The Gary Lockett Express!

I think a large part of the problem for Pav us that there are no real big names left at MW.

 

No need for repeats in Pavliks carrer at this time. I just don't see it myself. Zuniga getting screwed isn't Pavlik's fault and it can't be his concern.

 

Love the subverisve sarcasm.

 

Not true. I have been using it under my name ever since I started. Ask TFFP and bear (the poster formerly known as Clairabelle) if they think I am using it correctly! :yep

 

Maybe...Lockett, along with most fighters, would never fit the real meaning of that word.

 

I suppose this is true, and I'm not saying Zuniga would win a rematch. Both fighters have improved significantly, but Kelly has faced the better competition. I would expect pav to fight a much more tactical fight than he did the first time. Never the less, Pavlik/Zuniga would be a barn burner for however long it lasted! I think we would see Kelly survive some scary moments in the early going, and then take over in the mid rounds to close the show in 10 or 11 rounds.

 

The irony is that Ring Magazine is such a fierce critic of the alphabet orgs but by throwing it's hat into the mix it has become no better than the others. It suffers from the same hangups that each and every organization suffers from. It preaches integrity and disparages judges and fighters all the time yet finds itself reliant on those very same people to keep the magazine running. It tries to act like a governing body that is impervious to unforseen circumstances. How about when Casamayor got his gift against Santa Cruz? Where was the Ring there? If they're so high and mighty how come they didn't take measures to deal with it other than to acknowledge it briefly in a backpage fanmail reply? They wanted it to go away quietly rather than deal with the repercussions that a normal sanctioning body would be faced with. It must be very convenient to act like a legitimate organization when it suits you.

They want to do everything possible to avoid typical sanctioning body behavior such as, in the case of the aforementioned fight, ordering a mandatory rematch. They want to be their own separate entity that operates on principles and integrity yet they are now owned by an active Oscar De La Hoya who happens to have a stable of fighters. Let's see how impartial they're gonna be now. Give the Ring title as much credence as u will but remember that in the end, it is no better than any of the other sanctioning bodies.

 

You make many good points. Them being bought by a promoter is very disturbing.

However to say that Ring Mag rankings are equally as bad as alpha soup rankings is just plain wrong.

 

what THE HELL kind of question is this??????

 

I didn't say that. I'm saying that regardless of whose rankings are more valid, Ring will be tested the same way the other orgs are. When a bad decision occurs in a normal alphabet title fight (say the WBC) the WBC will be bombarded with appeals and lawsuits on behalf of fighters and their attorneys. Now said organization will have to respond in kind and go over the circumstances surrounding the decision and there will be immense pressure to order a mandatory rematch or at the very least, keep the shafted fighter high in the rankings as compensation when officially he lost and other fighters who have won have the official right to surprass him. It's a mess to say the least.

Now all the Ring has to really do is stick to their whole "the belt can only change hands in the ring" and that's the end of it. I don't think fighters and attorneys can petition a magazine do u? Especially when it is not a sanctioned governing body. Now even more conveniently for the Ring, they could place the blame for a bad decision on the WBC judges who scored the bout incorrectly. Even more blame game to take the focus away from themselves and if they really want to dig deeper they can trumpet how cool they are for not charging sanctioning fees. So much to make them look good at the other orgs's expense.

 

Its not perfect, agreed. But as of right now Ring Mag rankings are FAAAR more reasonable than ANY of the alpha soup orgs - regardless of how many times theyve been sued.


If every boxing fan would ignore the alpha soups and only refered to Ring mag rankings the sport would be better off.

Granted, if the GBP buyout could prove a big problem. . . and if this happens we can simply switch to ESPN rankings - the next widely referred to solid ranking.

 

Sorry for going off like that. I get a little heated sometimes.
Ring's panel of experts who come up with the rankings are very credible. I will give them that. I guess one of my big hangups with the Ring is the sarcastic tone it has throughout it. A brutal sport can do without the sarcasm from guys who probably never laced up a glove in their life.

 

No big deal, you dont like their style.

I dont read it, but I do refer to their rankings as well as ESPN rankings. . . those are easily the two best (widely used rankings) IMO.

I like ESPN's articles, I dont always agree with Rafael but he has good stuff.

 

As silly a question as many of you seem to think it is, there are lots of people defending Pavlik by saying Lockett is a mandatory yet I bet a fair few of those posters also slate the WBO at every opportunity. What a joke.

 

The real problem with mandatories like Lockett and Rubio is the ranking system. I've been picking on Giovanni Lorenzo lately because I think he is a great example. Abraham's folks had to pay Lorenzo "step aside" money in order to make the Miranda fight happen. Lorenzo's last 6 opponents had 55 losses between them. The guy has never even fought a legit gate keeper type fighter. There's no McKart, no Eastman, no Soliman, no Orenales, no ****ing body on this guys resume, but the IBF had him as #1. Now what the **** is up with that? Why in the hell do any of these sanctioning bodies put guys in the top 10 who have never even fought a top 50 fighter? That's the real problem with mandatories. Every fighter should have to beat a top 10 guy to be in the top 10 period!