Larry Merchant "168 is a safe haven division for european fighters in boxing"

:rofl you can say that now after Lacy was shut down like a nobody but before he fought Calzaghe it was nothing but "Lacy is gonna knock that euro bum out" and Vegas had him as a heavy favorite :deal

 

2 of the 3 best fights I've ever seen have been at SMW, so i give a **** about the division.

 

No one is arguing that Lacy was the favorite going into that fight. The point I'm addressing is your point about Lacy being America's great black hope. This notion is completely ridiculous. Lacy fought on a second rate network in a division that no one gives a **** about. He was never any typ of great hope in America. The only reason Lacy Vegas had him as such a big favorite was because he was fighting in an unknown division against an unknown fighter. Betters will always bet on the known rather than the unknown.:deal

 

Where are you from?

 

I guess you never saw Eubank/Benn II or Eubank/Watson II... you might not rank those fights as high as me but you would be ******ed to say they were anything other than fantastic fights.

For the record Haggler/Hearns is my no.1, and I'm only counting fights I've seen live so things like Ali/Foreman Ali/Frazier arent up there.

 

168 has been a joke. Look at Lacy..he pummeled through and got a title in what less then 20 fights. Beating majority guys.

 

168 is FAR superior to light heavy or middle at the moment

175 - Top dog is on a zimmerframe. Tarver (okay), Woods (okay), Johnson (last legs), RJJ (shot), Dawson (good prospect)

160 - Pavlik (very good), Taylor (good), Abraham (good prospect), Duddy (club fighter), Winky (fat)

168 is brimming with talent, shame all the yanks are rubbish

 

I'm from the UK, but I travel to watch boxing - usually to Vegas.

 

It is

As these great fighters at middleweight will find out when they step up

Lightheavy is a retirement home, can't take that **** seriously

 

I respect that. However, being from the U.K you are much more familiar with the European fighters that have filled the division for a while now, and therefore you have a bigger vested interest in the division. Three of the top career SMW's also resided in the U.K, which would only add to your interest in the division.