Boxing

CiKe · May 05, 2007, 06:11:40 PM

Very unfair comment on Duran Stew as I'm sure you're aware. Much the smaller man when he fought any of the other three you mentioned, he fought them between 10 and 20lbs above his best weight - he isn't after all widely recognised as the the best lightweight ever for nothing

gallsman · May 06, 2007, 01:45:58 AM

Was that actually a dig at a legend such as Duran Stew? You seem to be implying that not wanting to be beaten up by one of the greatest fighters of all time was something to be ashamed of! Even after the "No Mas" fight he went the distance with one of the two greatest Middleweights of all time and in beating Barkley at the age of 37, he took out one of the most feared punchers of the day, while in his prime!

Galwaybhoy · May 06, 2007, 04:26:08 AM

Anyone up for the De La Hoya vs Mayweather fight? Boxing is THE sport, and there isnt any better. I hope tonights fight does not disapoint. Mayweather seems to be the favourite but I hope De La Hoya beats him. Come on De La Hoya!

Galwaybhoy · May 06, 2007, 05:58:42 AM

Well what a fight. Great night of boxing with a fight that boxing needed. Very tight fight, very little between them, Mayweather won by split decision. I dont agree with the decision myself, I had De La Hoya by two rounds, that he done more overall.

I'd love to see a rematch but Mayweather says hes going to retire, it will be interesting to see if he keeps his word.

CiKe · May 06, 2007, 09:21:48 AM

I had Mayweather by one in what was a much closer fight than I thought it would be. He initially had trouble keeping DLH off him which meant he lost the first half of the fight but I had him win four of the last five rounds as DLH tired - was very similar to the Trinidad fight in that respect.

Neither fighter really hurt the other at any time during the fight and I think it would have been a shame if DLH had won on aggression alone when the better boxing was virtually all Mayweather - as I mentioned given the disparity in size he was always going to have to fight from the outside. That said I thought Floyd could and should have been busier at times to make things more clear cut.

corn02 · May 06, 2007, 01:18:09 PM

Stayed up for the fight and glad I did, excellent match.

For the record I had Maywaether by two rounds, I am actually surprised it went to a split. He was the smarter boxer, he preserved his energy and only threw punches when the oppurtunity arose, even if De La Hoyas defence was excellent.

I am a fan of both boxers, but what a bit dissapointed with Floyd after the match, he was anything but gracious in victory. We all know that villian thing was an act before the match, probably set up by the PPV organisers, but he should of had the decency to tell DLH how good a boxer he was.

Tyrones own · May 06, 2007, 03:29:01 PM

You can take the man out of the bog..............................., kn**ker

An Laoch · May 06, 2007, 03:38:51 PM

Quote from: corn02 on May 06, 2007, 01:18:09 PM
Stayed up for the fight and glad I did, excellent match.

For the record I had Maywaether by two rounds, I am actually surprised it went to a split. He was the smarter boxer, he preserved his energy and only threw punches when the oppurtunity arose, even if De La Hoyas defence was excellent.

I am a fan of both boxers, but what a bit dissapointed with Floyd after the match, he was anything but gracious in victory. We all know that villian thing was an act before the match, probably set up by the PPV organisers, but he should of had the decency to tell DLH how good a boxer he was.

I'd echo your post on all counts. I was REALLY impressed by De La Hoya, him and Freddie Roach had a plan that very nearly worked. I've never seen Mayweather look so troubled only that Oscar ran out of puff he would have taken an undisputable decision. A very enjoyable fight though, well worth keeping the matchsticks between the eyes through the night.

behind the wire · May 06, 2007, 04:45:58 PM

sat up to watch it then nodded off after round 3 or 4 and didnt wake up again til 11th round. from what i saw of the fight i thought it looked pretty even - de la hoya looked tired in the 11th. i think if dlh way 5 years younger he would have chewed him up and spat him out.

cant say id have much time for mayweather, seems like a bit of a p***k going on about god winning the fight for him and all that. should have given de la hoya much more credit. de la hoya appeared to be a much better sportsman, he is a true legend.

one more thing:
HOW CAN ANYONE EVER SLAG OFF ROBERTO DURAN?

Galwaybhoy · May 06, 2007, 09:54:10 PM

De La Hoya is a true gentleman, one of my favourites in the sport. I'm not a fan of Mayweather outside of the ring either, not because he thanked God, dont see whats wrong with that. But he comes accross as a bit of a p***k with the way he acts. And while there is nothing worng with saying you are good at something are having that small bit of arrogance, Maywather goes compleatly overboard.

I still think De La Hoya landed way more punches last night and should have got the decision. But it was tight.

CiKe · May 07, 2007, 12:58:58 PM

Galwaybhoy DLH threw more punches but didn't land more - punch stats show Mayweather landed about 210 to DLH's 130. I know you can talk about lies, damned lies and statistics but this bears out what I thought - Mayweather was just much more economical hence his greater stamina down the stretch. I'd hazard a guess at saying that DLH probably only landed about 20-30 punches in the last four r0unds combined.

I hope Mayweather doesn't retire and fights Mosley and Cotto. Have never been that big a fan of DLH to be honest as he has gotten some very dodgy decisions in the past particularly against Whitaker, but also against Quartey (admittedly not an outright robbery) and Sturm. I know there's a lot of debate about the Trinidad fight, but for me he lost it. Haven't seen the second Mosley fight where an awful lot of people say he was robbed, so can't comment on that. End of the line for him anyway, first ballot Hall of Famer no doubt, who deserves great credit for fighting the best out there

behind the wire · May 07, 2007, 06:25:25 PM

there seems to be a few of the lads on here that know a good bit about boxing so was just wondering what would your opinions be for the top 5 boxing legends of all time. i know a bit about boxing but not near as much as some of you lads.

its just for a bit of craic to see what different people say.

mine would be:
1. muhammed ali
2. joe louis
3. ray leonard
4. tommy hearns
5. roberto duran

im sure there will be different opinions. thats just mine from my limited knowledge of boxing.

Galwaybhoy · May 07, 2007, 07:19:43 PM

I have been a fan of the sport since I first got hooked after watching Eubank vs Collins when I was only about 9 or 10 years old.

Thats a very good question behind the wire, It would take me ages to think about that. I dont really like to pick boxers that I have never really seen such as Louis and Hearns. So I'll have to think about that for awhile.

gallsman · May 07, 2007, 08:25:24 PM

From my limited enough knowledge:

1) Robinson
2) Ali
3) Louis
4) Armstrong
5) Chavez

behind the wire · May 07, 2007, 09:38:26 PM

no bother galwaybhoy, let me know what your selection would be when u have thought about it.

my picks are only from what i have read and from what i have seen on espn - love watching the old fights on espn, i definitely think the boxing was better back then.

gallsman, i forgot about ray robinson - he was definitely one of the greatest from what i have heard. dont know much about chavez or armstrong - but as i said i only have a limited knowledge. yous west belfast men could tell us a thing or two about boxing.