Boxing Megathread

[Bigdoggsteel]

Who have ye got in the UFC Saturday night? 

[tomphil]

The Wilder v Fury stage managed let's slag off Joshua & Hearn Roadshow  ?

Cringeworthy, embarrassing and fake.

I'll comment no more on this pair until the fight, one I still expect to fall through somehow .........

[Bigdoggsteel]

14 hours ago, tomphil said:

The Wilder v Fury stage managed let's slag off Joshua & Hearn Roadshow  ?

Cringeworthy, embarrassing and fake.

I'll comment no more on this pair until the fight, one I still expect to fall through somehow .........

It was so cringe. 

Fury actually said at the end "there is no fury like Tyson fury and he meant it in a threatening way" It sounded so ridiculous 

[tomphil]

39 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

It was so cringe. 

Fury actually said at the end "there is no fury like Tyson fury and he meant it in a threatening way" It sounded so ridiculous 

All the pics of them sat on a sofa together backstage laughing and joking after their little stand off in front of the cameras.  Pathetic but the Yanks will swallow all that WWF type fake crap and love it.

[donnermeat]

On 01/10/2018 at 14:38, Bigdoggsteel said:

Who have ye got in the UFC Saturday night? 

2nd round stoppage for McGregor.

[Bigdoggsteel]

3 hours ago, donnermeat said:

2nd round stoppage for McGregor.

I think the exact same.

I honestly think Mcgregor has got to Khabib mentally. He did not look healthy last night. I know the weight cuts are crazy, but only one of the 2 looked in good shape to me 

[donnermeat]

1 hour ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

I think the exact same.

I honestly think Mcgregor has got to Khabib mentally. He did not look healthy last night. I know the weight cuts are crazy, but only one of the 2 looked in good shape to me 

Conor has looked in great shape this week and Khabib has a history of struggling with weight cuts too. I tend to agree with McGregor getting to him mentally because he left at the earliest conceivable opportunity last night, it was a shame they didn't share the stage though. 

For me also Khabib doesn't set up his takedowns using clever footwork and striking, but a combination of a fundamental set up and then wading in and grabbing hold of something. It helps when his opponents aren't on their full striking game because they are wary of his stellar grappling game. I feel he will need to be a lot cuter than that against McGregor whose judgment of distance, timing and coupled with his accuracy are as good as anybody in mixed martial arts. That being said I still think he will take him down at some point in the bout.

But this is combat sports, anything is possible! I could be talking out of my arse!

Edited October 5, 2018 by donnermeat

[tomphil]

Don't follow the UFC stuff and only became aware of McGregor because of the Mayweather farce but to wake up and see he was beaten gives me a warm glow.

[Norbert Rassragr]

According to the BBC it all went mental after the winner started to fight McGregor's team,which in turn led to a small riot. UFC is half way between WWE and boxing, so it will no doubt be spun into a rematch.

[Vinjay]

I haven't followed Wilder v Fury but there's certainly nothing fake about the Khabib/McGregor feud. When the bus attack happened I refused to get all moralistic about it considering it's a sport where people fight in cages. Grudges are what sell boxing and MMA fights for me and for many other people. Trash talk and anti-social actions aren't a bad thing in such circumstances. I have nothing against Khabib either though and there's no doubt he deserved to win that fight. It's not like he was dominated for the duration prior to the submission. Announcers seemed biased to me (sure they mentioned it before or afterwards and they did use footage of the bus attack at some point in the buildup) with no mention of McGregor's actions so others will sympathise with Khabib as well. The bus attack had "been and gone" some might say...well that's ridiculous how do you forget something like that?

The main point is that the Nevada Commission are involved in this so who knows what will happen? The UFC can hardly punish Khabib (to a greater extent than McGregor) though judging by the press conference that's clearly not going to happen. I'm not sure what kind of "in house" actions the UFC usually take once the commissions are done delivering their punishments. I know enough to realise it won't be anything greater.

Shameful? I'm disappointed there wasn't a bigger riot. The UFC shouldn't be bothered as it was contained relatively quickly yet still being viewed as one (and perhaps THE) of the craziest moments in the history of the promotion. Guess McGregor will be expected to beat a couple of top contenders though before he gets an immediate rematch. Not to mention if Khabib isn't stripped (and from UFC's standpoint that's obviously going to be decided on the length of any suspension) McGregor isn't going to be the no 1 contender is he? Would they consider a non-title match? I'm not sure about that as I don't watch enough UFC to guess but it seems like one way to sell the fight without giving McGregor an undeserved shot at the belt.

Don't agree either with Dana White saying that Khabib/McGregor should have shaken hands afterwards. Even if things had been relatively calmer (after the fight) refusing to shake hands, congratulate, etc obviously wasn't hard to predict.

Edited October 7, 2018 by Vinjay17

[blueboy3333]

The angry man jumping out of the ring is the guy who won! He was attacking McGregor's coach. Khabib's coaches were in the ring attacking McGregor seconds later.

Gentlemen.  

[blueboy3333]

 

[tomphil]

Someone clued up on it on twitter claims Mcgregor threw the first punch at one of the other guys team which would be standard for him. Seems these lot really don't like each other but the foul mouthed little jerk seems to have bitten off more than he can chew in and out of the cage here.

Karma and all that !

[Mike E]

Morons on fb comparing McGregor to Muhammad Ali!

Ali was far better in his own sport, transcended it completely, was far more humble, and has a lasting legacy!

McGregor is a flash in the pan, and clearly a prick.

[Vinjay]

18 minutes ago, tomphil said:

Someone clued up on it on twitter claims Mcgregor threw the first punch at one of the other guys team which would be standard for him. Seems these lot really don't like each other but the foul mouthed little jerk seems to have bitten off more than he can chew in and out of the cage here.

Karma and all that !

Yes someone mentioned that (when people claimed McGregor hadn't done anything inflammatory) but the main cameras missed it. Not on purpose but as with many things there's a story behind the story that is the story. I guess some people think Khabib should have been the "bigger man" (and that winning the fight fair and square was the best way to react) but he pointed out McGregor's insults in the post fight press conference. I'm not saying either should be up for a sportsmanship award lol but it's cage fighting not synchronised swimming for crying out loud.  

[Vinjay]

26 minutes ago, Mike E said:

Morons on fb comparing McGregor to Muhammad Ali!

Ali was far better in his own sport, transcended it completely, was far more humble, and has a lasting legacy!

McGregor is a flash in the pan, and clearly a prick.

Oh come on he was an absolute egomaniac at his peak. What next he won a nobel prize award for race relations? Yes he was more humble afterwards (which a cynical person could say was because of his illness though who knows for sure) but perhaps McGregor will be as well. For goodness sake even Mike Tyson has calmed down somewhat (when his Daughter died you may have expected him to be pushed back over the edge but that didn't happen) so it's not hard to believe McGregor might. Speaking of Tyson he's exactly the type of draw I'm talking about. Had I been older at the time I would have watched all of his PPV fights because he was a lunatic and unpredictable. Not to mention one of the funniest people to ever exist. Whoever came up with "Mike Tyson mysteries" (basically Mike Tyson solving mysteries in a Scooby Doo type show) is a mad genius really. Speaking of which I should watch more episodes. I don't think McGregor is anywhere near as funny though you could argue the bus attack was Tyson level crazy.

I'm not condemning Ali as you say he transcended boxing and proved the primary selling points in the "fight game" are conflict and trash talk. Some things are supposed to be escapism and for me trash talk and anti-social actions in sports like boxing/MMA should be seen as exactly that. I'm not going to be moralistic about fights in rings/cages that sell violence. OK it takes skill as well but that ranks behind grudges/trash talk and violence for many people. I don't typically watch boxing/MMA fights for the sake of violence itself (though it can add to a grudge match) but it's certainly more of a draw for me than skill or sportsmanship.

 

Edited October 7, 2018 by Vinjay17

[Vinjay]

This article pretty much sums up my argument besides the author being the condemning tone. 

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/martin-rogers/2018/10/07/ufc-229-brawls-black-eye-khabib-nurmagomedov-conor-mcgregor/1555747002/

As I say boxing/UFC should be viewed as escapism. Fighters don't "owe" things to their fans in the same way others do. They put themselves on the line physically (well some shirk a bit but not all) isn't that enough? I guess you could say footballers do that (after all it's physical exertion) but it's hardly as dangerous is it? Would you rather have personalities in boxing/MMA or for all fighters to be like many footballers are? Boring corporate robots/puppets in most cases and even those who have some personality are often charmless scum (John Terry and numerous Man United players for instance though I will concede Cantona could be funny) who are completely devoid of humour and would stab anyone in the back. Corporations hurt far more people with their unethical behaviour than fighters do. OK some corporations are in the entertainment industry themselves but still the point is clear. 

Yes it's violence but boxing/MMA is often disciplined violence. Look at how many professional boxers (probably quite a lot would be my guess) found a way off the streets and into the boxing gym or wherever. 

Edited October 7, 2018 by Vinjay17

[Mike E]

I don't like comparing MMA with WWE but (for the sake of argument) without fans, the sport doesn't exist. So MMA fighters certainly DO owe the fans a hell of a lot for their money.

As you say, mind, the same goes for all sports to varying degrees and all are essentially a form of escapism.

I think McGregor goes for the kind of cheap shots (outside the octagon) that Ali would never have touched. I think comparing him to Mayweather would be accurate, both a bit loutish, gobby, and utter pillocks.

Personally think the 'brawl' was straight out of the WWE 'we need a rematch' playbook.

[tomphil]

5 hours ago, Vinjay17 said:

Yes someone mentioned that (when people claimed McGregor hadn't done anything inflammatory) but the main cameras missed it. Not on purpose but as with many things there's a story behind the story that is the story. I guess some people think Khabib should have been the "bigger man" (and that winning the fight fair and square was the best way to react) but he pointed out McGregor's insults in the post fight press conference. I'm not saying either should be up for a sportsmanship award lol but it's cage fighting not synchronised swimming for crying out loud.  

Yep and just like boxing the promoters encourage them and give them exposure to wind each other up to the hilt in order to sell fights then act all shocked and disgusted when it all goes bananas.  A lot of these guys are like angry pit bulls absolutely loaded with testosterone by the time they fight after all the training, abstinence and supplements ( legal or not)

They are as you say fighting machines coming to fight to the bitter end in some cases so when they reprimand and fine these guys as they should they should also take a look at the promotion and promoters and reel them in as well from their percentages.

No one wants to see handshakes and hugs all the time but there's a line and they all seem to be trying to outdo each other now outside the ring/cage more than they do in it.

Edited October 7, 2018 by tomphil

[Vinjay]

OK but in Boxing and MMA there's quite a number of fans who are just bloodthirsty. Do you owe those type of people anything? Also it's not the same people there week in and week out. Certainly many sports are escapism (something like golf has always been a bit pretentious which is probably why so many footballers partake in it) but don't really think football counts. Not for me anyway even when it wasn't a chore it was still more important than that. Obviously there's always been games where I don't have preference either way besides not being boring. I didn't care who won this fight (McGregor isn't even British not that it would have made any difference anyway) though did have a touch of sympathy for some of the backlash that Khabib received. Plus he clearly deserved to win so it's hard to really look past that isn't it?

Also both fighters clearly enjoy what they do (talking about the actual MMA here not the other stuff lol) and put effort into it. I guess you could say that McGregor already has so much money that fines, lawsuits, etc over that bus incident don't matter that much. I don't know how much money Khabib has accumulated though I think it was reported it's 2 million for this fight. Right now of course it's being withheld. Perhaps the fine won't be that much and he will receive most of it but don't think they are purely money over effort. Certainly not at this point and maybe not at any point. Some people retire too late but is that really because they just want to grab another payday? Sometimes but not always and I don't think either of these 2 would take that route. 

 

Edited October 7, 2018 by Vinjay17

[wolfie]

Joe Rogan interviews Tyson Fury

Fury talking about mental health, his life after the Wlad, the Wilder fight

Interesting stuff, very open and honest

Edited October 26, 2018 by wolfie

[tomphil]

Credit to Fury opening up but I still think there is more to it all than meets the eye and I don't see why his two year back dated steroid ban gets swept under the carpet when every other fighters gets brought to the fore.........

Anyone who's suffered from genuine mental health illness or knows someone who does knows you can't just switch it on and off. Self loathing and self abuse does often follow when someone knows they've severely made a mess of things and it is odd in his case how the min that ban ended and the prospect of ten million quid opened up again he suddenly felt better than he'd ever done !

I also don't think mental illness should be used as a marketing tool they way Frank warren has with this, another obnoxious toerag.

Anyway whatever has really gone on it is good to see Fury fit and well and about to fight at top level again after all the noise he's made about it for the past three years, no hiding place now and despite my dislike of the guy he's a genuine chance v one trick pony Wilder although I do think his time out and overhype will probably catch up with him in the later stages of that fight if it gets there.

[Gav]

Tyson better perform better than Hughey did on Saturday night tomphil, a terrible performance, he's nothing but a big lump with no boxing skills at all, i'd have beaten him.

[tomphil]

When I watched Hughie v Sam Sexton at British level last fight out I thought he was good, better than his cousin at the same age who mostly looked crap until he fought Chisora 2 & Klitschko.   Seems the difference is one is capable of stepping it up but the other isn't but to be fair he's only 24 and Pulev despite his lack of action recently is still one of the best out there at the min.

Hughie's suffering like Eubank jnr from deluded dad syndrome who's desperate to get him in the ring with Joshua and get some huge dosh. I think that would be akin to sending his boy to an alter to be served up though.  He needs to stay at British level then go after 2nd level world heavies first and maybe have a dance with Chisora himself and the likes of Takam.

[Bigdoggsteel]

On 26/10/2018 at 19:12, wolfie said:

Joe Rogan interviews Tyson Fury

Fury talking about mental health, his life after the Wlad, the Wilder fight

Interesting stuff, very open and honest

Very open about cheating on his wife also!