I'm happy that Rees has got his shot at the big time. He is a very skilled and underrated operator. At a very good level. But not Broner's level. He's getting HURT here. I wish him the best. Victory would be fantastic. Most of us here will be rooting for him. But he's taking a beating. I will happily point out that Rees is a better fighter than Scott Harrison was in his supposed 'prime'.
rees isn't a world class fighter i'v been saying this forever, ppl think he's improved under gary lockett and all but who exactly has he beaten which has inspired such confidence in his ability, nearly every opponent hes been in with has been made to order. if murray was able to face him earlier this month i can assure you rees would never be in contention for fighting broner, murray would have taken him out.
This reminds me of the Rhodes vs Alvarez build up on here, the Englishman an underdog but because he's well liked on here many people will build up his hopes much like they did for Rhodes. I think Rees will get a spanking just like Rhodes did..... Hope I'm wrong but that's my analysis based on both boxers.
Nobody in their right mind gave Ryan Rhodes a chance. Nobody can seriously be giving Rees one either. But it's just nice to see Rees get a reward like this and there IS at least a chance he can put a decent effort in and come out of it with some respect over the pond even if gets stopped.
Rhodes left it way too late for his big chance.....he actually gave it away years earlier when he was daft enough to move up to middleweight, that ruined him. Rees probably wont win but he hasn't let the bus pass by like Rhodes did
I doubt many people on here give him much of a chance, but he's a decent lad and if he can put on a good show he could easily get a few good paydays in the future which he fully deserves.
I agree with a few comments on here, but not all. I'll put in a few comments of my own. Feel free to respond. 1. Adrien Broner is a great fighter, but he's not at that elite level yet. He has quite a few more fights to come and he's not a Marquez, Pacman or Mayweather just yet. The potential is there though. He's not a household name in the UK or anything. 2. If you had a stable of fighters, would you try and hype them up, market them to the public and build rivalries? Is that good promotion? Would you build fighters profiles, put them in winnable fights for titles and big purses? Or would would put them in tough fights where they could be ruined, for low\medium purses? 3. Burns is a double WBO champ, good fighter. If you were him, would you take 3 or 4 easier WBO defences for good money, being top of the bill in your own country, or would you jump straight in and fight a very dangerous opponent (but not a huge name yet) abroad for a larger purse\but not Millions? 4. Rees has a great chance to earn a decent purse and raise his profile even more. He can gain from defeat and easily go back to the level he was already on. He could even win - it's not impossible. 5. Timing is important. If your facing a very dangerous mandatory challenger (very high risk\low reward) and don't want to vacate, then you might as well then take the bigger fights that are out there, or move up in weight and take a less difficult route to another world title. You can call it ducking, but in reality it's also prolonging a career and maximising earnings. No-one would want a harder job for less pay would they? 6. Add in that some fighters don't travel well, contracts, options, fighters injuries and late pull outs and you can see why some fights are so difficult to make. If you are popular, can sell out venues, then take the easiest fights you can for the biggest purses possible. This is rational, is it not? Risk versus reward and all that? :huh