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Boxing
Jun 18, 2014 6:29:01 GMT -5
Post by mr. excellent on Jun 18, 2014 6:29:01 GMT -5
Can't believe there isn't a boxing thread yet. To get the ball rolling:
Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman (The Rumble in the Jungle): This classic fight saw Ali win by knockout. It took me a while to really appreciate the artistry of what Ali does. You watch footage of his old fights and maybe it's just me, or it could be the frame rate in which the cameras back then caught the action, but I never really saw Ali's speed. Going back now and taking a better look at some of his fights, this fight truly show cases what this man was capable of doing. It's beautiful, the way he anticipates punches and tilts his head so that his opponents fists whiz right past him. He makes it look so effortless. As you'll see when watching this match, Ali used his tremendously conditioned midsection to bear the brunt of Foreman's attacks as he (Ali) leaned against the ropes. He simply wore Foreman out and used his hand speed to score on George all night. One thing you have to give to Foreman is his tenacity. I haven't watched Boxing all that consistently the past few years, but growing up watching fights in the 90's, you really don't see too many fighters at Foreman's weight who were as tenacious as he was. The man simply kept coming at you, in the face of jabs, hooks, and hard uppercuts. He was like a terminator.
Muhammad Ali vs. Cleveland Williams: This fight showcases Muhammad Ali's tremendous footwork. He simply dances his way around the ring from start to finish as Williams struggles to land a single clean punch in the first three rounds. It's also an interesting look at what the sport used to allow, as Ali knocked Williams to the ground 4 times, and the referee still allowed the fight to continue. It wasn't until Ali began to land punches at will, delivering a devastating fury that virtually rendered Williams dead on his feet that the officials stopped the contest.
Mike Tyson vs. Andrew Galota: As most fight fans will agree, there were two versions of Mike Tyson. This version is not the version everyone had hoped to see as Mike tried to continue to rebuild his "invincible aura" after his infamous loss to Evander Holyfield, but it is a friendly reminder of the man's devastating raw power. I posted this fight, not because Mike ended it in spectacular fashion, but rather because his opponent forfeited the contest before beginning the third round. You can see the ring side drama before the round begins as Galota refuses to put his mouth piece back in. We're even treated to a close up of his trainers as they protest Galota's decision. "What are you doing?" says the elder trainer. "Don't you fucking do this!" says the younger while shoving the mouth guard past Galota's teeth. "You're going to disgrace yourself!" continues his elder trainer, adopting the task of force feeding Galota's mouth guard. It's a sight to see. Check it out.
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Boxing
Jun 18, 2014 16:21:52 GMT -5
Post by Webber3000 on Jun 18, 2014 16:21:52 GMT -5
Nice analyses, they're pretty fun to read through. I know my dad as well as his (my grandpa) used to be huge boxing fans. The first match you described is one of the highlights of their lives. I can only imagine how thrilling the buildup to the fight and the actual match turned out for people who were alive to witness them, it was certainly must have been a grand event.
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Boxing
Nov 23, 2014 14:01:24 GMT -5
Post by mr. excellent on Nov 23, 2014 14:01:24 GMT -5
Manny Pacquiao won his latest fight yesterday evening, against Chris Algieri. He knocked Algieri down six times, but was unable to finish the fight. I guess the fight was allowed to continue because the knockdowns were (somewhat) spread out. Here's hoping for the fight against Mayweather. Ultimately, I think Mayweather's style will give him the edge if the fight ever does happen. That being said, I dislike his antics in and out of the ring, and I'd root for Pacquiao.
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Boxing
Feb 25, 2015 21:24:00 GMT -5
Post by Webber3000 on Feb 25, 2015 21:24:00 GMT -5
Sounds like your wish has been granted, Excellent.
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Post by mr. excellent on Feb 28, 2015 20:37:48 GMT -5
Right?!?? If I had seen this the day it was announced, I probably would've rambled on in my usual fashion. Truth is, I kind of thought it was BS when it kept popping up on yahoo and msn. Let's just say I'm going to have a lovely blend of combat entertainment come May 2nd. First Avengers 2 early showings, then this, then probably Avengers again. XD Go Pacquiao!!!
With regard to classic fights, I recently watched Joe Frasier vs. George Foreman. Foreman mopped the floor with him, but you gotta wonder if Frasier had fully recovered from his fight with Ali. To get trounced that badly, after showing so much determination against Ali tells me he could have done better. Foreman was a tank though, so I dunno.
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Post by mr. excellent on Mar 1, 2015 20:17:51 GMT -5
George Foreman vs. Evander Holyfield
Admittedly, I've only seen a 6 minute highlight reel and the introduction to this video, but holy moly was it insane. The introduction alone is enough to get you going. Foreman is part of those years where heavy weights fought with the energy of today's welter weight fighters. He takes some painful looking punches and just keeps on coming. That's saying something too for a punch with a boxing glove to look painful, as many of today's fights look as though the boxers are patting each other down.
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Boxing
Jun 6, 2015 3:39:49 GMT -5
Post by mr. excellent on Jun 6, 2015 3:39:49 GMT -5
This isn't actually a fight, but I thought it was a really charming video. In it, you see Muhammad Ali having a discussion and impromptu sparring session with the legendary boxing trainer and manager Cus D'Amato. D'Amato's last success was Mike Tyson, who was undefeated while under D'Amato's tutelage. More than a trainer and manager, he actually adopted Tyson when he was 12 or 13, essentially becoming his father, the man who turned him into a world champ.
With regard to the video, there's something great in the banter between Ali and D'amato. When they start sparring, you'll be hard pressed to not be impressed with his bobbing and weaving. That peek a boo fighting style is something else. Why we don't see it more is beyond me. Or maybe it's still being widely used, but just not as much by the big names right now. I dunno.
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Post by mr. excellent on Apr 10, 2016 1:40:47 GMT -5
Manny Pacquiao won by unanimous decision against Timothy Bradley this evening, ending his career with a victory. On an unrelated note, I was looking up handspeed videos and came across this:
I am a Tyson fanboy, what can I say? *ontzz, oontz, oontz, oontz...*
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Boxing
Aug 7, 2016 16:01:04 GMT -5
Post by mr. excellent on Aug 7, 2016 16:01:04 GMT -5
This story is just ridiculous, and kind of funny.
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Boxing
Jun 14, 2017 18:09:03 GMT -5
Post by mr. excellent on Jun 14, 2017 18:09:03 GMT -5
Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor is official
Holy crap, I can't believe this is happening. This is crazier than Pacquiao vs. Mayweather. McGregor isn't even a boxer!
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Boxing
Jul 13, 2017 1:23:59 GMT -5
Post by mr. excellent on Jul 13, 2017 1:23:59 GMT -5
So the press conferences for the Mayweather vs. McGregor fight have been pretty crazy. Like practically everyone else, I don't see McGregor winning, but I'd rooting for him. As always, we'll see how it goes.
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Boxing
Aug 26, 2017 11:39:14 GMT -5
Post by mr. excellent on Aug 26, 2017 11:39:14 GMT -5
So, Mayweather vs. McGregor tonight. There are a lot of people who are super pissed this is happening. Me? I'm super excited! Sure, the fight is likely to end badly for McGregor and people will get to see Floyd put yet another feather in his cap. Still though, if somehow Conor wins I'll be very happy.
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Boxing
Aug 27, 2017 4:29:49 GMT -5
Post by mr. excellent on Aug 27, 2017 4:29:49 GMT -5
Well, Mayweather won by referee stoppage in round 10, a tko. What amazes me most about this fight is that Conor lost to his own gas tank. Yes, Floyd is the superior, more seasoned boxer, but there were those who predicted that McGregor would get utterly destroyed. Many who said that if Conor lasted past 6 rounds, it would be a disgrace to boxing. There were several who believed Conor wouldn't land a single shot. Not only did that not happen, but Conor basically started getting pieced up when his own fatigue set in. It had less to do with Mayweather's skill and almost entirely to do with his cardio. Again, a loss is a loss and while McGregor finished the fight on his feet, he most likely would've been KO'd had the fight continued. But if you look at the number of strikes McGregor landed against Mayweather, he actually hit him more times than Victor Ortiz, Ricky Hatton, Juan Manuel Marquez, Manny Pacquiao, Andre Berto, Shane Mosely, AND Miguel Cotto! That's what blows my mind, because these are fighters who are pure boxers, who have beaten Olympic Gold medalists and were world champions in the sport of boxing. Clearly, McGregor's striking has improved in his preparation for this fight, and I think that when he goes back to MMA he's going to continue to be a dominant force there. Maybe he gets a couple of losses, but if his bread and butter was striking before, just look at what he'll bring to the table now. He's certainly improved.
I suppose you could argue that Conor hit Floyd as much as he did because Floyd took an aggressive, offensive style to this fight and opened himself up for damage to maximize on doling out his own punishment (high risk, high reward). I suppose that would be valid, but the fact remains that he exceeded everyone's expectations, and he finished the fight standing, never getting knocked down once.
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Boxing
Aug 27, 2017 13:59:49 GMT -5
Post by mr. excellent on Aug 27, 2017 13:59:49 GMT -5
It's kind of frustrating, reading the silly stuff people are saying about the fight. It's the usual stuff that people say after a sporting event, throwing failed predictions in everyone's face, pointing out advantages that ended up not turning the tide in the losers favor. At the end of the day though, one can't do that and ignore their own failed predictions. The fact is that McGregor lasted 9 rounds and some of the 10th against a guy who was supposed to finish him in under six. He landed more shots on Mayweather than multiple of the world's greatest fighters. People are saying that Mayweather carried McGregor, that he could've ended the fight whenever he so chose. If that was the case though, then you'd have to say he carried his other opponents too. The only reason Floyd didn't get more aggressive and take Conor out earlier the way so many people say he could have is because he didn't want to risk getting KO'd. This is the same as when he fought Shane Mosely or Manny Pacquiao. He could've risked it, but he didn't want to lose the gamble and get KO'd himself. There's no two ways about it. I say that while fulling owning that Mayweather still marched forward in a way he hasn't done in several years, even in his more aggressive performances. Still though, if he had zero respect for Conor he would've risked it, but he didn't because he knew getting KO'd was possible.
A win is a win, but it's stupid how people want to pretend that McGregor doesn't have any skill. How people are saying Conor's early rounds don't matter because it's like winning the first 100m in a marathon. Mayweather was supposed to embarass McGregor from beginning to finish. He was supposed to win every round with ease. Yet, he was forced to wait until Conor gassed out before he took over. Make fun of Conor's cardio if you're going to make fun of something, but he went in there, defied people's expectations, and now people want to pretend they weren't wrong about several things to save face. For what? I watched the fights leading into that, and boxing is still boxing. It's a beautiful sport, Conor doing well in this fight doesn't take away from that. People simply don't want to give him his due because he's arrogant, but the truth is the truth. I don't always like the guy, entertaining as he is, but as a spectator I'll give him his due.
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Boxing
Aug 27, 2017 15:51:56 GMT -5
Post by mr. excellent on Aug 27, 2017 15:51:56 GMT -5
I think this is a fair assessment of the build up of the fight, what actually happened, and after.
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