How can American fans rate Tavoris Cloud, at this time in his career?

Do American fans rate Tavoris Cloud?
Tavoris Cloud is next fighting in December, but lets look at who he has fought since fighting at world level.

Cloud won the vacant IBF LHW title beating C Woods. C Woods wasnt long coming off a loss to A Tarver :yikes, and had lost and drawn with G Johnson :yikes who normally loses when he steps up in class atsch.

Cloud backed out of a unification fight with Zsolt Erdei :-(

Cloud makes the first defence of his IBF title against at the time 13 losses 2 draws G Johnson atsch, in a tough fight.

Next Cloud is fighting Fulgencio Zuniga who lost to D Santos at LMW, drew with J L Zertuche at MW, got KOd by Pavlik at MW, lost to D Inkin at SMW and got KOd in 4 rounds at SMW by Bute. Cloud is fighting him at LHW .

I notice American fans support their champion fighters, as long as they fight names they recognise, even if those names arent great fighters, and often go overboard in praising them. Whilst in Europe the champion fighters often have to face many tough fighters who arent as well recognised, and often get discredited for having harder fights

So tell me do the American fans rate Tavoris Cloud?

 

Staying busy? He hadnt fought for a year before fighting Johnson and avoided Zsolt Erdei, though Erdei does fall into the catagory you mentioned of smart boxer

 

Cloud - Dawson. That would be a good fight, as neither are elite, but are American world class :think

 

He could have fought Erdei. But I think that may have been too much too soon

 

I agree. Zuniga has failed at LMW, MW & SMW so I cant imagine him doing well at LHW, 3 divisions higher than where he first failed at a world title attempt.
Cloud backed out of fighting Erdei, but I believe that would have been much too much, too soon, and Cloud does need to get some seasoning

 

I dont doubt that a win or two after this fight and he will be propelled into the P4P rankings, but the guy with the best undefeated record that Cloud has fought was 3-0 on his debut.
The people he has beat - Gonzalez coming off 2 losses, one of which to R Johnson who is well past his best, Woods who wasnt far removed from losing to hype job Tarver and Johnson who is a fighter who tends to lose when stepped up in class, and wasnt far removed from losing to Dawson. Now with him fighting Zuniga next at LHW atsch

 

What dom you think he should do?
I ask this because so many American fans went mad for Dawson when he beat 2 fighters 14-15 years older than him who werent anything great in Tarver and Johnson

 

I happen to think he is correct. The Ring do fast track certain fighters into the P4P rankings when they havent done much ie Dawson. One good thing about Dawson was his attitude in being willing to fight