Video of GGG's brutal KO against Bute in the amateurs

Hey Fanning, did you happen to hear the interviews with Ward and Sillakh?

Sillakh briefly touched on his sparring experiences with Ward.

 

It's all in good fun, hoopsman!
:good

In all honesty, I think Bute's a decent fighter with okay skills, and he has above average speed and power. He's also a very good body puncher. He's good.

My main criticisms of Bute deal with his subpar opposition.

I mean, he's been a champion 4 years or so now. He usually looks pretty impressive out there, but wins over the likes of Brinkley, Mendy, Magee, Zuniga, and Joppy are expected.

He looked good against Glen, but again--he's a 42 year old man with 2 bad elbows who had lost 3 of his previous 5 going into that fight.

His rematch victory over Andrade was good, and he definitely proved he was the better man. But that whole fight acted as little more than a reminder that Bute's undefeated record is tainted.

And let's face it, that "0" accounts for a great deal of his popularity. It also helps account for the perception that he's one of the best SMW's out there despite fighting guys that are borderline low-end contenders.

Right now, I still rate Froch and Kessler above Bute. Those guys have mixed up it with guys that were perceived as top 3 SMW's on more than 1 occasion. Bute has never done so, and this is a fair criticism against him.

Bute versus either Froch or Kessler are close to 50-50 pick'em type fights in my eyes, but I'd give the slight edge to the guys who've actually experienced big fight situations.



In the past you asked me why I thought Ward was "far more versatile than Bute". I forget if I ever responded to you (I intended to, but may have gotten distracted).

I think when you look at Ward's body of work versus Bute's, that Ward can do far more than Bute can. In certain ways, Bute reminds me of Kessler. He's good at what he does, he knows how to utilize the strengths within the range of his fighting style, and he's a good athlete who's fairly quick and has decent pop. He looks like a completely different fighter, however, when he can't find his range.

Simply put, the only time I've seen Bute excel is when he's in his comfort zone against outmatched opposition.

In my estimation, Ward is light years ahead of him in versatility and has far greater abilities when it comes to adapting inside the ring. He has an amazingly high ring IQ, and is one of the best I have ever seen (so far) when it comes NOT just to controlling his range and distance, but outright commanding it. The man knows where he's supposed to be, and he's usually in the right spot while possessing impeccable balance and positioning (of body, feet, hands, and head).

Do I think Ward is invincible? Hell no! He has flaws and weaknesses just like any other fighters, but his ring IQ, his vast experience, and the ease with which he dispatched guys like Kessler and Froch speaks volumes to his professional development.

Bute may have slightly more success against Ward than Froch and Kessler did, but in the end I think it's far more likely that he has an easier time with Bute.



As for the video, I honestly never knew that KO even happened in the amateurs until one of the guys who helps Jenna and me with OTR brought it to my attention and showed me the video.

BTW hoops, hope all is well man! Good to still see you posting in the General

:good

 

Well, we did recently have the heavyweight champion of the world on our show and I think it's a pretty cool poster.

Trying to discredit which opposition? And how does Bute factor in as "Ward's opposition"?

Ward's most recent opponent was Froch, and I have nothing but the highest praise for "The Cobra". :huh

Dissing and name calling? From whom?

For the record, I think Bute and Ward will fight as long as Bute proves himself first and beats a live opponent--something he has STILL never done, mind you.

If Bute can prove his worth against the likes of a Froch, or a Hopkins, or a Pascal, or Kessler, or even a Dirrell -- then a fight between him and Ward WILL BE bigger.

I just hope that Bute doesn't make the mistake of fighting Hopkins first. If he does, I suspect we will lose the opportunity of seeing Ward and Bute face off as undefeated champions.