Originally Posted by
marbleheadmaui
First off a good night of fighting!
Bermane Stiverne has got 75% of the bob and weave down pat! Love that style. THAT is the style that enables ordinary sized guys to beat giants. Stiverne I think has a future. But he's got to do three things to get to the next level. Lose about 15 pounds so he can move like that constantly. He's got to not slip so constantly to the left side, he's got to do a little more to the right. Last he has got to understand the purpose behind bobbing and weaving. The purpose is NOT to avoid getting hit. It is to CLOSE while not getting hit. Stiverne bobs and weaves standing still. He needs to bob and weave while stepping inside. He did that twice. Once in the fourth round he hurt Ray Austin. The second time he did it he finished the fight.
I've been very hard on Tavoris Cloud over the past few years. But he has grown into a very fine pro. He has heavy, slow feet and that is never going to change. He has good hands, a great attitude, a very good cornerman in Al Banani and he knows who he is. Strategically he was in control of the fight tonight from the third round on. He was losing rounds sometimes but winning the fight. He is, in my view, a real threat to either BHOP or Dawson at this point. I feel kind of bad for Yusef Mack. He is highly skilled, he is smart in the ring, he too understands who he is...but he is just too physically frail for the top guys. Not enough gas tank, not enough power, not enough chin.
I haven't seen how you folks scored the main event. I had Alexander winning six rounds and the fight by a point. The only tough round to call I thought was round one. I gave it to Alexander. But I can see folks feeling very good about a one point win for the Argentine as well. Matthysse is one of those heavy handed stalkers who is really hurt by fights not being 15 rounds anymore. He looks like he can go at a moderate pace all night long. What Alexander was able to do to stay in the fight was to pace the fight a little quicker than Matthysse could overwhelm him with. I'm not even sure Alexander finishes a 12 round fight with this guy. Lucas Matthysse is a truth telling machine and we learned something about Alexander tonight we (or at least I) didn't know before. The kid has decided to be a pro fighter.
I thought Devon's trainer also had a very good night tonight (I usually think he stinks).
Looking forward I think Matthysse is a threat to anyone in the world at 140 and for twelve rounds. He's technically much more solid than Maidana but not as explosive. Alexander still fights too much like an amateur to slow down determined punchers. He moves without purpose too much and he doesn't commit to his punches. But he's fast and athletic and that will win him rounds against less athletic fighters. Over twelve rounds I just don't see him handling Bradley or Maidana or Kahn or even Matthyse in a rematch. But I thought he won tonight.
Nice write up, however disagree with ya on a few points. I don't see stiverne going places, to lazy, one punch at a time isn't going to cut it. Also he was in there with freakin ray austin. He just became the number one contender for the wbc, that means slaughter at the hands of vitali, and if by chance vitali looses to adamek (he's bound to show his age sooner or later) then hell be boxed to a wide ud by adamek.
I saw matthyse win that fight, devon was throwing punches but they were hitting air more often than not. He rarely follows thru with his punch, pulls em back to soon and as a result they end up being short. I just feel if that fight took place anywhere but stl, matthysee walks away the winner, same case in the kotelnik fight. Devon got way over rated on his ko of a worn urango.
Agree with your assesment of lucas , and I would love to see him and maidana go at it, would be a hell of a fight while it lasted. And you got to feel for mack, he's got the skill but its like the rest of the elite have a ten gallon tank and he's running pn a fiver.
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