What is the worst piece of match-making you have ever seen??

[Shirow]

Richie Wenton v Barrera.

I wasn't familiar with Wenton when this happened but looking at the recored he lost a Euro title then fought 3 journeymen and was served up to Marco.

[FLINT ISLAND]

Richie Wenton v Barrera.

I wasn't familiar with Wenton when this happened but looking at the recored he lost a Euro title then fought 3 journeymen and was served up to Marco.

Paul Lloyd fared even worse against Barrera - he was beaten to a pulp in the first round - and reitred on his stool.

When do you ever see a fighter retired on their stool after just one round !!! - not through injury - but because they have taken such a beating in the 1st round - they cant go on.

[whatashambles]

Worst ever

Enzo Maccarinelli V Bobby gunn

SHOCKER!!!!!! and for a World title

Can't believe I forgot this one. I made a load backing Enzo KO 1

[caffrey]

Juan Manuel Marquez v Chris John was a bad, bad move by Marquez's management since he got paid eight pounds fifty, some leftover Pesatas from his manager's holiday to the Costa Del Sol in 1987, and a sachet of tomato ketchup.

The WBC feeding a shot jc chavez to a dangerous kosta tszyu was bad

[Khaosai-Galaxy]

we also had muppets on the forum saying lockett had a great chance to beat pavlik. needless to say they disappeared when lockett showed he was happy to take his knee and get out of the fight.

r

I had a tenner on Lockett against Pavlik based on the fact that Pavlik isnt much cop at all.

[Shirow]

Richie Wenton v Barrera.

I wasn't familiar with Wenton when this happened but looking at the recored he lost a Euro title then fought 3 journeymen and was served up to Marco.

Paul Lloyd fared even worse against Barrera - he was beaten to a pulp in the first round - and reitred on his stool.

When do you ever see a fighter retired on their stool after just one round !!! - not through injury - but because they have taken such a beating in the 1st round - they cant go on.

Yeah i did think of Paul Lloyd first but he was more accomplished wasn't he? Again i wasn't up on Lloyd at the time. Was that really what everyone expected?

[thepocketrocket]

The only thing I'd say about the David Walker / Roman Karmazin fight is that it was a career best pay day for Dave. It was a shot at the European title and David could punch a bit, no one gave him much chance but Robert McCracken wasn't going to let him get hurt. I've got a lot of time for David who is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet and as game as they come but he very nearly lost to Spencer Fearon for the Southern Area title and I think Spencer took that at late notice. If you're managing / promoting David and you can get him the European title fight then you've got to offer it to him. David didn't have anything to lose, he was in the Sun every day for a week as they were sponsoring the show and he dropped back down a level afterwards.

I think a bad bit of matchmaking is when you're taking a big risk with nothing to gain - if you're not getting paid well, risking your title or fighting someone dangerous who no one knows about anyway.

Cmon Ed, you must have seen Karmazin-Rask? If Karmazin had chosen to hurt Walker there is nothing McCracken could do bar jump in and clock him himself, Roman went easy on him because he realised he was no match...


To paraphrase Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park, everyone got so caught up in thinking 'could they?' they forgot to ask themselves 'should they?'

[thepocketrocket]

Oh, Tito-Reid is a great call! A man ruined!!

[Carbo]

we also had muppets on the forum saying lockett had a great chance to beat pavlik. needless to say they disappeared when lockett showed he was happy to take his knee and get out of the fight.

r

I had a tenner on Lockett against Pavlik based on the fact that Pavlik isnt much cop at all.

Is that, though, not a bit like putting a tenner on, say, Luton to beat Man City in a cup match because you think Man City's progress under Mancini has been overrated?

Anyway, another contender for worst matchmaking, but from a different perspective: What about Ricky Hatton vs Luis Collazo?

Hatton is making his US debut, and instead of putting him in against someone he can look good against, they put him up against a naturally bigger, stronger (which negates many of Ricky's advantages in the ring), southpaw (which consistently do well against Hatton) counter-puncher (which consistently do well against Hatton).

And shock horror, he has to go life and death.

Further proof of the top notch advice Ricky got once family decided they could be better off doing things themselves.

[Des1]

The only thing I'd say about the David Walker / Roman Karmazin fight is that it was a career best pay day for Dave. It was a shot at the European title and David could punch a bit, no one gave him much chance but Robert McCracken wasn't going to let him get hurt. I've got a lot of time for David who is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet and as game as they come but he very nearly lost to Spencer Fearon for the Southern Area title and I think Spencer took that at late notice. If you're managing / promoting David and you can get him the European title fight then you've got to offer it to him. David didn't have anything to lose, he was in the Sun every day for a week as they were sponsoring the show and he dropped back down a level afterwards.

I think a bad bit of matchmaking is when you're taking a big risk with nothing to gain - if you're not getting paid well, risking your title or fighting someone dangerous who no one knows about anyway.

Spot on

[gobbles]

Small v McDonagh - whoever realised that wasn't going to stink the place out needs their head examining.

More generally, most fights featuring Nobby Nobbs boxers, as they opponent seldom learnt much because one guy often wasn't trying to do anything but block.

[mickey1975]

The only thing I'd say about the David Walker / Roman Karmazin fight is that it was a career best pay day for Dave. It was a shot at the European title and David could punch a bit, no one gave him much chance but Robert McCracken wasn't going to let him get hurt. I've got a lot of time for David who is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet and as game as they come but he very nearly lost to Spencer Fearon for the Southern Area title and I think Spencer took that at late notice. If you're managing / promoting David and you can get him the European title fight then you've got to offer it to him. David didn't have anything to lose, he was in the Sun every day for a week as they were sponsoring the show and he dropped back down a level afterwards.

I think a bad bit of matchmaking is when you're taking a big risk with nothing to gain - if you're not getting paid well, risking your title or fighting someone dangerous who no one knows about anyway.

He dropped down more than a level,Ed.He ended up being matched with Andy Butlin,2-1-1(worst match on paper?) who he squeezed past,and JJ Bird,3-1-1,who beat him!Thats a hell of a fall.

[Nightmare Roy]

Reid v Trinidad, I know Reid was a proven amateur but he had what 18 fights?

Less than that, I think it was 14.

It was bad, way too soon, but at the end of the day boxing is about making money and Ried got many millions for that fight, so i can understand why they took the fight.

[bennie]

Frank Bruno v Chuck Gardner
Shane Mosley v Adrian Stone
Fights involving Britons against Mexicans in the late seventies at the Royal Albert Hall. I remember Jimmy Flint beating some Mexican guy once in a round who was a shocker.

There were four shockers in one night, "The Tijuana Tumblers". Duff served up some real stinkers but could get away with it in the pre-internet days.

[ALI]

Cotto v Jennings

Calzaghe v Will McIntyre
Calzaghe v Pudwill

[lefthook82]

Martinez v Williams 2 seemed a bit pointless

[ed robinson]

Sometimes there's a big difference between bad matching and overmatching, morally it might be questionable but that's the nature of the business. If you manage or promote a fighter, then your job is to develop him to fulfill his potential and maximise his earnings. Voluntary World title shots don't necessarily pay too well and you generally give up options too, so it's actually very impressive to get Jennings number one for Cotto or Lockett mandatory for Pavlik.

Putting a young prospect like Nicky Piper in with a heavier unknown in Carl Thompson seemed a strange match for the excellent Ernie Fossey to make. Getting Lockett and Jennings mandatory World title shots was just allegedly was doing his job perfectly. At that stage in their careers no one expected Lockett or Jennings to improve so either you think they're good enough to maybe win, so you take the chance. Or you think they could get beat at a lower level for less money, so you take the chance!

[Deserter]

It doesn't rank with some of those already mentioned, but chucking Jon Thaxton in with Emanuel Augustus was poor match-making. Thaxton was on the up at that point and Augustus was the classic example of a fighter with a misleading record.

[alexpaterson]

Reid v Trinidad, I know Reid was a proven amateur but he had what 18 fights?

Less than that, I think it was 14.

It was bad, way too soon, but at the end of the day boxing is about making money and Ried got many millions for that fight, so i can understand why they took the fight.

Yep Reid was never the same again he started well enough but then the fight should of been stopped before the end that was a terrible beating

[stujones]

William Joppy vs Roberto Duran

I also thought Saverese vs Tyson was a little bit pointless - maybe not the worst match up for a Tyson looking to shake off the rust - but for an un heard of yank to take on Tyson in the UK.

[Wales]

I dont see Locket Pavlik or jennings Cotto as bad matchmaking at all. There comes a point in a fighters career where he wants to test himself agianst the best. The two brit fighters got offered nice pay packets to fight the best combatants at their weights in the world in front of millions. In 10 years time both can sit in the pub and say I fought him. And at the time both lads went in and gave 100%.

Bad matchmaking to me is more like having Kevin Anderson fight 3 times in 4 months(ish) or James Hare being matched with Cosme Rivera at the end of a year where he'd fought more times than the ICF.

Thompson Haye wasnt too clevar at that point in hayes career, especially considering the manner it was of progressing (jab jab WHACK another KO win). Neither was Reid Trinidad or bringing martinez back for a williams re-match!

[Counter-puncher]

Bad matchmaking to me is more like having Kevin Anderson fight 3 times in 4 months(ish) !

good call. ruined in about a year.

[J]

William Joppy vs Roberto Duran

I also thought Saverese vs Tyson was a little bit pointless - maybe not the worst match up for a Tyson looking to shake off the rust - but for an un heard of yank to take on Tyson in the UK.

tyson had plenty of gimmes on his career ...ettienne, francis, saverese, nielsen, buster mathis, Mcneely.......christ alive if lewis had of fought at that standard after losing to mcall he would have been slaughtered.

[Spiker]

Frank Bruno v Chuck Gardener

[alexpaterson]

Derry Matthews v Martin Lindsay

Matthews was coming back from a devastating defeat by Choi and then they throw him in with Lindsay who was a nig puncher himself. Alright Derry was winning the fight until that punch but I think they should of eased Derry back into it instead of throwing him in with a fighter like Martin.