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For Vernos 154lb IBF tiltle. I think Duddy is making a huge mistake trying to go after the smaller, older man thinking its the easiest way to a world title. Phillips is probably the toughest fighter in the division even at 38 and he no stranger to being an underdog and pulling of upsets. Duddy maybe a little weight drained at 154 and dont be surprised if Verno lands more right hands than Smichet did.
Smart move for Duddy as he was always a small middleweight.
Duddy needs to hone his skill and what better way to do that than vs the junior division?
Verno is still a live body and a solid fighter...but I would really fear for Duddy's well being if he set foot in the ring vs Pavlik or Abraham at this point in time...if he was able to fight Sturm I may feel different but that's not the case.
I think Duddy could be a very strong fighter at 154 but it depends on how easy he can maintain that weight...I mean who else is there to really whip his ass?? And even better there are guys he can fight and have very good fights with: Karmazin, Forrest, Mora, Spinks, Julio, Alcine, Yuri Foreman....Duddy can compete with those guys and more power to him for making this choice
Hell Yeah!!!!!!!!!!Another split decisionQuote:
Originally Posted by BoomBoom
Duddy has a chance
Duddy has a good chance in this one, it'll be intresting to see how he adjusts to the weight, he should be able out point Philips though
Great matchup for both men imo.
For Phillips I think Duddy is a great choice of opponent. His popularity means he'll probably sell out Madision Square Garden and Philips will make more money from this fight than he would fighting one of the other world champs like Alcine or Mora. Duddy is a big money spinner for Phillips and a beatable opponent. Great choice.
For Duddy, Phillips represents a world title shot, and realistically probably his best chance to pick up a belt. Mora is probably too slick and Duddy has frankly no chance against Pavlik or Abraham at 160 lbs.
There's not really much of a downside for Duddy either imo, if he were to lose then he could always blame the weight and move back up, plus he's such a popular fighter with the Irish Americans that a loss won't do much to harm his career. People know he's not a world beater, but like Gatti he's exciting, has a ton of heart and a fanbase that just love to see him fight and support their Irish hero.
It's a win win for both fighters imo.
Actually not a bad post by Bilbo :confused:
I would still pick Verno in this one actually, Duddy's just too open to being hit. I guess he could outwork Verno though.
For what its worth boxingscene has Duddy's manager on there saying this fight is not set. That he's going to go to the Alcine-Santos fight to see about one of them as a possible fight. Guess we'll see.
I dont think the weight will bother Duddy as much, he has a new trainer and a conditioning coach for the first time. Read an article that were his trainer said that making 154 wouldnt be a problem because they are getting Duddy to eating better foods, plus he weighed 158 for his last fight. I think Jnr Middle will be great for Duddy, the division is wide open and would be easy for somebody to come along and dominate.
My money is on Phillips even at this age. He's always had a field day with sluggers and power punchers. Particuarly ones as easy to hit as Duddy.
I remember when Phillips layed a beatdown on my boy Teddy Reid couple years back.
Time to shit or get off the pot, this is going to be Duddy's breakout fight. Should be a good fight. Verno is not shot, he won't have to chase Duddy around like Spinks so let the fireworks begin, when the smoke clear duddy will have his first legit belt. ;D
Quote:
Originally Posted by No Contest
AGREED!
I think Phillips will probably take this one, assuming he doesn't just totally get old, which is always possible. He looked ok against Spinks though, thought that it was actually a pretty bad decision even though I really watned him to win. Having said that, he hit Spinks with a lot of good shots and was competitive in every round. And Spinks is extremely hard to hit clean, if Phillips was shot he wouldn't have done as well as he did in that fight. Phillips has always been a good volume puncher who can keep a high pace up all fight. Duddy, imo, is not a very good prospect. I won't give him the garbage tag as obviously he can fight in the scheme of things, relatively speaking. But I don't see him beating anyone at the top level. He's not championship material just yet, doubt he ever will be with the way he gets hit.
This is exactly what I always say aswell. He will never be top tier... I said a while back... He'll sneak in a back door and grab a belt but that's as high as he'll rise. I like Duddy and have always enjoyed his fights. I HOPE he improves drastically and proves me wrong but I just don't see it happening.Quote:
Originally Posted by p4pking
He's not a world beater but he's a fun guy to watch fight and he leaves his heart out there....he's the new Arturo Gatti