King Kostya - Triple God

Tszyu made Judah do the "Funky Chicken"dance that has now become famous!

 

Resume close edge to Tszyu
Punching power= Tszyu
Defense = Golovkin
Ring cutting = Tszyu
Overall boxing skill = Tszyu

 

None of it. GG wants the Canelo rematch. Kostya said I never want to fight Cool Vince again.

 

I understood what the fellow was saying;

-He doesn't feel that GGG's situation with Canelo is a very fitting analogue for the Zoo-Phillips situation.

-He wishes that Zoo could have immediately avenged his defeat like Lewis did with Rahman, but it could be that Phillips just had his number at that time and the Zoo Crew wanted to wait for Phillips to decline and/or Kostya to rebuild.

-Their paths could've crossed again had Phillips been able to put together a solid run after losing to Millett.


That latter point is actually kind of true. Gary Shaw tried to make Mitchell-Phillips an eliminator for Zoo's IBF, which was precluded by Phillips' unranked status with the organization, but Sharmba got his eliminator after winning the fight - had Vince won instead, he'd have been right up in their rankings and in with a chance of securing a shot. Then again, even if he'd won an eliminator, he probably wouldn't have gotten the shot because someone would likely have beaten him while he stayed active throughout Zoo's long injury layoff (Vince was old and inconsistent).

Personally, I think the dethroned Zoo should've quickly worked out a deal with Phillips to rematch back in '97 - if not immediately, then after an interim bout each. Vince, for his part, would've jumped on it (it's not as if he was going to get better money anywhere else).

 

Good post. Thanks for clarifying that. But Nav, I understood his underlying point. You basically said what he didn't want to say.

 

Big Drama Show is better than Big kangaroo Show.

 

No.

 

What are you, Donald Trump?

 

No point in Tszyu rematching Cool Vince straight away.

He wouldn't have won.

He was damaged goods after that fight & it took him a while to rebuild.

His rebuild consisted of a first round job against a shot Calvin Grove, a brutal beat-down of a shop-worn Rafael Rueles in an eliminator for a title shot (Tszyu always did a number on Mexicans) & then a wild shoot-out with a very dangerous & live Diobelys Hurtado (Hurtado had given Pernell Whitaker fits in his only loss to that point & was very active in the year Tszyu fought him).

It was only after the Hurtado fight that Tszyu put the Phillips fight behind him & was truly back. His wins against Miguel Angel Gonzalez & an over the hill Julio Cesar Chavez following on from the rebuild were probably the best performances of his career (although he later unified the major belts in higher profile fights).

Tszyu was champ for a very long time (10 and a half years less the 18 months he spent in the wilderness following the Vince Phillips fight). He held every major title at light welterweight (including the world amateur, The Ring & lineal championships). Taking into account his amateur career, he fought more world champions & guys who made the Olympic final than just about anyone.

Both his losses as a professional came after periods of inactivity. I partially attribute his loss to Cool Vince to the fact that he had a farcical fight with Leonardo Mas (who couldn't stay upright) immediately prior to facing him. Had he got some rounds in against No Mas, he would have had more in the tank at the back end of the Vince Phillips fight.