Top 10 promising fighters from "The New Wave" at 168

Estrada hasn't even faced a proper journeyman yet (?), i'd go with groves/degale just on potential based on a strong start to their career.

Estrada for all you know is similar to a lot of the recent USA ama crop...SOFT.

Adonis Stevenson is old and has been KOd already but he might get a quick push and is decent.

 

6 years ago there was very little interest in N.A., kinda like the cruiserweights are ignored today. It has been arguebly the best division of recent years since 2007.

 

If I eliminate Chilemba as well, then I'd probably stick Dirrell in at #10. I've liked what little I've seen from Maderna, but that was just one fight on Youtube.

 

TBH, I was going strictly off of memory of the era and didnt really do any fact checks. I know mostly everything you posted is correct but was to lazy/disinterested to really care.

I came up around a lot of old timers, and they thought the division was a joke. It has taken a lot to shake the UGLY sister stigma it had when it was conceived. The most coveted titles were in the traditional divisions (LW, WW, MW, LHW, HW) with the pinnacle of course being the HW title, followed by MW. In the old days LHW was considered transitional title. A lot of those guys looked at these newer division similar to the way we look at all the multiple belt holders

 

i think DeGale can become a great eventually he wins a groves rematch i thought he won the first one by a point

 

The division has been very good for years, its just been ignored by America because they havent done well in the division. Now that Ward is a world champ and with the S6 there is a new interest.
In 2005 you had 4 world champs, 3 undefeated in Calzaghe, Kessler, Lacy and Beyer who was a 3 time WBC champ. Great fights were made then with Calzaghe/Lacy, Kessler/Beyer and Calzaghe/Kessler.
Before that we had Eubank, Benn and Collins. The division has been good for so long just America didnt have a name fighting good competition like Europe did.
Ottke is under appreciated also and fought in a unification with Mitchell who has a resume similar in level to Wards. Funny how people forget.

 

Calzaghe/Lacy was the first 'big' fight in the division since the late 90's. You won't find much love for Ottke and the early 2000s sm's in any boxing circle. I went to Calzaghe/Kessler, that was in 2007 so i wasn't that off with the timetable. Just remember that the kingpin Calzaghe was seen as a overprotected champ before he faced Lacy.

 

Booradley :rofl

You're a mug if you value anything he says.

 

what about Don George 22(19)-1-1

had the terrible slip up against sierra but ive seen him fight quite a few times and hes looked good, decent pop, great finsher and a fighter through and through

supposed to be going up against andrade in an IBF eliminator in the near future, should be a good measure as to where hes at

 

I can't get the quote function to work, but regarding Don George - he's an action fighter, but he likes to block punches with his face and doesn't seem to have a great chin. I can see him being a big regional attraction and FNF mainstay, but I doubt he's ever much more than a gatekeeper.

 

Adonis Stevenson might beat them all.

 

He wasnt, its just America never knew him. He beat -

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who was coming off a SD loss to Ottke in a fight many felt he won. If that SD had of gone to Mitchell, Mitchell would have been deemed #1 SMW.

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who was a top SMW and looked unlucky against Ottke years later

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who was a top SMW.

Remember also fighters like

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were all or became top 10 SMWs.

Dont forget also that -

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was a late sub for

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who pulled out

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was a sub for undefeated

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was a sub for

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was meant to only be an easy warm up for

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who had to pull out.

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backed out of fighting Calzaghe

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wouldnt fight Calzaghe.

If you look at The Rings 08 ratings

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Calzaghe beat the fighter that KOd #1 Liles, beat #3 Woodhall, Ottke wouldnt fight him, beat #5 Brewer, beat #6 Reid and #7 Tate pulled out against Calzaghe and retired.