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Id rather see Edson Miranda Knock JT Out.
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Originally Posted by GUNNA GET IT
Id rather see Edson Miranda Knock JT Out.
Hopefully Zab can perform at the same level he did against Cotto. I've always been a fan of Super Judah, I just wonder sometimes what could've been...
Agreed but everytime I write him off and say I am done, I end up rooting for him in his next fight. This one will be tough though because I am a big fan ofboth.
MayweatherMiami what are you still doing in this post?
I wonder if Roy Jones Jr. would even fight Taylor. It is definitely a fight that I would like to see but I wonder if the $$$ is there.
I dont know about Allan Green anymore. He didnt look right against Miranda and we later found out why but even after that he hasn't looked good. IfPavlik is going to stay at 160 to cash some of those belt holder checks then at 168 I want to see either Miranda v. Taylor or Kessler v. Taylor.
MayweatherMiami what are you still doing in this post?
Word
I dont know about Allan Green anymore. He didnt look right against Miranda and we later found out why but even after that he hasn't looked good. If Pavlik is going to stay at 160 to cash some of those belt holder checks then at 168 I want to see either Miranda v. Taylor or Kessler v. Taylor.
I would like to see Taylor vs RJJ, since Miranda has Pascal on his schedule in June and probably won't be available til late 2008
Originally Posted by Stringer Bell 32
I dont know about Allan Green anymore. He didnt look right against Miranda and we later found out why but even after that he hasn't looked good. If Pavlik is going to stay at 160 to cash some of those belt holder checks then at 168 I want to see either Miranda v. Taylor or Kessler v. Taylor.
1. Joe Calzaghe
2. Mikel Kessler
3. Lucian Bute
4. Anthony Mundine
5. Jeff Lacy
6. Allan Green
7. Carl Froch
8. Librado Andrade
9. Edison Miranda
10. Dennis Inkin
Rafael seems to think that a Jeff Lacy v. Taylor fight makes sense but I am not so sure. Lacy ever since getting destroyed by Calzaghe andhurting his shoulder has looked awful. The fight would make alot of sense for Taylor considering it would be his 1st at 168 and the fact that Lacy just maybeisnt that good anymore, or was never that good in the 1st place. Gives him a chance to get used to the weight, fighters that size and perhaps springboard intoa fight with Kessler or one of the top Super Middles.
Who knows at this point where Taylor goes from here after back to back losses. Him taking an extended break until September or perhaps later doesnt seem toofar fetched.
Who knows at this point where Taylor goes from here after back to back losses. Him taking an extended break until September or perhaps later doesnt seem too far fetched.
I hope that's the route he goes or at least take a tune up fight before stepping up to the likes of Kessler.
[h1][/h1][h1]Can Klitschko's jab keep Ibragimov from building momentum?[/h1]
By Graham Houston
Special to ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: February 20, 2008
Marc Serota/Bongarts/Getty Images
Klitschko's unification bout with Ibragimov may help clear up the heavyweight division's muddy waters.
The problems that Sultan Ibragimov faces in Saturday's heavyweight unification title fight with Wladimir Klitschko are formidable. Ibragimov has to overcome the height and reach advantages of a technically sound boxer who is also a hard puncher. The good news for Ibragimov is that the smaller man in a boxing match, with the right mental attitude and strategy, can get the job done. Last year, the much smaller Ruslan Chagaev outscored Nikolai Valuev in their heavyweight title fight while, right down the weight scale, 108-pounder Ivan Calderon out-generaled Hugo Cazares, who towered over him. This year, Carlos Quintana confounded the cognoscenti by clearly outpointing Paul Williams, the freakishly tall welterweight champion. The winning fighters were all southpaws, as is Ibragimov. He has evolved from being essentially a pressure fighter into a smart-moving boxer-fighter under the direction of trainer Jeff Mayweather, the classy former lightweight from Las Vegas.
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AP Photo/John Marshall Mantel
"So you're the guy standing in my way of heavyweight domination?"
Ibragimov is small by today's heavyweight standards at 6-foot-2 and around 220 pounds (as opposed to Klitschko's 6-foot-6 and approximately 245 pounds) but his ability to use the ring, get in with his punches and get away, makes him a tricky opponent, even for a champion as big and as capable as Klitschko. While Klitschko is, deservedly, a clear favorite in the clash of boxers from the former Soviet bloc (Klitschko from the Ukraine, Ibragimov from Russia), the odds might be a bit misleading. Too much attention, I think, is being paid to respective results against common-denominator opponent Ray Austin. Ibragimov barely scraped a draw against Austin after suffering a knockdown whereas Klitschko blew out the big man from Cleveland in a two-round mismatch. I have always thought that these so-called form guides are highly suspect, however. The Austin who faced Ibragimov was in top condition and fighting to win; against Klitschko, he had nothing like the same degree of determination and went down easily. There is another thing to consider. When Ibragimov fought Austin, he weighed almost 232 pounds, which was his heaviest weight. Ibragimov's camp brought Mayweather on board after this fight, and the improvement was obvious as a lighter, faster Ibragimov boxed rings around the huge but reluctant Shannon Briggs and then won a clear decision over the aging but still dangerous Evander Holyfield. Speaking over the phone from training camp in Miami, Mayweather said: "Sultan's in great shape physically but I like his mental condition even better, because it's a long time since Klitschko had an athlete in the ring with him who wasn't afraid of him and actually believes in his own heart he's going to win. That's going to make a huge difference. "When I came on board I saw a guy who fought force with force with guys that were bigger than him and I told him: 'If you continue to fight like this, your career's going to be very short, even if you continue to win.' "Here was a guy who had proved himself on the top level as an amateur and was undefeated as a professional. For him to take heed of the knowledge I was trying to teach him says a lot about him not only as a fighter but his character as a fighter -- the temperament and mentality to want to get better. 'The first day with him, I said: 'Give me five days.' On the first day I just had him bouncing around the ring. The next day I had the head movement, and each day I added something that he didn't know, that once he got a grasp of it he was excited, he was like: 'Wow, I can do this?'
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Al Bello/Getty Images
Ibragimov, right, has shown vast improvement since bringing Mayweather on board.
"We're going to bring some skills and fundamentals. You're going to see a guy that's going to do a little bit of boxing, and he's going to be aggressive at times -- whatever he needs to do. He's going to be able to make those adjustments. Our game plan is to be in an area where we can neutralize Klitschko by getting in, getting out, but never really being on the end of those punches." So, the strategy is in place, but carrying it out successfully will, as always, be the problem. Klitschko has a way of controlling a fight with the jab and the "Dr. Steelhammer" right hand. He is also clever at turning the jab into a quick, sharp left hook that can catch an opponent unawares. In Klitschko's three losses he twice apparently succumbed to exhaustion (Ross Puritty, Lamon Brewster) and was simply hit on the chin by South African Corrie Sanders. Although Klitschko has not lost in nearly four years he was down three times against Samuel Peter, on the floor against DaVarryl Williamson and had an early struggle against Calvin Brock. A Las Vegas big-hitter boxing gambler told me only this week that whenever he bets on Klitschko he cannot bear to watch the fight live because it is too stressful, so he asks a friend to ring him with the result. His fear is that Klitschko will somehow implode. This hasn't happened for a while but one must suppose that the possibility is there. Ibragimov hits hard enough with the left hand from his southpaw stance to hurt Klitschko, but he cannot get carried away if he lands a heavy shot. Klitschko is dangerous and is always looking to drop in the right hand, the punch that left Brock facedown on the canvas in Klitschko's last appearance at Madison Square Garden. Klitschko's trainer, Emanuel Steward, has spoken of his respect for Ibragimov and the rival champ's amateur pedigree (Olympic silver medal, European championships silver, world championships bronze). The Klitschko camp is not expecting an easy fight. I would think that Klitschko will want to try to control the distance, using the jab not only to score points but to wear down Ibragimov, round by round. There seems to be a pattern in the Klitschko fights in which the jab softens up the opponent and paves the way for the right. Klitschko, though, must stay alert and not get caught by Ibragimov's heavy left hand. Klitschko was able to dominate the southpaw Chris Byrd in two fights, so Ibragimov's left-handed stance as such might not be a factor. However, the way that Ibragimov uses his feet to move in and move away, and the southpaw's craftiness in staying low and getting under punches, could be a bit unsettling for Klitschko, and it might take him some rounds to get his gun sights adjusted. I can see a tactical battle evolving, but I do think that Klitschko's jab is going to be important, keeping Ibragimov from establishing any real momentum, and the threat of Klitschko's big right can make the smaller man just cautious enough to stop him from being bold enough to seize control. This is by no means, in my view, a formality for Klitschko, but I do believe he will win, perhaps by landing enough flush right hands as the fight goes deeper to force a stoppage in about nine or 10 rounds.
If Mayweather is cool with fighting a mountain of a man like Show, why does he keep running from a man his own size, Miguel Cotto?
[h1]Pavlik-Duddy bout probably set for MSG in June[/h1]
By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: February 21, 2008, 10:06 PM ET
NEW YORK -- The plan is in motion: If all goes well during a Friday meeting between promoters and in the ring Saturday night for middleweight "Irish" John Duddy, he will challenge champion Kelly Pavlik on June 7 at Madison Square Garden.
Duddy (23-0, 17 KOs), a tremendously popular attraction in New York's Irish community, must defeat Walid Smichet (17-3-3, 13 KOs) on the Wladimir Klitschko-Sultan Ibragimov heavyweight unification undercard and come out uninjured. If that happens, an announcement of Pavlik-Duddy is expected after the show.
Pavlik, who outpointed Jermain Taylor in their 164-pound nontitle rematch last Saturday night, plans to be at the fight with manager Cameron Dunkin and Top Rank promoter Bob Arum to see Duddy, 28, fight in person.
On Friday afternoon, Arum has a meeting scheduled with the Duddy camp and, thinking ahead, he has asked permission from the promoters of Klitschko-Ibragimov to use the podium at the post-fight press conference to announce the fight.
"I had a nice meeting with them about a month ago and this is a follow-up meeting. Hopefully, we can conclude our business," Arum said Thursday from Las Vegas before leaving for New York. "I'm not concerned. I think we established the parameters of our deal pretty well. Now, is there a deal yet? No, but I am confident a deal will be finished and I think they are too. They're good people. We've had Duddy on our cards before. So this is our plan, no question about it."
"It's the fight we want to make. It's what we intend to do," Jim Borzell, an advisor to Duddy promoter Irish Ropes, said Thursday night. "We're looking forward to sitting down and making a deal with Bob."
Duddy, responsible for selling thousands of tickets to Saturday's card, has been brought along slowly but has emerged as one of New York's top ticket sellers. He is from Ireland but moved to the United States to fight professionally, although he returned to Ireland for his past three bouts.
He is coming off a career-best decision victory against former title challenger Howard Eastman in December.
Besides Duddy, Arum had been in discussions with promoter Don King about matching Pavlik (33-0, 29 KOs) with Felix Trinidad, who performed well despite losing a decision to Roy Jones Jr. at the Garden in January.
However, the weight for a proposed Pavlik-Trinidad fight was a major issue. Trinidad, a former three-division champion who ended a second retirement to fight Jones, struggled to make 170 pounds for the bout.
Pavlik, who intends to defend his title, only fought Taylor above the 160-pound middleweight limit because of the terms outlined in the rematch clause Taylor excersised after Pavlik, 25, knocked him out to win the title in their first fight last September.
"King led me to believe that Tito could fight at 160 pounds for the middleweight title," Arum said. "Then 'Daddy' Trinidad [Felix Trinidad Sr.] made a statement in the Puerto Rican papers that Tito will not fight at less than 168 pounds. So that's the end of Trinidad. No problem, no animosity. When Kelly goes up to 168, Trinidad will be an attractive opponent if he is still around. You can't be the middleweight champion and fight all the fights over the weight. I have great respect for Trinidad, but Kelly is bound and determined to defend his title this year."
Arum said as long as Pavlik keeps winning, he'll make three defenses this year -- against Duddy in June and then again in September and December.
"Kelly is not under contract to any television network and we will fight on our terms," he said, adding that he hoped he can make a deal with HBO for the June fight. "We will not be beholden to anybody. All of my guys are going to fight."
Arum added that he wants Pavlik's three remaining bouts this year to take place away from pay-per-view.
"We want the exposure," he said. "We believe we have something special here and the only way to build it up is to let people know Kelly and see him. I'll make him the hottest guy around."
Dan Rafael covers boxing for ESPN.com.
I'd like to see Jermaine and Roy in the summer as a tune and have him face either Andrade, Kessler or the winner of Pascal - Miranda
I think he should take Andrade as a warm up instead of Roy seeing as Andrade is closer style wise to the way Kessler fights than Roy or Lacy. Kessler would bethe obvious match up for a title bout since a lot of people assume he is the favorite to take over all of the belts Calzaghe left behind at 168.