Junior Witter

He is decent, but Junior made him look better than he is.

I am a massive Witter fan, but he can be very frustrating in that he is a completely idle ******* when he thinks he is in front or when he has a moody on...which is quite often :hey

 

If you look at his qualities he could have been a bigger star than he was with the sufficient promotion behind him. Just as he's used as mud to sling at Hatton, the Judah fight is always brought up against him. That was a long time ago and, if he'd been given the chances, it could easily have been erased from people's memories. Many fighters have been involved in stinkers but rarely is it held against them to the degree the Judah fight was against Witter.

 

True that. Witter stuffed up by being too passive about his career. When he had got to about 6/7 KOs since Judah, he should have gone across to the US and taken on some world ranked opposition, made his name out there, called the top guys out. If he kept on winning he would have made a name for himself as a potential future opponent for the big names. Instead, he KO'd another 7 or 8 nobodies, wasting valuable time. He did make a decent impression on a wider audience in the Ndou fight but followed it up with two unimpressive outings.

The ironic thing was that just as he really did position himself for a potential jump into the big leagues after KOing Harris, he went and lost in his next outing to an unknown 9-1 underdog. That's been his problem throughout most of his career, it's a lot of two steps forward, one step back.

I don't think he had potential to be a star though. Being mainstream popular is not just about your fighting ability, but that X-factor, marketability, ability to make people relate to you, personality. Hatton has it in droves. Witter often comes across as a little bitter and whilst he's probably a nice guy at heart, I just think he is a bit more hard to warm to, which limits his star potential to me.

 

[quote="TKO";4463386]True that. Witter stuffed up by being too passive about his career. When he had got to about 6/7 KOs since Judah, he should have gone across to the US and taken on some world ranked opposition, made his name out there, called the top guys out. If he kept on winning he would have made a name for himself as a potential future opponent for the big names. Instead, he KO'd another 7 or 8 nobodies, wasting valuable time. He did make a decent impression on a wider audience in the Ndou fight but followed it up with two unimpressive outings.

The ironic thing was that just as he really did position himself for a potential jump into the big leagues after KOing Harris, he went and lost in his next outing to an unknown 9-1 underdog. That's been his problem throughout most of his career, it's a lot of two steps forward, one step back.

I don't think he had potential to be a star though. Being mainstream popular is not just about your fighting ability, but that X-factor, marketability, ability to make people relate to you, personality. Hatton has it in droves. Witter often comes across as a little bitter and whilst he's probably a nice guy at heart, I just think he is a bit more hard to warm to, which limits his star potential to me.[/quote]

Yes but Hatton had to develop some of that "x-factor" by doing things Warren asked him to do. Was Witter afforded these chances? We'll never really know.

I agree that taking a few fights in the States would have helped but, again, it's not that easy. Even Hatton wasn't fighting in the States until he'd hit the big time and when you're an awkward opponent like Witter he's hardly someone an American promoter will risk one of his own contenders against.

He should have been beaten Bradley though, who knows what might have been? He could have been fighting Holt, in the States, on a semi big bill. Times well and truly against him now, but he's had a reprieve with the vacant WBC. If he wins this he has the opportunity for one more big fight maybe.

 

Done himself no favours by being hard to watch, gave fighters a good excuse to avoid him.

 

What things were those? Hatton's star appeal is down to a few things, his friendly, down to earth "boy next door" nature (whatever some numb nuts on here may try and tell you), his attacking ring style, his big personality, his ability to tap into the football fan market as a result of his City support. Witter meanwhile comes across as a bit bitter, is more passive, more of a counterpuncher and I couldn't even tell you which team he supports if any.

True, Hatton didn't fight in the States until he won the title but then again with his big following and ability to make money, he was able to entice several solid fringe world-class fighters over here to face him. Guys like Magee, Oliveira, Stewart, Tackie, Phillips. I think Witter could have got a fight with a few guys like that and, had he beaten them in style, got good reviews and erased the memory of the Judah fight. He did it once with Ndou and was well received, but never followed it up. I agree that he probably didn't get the attention from Warren that the much more marketable (and profitable) Hatton did. But I guess what I'm trying to say is I don't buy this idea some people put across that a fighter's career is solely determined by the opportunities he is given, I think there has to be some element of go out and make things happen.

I think JW is drinking in the last chance saloon, I reckon he can beat Alexander (though whether he'll get a verdict in America if it goes the distance is another matter), but he needs to be more active, fighting every six months at his age is not enough. I reckon he could have beaten Holt, but I doubt that fight would have taken place if Witter beat Bradley. Holt-Bradley was an easy unification bout to arrange as both are American. When trying to arrange a Brit-American unification you have more problems, i.e. there are more likely to be problems over promoters and where the fight is to be staged.

 

I remember when Witter was offered a fight with Eamonn Magee just after Magee had lost to Hatton and according to Fwank Warren (God i cant believe ive just said that) he refused and fought a lesser opponent (cant remember his name).

If Witter had taken the fight and beaten Magee, and beaten him better than Hatton then he would of had a bit of a bargaining tool.

Just as TKO said Witter could have got Oliveira or Tackie into the ring and then he could of pushed for the Hatton fight but he put all his eggs in one basket so to speak by stalking Hatton.

 

:good

I must be ill to actually even think of even using the devil as a "source".

 

[quote="TKO";4465339]What things were those? Hatton's star appeal is down to a few things, his friendly, down to earth "boy next door" nature (whatever some numb nuts on here may try and tell you), his attacking ring style, his big personality, his ability to tap into the football fan market as a result of his City support. Witter meanwhile comes across as a bit bitter, is more passive, more of a counterpuncher and I couldn't even tell you which team he supports if any.

True, Hatton didn't fight in the States until he won the title but then again with his big following and ability to make money, he was able to entice several solid fringe world-class fighters over here to face him. Guys like Magee, Oliveira, Stewart, Tackie, Phillips. I think Witter could have got a fight with a few guys like that and, had he beaten them in style, got good reviews and erased the memory of the Judah fight. He did it once with Ndou and was well received, but never followed it up. I agree that he probably didn't get the attention from Warren that the much more marketable (and profitable) Hatton did. But I guess what I'm trying to say is I don't buy this idea some people put across that a fighter's career is solely determined by the opportunities he is given, I think there has to be some element of go out and make things happen.

I think JW is drinking in the last chance saloon, I reckon he can beat Alexander (though whether he'll get a verdict in America if it goes the distance is another matter), but he needs to be more active, fighting every six months at his age is not enough. I reckon he could have beaten Holt, but I doubt that fight would have taken place if Witter beat Bradley. Holt-Bradley was an easy unification bout to arrange as both are American. When trying to arrange a Brit-American unification you have more problems, i.e. there are more likely to be problems over promoters and where the fight is to be staged.[/quote]

My post wasn't a pop at Hatton, hope it didn't come across that way. The things I was referring to were media events that Hatton embraced but were arranged by Warren in order to raise his profile. I'm not trying to suggest that Hatton wasn't always this charismatic but he was certainly given the means by which to come out of his shell and be the man that he was. If you look a some of his earlier interviews he was more subdued, although some of that might have been his age.

Still, it's ridiculous that they never fought. I don't want to get into the blame game but it's an indictment on the sport in this country that stuff like this happens. Sky should have forced the issue.

 

Didn't come across that way at all mate, was just curious what you were referring to that was all :good. Fair enough, as I said Warren probably did put more effort into marketing Hatton than Witter due to the sheer earning potential of promoting Hatton. I think if anyone should have forced the issue it should have been Warren as promoter. However, he was making enough cash out of Hatton and ticking over nicely with Witter than it wasn;t in his interests to match them up. Sky as a commercial TV channel are concerned only about viewing figures so I wouldn't expect them to be the ones to force the issue.

 

[quote="TKO";4465339]and I couldn't even tell you which team he supports if any.

[/quote]

Doncaster Rovers....don't diss the Rovers :blood