2 four rounders, a 6 rounder then straight into a 12 rounder alphabet inter belt against a soft opponent. Another soft 12 rounder picking up other Inter/Regional belts. Then his first name, Montell Griffin, to get the rounds in. A 10 rounder followed by Byron Mitchell for more belts. Then in his 9th fight a WBA shot. It did not work out, but in a rematch he achieved his target. Not bad for someone who did not turn pro until November 2007. I suspect many of our pros could do the same. Degale/Groves/Jeffries could easily be ready for Steiglitz by the Summer. Khan took 4 years, but he fought to infrequently when he turned pro, and if h had pushed on earlier he could have got there earlier.
Talented ams can be moved along at that speed. I've no doubt that young Scott Cardle who fought in the worlds recently would beat most of the guys in the top ten in the UK with a little adaption.
If they are good enough, stick them in. You don't graduate from Oxford and take a job playing with crayons and doing potato paintings, do you? You'd only get sloppy and pick up bad habits, see Groves's last fight as an example.
He was brought up nicely but he promotes himself,now in copromotion with Golden Boy and had the advantage of fighting names past they're best. Griffing,Mendoza and Mitchell were all shadows of what they were. After his last fight it's hard to call him a world champ when he gets a gift like that.
You got that from teddy atlas or myself quoting it, as you say tho, there is **** all to learn fighting bums. Imagine the great kindelan fighting some lithuanian?
The cruiserweight division does not count due to it's shitness. Hopefully we get Hide in there to clean up....In all fainess though he has done great but now the hard fights start.
I think this kid's done great, I feel he's the possibly the weakest champion in the division BUT I feel he'll only get better as he goes along, I'd stay away from Cloud,Pascal and Brahmer for now an concentrate on someone like the winner of Mack V Johnson or a Travis Simms or some up coming super middles?? I wouldn't risk him with Campillo again as I think he'll lose..:-( Good luck to him though and it's an unbelivable achivement what he's accomplished..:good
Bellew how tall are you? Thought you were about 6' 1 and read you were a little taller then saw recently that you are 6' 4?
Sorry thought he was a cruiser. atsch No idea why because I have been talking about the kid since he turned pro on the Euro forum.
I actually wonder whether his career route cost him against Campillo. He seems to have no idea about fighting rounds at a consistent pace. He blew his load twice in the early rounds. He didn't seem to be mature enough to learn from the mistake and correct it for the rematch either. Perhaps he got there 3, 4 maybe 5 fights too soon. Okay, so it didn't actually cost him because he got a gift but that hurts his rep because nobody thinks he deserves to be a champ.
