George Groves..."I'll knock Paul Smith out!"

I'm aware he was a good amateur so he must have skills somewhere. But he's one of those guys that has completely changed as a professional. You can't tell me he's been showing a lot of skill. He doesn't really use a jab. His main tactic seems to be leap in with a punch and do a lot of holding, Bernard Hopkins style.

 

What so it was Quigley AND Dodson's fault both fights turned into clinchfests and no blame is attatched to Smith? That seems unlikely to me. They've all been guilty of it at times.

Smith forces a lot of it by leaping in with crude punches and/or his head at the same time. If he worked the openings a little better he wouldn't be falling into so many clinches. When he decides to utilize some movement, if his opponent gets close to him he clinches also. Then he puts his arms out as if his opponent is the only guilty party.

 

smith isn't getting knocked out by groves

 

I agree , Paul was never a jabber as an AMA though , his main weapon was his LH to the body , and his un predictable head to body combinations and in reverse , and funnily enough his engine & output , but yeah your right somewhere down the line you need skills in every department to be that acomplished as an AMA and as a pro its vanished , we caught glimpses of it against Dodson and i hope he rediscovers himself fully over the next 18 months ............

 

There is culpability on both sides i agree, i sometimes expect a good pro to hold on rather than not (nicky cook v roman martinez springs to mind).
The trouble is, if the right hand is there for him to go for, he is going for it, and it does mean he falls in after with it i agree.
I think there was less of on his behalf in the dodson fight compared to the quigley fight though, as there was more strenght on the inside for smith to negate than in the dodson fight. But i still have to say that dodson was adjudged to have done the majority of the holding on the fight, plus the ducking of the head by him led to many clinches.. As much as i have a dislike to colin hart, i had to agree when he commented in the fight, that dodson was just a spolier in the fight.
I can understand that some people will say the common denominator in the fight was smith, but it is more down to the other fighter negating his power on the inside. This IS something smith needs to get wise to. And i am sure he will

 

I reckon smith has really stepped up in class recently even though the fights have been scrappy I've still kind of enjoyed them. Regarding groves, I'd give him another year or so before fighting smith, let him beat adamu, then go for dilks, then maybe see how he performs against a quigley or dodson, then see where smith still is and if a fight can be made.

Regarding smith does it look certain he'll fight magee next?

How do you guys see that going? I don't have a clue, haven't seen his last fight against larsen. Did anyone catch it?

 

apparantely it was a bit scrappy, but magee was cathcing hiim well. Looks the most logical route for smigga to go to further his career. I think the route you describe for groves would be a good one, even maybe for degale, because if their respective promotors want to push them on as quickly as they do, they are the type of men they must beat to fight the top guy

 

Magee looked great against a shopworn looking Larsen. Larsen's lack of competitive fights and inactivity was exposed. Taking nothing away from Magee though, he put on a ton of pressure and broke him down to the body. It was a domination.

 

TFFP and Avidlemon, how do you reckon a bout between smith and magee would go, do you reckon it would be a good spectacle. I reckon smith could win a close hard fought decision, he has recently showed me he has the drive to pull out a win, when the odds are stacked against him, could do with watching more of magee though

 

David Dolan was a THREE time ABA champ, and has A Commonwealth GOLD to boot.
Steven Bell & Courtney Fry are another pair of fairly successful amateurs who've achieved very little in the pro ranks.
Granted Smith has surpassed all of the above, but it just goes to show that amateur success is not always relevant.