...is Saunders the best middleweight not named Golovkin since Pirog?

cause Jacobs has reach, good movement and jab also. What sets them apart is i think he has more power than Saunders, and versatility. He could fight a different way if necessary, and rozier is no fool ala Lemieux and his camp.

 

Whose footwork is better IYO?

 

i'd rate the gyspy shuffle right below Lomanchenko insofar as creating ideal range and angles. I'm not saying it would be easy for Jacobs over Saunders but he gets it done imo. Another factor is Jacobs can turn southpaw if strategy warrants.

 

Good point. Have we ever seen BJS switch to orthodox?

 

GGG knows how to cut off a ring and would do so against BJS.
Canelo wouldn't try to follow around like a dummy (like Lemoo did), that
plays right into Saunders hand. Canelo would make Saunders come to him,
then drill him like he drilled Kirkland. End of story.
I think Jacobs has the skills to beat Saunders as well, but other then those three,
Saunders is just below them at #4.

 

people need to realise now Saunders is the real deal, He's not just a cocky clown outside of the ring, he's a serious player in the division.

 

Sounds like another gypsy boxer..

 

I think people are going overboard he fought lemiuex the same lemiuex that golovkin already smashed up and now he beats all the champs no way he beats golovkin imo golovkin would rush him cut the ring off give him no where to run and make him work non stop and he proved he doesn't care if he misses let's see Saunders stay that close when he has a huge puncher with great footwork and who is great at cutting off the ring

 

Unfortunately that fight isn't likely to happen, Jacobs is with Hearn and BJS with Warren.

Both are also hoping to get Canelo/GGG next without necessarily fighting each other first.

 

Saunders hasn't proven he can hang with Golovkin like Jacobs and Canelo have. Andrade might be better head to head also.

He had a very good win last night, but Lemieux is one of those guys who looks great against opponents he can hit and bad against slick boxers. I give Lemieux's team credit for not matching him against guys who can exploit him unless it's for big money and a title.

 

No not really I think he's just another one of those guys who went deep into his lair hiding out from Golovkin. As we all know the current GGG were are seeing right now is not the GGG we saw 3-4 years ago. It was during that time when Saunders said to Eubank Jr. "Golovkin knocks out me and you both on the same night". So if that is the single biggest threat to GGG besides Pirog then either we have underrated GGG, overrated the top of the MW division or both.

I'd say Jacobs is better. Canelo maybe. Also, I wouldn't rule out a pre GGG knockout version of Matthew Macklin to beat Saunders. And I would make Martin Murray a live dog as well.

 

If I was GGG's trainer/promoter/manager I would personally advise that he not fight BJS right now. By the time a potential fight were to happen GGG would be at least 36 years old. Which is old for any fighter, but for a pressure fighter that is simply ancient.

The guy looks like he's carrying two lead boots in the ring right now. He never was quick of hand or foot, but now he's severely "undersped" for lack of a better word. Canelo's not even the slickest guy around, but looked so much younger and quicker than GGG did.

Golovkin is vulnerable and ready to be taken out hard. Well perhaps not taken out, the chin is awesome, but BJS could school him. He's already looked underwhelming his last two fights. And while Jacobs is pretty good I never rated Canelo. I still don't. He's a no power, no stamina having weight drainer who bullied smaller opponents. GGG should have taken him out and I have little doubt that he would have years ago. Neither did Oscar which is why the belt was vacated.

Back to the point. Is Saunders really the best MW since GGG and Pirog. I don't think so, but I would recommend that GGG stay away from him.

 

I can't get too excited over a guy who's best win is one equaled by a very old, one foot in the grave Joachime Alcine (Remember him? Probably not) many years ago.

Saunder's still hasn't done anything exceptional or particularly noteworthy, in my opinion. There are special fighters present in the sport at the moment, special talents. But I personally don't think he's one of them and it's more indicative of the recent poor talent pool in the middleweight division.

 

He doesn't have the one big wow-factor merit-badge, no, but a lot of consistency of better-than-mediocre quality. Lee, Spike, Lemieux, Eubank Jr., Monroe Jr., Blandamura, Ryder, Blackwell... all varying flavors of the "good enough to content for a Euro belt to maybe fringe world class" spectrum. Sometimes a single A level win in a sea of garbage can be flukey and lead to people getting overrated en masse by an incautious and impatient public (see: Nicholas Walters, Julius Indongo) when really a much better indicator of staying potential is a lengthy run of form against B level guys. Even lacking an elite scalp his resume is already among the best @ middle today.