he was gassing, and Haye was just starting to tick. The fight only had one outcome at that point. Then a freak bit of luck swung the fight in Bellew's favour. I simply can't credit a man based on an incredible piece of luck. It's like winning the lottery & people congratulating You, as if you've worked hard to win it.
- In truth, He struggled for 6 rounds to catch his breath, never mind finish Haye off. In Rounds 8 & 9, he didn't even have the strength or energy to engage. He even had he audacity to risk the almost-guarenteed outcome, by getting caught with Haye's desperate & off balance hooks.
- this isn't nothing new from Bellew. His super genuinely serious grudge rematch against Nathan Cleverly was a carbon copy of last night. Except Clev wasn't injured, he just couldn't handle the weight difference.

It was a freak matchup, with a freak outcome. Bellew has no business at Heaveyweight level and is seriously risking his health. Make no mistake, he got an incredible slice of luck last night, which IMO, has saved him some serious damage today. He will not get that luck in every fight. All the talk of Wilder, or possibly AJ is beyond reckless & seriously dangerous.

 

[Blueronron]

Haye Bellew in 24 hours. Let's address the technical side first....

Tony Bellew is Cruiserweight champion of the world. On paper at least. He's dodged the tough unification fights, to chase a big payday. And you know what, personally I don't blame him. I'd do the same. He's got a handful of fights left in his career, which translates to only a handful of lucrative paydays available. Well played Tone, you've got what you wanted. Unfortunately, it will come at a price. The last time Bellew stepped in against a genuinely dangerous puncher, he got his senses scrambled. And not just a little bit scrambled, properly scrambled & seasoned with salt & pepper & served with bacon & a fried tomato. That fight against Adonis Stevenson will be a walk in the park compared to the danger of this fight.

Haye will step into the ring at not far short of 17st, which is incredible considering he fought Wlad (his last competitive HW fight) at 15st. IIRC, he's heavier than his last two fights, which would indicate he's going for an extreme power, which would indicate a game plan of early stoppage, (which in fairness you haven't got to be an expert to ascertain). He has an incredible KO ratio, which doesn't bode well for Bellew.

It is a mismatch. It is a bit farcical. But I'm secretly looking forward to it.

I'm not a Haye fan by any means, although he has managed to claw back some respect of late. But I am unquestionably #TeamHayemaker tomorrow night. And no, it's not because of my burning dislike (because hatred is a bit too strong) of Bellew, but because a win for Haye, will undoubtedly push him closer to an AJ fight. With Tyson Fury currently enjoying his European tour of kebab shops, it's unlikely he'll be meeting the golden boy anytime soon, so Haye IMO, resembles THE only person to properly match Joshua. Forget about that breakdancer Wilder, forget about rankings & organisations, and all that bollocks, this fight not only generates millions upon millions, but it is bound to be an genuinely entertaining encounter. The styles should blend seemlessly to give us a great fight IMO, especially from the technical point of view.

So my inevitable prediction is, Haye to win via decapitation tomorrow night, in whatever round his friends & family have lumped on. If I was betting on it (I'm not, because there's no value) I'd lump on Haye to end it in rounds 1-3. That being said, it wouldn't surprise me if Haye stretched it out until the 5th/6th for the monetary value.

Do you have any Cheltenham tips I can follow GBJ :winking:

UTS

 

[GBJ]

Do you have any Cheltenham tips I can follow GBJ :winking:

UTS

Of course, simply send all your stake money to me, and I'll guarentee you a very handsome return, which I can post back to you.


*guarentee is not guarenteed

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

The boxing coverage and analysis on this thread is streets ahead of the majority of content on mainstream sports pages. Good work chaps.

 

[GBJ]

The Undisputed, Undefeated, TRUE lineal Heavyweight champion of the World has spoken



From recent photos, it looks like he needs to drop about 6-7 stone, and will need to take some easy fights to rebuild his rankings & gain ring-sharpness again, but good news in general.

He's also got an agreement with the WBO, which states he is their automatic mandatory, when he's ready (and within a certain time frame, although I'm not sure what date has been agreed upon)

 

[Ricey]

Excellent news announced yesterday. The champ is returning!! On May 13th Tyson Fury will make his return.

Now the last time we saw something from Tyson Fury was a video of him trying to jump a fence. He hugely overweight, but that was some time ago that the video surfaced. Hopefully he's got his act together and got his head focused and back into the game. He is still the best heavyweight in the world and is only 28.

The stumbling blocks are still there, will he get issued a license and he still has the failed drug test for cocaine hanging over his head. Here's hoping that this all gets sorted because the heavyweight division is desperate to have the champ back.

And speaking of drugs Lucas Browne has said he would be happy to fight Tyson Fury in may. Could be a decent comeback fight for Fury.

 

[Ricey]

The Undisputed, Undefeated, TRUE lineal Heavyweight champion of the World has spoken

View attachment 4586

From recent photos, it looks like he needs to drop about 6-7 stone, and will need to take some easy fights to rebuild his rankings & gain ring-sharpness again, but good news in general.

He's also got an agreement with the WBO, which states he is their automatic mandatory, when he's ready (and within a certain time frame, although I'm not sure what date has been agreed upon)

You beat me by 1 minute!

 

[Ricey]

Chris Eubank Jr has called out James DeGale, for me there is only one winner in this and that chunky! Yes Eubank Jr has speed but he wouldn't be able to outbox DeGale. Is it a fight the fans really want to see? Maybe! I think a rematch between DeGale and Groves is a more exciting domestic dust up than against Eubank Jr. He's done nothing at Super Middle to say he deserves to fight a REAL world champion.

 

[GBJ]

Excellent news announced yesterday. The champ is returning!! On May 13th Tyson Fury will make his return.

Now the last time we saw something from Tyson Fury was a video of him trying to jump a fence. He hugely overweight, but that was some time ago that the video surfaced. Hopefully he's got his act together and got his head focused and back into the game. He is still the best heavyweight in the world and is only 28.

The stumbling blocks are still there, will he get issued a license and he still has the failed drug test for cocaine hanging over his head. Here's hoping that this all gets sorted because the heavyweight division is desperate to have the champ back.

His hearing for the drugs stuff is in April IIRC. To announce a comeback fight, the team must be optimistic about it though. The main stumbling block is his fitness. And I don't just mean his stamina over 12 rounds, but if his body will hold up, during a tough training camp. I'm Over the moon that the true champ is returning, but in the back of my mind, something tells me not to get overly excited, just yet. May 13th seems incredibly close, and there's a lot that could go wrong yet.

And speaking of drugs Lucas Browne has said he would be happy to fight Tyson Fury in may. Could be a decent comeback fight for Fury.

Decent fight along the road, but Tyson needs easier wins, and confidence builders first. Jumping in with Browne, off the back of mental & physical problems, and a year & a half layoff is risky to say the least. I'd back him to beat Browne convincingly when he's at full fitness though (if he ever is)

You beat me by 1 minute!

"You're either first, or you're last"

Ricky Bobby, Talledega Nights.

Chris Eubank Jr has called out James DeGale, for me there is only one winner in this and that chunky! Yes Eubank Jr has speed but he wouldn't be able to outbox DeGale. Is it a fight the fans really want to see? Maybe! I think a rematch between DeGale and Groves is a more exciting domestic dust up than against Eubank Jr. He's done nothing at Super Middle to say he deserves to fight a REAL world champion.

Did you see the footage of Groves-DeGale in the audience at The O2 on Saturday? They can't & probably won't agree a split fee. DeGale wants the majority share, which as a belt holder, he's entitled to, but Groves won't accept, instead he wants a far more equal share. But the only way Groves gets a fair share, is if he brings a belt to the table, so he's likely to chase the WBA belt, and then enter into negotiations, where they can agree a 50/50 split, instead of DeGale's preferred 90/10 split.

As for DeGale - Eubank, I'm not overly sure. DeGale has a bad habit of losing focus & concentration during bouts, which means he loses rounds easily. Eubank would win rounds, but certainly hasn't got it in him to stop DeGale. I'd say DeGale edges it on points

In dream world, where politics & cross-promotional greed didn't effect proceedings, A British Fantastic Four tournament should be made; Groves VS Callum Smith (hopefully with the WBA belt involved) and Eubank vs DeGale for the IBF, then winner, vs winner In a Unification fight at Wembley. But forget what fans want, there's more chance of Ron finding the elusive warchest than that happening

 

[Chalky]

The Boxing Board of Control have basically said that they have had no indication that Tyson Fury is going to be fighting and they insist he is still suspended. So lets not get too carried away eh...

With regards to Degale/Eubank, I actually really like that fight. I just think why not make it? Degale cant fight Groves until the end of year cause George needs to fight Fedor Chudinov. So let James Degale and Eubank Jr get it on. A massive domestic fight which should be a lot of fun - in the build up and the fight!

 

[GBJ]

The Boxing Board of Control have basically said that they have had no indication that Tyson Fury is going to be fighting and they insist he is still suspended. So lets not get too carried away eh...

In truth, that doesn't really mean a lot. Remember Haye vs Chisora at Upton Park? Chisora got licenced by the Luxumbourg Commision, despite being banned by the BBBoC, all thanks to Fish Eyes Warren. And it's not just Luxumbourg willing to do these kind of things. The Maltese Commission is, allegedly, very $ympath£tic to these kind of licensing issues.

And as Tyson Fury fights on Warren's television platform, (and will be earmarked as the headliner for Warren's future BT sport PPV) I'm sure they'll find ways around it, if need be.

 

[Ricey]

So the BBBoC have said no. Tyson Fury has said **** them and he will be getting all his licenses through BUI now. So as for your let's not get carried away Bill. I'm getting carried away :winking:

 

[Chalky]

Very true GBJ. As Tyson has just said himself and Ricey pointed out Fury will fight under a BUI licence. Well then this is getting interesting...

 

[GBJ]

As I said, there's always ways around these pesky requirements when big money is involved. Frank is still waiting to roll out his PPV format on BT, to rival Sky Box Office, and who better than the Lineal Heavyweight Champ to be it's main attraction.

I see Fury & Bellew have been flirting a little bit on Twitter. I don't think It has legs, but who knows in this ****ed up sport. As sad as it is, it makes good money for both fighters & promoters, IF a deal could ever be arranged. But as there's no title on the line, there's no possibility for purse bids, so it would be solely reliant on Hearn agreeing a deal with Warren & Hennessey. Which wouldn't be easy, as we've seen in the past.

 

[Ricey]

Very true GBJ. As Tyson has just said himself and Ricey pointed out Fury will fight under a BUI licence. Well then this is getting interesting...

That's the thing these days though if the BBBoC says no, there are so many other bodies that will issue a licence.

At the start of the year when Frank Bruno was talking about a comeback and the BBBoC said no. He was going to get his licence from Malta.

It will be very interesting to see what happens regarding his opponent and as GBJ says he needs a couple of warm ups. Obviously not David Haye 'Hungarian taxi driver' style opponents. He needs to build his rankings and get back up there and he will do in a better way than Haye attempted it.

Speaking of the WBO and saying he will get a chance to win that back. I can only see that happening if Hughie Fury loses to Parker. I know that Tyson will never fight Hughie just like Wlad would never fight Vitali.