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Re: HYPE

Posted: 01 Sep 2026, 07:31
by JamesPhilips
Michael Grant at heavyweight

Re: HYPE

Posted: 01 Sep 2026, 07:42
by IRONFIST
Itauma another Anderson hypejob, the likes of Hamed, Frampton etc etc must feel like right wallies. :doh:

Re: HYPE

Posted: 01 Sep 2026, 07:48
by stujones
World Level - Not been mentioned
David Tua
Ike Ibuachi (or however you spell it)
Omar Sheika
Daniel Dubios - I think people forget that prior to Joyce, he was really up there with Moses in the Hype train as a world class fighter.

Domestic
Roman Greenberg
The Light Middles of the early noughties - all being hyped as world class, when none of them were (harsh but true).
Ian Napa - again good domestic servant, but originally hyped as something world class.
and has noted there was a period where it seemed liked every Ingle fighter was the "next Naz" - many had good careers but didn't go to the level they were hyped to be - Ryan Rhodes, Esham Pickering (prior to Jon Jo Irwin schooling him).

Then you have fighters who were hyped as something special, but for other reasons perhaps never achieved their hype - but with a different luck, they might have.
Dean Francis, Spencer Oliver - two fighters who I maintain had the tools to be world P4Pers.

Re: HYPE

Posted: 07 Sep 2026, 10:22
by overhand_right
stujones wrote: 01 Sep 2026, 07:48 World Level - Not been mentioned
David Tua
Ike Ibuachi (or however you spell it)
Omar Sheika
Daniel Dubios - I think people forget that prior to Joyce, he was really up there with Moses in the Hype train as a world class fighter.

Domestic
Roman Greenberg
The Light Middles of the early noughties - all being hyped as world class, when none of them were (harsh but true).
Ian Napa - again good domestic servant, but originally hyped as something world class.
and has noted there was a period where it seemed liked every Ingle fighter was the "next Naz" - many had good careers but didn't go to the level they were hyped to be - Ryan Rhodes, Esham Pickering (prior to Jon Jo Irwin schooling him).

Then you have fighters who were hyped as something special, but for other reasons perhaps never achieved their hype - but with a different luck, they might have.
Dean Francis, Spencer Oliver - two fighters who I maintain had the tools to be world P4Pers.
Ibeabuchi?!! He was hardly 'hyped'. He was plucked out of obscurity to fight David Tua and earned his reputation trading with one of the scariest punchers ever. His win over Byrd, and the manner he achieved it, also aged very well.

Re: HYPE

Posted: 07 Sep 2026, 10:43
by deadpan
Khalid Shafiq!
Brendan Ingle claimed he was the new Naz and had him turn professional at 16 because he was 'so good.'
He made his debut in South Africa in the late nineties and drew a 4 rounder against another novice. From what I can vaguely recall of the fight he stuck his tongue out a bit and didn't do much else.

He never boxed again.

Still, he got to meet the titan of bleak double entendres Domink Diamond.


Re: HYPE

Posted: 07 Sep 2026, 11:22
by Eolaithe
Cuban heavyweights like Odlanier Solís and Jorge Luis González.

Re: HYPE

Posted: 07 Sep 2026, 11:56
by overhand_right
deadpan wrote: 07 Sep 2026, 10:43 Khalid Shafiq!
Brendan Ingle claimed he was the new Naz and had him turn professional at 16 because he was 'so good.'
He made his debut in South Africa in the late nineties and drew a 4 rounder against another novice. From what I can vaguely recall of the fight he stuck his tongue out a bit and didn't do much else.

He never boxed again.

Still, he got to meet the titan of bleak double entendres Domink Diamond.

Regarding Shafiq, a man with his name, and of his age, from his area and involved in boxing training, and who looks like a 44 year old version of the 16 year old on Gamesmaster, is currently serving 45 months:

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/loc ... d-32465688

Re: HYPE

Posted: 07 Sep 2026, 12:05
by JamesPhilips
Riddick Bowie wrote: 07 Sep 2026, 11:56
deadpan wrote: 07 Sep 2026, 10:43 Khalid Shafiq!
Brendan Ingle claimed he was the new Naz and had him turn professional at 16 because he was 'so good.'
He made his debut in South Africa in the late nineties and drew a 4 rounder against another novice. From what I can vaguely recall of the fight he stuck his tongue out a bit and didn't do much else.

He never boxed again.

Still, he got to meet the titan of bleak double entendres Domink Diamond.

Regarding Shafiq, a man with his name, and of his age, from his area and involved in boxing training, and who looks like a 44 year old version of the 16 year old on Gamesmaster, is currently serving 45 months:

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/loc ... d-32465688
Lol was about to post this. The details and age fit exactly. Also I think he did some time for being involved in some fight which resulted in someone being killed.


Anyway this story also reminded me of Daniel Teasdale another hyped Ingle fighter.




Also notice the Smith commentary- he sounds normal here. Not melodramatic and no affected growling

Re: HYPE

Posted: 07 Sep 2026, 18:06
by jameswilson
SeanBrennan wrote: 31 Aug 2026, 04:17 Can you remember the Babic hype complete with in ring marriage proposals :OhYes:
I’ve always been proud of managing to get a nickname to really stick on here.

Alen ‘The Cabbage’ Babic.

Re: HYPE

Posted: 07 Sep 2026, 18:10
by jameswilson
Larry Olubamiwo was massively hyped too. Incredible how he went from bowling people over to the complete opposite. Incredible what happens when opponents have seen you lose.

Re: HYPE

Posted: 08 Sep 2026, 03:50
by Old bones Ian
Engels Pedroza was Rings prospect of the year in 1987 went 19-0 with 19 kos , then Mike Johnson outlasted the early rounds with him and stopped Pedroza in the 9th.
Sound familiar?

Re: HYPE

Posted: 08 Sep 2026, 07:10
by Controversial
American LHW Anthony Hembrick was being hyped up in the 80s/90s, trained by Angelo Dundee. He was 14-0 and put in with puncher Booker T Word.

Hembrick done a dance routine with his cornermen before the fight and then was knocked out in the 1st

I think the dance routine lasted longer than the fight :doh:


Re: HYPE

Posted: 08 Sep 2026, 07:31
by stujones
overhand_right wrote: 07 Sep 2026, 10:22
stujones wrote: 01 Sep 2026, 07:48 World Level - Not been mentioned
David Tua
Ike Ibuachi (or however you spell it)
Omar Sheika
Daniel Dubios - I think people forget that prior to Joyce, he was really up there with Moses in the Hype train as a world class fighter.

Domestic
Roman Greenberg
The Light Middles of the early noughties - all being hyped as world class, when none of them were (harsh but true).
Ian Napa - again good domestic servant, but originally hyped as something world class.
and has noted there was a period where it seemed liked every Ingle fighter was the "next Naz" - many had good careers but didn't go to the level they were hyped to be - Ryan Rhodes, Esham Pickering (prior to Jon Jo Irwin schooling him).

Then you have fighters who were hyped as something special, but for other reasons perhaps never achieved their hype - but with a different luck, they might have.
Dean Francis, Spencer Oliver - two fighters who I maintain had the tools to be world P4Pers.
Ibeabuchi?!! He was hardly 'hyped'. He was plucked out of obscurity to fight David Tua and earned his reputation trading with one of the scariest punchers ever. His win over Byrd, and the manner he achieved it, also aged very well.
After he beat Tua he was hyped as someone who was going to dominate the Heavyweight division for years, god even after he was banged up for years some people were hailing him as the "should be champ" - well he wasn't. For me, hype doesn't only occur when a fighter turns over or when they are a novice - it can be at any time. Additionally, some can not fulfil their hype as a consequence of out of the ring activities as well as in ring for me. I could even argue that Mike Tyson didn't live up to his hype, he had hype as a prospect, but when he unified the title and anhilated Spinks - that hype went into over drive and people were even suggesting he could remain undefeated well into his 30s - not that he would lose his title less than 2 years after. Then his comeback was hyped, but after his Bruno win he was hyped again into something else. There were even some corners suggesting he was every bit as good as his Spinks best...... and then two fights later!

Another one - Shannon Briggs.

Re: HYPE

Posted: 08 Sep 2026, 07:36
by stujones
Maybe Hype is the wrong word, because it wasn't a main stream media type thing and most probably forgotton about him or never heard of him - but Angelo Dundee trained Swedish (yes Swedish) Heavyweight Attila Levin - he got a few "in the know" talking about him after he completely outboxed and dominated Ray Austin - who went on to have a respectable career fighting for the world title.

Re: HYPE

Posted: 08 Sep 2026, 07:36
by Controversial
People have doubts how natural Ibeabuchi was, especially in the 90s era. How many almost 17 stone muscle bound fighters can throw almost 1000 punches in 12 rounds.

Re: HYPE

Posted: 08 Sep 2026, 07:43
by JamesPhilips
Has the Billion Dollar Athlete Mathew Ellis been mentioned yet?

Re: HYPE

Posted: 08 Sep 2026, 07:49
by overhand_right
stujones wrote: Yesterday, 07:31
overhand_right wrote: 07 Sep 2026, 10:22
stujones wrote: 01 Sep 2026, 07:48 World Level - Not been mentioned
David Tua
Ike Ibuachi (or however you spell it)
Omar Sheika
Daniel Dubios - I think people forget that prior to Joyce, he was really up there with Moses in the Hype train as a world class fighter.

Domestic
Roman Greenberg
The Light Middles of the early noughties - all being hyped as world class, when none of them were (harsh but true).
Ian Napa - again good domestic servant, but originally hyped as something world class.
and has noted there was a period where it seemed liked every Ingle fighter was the "next Naz" - many had good careers but didn't go to the level they were hyped to be - Ryan Rhodes, Esham Pickering (prior to Jon Jo Irwin schooling him).

Then you have fighters who were hyped as something special, but for other reasons perhaps never achieved their hype - but with a different luck, they might have.
Dean Francis, Spencer Oliver - two fighters who I maintain had the tools to be world P4Pers.
Ibeabuchi?!! He was hardly 'hyped'. He was plucked out of obscurity to fight David Tua and earned his reputation trading with one of the scariest punchers ever. His win over Byrd, and the manner he achieved it, also aged very well.
After he beat Tua he was hyped as someone who was going to dominate the Heavyweight division for years, god even after he was banged up for years some people were hailing him as the "should be champ" - well he wasn't. For me, hype doesn't only occur when a fighter turns over or when they are a novice - it can be at any time. Additionally, some can not fulfil their hype as a consequence of out of the ring activities as well as in ring for me. I could even argue that Mike Tyson didn't live up to his hype, he had hype as a prospect, but when he unified the title and anhilated Spinks - that hype went into over drive and people were even suggesting he could remain undefeated well into his 30s - not that he would lose his title less than 2 years after. Then his comeback was hyped, but after his Bruno win he was hyped again into something else. There were even some corners suggesting he was every bit as good as his Spinks best...... and then two fights later!

Another one - Shannon Briggs.
That Tyson could have continued to dominate / remained undefeated but for certain life choices is a perfectly reasonable argument. He was amazing.

Shannon Briggs was a hype job who fell apart despite being given the softest opponent on HBO's Night of the amount Heaviest card. That's a hype job coming a-cropper.

Mike Tyson, who went 37-0, unified the heavyweight titles and became a global icon before dumping his trainer, slacking off in the gym and self destructing is not really what people mean by hype jobs.

Re: HYPE

Posted: 08 Sep 2026, 08:06
by MightyWarrior
Controversial wrote: Yesterday, 07:10 American LHW Anthony Hembrick was being hyped up in the 80s/90s, trained by Angelo Dundee. He was 14-0 and put in with puncher Booker T Word.

Hembrick done a dance routine with his cornermen before the fight and then was knocked out in the 1st

I think the dance routine lasted longer than the fight :doh:

Wow, I’d forgotten that one. What a shocker. Hembrick was class, but he got caught with a temple shot there, and the incompetent referee made sure he took a beating. A tough era, they chucked the poor guy in with James Toney, twice.

Re: HYPE

Posted: 08 Sep 2026, 11:30
by Lenny Cravats
JamesPhilips wrote: 30 Aug 2026, 11:57
forcefraser wrote: 30 Aug 2026, 11:30 Is hype a modern phenomenon? Say the last 20 years? Is it a UK thing or worldwide?

I'm trying to think of the hype jobs I can remember.

David Price
Audley Harrison
Gerrard Cooney?
Jeff Lacey

Hopefully Moses will turn out to have been over hyped, rather than a hype job
A host of Ingle fighters were hyped. Khaliq Shaffique. Steve something. George Collins too
Shaffique and his mates murdered a friend of mine.

Re: HYPE

Posted: 08 Sep 2026, 11:40
by NazNaci1
Dave Walker (the white Nigel Benn)
Lee Meager and a few other UK fighters around that time were being heavily pushed.

Re: HYPE

Posted: 08 Sep 2026, 11:48
by Old bones Ian
Have a look at Joe Savage , he was the King of the Cobbles, unbeaten street fighter, hardest man in the world.
That was until he spent about a minute in the ring with Bert Cooper , who dashed that hype.

Re: HYPE

Posted: 08 Sep 2026, 12:30
by forcefraser
jameswilson wrote: 07 Sep 2026, 18:10 Larry Olubamiwo was massively hyped too. Incredible how he went from bowling people over to the complete opposite. Incredible what happens when opponents have seen you lose.

Big Larry War Machine was smashed up badly by John Mac, came off the gear, spent the next few years almost tripping over his own paps and lost something like 18 fights on the spin.

Re: HYPE

Posted: 08 Sep 2026, 13:06
by JamesPhilips
Lenny Cravats wrote: Yesterday, 11:30
JamesPhilips wrote: 30 Aug 2026, 11:57
forcefraser wrote: 30 Aug 2026, 11:30 Is hype a modern phenomenon? Say the last 20 years? Is it a UK thing or worldwide?

I'm trying to think of the hype jobs I can remember.

David Price
Audley Harrison
Gerrard Cooney?
Jeff Lacey

Hopefully Moses will turn out to have been over hyped, rather than a hype job
A host of Ingle fighters were hyped. Khaliq Shaffique. Steve something. George Collins too
Shaffique and his mates murdered a friend of mine.
Damn. Sorry to hear that. Is that the fight outisde the nightclub?

Re: HYPE

Posted: 08 Sep 2026, 13:17
by Controversial
forcefraser wrote: Yesterday, 12:30
jameswilson wrote: 07 Sep 2026, 18:10 Larry Olubamiwo was massively hyped too. Incredible how he went from bowling people over to the complete opposite. Incredible what happens when opponents have seen you lose.

Big Larry War Machine was smashed up badly by John Mac, came off the gear, spent the next few years almost tripping over his own paps and lost something like 18 fights on the spin.
Yeah Larry was on PEDS, he was banned for 4 years (later dropped to 1 year) and openly talks about using them

Re: HYPE

Posted: 08 Sep 2026, 13:41
by NazNaci1
Controversial wrote: Yesterday, 13:17
forcefraser wrote: Yesterday, 12:30
jameswilson wrote: 07 Sep 2026, 18:10 Larry Olubamiwo was massively hyped too. Incredible how he went from bowling people over to the complete opposite. Incredible what happens when opponents have seen you lose.

Big Larry War Machine was smashed up badly by John Mac, came off the gear, spent the next few years almost tripping over his own paps and lost something like 18 fights on the spin.
Yeah Larry was on PEDS, he was banned for 4 years (later dropped to 1 year) and openly talks about using them
Was like 9-1 with 8 KO's before being 'caught', then went on a run of 0-19 or something, losing most by KO / TKO.

Still looked like a unit but was just getting destroyed by everyone, fat, thin, tall or short (though, I would have been 1 fight he'd defo won)..