[HallOfFamer]

Well, there's an MMA thread so I thought I'd make a boxing thread.

Andre Berto is a beast! He demolished that french guy on HBO the other night. Granted, the guy wasn't exactly world class but Berto looks to be a rising star and needs a step up in competition. Also, Paul Williams got beat. DAMN! He's my favorite young prospect. He just got thoroughly outboxed by Quintana who's no slouch himself. This clears up the welterweight picture even more now. I really hope after this DLH/Mayweather 2 that Mayweather finally fights Cotto. That's the next big superfight.

Pavlik/Taylor 2 this Saturday. I see this one going 12 rounds as Jermaine is aware of Kelly's punching power now and I don't think he'll mix it up like the first match, which was a classic.

Thoughts? Comments?

[NeoSamurai]

Yea, Berto looks awesome with his hand speed. I dunno if he'd be interested in it, but he could make a run for Quintana's belt as Quintana isnt a big name, will give Berto some strong experience, and if he wins he'll claim a major belt rocketing him into the deep welterweight division.

In terms of the JT/Pavlik fight, I just dont see JT winning this fight convincingly. If he wins, it'll be ugly and because (like you said) he avoids Pavlik all night. Pavlik took JT's best shot and got up while JT took Pavlik's best and was out. I dont think JT (or any fighter) can rebound from that type of drumming with the same level of confidence to be effective and win. All in all, Pavlik's style (with his size and stiff jab) will press JT into mistakes which he'll capitalize on and for Pavlik, its only one mistake and then youre done.

Pavlik with the mid to late round stoppage.

[HallOfFamer]

The Pavlik/Taylor fight was great. It went all 12 rounds as expected and was pretty action packed despite no knockdowns. Taylor fought a much smarter fight and I had it 115-113 for Pavlik. Despite the loss, I think Taylor redeemed himself in this match. Even though Kelly is 2-0 against Taylor, I wouldn't mind seeing a 3rd match sometime down the line.

[NeoSamurai]

Definitely liked the way both fighters looked this weekend.

Pavlik did enough to win the fight, but it was really close. Taylor showed up and looked strong. It'll be interesting to see where both fighters go from here since theres so much talent in and around that weight limit.

[Kaas]

Hey, I'm a casual boxing fan and I am interested in getting more into the sport. I have wanted to do so many a time, but it seems so hard to jump into with so many different weight classes and the history of the sport, I feel like it'd be hard to keep up.

Right now, I enjoy boxing more as entertainment then as sport and I want to change that. I love the Rocky series, Raging Bull, Hajime no Ippo--Japanese anime about boxing. More than all that though is I love watching old matches. I just feel knowing the context of past fights and grudges of fighters would add to my enjoyment even more. I've seen stuff from Ali's time, I've seen some of Ray Leonard as well. Probably my favorite fight of all though was Gatti vs. Ward III. Haven't been able to get my hands on the first two, but I would love to.

Is there anyway you recommend learning more about the past and present storylines without it getting to overwhelming? Also is there any resources I can use to see old bouts, like the entire Gatti and Ward trilogy? I also have loved the De la Hoya and Haggler matches I've seen if that helps any.

[HallOfFamer]

Originally Posted by Kaas

Hey, I'm a casual boxing fan and I am interested in getting more into the sport. I have wanted to do so many a time, but it seems so hard to jump into with so many different weight classes and the history of the sport, I feel like it'd be hard to keep up.

Right now, I enjoy boxing more as entertainment then as sport and I want to change that. I love the Rocky series, Raging Bull, Hajime no Ippo--Japanese anime about boxing. More than all that though is I love watching old matches. I just feel knowing the context of past fights and grudges of fighters would add to my enjoyment even more. I've seen stuff from Ali's time, I've seen some of Ray Leonard as well. Probably my favorite fight of all though was Gatti vs. Ward III. Haven't been able to get my hands on the first two, but I would love to.

Is there anyway you recommend learning more about the past and present storylines without it getting to overwhelming? Also is there any resources I can use to see old bouts, like the entire Gatti and Ward trilogy? I also have loved the De la Hoya and Haggler matches I've seen if that helps any.

Theres this great site to download a lot of old great fights. http://www.worldboxingvideoarchive.com/

Since you're interested in the story lines, HBO had a great series on some of the best fights they broadcasted, its called Legendary Nights and you catch most of them on Youtube. I think the best one is the Meldrick Taylor/Julio Cesar Chavez fight. For any fan that's getting into the sport, you have to watch the Hagler/Hearns/Leonard saga of the 80s, all high profile fighters that got into wars with each other. You have to see Hagler/Hearns, probably the greatest opening round you'll ever see in a fight.

[Kaas]

Thanks for the info, that is exactly the type of stuff I was looking for. Too bad I can't sign up for the sight right now.

By the way, anyone see the WBC Super Bantamweight bout between Rafael Marquz vs. Israel Vasquez fight on Showtime this week? It was pretty damn entertaining.

[NeoSamurai]

Originally Posted by Kaas

Thanks for the info, that is exactly the type of stuff I was looking for. Too bad I can't sign up for the sight right now.

By the way, anyone see the WBC Super Bantamweight bout between Rafael Marquz vs. Israel Vasquez fight on Showtime this week? It was pretty damn entertaining.

yeah their trilogy of fights is arguably the greatest in boxing history...

[Kaas]

Originally Posted by NeoSamurai

yeah their trilogy of fights is arguably the greatest in boxing history...

Wow, that is quite a statment. I only saw the clips of the first two, but the second one looked amazing. After you said that, I need to get my hands on those first two.

[CSILASVEGAS]

can't wait for the manny pacquiao-juan manuel marquez fight this saturday, march 15. i will watch it live and i paid $600 for my tickets!! damn. this better be a good fight! i'm a big manny pacquiao fan and i just hope that he knockouts marquez coz i just placed a $300 bet for a knockout to happen!! lol!

[HallOfFamer]

2 matches in 2 weeks that could be Fight of the Year. Pacquiao/Marquez and Casamayor/Katsidis. So much action and hig