May 21 - Post-fight Report

Groves: Pleasantly surprised with his performance, he certainly proved DeGale wrong about being able to stand off and box him. Discipline was the key for me, there was a lot less wild swings than in his previous fights, alright there was one or two winging right uppercuts but it looks like they're being gradually eradicated over time. A lot of people saying he fought scared but from what I saw he showed a lot more grit than DeGale and dug that little bit deeper when it mattered most. Wouldn't mind an Anderson return, and it'll be intriguing to see if he keeps this style were that fight to come off. He should anyways, it'll be beneficial for him in the long run.


DeGale: Looked clueless at times. He was far too squared up(particularly when he switched stances) when he was trying to pressure Groves. It was far too easy for Groves to just step to he side to evade DeGale. As the fight went on he started to get more and more amateurish, just looking to clip him with one shot here and there. He'll be frustrated with that, because everytime he did open up he really bothered Groves and looked like he could've stopped him if he had've kept it up. Far to sporadic in his effective work, McDonnell should go for being a dick as much as anything else.

Cleverly: He could do with a lot of refinement, he fights like a less polished version of Paul Williams. His defence is suspect to say the least, and he was shaken by Kumienski at one point, which really shouldn't be happening to him. Is a bit too ragged, I know you can come to expect that with someone who has such a high work rate but some decent shot selection every now and then wouldn't go amiss, he could at least base his assaults off the jab a little bit more. He'll be disappointed with the finish but I'd say the ref would have stepped in after another round or two anyway. Someone like Diaconu would be a good defence for him, but don't hold your breath.

Gavin: Anybody else think he looked much smaller than Mutley? I thought that was the case. If he can I really think he should stick to 140 for the moment. That might have been a factor in his performance, as he did look reluctant to let the shots fly against someone who was just relucant in general. I know it's hard to look impressive when faced with someone who sets out from the beginning just to survive, but if he put some more authority behind his blows it would've helped significantly. Mutley doesn't strike me as a fighter who's anything special defensively, even a forceful jab thrown throughout could've broken him up a bit.

Saunders: What a right hoook to the body. Opponent was nothing to write home about, but Hammond is capable at least, but even still you can see something very good in Saunders. He's very composed and every shot he throws is at least very sturdy. Looks the type that'll be very methodical with a bit more seasoning. That right hook will break anybody down it seems, and it'll be helped with his proficiency for mixing from head to body mid-combination. Hopefully he'll be back out soon, there's no point iin wasting anymore time with him.

Hopkins: Say no more about this man, absolute legend. Big George was most definitely faced with a more formidable opponent when he became the sports premier old man, but the way in which Hopkins won was much more impressive. He knew exactly what to expect from Pascal again and didn't panic after the usual tormentuous four rounds Jean gives opponents. To win the lineal title of the division, at 46, and taking the fight to an adversary who's 18 years younger than him while doing it is nothing short of outstanding. The only thing I could muster when trying to think of things he should be doing differently was that he maybe should have gone to the body with his free hand in the clinch. But I think he knew what he was doing.

Pascal: He is the epitome of a four round fighter. He's almost the polar opposite of Hopkins in a way in that he relies primarily on athlethicism. That's all he has really. His work rate completely diminishes after four rounds and he just keeps circling and circling before launching a punch or two in the last twenty seconds in an attempt at stealing every round after. The major problem for him is that a stamina deficiency usually can't be repaired, so he better hope he racks up a massive lead at the beginning of all his fights from now on, because if he fights someone who strengthens down the stretch he'll continue to come out second best.

Dawson: Hard to say what the story with him is really. I'm not sure if he just can't let his hands go in general or if the layoff had something to do with it. I thought he was decent anyways, he was far from entertaining, and he's a bit fortunate that Diaconu only realised late on that if he really went for it Chad wasn't going to offer much back. If he keeps his focus sustained over the course of a fight though, I think he'd beat most in the division by fighting boring, just standing tall, keeping his jab pumping and following it with a straight left or a right hand here and there before reeling away. It might not make for pleasant viewing, but it might just be a winning formula.

Lebedev: Slow, inaccurate, pedstrian, poor defense, but he punches like a mother****er! He showed far too much respect early on, throwing next to nothing, and getting caught whenever Roy let fly. I think he knew he could've ended it whenever though, I rate him up there with the hardest hitters around, but that's all he has going for him, a hard punch. He doesn't know how to set it up, how to disguise it, or just how to land it, but when it does land his short left hand will knock most out. I think he just failed to land cleanly with any of his biggest shots before the 10th, otherwise he would've taken him out earlier.

Jones: I don't want to talk about it.:verysad

 

Pascal was even worse than in his 1st fight with B-hop, He doesn't seem to have any stamina at LHW, probably packing too much muscle, absolutely tailor made for B-hop, Wild, Stamina issues, fights in spurts. Not taking anything away from B-hop because he absolutely capitalised on this.

I would give Cleverly a shout against this version of Pascal on that poor showing, that's if he could get past the 3rd round. No way fish eyes allows this fight though :rofl

 

Can only mention a few fighters here:

Gavin: Predictable display which may have been done to cold but i personally think he needs a step up now to motivate him but to also test him. He's not had one good fight yet to test him and each fights following same pattern. He dominate from crouched position and stalking his man and teeing off. I want to see him in against 'Live' opposition and guys who will work with him on inside or move well on outside.

Hopkins: Did everything some of us said he would do. He broke Pascal down and showed the old school young B-Hop. The man is a living legend and last night showed the difference between having speed and athleticism and having fundamentals and understanding of ring generalship. He's unique and i cannot praise the man enough after that display.

Pascal: I once praised Ramsey for his work with Pascal but it's becoming abundantly clear he only has one game plan for Jean and it's not going to work against a guy like Hopkins second time round. I wasn't shocked because really Pascal doesn't bring much else to table other then sporadic attacks and lateral movement. I think Jean needs to work on fundamentals if he wants to have any longevity in the sport. Bernard was right in after fight interview.

The kid has something to work with he punches hard and has physical attributes but isn't helping himself having just fast hands.His stamina is atrocious, It's worst i've seen outside of Heavyweight Boxing tbh. It's either he cannot handle nervous energy. He was once a SMW...maybe he's bulked up to much which may be nearer the truth.

 

Dammit, I has some really well thought out analysis that I intended to post, but then you dickheads went ahead and said what I was just about to say.

Oh well, I'll give it a try anyway:

Groves -

Impressive performance. Clearly came into this fight with a well devised game plan (by the Dark Lord himself), and his strategy paid off. Whilst he didn't look perfect, he displayed great movement, good accuracy, an improved defense and significantly less jittery upper body movements which pointlessly expended his energy. His stamina looked much improved too. Whilst he could probably work a bit on his inside game and defence within his opponents range, it was a very good technical performance from the Ugly Kid which he should be proud of to no end. Fought smart, deserved the win, kudos to him and his team.

Degale -

Came in thinking he could just 'Do what he does' and get the win. Well he thought wrong, evidently. What separated the 2 fighters for me, was that Groves has a gameplan, and Degale didn't. Groves had a strategy which dictated what he would do, based on Degale's flaws and inconsistencies with his style, whereas Degale just thought he could bounce in and beat Groves with ease based on his apparent 'talent'. Where the **** was this talent last night? He looked amateurish and without a clue in there. Where was the jab? Where was the uppercut? Why was he fighting southpaw? Why did he get in range, then proceed not throw anything? He failed miserably at trying to cut the ring off, and Groves's movement made him pay for it. Does he need a new trainer? Probably. I personally think he needs to get back in the mix straight away though, he needs a good test as opposed to a confidence boosting bum. If he doesn't pucker up, his talent will simply go to waste.

Cleverly -

Got mixed feelings from this performance. On one hand, he looked sharp as ****, a lot faster than I recall him ever being, showed a great workrate and good punch variety from an assortment of angles. However his defence was atrocious. Taking hard punches right from the off against a guy who really shouldn't have been landing any shots of significance whatsoever. Looking back on the fight, getting wobbled against an essentially feather-fisted gatekeeper doesn't exactly give a good advertisement for Clev's chin, or defence. He needs to learn some defensive moves, needs to use his jab, create distance, and stop squaring his shoulders up, because if he doesn't, the moment he faces a hard accurate puncher who is world class, he's going down. I think he may need a more defensively minded trainer.

Gavin -

Thought he looked poor. As others have said, his jab was awful and his power looked insignificant. I understand that it wasn't the easiest of circumstances to look good under, Mutley was negative as **** and pretty big compared to the small Gavin, but I was surprised by how mediocre Frankie looked. Expected more, and hopefully we see improvements in the future.

Hopkins -

What can you say? Just completely shut down Pascal. What an achievement for him. Hopefully he can go on to beat the likes of Bute and Dawson to really cement his legacy. Absolute legend.

Pascal -

4 round fighter. Nothing else needs to be said. Get this kid some ****ing stamina training, he's completely muscle bound. What a waste of obvious athleticism and talent.

Dawson -

I thought he looked poor. Was expecting something big from him, with Manny as his trainer and a supposedly new, agressive minded mentality, but he just looked like same old Chad. Gun shy, didn't want to throw much at all, appeared reluctant to put shots together. Didn't even box well from the outside (his forte, or atleast you'd think so with such substantial physical advantages). He let Diaconu in too easily, had no authority with his jab and didn't throw anywhere near enough shots. I actually think this guy is mentally done in. I watched his fight with Adamek about a week ago, and he looked absolutely class. Lightning quick, throw excellent combos, had great foot movement and was in and out like a flash. He looked like a fighter who would go on to great things. Then he had that war with Johnson, and it just looked like he didn't have the confidence to throw punches anymore. It's a shame, and I know I'm repeating myself, but it's a huge waste of talent too. Kid needs his head checked, or he's going to lose again.

Lebedev -

Shite. Basically read Jpab's post for my sentiments. I mean, getting taken to the last 10 seconds by the pre-historic remains of Roy Jones Jr is bad enough, but losing a significant portion of the rounds and getting rocked late on by an exhausted skeleton is just plain embarrassing. Maybe he didn't prepare properly, or maybe he just respected Jones too much, but based on that showing, USS Cunningham, Danny Green a disciplined Afolabi or even Guillermo Jones (If he's got anything left) beat this guy. Awful showing by Lebedev, just awful.

 

If Bellew landed the shots that the light punching pole landed, Clev would have been struggling to breathe on the canvas.

 

I think DeGale had a gameplan, but it was just a ****, uneducated one which was to hope Groves would go to war and catch him on the way in. I'm not going to say he was exposed, but the offensive part of his game was. He's totally inept when he has to be aggressive, he can't create his own openings nor can he cut off the ring. It was laughable that some suggested he was already at world level.

 

Degale didn't let his hands go enough. I think we have to give Groves credit for his movement. That seems to be the blueprint for beating Degale. Make him miss and he becomes frustrated. I agree that the offensive part of his game was exposed but that is heavily associated with his mentality. I think he had the tools to get to Groves. He won the ninth round BIG when he put his shots together and put the pressure on. He just didn't do it enough and it's frustrating because I think he is the more skilled of the two.

 

Yeah, he took some hard shots from Murat, a guy with more than respectable dig, and shook them off. It was probably surprise more than anything that momentarily got to Clev. I wouldn't expect anyone outside the big, accurate punchers to stop him, that's why I have my doubts when people suggest Cloud would take him out. I just don't see it.

 

Agreed. I think Degale needed "raiding tactics" as Ian Darke would say. Throw the combination and get out. Whenever he let punches go in combinations, Groves threw leather back and I think Degale was weary of getting caught in an exchange. He needed to simply let fast combos go and force exchanges with Groves if need be.

He was probably thinking to himself, I can get to Groves but every time I get close enough and let my shots go, he is throwing shots back. In the end, Degale wasn't willing to force a war.

Groves was never going to come forward in the fight. Degale tried to go onto the backfoot at the start of the sixth round and there were no punches thrown by either fighter for about a minute. Groves was intent on moving, making Degale miss and countering and then moving again. It was a good strategy.

Booth mentioned that they could have beat Degale short or long and they decided to do it long. I wonder how he thinks they could have beat Degale short.