Cruiserweight and Heavyweight thread.

Richard Riakporhe and 16-0 Tommy Welch, November 15.

I don't know anything about Welch and he looks like a domestic level guy, but Riakporhe ain't that good, and totally unproven at heavy, so hopefully he's training to for a Rocky moment.

 

Riakporhe should win that one. Riakporhe isn't great but he did beat some solid gatekeepers at CW, and he does have a lot of natural power.

Welch's record at 16-0 is incredibly padded, and he doesn't even look great to the eye. Like Hysa.

 

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They've changed their tune.

 

He's still a work in progress, got to move him carefully while he's developing

 

Can a Pulev rematch be conjured somehow?

 

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"but fell through"

AKA Warren didn't really want to make those fights happen. He's doing great promotion making it appear as if top contenders don't want to face Itauma when in reality he's just not ready to toss him in the deep end yet.

 

Hard to think of a non champion who's played the game better than Pulev has. Two mandatory cashouts against Wlad and AJ, easy "title" won against Charr in front of his home crowd. He's definitely going to secure one more good payday before bowing out. That's a given considering how his career has gone thus far.

 

This is exactly right.

Also, Hunter or Adeleye pretty much means Adeleye.

 

Agreed. But I'd be more than happy to see Hunter cashed out. I respected his early career but now just want to see him get knocked out of the picture.

But if he did beat Itauma ... credit to him

 

Hunter seemed to fall off completely after Povetkin. There's the Pre-Covid Hunter and Post Covid Hunter. The former was a giant slayer of sorts who was exciting, active and consistently in good fights. The latter is lethargic, inactive and always in dull and boring fights(not to mention fights constantly falling through) I'm tired of hearing about him as well, and just want to see someone get rid of him at this point.

 

Miller or Zhang talks falling though sucks. I'd love to have seen Itauma against one of the two.

Itauma V Adeleye is such a mismatch.

 

Any idea of him actually fighting is out of the question. Something WILL derail it.

 

Hunter and his dropping out / fight cancellations are becoming the stuff of legend.