Michael Hunter vs Carlos Takam In March

[tiny_acres]

Very, very good match. I knew Hunter was a lot better than the Usyk fight indicated. He's a seasoned amateur, and he's a terrific boxer. Shows you just how well Usyk's resume translates to HW. I would argue that Briedis, prior to Usyk loss, could move up and stop Whyte.

I'm sorry how does this translate to Usyk as a heavyweight? Hunter only beat a 42 year old Ustinov who has accomplished fiddly squat at the top level

He pretty much took out Ilunga who was a touted prospect at one point. I think higher of that win, but Ustinov is a very good win for the division. It's not like the division's top guys have fought everyone. Luis Ortiz is thought of as some monster when his best win was against Jennings ages ago, and Jennings' best win is against Mike Perez who was fat, depressed, and arguably coming off a loss to Takam. You can poke holes and hate on everyone in the division.

No hate intended. I just don't see how beating av42 year old translates to Usyks ratings.
Not picking on you. I just don't understand

[Mexi-Box]

I'm sorry how does this translate to Usyk as a heavyweight? Hunter only beat a 42 year old Ustinov who has accomplished fiddly squat at the top level

He pretty much took out Ilunga who was a touted prospect at one point. I think higher of that win, but Ustinov is a very good win for the division. It's not like the division's top guys have fought everyone. Luis Ortiz is thought of as some monster when his best win was against Jennings ages ago, and Jennings' best win is against Mike Perez who was fat, depressed, and arguably coming off a loss to Takam. You can poke holes and hate on everyone in the division.

No hate intended. I just don't see how beating av42 year old translates to Usyks ratings.
Not picking on you. I just don't understand

It translates because Hunter, a freshman HW, is doing extremely well: Kiladze, Ustinov, and Ilunga is a formidable resume for the division for a ~5-fight newbie. FFS, we're not talking about someone like Bogdan Dinu who has been hanging around the division for ages. Hunter barely has a handful of fights in the division. Hell, we'd be praising Joyce or Yoka if they had that kind of resume.

Look at Breazeale. He's a top fighter, arguably contender, and his best win is over a prospect who had done nothing before or since, Ugonoh, or a 40+ year old Mansour. If you look at every fighter in the same manner, you'll be disappointed.

[oogiebe]

He pretty much took out Ilunga who was a touted prospect at one point. I think higher of that win, but Ustinov is a very good win for the division. It's not like the division's top guys have fought everyone. Luis Ortiz is thought of as some monster when his best win was against Jennings ages ago, and Jennings' best win is against Mike Perez who was fat, depressed, and arguably coming off a loss to Takam. You can poke holes and hate on everyone in the division.

No hate intended. I just don't see how beating av42 year old translates to Usyks ratings.
Not picking on you. I just don't understand

It translates because Hunter, a freshman HW, is doing extremely well: Kiladze, Ustinov, and Ilunga is a formidable resume for the division for a ~5-fight newbie. FFS, we're not talking about someone like Bogdan Dinu who has been hanging around the division for ages. Hunter barely has a handful of fights in the division. Hell, we'd be praising Joyce or Yoka if they had that kind of resume.

Look at Breazeale. He's a top fighter, arguably contender, and his best win is over a prospect who had done nothing before or since, Ugonoh, or a 40+ year old Mansour. If you look at every fighter in the same manner, you'll be disappointed.

I wouldn't say Hunter is doing "extremely well" but I would say he's getting pretty interesting and if he does get his next fight against a top 10 contender and does well, then he's in the discussion. I'm assuming you are comparing Hunter to Usyk based on their fight from a few years back and are projecting Hunter's win over Ustinov as a similar accomplishment for Usyk. Not sure how that works, as they are two very different fighters and not the same fighters as when they met.

[Mexi-Box]

No hate intended. I just don't see how beating av42 year old translates to Usyks ratings.
Not picking on you. I just don't understand

It translates because Hunter, a freshman HW, is doing extremely well: Kiladze, Ustinov, and Ilunga is a formidable resume for the division for a ~5-fight newbie. FFS, we're not talking about someone like Bogdan Dinu who has been hanging around the division for ages. Hunter barely has a handful of fights in the division. Hell, we'd be praising Joyce or Yoka if they had that kind of resume.

Look at Breazeale. He's a top fighter, arguably contender, and his best win is over a prospect who had done nothing before or since, Ugonoh, or a 40+ year old Mansour. If you look at every fighter in the same manner, you'll be disappointed.

I wouldn't say Hunter is doing "extremely well" but I would say he's getting pretty interesting and if he does get his next fight against a top 10 contender and does well, then he's in the discussion. I'm assuming you are comparing Hunter to Usyk based on their fight from a few years back and are projecting Hunter's win over Ustinov as a similar accomplishment for Usyk. Not sure how that works, as they are two very different fighters and not the same fighters as when they met.

It's called having a win grow. I'm not saying every single win for Hunter is a win for Usyk, but Usyk's win over Hunter has grown substantially. Hell, people used to think Hunter was a joke. I remember Usyk caught crap for "struggling" with Hunter. Hunter is far more respected now, would you agree.

[oogiebe]

It's called having a win grow. I'm not saying every single win for Hunter is a win for Usyk, but Usyk's win over Hunter has grown substantially. Hell, people used to think Hunter was a joke. I remember Usyk caught crap for "struggling" with Hunter. Hunter is far more respected now, would you agree.

Usyk beat Hunter pretty convincingly if my memory serves, and I sure don't hold that out as a 'big' win for him. I wasn't keen on Hunter in the past, but he looked better against Ustinov than I anticipated. He's no world beater and isn't really showing himself to be of any threat to the top contenders at this point, but...we'll see. I just can't reconcile his wins at HW to ranking Usyk. Don't get me wrong. I think Usyk will be a terrific if not great HW, but we'll have to wait and see even if he is moving up. As of today, he was still unsure and considering staying at CW.

[Mexi-Box]

It's called having a win grow. I'm not saying every single win for Hunter is a win for Usyk, but Usyk's win over Hunter has grown substantially. Hell, people used to think Hunter was a joke. I remember Usyk caught crap for "struggling" with Hunter. Hunter is far more respected now, would you agree.

Usyk beat Hunter pretty convincingly if my memory serves, and I sure don't hold that out as a 'big' win for him. I wasn't keen on Hunter in the past, but he looked better against Ustinov than I anticipated. He's no world beater and isn't really showing himself to be of any threat to the top contenders at this point, but...we'll see. I just can't reconcile his wins at HW to ranking Usyk. Don't get me wrong. I think Usyk will be a terrific if not great HW, but we'll have to wait and see even if he is moving up. As of today, he was still unsure and considering staying at CW.

Usyk had problems against Hunter, but he won it clear. Hunter gave him a good fight, though. It was no schooling like he did Gassiev. If Hunter beats Takam, he's the next big contender so I don't know what you are talking about that he's not showing himself to be a threat to the top fighters. If he loses here against Takam, of course, I'd agree. So far, he's showing that he's a threat, though.

I mean would you seriously favor Ruiz Jr., Kownacki, or Breazeale over Hunter? Unless you are talking about the absolute top like Pulev, Whyte, Joshua, Wilder, Fury, or Povetkin. Not too sure on that, but I think Hunter would have a good shot at beating Whyte. At the same time, what 5 fight HW would you automatically think is a threat to these fighters, though (outside of Usyk)? Hell, Joyce is probably the closest early pro to a contender atm, and people thinks he loses to Ortiz.

[dagilechia]

imo Hunter clearly has top 10 potential

[Ruthless-RKO]

Hunter is still technically a PBC fighter..

Don’t know what Hearn’s plans are using him on his shows. Clearly there’s a part where he tries to feed him to someone.

[oogiebe]

It's called having a win grow. I'm not saying every single win for Hunter is a win for Usyk, but Usyk's win over Hunter has grown substantially. Hell, people used to think Hunter was a joke. I remember Usyk caught crap for "struggling" with Hunter. Hunter is far more respected now, would you agree.

Usyk beat Hunter pretty convincingly if my memory serves, and I sure don't hold that out as a 'big' win for him. I wasn't keen on Hunter in the past, but he looked better against Ustinov than I anticipated. He's no world beater and isn't really showing himself to be of any threat to the top contenders at this point, but...we'll see. I just can't reconcile his wins at HW to ranking Usyk. Don't get me wrong. I think Usyk will be a terrific if not great HW, but we'll have to wait and see even if he is moving up. As of today, he was still unsure and considering staying at CW.

Usyk had problems against Hunter, but he won it clear. Hunter gave him a good fight, though. It was no schooling like he did Gassiev. If Hunter beats Takam, he's the next big contender so I don't know what you are talking about that he's not showing himself to be a threat to the top fighters. If he loses here against Takam, of course, I'd agree. So far, he's showing that he's a threat, though.

I mean would you seriously favor Ruiz Jr., Kownacki, or Breazeale over Hunter? Unless you are talking about the absolute top like Pulev, Whyte, Joshua, Wilder, Fury, or Povetkin. Not too sure on that, but I think Hunter would have a good shot at beating Whyte.

Beating Takam means poo. I said threat to TOP contenders, not the guys you mentioned first. Right now, and even with a win over Takam, Hunter is no threat to the top 6/7. Kownacki would be an interesting fight. Breazeale is not on my radar, and Ruiz is a joke right now, not sure why you would mention them as top HW contenders. They are hardly top 10. I'd take Ortiz over Hunter right now. Probably Miller too. Hunter still has some work to do. I do believe the potential is there. We'll have to wait and see.

[oogiebe]

Hunter is still technically a PBC fighter..

Don’t know what Hearn’s plans are using him on his shows. Clearly there’s a part where he tries to feed him to someone.

That's what I think. Hunter will be a real good win for one of their prized possessions down stream.

[Mexi-Box]

Hunter is still technically a PBC fighter..

Don’t know what Hearn’s plans are using him on his shows. Clearly there’s a part where he tries to feed him to someone.

I think they were trying to feed Hunter to Ilunga and it backfired. Not saying it was Hearn because I don't know who promotes Ilunga. Would be great if Hearn does plan to feed him to someone. It might just backfire, especially if he uses a vulnerable contender like Whyte.

[dagilechia]

yeah i wouldn't be surprised if Hunter beats Whyte and i would root for Hunter in that one

[Mexi-Box]

Usyk beat Hunter pretty convincingly if my memory serves, and I sure don't hold that out as a 'big' win for him. I wasn't keen on Hunter in the past, but he looked better against Ustinov than I anticipated. He's no world beater and isn't really showing himself to be of any threat to the top contenders at this point, but...we'll see. I just can't reconcile his wins at HW to ranking Usyk. Don't get me wrong. I think Usyk will be a terrific if not great HW, but we'll have to wait and see even if he is moving up. As of today, he was still unsure and considering staying at CW.

Usyk had problems against Hunter, but he won it clear. Hunter gave him a good fight, though. It was no schooling like he did Gassiev. If Hunter beats Takam, he's the next big contender so I don't know what you are talking about that he's not showing himself to be a threat to the top fighters. If he loses here against Takam, of course, I'd agree. So far, he's showing that he's a threat, though.

I mean would you seriously favor Ruiz Jr., Kownacki, or Breazeale over Hunter? Unless you are talking about the absolute top like Pulev, Whyte, Joshua, Wilder, Fury, or Povetkin. Not too sure on that, but I think Hunter would have a good shot at beating Whyte.

Beating Takam means poo. I said threat to TOP contenders, not the guys you mentioned first. Right now, and even with a win over Takam, Hunter is no threat to the top 6/7. Kownacki would be an interesting fight. Breazeale is not on my radar, and Ruiz is a joke right now, not sure why you would mention them as top HW contenders. They are hardly top 10. I'd take Ortiz over Hunter right now. Probably Miller too. Hunter still has some work to do. I do believe the potential is there. We'll have to wait and see.

It's obvious you only watch a handful of fighters in the division if you think beating Takam means nothing and Ruiz Jr. is a joke. I'll let you be now.

[oogiebe]

Usyk had problems against Hunter, but he won it clear. Hunter gave him a good fight, though. It was no schooling like he did Gassiev. If Hunter beats Takam, he's the next big contender so I don't know what you are talking about that he's not showing himself to be a threat to the top fighters. If he loses here against Takam, of course, I'd agree. So far, he's showing that he's a threat, though.

I mean would you seriously favor Ruiz Jr., Kownacki, or Breazeale over Hunter? Unless you are talking about the absolute top like Pulev, Whyte, Joshua, Wilder, Fury, or Povetkin. Not too sure on that, but I think Hunter would have a good shot at beating Whyte.

Beating Takam means poo. I said threat to TOP contenders, not the guys you mentioned first. Right now, and even with a win over Takam, Hunter is no threat to the top 6/7. Kownacki would be an interesting fight. Breazeale is not on my radar, and Ruiz is a joke right now, not sure why you would mention them as top HW contenders. They are hardly top 10. I'd take Ortiz over Hunter right now. Probably Miller too. Hunter still has some work to do. I do believe the potential is there. We'll have to wait and see.

It's obvious you only watch a handful of fighters in the division if you think beating Takam means nothing and Ruiz Jr. is a joke. I'll let you be now.

Don't start casting aspersions without facts. Beating Takam doesn't make Hunter a threat to the top contenders. Ruiz hasn't fought since earlier in 2018 and is still not scheduled to face anyone, nor has he ever really been focused enough to get into shape. Seems to me you love Hunter, and I've seen you resort to these tactics with other posters. It didn't work on them and you are fooling no one.

[oogiebe]

Hunter is still technically a PBC fighter..

Don’t know what Hearn’s plans are using him on his shows. Clearly there’s a part where he tries to feed him to someone.

I think they were trying to feed Hunter to Ilunga and it backfired. Not saying it was Hearn because I don't know who promotes Ilunga. Would be great if Hearn does plan to feed him to someone. It might just backfire, especially if he uses a vulnerable contender like Whyte.

Let's not forget that Ilunga had an injured shoulder vs Hunter. To be fair, Hunter was really cracking him before the fight was stopped. Ilunga was pretty helpless there.

[tiny_acres]

It's called having a win grow. I'm not saying every single win for Hunter is a win for Usyk, but Usyk's win over Hunter has grown substantially. Hell, people used to think Hunter was a joke. I remember Usyk caught crap for "struggling" with Hunter. Hunter is far more respected now, would you agree.

Usyk beat Hunter pretty convincingly if my memory serves, and I sure don't hold that out as a 'big' win for him. I wasn't keen on Hunter in the past, but he looked better against Ustinov than I anticipated. He's no world beater and isn't really showing himself to be of any threat to the top contenders at this point, but...we'll see. I just can't reconcile his wins at HW to ranking Usyk. Don't get me wrong. I think Usyk will be a terrific if not great HW, but we'll have to wait and see even if he is moving up. As of today, he was still unsure and considering staying at CW.

My thoughts also

[oogiebe]

It's called having a win grow. I'm not saying every single win for Hunter is a win for Usyk, but Usyk's win over Hunter has grown substantially. Hell, people used to think Hunter was a joke. I remember Usyk caught crap for "struggling" with Hunter. Hunter is far more respected now, would you agree.

Usyk beat Hunter pretty convincingly if my memory serves, and I sure don't hold that out as a 'big' win for him. I wasn't keen on Hunter in the past, but he looked better against Ustinov than I anticipated. He's no world beater and isn't really showing himself to be of any threat to the top contenders at this point, but...we'll see. I just can't reconcile his wins at HW to ranking Usyk. Don't get me wrong. I think Usyk will be a terrific if not great HW, but we'll have to wait and see even if he is moving up. As of today, he was still unsure and considering staying at CW.

My thoughts also

[oogiebe]

Usyk beat Hunter pretty convincingly if my memory serves, and I sure don't hold that out as a 'big' win for him. I wasn't keen on Hunter in the past, but he looked better against Ustinov than I anticipated. He's no world beater and isn't really showing himself to be of any threat to the top contenders at this point, but...we'll see. I just can't reconcile his wins at HW to ranking Usyk. Don't get me wrong. I think Usyk will be a terrific if not great HW, but we'll have to wait and see even if he is moving up. As of today, he was still unsure and considering staying at CW.

My thoughts also

Now that I've been immersed with Michael Hunter, it occurred to me that Jennings vs Hunter would be a pretty fair matchup.

[Mexi-Box]

Beating Takam means poo. I said threat to TOP contenders, not the guys you mentioned first. Right now, and even with a win over Takam, Hunter is no threat to the top 6/7. Kownacki would be an interesting fight. Breazeale is not on my radar, and Ruiz is a joke right now, not sure why you would mention them as top HW contenders. They are hardly top 10. I'd take Ortiz over Hunter right now. Probably Miller too. Hunter still has some work to do. I do believe the potential is there. We'll have to wait and see.

It's obvious you only watch a handful of fighters in the division if you think beating Takam means nothing and Ruiz Jr. is a joke. I'll let you be now.

Don't start casting aspersions without facts. Beating Takam doesn't make Hunter a threat to the top contenders. Ruiz hasn't fought since earlier in 2018 and is still not scheduled to face anyone, nor has he ever really been focused enough to get into shape. Seems to me you love Hunter, and I've seen you resort to these tactics with other posters. It didn't work on them and you are fooling no one.

Ruiz Jr. pretty much took Parker's 0 according to several that saw that fight.

I'm not getting into a back-and-forth with someone that obviously can't back up his opinion with anything other than emotions. I'm not trying to get anything to work. Anyone who has knowledge of the sport would come up with better comebacks than "he's not on my radar... he's a joke... or a win over Takam (a formidable fighter for years) means nothing." I've not seen you break down anything other than emotions and feelings. Anyone who reads this with no bias can see that.

I tried to break it down for you to understand, but since you can't come up with a good argument, it's futile for me to continue. Hell, you were still arguing even after getting called out about Trevor Bryan being so well known, so as I said, you're way too stubborn to have a worthwhile debate with.

[oogiebe]

It's obvious you only watch a handful of fighters in the division if you think beating Takam means nothing and Ruiz Jr. is a joke. I'll let you be now.

Don't start casting aspersions without facts. Beating Takam doesn't make Hunter a threat to the top contenders. Ruiz hasn't fought since earlier in 2018 and is still not scheduled to face anyone, nor has he ever really been focused enough to get into shape. Seems to me you love Hunter, and I've seen you resort to these tactics with other posters. It didn't work on them and you are fooling no one.

Ruiz Jr. pretty much took Parker's 0 according to several that saw that fight.

I'm not getting into a back-and-forth with someone that obviously can't back up his opinion with anything other than emotions. I'm not trying to get anything to work. Anyone who has knowledge of the sport would come up with better comebacks than "he's not on my radar... he's a joke... or a win over Takam (a formidable fighter for years) means nothing." I've not seen you break down anything other than emotions and feelings. Anyone who reads this with no bias can see that.

I tried to break it down for you to understand, but since you can't come up with a good argument, it's futile for me to continue. Hell, you were still arguing even after getting called out about Trevor Bryan being so well known, so as I said, you're way too stubborn to have a worthwhile debate with.

sure pal, whatever you say. Thanks for the laughs.

[oogiebe]

Usyk beat Hunter pretty convincingly if my memory serves, and I sure don't hold that out as a 'big' win for him. I wasn't keen on Hunter in the past, but he looked better against Ustinov than I anticipated. He's no world beater and isn't really showing himself to be of any threat to the top contenders at this point, but...we'll see. I just can't reconcile his wins at HW to ranking Usyk. Don't get me wrong. I think Usyk will be a terrific if not great HW, but we'll have to wait and see even if he is moving up. As of today, he was still unsure and considering staying at CW.

My thoughts also

someone else doesn't agree and is getting quite upset. What do you think of Jennings vs Hunter?

[Rgoodwin]

It's obvious you only watch a handful of fighters in the division if you think beating Takam means nothing and Ruiz Jr. is a joke. I'll let you be now.

Don't start casting aspersions without facts. Beating Takam doesn't make Hunter a threat to the top contenders. Ruiz hasn't fought since earlier in 2018 and is still not scheduled to face anyone, nor has he ever really been focused enough to get into shape. Seems to me you love Hunter, and I've seen you resort to these tactics with other posters. It didn't work on them and you are fooling no one.

Ruiz Jr. pretty much took Parker's 0 according to several that saw that fight.

I'm not getting into a back-and-forth with someone that obviously can't back up his opinion with anything other than emotions. I'm not trying to get anything to work. Anyone who has knowledge of the sport would come up with better comebacks than "he's not on my radar... he's a joke... or a win over Takam (a formidable fighter for years) means nothing." I've not seen you break down anything other than emotions and feelings. Anyone who reads this with no bias can see that.

I tried to break it down for you to understand, but since you can't come up with a good argument, it's futile for me to continue. Hell, you were still arguing even after getting called out about Trevor Bryan being so well known, so as I said, you're way too stubborn to have a worthwhile debate with.

That Ruiz fight was really drawish. Parker had a few of those.

[Mexi-Box]

Don't start casting aspersions without facts. Beating Takam doesn't make Hunter a threat to the top contenders. Ruiz hasn't fought since earlier in 2018 and is still not scheduled to face anyone, nor has he ever really been focused enough to get into shape. Seems to me you love Hunter, and I've seen you resort to these tactics with other posters. It didn't work on them and you are fooling no one.

Ruiz Jr. pretty much took Parker's 0 according to several that saw that fight.

I'm not getting into a back-and-forth with someone that obviously can't back up his opinion with anything other than emotions. I'm not trying to get anything to work. Anyone who has knowledge of the sport would come up with better comebacks than "he's not on my radar... he's a joke... or a win over Takam (a formidable fighter for years) means nothing." I've not seen you break down anything other than emotions and feelings. Anyone who reads this with no bias can see that.

I tried to break it down for you to understand, but since you can't come up with a good argument, it's futile for me to continue. Hell, you were still arguing even after getting called out about Trevor Bryan being so well known, so as I said, you're way too stubborn to have a worthwhile debate with.

That Ruiz fight was really drawish. Parker had a few of those.

Not really my main point. It was a close fight as I said, but my main point was that Ruiz Jr. showed he's a top fighter. I had Ruiz Jr. winning, and I've, so far, not seen anyone have Parker winning. Still, it was a close fight that could've gone either way.

[jamamb]

beating takam or ruiz would easily put him in or around the top 10, the division just isnt that good

i dont think hes a threat to the very best guys either but there arent that many guys clearly better then him

if were talking about usyk......well hunter is a top 20ish hw now and usyks better then him. not the same thing as actually fighting in the division but if i had to give usyk a hw ranking it certanly wouldnt be below hunters. we also saw briedies ktfo charr, bellew ko haye, etc. beating top cruisers is worth something at hw beause the top cruisers are probably better even in absolute terms then hws outside the top 25 or so.

[Gnome]

Don't start casting aspersions without facts. Beating Takam doesn't make Hunter a threat to the top contenders. Ruiz hasn't fought since earlier in 2018 and is still not scheduled to face anyone, nor has he ever really been focused enough to get into shape. Seems to me you love Hunter, and I've seen you resort to these tactics with other posters. It didn't work on them and you are fooling no one.

Ruiz Jr. pretty much took Parker's 0 according to several that saw that fight.

I'm not getting into a back-and-forth with someone that obviously can't back up his opinion with anything other than emotions. I'm not trying to get anything to work. Anyone who has knowledge of the sport would come up with better comebacks than "he's not on my radar... he's a joke... or a win over Takam (a formidable fighter for years) means nothing." I've not seen you break down anything other than emotions and feelings. Anyone who reads this with no bias can see that.

I tried to break it down for you to understand, but since you can't come up with a good argument, it's futile for me to continue. Hell, you were still arguing even after getting called out about Trevor Bryan being so well known, so as I said, you're way too stubborn to have a worthwhile debate with.

sure pal, whatever you say. Thanks for the laughs.

Mexi-Box is right.