Will this effect Harrison vs Skelton?

[stujones]

Given the impact that the Danny Williams result will have around the world I am actually hoping that the Skelton vs Harrison clash is postponed for a little while longer. Whilst I said that this fight represents Danny's best opportunity stepping into world class, Danny's display was so brilliant you have to ask yourself how far can he go.

Danny sounded like he wanted a world title fight in his next contest and I would urge FW to put all of his efforts (although not jeopordising Hatton vs Harries) into getting it next. The champion who I think is most suitable for Danny is John Ruiz, of course Ruiz's mandatory isn't up for a while so unlike if Danny fights (and beats) Byrd, he wouldn't have to contend with Andrew Golota immediately.

I think (and have always maintained) that Danny can surprise Ruiz and seeing Danny's chin last night I'm even more confident that he can do it.

Then of course Danny can make voluntary defences against the Skelton and Harrison - which would be great events.

So should Sports Network be reading this, I urge them to consider this plan of action now and avoid Harrison vs Skelton and save them to fight Williams.

[mikewl]

Alot of people still wont be convinced with Williams, the last thing he needs to do now is go down to British level. He needs a fight against a true top 10 opponent, Hasim Rahman maybe, someone nearer their prime.

Another good win will surely put him in line for a title shot.

[KOJOE90]

It would be great if Danny Williams could keep the momentum going and capitalise on his moment of fame and apparent new found mental stability and like Stu says gets a shot at Ruiz, whom I agree is the best choice for Danny.

If this can happen who know? I to feel it would be a great mistake for Danny at this point to drop back to British level.

[stujones]

Bad news on the Ruiz front - he's just signed to fight Golota - well Chris Byrd then. Mikewl (welcome to the forum), do you think Danny needs that one fight, I think Williams is up there now he doesn't need a Rahman he can surely get a major title fight.

I would tip Williams to beat any of the 3 major belt holders, I would actually still tip Tyson to beat them.

[KOJOE90]

Bad news on the Ruiz front - he's just signed to fight Golota - well Chris Byrd then. Mikewl (welcome to the forum), do you think Danny needs that one fight, I think Williams is up there now he doesn't need a Rahman he can surely get a major title fight.

I would tip Williams to beat any of the 3 major belt holders, I would actually still tip Tyson to beat them.

I assume Golota gets a shot at Ruiz because Byrd has taken Don King to court, this may mean Byrd is out of action as well for a while. I do hope politics don't stop Danny making the most of his new found form. He needs to strike whilst the iron is hot IMO.

Williams Vs Brewster anyone?

[stujones]

Didn't know Byrd has taken King to court, I thought Byrd was fighting IBF#1 contendor Jameel McCline soon and the winner would be forced to face Golota.

Whilst I would love to see Williams vs Brewster it is only for the WBO title, I would like to see Williams fight for one of the big three, avoiding Klitchko if at all possible - but if not I think he could do him.

What I really want to see (and the purpose of this thread) is Williams defending this title (of course, should he win it) against Skelton, Harrison and maybe even Hide in the future - what events they would be.

[Priff]

Alot of people still wont be convinced with Williams, the last thing he needs to do now is go down to British level. He needs a fight against a true top 10 opponent, Hasim Rahman maybe, someone nearer their prime.

Another good win will surely put him in line for a title shot.

I think he needs to aim higher.
Pitch himself as a soft, but high Kudos defence for Byrd or Brewster.
Then, when he does it again, he's champ.

[Boxingmad]

I'd be mortified if Danny fights at British level again. He is now the talk in boxing, and he must now focus all his efforts into becoming the undisputed world heavyweight champion. He has no business fighting Fraudley & Matt Skeleton.

Harrison has made it his business to slag off Danny at every opportunity. Danny should not give him the satisfaction of getting in the ring with him.

Bring Ruiz, Golota, Byrd, Brewster & Klitschko!! We're ready!!

[KOJOE90]

Didn't know Byrd has taken King to court, I thought Byrd was fighting IBF#1 contendor Jameel McCline soon and the winner would be forced to face Golota

From ibopboxing.com, it was also mentioned in BN.

Add The Name Chris Byrd To An Already Long List
July 28, 2004

Within the last week IBF Heavyweight Champion Chris Byrd became part of a unique boxing fraternity, one that he no doubt wishes he could've avoided. That's right, Byrd joins the long list of fighters who have sued promoter Don King for some form of breach of contract. Judd Burnstein, Byrd's attorney, filed claims for relief against King in New York District Court. The suit alleges that King knowingly perpetrated acts of fraud against Byrd. Byrd is claiming $13,000,000 in damages, and $50,000,000 in punitive damages. On top of that, Byrd is asking the court for a judgment to free him from his current contract with Don King Productions.

Basically, this goes back to when Byrd signed an exclusive promotional contract with King granting him the right to promote Chris Byrd's fights. The agreement stipulated that if Byrd won the IBF Heavyweight title, which he did when he decisioned Evander Holyfield in December of 2002 -- King would see that Byrd fought twice every 12 months, with King contracted to pay Byrd $2.5 million per fight. It also stated that Byrd was to receive $2.5 million per fight regardless of the opponent or the financial success of the promotion.

Without getting bogged down in the legal jargon, what transpired is King has not paid Byrd the $2.5 million for either of the fights he's had since signing the agreement. King has said that he just can't afford to pay Byrd what the agreement calls for because his fights haven't brought in enough money. Byrd, to his credit, even settled for less money from King for the two fights he had under the contract and hadn't really made an issue of it until the last few months. It's been reported that Byrd was paid less than $1.0 million for each of the two fights he had under the agreement versus Fres Oquendo and Andrew Golota. Under the contract Byrd had with King, he should've been paid $5.0 million for those two bouts.

The fact that Byrd didn't get the money he was guaranteed, it didn't lead to an immediate lawsuit. What led to the lawsuit was Byrd not believing that King was being forthright with him claiming financial straights. Apparently the trust factor with Chris Byrd is a bigger issue than the money. For anyone who knows or has spent time with Byrd, it's easy to see that he's not all about money. However, don't let him sense that you may be lying to him or trying to pull one over on him. Byrd, being a man of strong faith and principle, probably can't be part of an agreement once he loses trust in the other party. If he no longer can take King at his word, which is most likely the case, then it's easy to see why this will be decided by the court.

The fallout from this contract dispute between Chris Byrd and Don King Productions can have a damning effect on not just Byrd, but the Heavyweight division. If somehow Byrd is unable to box while he fights it out with King in court, the division will be minus one of its best fighters. Chris Byrd is one of the few fighters around today in any division who never squawks about money, and who is more than willing to fight anybody.

The Heavyweight division as of this writing is very pedestrian at best. Many of the upper tier Heavyweights don't always show up in top shape and aren't always willing to fight the best opposition. That's where Byrd breaks the mold. He is always in top shape and knows what he's doing in the ring. Weighing usually between 205-210 pounds, Byrd has not only survived in the so called land of the giants, he's thrived in it. He is an unorthodox southpaw who is very tough, with an outstanding chin. When he fights he's so relaxed and loose, he's like trying to hit a sheet hard that's hung over a clothes line. Byrd has a way of totally neutralizing his opponents’ strengths, sort of like taking the bullets out of their gun. He is also very elusive from the waist up, and is deceptively fast. The only thing Byrd lacks is Heavyweight measurements and the knockout power that some expect to see from an upper tier Heavyweight. However, he's made his lack of size and power work to his advantage in most of his bouts.

The last thing the Heavyweight division needs is for Chris Byrd to be taken out of it over a contract dispute with Don King. Byrd is the current IBF Champ and holds a win over WBC Champ Vitali Klitschko, the fighter many boxing observers believe is the top Heavyweight in the world. There are so many potential and compelling fights that can be made involving Byrd, it would be a crime to have him sitting on the sidelines waiting his day in court. Especially since it's over money that he's already earned and should've been paid.

[stujones]

Any views relating to my first post? I really would like to see the Brit boys fight each other with a world title on the line as opposed to just the British belt. I think it could happen aswell.

[Matchfixer]

The champion who I think is most suitable for Danny is John Ruiz, of course Ruiz's mandatory isn't up for a while so unlike if Danny fights (and beats) Byrd, he wouldn't have to contend with Andrew Golota immediately.

Then of course Danny can make voluntary defences against the Skelton and Harrison - which would be great events.

I'd be very surprised that if Danny were to beat Ruiz he would give a title shot to either Audley or Skelton considering he would have beaten Tyson and Ruiz by then. Each of them would have to do something to earn it.

[steve689]

Is it me or does there seem to be more sueing than Boxing going on at the moment in Boxing? According to the Daily Sport Skelton-Harrison is scheduled for October 9th as a rough date. However io believe that is a Thursday, has there been an announcement that i have missed?

[Neri]

I hope Harrison-Skelton still happens and Danny shouldnt bother with them until one of them has progressed further. Meanwhile id like to see Danny get a title shot and with Ruiz booked for Golota and Byrd either fighting McCline or fighting in court, why not Danny against Klitschko?

But will Tyson want a rematch ???

[Nels]

For what it's worth, and I admit heavyweight boxing these days just does my head in ninety per cent of the time, I think Mr Williams needs a Rahman-type fight, or at least Juan Carlos Gomez -calibre (actually, scratch that, I think Gomez would beat him); and it needs to happen THIS YEAR.

Then he can fight whoever's standing out of the Brewster/Meehan/
Ruiz/Golota/Byrd -any other fat fornicate, and make some serious wedge.

With all due respect to the opinions put forth already, I really want Skelton versus Audley to come off soon. fornicate it, look what happened to the Lightmiddles in this country. The reason boxing is in such bad shape (okay, one of the reasons, there's lots of others) is the lack of quality match ups involving recognisable names. Unless you fight like a 235 pound Manny Pacquiao every time, the general sports fan loses interest in big, sweating lumbering fucks marking time in low-risk fights.

Yes, it may eliminate Skelton or Harrison. But fornicate it, that's the nature of the game, and as I said, the amount of risk-minimisation inherent in most British fighters management is what's castrating the sport.

Okay, I'm gonna shut up now...

[stujones]

Nels, don't shut up you made some good points. I too don't want another situation with the Light Middles, but IMO this scenerio is different - none of the light middles fought in remotely near world class and yet they were hyped as world beaters. It was plain to see that they were not going to touch the likes of De La Hoya, Vargas, Wright, Moseley, Castilejlo etc, so they should have fought each other - at least they are doing it now.

However, in the heavyweight (as with Hatton and Witter) we now have a boxer with a very realistic chance of not only getting but winning his world title shot. I'm agreeing I don't want Harrison and Skelton (maybe even Hide) to stagnate, and I would like them to fight decent fights (Al Cole would have been good) but not necessarily each other.

[mickeybeard]

For what it's worth, and I admit heavyweight boxing these days just does my head in ninety per cent of the time, I think Mr Williams needs a Rahman-type fight, or at least Juan Carlos Gomez -calibre (actually, scratch that, I think Gomez would beat him); and it needs to happen THIS YEAR.

Then he can fight whoever's standing out of the Brewster/Meehan/
Ruiz/Golota/Byrd -any other fat fornicate, and make some serious wedge.

With all due respect to the opinions put forth already, I really want Skelton versus Audley to come off soon. fornicate it, look what happened to the Lightmiddles in this country. The reason boxing is in such bad shape (okay, one of the reasons, there's lots of others) is the lack of quality match ups involving recognisable names. Unless you fight like a 235 pound Manny Pacquiao every time, the general sports fan loses interest in big, sweating lumbering fucks marking time in low-risk fights.

Yes, it may eliminate Skelton or Harrison. But fornicate it, that's the nature of the game, and as I said, the amount of risk-minimisation inherent in most British fighters management is what's castrating the sport.

Okay, I'm gonna shut up now...

I made pretty much the exact same point 6-weeks-or-so back. I think pretty much everyone else disagreed, saying that Brits with a world title chance should be kept apart. I really can't see it. If Audley or Skelton fornicate up against an Al Cole or an Oleg Maskaev (and there's at lest some chance that that could happen to one or both of them) then the Skelton/Harrison match-up is suddenly worth half of what it is now. Get them in against each other sharpish, while the fight is sellable. The looser will have no business in world class anyway, but if they can't dust themselves down and try to make a run at European level or something, then they should be seriously considering if they're in the right profession.

[steve689]

I agree with Mickey here, if a guy is fighting no marks all in the name of trying to keep him unbeaten or not upset his stock then what is the point? Surely when the guys are ready then get them in amongst each other, it's competetive and weeds out the pretenders from the real deal, keeping the best rivals apart only breeds complacency and plays into the hands of the alphabet titles with average fighters making good money to beat up rubbish all in the name of a so called World Title".

If a guy beats his rivals or at least shows in the unification fights that he can handle the pressures of the higher level then we know he can survive at world class instead of getting him to 40-0 and then throwing him in with a top ten guy and watching him crumble.

We watched David Walker struggle at Area level to make his name and he should have been a British level contender at best, we knew he couldn't handle world class after life and death struggles with local opposition. But they put him in at that level anyway...but that's besides the point.

As Mickey says...let's get the best in with the best, make them take risks.