Can anyone handle Witter?????

buzz · Post by **buzz** » 04 Jun 2004, 04:23

[quote="Goz"]I think some are going overboard on Witter.

Maybe, maybe not.

Do you guys know how hard it is to prepare for someone like Witter?

You certainly cannot get the sparring for it and to lay a glove on him takes some doing.

He did get caught a bit on Wednesday but only because he was reckless and knew he could take the risks to take his man out.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 04 Jun 2004, 04:41

Yes, impressive as Witter was, do not confuse battering Battaglia with fighting Judah.

Judah has every bit as much punchpower as Witter, and has the handspeed to catch him with shots too, Witter's chin may well be the weak link if the Haeck fight is anything to go by.

Whilst I do think Witter has the power to hurt anyone, let's not forget how devastating Judah looked, until that is Tszyu calmy timed him and decked him, I can envisage just the same thing happening to Witter, someone like Cotto who is good defensively and who has good solid technique may well just block his shots and then fire one off.

Potentially Witter has the style to trouble anyone in the division, but that doesn't make him unbeatable.

Southpaw Stylist · Post by **Southpaw Stylist** » 04 Jun 2004, 05:13

I also don't know why people are going crazy. Witter is good, very good in fact, but he won't beat Hatton.

J · Post by J » 04 Jun 2004, 05:15

it makes me giggle all this, one decent performance against a European top ten and world top 30 opponent and he is ready to take out Judah, Hatton Cotto all on the same night.

get a grip.

MightyWarrior · Post by **MightyWarrior** » 04 Jun 2004, 05:25

buzz wrote: Is there anyone in the Worlds top 20 who could honestly handle him???

He's yet to beat anyone in the world's top 20.

buzz · Post by **buzz** » 04 Jun 2004, 05:28

MightyWarrior wrote:
buzz wrote: Is there anyone in the Worlds top 20 who could honestly handle him???
He's yet to beat anyone in the world's top 20.

He will.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 04 Jun 2004, 06:03

Until he does, it's all conjecture.

How come Hatton who has beaten better fighterS In Magee, Tackie and Phillips gets nothing but stick, and Witter is suddenly the second coming of Sugar Ray Leonard off the back of beating Battaglia.

I do think Witter is very talented, and I do give him a shot at beating Hatton if they ever fight, but he's at the beginning of a title run, not at the end, long way to go.

I must say though, that Witter has better punch power than Hatton, and is more versatile, but like Judah before him, let's see how he handles pressure first before carrying him aloft as the new king of the division.

J · Post by J » 04 Jun 2004, 06:13

I concur with that.

let support both fighters hey, they are two of the best brits we have

I for one will have amuch softer spot for Junior if he does his talking in the ring rather than just calling out hatton, which it seems he is doing now.

Coconut · Post by **Coconut** » 04 Jun 2004, 06:15

I don't think anyone can say hand on heart that Witter is the new top of the tree at 140. However, he has shown that he has almost certainly got the ability to handle the upper tier fighters.

The two fights that show this are the Battaglia match and the Judah match, for me. Battaglia because he took out a respectable Euro-tier opponent in quite dramatic style, showing he's a step ahead of this level (and maybe of Urkal). The Judah fight because, even though he was astoundingly negative, he showed that for a young man on a late call-up he had the basic ability to bamboozle one of the better attacking fighters of his time and division.

Basically for me what is being shown by Witter is that he deserves a chance, and I think he can handle the bigger boys because of the style and strength that he's worked out for himself. Honestly, there's nobody at 140 who will have an easy night with him whatsoever. He's in the Ingle mould of being typically individual (oxymoron?) and he's going to give anyone problems. I'm not saying he beats them all, just that he looks to have the tools to be competetive.

I'd just like to see him given the chance but, with Warren disliking him, the US TV networks only remembering the Judah match, and with him having no titles, he's got very little bargaining power to lure anyone decent into a sticky night's work. Witter really needs a decent promoter.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 04 Jun 2004, 06:19

It all hinges on whether Hennessey has the clout to get him matchups against overseas fighters.

Witter would benefit enormously from travelling to the states to take on some of the top 10-20 contenders, that's the only way I see him making a name for himself in the required time frame.

steve689 · Post by **steve689** » 04 Jun 2004, 07:47

Witter did look impressive although a little wild at times and even though he isn't the new threat of the division he can make a noise and upset someone. He needs a decent promoter to manouvere him into a recognised title shot, it is my belief that he is currently a free agent?

Wilko · Post by **Wilko** » 04 Jun 2004, 08:06

Right now I think Witter beats Hatton. However I can't see him beating Mayweather as has been stated on this thread.

I've never understood Warren saying Showtime aren't interested in Witter. They show the no-named mugs he's been fighting so surely Witter wouldn't be that hard to sell.

I think Witter though should forget Hatton and make his own way to the top. With a good promoter in Hennessy and BBC coverage it could soon be Hatton who is the forgotten man.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 04 Jun 2004, 08:22

Wilko, perhaps you don't know this, but Warren is totally right that Showtime aren't interested.

For your information, Witter stank the joint out in his Showtime televised clash against Zab Judah, Jay Larkin, head honcho for boxing there, stated that he would NEVER show Witter on a showtime card again.

adamiw · Post by **adamiw** » 04 Jun 2004, 08:24

Jurgan Haek staggered Witter. He had 5 KOs in 16 fights or something...Junior's punch resistance is the only thing that i question.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 04 Jun 2004, 08:24

As for Hatton being the forgotten man, you're being premature, at the end of the day, plenty of boxing fans on both sides of the Atlantic know who Hatton is, and he is generally thought of being a top 5 talent, if not on achievement.

Hatton only needs one impressive victory this year, and don't forget he will be appearing on showtime, something Witter can only dream about right now.

Hennessey is a promoter with imagination and flair, but whether or not he can secure Witter a shot at a genuine title is another matter, he is relatively inexperienced remember, and doesn't have the long standing contacts that Warren, Hearn and Robert Waterman do.

mrbassie · Post by **mrbassie** » 04 Jun 2004, 09:19

Witter was staggered by Haeck but it wasn't too badly, only momentarily. He was daydreaming and got caught with a shot he didn't see coming, then another one, it was a lunging punch and caught him right on the point of the chin, which is rare with Witter. I personally give his chin the benefit of the doubt since he also took a few decent punches from Judah.
He gets hit clean so rarely that it wouldn't matter too much anyway, he looked open on wed but I'd put that down to being a little over anxious to get the KO, what with it being his first fight on the beeb and whatnot

Wilko · Post by **Wilko** » 04 Jun 2004, 09:52

I'm just saying it how I see it. Yes Hatton is still packing out the MEN but would Warren feel confident putting him on at any other venue.

Perhaps Witter is a bad example but on the whole I do think Hatton is being over taken and the younger prospects are moving up quicker than he is. Cotto being a prime example.

Personally a lot of what I say is based on frustration. Hatton is stagnating and that is a fact.

Yes right now it is premature to say Hatton is the fotgotten man. Give it 12 months of Ricky fighting no names at the MEN on SKY and Witter facing better names on the BBC then perhaps it is possible.

Listen, I saw Witter against Judah and your right it was dire but that was 4 years ago. Surely Witter is no worse a gamble for Showtime than some of the opponents Hatton has had recently.

Also, for a one off why does Showtime money matter so much? We're talking about two English fighters who want to fight each other and would pack out any arena in the UK - IMO Showtime doesn't matter.

Has Warren really worried about Showtime too much with some of his promotions? I don't think so.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 04 Jun 2004, 10:03

Showtime only accept the fights they think worthy, they didn't show Hatton v Rios, or Hatton v Pedersen, as they considered the opponents sub standard.

As for Witter appearing on showtime, as far as I am aware, Showtime has an exclusive agreement with allegedly, I do not recally any other british fighters appearing on showtime ever.

buzz · Post by **buzz** » 04 Jun 2004, 10:10

Witter is not signed to any promoter, he is a free agent.

To be fair Witter said it was not about the money so he is not going to price himself out.

I think the winner of the Hatton v Witter fight would go on to make a lot of money, or they both would make a lot out of a rematch.

Wilko · Post by **Wilko** » 04 Jun 2004, 10:10

My mistake - I don't pay too much attention to the US networks as to me they don't matter. What matters to me is decent match ups. Although I though a few of Calzaghe's fights had been on Showtime.

My point is though is that based on the last few months I do believe things are looking brighter for Witter and as I said earlier he should forget Hatton and go for other big names.

kevo · Post by **kevo** » 04 Jun 2004, 10:13

There have been afew british fighters on showtime (if you count Shobox appearences), Matthew Ellis and Alex Artur spring to mind.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 04 Jun 2004, 10:17

...who are both promoted by allegedly if my memory serves me correctly

buzz · Post by **buzz** » 04 Jun 2004, 10:21

jamesmcdonnell wrote:...who are both promoted by allegedly if my memory serves me correctly

I think Ellis is free now.

kevo · Post by **kevo** » 04 Jun 2004, 10:21

Shit, sorry, didn't read your post properly.

Wilko · Post by **Wilko** » 04 Jun 2004, 10:23

Nor me - sorry you did say Warren had an exclusive contract. I just read the part about Hatton being the only British fighter..

Still it would be nice for us the fans if American money didn't have such an impact like this on the domestic scene.

Can anyone handle Witter?????

Re: Can anyone handle Witter?????

Re: Can anyone handle Witter?????