I think Zhang will KO Lewis....though I don't think that's a sure thing. Yes, I know that Lewis has never been stopped, but... Lewis is 37 years old Lewis has not fought in 2 years He's taken the fight on...what?...4 days notice? He's a guy who needs to move around a lot to throw that jab He weighed in at 274 lbs - which is about 20 or so lbs too many for him As far as being on a similar level as Forrest...I can't agree. Jermaine Franklin dominated Lewis back in mid-2018 when they fought. Craig had about 6 weeks to prepare for that fight. We know that Forrest and Franklin were pretty darned close when they fought - so I don't see Lewis as really ever being on a similar level to Forrest. Zhang's gas tank doesn't look great..but I really don't see Lewis's being up too much, either.
Wach will probably be able to stay on his feet for a bit. But we shouldn't overlook the fact that Bakole did legitemately stop Wach (i.e. Wach didn't retire due to a cut or hand injury) when the two fought. The ref and Wach's cornerman will need to stay on their toes; I think this could get ugly.
If you squint really, really hard - you can call this fight a step up because Wach did beat Teper when they fought a few years ago. But you'd be splitting hairs. Wach is about 4 years past the end of his prime and he's had a few long nights...he's only likely to get badly hurt. I've read that Makhumdov has refused a COVID-19 vaccine and that this will prevent him from fighting in Canada. If so - he's being smart. Makhmudov is an extremely dangerous fighter - which means there's no chance (none) that he'll get meaningful fights unless there's lots of cash behind him. And that won't happen with his current promoter. So if refusing the vaccine gets him out from underneath Camille Estephan - yes, he should refuse it, then let Eye of the Tiger sack him for breach of contract (or whatever) and then hightail it over to Hearn, Arum, Ryabinsky. (or whomever)...and joyfully receive a jab in the arm as he signs a nice, lucrative promotional contract. If rematch clauses and mandatory defense weren't a thing - I 'd say by all means give Makhmudov the likes of Fury, Wilder, Joshua, Usyk, Hrgovic right now. That will rub some people the wrong way but I think at aged 32 Makhmudov is pretty much the finished piece and I don't think he's got much to prove by having to smash his way through a few faded gatekeepers.
Definitely! Could be entertaining. In earlier days Forrest liked to bounce around and jab his opponent. He now fights with his feet more or less nailed to the canvas and throws. Forrest showed a lot of heart against Zhang, obviously, but we probably shouldn't look past the fact that Zhang kind of punched himself out by the end of the third round. I don't think Hunter will have the same problem. And Forrest never really took the initiative against Takam...that was disappointing because it looked to me like Forrest was landing harder shots and Takam didn't look anywhere near overpowering. I'm not super confident about predicting Hunter will stop Forrest (Jerry is pretty easy to hit), but I think Hunter wins one way or the other.
I'm happy about the Rudenko fight; it's a fight that will actually develop Gassiev as a HW, rarther than produce a headlining-grabbing quick KO. For a guy like Gassiev in a division like HW - I don't see waiting as a good strategy. The guys you named will move on, yes, but there are already fighters like Yoka, Bakole, Hrgovic, Jalolov, Jared Anderson (maybe) and likely others not named by the time that happens. Gassiev is dangerous and he's convenient to overlook (already lost his 0). Assuming he gets by Ruedenko, as I believe he will, I'd like to see him fight a guy like Ruiz Jr or Parker (assuming Parker beats Chisora and is willing to fight him outside of NZ) or Michael Hunter next. Step Iron up quickly before he gets rust...
Yeah fair points you make, but Lewis has held his own against Fa and Takam, and Zhang is also struggling with age not on his side and he didn't come out of the Forrest fight very well. I think Zhang will win on points in a closeish fight, but I think Lewis makes things difficult for him even on short notice.
Lewis definitely did have some good moments against Fa. In the next-to-last round I thought Lewis had Fa figured out and was landing big (for him) shots on Fa - but then he kind of gassed.
Your guess is as good as mine. Chaney, despite having some decent physical tools to work wtih, has failed to develop into a dangerous fighter. Aside from that highlight-reel stoppage of Caudle - he's not making a ripple in the pond. Arias is a more mobile/nimble type of HW...which has me thinking he should have his bags packed for Bridgerweight. It's tough for me to be too enthusiastic about Arias, either, because Robert Simms was able to smother him during their fight and make it a lot closer than it should have been. I like that somebody's 0 has to go...but I feel that neither will have proven all that much in a victory.
