Jamie McDonnell (WBA 'Regular') vs. Naoya Inoue - May 25th 2018

[lurkyshaka]

While Inoue looked sensational I think there is a real danger in going overboard over this win, which in all honesty came against a ridiculously weight weakened champion.

McDonnell should have moved up a long time ago but boiled down once more because the money on offer was too good to turn down......well he might have been paid well but he looked horrendous at the weigh in, got blown out in the fight and lost a lot of credibility. He knows that he didn't do himself justice but in the record books it won't make a reference to his weight issues, it'll just say L TKO 1. It was a very sad end to a fine run at the weight, but he got greedy and paid a heavy price. I like Dave Coldwell, but I do think he has to take some criticism too for allowing McDonnell to take that fight given that he must have known he was a dead man walking at bantam.

McDonnell will finally make the move up now, but I'm not sure that 122 is feasible really given how much weight he added after the weigh in. I think featherweight is a more realistic weight for him and we'll see if that can revitalise his body and career.

Regarding Inoue, well looks like we'll see in the WBSS just how good he is. The winner of that will be a legit boss and quite possibly earn HOF creds off the wins that'll come in that mix.

[Andrew]

Mcdonnell shouldve took a few rounds to sit back and defend ugly and then sussed his power. He went forward and was open to counter. He was the bigger guy. Fight on back foot out of range.

It mightve been the same result but he wouldve looked more respectable. Ive never rated mcdonnells tappy tappy forward boxing. An elite blitzed him and hes had a good career but hes not and never will be world class.

Behave yourself mate, of course he is or was world class. Won IBF and WBA titles, beat the WBO champion who was very decent. If a guy winning (or should have held) three versions of a world title is not world class, well fck knows what is. Being blitzed in one fight (against an extremely hard hitting talented guy) does not mean you have not or are not world class.

McDonnell wasn't WBA champion.

[BigDoofus]

Dave Coldwell, but I do think he has to take some criticism too for allowing McDonnell to take that fight given that he must have known he was a dead man walking at bantam.

Coldwell absolved himself of any blame on David Price's performance and publicly hung him out to dry. They arrived in Japan a few days before the fight, but while ever Hearn keeps feeding him fighters he won't take any responsibility.

[Counter-puncher]

Mcdonnell shouldve took a few rounds to sit back and defend ugly and then sussed his power. He went forward and was open to counter. He was the bigger guy. Fight on back foot out of range.

It mightve been the same result but he wouldve looked more respectable. Ive never rated mcdonnells tappy tappy forward boxing. An elite blitzed him and hes had a good career but hes not and never will be world class.

Horrible comment. He had a number of hard fought world title wins in which he demonstrated skill and endurance.

Abner Mares got blasted away in a round (by Johnny Gonzalez) after being in a number of close, debatable, controversial world title bouts (v Darchinyan, Perez, Agbeko) - & no one said he wasn’t world class.

Well he has been successful but I put him on Paul butlers level. Both guys that beat butler would beat McDonnell and butler probably beats the guys McDonnell has beat.

Butler? beats either Ceja or kameda? mate i normally agree with you but have a word, Butler could barely win a round off Kameda IMO and Ceja would walk through him he was like a puddle of water. i'm not sure he'd beat a peak Napa or bloody Haskins either myself....

[littlepug]

Horrible comment. He had a number of hard fought world title wins in which he demonstrated skill and endurance.

Abner Mares got blasted away in a round (by Johnny Gonzalez) after being in a number of close, debatable, controversial world title bouts (v Darchinyan, Perez, Agbeko) - & no one said he wasn’t world class.

Well he has been successful but I put him on Paul butlers level. Both guys that beat butler would beat McDonnell and butler probably beats the guys McDonnell has beat.

Butler? beats either Ceja or kameda? mate i normally agree with you but have a word, Butler could barely win a round off Kameda IMO and Ceja would walk through him he was like a puddle of water. i'm not sure he'd beat a peak Napa or bloody Haskins either myself....

Agree totally with this.

[BigDoofus]

Butler? beats either Ceja or kameda? mate i normally agree with you but have a word, Butler could barely win a round off Kameda IMO and Ceja would walk through him he was like a puddle of water. i'm not sure he'd beat a peak Napa or bloody Haskins either myself....

McDonnell never beat bloody Haskins....

[Counter-puncher]

Butler? beats either Ceja or kameda? mate i normally agree with you but have a word, Butler could barely win a round off Kameda IMO and Ceja would walk through him he was like a puddle of water. i'm not sure he'd beat a peak Napa or bloody Haskins either myself....

McDonnell never beat bloody Haskins....

ha, fair point, the wider point of Butler not being a level above McDonell's *former opponents* stands though

[TheLeprechaun]

Butler to be fair is a level below on what we have seen and I'm not a big fan of him. Perhaps my sheer contempt for the shoe shine style that McDonnell and Butler use mentally made me put them on the same level. Thing about butler is tete pretty much ruined him and he would ruin McDonnell too. Butler was half the fighter after that fight. And even then going off their fights with hall there wasn't much between them. Styles make fights though and I think what is it is McDonnell has a more awkward style to deal with

[Autobarn]

I don’t think Butler is relevant. A fit McDonnell would’ve won a good fight vs Butler, and I’d pick a strong at the weight McDonnell to edge a difficult fight over Tete.

Inoue is a remarkable offensive fighter and I’d pick him to stop an old, recent version of Yamanaka also. The pre Nery version of Yamanaka..

Inoue’s not going to let any rusty, jaded or weight weakened fighter save energy or slowly ease his way into a fight. If he senses weakness he’ll ice you.

[Counter-puncher]

And even then going off their fights with hall there wasn't much between them. Styles make fights though and I think what is it is McDonnell has a more awkward style to deal with

To be fair Hall was an old-ish fighter when McDonnell fought him, and three years older when Butler did which doubtless helped Butler a bit.

Agree on the style to an extent and partly its a matter of Mcdonnells length giving him the chance to land in situations Butler simply is too far out of range, he gets/got a lot out of what he has/had does McDonnell. I'd give him a bit of extra credit compared to Butler just in the sense I think he seems to have a bit more ring nous and generalship and ability to find a way to win rounds- though how much of that is due simply to his dimensions it's hard to say. I'm fairly sure scaled down to 5'6 or whatever McDonnell may have struggled to reach the level he did so in that sense i guess I agree about the stylist advantage/awkwardness being key

[skanksta]

Shiro won with a "phantom-punch" - barely touched him !

You joking? My liver is still sore after watching it from my armchair.

Didn't see in real time - I thought the Mexican had taken a dive ?!
In slow-mo it was a brutal beauty of a thing

[TheLeprechaun]

And even then going off their fights with hall there wasn't much between them. Styles make fights though and I think what is it is McDonnell has a more awkward style to deal with

To be fair Hall was an old-ish fighter when McDonnell fought him, and three years older when Butler did which doubtless helped Butler a bit.

Agree on the style to an extent and partly its a matter of Mcdonnells length giving him the chance to land in situations Butler simply is too far out of range, he gets/got a lot out of what he has/had does McDonnell. I'd give him a bit of extra credit compared to Butler just in the sense I think he seems to have a bit more ring nous and generalship and ability to find a way to win rounds- though how much of that is due simply to his dimensions it's hard to say. I'm fairly sure scaled down to 5'6 or whatever McDonnell may have struggled to reach the level he did so in that sense i guess I agree about the stylist advantage/awkwardness being key

I have to agree yeah. In the post fight interview after the Butler fight I remember Hall just laughing about it kind of. At least for the McDonnell fight he had an unbeaten record (i believe?) and more pride. I think McDonnell is better than Butler yeah. I was wrong before to put them on the same level. Butler was developing nicely before the Tete starching. After that I don't think I liked any of his performances. I remember backing him fairly large at good odds to get some fat old journeyman Frank flew over out of there and I was pumping sweat watching the fight until he finally got him out. The guy never wanted to be in there but Butler was fighting with no urgency. Pre Tete he had a bit of a mean streak. He also blatantly ducked Yafai, basically admitting in interviews he wanted no part of him. Even recently he had a world title fight and missed weight so couldn't even win the title. This is all down to getting mugged in his hometown by Tete for me. Getting starched like that changes you.