Boxing Thread

Atticus_Finch · November 24, 2012, 08:27:41 PM

The only fight in town this weekend seems to be the Ricky Hatton comeback fight but there is one fight that should be commanding more media attention than it is and that is Scott Quigg vs Rendell Munroe. I've got a hunch that Carl Frampton might be interested in this one as well !

The first fight was ruled a technical draw after an accidental head clash in the third round. The pair meet in a rematch on the Hatton undercard with the winner almost certain to face Frampton next summer.

The first fight ended too early to offer any real insight into how this one might pan out. That being said I feel the first fight will benefit Quigg more than Munroe. it was a step up in class for Quigg and he now knows what Munroe is all about inside the ring. I think the fight could be quite even for the first six rounds but I am confident that Quigg will start to pull away during the 2nd half of the fight. By the second half of the fight I think Munroe will slow and Quigg will be able to counter punch his way to a fairly comfortable points decision. Munroe is a binman and being in the waste management industry myself during my students days makes me have a bit of a soft spot for him and I do rate him as a fighter. While he has never been stopped in his career before I wouldn't rule out a late stoppage for Quigg.

In the main event of the evening I think Hatton is going to have a very tough night's work ahead of him against Senchenko. He has a sizeable enough task as it is . He could have all the WD40 and brillo pads in the world but after being out of the ring for three and a half years there is bound to be quite a bit of ring rust showing in the initial period of the fight. To compound that he has had more than his fair share of well documented personal problems. Out of the list I feel that his family problems will impact him the most. He apparently hasn't spoken properly to his parents for two years, his dad was charged with assaulting him back in September. His family had been ever present at all of his fights. He lived with them until he was in his late 20s and when he moved out he only was up the road from them. This will be the first fight where both his parents are unlikely to be there and I think that will take some getting used to for him.

I believe the fight itself will prove more problematic than many other commentators think. The general consenus is that Malignaggi stopped this guy so Hatton being more powerful than Malignaggi should do the same. The only reason that Malignaggi stopped Senchenko was because he was able to go to work on a cut that Senchenko sustained early on in the fight to the extent that Senchenko could only see out of one eye.

From what i've seen of Senchenko I think he would be able to sustain quite a bit of punishment and seems to possess a solid enough jab that could cause a ring rusty Hatton a few problems tonight. It is only a ten round fight, which also leads me to believe that is likely to go the distance. I think Hatton will be the busier fighter on the night and should win by virtue of that. If it does go the distance I think he will always get the benefit of the doubt from the judges. This fight could to a large extent be a replay of his fight against Juan Lazcano. He faced Lazcano after losing his undefeated record to Floyd Mayweather Jr and the bill was treated as a home coming / comeback extravaganza which sold out the city of Manchester stadium. Hatton was given a few scares that night and ended up winning on points despite being predicted by many to win by KO and blow Lazcano away.

Fair play to Hatton for shedding the weight, stepping back into the ring again and exorcising as well as excercising a few demons along the way.

Hatton to win by decision/points 11/4 - Ladbrokes
Scott Quigg to beat Rendell Munroe 1/2 - Ladbrokes

Double pays just under 5/1.

Mickey Linden · November 24, 2012, 08:29:11 PM

Anyone else having trouble getting the Hatton fight on? This primetime is a farce of a channel

Atticus_Finch · November 24, 2012, 08:37:28 PM

http://boxingguru.eu/gurutv1.html

Was told Quigg Munroe wasn't on until 9 ! I missed it all FFS !

Quigg stopped Munroe in round 6.

All of a Sludden · November 24, 2012, 11:08:59 PM

Hatton back in to retirement, this time for good.

sammymaguire · November 24, 2012, 11:44:10 PM

What was his purse for tonight's fight, this was surely just down to his need for a few ££

gallsman · November 24, 2012, 11:51:21 PM

Quote from: sammymaguire on November 24, 2012, 11:44:10 PM
What was his purse for tonight's fight, this was surely just down to his need for a few ££

By all accounts money had nothing to do with it. Reputedly still very, very wealthy.

Tony Baloney · November 24, 2012, 11:53:45 PM

Quote from: gallsman on November 24, 2012, 11:51:21 PM
Quote from: sammymaguire on November 24, 2012, 11:44:10 PM
What was his purse for tonight's fight, this was surely just down to his need for a few ££

By all accounts money had nothing to do with it. Reputedly still very, very wealthy.

Still loaded. Reportedly back in the ring due to boredom and depression. Foolish decision.

Atticus_Finch · November 25, 2012, 01:08:37 AM

Feel bad for him. Sometimes a very thin line between success and failure. Stopped with 8 seconds left in the 9th round when he was ahead on all judges' scorecards.

He was a picture of absolute desolation after the fight. Would be genuinely concerned for his well being after that. He had said prior to the fight that he was prepared for the consequences of defeat but I doubt that is the case.

Only one other person came close to being as gutted as Hatton tonight and that was Paulie Malignaggi who saw a $1 million dollar pay day disappear with 8 seconds left of the 9th round !

Chief Whip · November 25, 2012, 05:28:09 AM

Attic us I have been following ur posts on this thread for sometime and read with great interest; it is obvious there is very little about the sweet science u do not know. Anyway could you settle an ongoing feud I am having with a friend of mine and tell me in your opinion lb for lb who was the superior boxer between sugar ray and roberto Duran?

JimStynes · November 25, 2012, 03:25:07 PM

Quote from: Chief Whip on November 25, 2012, 05:28:09 AM
Attic us I have been following ur posts on this thread for sometime and read with great interest; it is obvious there is very little about the sweet science u do not know. Anyway could you settle an ongoing feud I am having with a friend of mine and tell me in your opinion lb for lb who was the superior boxer between sugar ray and roberto Duran?

Has to be Sugar Ray

ziggy90 · November 25, 2012, 04:50:08 PM

I have to disagree, its got to be "Manos de Piedra" (my all time favourite fighter). I suppose if you mean "boxer" and not "fighter" most people would plug for Leonard, but I'll always remember the way the young Duran "battered" the great Ken Buchanan. That fight changed all my previous perceptions of the "Noble Art".

Atticus_Finch · November 25, 2012, 05:48:34 PM

Hatton spoke of Duran in the build up to this fight and cited him as a reason for his comeback. In Hatton's gym hangs a picture of him and Duran. This wasn't the Duran you may have saw at ringside at the fight last night but a pre-surgery Duran who wasn't far off the size of Jabba the house. A reporter put it to Hatton that when that picture was taken was he disappointed by the condition of the boxing legend. Hatton replied that no matter what Roberto Duran would be a hero of his but at the same time he could see how people would have looked at him with pity at what he had become. Hatton didn't ever want anyone to look at him that way and after reaching 15 stone for a 5ft 6 guy he felt that people were now looking at him that way.

So from that point of view last night could be regarded as a success. Hatton had a fight on his hands before he even stepped into the ring last night and that was won by him stepping into the ring.

I didn't agree with Hatton's comeback but can fully understand his reasons for doing so. Ultimately he needed to remove the "What ifs" from his head and hear the adulation of his fans again. There's no other song I hate more than "Hatton wonderland" but if you youtube the Hatton vs Mayweather weigh in you can not underestimate what a fanatic following he had. When he stepped away from the ring there was a hole in his life which he tried to patch with being a promoter and trainer but I think he needed to step through the ropes one last time to know in his head that it was time to hang up the gloves.

Would agree with Ziggy - I would have Duran as the better p4p fighter out of the two.

I can see why anyone would go for Leonard; out of the fights between them Leonard got the upper hand but taking all of both fighters careers into account then I would have to go for Duran.

He fought in five different decades and even when he was past his best he fought the best around.

He lit up the boxing world like few other characters could have, he was a brawler that would be ready to employ any tactics necessary to come out on top. The Ken Buchannan fight that Ziggy mentions below is famous for Duran punching Buchanan in the balls, a manoeuvre he got away with. In Christian Giudice's excellent biography on Duran, "Hands of Stone", Buchanan said he thought of Duran everytime he goes for a piss !

Another great book on not only Duran but the remainder of the famous quartet that he was a part of (Leonard, Hagler and Hearns) is George Kimball's "Four Kings".

If you want a good book for christmas, even as a non-boxing fan I don't think you could go wrong with either of the above.

From reading Four Kings you will realise that while Duran and Leonard were great fighters and would have been so in any era, it was the great rivalry they shared (along with Hagler and Hearns) which made them truly great. Great fighters need great rivalries, otherwise no matter what their record is it will always be asked of them, "who did they actually fight?" e.g. Joe Calzaghe.

On the subject of fighters with great rivalries, the 24/7 series on Pacquiao vs Marquez IV has started recently and makes for great viewing as always:

Episode 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh4P8E-4210

Episode 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V17WHWQ7Fdg&feature=plcp (Part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njMhUNNRLU8&feature=plcp

ziggy90 · November 25, 2012, 09:24:28 PM

Good post AF, I never knew about those books I'll have to try and get a hold of them. Btw I think we were so lucky to live through what was probably the "Golden Age" of boxing.

The Iceman · November 26, 2012, 01:21:00 AM

Fortunately the Golden age you speak of was as you say in our time. Although I was only 2 when Leonard fought Duran I grew up on Hearns and Hagler and Leonard and Duran. Tyson then filled that void and so many great warriors.
Boxing today still has some stars and some moments but doesn't spark the same interest in me anymore. I much prefer MMA now but I will gladly sit down and watch the older fights of my youth.

Feel sorry for Hatton - he has a long way to go I would imagine to accepting defeat and ultimate retirement... an awful way to go out...

Mikhail Prokhorov · November 26, 2012, 01:24:48 AM

Quote from: Chief Whip on November 25, 2012, 05:28:09 AM
Attic us I have been following ur posts on this thread for sometime and read with great interest; it is obvious there is very little about the sweet science u do not know. Anyway could you settle an ongoing feud I am having with a friend of mine and tell me in your opinion lb for lb who was the superior boxer between sugar ray and roberto Duran?

long drawn out posts do not an expert make!