I used to talk them down a lot, these former elite/borderline elite World Champs. I thought a prime, hungry, unbeaten B level fighter was bound to be better than a (very) faded legend. In some cases, I would still say that was true, but not in most cases. Faded elites/borderline elites, who have taken great care of their bodies and who come in in the best shape possible, with a great gameplan that they execute extremely well, seem to ask many more questions of their opponents than inexperienced unproven, prime, unbeaten B level fighters, even if their stamina and workrate and speed and reflexes are lower/worse. So...no more "have-been NAMES" talk from me! :good
Yeah I agree. I think that just because they're past there prime doesn't mean it isn't a good win. Oscar De La Hoya and some others could still be at the towards the top of their divisions.
Good. The whole point of boxing is for fighters to improve on their skills and experience. Do you think Dawson will learn more from a fight with Diaconu than he did with Johnson. Not imposible, but very doubtful.
No, he wouldn't. But Diaconu would have a higher chance of stopping him, if he buzzed him, than Johnson did. Of course, he might not have the skills/experience to buzz him in the first place.
True. You simply have to make the most of your circumstances. Dawson could maybe take on Jones, Tarver, Calzaghe and possibly even Hopkins. That is a wealth of experience there and should not be scoffed at should he pursue any of them. He's only 25, so he's got plenty of time to fight the other youngsters coming up. Same applies to most fighters.
Depends who you're dealing with really. The circle jerking nonsense is bad for boxing, some has been names can trouble with experience, some are vastly overrated etc. Nothing beats a prime A level fighter though...:yep
Of course not! But how many of those are around? Very few indeed. Let's try and list them all...I cannot think of more than a handfull.
