WHY NOT KHAN?

Hey Dougie,

Why is everyone seemingly so against Amir Khan fighting Floyd Mayweather? I’m not a massive fan of either but like to watch their fights, and why feed Floyd another slugger with mediocre speed and boxing skill that will make Floyd look brilliant and be easy work for him?? Just because Marcos Maidana beat Mayweather’s imitator Adrien Broner, doesn’t mean he will have an ounce of success against Mayweather. At least Khan brings something different in raw speed that we haven’t seen Floyd fight in a long time. Not to say the outcome will be any different, but I’d rather see Khan get the fight. Oh and how f__king boring is it that he STILL hasn’t announced his opponent – ZZZZzzzzzz.

And while everyone dumps on the heavyweight division from a massive height, I’m excited by what is to come. So what if it is the “poorest quality” heavyweight division in the history of the world? That doesn’t mean it can’t be exciting and more importantly FUN! I’m a fan of what I’ve seen of Deontay Wilder. Tyson Fury is good entertainment and it is a little Broner-esque in just watching him in the hope someone shuts him the f__k up by knocking him out. Add in some of the other contenders, these guys have at least a shot of connecting with Wlad’s chin and you never know there could be some good fights out there if they get made. And I’m just hoping our man Anthony Joshua can prove to be the truth, so far so good for him.

Can’t wait for Carl Froch V George Groves II and although I see Froch winning more convincingly this time, I’d rather see the “passing of the torch” and Groves take the belts. STILL waiting on a Kell Brook world title fight to see how good he is really is, but with our young crop of British fighters I’m excited for the next couple of years. Across the weight classes who would you rate as the young British stars to watch from what you have seen?

Thanks Doug. – CJ, UK

I like super middleweight Billy Joe Saunders and welterweight Frankie Gavin. They may not be considered “prospects” in Britain because they hold Commonwealth titles and they have gone 12 rounds, but on the world scene they are still viewed as “up-and-comers.”

Joshua certainly appears to have the tools and personality for future crossover success, as do Luke Campbell, Chris Eubank Jr., Callum Smith and Frank Buglioni.

I’m hoping Kell Brook finally lands a significant fight this year, if not a title shot. If Mayweather has no use for Khan perhaps Brook can be an option for the 2004 Olympic silver medalist. Or maybe Khan waits to see if Brook can win a title, say from IBF beltholder Shawn Porter, and then goes for the big British showdown.

Speaking of British showdowns, I don’t think any fight on UK soil this year is going to match the anticipation and intensity of Froch-Groves II. If Groves wins it will be good to have a new face on world 168-pound scene. If Froch wins (without controversy), I think he firmly punches his ticket to Canastota.

Regarding the heavyweight division, I think the next few months will provide us a lot of entertainment and at least two or three legit contenders to Wladdy’s throne: Wilder vs. Scott (March 15), Odlanier Solis-Tony Thompson (March 22), Bermane Stiverne-Chris Arreola II (April or May), and maybe Fury-Chisora II (this summer).

Regarding Khan’s case for fighting Mayweather, I see your points and I agree with them to an extent. I agree that Khan has the natural talent and the style to give Mayweather some trouble – at least more so than Maidana (who needed the performance of his life to outpoint a poor imitation of Floyd) but I think the Argentine slugger is more deserving of a shot at THE RING welterweight champ.

Although Khan owns a narrow decision over Maidana in 2010, he’s gone 2-2 in his last four bouts, including a TKO loss to Danny Garcia in 2012. Maidana is on a four-bout win streak capped by the decision over Adrien Broner (a top-10 welterweight), which earned him a major 147-pound title (the WBA belt).

Maidana’s last bout was in December. Khan hasn’t defeated any world-ranked welterweights and he hasn’t fought since last April, when he won a very close decision over Julio Diaz.

Personally, I think Khan makes for a more interesting fight with Mayweather and a more interesting promotion (and probably more money for all involved thanks to the UK market), but he’s a very hard sell here in the U.S. because of his shaky chin.

And before anyone in Khan’s Army gets all defensive on behalf of their guy, let me remind them that Diaz – who is more gatekeeper than even fringe contender and arguably 10 years removed from his prime – dropped and repeatedly rocked the British standout.

They say a picture is worth a 1000 words, so here’s a 2000-word reminder of why Khan can’t complain too much if Mayweather does indeed pass him over for Maidana:

And let’s not forget this one…

MALIGNING MARVALLIA

Hey Dougie,

First time writing, been a fan for a few years ever since I knew about RingTV. Anyways I was watching Cronometro Latino sport show yesterday and two guys were talking about Miguel Cotto vs Sergio Martinez and both of them said Cotto was the better boxer and that Cotto will win on June 7.

One of them said that there wasn’t anything “maravilla” (marvelous) about Martinez, which I thought was disrespectful. Knowing that he started his boxing career late and now that he’s a champion says a lot. I believe that Martinez will stop Cotto in the late rounds, maybe the 10^th round. What do you think? – Jose M., Michigan

I agree with you, Jose. I like Martinez in this fascinating middleweight matchup. I know that he just turned 39. I understand that he’s coming off a long period of inactivity and numerous injuries, surgeries and physical rehabs. I even agree that he’s not as “maravilla” as he was just three years ago, but I still think he’s a handful for any middleweight on the planet.

And guess what? Cotto is not a middleweight. I think he was pushing it at junior middleweight. I also think Cotto has got almost as much wear and tear on his body as Martinez does. He may not have suffered as many injuries as Martinez has but he’s been in more punishing shootouts and grueling fights than the Argentine veteran.

Having said that, I know more than a few longtime boxing observers who love Cotto in this matchup. One of them – my friend Dave, who has been watching boxing since before my dad was born (sorry to give away your age, Coach) – doesn’t give Martinez a chance to win at all. Dave isn’t always right, but he usually is.

FIGHT OF THE YEAR

Hi Dougmeister, 

I would not normally find myself emailing you about a show held in England, which wasn't a real A-Lister (like Groves, Brook , Froch, etc), but find myself compelled to write to you about one of the most entertaining bills I've ever seen in the UK. 

We first had a British title fight which was won by 6th round KO by Gavin McDonnell, the twin brother of former IBF bantamweight world titleholder, Jamie.

That's when things seriously stepped up. We had Curtis Woodhouse fighting Darren Hamilton for the British light welter strap. This was a huge fight as it was held in Woodhouse’s hometown and he had also declared it would be his last ever fight. What makes it more beguiling is that Woodhouse had no amateur fights as he was a premier league football player and gave up this career to become a full-time fighter (crazy bastard)! For a more fitting and final epitaph, he had sworn on his father’s death bed to become British champ (as testament to the tattoos shown on his back). And for an extra incentive Curtis had wagered £5,000.00 on himself at odds of 50/1 that he would become British champion when he first turned pro!

Needless to say Curtis won a split decision (perhaps luckily but held in magnanimous fashion by his opponent Darren Hamilton)

That's when things really got crazy! We then had the IBF international lightweight championship between Tommy Coyle and Daniel Brizuela of Argentina.

Between some close early rounds Coyle was put down by a head punch in the second and I had Bizuela 3 points up after five. The 6th saw Coyle put down twice by body punches. Coyle had a good 7th round.

The 8th was eventful as Coyle was deducted a point for a low blow but then knocked down Brizuela and took a point lead for the round. In the 9th Coyle was dropped yet again but then Brizuela was perhaps unfairly deducted a point for a low blow as he had no warnings.

Coyle seemed tired in the next but then a crazy 11th round occurred. Coyle yet again went down to a body shot but being hurt and being a crazy bastard waved Brizuela on and put him down almost within seconds from a punch to the head!

Coyle then put Brizuela down for a second time before referee Steve Gray then unfairly deducted yet another point from Coyle!?

Coyle came out guns blazing for the 12th and put his opponent down. Almost immediately he punched the canvas in frustration and was up by 6 count but the referee stopped the fight which seemed hugely unjust after the knockdowns administered in the fight.

I can try and explain the fight, Dougie, but it's one of those crazy bastard fights that people need to view. Hopefully, if you print this you could maybe find a YouTube link!

P.S. – Luke Campbell, the Olympic Gold medallist, won a hugely entertaining 8th rd stoppage on the undercard. One to watch for the future like Joshua and Callum Smith. Cheers Dougmeister (apologies for the length) – Mark, UK

No apologies needed, Mark. I admire your enthusiasm. I agree that Campbell, Joshua and Smith are all ones to watch.

I also agree that the Coyle-Brizuela fight needs to be seen, not written about. It didn’t have the sustained back-and-forth action or world-class technique of past Fight of the Year winners and candidates, but it was a wild and dramatic contest thanks to all those knockdowns (four each) and point deductions.

As requested, here’s an embedded video for those who haven’t seen it yet. Enjoy!

[springboard type=”video” id=”886595″ player=”ring003″ width=”648″ height=”511″ ]

THE DEMOLISHER & THE D__KLESS WONDER

Hey Dougie,

Originally I was going to wait after Gennady Golovkin was done smearing brave overmatched Andy Lee prior to getting back to ya. But after reading about Danny Geale beating his chest like some jackass Tarzan wannabe and calling out The Demolisher I couldn't close my yapper any longer. If Mr. Geale is serious about this then I say good for him. It's about f__kin' time he grew some balls. But that's the question. Does he really want this fight or is he going to go back hiding under his bed like some d__kless, hamster-hearted c__ksucker once GGG calls back.

Hey, Geale already p__sied out and it's easier to feel almighty once your would-be opponent says the hell with it and moves on. What do you think of the chances of GGG-Geale happening?

Another guy who supposedly stated he'll man up is Sergio Martinez once he's done making big bucks with the smallish Miguel Cotto. Mind you, that's the fight that most needs to happen. For starters The Demolisher's title shot is long overdue. Plus I'm not all that high over the way Maravilla taunts his opponents while shaking his ass like some fruity s__t-store version of Roy Jones. I'll really like to see him try waving that chicken ass of his once The Demolisher is in there pounding the f__k out of him!

The other thing I want to bring up is this crap the Golovkin haters are unloading on the guy. They don't like his level of opposition or they're freaked out by his grin. Blah blah blah blah. C'mon guys. Wouldn't you sooner watch action fighters like GGG as opposed to inaction figures like Mayweather and Klitschko?

Want to know something? The Demolisher could steamroll over Danny Geale, Maravilla, and Andre Ward in his next three fights and his critics will still crap on the guy. Geale was a bum in the first place. Maravilla was too old and Ward had one arm. Whatever.

If my boxing history is correct Mike Tyson was constantly beating up on gatekeepers, fringe-contenders and just plain bums prior to getting his repeated title shots. Did he get this kind of bulls__t from fans? Probably not. That's probably because Tyson was this scary-looking American dude. Not some Russian/Korean guy from Kazakhstan.

In all fairness, at least everyone's favorite Golovkin-hater, Captain Ron, apologized for his dumb comments. But hey, the Good Captain is a Canadian isn't he? And we're indeed an apologetic bunch. But are we wimps? Nah! We can really kick ass once it comes to extreme macho-guy winter sports.

Speaking of which, I'm off to watch my fellow countrymen (and country-gals) bring home all that gold from Russia. I'll be back to ya after The Golovkin Show resumes. Or maybe before then. Whichever. Cheers! – Triple T

Thanks for checking in, TTT, and making me chuckle a few times while reading this vulgar email (which is OK, you know I’m OK with vulgarity).

No, Tyson did not receive the amount of criticism from hardcore fans that GGG and other contemporary badasses currently get. Part of the reason was that Mike was an American media darling who had his own brand of savvy with the sports and boxing press. But the main reason is that when he was undefeated and in his primes there were no perceived threats to his title reign. He was viewed as an unstoppable force in a weak division. And maybe that was true for a few years (1986-89).

Golovkin is going to get more s__t from fans than Tyson did for two main reasons: 1. He just burst onto the scene in the U.S. and has only recently been featured on HBO (so goofballs view him as "unproven"); 2. There are 160- and 168-pound fighters that some fans think can give him a run for his money (especially Ward). Heck, some of the really hardcore nerds out there in the “Twitterverse” think 154-pound contender Erislandy Lara would take GGG to school.

The Golovkin criticism is probably only going to increase after the Lee fight, but I think he’ll silence his critics by the end of 2014 or by mid-2015. And part of that process is getting more respected middleweights, like Geale and Martinez in the ring with him.

Do I think it will happen? I think it’s 50-50, but I’ll give Geale the benefit of the doubt. I know Golovkin’s team is tired of hearing Geale’s “call-outs” and view him as the Boy who Cried Wolf, and HBO is beginning to think the same thing, but I respect the Australian veteran and I really think he passed on fighting GGG in the past to make as much money as was available at the time.

The first time he did it, he dropped the WBA belt so he could fight his rematch with Anthony Mundine, which was a major event in Australia. The second time he did it was because Australian TV could not accommodate the April 26 date and having the fight available in his homeland is important to Geale because he can earn more dough with a pay-per-view show in Australia. However, three strikes and he’s out, in my opinion.

If K2 Promotions and HBO make another solid offer to Geale to face Golovkin in the fall and the Aussie doesn’t go for the glory, I’ll give up on him. But, like I said, I respect Geale. He’s faced very good opposition, including Felix Sturm, and he’s twice traveled to Germany to earn two major titles and lost one of those belts on a close decision in America. So he’s shown a willingness to take risks in the past.

And I have no doubt that Martinez will defend THE RING championship against Golovkin if he beats Cotto – unless Mayweather reaches out to him, but that’s another story.

QUICK POINTS

Dougie,

A couple of quick points: I'm not sure if it was this long dry spell without boxing but I really enjoyed the Boxcino lightweight tournament. No frills, just fighters trying to make a name for themselves. In addition, you have them evenly matched, which makes for entertaining fights. 

Secondly, hope Hank Lundy gets a major name at 135 or 140. 

Lastly, mythical match ups:

Saul Montana vs Guillermo Jones

Jose Sanabria vs Julio Alvarez

Jeff Chandler vs Nonito Donaire

–Migs

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Migs. I can tell you’re a real fan (who else would give me a mythical matchup between Jose Sanabria vs Julio Alvarez?)

I also enjoyed the first round of the lightweight Boxcino tournament and I look forward to watching the middleweight quarterfinals on ESPN2 this Friday.

I’m like you. I’m not all that caught up in names, or super talents destined for world titles and stardom. Most of the time, I just want to watch entertaining, evenly matched fights.

I’d like to see Lundy in a rematch with John Molina, a lightweight showdown with Mickey Bey, or a junior welterweight crossroads fight against young gun like Jessie Vargas or an old pro like Humberto Soto.

Fascinating mythical match ups:

Saul Montana vs Guillermo Jones – I think Jones outclasses Montana to a close but unanimous decision in an entertaining fight.

Jose Sanabria vs Julio Alvarez – I think Sanabria is the more experienced and traveled and the better skilled of the two but he’d have his hands full with Alvarez because the Mexican spoiler was naturally bigger and had underrated boxing ability. Alvarez was a natural 130 pounder who often fought at lightweight. Sanabria was a natural junior featherweight, where he held the IBF title. And that’s the difference in close and entertaining fight: Sanabria’s class. He won a world title. Alvarez did not. I think the New York-based Venezuelan would win a close decision.

Jeff Chandler vs Nonito Donaire – I thought Donaire was the truth at 118 pounds, and I think his athletic style, speed and power would have troubled Chandler early – maybe even produced a knockdown – but the Filipino Flash has never faced a champion as well-rounded and technically sound as “Joltin’ Jeff.” I think Chandler would dominate the second half of the fight with his jab and counter punching and outpoint Donaire by close but comfortable unanimous decision

Photos / Scott heavey-Getty Images
Email Fischer at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @dougiefischer