Boxing News Thread

[JLMACN]

Will Floyd Mayweather Ever Be Considered the Greatest of All Time?

By Andreas Hale | Yahoo! Contributor Network – Mon, May 13, 2013 7:37 PM EDT
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COMMENTARY | Witnessing Floyd Mayweather completely dismantle Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero en route to a dominant, albeit uneventful, one-sided unanimous decision on Showtime's replay of the May 4th pay per view brought to the realization one very important thing: Floyd Mayweather had the potential to be the called the greatest boxer of all-time but won't be.
Even at a pristine 44-0 and barely ever being challenged in a professional bout, the dominance Mayweather exudes will always come with a blemish. No matter how white his smile, how extraordinarily large his boxing purses are and no matter who he beats for the rest of his career, Floyd Mayweather will always and forever be criticized for not facing Manny Pacquiao.
It is an unfortunate truth for Mayweather because he is arguably one of the greatest pure talents we have ever seen in the sport. It is also a truth that he will not readily admit. The circumstances surrounding why the two never met in the ring have roots that are far deeper than the naked eye can see. Contrary to popular belief, it is not as simple as one fighter ducking the other. The web of deceit is a rather tangled one that involves a boxing relationship gone bad between Floyd Mayweather and his former promoter Bob Arum (who currently promotes Pacquiao) and the segregation between Golden Boy Promotions and Arum's Top Rank promotions where fighters can only do battle with those within their promotion. Egos and money have forever tainted the sport and because of that, we have been robbed of the greatest boxing spectacle since Ali-Frazier.
The gravity of the situation came to fruition as Mayweather laid waste to Guerrero with precision punching and superior defense. Prior to boxing's pound for pound king squaring off with a tough but relatively unknown opponent, the sport had seen the wind taken from its sails once Manny Pacquiao was put to sleep by one devastating punch courtesy of Juan Manuel Marquez last December. As Pacquiao lay motionless on the canvas, the reality that Mayweather vs. Pacquiao would never happen slowly set in. But it was when Floyd Mayweather fights lacked purpose aside from padding his own prestigious record the we realized just how perfect of a foil Pacquiao once was to Mayweather.
Without anything to look forward to, Mayweather fights lack the same anticipation they once had and it is hard to visualize an opponent that can set the stage for a pay per view event that will rival Mayweather-De La Hoya or Mayweather-Cotto. According to reports, the PPV numbers for Mayweather-Guerrero were good, just not good enough. Nevertheless, a Mayweather fight is still an event, it just won't be the type of event that will have non-boxing fans sweating in anticipation. The only thing to look forward to was the possibility that perhaps Mayweather would lose a step and fall victim to deterioration due to age.
It's truly a sad day when Floyd Mayweather's biggest nemesis is whether his body will betray him.
But after two rounds of calculating distance, speed and angles, Mayweather did what he always does and surgically picked apart Guerrero. Once the reality set in that Guerrero was no match for Mayweather, the 15,000 fans inside of the arena began to boo lustfully at the action, or lack thereof. Guerrero winged punches and lurched forward as Mayweather danced away and smacked Guerrero with his straight right hand for good measure. It was clear that Mayweather wasn't going to knockout Guerrero and fans began to exit in the middle of the 10th round.
It wasn't so much that the fight was boring, but it was the fact that Mayweather is on another level than his boxing peers and the outcomes stop just short of being preordained. Couple that with the fact that there is literally nobody aside from the youthful Saul "Canelo" Alvarez left for Mayweather to fight and you are looking at a fighter who will never truly be able to prove just how great he really is. He will be a victim of his own stubbornness to give fans what they want over treating the sport like a business and robbing boxing fans of some captivating match ups.
For the next 30 months and five fights left on his Showtime contract and, presumably, his career, we will be left watching glorified sparring sessions as Mayweather sweeps away all opponents that come his way. There is no fighter that will leave us wondering "what if?" like Pacquiao did. To be frank, the biggest foe for Mayweather is Father Time and whenever he ultimately decides to wreak havoc on Mayweather's startlingly quick reflexes. Pacquiao represented everything that Mayweather wasn't both in and out of the ring. While Mayweather is surgically precise, Pacquiao is a typhoon of anvils lunging at inhumane speeds. Manny Pacquiao lives with the saying "taking his kindness as a weakness" to a fault. Mayweather is the well known pompous jerk that will remind you how rich he is either with his conversation or his actions. They were meant to face each other, but alas they won't, and the mere sliver of hope held out that they will meet was dashed last December and buried on May 4.
Pacquiao will look to redeem himself on November 24 in Macau, China against the heavy handed Brandon Rios while Mayweather will struggle to find an opponent worthy of his (and our) time. Although the eye test tells you that Mayweather should be considered among the greatest pugilists of all-time, he will be relegated to his era simply because the competition wasn't stiff enough and the one opponent that could have cemented his legacy was lost due to nasty behind the scenes business practices. Even if they fought today, the fact that Pacquiao has been defeated will taint what could have been the richest fight in the history of the sport.
The all-time greats aren't gauged by their ability, but the ability of their opposition and how they overcome those challenges. Muhammad Ali had Joe Frazier and George Foreman; Michael Jordan had Magic Johnson and the Detroit Pistons; Roger Federer had Rafael Nadal; And Floyd Mayweather has...Floyd Mayweather.
Without there being a challenger in the sport that we believe will give Mayweather a run for his money, he will always be the fighter whose accomplishments will be accompanied by a naysayer that will say "he didn't fight Manny Pacquiao."
And they are right.

Good read

 

[heyzel]

J'LEON LOVE TESTS POSITIVE FOR A DIURETIC; VICTORY OVER ROSADO LIKELY TO BE CHANGED TO A NO CONTEST
By Ben Thompson | May 15, 2013

According to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, middleweight contender J'Leon Love tested positive for Hydrochlorothiazide following his split decision victory over Gabriel Rosado on the May 4th undercard of "MAY DAY: Mayweather vs. Guerrero". Hydrochlorothiazide is a diuretic that can be used by athletes to assist in weight-cutting. One day prior to the fight, Love arrived at the weigh-in an hour late before tipping the scales at 161.5 pounds, a pound and a half over the middleweight limit. An hour later, he would eventually make weight.

Although it's unclear at this time what actions will be taken by NSAC, Rick Reeno of Boxingscene.com reports that it's expected that Love will be fined, suspended, and his victory over Rosado will likely be changed to a No contest. "I think it's just plain old simple karma, Rick. I think Gaby would rather it be changed to a [win], but no-contest is fine for now," Rosado's promoter, Russell Peltz, would comment to Reeno.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

 

[battle619]

That's another cheater under the Mayweather camp! Mayweather Promotions isn't gonna be shit when he retires

 

[Th!zZ7-0-7]

 

[heyzel]

GABRIEL ROSADO ON J'LEON LOVE TESTING POSITIVE: "HE HAS EMBARRASSED HIS OWN PROMOTION...I CAN SEE FLOYD DROPPING HIM"
By Percy Crawford | May 16, 2013

"I don't feel like I got anything to prove, especially with him now testing positive for whatever he was on. I don't think I have anything to prove, so it doesn't make sense. And on top of that, he's gonna get suspended and is going to be out for a while...I won't say I feel bad for Love or anything like that, but I don't understand why he would do a thing like this because it's ridiculous, man, especially with Floyd Mayweather being his promoter. Floyd preaches a lot about drug free and staying clean, so he has embarrassed his own promotion. I can see Floyd dropping him just by this because this is crazy. So I don't see why Love would put himself in this situation," stated middleweight contender Gabriel Rosado, who shared his thoughts on the news that J'Leon Love tested positive for a diuretic following their May 4 clash on the undercard of "MAY DAY: Mayweather vs. Guerrero". Check out what else he had to say!

PC: It came out today [Wednesday] that J'Leon Love tested positive for a diuretic after your fight with him. Are you pissed off, surprised, not surprised? What is your reaction to this news?

GR: I don't even know if I'm surprised, man. It's just more like…I don't know, man. He came in big the day of the fight, and on top of that, at the weigh-ins, he came in 2 hours late and then they gave him an extra hour to step on the scales. It was just so much crap going on, it's just ridiculous.

PC: You have said from the beginning that the situation from the time you landed in Vegas until the decision was announced seemed like a raw deal. Is this just the climax to what has to seem like a really bad dream for you?

GR: Yeah! For real man, like, it don't stop. It started with the whole thing with Ellerbe getting crazy on stage, but the crazy part was the weigh-in. While I'm waiting for him, at the same time, I'm drying out a little longer than I should be. So if he came late by 2 hours, I'm going an extra 2 hours of not getting on the scale as well and drying out. And then on top of that, he got an extra hour to lose more weight and I gotta wait that extra hour. And then he didn't even get fined or anything like that. He was supposed to come on time, and then he doesn't make the weight after being late and they give him an extra hour to make it. I had the option of not fighting or taking a percentage of his purse, so I kind of got did dirty with that. I was gonna fight regardless, but it was kind of grimy. I think the only fine he got was from the athletic commission for being late and it was like $100. Yeah, that's crazy, but at the end of the day, man, it is what it is.

PC: Right after the fight, you said you didn't feel there was a need for a rematch. Does this solidify that point in your opinion?

GR: Yeah man, I don't really feel the need to fight. When I took this fight, I didn't take him lightly, but I took this fight as an opportunity to get a bigger fight. That's what this fight meant to me. J'Leon Love was a big guy and everything, but I knew I had the advantage in experience and I knew I would be able to capitalize on that. So my whole thing with taking this fight is to move on to bigger and better things. I did what I did and everybody saw that I won the fight. Nobody had him winning the fight except those crazy ass two judges. But other than that, I don't feel like I got anything to prove, especially with him now testing positive for whatever he was on. I don't think I have anything to prove, so it doesn't make sense. And on top of that, he's gonna get suspended and is going to be out for a while. Who really wants to see that? It's a hurt piece because it's gonna be hard for him to come back from this. Right now, everybody choppin' him up. He getting chopped up on Twitter and Instagram. They coming at him on Instagram and he erasing it (laughing). He on top of that; he erasing all of the comments. But they choppin him up right now, so it's gonna be real hard for him to get back on.

PC: Obviously there is going to be a process, but have you heard anything as far as the decision being overturned to a no-contest or not yet?

GR: Yeah, I hear they have to go through a process, but from what I'm hearing, it will be a no-contest. I was upset by the one judge that scored the fight 97-92. I was ready to make a move on that because for that judge to only give me 2 rounds is ridiculous. I was already upset about that and I was already talking to my people about bitching about that, and then this happened. I see that fight being a no-contest now, so their bad judging doesn't matter.

PC: Do you look at Love differently after this positive test or does this not change your view of him?

GR: My thing is, I won't say I feel bad for Love or anything like that, but I don't understand why he would do a thing like this because it's ridiculous, man, especially with Floyd Mayweather being his promoter. Floyd preaches a lot about drug free and staying clean, so he has embarrassed his own promotion. I can see Floyd dropping him just by this because this is crazy. So I don't see why Love would put himself in this situation to do that. It is crazy. My thing is still I went up to middleweight for the opportunity. I think I'm more dominant at 154, but the thing is, you can't turn down opportunities like Madison Square Garden, even though it was Triple G. You can't turn down opportunities like world title fights and stuff like that. And with J'Leon Love, it was a good opportunity to be on the biggest card in boxing, Floyd Mayweather fighting Robert Guerrero. You can't turn down opportunities like that and I'm all about a challenge, so it is what it is.

PC: You gained a ton of fans after the fight and I'm sure you just gained many more with this coming out. Is there anything you want to say to your fans?

GR: Hey man, just the love that the fans is showing me is crazy, man. I'm getting love from everywhere on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. I wish I could respond back to everybody, but I can't. But I do appreciate the fans and I'm gonna keep working hard. This ain't gonna put me down; it's just gonna make me stronger. The fans definitely make me stronger because when people show that they appreciate you, it definitely makes you work harder, so a lot of love to the fans and I appreciate the love and support and I'm gonna keep it going.

 

[battle619]

Mayweather didn't drop Mickey tho, and he won't drop Love, cuz he's an asshole that used drug testing as an excuse not to fight Manny.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

This is sad. Riddick Bowe training for his Kickboxing debut in Thailand. Dude is obviously punch drunk and shouldn't be allowed to fight anywhere. He's so desperate for money though. Below is a picture of him training, and a picture of him trying to sell autographs at some trashy flea market not that long ago. Another sad case of a fighter who spends all of his money, has medical problems but continues to fight for cash.

 

[heyzel]

a damn shame^^^^

 

[heyzel]

Floyd Sr Confirms: Canelo Fight Must Be At 147
By Chris Robinson

According to a BoxingScene.com report from Miguel Rivera over the weekend, there appears to be a weight issue that must be worked out before a super fight between Floyd Mayweather and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez can come to fruition.

The WBC and WBA champion at the junior middleweight limit of 154 pounds, Alvarez is coming off of a hard-fought unanimous decision over Austin Trout on April 20th in San Antonio, Texas.

Mayweather (44-0, 26 KO’s) is also coming off of a decision victory of his own, having outclassed Robert Guerrero on May 4th to defend his WBC welterweight title inside of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Alvarez’s manager Jose “Chepo” Reynoso claims that Mayweather is insisting that Alvarez come down in weight from 154 pounds if the fight were to happen, despite Floyd also holding a WBA title of his own in the junior middleweight division.

Catching up with Mayweather’s outspoken father and trainer Floyd Joy Sr. recently inside of the Mayweather Boxing Club,, he confirmed Rivera’s report and insists the match must take place at 147 pounds.

“If they do fight, that’s where it’s going to be,” stated an adamant Mayweather Sr. "I suggested that’s where it’s going to be. Alvarez already is a big guy. He aint no f*cking 160-pounder. I would bet you he is somewhere around 170 pounds [by fight night]. Maybe more than that.”

Having no praise for Alvarez’s victory over Trout, Mayweather Sr. is certain that his son could still defeat ‘Canelo’ at 154 pounds, yet prefers not to give the 22-year old champion any advantages.

“Don’t get me wrong, Floyd can beat him,” said Mayweather Sr. “From what I’ve seen with Trout, there is no chance of Alvarez whooping Floyd. But the only thing I’m going to say about the weight, the weight can make a difference.

“It’s the only thing that can make a difference,” Mayweather Sr. added. “But I’m just saying, Floyd will probably still whoop him with the weight, but that aint the way the game is going to go today.”

When informed that Alvarez likely can’t squeeze himself down to 147 pounds, as he hasn’t made the welterweight limit in over 3 years, dating back to his March 2010 victory over Brian Camechis, Mayweather Sr. seemed dismissive.

“Look here, that’s on them,” he continued. “We are not concerned about his weight. We are not concerned about how they train, what they do and how he makes the weight. We don’t give a damn about them. All we want them to do is come in like we tell them, if they want to get paid.”

In May of 2012, Mayweather wrestled the aforementioned WBA junior middleweight title away from Miguel Cotto with a spirited 12-round victory. Mayweather, who came into the ring weighing 151 pounds on that evening, insisted during the lead up to the fight that he wanted to face Cotto at his most comfortable weight instead of eyeing a catch weight.

A little over a year later and Mayweather Sr. is expressing a different kind of logic.

“Let me tell you something,” said Floyd Joy. “He aint speaking for himself now. I’m the head coach. To tell you the truth, Lil Floyd aint nothing but a 140-pounder. Floyd came in at 146 [for his fight with Guerrero] and Lil Floyd had to eat to make it to 146.”

 

[heyzel]

Virgil Hunter: Mayweather's Performance Is Real Boxing


By Luis Sandoval

Renowned boxing trainer Virgil Hunter has his hands full these days as his stable of fighters has ballooned over the past year as more and more fighters have sought out his services. His most prized pupil has been and probably always will be Andre Ward who is considered among the top pound for pound fighters today.

The number one pound for pound fighter just fought recently as Floyd Mayweather Jr put on a dominant performance against Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero in the biggest fight of the year so far. I caught up with Virgil Hunter in Los Angeles and asked The Bay area based trainer for his thoughts on Mayweather’s performance.
“It was just an awesome and superb performance by a great, great fighter. He's got great people around him. His dad did a magnificent job coming in and taking over for Roger [Mayweather]who I wish him well in his health. Diabetes is nothing to play around with. But Floyd [Mayweather] Sr came in and didn't miss a beat with Floyd. Giving him the appropriate rest and recognizing what he needed to do at 36 years of age and I think it spoke for itself. He was strong, he was quick, [and] his reflexes were intact” Hunter would tell BoxingScene.

While some like Hunter appreciated the skill Mayweather displayed in the fight, others felt the performance wasn’t exciting enough for their taste. Hunter felt Mayweather’s performance was masterful and feels some people simply can’t appreciate the sweet science.
“
He just put on a magnificent display boxing and how boxing should be. Hit you and you don't hit me. That's the way the sport should be. Anybody can go out there and teach rock em, sock em fighting, toe to toe dumb stuff but that's how boxing should be” said Hunter.
“
I always say this: those who want to see the toe to toe thing, if they had a son and they brought their son to a trainer and that trainer said 'look, I'll teach your son how to go to war, toe to toe' and another trainer said 'I'll teach your son how to hit and not to be hit', they're going to leave their son with the one who says I'm going to teach him how to hit and not get hit. So they need to quit being hypocritical about how boxing should be. That’s [boxing in] its purest form and purest art and that's what should be respected. But you know today we don't have educated boxing fans with the MMA coming along with cock fighting type of image that it presents. You have fans who aren't very knowledgeable of the art of the sweet science but it was displayed at the highest level and it was just a beautiful thing to see”.
Hunter’s appreciation of Mayweather’s skill and boxing acumen is one he will continue to advocate as he himself tries to instill the same fundamentals in his fighters.

 

[heyzel]

Matthysse vs. Garcia & Peterson vs. Judah possible for September 7th in Washington, DC
May 19th, 2013 | Post Comment


Peterson Judah Peterson vs. Judah Matthysse Garcia Matthysse vs. Garcia zab judah lucas matthysse lamont peterson danny garcia boxing By Allan Fox: Dan Rafael of ESPN is reporting that Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer is reserving September 7th for a doubleheader matching WBA/WBC light welterweight champion Danny Garcia vs. WBC interim light welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse in the main event and Zab Judah vs. IBF light welterweight champion Lamont Peterson as the co-feature in a bout at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC.

The fight card would be interesting one where Judah is coming off of a loss to Danny Garcia, and Peterson is coming off of a knockout loss to Matthysse earlier tonight in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Hopefully Schaefer and Golden Boy can put together the fight between Garcia and Matthysse because Garcia’s body language tonight appeared to show someone looking nervous and unhappy after Matthysse destroyed Peterson in a 3rd round stoppage at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Garcia should have been happy because Matthysse’s win set up a big fight between him and Matthysse, but he looked almost frightened.

Garcia’s father Angel Garcia said recently that they’re not involved in Golden Boy’s tournament and that they’ll fight whoever they want next. However, if Danny Garcia chooses to avoid the Matthysse fight then he’s going to have to vacate his WBC title because Matthysse is his mandatory and Garcia’s not going to be able to keep sidestepping him forever without the World Boxing Council stripping him of the title.

Garcia is going to look really bad if he chooses not to fight Matthysse because this is the fight that everyone has been talking about. Garcia can certainly dodge the fight and choose to vacant his WBC title, but he’d lose a lot of respect from the hardcore boxing fans.

Despite getting stopped in the 3rd round tonight, Peterson still has his IBF 140 lb. title because it wasn’t on the line tonight due to the fight taking place at 141 lbs. instead of at 140. By facing Judah, Peterson will be able to gain back some respect from boxing fans by going out and beating Judah by an impressive performance.

 

[heyzel]

Ward: It’s easy for Calzaghe to talk from the comfort of his couch
May 18th, 2013 | Post Comment

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joe calzaghe boxing andre ward By Scott Gilfoid: It didn’t take long for WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward respond to the news of former super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe blabbering about how he would have beaten Ward if they had fought in the past. Ward’s comment to that response was this on his social media site: “Yeah, it’s easy to say that from the comfort of your couch!!”

Earlier last week, Calzaghe had told Sky Sports News “I would have beaten Ward…I think Ward is good in his comfort zone, but I would have gotten him out of that and he wouldn’t have fancied it.”

Gee, it’s too bad that Calzaghe chose not to fight Ward in 2008 because Ward wanted the fight but Calzaghe showed no interest in facing him. I wonder why.

It’s easy for Calzaghe to flap his gums now after the fact, but when he had the chance to fight Ward in 2008, instead he chose to fight older guys like Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. On top of that, Calzaghe’s win over Hopkins was highly controversial to the point where there should have been a rematch, but there wasn’t one. Hopkins wanted a rematch but Calzaghe instead retired. Both Hopkins and Jones dropped Calzaghe.

Just in watching how both Calzaghe and Ward beat the same opponent Mikkel Kesslier, it’s painfully obvious that Ward would have likely trounced Calzaghe had the Welsh fighter opted to fight Ward.

Calzaghe struggled badly to defeat Kessler in their fight in 2007; whereas Ward beat Kessler with ease in their fight in the Super Six tournament in 2009. Many Calzaghe’s loyal fans think that one of the main reasons why Ward had such an easy time beating Kessler was because he had deteriorated somewhat from the punishment he took in his loss to Calzaghe.

I don’t buy that excuse. Kessler took a lot of slapping punches in the Calzaghe fight and he landed the much bigger blows, and it wasn’t what you would call a punishing fight for Kessler. He looked really after his loss to Calzaghe and won his next three fights with ease until running into Ward in the Super Six tournament.

Like in a lot of cases matching fighters from different eras, we’ll never know how Calzaghe would have done against Ward, just as we’d have known what would have happened if Calzaghe fought Gerald McClellan or Julian Jackson. All we know is that Calzaghe chose not to fight Ward just as he was arriving on the world scene. Instead, Calzaghe took arguably easier fights against the likes of Roy Jones Jr.

 

[Johnny Truelove]

Amir Khan: I Would Definitely Beat Lucas Matthysse

By Chris Robinson

On Saturday night, Argentina’s Lucas Matthysse once again impressed, blitzing out a very formidable Lamont Peterson in under three rounds.

Tangling with the IBF junior welterweight titlist inside of the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, Matthysse would score a knockdown in the second round and two more in the third, the first coming from a wicked left hook, before referee Steve Smoger waived the contest off.

Matthysse sees his record improve to 34-2 with 32 knockouts as fans and insiders cross their fingers in hopes that a rumored September collision with WBA/WBC champion Danny Garcia will come to fruition.

There were several boxing luminaries in the building for Matthysse’s virtuoso display, including former junior welterweight champion Amir Khan.

Khan had other interests for being ringside, including checking out his younger brother Haroon’s second professional bout as well as assessing IBF welterweight champion Devon Alexander as a potential opponent, as the St. Louis native carved out a solid victory over Lee Purdy.

Still, Amir couldn’t help but notice Matthysse’s victory.

“Peterson, he had a good game plan,” Khan would say when giving his reaction to the fight in an interview with Sky Sports. “In the first round he was staying away from Lucas Matthysse. He was boxing him and got a little bit more confident and that’s what Lucas wanted. Lucas wanted him to come forward and he caught him with a great left hook.

“I’m quite surprised he got up from that one,” Khan continued. “He showed a lot of guts, the way he got up. The referee should have stopped it the first time.”

Khan knows Peterson very well, as he shared the ring with him in December of 2011 in Washington, D.C. On that evening, Khan suffered a split-decision loss in a terrific, back-and-forth firefight that was filled with controversy.

So too can Amir relate to Peterson when it comes to devastating setbacks, as he twice has suffered horrific stoppage defeats; to Breidis Prescott in September of 2008 and to Danny Garcia this past July in Las Vegas.

In Khan’s opinion, it will be tough for Peterson to bounce back from this one.

“It would be very hard for Peterson to come back from a knockout like that,” said Khan. “It was a devastating knockout, you know. You could see he was hurt badly.”

When asked if he would be interested in facing Matthysse, Khan expressed definite interest in such a dangerous match.

“I’d love to,” stated Khan. “[Marcos] Maidana was knocking everybody out and I went in there and I beat him. Lucas Matthysse, my style would suit [myself] very well. I think definitely I’d beat a Lucas Matthysse and I’d go in the same ring with him.”

 

[Johnny Truelove]

Hopkins Says Matthysse Would KO Khan, Talks Froch

By Chris Robinson

The boxing world is still abuzz over Lucas Matthysse’s incredible knockout over Lamont Peterson on Saturday night.

Inside of the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, Matthysse, the WBC interim champion at 140 pounds, would drop the highly-regarded Peterson three times for a resounding third round TKO that highlighted his power and precision.

The building was packed with boxing luminaries for Matthysse’s triumph, including living legend and reigning IBF light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins.

Never one to overly-gush about his fellow prizefighters, Hopkins couldn’t help but give Matthysse praise following his victory.

Speaking with Kugan Cassius of IFilmLondon, Hopkins touched on a few topics, including a Matthysse duel with WBA/WBC champion Danny Garcia and his reasoning as to why Amir Khan would suffer the same fate as Peterson if given a chance with Matthysse.

This is what Hopkins had to share.

Matthysse announcing himself as the sport’s next superstar…
“What a devastating punch, man. We have a superstar in boxing right now and it’s Matthysse. To able to execute and hit one of the premier fighters of this time with one punch and knock him out is unbelievable.”

Sizing up a Matthysse clash with Danny Garcia…
“It would be a good fight and it would be an exciting fight for boxing. It’s one of those showdowns that is going to be built up. Richard Schaefer was talking earlier how we are going to build these big matches for the people and everyone. This is what we need. Business-wise, it’s good for boxing leading up.”

What Garcia has to do in order to have success against Matthysse…
“Being a friend, I speak my mind and I speak it clearly; Danny will have to be super super duper on his game to be able to offset Matthysse. Matthysse, right now, to me, from what I’ve seen in Lamont Peterson, who hasn’t been demolished the way he got today, it speaks for itself. It speaks volumes of what Matthysse is about. I’ve seen middleweights who don’t hit as hard as this guy hits.”

How Amir Khan may attempt to fight Matthysse if they ever meet…
“Matthysse and Amir Khan? I think Amir Khan would do what I think Peterson should have done early in the fight, which is give some movement, give some jabs, take him into deep waters. And hopefully, some punches he [misses] will take an effect on Matthysse. But [Peterson] stayed there and he tried to fight fire with fire and when you do that, you get burnt. Because fire doesn’t put out fire; water does.”

Favoring Matthysse to end Khan’s night early…
“So, when you see Amir Khan, who has a little more boxing ability and a little bit more braveness, sometimes for his own good, I sort of see the same outcome. Probably even a little bit earlier. Because, the strategy of the fight game with some has to be taught. And if it aint taught, they will try to fight fire right away, when they should just use their strength for their weaknesses and their weaknesses for their strength. That’s why I think that would be a fight where Matthysse will actually catch up with Amir Khan, because Amir Khan is known for fighting brave. I think it would just be something where it would just be a back and forth fight early, but then I think Matthysse would catch up with him.”

Pulling for Carl Froch to defeat Mikkel Kessler next weekend so that he can face him this year…
“Tell Froch that either he comes across the pond or I’ll come across the pond. Or we meet halfway. But, if he wins, I’m going to get him. I’m hoping he wins and do think he’ll win and if he don’t win, I’ll be really upset.”

 

[Johnny Truelove]

Lucas Matthysse: Danny Garcia is Slow and Wide Open

by David P. Greisman

Lucas Matthysse apparently doesn’t think highly of his likely next opponent, 140-pound titleholder Danny Garcia.

“He’s a slow fighter,” Matthysse said at the post-fight press conference after his third-round technical knockout win over Lamont Peterson this past Saturday. “He’s wide open. I know that I’ll win that fight as well.”

With Garcia’s win last month over Zab Judah, and with Matthysse’s win over Peterson, Golden Boy Promotions is looking to put the two together this September.

“It’s the fight I’ve been looking for,” Matthysse said. “We’ve talked about it. I was told that if I get past this [Peterson], that there’s a likelihood that I’ll be fighting Danny Garcia. That’s who I want.”

Matthysse is now 34-2 with 32 knockouts and 1 no contest. Garcia is 26-0 with 16 knockouts.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

By Chris Robinson

On Saturday night, Argentina’s Lucas Matthysse once again impressed, blitzing out a very formidable Lamont Peterson in under three rounds.

Tangling with the IBF junior welterweight titlist inside of the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, Matthysse would score a knockdown in the second round and two more in the third, the first coming from a wicked left hook, before referee Steve Smoger waived the contest off.

Matthysse sees his record improve to 34-2 with 32 knockouts as fans and insiders cross their fingers in hopes that a rumored September collision with WBA/WBC champion Danny Garcia will come to fruition.

There were several boxing luminaries in the building for Matthysse’s virtuoso display, including former junior welterweight champion Amir Khan.

Khan had other interests for being ringside, including checking out his younger brother Haroon’s second professional bout as well as assessing IBF welterweight champion Devon Alexander as a potential opponent, as the St. Louis native carved out a solid victory over Lee Purdy.

Still, Amir couldn’t help but notice Matthysse’s victory.

“Peterson, he had a good game plan,” Khan would say when giving his reaction to the fight in an interview with Sky Sports. “In the first round he was staying away from Lucas Matthysse. He was boxing him and got a little bit more confident and that’s what Lucas wanted. Lucas wanted him to come forward and he caught him with a great left hook.

“I’m quite surprised he got up from that one,” Khan continued. “He showed a lot of guts, the way he got up. The referee should have stopped it the first time.”

Khan knows Peterson very well, as he shared the ring with him in December of 2011 in Washington, D.C. On that evening, Khan suffered a split-decision loss in a terrific, back-and-forth firefight that was filled with controversy.

So too can Amir relate to Peterson when it comes to devastating setbacks, as he twice has suffered horrific stoppage defeats; to Breidis Prescott in September of 2008 and to Danny Garcia this past July in Las Vegas.

In Khan’s opinion, it will be tough for Peterson to bounce back from this one.

“It would be very hard for Peterson to come back from a knockout like that,” said Khan. “It was a devastating knockout, you know. You could see he was hurt badly.”

When asked if he would be interested in facing Matthysse, Khan expressed definite interest in such a dangerous match.

“I’d love to,” stated Khan. “[Marcos] Maidana was knocking everybody out and I went in there and I beat him. Lucas Matthysse, my style would suit [myself] very well. I think definitely I’d beat a Lucas Matthysse and I’d go in the same ring with him.”

Khan could wear a helmet and he'd still get KOd by Matthysse!

 

[HERESY]

Khan needs to shut the fuck. Always talkin and always lookin for a some excuse as to why this happened or that happened. Calling out people with superior skills, begging for a shot, etc. STFU nigga and fight, damn.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Khan always talk a lot of shit. One thing he deserves credit for is he does want to fight the best. No ducking with Khan. He got heart too. Such a horrible chin but he keeps fighting. We all seen guys get dropped or hurt and just flat out quit, Khan will somehow keep trying. Like the 10th rd against Maidana it should have been over but he survived. Even against Garcia he wanted to continue.

Chin and defense just too broken to fix. And he's an annoying cunt, but the guy tries so hard lol

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Hopefully Golovkin can KO Macklin next month, him and Matthysse are exciting fighters with power that's kinda been lacking recently.