Fury vs Wilder is off!

[SRR]

Joe Louis was pretty much humiliated and bitch slapped by Max Schemeling. Jack Dempsey was knocked out in one round by Fireman Jim Flynn.

They both recovered from those one sided beatings, and ended up pretty decent fighters.

Wilder was always flawed as a boxer, but he has that big equaliser. He will always be that, and he may well have come unstuck earlier in his career (but was well protected). He can come back and will always be competitive.

Did you seriously just compare Joe Louis and Jack Dempsey to Deontay Wilder? Anyone can be beaten on any given night, Schmelling went after a particular aspect of Louis’ game and formed a game plan around that that he executed perfectly, and anyone can be KO’d especially if they’re marauding like Dempsey. Both of those fighters had a very particular style that was effective 9/10 times but every style has weaknesses, which is why versatility is one of the most overlooked and undervalued qualities in a fighter. The reason Crawford is a better fighter than Loma, for example, is nothing to do with amateur records but the fact he can adapt to different opponents and vary his style, utilising both stances well no less. Loma really has one game plan and fighters are slowly catching on to that fact, first Linares caught him with the right hand, then Campbell troubled him with his length and athleticism. Lopez was able to keep him at distance with a probing jab and sharp right hand. He also went to the body early and Loma knew if he wanted to operate in that mid range not only did he have to counter the right hand but he had to get passed the body attacks too and look out for the uppercut. Lopez fought a smart fight, he varied his offense and never allowed himself to get too much out of shape although he was caught off guard a bit in the eighth by the sudden change of pace. Loma is a fantastic fighter but a bit like Pac who was quite one dimensional for a while (or course that one dimension was amazing) and relied on his power and speed and the angles he could create to overwhelm opponents and keep them in a constant state of confusion, he doesn’t really have a second or third strategy to go to. I was quite surprised watching the fight that he never really made an adjustment, even in the 8th he kind of just bit down and decided to risk getting hit in order to get inside or to the outside angle to land an overhand or a short straight and hook from the blindside. But there was no technical strategy at play, no drawing out particularly shots to counter, no feints to set up specific shots or combinations where he sought to uncork the second or third, no catching and shooting, no changing levels consistently or moving left instead of right, it was just very stagnant for the first seven rounds all of which I gave to Lopez. Now the question becomes is Loma just so entrenched in this style that it’s hard for him to break away from it mentally and be creative when he needs to and when his usual bag of tricks aren’t working, or is this really all he’s capable of? One thing is for certain, Lopez proved he is absolutely the real deal and it was a joy to watch him use his attributes and his techniques strategically to frustrate and outmanoeuvre Loma. Hats off to both men for taking one of the toughest fights they could, I thought it might be too early for Lopez but to anyone saying Loma was exposed, I think it’s impossible to draw that conclusion from this particular fight. It’s not as though he was battered or his corner was looking at stepping in, to me it looked like he couldn’t adjust, perhaps because he simply never had to before and if you’ve never had to do it in the gym or in competition before it’s not so easy to just change your strategy or do something new against a world class opponent when the stakes are so high. This is precisely why I don’t understand people getting on someone like Mayweather who in certain fights like the Judah fight made four or five adjustments in fight within a few rounds in order to turn the tide his way. Or Marquez being knocked down three times in the first round against Pac, completely caught cold by the hand and foot speed he’d never experienced before. Choking on his own blood he makes multiple adjustments and earned himself a draw on the scorecards. I’ve also heard Loma mostly trains alone and just brings in sparring partners for camps, I’d imagine that’s been the case for a great deal of his career too. Perhaps he needs to be challenged more in training, forces to adapt and think his way through scenarios rather than just going into a fight with a plan and being dependent on it working out in practice just the same as it did in theory. This post is getting long so sorry I’m trying to wrap it up here but last point: it’s possible that Loma’s style is perfect for the amateurs but that he still needs to make more modifications to it in order to beat guys like Lopez. For example, his left hand straight to the body should be a reliable shot for him but his stance, which does allow him to quickly take his head to the outside, prevents him from throwing long shots to the body with real fluidity. With the way he jabs over the top, and he started to land it a few times over Lopezs lead hand around the 6th or 7th I think, he could easily step his lead foot to the outside after throwing that jab and folllow through with a hard left hand to the body and then mix it up between head and body as the fight progresses, or feint the body shot and take the angle then shift through leading with the right hand and following with a straight left or a hook if the guy tries to circle off to his right. Loma’s style has kind of been built for stability and safety in the mid range, and the ability to be high volume and aggressive cutting short sharp angles, whereas for example pax’s style was much more risky with longer steps and throwing himself briefly off balance as he falls in (saw Marquez clip him with plenty of counters on the way in before that final one in the fourth fight when he really put his weight behind it). But I don’t think Loma needs to do anything that drastic, nor would it suit him, however he could look at someone like sweet pea who worked to the outside angle behind his jab and then suddenly went to the body, then out again, then in and sneak an uppercut in, pivot off the right hook out, maybe throw a left hook in there as a parting gift depending how the guy reacts. He needs to add some flexibility to his footwork and punch selection (different ranges and angles) or else the blueprint is now there on how to beat him. So to summarise, we’re either going to see an evolution from Loma from this fight to the next one like the way PAC started developing that right hook, or he’s gonna be stuck in the mud of his own style and become a victim of his own success in the truest sense.

Edit: my bad I am mixing up threads 😂. Short answer: wilder has relied on his power but does not have the boxing nous to beat a well schooled boxer. Fury will beat him 8/10 times.

[Beanz]

Carlos Takam is being touted as Fury's next opponent.

[imp]

Carlos Takam is being touted as Fury's next opponent.

Mmmm..wonder if he is better than Oscar Rivas?

[ykdadamaja]

Carlos Takam is being touted as Fury's next opponent.

I never would think Fury is the kinda guy to take an easy fight. Not that Takam is a push over but he has been beaten soundly by fighters lesser than Fury. Fury should have at least taken on Povetkin, we can believe that fight since Povetkin knocked out Whyte but he Whyte rematch is on with Povetkin isn't it?!

Ah well... We know we won't see a Joshua fight any time soon either. Fury should have even taken on Andy Ruiz. Everyone writes Ruiz off but he did rock Joshua's world and is a former champion.

[TitoFan]

Carlos Takam is being touted as Fury's next opponent.

I never would think Fury is the kinda guy to take an easy fight. Not that Takam is a push over but he has been beaten soundly by fighters lesser than Fury. Fury should have at least taken on Povetkin, we can believe that fight since Povetkin knocked out Whyte but he Whyte rematch is on with Povetkin isn't it?!

Ah well... We know we won't see a Joshua fight any time soon either. Fury should have even taken on Andy Ruiz. Everyone writes Ruiz off but he did rock Joshua's world and is a former champion.

Ehhh... I almost choked on my pancakes there, man.

I guess you mean... given he's faced Wlad and Wilder (twice), right?

Because other than those two guys, Fury's last four opponents have been: Sefer Seferi, Francesco Pianeta , Tom Schwarz , and Otto Wallin .

But yeah... he did take on Wlad and Wilder (twice).

[Memphis]

I would prefer Rivas over Takam. Rivas is a bit more mobile, a bit more explosive. Better fight.

They'll talk up Takam till the cows come home. Gave Joshua a hard nights work!! I didn't see that fight at all. Other than smashing Joshua's face in with his head and clearly causing some breathing issues as a result. I didn't think he offered much. He shouldnt have been stopped though.

[Master]

I bet Povetkin wished he did not have to have the rematch against Whyte. He would have been fighting for the title now.

In fact, I am sure if Whyte did not take on Povetkin and just waited he would have been challenging Fury in December.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

[ykdadamaja]

I bet Povetkin wished he did not have to have the rematch against Whyte. He would have been fighting for the title now.

In fact, I am sure if Whyte did not take on Povetkin and just waited he would have been challenging Fury in December.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Yea. No one knew that the rematch between Wilder and Fury would be off. I guess note to self now is to wait until the champion has decided an opponent and then make your fight plans.