BoxRec

....of becoming really interesting?

Kovalev v Ward will produce a fighter most people will have in a top 3 P4P.

Stevenson is still knocking top contenders out & has now entered his 40th year.

Alvarez will be getting his shot soon & is a young 32.

Joe Smith could be Kelly Pavlik but bigger, and not just physically.

Not to mention the gang of Eastern Europeans in Salamov, Shabranskyy, Gvozdyk & Beterbiev.

Looking back at what I've just typed that really doesn't look that exciting, does it

But I do think we have some really decent fights coming up in the division on the next two years, especially if Kovalev wins. I think Ward will outfox him but if Kovalev gets a defining performance then there will be a bunch of match ups involving some big punching, exciting fighters.

I really like Joe Smith. Plus he's from Long Island. If he managed to get a win against another top contender or champion he'll have the New York media all over him - which is always good for the sport.

Better than the 2 divisions below it.
Other than GGG there's little to get excited about at 160lb.
And the 168 division only hold some interest because most of the top lads are british, otherwise I wouldn't bother.

Light heavyweight and Cruiser are the place to be at the higher end of the weight scale

Who are the top contenders Adonis is knocking out?

Since the fight against Fonfara (who I wouldn't say is a top contender but is a solid top 10 fighter) he's been fighting the likes of Karepency and Williams Jr.

tigermoth87 wrote:Who are the top contenders Adonis is knocking out?

Since the fight against Fonfara (who I wouldn't say is a top contender but is a solid top 10 fighter) he's been fighting the likes of Karepency and Williams Jr.

Karpency, Williams Jnr?

the division needs Chickenson to get iced by Beterbiev

Bob Ajiafe can save it from being interesting.

lpu03rjs wrote:

tigermoth87 wrote:Who are the top contenders Adonis is knocking out?

Since the fight against Fonfara (who I wouldn't say is a top contender but is a solid top 10 fighter) he's been fighting the likes of Karepency and Williams Jr.

Karpency, Williams Jnr?

Shows how irrelevant they are that I can't even remember their names

Huge gulf between the top 3 and the rest.

Been the poorest domestic division for a while. A future Buglioni-Burton clash best British LH fight for a long time.

Joe Smith will get whipped next time he steps up again. Great win against Fonfara but I can't help thinking that was a one off. I can't see him as a top contender. He has good power but limited boxing ability. Not enough to compete with the top guys.

Could Fournier move up to light heavy? He'd spice things up a bit

Stuarty30 wrote:Joe Smith will get whipped next time he steps up again. Great win against Fonfara but I can't help thinking that was a one off. I can't see him as a top contender. He has good power but limited boxing ability. Not enough to compete with the top guys.

I feel that too but would love for him to keep upsetting the odds. He could be a Yank Hatton.

Taansend wrote:

Stuarty30 wrote:Joe Smith will get whipped next time he steps up again. Great win against Fonfara but I can't help thinking that was a one off. I can't see him as a top contender. He has good power but limited boxing ability. Not enough to compete with the top guys.

I feel that too but would love for him to keep upsetting the odds. He could be a Yank Hatton.

He certainly seems to have the power

Stuarty30 wrote:

Taansend wrote:

Stuarty30 wrote:Joe Smith will get whipped next time he steps up again. Great win against Fonfara but I can't help thinking that was a one off. I can't see him as a top contender. He has good power but limited boxing ability. Not enough to compete with the top guys.

I feel that too but would love for him to keep upsetting the odds. He could be a Yank Hatton.

He certainly seems to have the power

I mean in terms of popularity. I can't remember the last time a decent punching white fighter from the North East did well in boxing (I'm sure there's dozens of examples but I just can't think right now). If he could get one more name win he'd be huge. They really embraced Pavlik over here & this bloke, who is a labourer by day, could really ignite boxing in a country that has largely turned its back on the sport.

rm1 wrote:Bob Ajiafe can save it from being interesting.

Taansend wrote:

Stuarty30 wrote:

Taansend wrote:
I feel that too but would love for him to keep upsetting the odds. He could be a Yank Hatton.

He certainly seems to have the power

I mean in terms of popularity. I can't remember the last time a decent punching white fighter from the North East did well in boxing (I'm sure there's dozens of examples but I just can't think right now). If he could get one more name win he'd be huge. They really embraced Pavlik over here & this bloke, who is a labourer by day, could really ignite boxing in a country that has largely turned its back on the sport.

Do they really crave a successful white man that much?

Stuarty30 wrote:Joe Smith will get whipped next time he steps up again. Great win against Fonfara but I can't help thinking that was a one off. I can't see him as a top contender. He has good power but limited boxing ability. Not enough to compete with the top guys.

I agree.....he was already getting hit and hurt in his big win as well.

tigermoth87 wrote:Who are the top contenders Adonis is knocking out?

Since the fight against Fonfara (who I wouldn't say is a top contender but is a solid top 10 fighter) he's been fighting the likes of Karepency and Williams Jr.

i rate Williams Jr better than Karpency. I believe both earned their shot however beating a good contender.

Also Williams made a fight if it, something we've not seen since Fonfara.

Hoping for Joe Smith Jr next, someone who can punch and make a fight of it.

Stuarty30 wrote:Joe Smith will get whipped next time he steps up again. Great win against Fonfara but I can't help thinking that was a one off. I can't see him as a top contender. He has good power but limited boxing ability. Not enough to compete with the top guys.

who knows, we need to see him get some rounds and see how he responds to a serious punch. Nobody knows if he'll sink or swim.

Autobarn wrote:

Stuarty30 wrote:Joe Smith will get whipped next time he steps up again. Great win against Fonfara but I can't help thinking that was a one off. I can't see him as a top contender. He has good power but limited boxing ability. Not enough to compete with the top guys.

who knows, we need to see him get some rounds and see how he responds to a serious punch. Nobody knows if he'll sink or swim.

What about Smith v Callum Johnson? They're quite similar. Could be fun.

May have a LH World champion next week

Why does everyone hate Stevenson? He battered Bellew, how can you not like a man who did that?

banjo wrote:Why does everyone hate Stevenson? He battered Bellew, how can you not like a man who did that?

True but he is everything wrong with boxing.

Fighting terrible opposition for massive money showing no interest in giving
the fans what they want.

Plus if you read up on have past he is an asolute scumbag.

Really hope beterbiev gets him and destroys him.

Naandrew wrote:

banjo wrote:Why does everyone hate Stevenson? He battered Bellew, how can you not like a man who did that?

True but he is everything wrong with boxing.

Fighting terrible opposition for massive money showing no interest in giving
the fans what they want.

Plus if you read up on have past he is an asolute scumbag.

Really hope beterbiev gets him and destroys him.

Yeah but that was then, boxing is good for rehabilitation.

Ive read that Adonis, in his 20s and not some little kid, would make prostitutes fight, then at the end of it he'd knock them both out. Maybe once he's done he can start a Ho Fights promotional company.

Here's a pleasant excerpt from an article about Adonis (and plenty of other women attest to him being violent):

One day, Isabelle confides in Roxanne that she wants to kill Adonis. He’s been beating her more often as of recent. One day, he brandishes his knife and asks her to choose: either she gets it up at the ass or he sodomizes her.

Then there's beating up people in prison and stomping them when theyre already out....of course people can change, but accounting for his involvement in violent sex slavery and his complete evasion of good opponents over the past 2.5 years, it's easy to understand the dislike.