A giant battle calls for an enormous load of gooey, salty reality from the depths of my bulbous, bulging sack. So, prepare for a monstrous post-Crawford-Spence cash shot this week, plus a couple of bits on Stephen A Smith and a revisiting of pound-for-pound stuff.
Crawford-Spence Revisited I
Good morning Paul!
This can be a quick checklist of what I noticed within the battle:
– Crawford’s efficiency was Hopkins-esque. Merely chic footwork, counter-punching and total ring generalship. He dismantled Spence like B-Hop did with Trinidad twenty+ years in the past. An all-time efficiency by Bud, no query.
– Spence, although he was sport from the start to the top, performed proper into the arms of Crawford. He was coming ahead and backward on a straight line, loading his mixtures together with his arms, for a cut up second, each low. Crawford capitalized on that.
– From the fourth spherical on, Spence was out of concepts. I used to be questioning what may he do at that time, as a result of he was outfought and outsmarted each on the skin and the within. Spence could not impose his physicality and could not go to the physique successfully as a result of he was a sitting duck for Bud’s return hearth. Should you have been in his nook, what recommendation would you’ve given to Errol?
– One other dangerous behavior of Spence– over-reaching with the jab or staying too lengthy idle in the course of the trade, price him an amazing deal.
– This win cements Crawford within the pantheon of pure boxers, all-time. No-one can deny him that. Nevertheless, in contrast even to Mayweather and Ward, Bud has by far essentially the most paper-thin resume. To not crap on what we simply witnessed, I simply want we may get possibly one other massive battle out of Bud to cement his legacy even additional.
What say you?
Goodnight from Italy, brother!
– Edoardo
Hey Edoardo.
All nice factors you make. “Hopkins-esque” is the right time period for what we noticed. Crawford completely dissected Spence. Should you love the tactical aspect of boxing, what Bud did was like porn for you. For me, Crawford was my choose, all the time, due to his versatility, however I assumed his adaptability can be an element DURING the battle, permitting him to make his technique to a choice win with a wise Plan B or Plan C. As an alternative, he confirmed his versatility BEFORE the battle, switching issues up sufficient to nullify Spence’s finest property from the very starting of the battle. Absolute genius. Spence’s total largest weak spot is that he fights a method and has by no means needed to battle another approach. When issues began going to shit final Saturday and he couldn’t do the issues he needed to do, he was completely misplaced.
By the best way, this is likely one of the causes I fee Crawford forward of Inoue. Inoue’s domination of Fulton was closely physical– the person is a phenom of uncooked skill and electrical execution. Crawford, nevertheless, tweaked his sport and focused Spence’s weak spot. There was a cerebral facet to the win that wasn’t there in Inoue’s steamrolling of Fulton.
If I used to be in Spence’s nook, there wouldn’t be a lot I COULD say at that time. He was completed. Earlier than the battle, although, I might’ve labored on altering Spence’s timing. Possibly make use of some totally different angles than standard. Work on being higher capable of tie up and tough Crawford up on the within. You couldn’t know what Crawford was engaged on, however you needed to assume there was some high-end chess work occurring within the Crawford camp. And, since fully altering Spence’s fashion was not an possibility, I might’ve labored on with the ability to change up the tempo and house of the battle, so Crawford couldn’t so simply decipher his actions and actions.
Even doing that, although, may not have been sufficient.
I agree with you about Crawford’s resume. Comparatively, it’s skinny. He would possibly get his probability so as to add some heft to it now. A Boots Ennis battle and/or a Jermell Charlo battle would do this. I’d like to have a boxing time machine and see the place Bud can be proper now, if he had not re-upped with Prime Rank 5 years in the past.
Crawford-Spence Revisited 2
Paul, that’s why if you write I learn. Acquired to offer credit score the place credit score is due. You known as it years in the past. Time and time once more you insisted Crawford would prevail over Spence. Crawford was by far the higher fighter, athlete, and boxer.
Sadly sufficient, the demolition of Spence on behalf of Crawford was so apparent. I simply missed it. A number of others did too, nevertheless it took this battle for me to appreciate Spence’s largest weak spot can be a recipe for catastrophe in opposition to Crawford. For some purpose I by no means actually realized how flat-footed Errol Spence is, and the way he would not have any head motion abilities. I imply the man doesn’t transfer his head for nothing and he has no lateral motion.
Conversely, we give Crawford credit score for lots of issues, however his hand velocity is severely underrated. On the within with shut energy photographs; hooks and crosses. Crawford’s skill to shortly land flashing photographs is impeccable. His hand velocity mixed with Spence’s flat ft and head motion was a recipe for catastrophe.
Spence is trying to redeem his honor and naturally he’s going to need the rematch. It should be the identical outcomes no matter weight. He’s not going to acquire footwork and be taught head motion throughout the subsequent couple months.
The complete fiasco that I discussed about Crawford losing years with Prime Rank is now meaningless. His demolition job of Errol Spence makes up for all the shortage of massive fights. Spence was the A aspect, and all Crawford did was take it from him in a whole wipeout. Spence fought all the massive names PBC lined up whereas Crawford was getting hundreds of thousands combating mismatches on Prime Rank. However all he needed to do was serve up a legacy defining ass whooping to negate his trials and tribulations of dangerous promotions.
Sufficient with the speak of Spence v Crawford II. I don’t wish to see that shit! I don’t know anybody who thinks that battle is smart. Give Crawford a homecoming match in Omaha. Then let’s see Crawford v Ennis subsequent spring.
– Nail Rahman
Hey Nail.
It was masterful and, actually, Crawford might be even higher than I’ve been proclaiming all these years. As I discussed within the response above, Spence fights in a method and has by no means needed to change issues up. He’s been THAT efficient doing what he does. Towards somebody like Crawford, although, the hyper-focus and lack of versatility was a loss of life sentence.
And, yeah, no person needs to see Spence-Crawford II at this point– besides, possibly, a nest egg-minded Crawford. Any individual wants to speak Spence out of exercising the rematch clause. For me, Crawford-Boots can be THE battle, though the pull of shifting to 154 for a shot at changing into a three-division, four-belt unified champ could also be too sturdy to withstand.
Pound-for-Pound Revisited
Hello Paul
Simply studying your mail bag on P4P.
Folks typically say, “in the event that they have been the identical dimension.”
However that’s sophisticated because it means stretching or shrinking an individual together with their attributes.
Is it not simply– the very best fighter within the world– no matter weight ?
Take care.
– Damien
Hey Damien.
That’s why pound-for-pound is nonsense. There’s no set standards by which fighters are judged and ranked, so it all the time boils all the way down to the media’s biases and biased preferences with these foolish rankings. “Who would win in the event that they have been the identical dimension” is pure fantasy and even one thing like “finest fighter” lacks goal which means if there’s no set standards by which “finest” is decided. Even judging fighters based mostly on the rankings of opponents they’ve crushed inside their very own weight lessons can be pretty pointless since some divisions/weight ranges are considerably deeper than others.
That’s why I select to disregard this pound-for-pound silliness. I’ll depart that fluff for the followers who wish to argue about stuff on-line and to the web sites trying to seize at low-cost clicks.
Stephen A Smith
At all times take pleasure in studying your content material I’ve a fast, straightforward query for you– Why is Stephen A Smith so filled with shit? He is aware of nothing about boxing and retains contradicting himself on this reside after the weigh-in. He’s an fool.
Thanks. Stick with it
– AF
LOL. This IS a simple one. Stephen A Smith simply doesn’t know boxing all that properly. His boxing information in all probability charges up there along with your buddy from work who watches the massive fights, however solely pays consideration to the principle occasion at battle events. Smith is on the principle stage, although, as a result of he has an enormous voice and an enormous platform. Prefer it or not, he’s received attain that no precise boxing media particular person can dream to have.
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