I wanna hear who your favourite fighters are. I ain't talkin' about no Alexis Arguello or no Pernell Whitaker, I'm talking about active combatants. Who are you most interested in currently? What fighters resonate with you the most, and who do you desperately want to succeed? I'm a fan of the following... Andy Lee (25-1-0) "WTF! He's got a loss, Addie?" It's true, he has, and he's most likely going to sustain quite a few more in his career, but I can't help but like the guy. He comes across as nice, humble bloke in all of the interviews I've seen, and it's always easy to root for someone with a lot of grit and determination. There isn't an ounce of quit in Andy Lee, and despite not being terribly skilled, he does throw nice, straight punches and carries some considerable power. Lee will be exciting us for quite a few years I suspect. Dmitry Pirog (17-0-0) Okay, I may have only seen 2-3 of this guys fights, but he has certainly made an impression on the Boxing world recently. His stunning knockout of highly touted prospect Daniel Jacobs was highlight reel material and really announced Pirog as a potential star at 160lbs. Some may be put off his style considering he looks a bit awkward, but I want Pirog to succeed in every conceivable way. I want him to blow the doors off the division and go down as one of the best EVAH! Boom! Brandon Rios (27-0-1) I really appreciate this kids combinations on the inside. He reminds me almost of a Julio Cesar Chavez or even a Myung Woo Yuh in that regard, how he doubles up his left hook. I hear Boxed Ears chuckling in the corner. "Chavez? You're avin' a laugh, brah". I wasn't saying he's the next coming, only that some of his offensive abilities are similar. Packs a good punch and carries around with him a "never say die" attitude. What isn't to like about Rios as a fighter? Undefeated, baby! 28 have tried. James Degale (10-0-0) One of the best British prospects I've seen in a long time. He throws beautiful combinations to body and head, and exercises some nice subtle defensive skills on the inside. Extraordinarily fast for SMW, Degale certainly has the potential to be a success at world level in my opinion. Big mouth? It's true, and it has put me off a little, especially the things he side on the recent addition of Ringside, but it's ultimately his skills that do the talking in the ring and that's where he excels. Other fighters I support would include; Nishioka, Cotto, Martinez, and Pascal. Obviously MAB is my favourite fighter of all time and technically he is still active, but he's a mere shell of what he used to be. I didn't feel like including him.
Vitali Klitschko (42-2) I like his style of fighting, he is an intelligent fighter and he isnt afraid of trading. Wladimir Klitschko (55-3) Much like his brother i like his intelligence, however he is more careful, but i just love the way he uses that jab, the way he dominates the ring and then finishes with the right hand.. A true master of the sweet science. Mikkel Kessler (43-2) Well.. Im a dane.. Im a boxing fan.. I am almost a acquired by low to be a Kessler fan.. Anyway, i like when he finds an opening and lets his hands go, nice jab, awesome combonations, showed a lot of guts in the Carl Froch fight, and generaly a nice guy Carl Froch (27-1) He never ducks, he fights everyone and he is fun to watch..
Manny Pacquiao Tim Bradley Nonito Donaire Glen Johnson Miguel Cotto Alfredo Angulo Juan Manuel Marquez Tomasz Adamek Lucian Bute Carl Froch Paul Williams Amir Khan Yuriorkis Gamboa Rafael Marquez And of course no list is complete without... Koki Kameda
Khan - he's exciting, fast, powerful (see Maidana body shot) and has a slightly shaky chin = MY FAVOURITE TO WATCH. Pac - how can you not love Pac? Froch - fights anyone, anywhere and never lets the crowd down Groves - overnight he becme one of my favourites, not so much for his boxing talent but more for the way he has dealt with the Degale trash talk. Bloody hell, thats a pretty British heavy list. Sorry about that. So my last one.... Maidana - tough as hell. Just watch the Ortiz fight, nuff said.
Adamek. Throwback fighter. Wants to test himself against the best despite clearly not beeing a special talent he has done very well for himself from lhw to hw. Hopkins. I love watching him fight. All those small moves and tricks. And of course him defying the odds again and again. Kessler. Likable guy who always gives his best, makes no excuses and is a very solid pro. I also like his tattoos (no homo). Frenkel. Technique, punch and very controlled. Reminds me a little bit of Monzon - just a little. Hope his hand problems won´t endagner his future in boxing. Pacman. Come on, how can you not like him?
Pacquiao: no need to explain jmm: besides against pac I will root for this guy against anyone, great technical boxer with heart and great combo's Morales: he is awesome and I would like for him to win a fourth belt, but it looks very uncertain. Cotto: takes on anyone and always entertains me, I hope he redeems himself vs marg this summer. Froch: takes on everyone, how can you not like him. Hopkins: I really want him to become the oldest champ, he deserves it his career has been great. Martinez: great fighter that they always try to **** over he fights very good and takes on good opponents Pirog: slick russian with a trainer that made dog robots, I want him to be great at 160. Vitali: the best heavy, great ring iq,always gets the job done and he is a tough mean guy.
The gentlemen in my sig, here's why; Wlad; a good guy outside the ring and I have a lot of respect for the way he came back after quite brutal losses. Furthermore, I actually find his fights pretty exciting. That might sound strange to some, but the most exciting fights for me are the ones where one or both fighters can be stopped. With Wlad's average chin but massive power practically all of his fights can and do end in a stoppage Vitali; I became a big fan of Vitali when I watched the Lewis-Vitali fight a few years back as a Lewis fan. At the time I was a casual fan at best, and was watching boxing for the violence rather than the technical aspect. After watching some more of him I grew to appreciate his cold, calculating manner as a fighter while remaining a gentleman out of the ring. The more I got into boxing the more of a Klitschko fan/fanboy I became Froch; The man is a legend. In terms of toughness and charisma he is this generation's Chris Eubank. He is willing to fight anyone too, which shows in his resume Khan; A northern lad the same age as I am, he can be a bit obnoxious outside the ring but what an exciting fighter to watch! World class handspeed and power with a questionable chin- what's not to love? That Maidana fight almost gave me a heart attack Pacquaio; Goes without saying. Absolutely dazzling in the ring and a real class act overall :bbb:bbb:bbb
Sort of in order not really Donaire- A ****ing sensation Bradley- One of the best attitudes in the sport Pac- Self-explanatory Khan- Rising superstar Martinez- Style-wise one of my favorites Floyd- Great slickness just get back in the ****ing ring Hopkins- Just wanna see him taper off his career with a bang Maidana- Badass Williams- Style could be fixed for his advantages but I dont complain. Like his attitude Morales- Wanna see how much he has left in the tank JMM- Same
Marcos Maidana Probably my favourite currently active boxer. Is a ****ing maniac and once inside the ring he is a stone cold killer. None of that touching gloves before rounds bull****. While I think he is vastly underrated as a boxer, he still does a lot with a little. No quit. Will get knocked down and keep coming until the end. If he only had a whiff of an inside game Khan would never have seen the final bell IMO. Dmitry Pirog James Toney is my favourite boxer of all time and call me crazy but I see an awful lot of Toney in Pirog. He's nowhere near as good but I like what he's doing. I haven't checked the tale of the tape but if Pirog is taller than Martinez I definitely don't think Martinez has an easy time there. Also, I read yesterday that Pirog has an ex convict soviet scientist in his corner whom Stalin tasked with created robots powered by dog heads. So, how is he not going to make this list? Juanma Lopez A little bit crazy and you know when you see him fight there's gonna be fireworks. Has a helluva punch and a questionable chin, both of which I enjoy watching. Timothy Bradley Don't think he is the world's greatest boxer by a long shot but man is he mentally strong. I think that outside of Andre Ward he might be the most mentally tough boxer out there today. I don't think the headbutts come on purpose. I loved how he handled himself on the sit down with Devon Alexander while that mongoloid said power? me. chin? me. record? me. Bradley conceded the points that he was inferior on like an intelligent and humble human being. The only black mark I have against him is that after saying he was going to raise hell the next time he saw Khan, he smiled for a cheesy gay photo. Not a fan of this.