One for the Boxing fans!

[KidKruger]

Clev hasn't exactly been fighting anyone of high profile when campaigning at LHW. Even Kovalev was unknown by Clev supporters / most boxing fans in UK. The opponents before that were weak if we're to be honest.

So if Clev now fights at CW I don't see contests (if held in UK) being any less popular - it's not as if he's going to find yet more day nurses who's hobby is boxing, so the opponents are going to be at least of better / equal quality which means he'll still fill arenas. IMO.

I think he's going to be weak at CW, but I would be happy to be proved wrong. CW division is strong, just not popular in UK. Different story in Germany / Eastern Europe.

[KidKruger]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more-sports/comatose-boxer-life-support-stroke-article-1.1509904

Not looking great for Magomed but at least he's stable. I'm surprised ho many unknowns there are about payin medical bills etc. for an injured boxer. Just show how important a rationale corner, ref and ringside doctor is.

Let's hope he recovers soon.

[Help-Ma-Boab]

I'd be a maybe to watch,, but keen if around. EDT has also been known to show boxing. Saw something there last year, can't remember what though.

KidKruger Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Seems Magomed has had a stroke since the brain op

> but is now stable, let's hope it's a full recovery

> - though I expect from this magnitude of injury

> boxing is out of the question. Real shame because

> he's got a young family and was in process of

> becoming a US citizen in California.

>

> Froch v Groves is on 23/11.

> I'm around that weekend, anyone fancy getting

> together to watch the contest a la Froch v Kessler

> 2 ?

> I'll will contact the Rose later to see if they're

> shoing the fight, however any other venues likely

> to show this ?

[KidKruger]

I called the Rose on FH Road, they're not showing it.

I called DHFC at Otta's suggestion, but after a couple of times there's no clear answer (yet). Will keep chasing.

[Jeremy]

Man Of Kent?

[Otta]

Haye advised to retire after shoulder surgery.

m.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/24981216

Shame, he is a bit of a dick, but I like watching him fight.

[KidKruger]

Wow that's a shocker, he's our best HW by a stretch.

He's had a weird last 2 years or so.

I wouldn't want him to fight on if he's got a major injury - but if he can recover at all I'd always watch him.

Cringey camera persona.

[Jeremy]

He is/was usually pretty good to watch (although the Wlad fight did stink a bit). Although being forced to retire like this must really suck, he has been a part-time boxer for years now. I doubt his heart is really in the sport any more.

Hard to tell how much of his tedious public persona is the real him... he used to come across very well (for a boxer) back before he became CW champion. I even remember a TV presenter introducing him as something like "one of the most articulate boxers you're ever likely to meet". So either he manufactured this brash persona to raise his profile, or the fame went to his head.

[Otta]

He's definitely articulate, I think he just realised that he had to play the game to draw interest. He'd have been watching the likes of Mayweather bad mouthing opponents.

[KidKruger]

...and possibly that knob Adrien Broner.

Well the upside of Haye being injured again (whether retiring or no) is that Tyson Fury is pissed-off - that itself is a weird sort of pleasure to read about !

[Otta]

Damn it I wish I was watching this fight!

[Jeremy]

Rematch...

[KidKruger]

Am in a town in Wilts, none of the pubs showing the contest so we listened on a loud radio - what a thrilling fight !

We were all hopping around the kitchen as first Froch was hurt, then Groves and so on.

Can't wait to see this tonight.

Possibly a dodgy ending, but Grove's stock will have soared - he sounded sensational and even with a loss gave Froch more grief than all Froch's opponents put together.

Iffy rematch for Froch, this.

[KidKruger]

Watched the fight on youtube and IMO the stoppage was premature. Groves was in trouble but was still moving and hitting back, albeit clumsily. Froch had been in a much worse bandy-legged state in R1. But the Ref did what he thought was best given what he could see at close quarters.

I don't believe the story about Hearn paying the ref ?100K to guarantee a rematch (and force Groves to join Matchroom now that he's left Booth).

It'd be a tough re-match, Froch is just at the end of his career and another contest like that he may lose and/or it'd finish him. Good news is Groves is on the ascendency and will another GB fighter to watch for 10 years all being well.

Man Froch is tough.

ETA: I think Froch was going to win from the point the contest was stopped, no doubt in my mind. But Groves should have had the chance to show whether he could continue, at least a standing count. Froch was also ripped-off here, he knew at that point the fight was his, Groves couldn't hurt him any more and that all he had to do was keeping walking Groves down and finish him like he finished Bute. But froch had the chance to do this taken away from him and in instead he gets a ref stoppage which the entire audience question - leaving him regarded as unfairly winning the fight. Groves can definitely beat Froch, but in that contest he lost and was sliding fast. The ref should have IMO allowed a bit longer though.

[Otta]

Otta Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> And in the break they advertised an 8 part series

> called "Sports life stories" (starting on Tuesday)

> one if which will ve about Chris Eubank. In the

> trailer he said "I lost my instinct to finish",

> something I've never heard the man himself talk

> about, even though it was obvious to all of us

> watching him.

Thought I'd missed this, but it's on next week, 17th December. Eubank is the last in a series of 8.

ITV Website

" After losing to Steve Collins in 1995, Chris retired, only to return to the ring the next year before being defeated by Joe Calzaghe and Carl T hompson in his final fights. Suddenly he found the public had affection for him, and he speaks of his surprise: ?This was in ?98. In ?91 didn?t I show this heart? But you only recognised it when I lost. Strange, but wonderful.?

He makes a good point about us brits loving a brave loser.

[steveo]

But only when they wear jodhpurs

[KidKruger]

....and say they're a "philothipher".

[KidKruger]

What's your 3x fave fights of 2013 ?

Mine's:

1. Guillermo Jones v Denis Lebedev

2. Timothy Bradley v Ruslan Provodnikov

3. Mike Perez v Magomed Abdusalamov

(plus possibly Carl Froch v George Groves)

I think 2013 will be a tough one to beat in terms of decent match-ups.

The Bob Arum v Mayweather/Showtime split effectively deletes many potential decent fights, real shame. Plus the alphabet belts means the odds are against us seeing WBA MW Gennady Golovkin properly matched (the other 'champs' are all scared).

[Otta]

BBC look at potential fights for the year

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/boxing/25574389

Looks as though Khan may well get Mayweather. If this happens I can't see Khan standing a chance.

[Jeremy]

Didn't Khan cancel his fight against Devon Alexander because there was a chance he might land a Mayweather fight this year and he wanted to ensure he was available? Sounds crazy, cancelling a meaningful and (hopefully) competitive fight with one where he's almost bound to be outclassed. But it shows just how lucrative the fight is.

We need to see a Bradley vs Pacquiao rematch, with the winner facing Mayweather. Not looking likely, though.

[KidKruger]

Bradley is asking for $8m to fight Manny. In their last fight Bradley got $5m. So Arum is looking for cheaper opponents - it's ridiculous. Bradley is the rightful next opponent for Floyd, but with all the politics and manoeuvring...

Khan could be a world champ if he'd fought Alexander, Shawn Porter did and now HE's champ !

You'd have to bet Khan loses to Floyd, though Khan's speed will help. Khan's an attacking fighter - exactly what Floyd thrives on, back foot/counters. If Floyd knocks down Khan just once, he's won the fight as he rarely loses rounds. I don't think Khan's got a weak chin at all, when he's gone down, anyone would have gone down - problem is he's open sometimes, especially just after his flurry.

[Jeremy]

Exactly... Khan's problem is defence, not punch resistance. Wonder if Virgil Hunter will have managed to tighten that up at all?

[KidKruger]

Well if anyone can Virgil can. It's not just down to him though obviously, Khan will have to humble himself to re-learn and even then he has a habit of just getting stuck in to a fight. I admire his heart, aggression, stamina, speed, but when you choose to stand and trade you're ditching a large part of that and exposing yourself to danger.

So he has to concede that he's still got learning to do and be able to APPLY it in the ring - all this he has to achieved before his next fight, which just happens to be allegedly against possibly the best boxer on Earth.

I think the heavyweight division is going to get a little (and I do mean slightly) interesting in the next 2-3 years.

K Bros are departing and the next tier down are shuffling around, posturing and politiking to get themselves in prime position for a title shot. Stiverne and Arreola are fighting for (I think) the WBC strap which Vitali has now given up. Whoever wins that will obviously fight Vladimir to own ALL belts, or will have to face a contender in a defence (and chance of a loss). Until the belts are split-up by single-belt defences, that will be how it runs. However, the standard overall is weak and you have jokers like Deontay Wilder having never fought a top 40 fighter and claiming a right to the battle for the crown(s). It'll all come out in the wash but i don't think this period will go down as a classic time for the HW division !

[KidKruger]

A guy i've got to know recently is in the circle of Tony Conquest followers (great name for a boxer !) and can get tickets for his fights - he seems to hav a bit of a following. He's a domestic cruiserweight on the up, one loss and several wins.

He's fighting on 22/2 and I may go along with this crowd - before I do so, would any of you regular boxing contributors fancy it ? I think there's a small reduction on ticket prices but decent seats are often likely due to the block-booking Tony makes in advance. I'll try get this booked this weekend. It's an evening of domestic dust-ups, featured by Buncey on BoxNation last night.

[Otta]

Not good timing for me, as hopefully I'll be moving next month. But if you go to any in future I'd be interested.