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People only started saying Kov was past it after the Ward fight.
Let’s not forget that an injured 168 fighter in Ward entered the 175 division not looking at Stevenson..he went up to beat the best in the division.
Sergey was the man in the division and it took a fighter in Ward to break him.
Saying that, I do need someone to break it down to me how they gave Ward the nod on the first fight..a draw at least..jeez.
If Ward is overrated as an undefeated champ then is that the same for Calzaghe?Quote:
Originally Posted by Fenster
People pick and choose who they like and can’t seem to give praise to other undefeated fighters.
(Your comment was probably tongue in cheek)
Who we'd prefer Canelo to fight is an entirely different argument. Personally I'd rather Canelo fight Saunders, Andrade or Charlo.Quote:
Originally Posted by powerpuncherIt’s the fact that styles make fights. It’s not to say beating Kovalev isn’t impressive, but beating Kovalev may be easier for Canelo than to beat Andrade. That’s why I like fighters to stay in their weight class and clean it out. Much more impressiveQuote:
Originally Posted by FensterYeah it's ridiculous. It's also ridiculous that a bonafide all-time great can name Kovalev his best win whilst people are calling Canelo a "cherry picker" for the same man.Quote:
Originally Posted by powerpuncherWard was probably top 3 talents I’ve seen during my lifetime. He went up in weight and fought Kovalev who was very feared. I had Kovalev at #1 p4p at the time. He was easily in the top 3.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fenster
With that said, Kovalev isn’t what he used to be at all. He has really gone down hill. So Canelo fighting Kovalev now isn’t the same as Ward fighting Kovalev at the top of his game. That’s just a ridiculous argument
Is Kovalev past his best? Yes. Is he still an active winning champion? Yes. Top 3 at 175? Yes. Does he have a significant natural size, height and reach advantage? Yes. Is he still a quality boxer? Yes. Does he still possess big power? Yes.
So how can that man possibly be regarded a "gimme" unless the guy he's facing is special? Special like Ward? If Kovalev is such a "gimme" what does that make Elider Alvarez? Pascal? Even unbeaten prospects like Yarde?
The point is - fans who can't separate their personal feelings for a fighter - love or hate - don't make sense. Without realising it they're saying Canelo is special. Fact.
It's more impressive to clean out a weight class? Like Loma is attempting? Why do you want him to move down in weight? :)
Yeah just "probably." :)Quote:
Originally Posted by impIf Ward is overrated as an undefeated champ then is that the same for Calzaghe?Quote:
Originally Posted by Fenster
People pick and choose who they like and can’t seem to give praise to other undefeated fighters.
(Your comment was probably tongue in cheek)
Because he skipped better weights to clean out a weaker weight. Featherweight is stacked right now. I would be much more impressed if he cleaned out featherweight than lightweight. I think that Berchelt and Davis are better than anyone that lightweight has to offer too (unless Mikey can get back down there). If he just couldn’t make those weights then that’s fine, but he claims he can easily make feather.Quote:
Originally Posted by FensterWho we'd prefer Canelo to fight is an entirely different argument. Personally I'd rather Canelo fight Saunders, Andrade or Charlo.Quote:
Originally Posted by powerpuncherIt’s the fact that styles make fights. It’s not to say beating Kovalev isn’t impressive, but beating Kovalev may be easier for Canelo than to beat Andrade. That’s why I like fighters to stay in their weight class and clean it out. Much more impressiveQuote:
Originally Posted by FensterYeah it's ridiculous. It's also ridiculous that a bonafide all-time great can name Kovalev his best win whilst people are calling Canelo a "cherry picker" for the same man.Quote:
Originally Posted by powerpuncherWard was probably top 3 talents I’ve seen during my lifetime. He went up in weight and fought Kovalev who was very feared. I had Kovalev at #1 p4p at the time. He was easily in the top 3.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fenster
With that said, Kovalev isn’t what he used to be at all. He has really gone down hill. So Canelo fighting Kovalev now isn’t the same as Ward fighting Kovalev at the top of his game. That’s just a ridiculous argument
Is Kovalev past his best? Yes. Is he still an active winning champion? Yes. Top 3 at 175? Yes. Does he have a significant natural size, height and reach advantage? Yes. Is he still a quality boxer? Yes. Does he still possess big power? Yes.
So how can that man possibly be regarded a "gimme" unless the guy he's facing is special? Special like Ward? If Kovalev is such a "gimme" what does that make Elider Alvarez? Pascal? Even unbeaten prospects like Yarde?
The point is - fans who can't separate their personal feelings for a fighter - love or hate - don't make sense. Without realising it they're saying Canelo is special. Fact.
It's more impressive to clean out a weight class? Like Loma is attempting? Why do you want him to move down in weight? :)
Same with a Canelo. If Canelo couldn’t make middleweight anymore, then I’m fine with him moving up. I just don’t fall for the “higher weight class means a better win” idea anymore. It’s much easier to pick winnable fights if you jump weights and call it trying to fight the best. Pacquiao made a living out of it once he became a superstar.
I’ve watched boxing too long to fall for the same thing over and over
Kov was bummed out of both fights against ward, neither fight has any weight in any discussion about who is the best or lagacy or anything like thatQuote:
Originally Posted by imp
The only time they are worth mentioning is in discussion about corruption, daftness, boxing bollocks, cheating, money
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron SwansonBest at 147-Mayweather, shouldn’t need explainingQuote:
Originally Posted by TitoFanQuote:
Originally Posted by Ron Swanson
Do me a favor. Forget it's me asking the questions, because that will immediately draw your "you just hate Canelo" spiel.
Canelo fought "the best 147 guy". Who was that?..... out of morbid curiosity. Seriously..... I'm VERY curious.
"The best 154 guy". Who was that? Mosley? Trout? Cotto? Again... just trying to follow your logic here.
Mosley..... way past his prime at nearly 41 years old. Had won a grand total of 2 of his previous 6 fights. That Mosley?
Trout..... is that the one? Could be...... right? Ok, we'll let that one skate.
Cotto? The woefully undersized Cotto? I thought Cotto fought brilliantly and gave it all he had. But he never had the size to bother Canelo, who undoubtedly has a great chin. And let's face it. Cotto was never going to win a decision in Canelo's backyard.
The best 160 pounder twice.
Wait...... not so fast. What did he do before that? Did he fight GGG right away? Strike while the iron was hot?
No. He waited for the fight to "marinate", waiting to "grow into 160" and what did he do? Remember? I'll jar your memory a little bit.
He snuck out for a foray at 170 with JCC Jr.
Only after he saw he could handle the weight against THAT mummy....... THEN he faced GGG twice, losing both times but being gifted the decisions by the corrupt Mexican mafia. (Of course, we all knew he was a bonafide 160 all along). ;) ;)
THEN..... he jumps up..... cherry picks Rocky Fielding for the fukking trinket (I know you don't like the cherry picking term but it applies perfectly here).
And NOW he's talking about jumping up to challenge Kovalev.
Ok. Now you can uncover your face and see who wrote this.
For someone who allegedly "hates Canelo", you certainly skip over some of the damning facts. I'm more than happy to fill in the obvious blanks.
You're welcome.
Best at 154-Lara, The Ring had him number 1 in 2 different years surrounding the fight
Best at 160 twice-GGG. GGG is still the best at 160 until proven otherwise
I don’t really care that some had GGG winning both, I agree with them. It’s only relevant in this conversation that he fought them. Because I’m talking about expectations. We don’t expect fighters to win, we expect them to fight. Winning and losing is about how good you are, a separate subject. It’s well known I don’t think Canelo was even the best at 154, let alone 160. I’m discussing expectations
Yes. Yes it does.
Again, you're obviously very boxing knowledgeable. Which is why it's surprising to me to see you mention Canelo's fiasco against Floyd.
You see.... there have been two types of fights featuring Floyd Mayweather Jr.
One is the bonafide fight, where the opponent has worked his way up to the status of meriting a fight against Floyd.
Then you've got your "gifted opportunities", where the fight has been publicly and forcefully demanded, opponent merit be damned.
These are the "circus" fights, where the ending is a foregone conclusion, but the fight goes ahead anyway, on the pretense that it's somehow a legitimate fight.
Floyd-Canelo was of the latter variety. I was one of many who would've bet a fortune on the outcome of the fight and been right.
The only blemish on the result was the work of one C.J. Ross, either paid handsomely or legally blind, and still inexplicably judging fights.
So if you want to use Floyd as one of Canelo's measuring sticks for your "he fought the best" claim, go ahead. You're pretty forceful on your opinions, so it's likely to go unchallenged by most.
But I'll just expose it for the flawed argument it is.
Should we use the same logic for Khan's ill-fated attempt to fight Canelo, two weight divisions north? Does Khan get kudos for THAT monumental travesty?
Hell.... even then, I'd say Khan had a better chance at avoiding Canelo for 12 rounds while outboxing the shit out of him..... than Canelo had of coming within 5 feet of touching Mayweather.
Hatton fought Mayweather too, and was predictably embarrassed. That was back when he was on his post-Tzsyu high and claiming he was the world's p4p. He tried the same with Manny and BOOM.
Two doses of reality.
Same holds for Canelo. His blind fans demanded Floyd give him a shot and Floyd happily obliged. What happened in the ring was an embarrassment.... a shutout.
But I don't blame you for wanting to use that as a measuring stick. I'm only happy you "don't rate Canelo." It'd be scary to see what you'd write if you did.
It appears the fight is on and at 175. November 2nd it is. My only issue is that Kovalev just fought and had a heck of a tough couple of rounds. Surely it could not have hurt to make it December 2nd out of common decency. There is always some catch or other. However, maybe Kov is old school, it will keep him off the booze, and he will lay off heavy sparring for a few weeks and go in there and show what a knockout jab is.
That’s the first thing I thought. It is really fast for someone that age to get back in the ring. If he would have destroyed Yarde in two rounds then it would be fine, but he went ten rounds and had some tough spots. We shall see what happensQuote:
Originally Posted by Gandalf
I think it helps Kov. Staying busy and in camp will be better than resting and drinking.Quote:
Originally Posted by powerpuncherThat’s the first thing I thought. It is really fast for someone that age to get back in the ring. If he would have destroyed Yarde in two rounds then it would be fine, but he went ten rounds and had some tough spots. We shall see what happensQuote:
Originally Posted by Gandalf
Canelo must see a weakness, the body shots, Kov being stopped recently and having the judges on his side.
Still an intriguing and good fight. Hope Kov causes the upset.
Canelo Alvarez vs Sergey Kovalev officially announced for November 2 in Las Vegas
Canelo Alvarez will challenge Sergey Kovalev for his WBO light-heavyweight title on November 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The Mexican superstar has already won belts at super-welterweight, middleweight and super-middleweight, and is now set to jump up once again for a whole new challenge.
Despite having fought his last bout for the middleweight titles at 160lbs, Canelo will move up two divisions to take on the Russian at 175lbs.
It is new territory for the 29-year-old who is widely regarded as the biggest name in boxing today.
Kovalev’s last outing came on August 24 as he defended his belt by knocking out Britain’s Anthony Yarde in Russia.
Ten weeks after this taxing eleven-rounder, the 36-year-old is jumping straight back in against a fresh opponent with some doubting this is wise at the current stage of his career.
https://talksport.com/wp-content/upl...60&quality=100
A few years ago, the Russian was unified champion and rated as one of the pound-for-pound best in boxing, but two losses to Andre Ward put paid to this status.
He’s since regained the WBO crown and adapted beautifully to win it back once again in February after being knocked out by Eleider Alvarez last year.
Canelo meanwhile escaped two fights against Gennady Golovkin without suffering any official defeat.
Despite most believing GGG beat him first time around, and a drugs controversy lingering in between, their rematch was far closer and the three judges gave Alvarez a slim decision victory which earned him the middleweight titles.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EEW_FGbX...jpg&name=small
https://talksport.com/sport/boxing/6...lev-announced/
If and only IF Canelo beats Kovalev then perhaps Andre Ward makes a comeback and fights Canelo at 175? Any takers on that? Or no should Ward stay retired?
Ward is retired.
Ward and Floyd are retired.
Both retired undefeated and in good health with plenty of Money.
We all need to accept that.
We also need to accept that Ward chased Kovalev down and entered his weight class with injuries and a 2 year lay off with business issues..he wanted the bogeyman.
If you’re brainwashed by the Rocky movies and think it’s cool to be take punishment then some won’t appreciate the true Art of boxing..Ward is not coming back..unless Canelo calls him out after beating up an old washed up Kovalev.,.but why would he when there’s no money or franchise belt for him.
Canelo calling out Ward?
https://i.gifer.com/7Ki.gif
What’s with the Hennessy name on The promotions?Quote:
Originally Posted by Master
Financially this is great for Kovalev. It sets him up for life (as long as he is semi smart with his money).
So this is boxing in the Canelo era. Canelo will pick you out only if you're beatable (right time, right conditions, etc). You're obviously honored to take the fight, and will come away a richer man for it. Rinse and repeat.
The WBC periodically churns out another belt... and adds to Canelo's collection.
I miss the good ol' days.
Money ruins everything. I get that it’s great that these fighters get paid their worth, but it dilutes the product. Don’t get me wrong, this is a good fight in and of itself. I have absolutely no problem with the fight with none of the shenanigans considered.Quote:
Originally Posted by TitoFan
I just don’t like the obvious (well obvious to some people) cherry pick of an older opponent, who has name recognition, and that you have a favorable style match up. Also, it’s a high risk low reward fight.
Again, I’m not against the fight in theory, but I’m against Canelo picking the specific fight in a specific weight while there are at least 7-8 fighters I would rather him fight between middleweight and light heavyweight.
Quote:
Originally Posted by powerpuncherMoney ruins everything. I get that it’s great that these fighters get paid their worth, but it dilutes the product. Don’t get me wrong, this is a good fight in and of itself. I have absolutely no problem with the fight with none of the shenanigans considered.Quote:
Originally Posted by TitoFan
I just don’t like the obvious (well obvious to some people) cherry pick of an older opponent, who has name recognition, and that you have a favorable style match up. Also, it’s a high risk low reward fight.
Again, I’m not against the fight in theory, but I’m against Canelo picking the specific fight in a specific weight while there are at least 7-8 fighters I would rather him fight between middleweight and light heavyweight.
I'm hoping you mean it's a high risk low reward fight for Kovalev... and everything else is exactly right. Also, I'm among those people who see the obvious cherry picking. It's nauseating... especially when done by such a high profile fighter.
I would respect this guy a lot more if he would just throw caution to the wind and say f*ck it... I'm gonna fight the best... at their peak... at their weight. I'm gonna earn the lofty throne they've carved out for me out of pure gold.
But if it hasn't happened more than 50 fights into his pro career, it'll never happen.
This ain't boxing. It's pageantry.
Oops. I meant to say a low risk high reward fight for Canelo 😁Quote:
Originally Posted by TitoFanQuote:
Originally Posted by powerpuncherMoney ruins everything. I get that it’s great that these fighters get paid their worth, but it dilutes the product. Don’t get me wrong, this is a good fight in and of itself. I have absolutely no problem with the fight with none of the shenanigans considered.Quote:
Originally Posted by TitoFan
I just don’t like the obvious (well obvious to some people) cherry pick of an older opponent, who has name recognition, and that you have a favorable style match up. Also, it’s a high risk low reward fight.
Again, I’m not against the fight in theory, but I’m against Canelo picking the specific fight in a specific weight while there are at least 7-8 fighters I would rather him fight between middleweight and light heavyweight.
I'm hoping you mean it's a high risk low reward fight for Kovalev... and everything else is exactly right. Also, I'm among those people who see the obvious cherry picking. It's nauseating... especially when done by such a high profile fighter.
I would respect this guy a lot more if he would just throw caution to the wind and say f*ck it... I'm gonna fight the best... at their peak... at their weight. I'm gonna earn the lofty throne they've carved out for me out of pure gold.
But if it hasn't happened more than 50 fights into his pro career, it'll never happen.
This ain't boxing. It's pageantry.
I’m going with Kov. I know you shouldn’t bet with your heart but I just can’t take canelo. So what’s the deal with DAZN. Is it only streaming? Can you get one fight or you need to get a subscription. I’m really getting tired of paying 80 or more bucks for a fight. I’ve been waiting to watch them on allthebestfights.com which sometimes puts them up hours after it’s live or YouTube TV which u never know when the fight will be shown.
You can just subscribe for the month then cancel, it'd cost you 20 American quids though. Cheaper to sign up. For the year but if you don't like their service then that's pointless.Quote:
Originally Posted by walrus
Dazn is excellent value in Canada, actually underpriced, seems like there is less stuff on the American version though.
Why is that, like what is the difference between US and Canadian contentQuote:
Originally Posted by palmerqYou can just subscribe for the month then cancel, it'd cost you 20 American quids though. Cheaper to sign up. For the year but if you don't like their service then that's pointless.Quote:
Originally Posted by walrus
Dazn is excellent value in Canada, actually underpriced, seems like there is less stuff on the American version though.
Wiki has a list of what dazn has the rights to in each country.Quote:
Originally Posted by walrusWhy is that, like what is the difference between US and Canadian contentQuote:
Originally Posted by palmerqYou can just subscribe for the month then cancel, it'd cost you 20 American quids though. Cheaper to sign up. For the year but if you don't like their service then that's pointless.Quote:
Originally Posted by walrus
Dazn is excellent value in Canada, actually underpriced, seems like there is less stuff on the American version though.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/DAZN under sports rights section.
Dazn Canada just has a ridiculous amount of stuff, all nfl games, English league (which I don't watch) champions League, serie a.. they don't have the spainish or french football league anymore though, a good amount of cricket and some other randomness :S... USA seems to be mostly just the fighting stuff, of which there is a good amount, you can have a look on wiki, it's hard to read on the phone or I'd sumarize it
That’s cool I appreciate it. I’ll probably do it for the month and try it out like u said.Quote:
Originally Posted by palmerqWiki has a list of what dazn has the rights to in each country.Quote:
Originally Posted by walrusWhy is that, like what is the difference between US and Canadian contentQuote:
Originally Posted by palmerqYou can just subscribe for the month then cancel, it'd cost you 20 American quids though. Cheaper to sign up. For the year but if you don't like their service then that's pointless.Quote:
Originally Posted by walrus
Dazn is excellent value in Canada, actually underpriced, seems like there is less stuff on the American version though.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/DAZN under sports rights section.
Dazn Canada just has a ridiculous amount of stuff, all nfl games, English league (which I don't watch) champions League, serie a.. they don't have the spainish or french football league anymore though, a good amount of cricket and some other randomness :S... USA seems to be mostly just the fighting stuff, of which there is a good amount, you can have a look on wiki, it's hard to read on the phone or I'd sumarize it
Andre Ward adamant Canelo Alvarez would not dare call him out if he defeats Sergey Kovalev
Andre Ward insists Canelo Alvarez would not dare call him out if he prevails against Sergey Kovalev.
The Mexican is stepping up two weight divisions on November 2, looking to become a four-weight world champion by seizing the WBO world light heavyweight title.
Ward has been retired for more than two years after stopping Kovalev in June 2017 to secure back-to-back wins against the Russian, but at just 35 years of age, speculation remains over a potential comeback with the American admitting he left plenty of money on the table to walk away undefeated.
With Canelo now the biggest name in the sport and able to offer tens of millions of dollars to the right opponent, a smiling Ward knocked back the possibility of facing him in the future.
"I'm going to say this, I think people forget that I left a lot of money on the table (by retiring)," Ward told Fight Hub TV.
"Not a little bit, a lot, tens of millions of dollars, so if Canelo beats Kovalev, god bless him.
"He wouldn't do that (call me out). There's a difference between calling out Kovalev and me, I'm the man who beat Kovalev.
"Don't you all remember? Twice!"
Ward then offered his early analysis of the biggest fight left on the schedule this year.
https://s.yimg.com/it/api/res/1.2/7F...f92d0b5150a8dc
Ward added: "I don't know yet, there are a lot of variables, how heavy is Canelo coming in? Will he come in heavy concerned about the extra weight of Kovalev? Or stay somewhat light to remain faster.
"How is his knee? He's got a bad knee, I know all about that. What does Kovalev have left?
"How is Canelo going to get through the range? If it goes past six rounds, I like Canelo, but there are a lot of variables."
https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/and...095300132.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwpVDEXCmqkQuote:
Originally Posted by Master
Andre Ward would come back for that fight, big time bucks $$$$ and Andre Ward would fight Canelo in California and Andre Ward would win....these are facts my friends! Also I'm thinking if Canelo doesn't get popped for peds in the build up to this fight it's all very fishy especially if he beats Kovalev by KO....I'm very suspicious of Canelo.
I think that most people realize that Ward would be willing to come back if it meant making tons of money. If Ward is at all the same fighter then Canelo has basically zero chance at winning
All Canelo-Ward talk is really a moot point. It'll never happen. Canelo's picking off Kovalev because serious flaws were detected in him that Canelo can feasibly exploit. Because for all of his name recognition, Kovalev is the weakest of the four current 175-lb champions. Canelo's picking off Kovalev, and then will scurry back down and out of the 175-lb division.
In fact, I have a new nickname for him..... "Sniper". With all apologies to "Sniper" Pedraza, who is lately not doing the nickname justice anyway. What is a sniper anyway? A marksman who picks off his carefully picked target from a safe distance and then slinks away. Canelo went up to 168 to pick off the incredibly weak and vulnerable champion Fielding..... and now is doing the same thing with Kovalev.
How fukking transparent.
Depends on if it goes to the judges. I always felt Kov was hyped up and a good Chad Dawson would have stopped him too.Quote:
Originally Posted by TitoFan
:cool:
Canelo Alvarez is daring to be great, but he's no Henry Armstrong
There was a lot of talk about history at Union Station in Los Angeles on Wednesday when Canelo Alvarez and Sergey Kovalev met face-to-face to officially kick off their bout for Kovalev’s WBO light heavyweight on Nov. 2 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.
Boxing historians have difficult jobs these days because many of the sport’s most cherished records have been bastardized by the explosion of sanctioning bodies and weight classes.
Alvarez holds the WBA middleweight belt, which is the oldest of the four major sanctioning bodies — WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO — and also the most grotesque in the way it makes a mockery of the sport’s rich history.
The WBA has three champions at heavyweight, two at cruiserweight and light heavyweight, three at super middleweight, two at middleweight and super welterweight, one (shockingly) at welterweight, two at super lightweight, one at lightweight and super featherweight, two at featherweight, super bantamweight and bantamweight, one at super flyweight, flyweight, light flyweight and minimumweight.
If math isn’t your thing, that’s 29 men over 17 weight classes who the next time they fight will be introduced as a WBA world champion.
And that’s just the WBA.
It’s difficult to put a modern fighter’s accomplishments into proper historical perspective given the level of nonsense that the sanctioning groups pull.
https://s.yimg.com/it/api/res/1.2/IG...7-da12888c47c1
If Alvarez defeats Kovalev, he’ll become the fourth Mexican boxer and the 20th overall to win titles in four weight classes. He could join Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns and Mike McCallum as the only 154-pound champions to go on to win the light heavyweight title. It would be a magnificent achievement.
There’s still nearly two months before the bout, which will be streamed on DAZN, but the early guess is that Alvarez will get it done. He’s a great body puncher, a much better defensive fighter than he’s given credit for and has a legendarily strong chin.
Alvarez is too smart to drop his hands and allow Kovalev to tee off. He’ll create angles, move up and down, confuse Kovalev and win a clear decision.
If he pulls it off, it will be an extraordinary feat. He’d hold WBA and WBC belts at middleweight, the WBA belt at super middleweight and the WBO belt at light heavyweight, if he defeated Kovalev.
That, inevitably, will bring up talk of Henry Armstrong, who simultaneously held the featherweight, lightweight and welterweight titles at a time when there were only eight weight divisions in boxing.
Armstrong, who is the second-greatest pound-for-pound boxer behind only Sugar Ray Robinson, won the lineal featherweight title on Oct. 29, 1937 by knocking out Petey Sarron. On May 31, 1938, he won the lineal welterweight title when he decisioned the legendary Barney Ross. And then, in his next fight on Aug. 17, 1938, Armstrong won a split decision over Lou Ambers to become the lineal lightweight champion.
Doing that may be the single greatest feat by one man in boxing history. Anyone who tries to compare what Alvarez is attempting doesn’t understand a thing about boxing history.
Sarron and Ross are members of the International Boxing Hall of Fame and Ambers won 88 fights in a nine-year career. Among those are wins over Hall of Famers Armstrong, Fritzie Zivic, Tony Canzoneri, Baby Arizmendi and Beau Jack.
This is no criticism of Alvarez, but his super middleweight title came via a third-round knockout of the lightly regarded (to be kind) Rocky Fielding.
Alvarez has stood out in an era when champions are everywhere and it’s difficult to make big fights. Alvarez has repeatedly sought the greatest challenges and for that, he’ll one day be enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
His only loss, in 2013 to Floyd Mayweather, helped him improve by leaps and bounds. He learned from the defeat, another sign of a brilliant fighter.
Kovalev promoter Kathy Duva hit the right notes as she spoke of both men during her remarks in the news conference, noting both were what she called “throwback fighters.” A throwback fighter is someone like Robinson, who in February 1943 fought Jake La Motta twice, with a fight against California Jackie Wilson, in between.
“I want to give special thanks to Sergey Kovalev and Canelo Alvarez,” Duva said. “That’s not just on behalf of Main Events. Right now, I’m speaking to both of you as a lifelong boxing fan, not just as Sergey’s promoter. There are precious few throwback fighters like Sergey and Canelo in boxing today. Unfortunately, at some point around the turn of the last century … boxing began to lose its way. Certain fighters, TV executives, critics, [and] members of the media became so obsessed with won-loss records that they began to forget that this is a sport.
“Instead of building a legacy, preserving an ‘0’ and avoiding an unnecessary risk became the goal. To this day, some fighters are actually praised for it, though it blows my mind. Competition suffered because of that.”
That has never been Alvarez. He has uplifted his sport repeatedly by accepting these kinds of challenges.
He deserves to be commended for challenging Kovalev rather than agreeing to a mundane title defense against the likes of Sergiy Derevyanchenko he was virtually certain to win. He was stripped of his IBF belt for not fighting Derevyanchenko because his heart wasn’t in it and it wasn’t much of a fun fight. There’s a cruel irony in there that his one-time rival, Gennadiy Golovkin, had no problem jumping on what should be the easy title win when Alvarez declined it.
But let’s not let the mess the sanctioning bodies have made of the championship lineage in this sport obscure one unassailable fact: What Alvarez is attempting to do is nowhere near on par with what Armstrong did in a 10-month span in 1937-38.
It’s rare in today’s boxing, to be sure; but don’t even start to compare it in any way with what Armstrong did.
That feat has never been replicated and, given the direction of the sport, may never be accomplished again.
And that’s true no matter who wins on Nov. 2 at the MGM Grand Garden.
https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/can...175129848.html
Crazy to think people can look at this size difference...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uYsctokjwxs
and call it a cherry pick. Kovalev is SIGNIFICANTLY larger, more racist and aggressive towards women than him.
Bloody ell, I'd say he'd need a step ladder but I'm assuming he'll be going for a full body assault, that is quite a size difference, it'll be a nice win for Alvarez if he manages it but I'm assuming they know kovalev is close to being finished but wotever, I'm looking forward to this one.
I hope Alvarez takes on Andy ruiz for the Mexican heavyweight title after this, I'd watch.
Low risk high reward. That’s why it’s a cherry pick. Worse comes to worst, Canelo loses and uses size as the excuse. Kovalev is also name recognition. There are many people between middleweight and light heavyweight that would be a harder match up.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron Swanson
Callum Smith comes to mind.Quote:
Originally Posted by powerpuncherLow risk high reward. That’s why it’s a cherry pick. Worse comes to worst, Canelo loses and uses size as the excuse. Kovalev is also name recognition. There are many people between middleweight and light heavyweight that would be a harder match up.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron Swanson
Kovalev will be paid very handsomely to have an easy camp and drink boat loads of Vodka. Can’t blame him taking the dosh, up until about 5 years ago, he was on about £10k a fight.
It’ll be a “Yes sir, No sir, 3 bags full sir” approach from him. And after he’s sold his belt, he’ll probably get promised one last pay day on a Canelo undercard.
Quote:
Originally Posted by powerpuncherLow risk high reward. That’s why it’s a cherry pick. Worse comes to worst, Canelo loses and uses size as the excuse. Kovalev is also name recognition. There are many people between middleweight and light heavyweight that would be a harder match up.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron Swanson
Gonna feel like Teddy Atlas saying this, but what the hell.... ;D
If you're a logger looking for a redwood to fell... would you pick all the ones who don't have a scratch on them... or would you pick the one that's already been chewed halfway through by beavers?
I think the people are shot-changing Kovalev, he is a big guy and he can hurt Canelo , it can happen that he has a flash of youth again and shock up the world, and Canelo can get tired like in past fights. Canelo chin has not been tested and Kovalev can be the man to do it. I predict Kovalev will pull the upset and go out and retire in victory.
The biggest question in this fight is how well Canelo can take Kovalevs punch. Canelo has definitely had his chin tested. He took big shots from GGG. Kovalev is a whole other animal though. We will see what happens.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fatboxingfan
Quote:
Originally Posted by powerpuncherThe biggest question in this fight is how well Canelo can take Kovalevs punch. Canelo has definitely had his chin tested. He took big shots from GGG. Kovalev is a whole other animal though. We will see what happens.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fatboxingfan
Yeah, I have no questions about Canelo's chin either. To me the biggest question is Kovalev's durability. He's shown a tendency to wear out, especially when hit to the body which I'm sure Canelo and his team are well aware of. Whatever aura of invincibility Kovalev had was erased by his TKO loss to Ward in their second fight. Otherwise this fight would not be happening.