Datsue wrote:
BTW Stu: a certain segment of the Boxrec population were saying "MAB is too old & too slow to trouble such a great big lightweight & here's video evidence to prove it" & still certain posters chorused "Oh no he isn't." Which just goes to show... Something.
I was one of those, not because I am some Khan fantatic, but because I don't think you can judge of glorified exhibitions. Barrera looked in much better shape ahead of the Khan fight. Ali looked rubbish in sparring prior to the rumble in the jungle, Leonard did prior to the Halger fight (and in his fight in 1985). Tyson looked much better in his exhibition against Sanders than he did in his fight against McBride - its simply impossible to say when Barrera was fighting guys he could have KO'd at any second.
Its was impossible to judge Barrera in those cameos... and you know... I STILL don't know if he was too old or too slow for Khan.
However, whilst I didn't agree with the criticism of the match up - I tipped Barrera - I could see the "possibilities" of it being careful, selective, match making... but now he is fighting a guy a weight above, at his peak, whilst he is not a Hatton or Pacquiao - he is a legitimate, beyond any doubt, top 5 or top 6 fighter.... its not an inflated ranking cause he is a name (as some said Barrera was/is).... yet Kotelnik is still getting rubbished, its a good fight.
