Ricky Burns

:deal

You'd think that would go without saying, but some of these UK fans will not give up the delusion that Ricky heroically snatched victory from the jaws of defeat by showing heart/grit/determination/perseverance etc., which is apparently something they don't expect from professional fighters. If the roles were reversed (which they wouldn't be because you would have to carry Ricky out on a stretcher before he ever quit) all you would be hearing is that "Gonzalez is lucky Burns was injured, Burns dominated the entire fight and was unlucky." And they would be right.

Ricky got lucky and won. He did so while displaying heart/grit/determination/perseverance etc., but without that luck, he would have lost. There's a lot of work to be done and overlooking that (and avoiding a rematch) is not the way forward. I'm expecting Hearn to cash him in with domestic fights and then a unification vs. Vasquez. It's a shame, because if he dedicated himself to training exclusively for Gonzalez and pulled off a rematch win, he would be that much more prepared for Vasquez (who would beat him badly right now) and anyone else in the division.

I feel like Hearns and co. are going to rush forward and make the most money possible off him before feeding him to Vasquez. If he wins, great, they have a star, if not oh well, they've already made a ton off him and can still use him as a domestic attraction.

 

Totally agree.

A rematch at some point down the road will be nice. And honestly, with Frank's Vasquez debacle earlier on this year, that's another opponent Ricky will need matching up with next. Eddie's very thankful for Broner's move up to welterweight, but he has to put Ricky in with the remaining best. I'd like to see that Terence Crawford come back down to 135 and make noise, and see if Ricky will fight him at some point.

 

Not covering yourself in glory on this campaign, are you?

I do expect grit and determination from a champion. Ricky had it. Jose didn't. End of debate, really. Nothing delusional about it, unless you want to discredit the fact that one man wanted to fight on and the other didn't.

 

Gonzalez doesn't deserve it. He quit when he was well ahead because he didn't want to fight through adversity. He blew his chance.

 

Great post.

Good to see read some rational thinking around here amongst all the spin and Burns broke his heart bollocks.

Having said that a wins a win for Ricky. I think rather then chasing Vasquez in September which is a fight i think he'd lose, he's much better of fighting Gavin Rees in Scotland for a nice bit of change and then in December or early 2014 go for GAMBOA in America on HBO for a big payday then maybe retire healthy having been a two weight world champion which is something only a handful of British boxers have ever achieved.

 

I'm pretty much the only person who predicted that Gonzalez would seriously trouble Burns, so there's that.

And while I agree with the point you're making in the last statement, you seem to want to discredit the fact that one man was injured and the other wasn't. If Gonzalez had quit without an injury then I'd be right there with you.

Again, adversity is to be expected, a wrist injury isn't. And i won't even argue that Gonzalez deserves a rematch. I'm saying it would serve Burns well to give him one. The obvious problem and the elephant in the room that nobody wants to address is that if that rematch happened, there's absolutely no indication that Burns would win, seeing as how Gonzalez is a much better boxer.

 

Can we all agree that the wrist excuse was bull**** then? He simply lacked heart, conditioning and experience. I've watched it back several times and there's no sign of injury in the last two rounds. He throws both hands, just without the precise timing and explosiveness he threw them with earlier in the fight. His legs are wary and he goes back to his corner looking dejected. After the ref waves it off and his gloves are removed, there's no sign of his coaches being gentle with his wrist. His coach just looks pissed off at him for chucking it.

He was about as good a contender I've seen in recent years though, classy as they come and a throw back to the smooth boxer punchers of the 80's. He would give anyone in in the world fits, not just Burns. A shame it appears he is lacking a champions heart though.

 

Dont see any reason for a rematch,unless Gonzalez wins a version and its a unification.Gonzalez was ahead on points but was outlasted by Burns and retired.Would be surprised if they ever fought again.For me he was Burns best opponent yet,and this showed he can mix in a class above,possibly learned from it alsnwards and upwards.

 

as the greatest of all time once said the will has to be greater than the skill in gonzalez case it wasnt in rickys case it was

 

Interesting. Because if it turns out he wasn't injured then what the **** :huh

 

It was an excuse. He quit because he had shot his load and couldn't deal with not being on top.

 

Simple his goose was cooked

 

KillSomething,Just for the record,I predicted exactly the same as you from the start mate,though thought Burns would win on points.

 

I don't think that's a plausible explanation. He just didn't have the look of a gassed fighter. I'm not denying he was tired, but he didn't seem gassed or rocked to me at all. Nowhere near the point of quitting. I find the hand excuse much more likely. As early as round 7 he was constantly switching stances and only throwing the left lightly.

Good man :good. I had my money on "not Burns inside the distance" and a small amount on Gonzalez decision and draw.