Heavyweight Division

[Infern0]

(02-13-2016, 03:50 PM)diehard Wrote: BOXING NEWS
McGuigan warns Joshua: Don’t fight Martin
By Karl Freitag

Heavyweight Anthony Joshua is rated WBC #2 (behind only Alexander Povetkin), WBO #2 (behind only Joseph Parker), and IBF #4 (behind only Erkan Teper who is currently suspended for PEDs, and with the one and two ratings vacant).

However, BoxNation boxing analyst, Carl Frampton’s manager/promoter and former world champion Barry McGuigan warns Joshua to steer clear of a proposed bout with largely unproven IBF heavyweight champion Charles Martin. Even though McGuigan believes Joshua well might get past Martin and become heavyweight champion, he could pay a heavy price down the line by having to defend against better quality opponents than he’s ready for.

The question is, if the #2 fighter with three of the four major sanctioning bodies isn’t ready for a world title shot, who is? Conversely, if Joshua isn’t ready (and granted he has never faced a top ten fighter), why is he rated so highly?

Joshua is still a prospect, it speaks volumes to how poor this division is that a heavyweight "champion" is calling out a prospect, and that people kind of expect joshua to answer.

As to why Joshua is ranked #2, well it's the same reason Parker is ranked #1 by the WBO despite having fought arguable even worse opposition than Joshua

There is nobody else. 

Here is a realistic rankings of heavyweights

1. Tyson Fury
2. Wladamir Klitschko
3. Deontay Wilder
4. Alexander Povetkin
5. Luis Ortiz
6. Kubrat Pulev
7. Charles Martin
8. Erkan Teper
9. Bermane Stiverne
10 Anthony Joshua

I would have Parker at #11 on my list just below joshua as I rank Whyte and Johnson (people forget Johnson schooled alex leapai not long ago, he is only awful against top level guys, he'd beat bowie tupo and kali meehan) better wins than Meehan and Botha, and Sprott, skelton and co better than your bowie tupos and jason bergmans (not by much but still) There isn't much in it but Parker got huge amount of boxrec points and flew up the rankings for that meehan win and i don't rate meehan at all, especially in 2015

But the point remains, neither of these guys should be near a world title fight yet. If things in the division were on merit, your title fights would be

Fury vs Klitschko 2
Wilder vs Povetkin
Martin vs Ortiz

Joshua, Parker should be fighting the likes of Stiverne and Pulev, who have only lost to the champions, and if they come through those guys, then they should be ranked at the top of the division.

But it's boxing and tings dont work the way they should 

[diehard]

Can't disagree with your rankings, Infern0. I think there are some twenty really good heavyweights, but no great ones right now. Once Klit was past his prime, it was open season. Klit looked vulnerable against Jennings, and Fury took advantage of his old habit of being tentative and safety first.

Don't under-estimate politics and rankings. They go together as sure as AJ and Parker being top 5. Not to mention hype (marketing?).

[james5000]

Tyson Fury has a huge surprise for his next opponent? Will we see return of Vitali?

[james5000]

I have to disagree you can't judge a division's strength by ranking politics.

If you actually look a bit closer heavy is very stacked and there are a number of other fighters that could make a top 10 list.

You could make an argument any division is weak if you want.

E.g
Lomachenko is a pro novice, won a world title in his 3rd fight when he was 1-1, feather must be pathetic.

Could you ever imagine that happening at heavyweight?

[diehard]

Al Haymon, PBC, and why Charles Martin may go to the UK to face AJ:

http://ucnlive.com/well-this-is-interesting/

[diehard]

No, politics shouldn't affect rankings, but it does. And that's what I'm saying, there are about twenty fighters that you can't separate unless they fight.

If Wlad decides he's afraid to throw punches, look for Vitali to take his place.

[diehard]

Charles Martin: Every punch I throw is supposed to hurt you

By Przemek Garczarczyk

“I find it funny when people describe me as slow. Funny, because I know how many gears I have – enough to be different when I want to be. Ask fighters who’ve fought me. Ask what they think about my hand speed, and the power that this speed generates. Every punch hurts,” said IBF heavyweight champion “Prince” Charles Martin (23-0, 21 KOs) in an exclusive Fightnews.com interview. Martin can’t wait to once again prove his words in the ring…

Charles, you correctly predicted the Denver Broncos as a Super Bowl winner, saying that defense wins championships. Do you think the same when you step between the ropes?

This is the hardest part of boxing. Find the best way to combine both world class defense, because were talking heavyweights here, and offense to prove that you can hit and finish the other guy. I believe that you don’t have some specialized defense and concentrate only on this part. Like Deontay Wilder, whose offense makes so much trouble for the other guy who can never truly implement what he wants to do on the offensive part, and Deontay has an easier task defending himself. Fighters know what can happen when they forget about Wilder’s power. Lennox Lewis was the same. Talking about Deontay, I have to say that “The Pin” Szpilka was doing a tremendous job. Wilder was confused, Szpilka was winning the fight. And then he forgot…

You only have 24 bouts, but you fight like an old school veteran. No wasted punches, controlling pace. Watching you fight, it’s hard to not think that when you throw a punch you know it’ll connect.

This is exactly what I want to do. My everyday training looks exactly the same. In my 10 years of boxing, I always wanted be a patient fighter. Why should I throw “empty” punches – just to show that I can? What’s the point? We all know the saying that we are in the “hurt business.” I take that literally. Every punch I throw is supposed to hurt you. Every one of them. I want you to suffer. I love clean punches – chin, direct hit to the temple. When I fought Glazkov, I was in the driver’s seat from the moment he hit me for the first time. “What’s that? Is he hitting me with pillows?” That was my first thought, seriously. Glazkov got injured but I hurt him with every punch I threw. Imagine what would happen, when – like it was planned – I would have started hitting Glazkov with combinations.

What’s the most underestimated part of your skills?

My hand speed. I find it funny when people describe me as slow. Funny, because I know how many gears I have – enough to be different when I want to be. Ask fighters who fought me what they think about my hand speed, and the power that this speed generates. Every punch hurts. But in the end, I don’t care. People were always naysayers when it comes to me. Look, where I come from they saying, ‘No, he can’t do this or that.’ I just win.

Just after winning the IBF heavyweight title, you said that you’re not interested in easy title defenses. You want big guns in front of you. Looks like you can get what you wish very quickly…

Other fights are just waste of time. What’s the point of facing guys I know I would beat or knock out? Just for payday? Days after the Glazkov fight, I spoke with my manager Mike Borao and promoter Leon Margules, telling them exactly that. I want champions or big names. Guys that are reigning now or who are perceived as future of boxing. I expect Tyson Fury to repeat his performance in the Wladimir Klitschko rematch. Could be even more one-sided, because Klitschko is just an average fighter when he’s afraid to throw his right hand. And he clearly was versus a target as big and moving well as Tyson. I also think that Wilder will beat Povetkin. No matter who is next for me – I just want to prove my words in the ring. I want them all!

[NakiFan]

Oscar Rivas vs Gerald Washington on Feb-27

Ruslan Chagaev Vs Lucas Browne - March 3rd - Germany

Luis Ortiz Vs Tony Thompson - March 5th D.C.

Michael Sprott vs. Christian Hammer, March 18th, Romania

Tomasz Adamek Vs Eric Molina - April 2nd

Helenius v Duhaupas on Apr 2nd for WBC Silver Belt

Anthony Joshua Vs TBA - April 4th

Pulev vs Chisora - 9th April

Joseph Parker Vs TBA - April 17th

Deontay Wilder vs. TBA in April sometime

David Haye v TBA - May 21

The Furious One™ v Vlad II. June 4th

[diehard]

Whoa, saw on your line-up, NakiFan, that Hammer now has a dance partner in Sprott. TBA is looming large for Baby Joseph.

[diehard]

Tyson Fury’s latest Tweet sure to cause speculation: Fury says we will never guess who his next fight will be against!

James Slater - February 13, 2016 - 39 comments

Reigning heavyweight champion Tyson Fury is no stranger to Twitter, with the unbeaten giant often writing outlandish and sometimes humorous messages on his official Twitter page. But today’s announcement of sorts from Fury is sure to cause speculation and probably plenty of debate.

Fury, who claims he has huge news that he will share soon, took to Twitter two hours ago to write the following:

“Some massive news coming soon, had to come to London for an urgent meeting about a massive fight, TBA very soon, u will not believe who!!!!!!”

So, will Fury not be facing ex-champion Wladimir Klitschko next, in a contracted rematch of the November fight that saw the vocal Brit take the world crowns? Reading the above Tweet, it would appear not. Maybe there has been some agreement reached, whereby Klitschko is allowing Fury to have a first defence before taking the return with him? Or maybe Fury, as he has done before, is simply messing with our heads – something his trainer and uncle, Peter, said at the Bolton Homecoming press conference his nephew is want to do.

But if the Tweet is not a wind up, and if it is not to be Wladimir next, then just who could this unbelievable next opponent be?

Speculation, anyone? Could it be Wladimir’s big brother, Vitali, returning for a shot at restoring pride to the family name?

Could another former king, Lennox Lewis, who has often been verbally abused by Fury, be about to stun us all with a return to action at age 50?

Could “The Real Deal” himself, Evander Holyfield be on the verge of a shocking return?

Really, with the big words Fury has used in his Tweet, it really could be anyone he is about to fight. And with the boldness of the Tweet, it will be a big disappointment if it’s someone like a Charles Martin (the IBF heavyweight champ of course) or a Shannon Briggs (who has been calling just about everyone out as of late) that he has agreed to fight next.


It surely cannot be David Haye, as Fury has made clear he has absolutely NO intention of ever agreeing to fight his fellow Brit again after twice being let down due to enforced pullouts by “The Hayemaker.”

And if Fury’s unbelievably big-news next opponent is actually Wladimir, then why, as big as the rematch will be, should we be shocked by this, a contracted return fight?

Fury really has got us scratching our heads over this one!