SO WHAT DID WE LEARN?

In the past week or so the following has happened:

Tavoris Cloud scrapes by Glen Johnson in a spirited affair to seemingly become the top contender for the LHW title.

Devon Alexander won a VERY questionable decision over Andiry Kotelnik in St. Louis to remain unbeaten at 140.

Chris Arreola dominated Manuel Qezada and somehow looked awful in doing so.

Anselmo Moreno danced his way to another split decision over Nehomar Cermeno in a wonderful match at 118 in Panama City.

Mikey Garcia KO'd Cornelius Lock in eleven.

Miguel Angel Vasquez made Ji Hoon Kim look like an amateur in a twelve round decision.

Jean Pascal wins an eleven round decision over Chad Dawson in Montreal to become THE MAN at LH.

What does it all mean? Here's my take.

1. Tavoris Cloud might just be the best LH in the world and Glen Johnson is going to get another good fight.
2. Chad Dawson has to figure out what he wants to be, because he showed little fighting spirit last night. Still physically the most talented guy in the division, and maybe in the world. But one has to really wonder about what is between his ears.
3. Two guys who were thought to have excellent technical skills, Dawson and Alexander showed major technical gaps in big fight situations.
4. Jean Pascal is probably not the most gifted guy we've seen, but he fought a very intelligent tactical fight, stuck with what worked, showed guts and determination and will be a tough out in Montreal.
5. Chris Arreola is what he is. A mediocre heavyweight in an era that makes him look better. He is our Tony Galento.
6. 118 is LOADED and in my view boxing's deepest division. Montiel, Hawsegawa, Perez, Mares, Agbeko, Morel, Kameda and two guys who I'd like to see fight each other 6-7 times in Anselmo Moreno and Nehomar Cermeno. Evenly matched, contrasting styles, both determined, great stuff. Now if these fighters will JUST STAY AT 118???? We are looking at a glorious 2-3 years while this gets sorted out Yeee-Haaaa!
8. Mikey Garcia is really coming along. He has a good punch, understands distance and is fearless. he has some work to do but I think the guy is becoming a threat at 126. Another division where if guys stay there could produce some good matchups. Garcia may be the guy to end Raffy Marquez's career after he gets beaten by JML.
9. MA Vasquez really made little Beibut Shumenov aka Ji Hoon Kim look baaaad. I was really surprised. He earned himself another shot to move up the 135 ladder. Kim is probably a Randall Baily/Edison Miranda level fighter and trial horse.

My takes. What were yours?

I agree with a lot here.

1. I don't think Cloud could deal with Pascal or Dawson, but at this point it's debatable.
2. Completely agree. I'm disenchanted now though.
6. I still like 168 and 140 over 118, but it's a deep, talented division where fights are getting made. I'm rooting for Yhonny, but I think Mares will come out on top of the mini-tourney, and Donaire will jump ship after a big win or two.
9. Shumenov is way more fun to watch than Kim who really relied on power every time I've seen him. They're both unskilled, but Kim is clumsier and less active.
10. HBO is doing a disservice to fighters who aren't "their guys" by downplaying and diminishing their accomplishments against bigger name fighters.
11. Montreal is awesome. The production and the crowd are top notch. It should be a big fight destination. Not just for Canadian fighters.
12. Tough times for American boxers. Alexander and Dawson saw their stock drop in the last 2 weeks. Ward and Dirrell will have to fight each other soon. Floyd doesn't appear to be fighting anytime soon. Pavlik is lost and trying to rebuild. No idea what Berto and Paul Williams are thinking, but their styles don't allow for rust. Cunningham had a tough outing in his last fight. Bradley seems to be one big win away from an ego trip. Somehow Zab Judah seems like the most stable good American boxer: he's lining up fights to stay active, he looking for big fights, he's saying the right thing, and he looked in top form in his last outing (against weak competition). And that's crazy.

Tavoris Cloud scrapes by Glen Johnson in a spirited affair to seemingly become the top contender for the LHW title. My take: Cloud has limited upside. He is physically strong but loads up on his shots and thus gets tired relatively quickly. He should make for good fights with Dawson and Pascal. Johnson is still a tough out for anyone but he needs to consider retirement.

Devon Alexander won a VERY questionable decision over Andiry Kotelnik in St. Louis to remain unbeaten at 140. My take: Kotelnik would give a hard time to the top guys at 140 as he can take a shot and punches with great accuracy. Alexander-needs to work on defense. Throwing a bunch of punches and then not moving when the other fighter counters is not defense. He isn't ready for guys like Khan or Bradley.

Chris Arreola dominated Manuel Qezada and somehow looked awful in doing so.
My take: Arreola may have seen his career peak. His only shot is to lose 25 pounds and get a better trainer. Watching him throw a right hand is so painful to watch. Isn't a top 5 HW and probably will never be.

Jean Pascal wins an eleven round decision over Chad Dawson in Montreal to become THE MAN at LH. Pascal vs Bute will be a good fight in front of a huge crowd in Montreal. Look forward to watching it. As for Dawson, he just doesn't seem to have the mental makeup to be a top P4P fighter. He didn't throw the jab last night. The jab could have won rounds. When Pascal attacked, Chad does what he does, cover up!!! No counterpunching whatsoever.

captainanddew wrote:

Tavoris Cloud scrapes by Glen Johnson in a spirited affair to seemingly become the top contender for the LHW title. My take: Cloud has limited upside. He is physically strong but loads up on his shots and thus gets tired relatively quickly. He should make for good fights with Dawson and Pascal. Johnson is still a tough out for anyone but he needs to consider retirement.

Devon Alexander won a VERY questionable decision over Andiry Kotelnik in St. Louis to remain unbeaten at 140. My take: Kotelnik would give a hard time to the top guys at 140 as he can take a shot and punches with great accuracy. Alexander-needs to work on defense. Throwing a bunch of punches and then not moving when the other fighter counters is not defense. He isn't ready for guys like Khan or Bradley.

Chris Arreola dominated Manuel Qezada and somehow looked awful in doing so.
My take: Arreola may have seen his career peak. His only shot is to lose 25 pounds and get a better trainer. Watching him throw a right hand is so painful to watch. Isn't a top 5 HW and probably will never be.

Jean Pascal wins an eleven round decision over Chad Dawson in Montreal to become THE MAN at LH. Pascal vs Bute will be a good fight in front of a huge crowd in Montreal. Look forward to watching it. As for Dawson, he just doesn't seem to have the mental makeup to be a top P4P fighter. He didn't throw the jab last night. The jab could have won rounds. When Pascal attacked, Chad does what he does, cover up!!! No counterpunching whatsoever.

Didn't give Khan much of one at all. Makes me wonder how good Alexander is to be honest with you.

Gumby wrote:

I agree with a lot here.

1. I don't think Cloud could deal with Pascal or Dawson, but at this point it's debatable.
2. Completely agree. I'm disenchanted now though.
6. I still like 168 and 140 over 118, but it's a deep, talented division where fights are getting made. I'm rooting for Yhonny, but I think Mares will come out on top of the mini-tourney, and Donaire will jump ship after a big win or two.
9. Shumenov is way more fun to watch than Kim who really relied on power every time I've seen him. They're both unskilled, but Kim is clumsier and less active.
10. HBO is doing a disservice to fighters who aren't "their guys" by downplaying and diminishing their accomplishments against bigger name fighters.
11. Montreal is awesome. The production and the crowd are top notch. It should be a big fight destination. Not just for Canadian fighters.
12. Tough times for American boxers. Alexander and Dawson saw their stock drop in the last 2 weeks. Ward and Dirrell will have to fight each other soon. Floyd doesn't appear to be fighting anytime soon. Pavlik is lost and trying to rebuild. No idea what Berto and Paul Williams are thinking, but their styles don't allow for rust. Cunningham had a tough outing in his last fight. Bradley seems to be one big win away from an ego trip. Somehow Zab Judah seems like the most stable good American boxer: he's lining up fights to stay active, he looking for big fights, he's saying the right thing, and he looked in top form in his last outing (against weak competition). And that's crazy.

10. I would have disagreed with that up until about a month ago. I really don't get what they are doing.
11. EXCELLENT insight.
12. [Eyes roll up in head and MarbleheadMaui passes out and drops to floor]

captainanddew wrote:

Tavoris Cloud scrapes by Glen Johnson in a spirited affair to seemingly become the top contender for the LHW title. My take: Cloud has limited upside. He is physically strong but loads up on his shots and thus gets tired relatively quickly. He should make for good fights with Dawson and Pascal. Johnson is still a tough out for anyone but he needs to consider retirement.

Devon Alexander won a VERY questionable decision over Andiry Kotelnik in St. Louis to remain unbeaten at 140. My take: Kotelnik would give a hard time to the top guys at 140 as he can take a shot and punches with great accuracy. Alexander-needs to work on defense. Throwing a bunch of punches and then not moving when the other fighter counters is not defense. He isn't ready for guys like Khan or Bradley.

Chris Arreola dominated Manuel Qezada and somehow looked awful in doing so.
My take: Arreola may have seen his career peak. His only shot is to lose 25 pounds and get a better trainer. Watching him throw a right hand is so painful to watch. Isn't a top 5 HW and probably will never be.

Jean Pascal wins an eleven round decision over Chad Dawson in Montreal to become THE MAN at LH. Pascal vs Bute will be a good fight in front of a huge crowd in Montreal. Look forward to watching it. As for Dawson, he just doesn't seem to have the mental makeup to be a top P4P fighter. He didn't throw the jab last night. The jab could have won rounds. When Pascal attacked, Chad does what he does, cover up!!! No counterpunching whatsoever.

Hard to argue much with those I think.

Khan did beat Kotelnik easily.

But Kotelnik won against Maidana
He gave Alexander all that he could handle (and many thought Kotelnik won)
I don't think he'd beat Bradley because of Bradley's athelticism and physicality, but he could be competitive.

We learned that Chad can't get into rhythm if he's got an opponent infront of him with decent speed and good power. We also learned that when the going gets tough Chad wilts.

Calzaghe would have dominated Dawson.

[quote="Ali_1748"]We learned that Chad can't get into rhythm if he's got an opponent infront of him with decent speed and good power. We also learned that when the going gets tough Chad wilts.

Calzaghe would have dominated Dawson.[/quote]

Looks like a massacre doesn't it?

Makes me wish Calzaghe ended his career with wins over Pavlik and Dawson.