A division with nobody world class? :huh What's your definition of world class, top 20 p4p? Very strange opinion to hold. For me at least, if you have beaten fellow top contenders in the world in your division i.e in around top 5, you are by definition, world class. I agree it is one of the poorest divisions, after Cruiserweight imo.
You could be the best in a division, but it could be full of poor fighters. If you compare the best at super-feather to the best at lightweight the gulf is huge. World class needs to account for skills and level of competition.
I'm not disagreeing with you that's it's a poor division and most of the top 10 of 130 would be beaten by the top 135's. I just find your definition of world class strange.
Burns has got Katsidis just at the right time for a win to be meaningful to him....Kat on the drop but not shot. If Ricky can get through the first three rounds then I think that he has a real chance to win this....people talking about brutal, anal **** are idiots. Burn's is not going to be physically disadvantaged in there, is much much fresher and he does have the skills to keep the one trick pony Katsidis off of him. Burns wins this comfortably down the stretch.
Katsidis last 5 results: Lozada W KO, Guerrero L UD, Marquez L TKO, Mitchell W TKO and Escobedo W SD Burns: Cook W TKO, Laryrea W TKO, Evensen W UD, Martinez W UD and *ahem Al-Hamidi PTS
Im not sure how its strange its based on the only real criteria you can have for assessing it. If I was to set up my own division with only me in it, then am I world class? Of course not. World class is based on who youve fought and how you did against them. If youre arguing that Martinez is world-class because he beat Nicky Cook, Id offer that maybe your definition of world-class is the odd one. Ricky Burns, nice guy that he is, is just not a world-class fighter. Take away Martinez and his wins are all domestic and euro-level type fighters. Martinez is really a euro-level guy himself.
The thing is though Elvis..What had Martinez done to become number 1? I had him just about in the top 10, watching him struggle against fighters who aren't even in the top 20 in the division showed me that Martinez was not genuine world class.
He'll make his usual bollocks of "WELL, YE CANNAE BLAME ME FER BACKIN MA MAN - YOUS URR ALL HATERS AN IF YEEZ DIDNAE HATE THE SCOTS RICKU CULDUV WUN THIS FIGHT" He often admits he's completely blind when it comes to Scots fighters. The fact he thought Duran had nothing left against Buchanan and that why the mean-spirited ****er nailed Ken's **** says everything about how he perceives the world through tartan-tinted glasses.
Did you not know, beating Nicky Cook makes you world class. In these ****wits' eyes, Ricky has beaten two world-class fighters!
You had him just inside your top 10? What was your list then may I ask? In my opinion, you're vastly overestimating the standard of fighters at SFW if you only had the Martinez of before the Burns fight "just about in the top 10".
nah, if Ricky beats Kat it only proves Rickys 'fringe european level' and that Kats was 'shot to ****' if you listen to the twisted logic in this joint Oh aye, & Martinez was crap aswell, why? Cos Burns beat him, thats why!!! Cos Burns is fringe european at best I tell ya!!!! Nah make that domestic!!!! How dare he fight this dribbling punch drunk wreck of a man Katsidis!!! But thats how bad Ricky is, cos this past his prime train wreck of a punchy patsy who only has a big punch left will still spark Burns!!!! Seriously, you couldnt make it up in here nowadays:nut
I want Ricky to win, but I think he's getting stopped inside 4 rounds. I dont think he has the strength to stop Katsidis doing what he wants, dont think he has the power to hurt him and I dont think he has enough skill to really outbox Katsidis. One thing Ricky usually always has over his opponents is fitness, but Katsidis is as fit as it gets. I hope Ricky wins and I'll happily eat crow for my **** prediction, but I cant see this fight making halfway, and I think its over in 4.