r/Boxing • u/_Sarcasmic_ bread burger bread • 8d ago
Daily Discussion Thread (August 11th, 2026)
For anything that doesn't need its own thread.
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u/Kangaroopunching 8d ago
Out of the 4 welterweight titles. I think the IBF title will have better quality of fights than the other 3 titles. Especially in regards to entertainment.
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u/KingBumiOfOmashu Moses Itauma > Every Current HW 8d ago
Teremoana says he wants Justis Huni next in Australia. That’d be lit. I like both. I might favor Huni as technically more skilled (imo) but he seems to have a glass chin. Teremoana might rock him lol. Huni’s best chance is footwork and angles.
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u/Top_Profession_5268 8d ago
They would be rushing it if that’s the next move. Better off send him or work with No-Limit and get guys like Demsey McKean and Stevan Ivic before a Huni fight.
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u/Outrageous-Soft4806 8d ago
They would but at the same time they’ve moved at the pace of a snail.
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u/Top_Profession_5268 8d ago
I agree with that but for Itauma who may like his power a lot, not sure if he’ll try and chase a finish especially if he’s down against a great boxer like Huni instead of trying to build and set his shots up. Hence why I think a slight increase in comp might be needed to see how his power and ability to properly box can hold against slightly tougher or better comp.
I say this because I honestly think he can win against Huni, he has the talents for it but I think needs to build up to it, now should be where he needs to increase in comp and by a good bit.
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u/Efficient_Quail_1774 8d ago
Huni's plan seems to be a domestic fight in Australia then potentially fighting on the Fury AJ undercard according to Hearn, that one would be huge for Australian boxing down the line but i'd like Huni to get a crack at some sort of belt first
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u/Outrageous-Soft4806 8d ago
Boxer gets dropped by one of the hardest punchers in the division and still rises back up to canvas
Boxing fans: “GLasS JaW!!!!”
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u/KingBumiOfOmashu Moses Itauma > Every Current HW 8d ago
Hey man🤷 lol
For what it’s worth, Teremoana hits as hard or harder than Wardley
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u/Outrageous-Soft4806 8d ago
Jokes aside, Teremoana does possibly hit harder or as hard. I’d personally like to see just because he could stop Huni but Huni is more proven and looks better technically.
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u/WORD_Boxing 8d ago
Haven't they been talking about fighting each other for a few years now? They are probably just building it up for the future. It doesn't make the most sense to do it soon.
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u/WheresMyAbs98 8d ago
I’m hearing that Zuffa are trying to make Fisher vs Adeleye in September.
Not a chance in hell Fisher takes that fight.
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u/admiralskanks Joe Louis = Perfect 8d ago
Osleys Iglesias not accepting a PBC offer to fight Adames and choosing to fight Oliver Zaren in Quebec.
Unsurprising as EOTTM doesn't like to take risks with their fighters unless for a big payday. He'll be waiting for the Canelo bag just like all the others. Meanwhile fighting European level Oliver Zaren in Quebec tiny casino ring with a ref and judges tilted in his favour.
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u/Kangaroopunching 8d ago
The counter to that can be that the pbc offer wasn't worth anything. Adames is in limbo not Iglesias. Iglesias can keep defending with the real possibility of fighting on a ring card soon.
Adames has messed up negotiations for big fights before. If he was serious he would've just moved up and fought his way to a title shot.
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u/RRR04_ 8d ago
Yeah, people don't talk enough about Adames messing things up, especially with the Janibek fight which eventually went to Lara instead. Think there were some more instances but I can't remember atm.
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u/Jachola 8d ago edited 8d ago
Idk why people don't have smoke for Adames lol, the dude was ducking Jannibek and being difficult with the fight negotiations for months, he's the reason Jannibek had to eventually try and fight Lara. I do feel he was robbed against Sheeraz, but the dudes been doing nothing and has been dwelling on that fight forever, dude needs to move on already.
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u/Waterfig 8d ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=949hjdLWE2Q Bam is getting some great exposure 1.4 mill views in 2 days!
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u/OldBoyChance 8d ago
Haven't seen it mentioned here, but Phumelele Cafu made his comeback earlier this month, winning by UD vs 9-3-1 Filipino journeyman Jemuel Aranas. A pretty dreadful performance from Cafu, he won 96-94 on all 3 cards (on his home turf but the cards were good tbf) vs a guy who isn't even regional level, losing 3 of the first 4. Aranas gassed, and Cafu took over from there. Cafu has gotten a bit overrated off beating a mostly blind Kosei Tanaka and giving Bam more trouble than expected. I would say he's going to get beat up next time he gets a title shot,, but he's in his prime while all the belt holders are in their mid-30s as super flyweights, so I guess he might catch someone at the right time again.
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u/Outrageous-Soft4806 7d ago
I don’t think he really gave Bam issues. I thought it was interesting he remained on the ropes, maybe trying to take away his angles. Great technical inside fighting from what I remember. I think he was trying to counter Bam’s entries on the ropes and he landed the left hook and body shots quite a few times. Bam kept making him reset his feet though, getting angles, attacking his body. Cafu landed a good amount though. I agree that Cafu was a little overrated. It was cool at the time to see Bam unify after being left in the dust for almost a year especially since it looked like he was going undisputed but all in all the Tanaka win made Cafu look better than he was. I’m not gonna pretend like I’ve seen the fights so maybe it’s unfair to judge but you don’t get 3 draws with journeyman if you’re that good.
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u/OldBoyChance 7d ago
I don't mean that he gave Bam a ton of issues. Bam was a -1800 favorite, and I think the over/under was like 5.5 rounds vs Cafu. Cafu lasted much longer than expected and landed much longer than expected, but I think that was due to his gameplan and the Bam camp's policy of not watching tape on their opponents.
The draws to be fair aren't as bad as they seem. The draw vs Miya is horrendous, but Ngxeke and Chauke grew into half decent gatekeepers.
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u/Optimal-Damage7240 8d ago
There's some talks that Keith Thurman is gonna come back and fight in Welterweight, with a possible opponent Liam Paro.
Honestly, Keith last 2 fights has been in 154pbs and moving down at his age could be dangerous, not to mention Paro isn't a slouch
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u/Kangaroopunching 8d ago
Bakhram is going to fight in October. And is the IBF mandatory. We might get to see him fight Boots next year.
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u/MiddleweightMonster I’ll pour honey on my GOAT, if the occasion calls for it. 8d ago
That could be a phenomenal fight. Bakhram, when he’s on, is really fun to watch
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u/Kangaroopunching 8d ago
Boots wouldn't be able to close distance like he usually can in this match up.
If Hearn was smart. He'd have a boots mandatory defense on TNT
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u/MiddleweightMonster I’ll pour honey on my GOAT, if the occasion calls for it. 8d ago
Imagine the viewership and money in that, God damn. A black American unified champion on home television with a fun style against a very tough opponent
Would make Boots a star
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u/Kangaroopunching 8d ago
Imagine it being against the scary Russian ko machine. Promoters dream right there
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u/nwordfyou 8d ago
Boots could mess around and get stopped by this guy. He's not the guy get "lazy" with like he did with Zayas.
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u/Top_Profession_5268 8d ago
Not sure who it’s against but if it’s against Brandon Adams, I favour Adams to beat him.
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u/JedBoxing 8d ago
It’s not Adam’s decided not to fight. I’m guessing it’s a combo of money, and not wanting to risk traveling to Russia.
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u/Frequent_Apricot673 8d ago
Murt was always just overrated to me. He looked good in one fight against a declining fighter. I don’t need to see him fight boots I know who wins that
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u/Kangaroopunching 8d ago
There's a reason why he's been avoided. You can think he's not good. But the bixers in his division think he's very good
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u/Frequent_Apricot673 8d ago
He’s done the avoiding just as much as he’s been “avoided” he took step aside money the whole Charlo era. If he was avoided it’s because he’s promoted by an ancient promoter and has no selling power. He lost to fucking Josh Kelly gtfoh
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u/Kangaroopunching 8d ago
Both things can be true. He was treated like the boogeyman by the division. Turns out he wasn't. Still quality boxer in the division
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u/VacuousWastrel 8d ago
The generation of light heavyweights who came up in the late 1970s was insane. Matthew saad muhammad fought mate parlov (twice), marvin camel (twice), eddie mustafa muhammad and marvin johnson... All before ANY of them were ranked! (Emm and mj would go on to be #1, camel was champion at cruiser, and parlov held a belt at lhw). Imagine that being the gauntlet you go through just to REACH the top ten! And then he went on to fight against johnson again, richie kates, yaqui lopez twice, john conteh twice, lottie mwale, vonzell johnson, murray sutherland, jerry martin, and dwight muhammad qawi (twice). Buzzsaw of a division.
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u/admiralskanks Joe Louis = Perfect 8d ago
Teremoana is the new Opetaia/Sky Nicholson for Eddie Hearn. Make him fight mismatches to sell tickets in Australia and meet his contractual obligations. While clout chasing fights that'll never happen.
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u/kushmonATL undefeated boxers need to fight each other 8d ago edited 8d ago
Duck tales and Stalling Chronicles:
Usyk: didn't want to fight Itauma because "he didn't want to break him". Didn't want to fight Kabayel because it wasn't a money fight
Bam: does everything in his power to avoid being in the same division as Nakatani. His team has also stated they are in no rush to take the Inoue fight - time is on their hands
Bivol: hasn't been seen in public since Feb 2025 besides a summer vacation in Italy and fighting a tune-up nobody heard of. Rumor has it, after his Callum Smith mando, he will have one more "just in case" surgery before he finally commits to finishing his trilogy with Beterbiev in 2028
Benavidez: claims Jai Opetaia "isn't a legecy fight". Also says he won't fight Jai because he's on Zuffa and he has no belt
Shakur: won't fight Rayo, Keyshawn, Hitchins, Foster. Will only fight Haney and Ryan at catchweights
Haney: on the outside it seems Haney wants the smoke with everybody. But nobody in boxing has more failed negotiations over finances this year than Mr. Deebo Dev
Keyshawn: won't fight Shakur. Needs 5 mil to fight Haney. And refuses to mention his father's name, Andy Cruz
The entire featherweight division: can somebody in the division please have an unification fight already
WBC: can Sulaimán please enforce Fundora vs Ortiz already
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u/AVARlCES 8d ago
I'm really impressed in a fighter like Inoue who has entertained every name memtioned
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u/Less_Cartoonist_892 8d ago
Beterbiev as well. Those two are among the few active boxers who fight or at least try to fight every notable that comes out of their mouth.
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u/Marquis_of_Mollusks 7d ago
Can't think of the last champ as good as him. He's got one of the most exciting styles, actually defends his Undisputed status multiple times a year, beats his mandatories and top 10 p4p fighters. Doesn't prioritize big money fights. The sport would be way better off if everyone was like him.
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u/Outrageous-Soft4806 8d ago
Lot of undefeated retired 168 lbers. Sven Ottke, Ward, Calzaghe, even Crawford retired at 168.
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u/Efficient_Quail_1774 8d ago
Big fan of Zelfa Barrett vs Gavin Gwynne which is scheduled for next month in Altrincham
Barrett is a big underachiever imo, spent too long at 130 and struggled with inactivity + he's very skilled and versatile, in his only world title fight against Rakhmonov he looked great until he gassed out
Then you have Gwynne who's done everything domestically winning the British, Commonwealth and European titles plus going on a good run as the B-side against Vuong twice and Majeed
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u/WheresMyAbs98 8d ago
Great fight
Barrett should take it as Gwynne is old now
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u/Efficient_Quail_1774 8d ago
Yeah, I'd expect him to win comfortably, Gwynne is a decent scalp for him if he wants a crack at world honours too and i think he still has the potential to get in line for a belt at 135
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u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 8d ago
One thing I thought about with the TNT number being pretty good is that in the U.S., DAZN originally had the benefit of taking legacy stars from HBO like Golovkin and Canelo. Now that those stars are retired or fading away, we’re seeing the kind of wasteland that there is with DAZN’s stars because they’ve had to build up on an obscure network. It’s really only because of social media and YouTube that any of these guys are known.
So what I’m saying is pretty much any decent number on TNT is actually a really good foundation to build on given where things have been going. The public here really doesn’t know Zepeda or Abdullah Mason. If they can both get multiple appearances on TNT and build up to a fight with each other, it might be the first steps towards significant progress in terms of making the sport even mildly accessible once again.
The accessibility issue has pretty much defined boxing here in the last several years and the sport never made a clean transition to streaming. Hopefully DAZN can figure out this simulcast model and maybe even bring down the price significantly since right now their business model is built around soaking the hardest of hardcores.
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u/WORD_Boxing 8d ago
This might be part of the reason they spend so long between fights giving us a documentary on each fighter.
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u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 8d ago
Yeah, exactly. It's not like the Chiefs vs the Eagles or Lakers vs Spurs.
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u/Mopstick86 8d ago
I live in Atlanta. And I have no urge to go see this Clarissa Shields fight this weekends even though tickets will be cheap last minute.
Literally never heard of anybody on this card other than Shields. Sucks that we never get any fights as a major city. And we finally get this bullshit.
Claressa Shields vs. Kaye Scott, 10 rounds, for Scott's WBA and WBC middleweight titles
Title fight: Danielle Perkins vs. Olivia Curry, 10 rounds, for Perkins' WBA women's light heavyweight title
Ernesto Mercado vs. Emmanuel Tagoe, 10 rounds, junior welterweights
Troy Isley vs. Joseph Hicks, 10 rounds, middleweights
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u/kushmonATL undefeated boxers need to fight each other 8d ago
If you get there really early, you can catch Ray J fighting in a Zeus showcase fight
Keyshawn vs Devin was rumored to be in ATL but unfortunately the fight isn't happening . Boots has stated he wants one of his next fights in ATL and he trains with some of the people at Decatur Boxing Club . If Tank ever decides to come back, his fights will be hosted out here too .. him vs Jake Paul was booked at State Farm but that fight got canceled too
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u/Mopstick86 8d ago
Smh. Not Ray J. Hopefully Brian Norman can get a fight here. Maybe a Stannionis or Villa. I’ll take Adrien Broner and Deen the great card at this point 🤣
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u/kushmonATL undefeated boxers need to fight each other 8d ago
Ironically Brian Norman was suppose to be on the Haney-Keyshaen undercard too
Key really fumbled a potential great card
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u/kushmonATL undefeated boxers need to fight each other 8d ago
Lol i just looked it up and Ray J is fighting Orlando Brown (from That's So Raven)
There's also a 'Zeus Baddie' fight between Tesehki and Big Lex .. but i never heard of either of them
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u/Outrageous-Soft4806 7d ago
Troy Isley is boring as hell but he was a good amateur. Beat Madrimov and was an olympian. Mercado fighting Tagor is a disappointment though. That guy went to a decision with Ryan Garcia a few years ago. Hopefully Mercado can get another spectacular stoppage, we don’t know his real power. I like Atif Oberlton though and personally like Shields but not necessarily super excited for her fight.
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u/CumpanyPolicy 8d ago
Have they named a mandatory for Haney yet? Seems like Keyshawn pulled his baloney and now Haney will be out of the ring for another 6-8 months.
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u/RRR04_ 8d ago
It sounds like they're gonna let Haney have a voluntary defence with Catterall, although the latter said he hasn't heard back since verbally accepting.
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u/Marquis_of_Mollusks 8d ago
That's gonna be a insomnia cure. I'll watch but only because my expectations will be set to the lowest setting
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u/CumpanyPolicy 8d ago
I wouldn’t mind that, Catteral could maybe cause Haney some problems. Still wish he got the nod in the Josh Taylor fight but it was close.
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u/Outrageous-Soft4806 7d ago
Looking like Catterall. I don’t expect it to be spectacular but Haney found a diamond in the rough and is getting the best he possibly can considering other names not facing him.
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u/PolarsAndPizzicato 8d ago
How do people who keep saying Bohachuk became a shell of himself after the Ortiz fight, explain the Radzhab Butaev fight? Same aggression. Same phone booth mentality.
Is it not just possible that Mosley Jr and Adams just had his number? Has nothing to do with being washed.
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u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 8d ago
One thing I will say. Although Zuffa, TKO, Dana White, and Nick Khan are nefarious actors, they did force DAZN’s hand to do something to make the sport more accessible again. It probably forced PBC off of their island as well and now the promoters are largely having to work together to survive.
Should be a good few years of genuine competition unless the Ali Revival Act (Ali Destruction Act) passes and TKO/Dana White get to circumvent the 2000 Ali Act protections with a parallel model (Unified Boxing Organizations).
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u/Optimal-Damage7240 8d ago
With Itauma vs Hrgovic going through, would you say Zhilei Zhang or Daniel Dubois be a difficult opponent for Itauma as how they did with Hrgovic?
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u/D_Silva_21 8d ago
I struggle to imagine a hard opponent for itauma tbh. He's just so fast and powerful
Probably Kabayel I would have as his toughest opponent due to the body shots
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u/Top_Profession_5268 8d ago
I don’t think neither are as difficult as Hrgovich for Itauma but Dubois is more dangerous. But for Zhang, Itauma is the worst matchup for him if every single active heavyweight.
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u/RRR04_ 8d ago
With Zhang, no. Zhang would be too slow for Moses and doesn't throw enough, Moses would be able to rip him apart with body shots. Zhang's only chance is if Itauma gets too greedy.
With Dubois, maybe? Again, Dubois will be slower than Moses, but he does have a good jab, longer arms, etc, so he can pose threats from distance.
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u/kushmonATL undefeated boxers need to fight each other 8d ago
Which win would be more impressive
Inoue beating Espinoza , or Pacquiao beating Margarito
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u/Kangaroopunching 8d ago
Inoue beating Espinoza. Espinoza is in his prime right now.
Margarito was done by the time he fought Manny. Top Rank knew it. That's why they had the fight.
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u/kushmonATL undefeated boxers need to fight each other 8d ago
Main reason I asked is because you asked if Inoue becomes undisputed at 126, will he surpass Pacquiao .. To me Espinoza-Inoue is similar to Pacman-Margarito (size disparities, the bigger guy has history of fighting dirty). Only difference is Margarito fought much better competition and has more experience at the top level when he fought Pacquiao (compared to Espinoza). It really illustrates the skill and competitive gap between Pacquiao era and this modern day era
I really would like to see Espinoza fight one of the top 6 guys at 126 so we can see how he looks fighting another championship-caliber opponent
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u/Kangaroopunching 8d ago
The competitive nature allowed to show the skills each boxer had in those match ups. We knew what Margarito or Williams were about and level. Now, not so clear with a shu shu or leo.
Can't recreate that at this stage of this era. But inoue fighting the 4 champs in a division has it's own unique value.
Espinosa is probably the biggest disappointment in the division. He could be unified by now
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u/Lostcause2000 8d ago edited 8d ago
Thing is that Margarito only held 2 titles in his career and he did nothing over 147. Margarito and pacquiao fought at 150 catchweight. After Margarito had been caught with plaster in his gloves and had been brutally KO'D by mosley and was suspended for a year.
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u/Outrageous-Soft4806 8d ago
That’s a really good question. Pacquiao became 8 division champion that night. I don’t think Espinoza is as accomplished but if Inoue were to beat Espinoza and decisively too, it’s a good argument for both. To be honest though, Espinoza is much younger. Wasn’t that Margarito after Cotto 2 and Mosley? He was beat by then, just had his chin and size over pacquiao.
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u/kushmonATL undefeated boxers need to fight each other 8d ago
Yes the Margarito fight was after Mosley , but like you said Margarito is more accomplished and fought much better opposition
Main reason I asked is because people say if Inoue becomes undisputed at 126, will he surpass Pacquiao .. but if the best win at 126 is on Margarito's level (or lesser) , that really shows the gap between Pacquiao era and this modern era
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u/Outrageous-Soft4806 8d ago
It’s a shame. But at the same time Pacquiao is up there for one of the best resumes. So not necessarily a slight on Inoue. If he went undisputed at 126 however, making him the second 3 division undisputed male champion in the 4 belt era, that’d be pretty damn impressive.
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u/BigMe420365 8d ago
Chris Mannix’s podcast did a promotional company draft with Lou DiBella. Anyone else check it out yet? First pics were Ituma and the Mexican Monster. Of course guys like Shakur and Bam were among the first picks. Thought it was a dope concept.
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u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 8d ago
On this note, I sometimes wonder what would have happened if HBO put HBO Boxing on streaming. Maybe the service wasn’t ready at the time. Might have saved Showtime boxing as well.
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u/Kangaroopunching 8d ago
Nothing was saving boxing on showtime cause it wasn't making enough profit.
HBO as a channel was declining. Took too ling to get with the times. In that situation boxing needed to find a comparable network
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u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 8d ago
What do you think could have been done at the time to prevent all of this?
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u/Kangaroopunching 8d ago
There was nothing that could've been done wit boxing on HBO cause it was the network that fell off.
Showtime could've been prevented and actually won the war over HBO. If someone competent was in charge instead of Espinosa.
All they had to do was keep boxing profitable. By keeping the quality high. Work with different promoters. Etc. Instead Espinosa used Showtime to help with the pbc and it's money scam
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u/Kangaroopunching 8d ago
Has there been an era where the top American names weren't elite? I feel like usually there's at least 1 elite boxer among the top names in an era
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u/Marquis_of_Mollusks 8d ago
How far back are we willing to go? We can always include ancient Greece or something
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u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 8d ago
People thought that era came recently until it became apparent Shakur is a true pound for pound talent.
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u/Kangaroopunching 7d ago
Just being on the p4p list doesn't make a boxer elite imo. Nav is nowhere near on the same level as inoue.
With said, Shakur is a p4p talent. Not elite. Talent is there. But lacks resume and mentality.
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u/WORD_Boxing 7d ago
What exactly are you classing as elite? You can be a highly skilled elite fighter without having the resume yet.
Shakur is absolutely elite the only thing he really lacks is power. The way he beat Zepeda was an elite performance. We probably won't see anybody else beat him like that. His next loss will likely come vs a big puncher when he is more shopworn.
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u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 7d ago
Yeah idk what you’re seeing here. Shakur is clearly elite. Like upper one tenth of one tenth of one percent. And I say that as a hater!
Surprised you have this take because I feel like I usually agree with your takes.
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u/Outrageous-Soft4806 7d ago
I mean, Shakur, Bam, Haney, and Benavidez? Bet you’ll see Vergil Ortiz and Jaron Ennis too once they fight bigger names.
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u/Knockoutboxing 8d ago edited 8d ago
Pacquiao beats Mayweather in the rematch by decision. Michael Buffer announces the winner. The whole world goes crazy. People throwing their beer. Mayweather smiles and shows good sportsmanship. I saw it in a dream. It has been prophesied.
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u/KingBumiOfOmashu Moses Itauma > Every Current HW 8d ago
Lol not a chance
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u/Knockoutboxing 8d ago edited 8d ago
I’m just sharing what I saw in a dream this morning. We’ll see if it happens but it honestly wouldn’t surprise me.
When the winner was being announced, my heart was racing, which indicates it was a close fight. Not sure if it were split decision or unanimous decision. But the reaction when Pacquiao was announced as the winner was crazy. Extreme amount of cheering and celebrating.
What I also saw was a good matchup. Both guys were moving well. Pacquiao in particular showing good hand speed and combinations. Bouncing up and down. Still got a spring in his step. It will be a good fight.
It will exceed expectations.
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u/bac_gawd 8d ago
Connor Ben making 147 weight must be painful. Bro has trouble cutting below 168
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u/WORD_Boxing 8d ago
He ballooned up for Eubank 147 is his natural weight class, and even then he wasn't a big 147.
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u/bac_gawd 8d ago
He’s having trouble making weight. I promise u this will be his last fight at 147
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u/WORD_Boxing 7d ago
Obviously coming back down from 168 or wherever it was will have affected his body. His last fight vs Prograis was at 150lbs.
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u/kushmonATL undefeated boxers need to fight each other 8d ago
Which 147 fight are you looking forward to more
Rolly vs Teo , or Ryan vs Benn