Fights where nobody really cares who won?

:mj

 

Somebody always cares.

 

You know it's true. It's like if you criticize Floyd vs Manny as a fight, the flo-mos do get offended and they assume you are a Manny Pacquiao fan or something.

That's how heated the Floyd vs Manny rivalry still is.

 

:yep

 

I thought it was a nice chess match, people are disappointed because they set their expectations too high. Either side gets offended with that fight. One side says it was "easy work" and a blowout, the other side is making excuses. I like these guys but I wish they'd retire already.

 

I took the OPs thread title a different way, like "Who the hell cares? Neither one did anything special or deserved to win. They might have just exchanged belts in the ring shook hands and gone home there was so little difference between the two."

At least, that's what I thought after watching the Tomoki Kameda vs Jamie McDonell fight a week ago on PBC. I'd heard that there was an upset, and the heavy favorite Kameda had lost, so I was expecting some fireworks or a dramatic performance of some kind.

Four rounds in, I have all the rounds scored for Kameda plus a knockdown. McDonell is now sitting in a five point hole and I'm going "How the hell is this guy going to get out of this? He must really turn it on and get a couple of knockdowns himself later in the fight."

No. There was absolutely nothing interesting about the next 8 rounds. I have never scored so many even rounds. So many blows were parried off gloves or ducked that end of the round scores were like 5 to 6 clean landed punches. Both guys were mirroring the other and fought down to the other's level. You throw two punches, I'll throw two punches. That kind of ****.

I had it:
1. K
2. K
3. K + knockdown
4. K
5. Even, favoring K
6. Even, favoring K
7. Even, favoring K
8. K
9. Even
10. Even
11. M
12. M

The only way that McDonell wins is if you give him all the even rounds. I watched the Sky coverage which is always ludicrously biased in favor of British fighters. Even they were having a tough time scoring rounds for McDonell and complained about "so many even rounds". But they still managed to give the fight to McDonell by one point, by scoring even rounds as McDonell rounds and Kameda rounds as even 10/10s.

When all is said and done though, Kameda should have done more if he wanted to retain or gain the title. McDonell showed he was Kameda's equal; so I didn't care who won. The difference was one knockdown, so the decision probably should have gone to Kameda if the judges were fair, but really I was so disappointed in both fighters that I didn't care at the end who won.

 

I can agree that the fight was OK. It was a nice chess match at times, other times it was an ugly chess match. Their styles didn't mesh into an entertaining edge-of-your-seat fight like other big fights from the past have. That should certainly affect both Floyd and Manny's ATG status.

To be an ATG you have to have ATG fights. And it is a fact that Floyd and Pac-Man are two of the biggest boxing icons of our era. If the two best cannot produce a fight that can even hold a candle to fights from previous eras, then how can they be ranked above those established ATGs on the ATG list?

Floyd vs Pac-Man was no Leonard Duran I or Leonard Hearns I or Leonard Hagler.

Floyd vs Pac-Man was no Ali Liston I or Ali Frazier I. Those fights blow Floyd vs Pac-Man I out of the water.

All those guys should be way ahead of Floyd or Pac-Man on the ATG list for that reason alone.

 

Those fights you mentioned are definitely better than MayPac was but I disagree on your point about it affecting their legacies. A KO would elevate your legacy for sure; a poor performance and your legacy takes a hit, yes. But to imply that their legacies/ATG ranking take a hit because it wasn't exciting? I disagree. And again, I believe this all boils down to the expectations we've set out of pure anticipation. That and the fact that there's no way this 36 minute fight could live up to the 6 year build up.

I'm not trying to disrespect your opinion, I totally get why you feel that way, I just feel differently.

 

You really have outdone yourself this time.

 

Morrales/Barrera trilogy? That rivalry just about started a civil war in Mexico haha.

 

:yep

Did you look at the list my friend? The TS is a lunatic.

 

Haha ya it's a bit nuts. The Barrera/Morrales example particularly stood out to me though.

Gatti/Ward is the closest to being accurate by far, particularly the last 2 fights. 2 guys coming to the end of their line, zero bad blood between them, both loved by all, and both fully embracing the public's expectations.

 

Pac v Mayweather: Hard to get excited about a fight when you know the outcome. Pac not on Floyd's level :deal

I feel sorry for the Pac fans that thought Pac would win. Arum played you all like the gullible fools you are. You paid $100 and lost money betting on him. Ouch. At least I won four cases of beer which made up for the $15 I paid for the fight.

 

Third fight didn't need to happen

 

lol..i was actually there