The Vicious Middleweight Assault On SMW Marches On... Which MW's Should Move North Next?

Triangle theory is ridiculous for sure, but Utz doesn't need to have been comprehensively beaten by Korobov for the OP to stand.
Utz is a MW who clearly saw the logjam to a title at MW while also seeing opportunity at SMW.

Utz had no trouble with Medina but the SQUARE comparison of Love and DeGale fights show the MW Utz as the better man and a consensus top 10 and arguably top 5 SMW.
At MW, the top 5 are leagues ahead. And top 10 is also a tight squeeze.

 

Good thread CST80

I think Danny Jacobs vs DeGale is a GREAT EVENT but a one sided KO for Danny.
DeGale goes down in 5 rds and don't want no more.

Also think that if Mallow can't get the big fights at MW, he'd have to like his chances vs Benavides or DeGale.
I think that GG is coming into his peak at the moment though, and would be a tough fight for most MWs not named GGG or BJS.

Just think to beat GG a fighter gotta have certified iron chin, an elite level jab, and a body attack inside because Groves size would need to be negated by the inside game.
Alvarez could be successful inside vs GG, but he wouldn't be winning no rds being out landed 16-5 because of 2 eye catching counters and a half dozen thigh and hip punches.
Unless of course it was in Vegas, Texas or Cali.

Also, apart from GGG, I don't see a MW ATM I'd favor over former top 15 MW contender, Lefty Ramirez. Wink wink.... another MW who is dominating the SMW landscape as soon as he moved up.

Yeah, apart from Groves, there aren't any pure SMWs that stand out.
#2 Lefty (MW went to SMW for opportunities)
#3 DeGale (any of the top 5 MWs beat him)
#4 Utz...SEE Ramirez lolol
#5 Smith/Benavides....both could easily be MWs but neither could beat GGG,BJS, Jacobs or Mallow or Alvarez (on the cards)

 

John Ryder suprising me big time. I watched him from his very first fights and always thought he had talent, then he gave BJS one of his hardest fights however saunders won clearly, he then slumped and got predictable relying on strength to get inside rather than mixing it up, but now hes back and firing he spanked that big smw neilsen but he has a hard fight in jamie cox, a true 50-50.

 

technically perfect flicka da wrist, mind.

 

From what I can see Groves handles anyone moving up to SMW

Imagine Groves-Alvarez at 168. Cinnamon would get stomped.

 

All of those fights would be amazing to see.

 

Jacobs should move up as he is too big for middleweight. He is more of a light heavyweight, but he should stop at 168 as he would get knocked out by Bivol, Kovalev, Beterbiev, Gvozdyk, Stevenson, etc.

 

Callum Smith and Benavidez are gargantuan 168lbers, especially Smith

I'd fancy Smith to clean up any middleweight, and Benavidez is going to be a beast when he gets more experienced.

 

Jacobs is smaller than Jarrett Hurd and looks average sized next to GGG

 

Not when he comes in as a roided cruiserweight

 

Both are lanky.

Neither has thick bones but yeah, a bit sizable to be boiling down to MW without a genuine reason, especially when the SMW landscape is so soft.

Benavides is a kid and yeah, liable to be a beast when he hits his peak size, probably 25/26.

Smith has said himself that he CHOSE to contend at SMW because the opportunitys were there, and as a Brit, the division has been thiers for a long time now