I think Skelton should fight Virchis

Max Molyneux · Post by **Max Molyneux** » 05 Aug 2006, 08:26

I think Skelton can beat Virchis.

If Sprott can, then Matt certainly can so we do have some Euro Class Heavies at least.

overhand_right · Post by **overhand_right** » 07 Aug 2006, 11:26

Skeltons too old to be pissing about with unknown european heavies, he needs to fight a name heavy in the US on a high profile undercard. (Oliver McCall anybody...? GENIUS!!) If he can steal a points win he can blag a shot at one of the diluted belts.

Max Molyneux · Post by **Max Molyneux** » 07 Aug 2006, 11:33

The EBU title would help get him a shot quicker.

overhand_right · Post by **overhand_right** » 08 Aug 2006, 04:50

Disagree. It might get him a top 10 ranking but who cares? He could have to wait around a year, more than that if DK plays his usual shenigans to keep it all in the family. Him & Warren need to get in with DK, take him to Vegas or NYC & feed him a John Ruiz, Gerald Nobles or Oliver McCall et al. Someone Skelton has a shot at out-mauling. Larry Donald a bad choice for Matt.

DK keeps the WBA & WBC under lock & key look at the underserving heavies he gets title fights for. The IBF is less under his grip but i doubt Skeltons people want him to fight Wlad K...

overhand_right · Post by **overhand_right** » 08 Aug 2006, 10:06

Disagree totally. Since when did being an ugly boring fighter stop DK getting you title shots? He kept John Ruiz running through 10 straight wba title fights. He kept Akinwande at the top of the rankings when his profile was at an all time low, only hepititis killed off a Holyfield challenge. Chris Byrd, another hard sell but if DK has you under lock & key you'll get the opportunity.

Skelton is exactly the type of fighter DK would love to sell. The British angle, the age angle, the K1 background... Skeltons a colourful character im amazed Barrett (coming off a loss) got the shot instead of Skelton. Boxing lost a very intriguing fight. Lyakovich or Rahman, anyone..?

overhand_right · Post by **overhand_right** » 08 Aug 2006, 11:04

... Which is exactly why im saying his only chance of a title shot is going over to the US & beating a name heavyweight... duh!

overhand_right · Post by **overhand_right** » 08 Aug 2006, 16:29

I guess i better have a word with myself. I didnt know Hasim Rahman was the only big name fighter in the entire United States.

No one in the US gave a shit about Akinwande, Williams, or Harrison but they all managed to export themselves & get fights over there.

nickd · Post by **nickd** » 09 Aug 2006, 04:11

King seemed interested in Skelton before he lost to Williams, no doubt that was due to him being undefeated. No talk of any interest since so you'd assume now his 0 has gone King is not as keen.

overhand_right · Post by **overhand_right** » 09 Aug 2006, 10:02

Well its not like Tony Thompson, Jameel McCline, Tye Fields, Calvin Brock, Lamon Brewster, Andrew Golota et al are any closer to a title shot than Matt...

jomothepure · Post by **jomothepure** » 09 Aug 2006, 16:01

Skelton may have missed a good chance at overhand's suggested title-shot tactics.

Apparently Ruiz will return to fight Chagaev in a WBA eliminator. Whilst both are rated higher than Skelton, I'm sure that if the right sounds were made, Warren could get Skelton near around an eliminator, but no word at all, all this after the Skelton-Williams II winner was perhaps going to get a direct shot at Valuev?

I agree, Valuev-Skelton would not be on King or anyone's agenda in the US - not marketable. Only feasable chance would be if they could get a fight with Valuev when he next fights in Germany.

However, Valuev won't fight again (after Barret) until February or March next year. And even then, I don't know if he'll be back in Germany for that, and then he may well have to fight a mandatory.

So I'd say Skelton's chances of a title shot are extremely slim. He'll have to have a couple of fights in the meantime, and make it look like he's fighting half-decent opposition. This of course means Skelton-Williams III. Oh yes.

If Warren had offerred big $$$ to McBride quickly, and got him to fight Skelton, that's practically your problem solved.

Max Molyneux · Post by **Max Molyneux** » 09 Aug 2006, 16:37

Apparently Ruiz will return to fight Chagaev in a WBA eliminator. Whilst both are rated higher than Skelton,

Well if Skelton beat Virchis and he can, then he'll be in the top rankings to be considered by Sauerland. They'd see him as an easy defence and they pick anyone in the rankings usually.

overhand_right · Post by **overhand_right** » 10 Aug 2006, 10:42

Good thinking Jomo, i left out Ruiz. Easy to forget. Now theres a guy who fights Skeltons fight, potentially outmaul The Quiet Man.

Harrison wont want to go anywhere near Skelton judging by his soft choice of opponents now, but KEVIN McBRIDE...? Now thats a stroke of genius!!!!!!!!!

jomothepure · Post by **jomothepure** » 10 Aug 2006, 12:06

Gammer-Williams is up on the boxrec schedule now. While this at the very least intimates that all parties are up for it, I can't believe that Boyce has won the purse bids, and that it's being staged the night before JC's alledged return, in Wales.

Perhaps Warren is finally thinking of the British interests by not winning the bids, thus saving us seeing Williams on terrestrial television.

At least this would postpone the Skelton-Williams triligy. Does still leave Skelton needing a fight though.

One other option is - and we're getting dangerously close to Max's original subject matter here - Skelton is probably in line for an EBU shot.

Krasniqi is #1, but he is anyway fighting in September, with Tony Thompson the muted opponent. I'd guess therefore this would serve some sort of eliminator, as Krasniqi is the WBO #1. EBU #2 is SSS. I think SSS, as did Krasniqi, passed over on the opportunity the last time the EBU did the rounds to find a mandatory, and I think he'll do so again. A steady stream of international trinket defences against "global" opposition will soon get him another WBC eliminator.

So that leaves Skelton at #3. I'm sure he would take it, but would Warren? I don't see another route. No domestic opponent. He can't fight for his WBU strap because then he'd lose his world rankings, however tentative they are currently. So I'd say it's either Virchis next, or Warren bites the bullet, does what he's said he will, and go and get Skelton a title shot before he gets his flu shot at the age of 60. It'd be quite refreshing to have Skelton given an intriguing non-title fight on the JC undercard against am American.

overhand_right · Post by **overhand_right** » 10 Aug 2006, 12:38

So we're all in agreement, Skelton will probably fight Virchis next....

Max Molyneux · Post by **Max Molyneux** » 10 Aug 2006, 12:55

overhand_right wrote:So we're all in agreement, Skelton will probably fight Virchis next....

And whoop him.

Max Molyneux · Post by **Max Molyneux** » 10 Aug 2006, 12:57

HEAVYWEIGHTS (over 90,719 kg)
* Champ: Vladimir VIRCHIS (UA/DE) July 15 , 2006
* Chall.:
EU: Michael SPROTT (GB) EU Champion
Contenders:
1 Luan KRASNIQI (DE)
2 Sinan SAMIL SAM (TR/DE)
3 Matt SKELTON (GB)
4 Danny WILLIAMS (GB)
5 Alexander DIMITRENKO (UA/DE)
6 Michael SPROTT (GB) EU Champion
7 Henry AKINWANDE (GB/AT)
8 Paolo VIDOZ (I)
9 Audley HARRISON (GB)
10 Timo HOFFMANN (DE/AT)
11 Roman GREENBERG (IL)
12 Taras BIDENKO (UA/DE)
13 Dennis BAKHTOV (RU)
14 Egon ROTH (DE)
15 Oleg PLATOV (RU)
16 Richel HERSISIA (NL)
17 Rene DETTWEILER (DE/AT)
18 Denis BOYTSOV (RU/DE)
19 Cengiz KOC (DE/AT)
20 Alexey MAZIKIN (UA/DE)
21 Alexander POVETKIN (RU)
INELIGIBLE
Nikolay VALOUEV (RU/AT) WBA
Tomasz BONIN (PL) IBC
Wladimir KLITSCHKO (UA/AT) IBF - WBO

Hmmm, there reluctant to put Skelton as mandatory and Flabby Flab and Kraniqi don't want it.

jomothepure · Post by **jomothepure** » 11 Sep 2006, 13:48

SSS seems to be taking it up.

Max Molyneux · Post by **Max Molyneux** » 11 Sep 2006, 16:30

He didn't want the shot when Vidoz was champ when they made Williams mandatory instead.

Skelton would get a WBA rating though if he had the Euro title and it would be easier for a title shot then.

salaco · Post by **salaco** » 13 Sep 2006, 06:46

McBride is fighting on the valuev u/c as far as I know, against Mike Mollo - who stands a decent cance at beating him because McBride is crap- but if he doesn't I would say McBride is up next against the freakshow...

jomothepure · Post by **jomothepure** » 01 Nov 2006, 11:49

Virchis is making an EBU defence on December 2nd, and I'm starting to wonder who the opponent is going to be???

SSS looks to me like he's passed up the mandatory slot - although I thought some agreement had been reached. Anyhow, he's fighting Big Miro next weekend.

#1 Krasniqi is apparently going to fight Tony Thompson in Dec in a WBO eliminator. Even if that doesn't come to fruition, he will be the EBUs next in line next year (which is why I'm questioning if SSS has accepted the role of challenger.

Could be Bidenko I reckon (I just gave a long winded sonnet about who's rated and unnavailable etc, but I reckon it will be him, with Hersisia the stand-by.)

Nels · Post by **Nels** » 01 Nov 2006, 12:06

Nice work Jomo.

I'd quite like to see Bidenko vs Virchis 2 too.

Going back a bit, I think that Sprott beating VV don't mean shite regarding whether or not Skelton'd beat him.

Styles make fights and all that.

But Hersisia versus Virchis would be horrible. Hersisia's a level below Dimitrenko, Bidenko, Chagaev, Virchis et cetera, in my opinion.

So it'll probably be the Dutch Sonny Liston!