Bute v. Grachev 11/3/12

[Rantcatrat]

He should have an easier warm up to get his confidence back not risk getting smashed again. Bute could get away with it in Canada.

This IS an easy fight to get his confidence back, while giving him some rounds at best. I just don't get the perceived threat in Grachev. "He beat Sillakh who was supposed to be good, must be a dangerous guy..." Did people actually watch that? He is a plodder and only came back to win because Sillakh didn't try and close to show when he probably could've and then completely gassed out by the mid rounds. If Bute plans to rematch Froch with possibly only this one fight as a tune up then it is pointless to take on a complete stiff, it's a good choice of opponent really. Bute is still talented and a good puncher, he should get a stoppage early on here.

@p4pking I guess after thinking about it more as a result of reading your posts, I can agree that Grachev may be a good choice of opponent for Bute to get his confidence back, if he wins, of course. Grachev has good stamina, ability to recover, and a big punch. Bute needs to be able to feel comfortable that he can handle a fighter with those attributes when he faces Froch next. So, in that respect, I see your point.

I disagree with you that Grachev is a plodder with no talent. Is he a slick fighter with fancy footwork? In no way, shape, or form. On the other hand, is he talentless? Not at all. Your comments reminded me of when some people downplayed Margarito's win over Cotto at the time (now I personally believe Margarito used cement in that fight, but that's a different topic altogether) because Cotto took the first 6 rounds or so, and Margarito only eventually wore Cotto down to score the win, or Froch's win over Taylor. A win's a win. Too often people forget it. Wins come in different forms, but winning by relentless pursuit in the later rounds is no worse than a slick boxer winning on points. In a way, the dogged determination from a less talented fighter is perhaps more admirable. Having a chin, heavy hands, and good stamina can take a boxer pretty damn far. In addition, beating Sillakh isn't something to take lightly. I would argue having a win over Sillakh is p4p better than any win on Broner's CV, and Broner's a star.

I too saw the fight against Sillakh, and Sillakh hit Grachev with everything but the kitchen sink. If I recall, Grachev even went down once from a pretty big shot, recovered, and continued to march forward, pursuing until he eventually knocked Sillakh out. Should Taylor have finished Froch off in the third round of their fight? In hindsight, sure, but a fight is a fight, and Froch won. Same goes here. Make no mistake about it, it was clear as daylight that Sillakh possessed more talent than Grachev. However, we can also agree that it is clear now that Grachev either possess more determination or more stamina than Sillakh, at least that night he did. It just goes to show that there are many variables in boxing, raw talent is only one of them. Also, take note that Sillakh didn't jump back in a rematch with Grachev. He needed to "rebuild."

Maybe I'm just bitter because I was hyping Sillakh as the next big thing at light heavyweight. Anyway, sorry in advance for going off on a tangent.