Apart from a few are very mentally weak compared when it comes to top level fights when the going gets tough. Bradley and Ward have that Hagler mentality which i love and is unique in itself but at same time we see the likes of Dawson,Berto,Alexander who cry foul as soon as the fight isn't going to there desired plans. The lack of Current World Champions that they have is stark realization that U.S Boxing is struggling to produce the gems' of yesteryear. Over the past 18-24 months HBO has tried to force a select number of fighters upon the public as the next big things in boxing. It's clear to see that they've not only picked the wrong fighters as stars but also highlighted the current derth of talent currently operating at Top Level Professional Boxing. I feel they've more a less stumbled upon Bradley as part of there new era. The mental make up of the select stars such as Ortiz, Berto, Dawson and Alexander is highly worrying considering they've put a lot of time and effort into these guys. Bradley will probably never get the credit he deserves from the masses because of his style but he's every bit of what a champion should be and him and Ward are the benchmark for what champions should be. Both men are Leaders of the New School of Stars. Although Ward is talented he's not the next coming of the great's of other era's such as RJJ,SRL,SRR but what he and Bradley bring to the table is the ability to adapt and perfect and develop all round skills there very much from the Hagler/Hopkins Mindset. ''Where there's a Will there's a Way!'' Whether it's the money that's made the guys become safety first or the fear of losing U.S Boxing is struggling to create the all round stars and is now lending themselves to developing and hyping more foreign fighters. I thought i'd put my thoughts for once and see what you lads think of the new school of U.S fighters. There's truly a difference in mindsets from past and present U.S fighters and it goes to really show that Boxing is now developing more stars away from what was once the great breeding ground of stars! Kevin Cunningham on Alexander prior to the fight last night ''He's a mixture of Hagler and Floyd Mayweather''. Well Hagler would never of done what he done last night. So much for the tough upbringing aye.. Your Thoughts.
good points, though it dident do him any good, he bashed heads on the left side and complained about the other.:huh:good
I still think Williams has a lot to offer as well, was no shame in being caught by a fantastic fighter in Martinez. Hopefully he can some good tests in 2011 and maybe get himself a 3rd fight with him. I'm looking forward to seeing what Manny can do with Dawson too. Tavoris Cloud looks to have a good mentality and doesn't shy away from a scrap and we have the return of Kirkland this year, hopefully he hasn't lost too much. We'll see what Rios is made when he faces Acosta, bound to have some tricky moments there (think Acosta beats him actually) I suppose it does show how much mental strength matters in big fights. The likes of Dawson, Ortiz and Alexander are very good fighters but their attitudes in the ring will always hold them back. Good thread. :good
Theres no regional title system. You have various NABF and NABO titles but there are meaningless. Always won and instantly vacated, no mandatory defences. The Domestic to European title route is proven to breed better fighters. If there was a State, US and North American titles it would create a deeper talent pool of US fighters. This for me is the major problem with US boxing. If the Peterson brothers, Ortiz, Jacobs had gone through 2-3 North American title fights agaisnt tough opponents before there world title shots would they have done better? Almost deffinatley.
i think putting dawson in that list of quitters is unfair to dawson, he never quit against pascall and was coming on very strong, the rest of them quit like bitches
I didn't put him a quitters list mate. I think mentally he's very weak that's all. I like him as stylistically.
I was more looking @ HBO stars but yeah Dirrell for talent is as talented they come but the mental aspect is terrible.
Floyd Mayweather Snr actually said he thinks Dawson is ******ed. Thats he is just dumb, takes forever to pick things up. Could explain allot as hes clearly a natural talent but appears to be missing something in the ring.
I was thinking when watching Devon Alexander on Saturday it was similair to watching Kevin Mitchell against Katsidis, in that he just could not make adjustments and would not make adjustments even though it was clear as day that he needed to if he was going to win the fight. If you look at his record he was rushed into world title contention far too early, he had been inactive and faced very poor opposition up to the Witter fight and I have always felt that has hindered his development greatly.
The problem is the one you pointed out with the TV stations trying to impose a star quality on a certain fighter before they are ready. The fact is that any decent American prospect with a 20-0 slate is getting a title shot probably before they are ready then they are being burdened with a tag of being "the next big thing" then when they get into actual important fights they are found wanting Now i dont know whether it is a case of they were always going to react the same way regardless of the hyping and the burden of expectation but these fighters are either being pushed to hard by the networks i dont necessarily mean in what fights they take but in terms of hype and then put in good fights and found wanting because they arent having it their own way and they beleive for whatever reason that they should. Berto is next when he comes up against a real world level welter he will falter he would have been battered by the old Moseley last year imo. America just needs to lets the talents emerge their desperation in searching the next big thing is runining this generation