Boxing on HBO

[GonzoStyle]

This saturday is a great line up of fights.

First we have a showdown of two big heavyweights. Waldimir Klitchsko Vs. Jameel Mcline. Klitschko is considered by many including me as the heavyweight of the future, he is huge, strong, young, and determined. Mcline is also pretty big but I think this may be too big a fight for him and too soon, I see klitchsko winning in the middle rounds or a decision.

Lennox Lewis has made plans for 3 more fights before he retires. He is gonna be forced to face Waldimirs brother Vitaly Klitchsko who while he is the manditory challanger for lewis's WBC belt is not nearly as good as Wladimir. But Lewis was already stripped of the IBF belt and the WBA belt, if he doesn't fight Vitaly he will be stripped of the WBA belt and will have no belts left.

Lennox's other two fights are a rematch against Mike Tyson and his final fight will be against Wladimir Klitchsko, which would solidify his HOF career, having beaten every great heavyweight of the 90's (except for Riddick Bowe who refused to fight Lewis) Plus beating all the great young fighters of the new millenium including already: David Tua, Michael Grant, among others.

The main event this saturday is a rematch between Floyd Mayweather jr and Jose Luis Castillo. The two met earlier this year and Mayweather won an extremely controversial decision cause everyone though Castillo won and got royally screwed cause mayweather has more pull in Vegas and is the bigger name. Mayweather was clearly outclassed.

This goes back to my article last week, this was Mayweathers first fight after moving up in weight. While he dominated in his lower weight class after moving up 5 pounds he seems to have lost a lot.

This should be a good fight, nowhere near as great as the two Gatti & Ward fights this year but still a good watch. Especially is Castillo wins this time and hands Mayweather the first loss of his career.

Mayweather has been plauged by hand problems the past few years and if he comes in unhealed once again he will probably lose. If he comes in at atleast 80% I think he will win cause he will not be dominated twice.

Many boxers careers have been shortened or never achieved their potential cause of bad hands. Some have bounced back though like Oscar Delahoya but he also fights once a year.

[PatCooper]

I knew there was a fight tonight. Just couldnt think of who. Thanks Gonz

[Is Don on the phone?]

Last night's undercard was anti-climactic...looked like a replay of the last Mayweather-Castillo matchup. And I fell asleep before McCline threw in the towel!

Can't wait for that Vitaly Klitchco-Lenox Lewis bout - I'd like to see Vitaly knock Lewis on his ass...

[Teenweek]

the mcline vs klicthovbahduqydfhszn fight sucked. the first fight was ok but could not compare at all to gatti vs ward the last hbo fight.

[Is Don on the phone?]

the mcline vs klicthovbahduqydfhszn fight sucked.

:rofl:

Like I said, I fell asleep before Mcline gave up...

[GonzoStyle]

To hold any fight in comparison to ward vs gatti is unfair. That type of fight comes along once in a blue moon. There are hundreds of fights a year and maybe 3-5 fights can be considered great.

Boxing fans have been spoiled the last several years. Going back about 6 years ago and before that, there were maybe 6 big fights a year. Now we are getting super fights on a more consistent basis, granted not all of them end up great but the fact remains the matches are being made. While the Tyson Vs. Lewis fight left a lot to be desired the plain fact is 5 years ago under the same circumstances the fight never takes place.

I felt that Mayweather did more to win this fight and he actually won in my eyes but still he has lost a lot moving up in weight. If he seriously thinks about taking on someone like Kostya Tszyu then he has another thing coming. Tszyu is heads above the rest in his class, even Zab Judah might hand mayweather his ass.

Klitschko looked very good against Mccline, very reserved but still good. This was an impressive win cause Jameel was Lennox's former sparring partner for years and has lewis' style as well as being as big even bigger than lewis. So while he is not lewis he is the closest prototype. I think Wladimir needs 2-3 more fights before he has a chance against Lewis.

Vladimir Klitschko stands no chance against lewis, sorry. There is always a chance (just look back last year to Hasim Rahman ruining Lennox's world with one right cross). Beyond that small chance Vladimir doesn't possess anything to beat lewis, atleast Tyson had the punchers chance cause of his awesome punching power.

Wladimir is the Klitschko who has the chance and pretty much the only man in the division that has any sort of chance.

[Arpikarhu]

both fights were dull as Hell. i want to see the klitchs4p[o's fight each other.

[GonzoStyle]

Never gonna happen.

[Teenweek]

holyfield vs byrd this saturday. will holyfield ever retire or will he end up like muhammed ali, a walking vegetable who took more than one too many punches to the head.

[GonzoStyle]

Keep to wrestling TW cause sadly holyfield will probably win the match and become heavyweight champion for an unprecidented fifth time.

[Teenweek]

i love boxing. and i know you do too. can you honestly say that you don't see holyfield finally walking away majorly fucked up. Look and listen to him now compared to 3, 4 , 5 years ago. Yes he may win, but if he keeps fighting and takes all the blows he has, he is going to be in bad shape. He has been in some of the biggest wars in boxing history with the riddick bowe fights, lewis fights, and tyson fights to name a few.

[GonzoStyle]

Yes but many people amazingly forget that holyfield was also the undisputed cruiserweight champion back when there were great cruiserweights. His wars at cruiser woulda solidified his ticket to the boxing HOF alone. Holyfield actually doesn't sound worse off than he did in the last several years, should he retire? maybe. But in my opinion Holy is a throwback fighter back when fighters fought a 100 fights or more before their retirement, the mans kicking 40's door down but he showed he still has the staying power to remain fighting in my opinion. If he has a gimme like Byrd who has no punch whatsoever in front of him why not take it?

Look at it this way, lewis is not gonna be around much longer, Ruiz holds a belt and while holy lost to him once he still has a chance of beating him and he will probably beat byrd. He can in reality hold two belts and if lewis should retire he could go for the third belt. He will not retire until he gets his shot at being undisputed champ again. Holy is still the best fight of the last 15 years, no question. Holyfields name should be mentioned with that of Ali, Dempsy, marciano, & Louis.

[Teenweek]

Holyfield is easily one of the best fighters of our time at least, but after last night he needs to retire now. He looked like shit and he looked older than he ever has. Byrd manhandled him for 90% of the fight.

I like Holyfield and I really don't want him to turn in to a Roberto Duran or worse yet another Muhammed Ali post career.

[GonzoStyle]

Beyond the fight I wanna say one thing. I haven't liked Larry Merchant much over the years but at times the old man shows his worth. Like when he ridiculed Delahoya for bringing a mariachi band into the ring and basically called him a spic uncle tom, which cost larry a fat fine and suspension.

The way Merchant put Don King and Lewis on the spot during his interview with them after the fight was fuckin great. I was pissed that Lampley stepped in and broke them up cause Merchant was on a roll, the best part was him rolling his eyes and making mocking facial expressions when king spoke.

[Teenweek]

i missed that. I turned it off after the fight.

[GonzoStyle]

Lennox Lewis got paid 1 million dollars by Don King to do international annoucning for the holyfield vs. byrd fight and the roy jones vs. john ruiz fight in march of 2003. basically it's "step aside money" lewis dropped the ibf belt so he wouldn't have to fight byrd and the wba so he wouldn't have to fight ruiz, so the two fights he is announcing for were people he refused to fight and king rewarded him for that.

Merchant basically put lewis on the spot and made it clear that cause he beat a shell of a boxer in mike tyson doesn't make him king of the world. He acknowleged that lewis is the best heavyweight in the past 15 years or so since prime mike tyson but he also made it clear that either earn the keep of your crown or let the new blood finally get their shots instead of holding them back. He put Don King on the spot because the one man who does deserve the shot at lewis is Wladimir Klitshcko whom King has no control over, King controls Lewis and John Ruiz, I am not sure if he has anything to do with Byrd but he does control Holyfield.

It's like DMX said "y'all been eating long enough now, stop being greedy".