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WLADDY VS. THE GREAT HEAVYWEIGHTS

Hi Doug,

Just wanted to get your thoughts on a couple of things. First of all:

Wladimir Klitschsko. What do you make of him? The way I see it is that his size alone means he already has an advantage over 95% of the other guys in his division. On top of that I don’t dispute that he is world class, however, his fouling is ridiculous! He grabs, he pushes the other guy down, he sticks his jab in your face without actually throwing it (I didn’t think that was allowed?). Should there be a super heavyweight division in the pros?

Anyway, how do you think he would’ve done against Larry Holmes, Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, Sonny Liston & The Greatest?

Secondly, since MayPac (#neverendingstory) is almost upon us. What are your final thoughts on the fight? I keep changing my mind but since day 1 (around 2010) I’ve always went with Floyd.

Keep up the good work! – David, Glasgow, Scotland

Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Manny Pacquiao is finally here. Can you believe it? Time flew right by, didn’t it? I thought the boxing world would have been in a frenzy over this fight weeks ago, but so far, the buzz hasn’t been overwhelming. Maybe MayPac fever will take over everything this week. At any rate, I’m glad the moment of truth is almost upon us.

My final thoughts on the fight? I’m not happy with Kenny Bayless’ selection as the referee because I thought he grossly mishandled Mayweather’s rematch with Marcos Maidana, and I’m concerned with Burt Clements being one of the judges for the May 2 super-fight. This is the same Clements who cost Pacquiao a split-decision victory over Juan Manuel Marquez in their first bout back in 2004. (I didn’t have a problem with Clements’ 113-113 scorecard, or the official split-draw verdict, by the way. I don’t even have an issue with Clements’ 10-7 score for the opening round after Pacquiao dropped Marquez three times. My problem is that he admitted after the fight that he had NO IDEA that professional judges were ALLOWED to score a round lower than 10-7 and said he would have scored it 10-6 if he had a clue.) I also think that Clements’ 117-111 (nine rounds to three) scorecard for the first Mayweather-Maidana fight is an example of an official bending over backwards to give the “house fighter/A-side” the benefit of every doubt.

However, typical boxing politics bulls__t, I still think we have a competitive matchup between two first-ballot hall of famers (the two best boxers of the 2000s). I’ve gone back and forth on who I’ve favored over the years. In 2010, I strongly favored Pacquiao. In 2011, I thought it was a toss-up fight but I slightly favored Pacquiao. In 2012, I thought it was a toss-up but I slightly favored Mayweather. In 2013, I strongly favored Mayweather. In 2014, I thought it was a toss up but I slightly favored Mayweather. When the fight was finally announced earlier this year, I slightly favored Mayweather, but as the fight date got closer I started feeling Pacquiao. So now I slightly favor Pacquiao, but I honestly have no idea who will win or how he will win. The sad thing and good thing about this matchup is that both fighters are past their primes. Pacquiao, at age 36, is no longer dynamic. Mayweather, at age 38, is no longer untouchable (and he looked like a beatable fighter in both Maidana fights to these eyes). I can see either or both getting hurt in the early rounds. I can see either winning by knockout or decision. Only thing to say now is may be the best man win.

Regarding Klitschko, there’s no doubt that his size is a factor in his dominance, but he’s so much more than just uncommon height/reach. He’s smart, experienced, poised and athletic; he’s also gutsy when he needs to be.

I’m not a fan of his grab-clutch-and-mount tactics, nor do I care for the way he stiff arms his opponents with his left (and, yes, it is technically illegal to “measure” with your jab arm). However, I’m not one of these hardcore heads or boxing writers who has a double standard when it comes to ring infractions. A lot of folks will praise one fighter for the manner in which he bends or breaks the rules – such as Bernard Hopkins’ liberal-but-often-sneaky use of roughhouse tactics – and then scold another fighter for doing the same things or employing similar tactics. Most of the elite veterans of the fight game employ a couple tactics that are against the rules, and most of them get away with it because of their high stature in the sport. (This is especially true for standout heavyweight champs, from Jack Dempsey to Rocky Marciano to Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson.) I don’t like it, but I’m not going to condemn one guy while I turn a blind eye to the others.

I don’t think there should be a super heavyweight division in boxing. In fact, I think Klitschko has more trouble with smaller guys than he does big guys or so-called super heavies. (And Wladdy agrees!)

How do I think Wladimir would’ve fared against Larry Holmes, Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, Sonny Liston and Ali? I favor all five hall of famers over the future hall of famer. I’m not saying Klitschko would have no shot against those proud warriors – I can envision him catching and KOing Norton, and maybe Frazier, early – and I’m not saying that he couldn’t have competed in other eras, but I don’t think he would have been able to become the undisputed champ in the 1960s and ’70s (the Golden Age for the heavyweight division).

COMMENTATORS’ INFLUENCE, MAYWEATHER-PACQUIAO

Hi Dougie,

I haven’t written in years, but have been reading and thoroughly enjoying your mailbags and columns for nearly 1.6 decades. Keep up the great work!

Two quick questions:

Though a point deduction seemed forthcoming anyway, Michael Griffin’s call last night appeared to be a reaction to Harold Lederman’s yelling at ringside. Can you think of any other sport in which a commentator can have such a direct influence on the outcome?

Second, am I the only fight fan in the world who is actually skipping May-Pac this weekend? Neither I nor my friends have cable or dish, as we’ve all turned to streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime for our entertainment. I’ve been relying on reading, youtube, and the PBC for my boxing fix, and I can’t stand watching fights in bars (especially not for $30). It’s really too bad they don’t have a theater option for this fight. Take care! – Max Moorman, Colorado Springs

Yeah, I’ve heard that Mayweather-Pacquiao won’t be shown in theaters. I’m not sure if that will cut into the pay-per-view sales or force more folks to order it on their cable systems (those of us who haven’t moved 100% to streaming entertainment as you have)?

A recent article on Forbes.com dares to predict that Mayweather-Pacquiao will fall short of the lofty expectations of the event promoters and the boxing world (even if it does break PPV/revenue numbers). Part of the reason is the $90-$100 price tag on the pay-per-view broadcast, but other factors proposed by the columnist (Darren Heitner) are the illegal (but accessible) streams and the many other major sporting events that take place earlier on May 2 – the NFL Draft, the Yankees-Red Sox game and the Kentucky Derby.

I’m not a general sports fan, so I never considered the impact of other sporting events on a mega-fight. I am, however, a hopeless geek, so I’m acutely aware of the general release date of Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron movie (May 1) and Free Comic Book Day (May 2). I know a lot of casual boxing fan dads who are going to put aside watching the fight live to instead spend the day gathering comic books and the evening watching Iron Man and the gang take on one badass robot with their kids.

Anyway, we’ll see what kind of PPV numbers MayPac does. I’m thinking a little over 3 million.

Regarding commentators influencing an official’s actions, no I don’t think there is any other sport where the broadcast booth is as close to the action as boxing. Boxing commentators literally sit by the ring apron. The only media closer to the ring than the talking heads are the ringside photographers, but they keep their mouths shut. LOL. And you better believe referees (and judges and sometimes the fighter’s corners between rounds) can hear what the commentators are saying.

The most famous example of ringside media influencing a referee is when the editor and founder of THE RING magazine Nat Fleischer instructed Jersey Joe Walcott to wave off the Muhammad Ali-Sonny Liston rematch after the former champ had been on the canvas.

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Walcott had lost control of the fight thanks to Ali’s antics following the infamous “phantom/anchor punch” knockdown, but it wasn’t Fleischer’s place to tell the ref what to do. Still, the publisher of the Bible of Boxing had a lot of influence at the time. Don’t think for a second that the mainstays of HBO’s broadcast booth don’t have influence on the boxing world.

I’m not saying that’s necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes the commentators and ringside media see things the refs (and even the fans) miss. Sadly, I can recall more than one fight when commentators and press row were screaming at the ref to stop a bout that ultimately ended in tragedy.

It’s good to hear from you, Max. I definitely recognized your name. Thanks for reading this column for so many years.

JENNINGS MADE A STATEMENT? WTF!?

Hi Doug,

Michael Rosenthal and almost everybody else thinks Bryant Jennings “made a strong statement” against Wlad. What??? He came to survive NOT to win. Athleticism my ass!!!

I mean this is the heavyweight championship of the world and you’re relying on these body punches when in a clinch to impress the judges to score the fight in your favor???

This was just another disappointing fight, another golden opportunity going down the drain. I sure hope Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder do more than that bum when they fight Wlad. I hope we don’t see Jennings any time soon.

Mad as hell – Guy

Wow. You are HARSH, Guy.

I agree that Jennings ability to go the distance and trouble Klitschko in a few rounds has been overstated by the boxing media. That’s gonna happen when a likeable/confident/cocky American takes on a dominant and heavily favored foreign fighter and does much better than most fans and media expected him to. (Remember how much credit Curtis Stevens got for going eight rounds with Gennady Golovkin? “Courageous,” I think, was the main buzzword for that performance.)

I wasn’t shocked by Jennings performance. I figured his mix of lateral movement, cagey style and toughness would see him into the late rounds. Jennings did better than that by going the distance, but he only won three rounds on my card and that was giving him the benefit of the doubt.

Still, even though I wanted to see him press Klitschko sooner in the fight and/or go for broke in the late rounds, I thought his stock raised by the end of the night. I’d never seen him in against an elite fighter and he did OK. I want to see him fight again, but against top-10 contenders, such as Alexander Povetkin, Kubrat Pulev and, of course, fellow American standout and WBC beltholder Deontay Wilder. (I’d mention Tyson Fury, but it looks like the big Englishman’s got next against Wladdy.) Next year, I wouldn’t mind seeing how Jennings does against Fury, uber-prospect Anthony Joshua or New Zealand phenom Joseph Parker.

By the way, I think both Fury and Wilder will come with a take-no-prisoners mentality when they get their shot at Klitschko.

MAYWEATHER-PACQUIAO VS. THE AVENGERS

I understand that Regal Cinemas won’t be carrying Mayweather / Pacquiao nationwide after having hosted all of Mayweather’s fights during the past several years. They’ve both apparently been upstaged by another set of superheroes, namely the Avengers and the Age of Ultron which debuts that weekend and will tie up multiple screens at each outlet. Based on my own personal experience with Mayweather at the Cineplex that’s understandable; the theater was always half-empty, even throughout the main event. But damn, what a great boxing experience it was catching the action on the big screen with a superior sound system! Will have to settle for the sports pub experience this time around.

By the way, any chance you’ll make it to the IBHOF inductions this year? I know Bert Sugar is somewhere up there wagging his finger at you admonishingly :=).

May your Monday mailbags always be massive and your Friday ones FAT! – Eric Thompson, Cary, N.C.

Thank you, Eric. The bags are gonna be extra-stuffed for the next three-to-four weeks. Enjoy ’em!

I might finally travel to Canastota, New York for the International Boxing Hall of Fame weekend this year. I’ll definitely announce it in the mailbag if I pull the trigger on that trip.

Regarding MayPac vs. Marvel’s premier super team, I think the star boxers have their work cut out for them. Whenever I ask the kids who go to my kids’ school who they’re picking in the big fight, they ask me if I’m excited about Age of Ultron.

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KLITSCHKO COULD’VE COMPETED IN ANY ERA

How are you Dougie?

Really enjoyed the Jennings/Wlad fight on Saturday. Really enjoy watching Klitschko I must say. The efficiency and efficacy of his style are wonders to behold. What’re your thoughts? Good to see a great champ back at the Garden and fighting a live dog. I would like to see Fury/Wilder with the big man fighting the winner!

In my opinion Wlad could compete with, and beat, other heavyweights in history. You can never say for sure, but his style and heavy hands, along with underrated foot speed make him a fantastic fighter in my book. Not sure I am going to win many American friends with this thought! What do you think? I hope we start appreciating both what he has achieved and what he has done for the sport and for boxing in Eastern Europe, an often troubled place. I wonder if these new top European fighters would exist without him and Big Bro?

My other current wish is for Andy Lee to fight Billy Joe Saunders in Ireland. What a spectacle that would be? I have a feeling Billy Joe’s amateur pedigree will see him through though. I like both fighters hugely. – Mark

I favor Saunders in that matchup but I think the young contender will have to put forth the best performance of this career thus far.

I have no doubt that the Klitschko brothers have influenced an entire generation of amateur and professional boxing standout from Eastern Europe and Central Asia. They are among the most successful heavyweight champs in history (and I’m talking about ring accomplishments, impact on the sport, as well as business/financial/public relations/personal success), right up there with Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney, Rocky Marciano and George Foreman.

I agree that Wlad could have competed in any era. Like you stated, his combination of size, athleticism, power, smarts and “efficient style” – which you appreciate a lot more than I do – would have been a handful for most heavyweight standouts. However, I think he would have suffered more than a few defeats going up against the top big men of the late 1960s/1970s (Liston, Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Norton, Lyle, Holmes, even tricky stylist Jimmy Young and ponderous puncher Earnie Shavers), and also the best of the 1990s (Lewis, Holyfield, Mercer, Rudduck, even the faded version of Mike Tyson and the shaky chinned but fast-and-powerful Tommy Morrison).

I would also love to see Wilder vs. Fury with the winner going up against Wladdy. However, I think we’re going to see Klitschko-Fury first, and the winner of that massive European showdown taking on the Bronze Bomber in 2016. I’m OK with that, too.

HELLO FROM FRANCE

hi doug,

i am a frenchman who has been a boxing fan since he has been a kid and i always read your friday and monday mailbags which i enjoy very much. i have written to you a few times but so far i never made it. lets try again…

if you select my message i would like your thoughts on following:

1- wladimir klitschko – watching his dominant but quite boring win over a brave jennings i was thinking to myself that if the guy was not that big and powerful he would be quite an average boxer – once he can’t overwhelm his opponents with his usual left jab followed by powerful rights he does not seem quite sure what to do in the ring. Don’t you think that if most of the time he did not have quite a physical advantage over others, klitscho would be pretty average and that he was somewhat exposed during his fight with jennings? i also thought to myself that while i would still make him a favourite over wilder i would now really be intersted by this fight and that i would definitely give wilder a shot to win. would you think the same ?

2- mayweather – if i am not wrong from your previous mailbags you would rate him somewhere between 20-30 of all times greats ? if that’s the case i would like to know if within that list at this level it comes to your mind of another great boxer which would be regarded by many fans as boring as mayweather is? i was trying to find another one which could make the top 30 and which would be boring at the same time but i could not find any other one – all the other greats i am thinking of are exciting fighters. so in a certain way it makes mayweather quite unique? and shows that by far his number one quality is to be a defensive wizard but that otherwise he really lacks offensive skills (at this level) or the will to take chances- what do you think? is there another boxer which would make your top 30 and which would be considered by many boxing fans as quite boring?

3- boxing writers – i enjoy reading articles from good writers such as yourself and i am also reading stuff from graham houston / vivek wallace / dan rafael and brian campbell. i think that the only one which possibly could challenge you with regard to boxing knowledge is graham houston whose analysis are always extremely interesting and whose knowledge of boxing is quite impressive – i also quite like brian campbell from espn- dan rafael knows his stuff but i disagree with his views/analysis/scorecards much more than i do with yours or those from graham houston or brian campbell. vivek wallace also has good expertise but he is so biaised with regard to some boxers that i tend not to read his articles anymore. i was wondering if you guys all knew each other and if you were seeing each other often or not really?

last it seems unfortunately that france will be one of the only countries which will not show next saturday fight between pacman and mayweather. i guess will try my luck on the internet even though it is not the same. keep up the good work. – chris

Thanks for being persistent with your emails, Chris. I don’t think I get many from France. I’ll answer your questions in order:

1) I don’t think Klitschko would be quite as dominant as he is now if he didn’t have a decided size advantage over most of his opponents, but I think he would be better than “pretty average.” The guy’s style isn’t for everyone, but he understands boxing and he knows how to put rounds in the bank and win. It sounds like I’m talking about Mayweather, right? Well, both happen to be 1996 Olympic medalists. Mayweather won bronze at featherweight; Klitschko won gold in the super heavyweight division. Wladimir was supposed to fight at heavyweight (201 pounds) and Vitali was supposed to represent Ukraine in the super heavy division (over 201 pounds), but Big Bro tested positive for a banned steroid (he said he used to treat a leg injury sustained in one of his amateur kickboxing bouts) and was kicked off the Ukrainian boxing team, thus missing the Atlanta Games. My point is that Wladdy was not a monstrous heavyweight as an amateur (year, he was tall but he was able to make 201 pounds, which is just one pound over the pro cruiserweight limit). Wladdy fought between 220-230 pounds during the early years of his pro career. Bottom line is that he was successful boxer when he weighed around 200 pounds, when he weighed around 230 pounds, and now that he’s around 240-245 pounds. Do I think Klitschko “was somewhat exposed during his fight with Jennings”? Not anymore than he was during his uneventful and ugly 12-round affairs against David Haye and Povetkin. Hey, sometimes Wladdy has to stink out the joint to get the ‘W’ (though to be fair, Haye was a “co-stinker” in their disappointing 2011 business venture), not unlike his fellow ’96 Olympic medalist. As for a future fight against Wilder, yes, I’ll give the American a legit shot at beating the champ, but I still favor Klitschko.

2) Yeah, I guess Mayweather falls somewhere between 20-30 of my all-time great list (if we aren’t including great fighters from the 1910s, 1920s and early ’30s), probably closer to 30 than 20. Can I think of another “great” boxer as boring as Mayweather who would be ranked among all-timers? Yeah, of course. Pernell Whitaker – who was No. 11 on my recent list of “Modern Greats” for RING magazine – comes to mind. Sweet Pea bored the s__t out of me when he was the lightweight champ. He became more interesting to watch as he got older and heavier, and by the time he became the welterweight champ, I actually enjoyed watching him do his slick and slippery thing because he stayed in the pocket more and let his hands go more (especially to the body). Jimmy Bivins and Bernard Hopkins, both of whom made my top 20, weren’t considered action fighters and were sometimes called “stinkers.” Willie Pep, who is top five on most all-time great lists, was a defensive wizard and stylist. Larry Homes, who is on some all-time great lists and on all great heavyweight lists, was also thought to have a “boring” boxing style during his heyday as champ. (Although it should be noted that Holmes’ 15-round WBC title-winning fight with Ken Norton is one of the best heavyweight distance fights of all time.)

3) Most members of the boxing media are familiar with each other. Rafael and I started covering boxing fulltime around the same time (15 years ago), so I know him pretty well. He seems to rub some fans and boxing writer peers the wrong way, but I suppose the same thing can be said about me and a dozen other opinioned fight scribes. It comes with the territory. Personally, I’ve never had a problem with Dan and we get along at ringside/press row. Houston is someone I’ve known for a long time, since the late 1990s, but I don’t see him ringside as much as I used to. He’s a veteran and a worthy hall of famer. It’s high praise for anyone to compare my knowledge with his (I think he’s much better at analyzing fights/matchups than I am). Campbell is someone I’ve only recently met and I hope to get to know him more. He’s a likable guy with a lot of enthusiasm for the sport. We need more like him. I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Wallace yet, but I’m sure I will sooner or later.

WHERE DO YOU RATE JENNINGS?

What’s the good word Dougie Fresh? Very quickly, I wrote in to your mailbag for the first time a little over a year ago with an email titled “Up and Comers”. I asked for your thoughts on a few prospects with BJ being one of them.

Ok Doug, you hit the nail right on the head with your response. You said you would like to see him in against contenders such as Mike Perez, Carlos Takam, Jonathan Banks or Mariusz Wach, before you rate him among the top 10 big men in the world or beat the drums for him to get a title shot.

I think you were spot on, I believe he might have took this fight too early. I was at The Garden when he fought Perez and he didn’t look that great. He did put up a good challenge last night and I believe that did help booster his confidence though.

How do you rate him now and against the rest of the heavies in the division? F#$k, I really tried to keep this short, never works. Enjoy the big one next week and good luck with the 8,467,591 emails you’re gonna get. Definitely gonna be a mailbag record. Peace. – Maintain from Queens

LOL. We’ll see.

I think Jennings proved that he’s a legit contender on Saturday. I still kind of considered him to be a prospect before his challenge to Klitschko, even though he was THE RING’s No. 5-rated heavyweight. Now I think No. 5 in the world sounds about right for the Philly native. In fact, I can see him move up a space and overtake Kubrat Pulev, who is currently No. 4 but didn’t faire nearly as well against the champ as Jennings.

KLITSCHKO HAS TO GO

Hi Dougie,

Good God…Another snore fest watching Wladimir Klitschko hold, grab, and land shots from the outside against the capable Bryant Jennings. At least the ref deducted a point for Wlad’s constant holding, forcing him to box. But I’ve had enough of the Ukraine. He is quite possibly the dullest heavyweight champ in the history of the game. What is it going to take to end his incredibly long and boring reign? I’m hoping Deontay Wilder can do the job. He seems the only heavyweight out there who’s both tall and possesses great punching power. And Wilder throws lots of power punches.

All credit to Badou Jack who I gave no chance of defeating Anthony Dirrell. Jack stayed on him the entire fight landing right crosses, left hooks, and the most effective punch against Dirrell, the right hook. He slowed Dirrell down and used an effective mid-range jab that further confused the belt holder. I wasn’t impressed with Jack last time I saw him fight last year. He was stopped early so I didn’t give him much of a shot. Boy, did he prove me wrong. That man has improved his game and can give any top super middleweight a battle.

I love your mythical match ups so here are a few.

Roy Jones vs. Nigel Benn at super middleweight

Roy Jones vs. Chris Eubanks at super middleweight

Roy Jones vs. Steve Collins at super middleweight

Roy Jones vs. Dariusz Michalewski at light heavyweight

Joe Calzaghe vs. Dariusz Michalewski at light heavyweight

Keep up the great work. Regards. – Erik

Thanks Erik. I’ll try.

Klitschko’s been “the man” in the heavyweight division for more than 10 years but he doesn’t always set the world on fire (and sometimes it’s really hard to watch him fight), so it’s only natural that he’s going to have his share of detractors who want to see him toppled from his perch.

The good news for you and the other fans who are sick of Wladdy is that he’s 39 years old, and he may be starting to show his age.

The bad news is that Jennings – a dude who started boxing five or six years ago and only has 20 bouts – happens to be a legit contender in this watered down era of heavyweights.

Does Wilder have a shot? Yes. Not just because of his height, reach and power – but mainly due to his speed. However, let’s not get too excited about the American’s chances. Say what you want about Klitschko, he’s still a hell of lot better than Bermane Stiverne (the one contender that Wilder has faced).

“He is quite possibly the dullest heavyweight champ in the history of the game.”

You’ve already forgotten about John Ruiz, eh?

“What is it going to take to end his incredibly long and boring reign?”

Someone who can box with Klitschko as he outworks him, but also has the power to rock him. Tyson Fury thinks he’s that man. We’ll see

I was also surprised at how well Jack acquitted himself against Dirrell. I didn’t give him much of a shot, either, but he obviously wanted it more than the more athletically gifted boxer.

I was not impressed with Dirrell at all. And I wasn’t impressed with Dirrell’s title-winning fight, either. He’s got the same excellent speed, reflexes and lateral movement as his brother Andre, but he doesn’t put his punches together at all and he tends to lose focus and go to the ropes for no reason. He’s amateurish in many ways. Jack’s fundamentals were far more sound, but that’s not saying much.

I favor the WBC’s No. 1 contender, George Groves, to beat Jack, but thanks to Jacks performance on Friday I won’t totally count him out of that mandatory matchup.

Your mythical matchups:

Roy Jones vs. Nigel Benn at super middleweight – scary fight for Jones, but he was the truth at 168 and quite the offense force (on top of having the best hand-eye coordination and fastest reflexes I’ve ever seen in a boxer over the lightweight limit). I say the Dark Destroyer brings the ruckus, which brings out RJ, who takes the badass Brit out in the middle rounds of a shootout.

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Roy Jones vs. Chris Eubanks at super middleweight – Jones by decision in a bizarre bout that features more posing and showboating than actual boxing or punching.

Roy Jones vs. Steve Collins at super middleweight – Jones by decision in a good fight. Collins’ pressure would make it interesting, especially when Jones elects to play the ropes, but the American would land the harder blows for 12 rounds.

Roy Jones vs. Dariusz Michalczewski at light heavyweight – I think D-Mich at his absolute peak (1997 through ’98) was strong, persistent and active enough to give the 175-pound version of Jones are very hard and competitive fight. However, The Polish Tiger was not hard to find with power shots to the body or head, so I think Jones (even though he wasn’t as explosive at light heavy as he was at super middle) would have dropped and repeatedly hurt Germany’s adopted son in the early rounds. Still, I think Michalczewski was tough and willful enough to get through the rocky spots and rough up (maybe bust up) Jones in the late rounds. Jones by close decision.

Joe Calzaghe vs. Dariusz Michalczewski at light heavyweight – See above. The best version of Michalczewski gives Calzaghe a hard fight but the Welsh Wizard’s superior speed, punch volume and footwork enable him to eke out a close, hard-fought decision.

Email Fischer at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @dougiefischer and Instagram.