Right, and 2/3 of the best dozen-plus welterweights active currently are previous 140 or 130lbers (or less). So if you want to consistently face the best welters, you're going to be facing quite a few guys that aren't exactly natural or career-long welters.
I rate the Provodnikov win higher (as a welterweight win, not "just a win") than I would a win over, say, Vyacheslav Senchenko - who in the pros has only ever weighed in at welter or light middle and is a former (paper) titlist. :conf
Guys try so hard to move up to 147 because that's like the arbitrary cut off point for mainstream appeal. Below that, in America at least, people start losing interest.
True, sadly. Actually it draws people from both directions. Remember that Keith Thurman was essentially a light middleweight until six fights ago. Welter is the glamor division.
Looking at the ring rankings, how is Khan above Bradley? Am I missing something? Its early so I could be ****ing out a bit but.. wins over collazo and alexander since the 4 bouts since being KO'd by Garcia really put him in at number 3? Ahead of wins over JMM, Ruslan, and Chaves? (I only mention Chaves because he is rated higher then Devon Alexander) If you want to say he didn't win the chaves fight because he got a draw, and want to go by official rulings then fine, swap that out with Pac and his resume gets better 10 fold. Khan above Bradley makes no sense to me whatsoever when making resume based rankings, which is all rankings are really.
Well nobody cares about 154 so they they try to cut down to 147 I guess. And at 160 is like the beginning of seeing these really frickin strong dudes who can straight up kill you. People are ducking 160 because of the physically of 160+.
Thought his strategy/thinking of Pacquiao made him look bad. Otherwise I think he has fought pretty solid opposition. I think he has been ducked by the top guys in his weight. Not enough cash in it for most of the top guys to take the risk of fighting him.
Top 10 welterweight, but he has no power, so he'd be better at 140. He's quite overrated and many people have him in the p4p top 10 do to the Pacquiao and Marquez gifts, but he probably only belongs in the top 20. He deserved the win vs Chaves, but I had him losing both times to Pac, losing by a point to Marquez, and drawing with Provodnikov. He's been very lucky with his decisions, and it's always a female judge who's scorecard swings wide that determines the outcome of his fights.
At WW, definitely, lots more. I'd say at 140lbs too, although down there, much closer. Khan fought seven times at 140lb after moving up from lightweight. Ordered roughly by quality, they're: Kotelnik/Maidana/Judah/Malignaggi/Salita/McCloskey/Molina. Compare with Bradley's seven best wins at 140lbs: Alexander/Witter/Vazquez/Peterson/Casamayor/Holt/Cherry. :think Khan's win over Maidana ages very well given his later success, but then so does Bradley's over Vazquez. Judah and Witter both were past their best, yet still capable and outclassed nonetheless. Casamayor was quite a bit past it, but is still a better scalp than a C+ level Molina or Salita. Lots of things canceling each other out going down the line. Damn close, but I say edge to Bradley.
I get the facial reconstructive surgery and switching his style, but how does he change height like that? :huh