Who has a brighter future in Irish boxing?

dlofnep

Poll time. If other, just post.

Huggles

I don't want you to beat me up dlofnep, but I have to say andy lee over bernard.

JacksonHeightsOwn

either andy Lee or Matthew Macklin, im not Duddys` biggest fan, and Dunne, well, its too early to tell after tonight, i dont want to knee jerk too much

and to be honest, i dont see either winning world titles, no matter what Emanual steward may say

just my opinion mind

dlofnep

i voted for andy too but i'm still a big fan of bernard

Huggles

dlofnep wrote:

i voted for andy too but i'm still a big fan of bernard

Nods, after this evening I have no doubt about that lol

I'm very fond of john Duddy too but its cause he is such a nice guy.

Big Ears

I genuinely believe Andy Lee can become the undisputed middleweight champion of the World(I had only ever believed Dunne could win a version of it) , Duddy can definitely win a European title and has a punchers chance against the likes of Sturm(but Sturm would most likely box his ears off) , McCloskey may develop well , at the moment I think he'll at least go to British title level .

Martin Lindsay is a fantastic prospect too , Irish boxing is looking up , we've got quite a few real prospects .

dlofnep

McCloskey looks un-nurtured but has bagsfull of promise. Lindsay is good too, but also has some room for improvement. I'm sure we'll see him on a main card very soon.

nacho libre

Big Ears wrote:

I genuinely believe Andy Lee can become the undisputed middleweight champion of the World(I had only ever believed Dunne could win a version of it) , Duddy can definitely win a European title and has a punchers chance against the likes of Sturm(but Sturm would most likely box his ears off) , McCloskey may develop well , at the moment I think he'll at least go to British title level .

Martin Lindsay is a fantastic prospect too , Irish boxing is looking up , we've got quite a few real prospects .

Yes Duddy can win a European title but that's it. An exciting fighter to watch but limited really. Who is this Martin Lindsay character you are talking about?

dlofnep

Lindsay is a really solid little featherweight from Belfast. He hasn't been tested yet but he's full of promise.

Big Ears

nacho libre wrote:

Yes Duddy can win a European title but that's it. An exciting fighter to watch but limited really. Who is this Martin Lindsay character you are talking about?

www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=285759&cat=boxer , as dlofnep pointed out , solid little featherweight from Belfast now fighting in both Canada and the UK . Got a good win last time out and I think he is getting some sparring with Steve Molitor which will be good for him .

He looks to have a good bit of class about him anyway .

yomchi

Andy Lee for me. He looked well last night, he's a classic south paw. He needs some good meat now to prove him self, last nights opponent wasn't up to much.

walshb

I am NOT quite SOLD on Andy Lee yet.
I always thought that his style was suited to the amateurs
and then I saw his KO win over Daniels I think it was, and
was quite impressed. But the other night I was NOT really impressed.
He was fighting a much smaller man in every way. Lee just looked
too methodical and stiff. It's early days I know but I can't see Lee
becoming a legitimate (WBA, WBC, IBF, or WBO) champ.
I just think he has not got the pro credentials

yomchi

Give him time, as I said he needs to be tested. 11 pro fights isn't much to say whether he'll make the big leagues. So far he's been a clean and tidy puncher - if some what amateur style - I agree though Healy was no match for him at all. Himself and Macklin would be a good fight, but I can't see it happening.

cowzerp

Andy Lee for me

buck65

I went with Duddy just. Lee is a great prospect , I think Duddy has more experience and is a tough nut and has proven himself that much more than Lee.
Obviously its time for Duddy to step it up anotch in opponent.

nacho libre

Once Duddy steps up he'll be beaten i'm afraid.

Big Ears

nacho libre wrote:

Once Duddy steps up he'll be beaten i'm afraid.

Have to agree , with his poor defense and slightly overated punching power Duddy would be a tough fight for anyone but not good enough to beat the guys at the top .

DiscoHugh

I think Steward is talking Andy Lee up way to much. Talking about a hall of fame career etc.

As much as Id like it to happen it s far too early to tell..

That said I picked Lee as both dunne and duddy have glaring weakness on display that i havent seen in Lee yet.

megadodge

Steward has a long history of talking up any boxer he's working with. It's obviously a psychological ploy to boost confidence in a game where mental strength is by far the most important attribute you need.

I have doubts about Lee's chin and to a lesser extent his stamina. I think with the full-time boxing life he's leading his stamina is improving but I saw him ko'd by one punch in an amateur bout a few years ago by an admittedly bigger man with a good punch, but the doubts remain...

In relation to his style, he's a far classier and more intelligent boxer than any other Irish boxer out there (though McCloskey could surprise yet if he keeps his hands a little higher) and calling him "stiff and methodical" is unfair in my opinion. He's 6'2" and when you're that tall you 'fight tall' which he has done with great success in the amateurs where skill is far more important than in the pros.

I was one who didn't think he would have the right style for the pros but he's still using his height and intelligence well, allied to harder punching and a more varied punch output (he never hit to the body in the ams). With the top class sparring he's getting week-in week-out I think he's progressing nicely and if his chin holds up could go all the way.

Big Ears

Felix Savon ko'ed David Tua with one shot in the amateurs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3JRgun7wG8
Savon while extremely good wasn't a monster puncher .Having seen that you would never of believed the iron beard Tua showed in the pros .


I'll question Lee's chin if/when someone can hurt or drop him in the pros .

Bernard Hopkins

I voted for J Duddy,...... why ?.. cause he's a bigger attraction at the moment.
he's well known in USA ,... and couple that with his good looks, it makes for a great promotion package.

Anybody who seen his fight with Yuri boy Campas will never forget it.

thats exactly the type of fighter that people want to see !

He should improve, and yes he needs to, but with the right manager, he can achieve great heights without facing the toughest opposition.

he's up again on Oct 20th, I just hope they dont play that crappy 80's music between rounds again. it looks soo cheap !!! lol

Karmafaerie

I gotta say Lee.
By a long shot IMO.

I know a lot of people that have sparred with Andy, and from every account that I've heard, he's just got an amazing head for boxing.

Of course Emanuel is talking him up, and exaggerating a bit (or a lot).
Manny was saying a few weeks ago that he'd be a bigger name than De La Hoya, and as big as S R Robinson!!!


Still though, he is undoubtedly one of the biggest prospects in world boxing.
In fact.
He is the biggest prospect in world boxing!!!(According to some!;) )

Larry Merchant is also full of praise, as well as every other commentator that sees him, so to write it off as just Manny Stewart talking him up would be foolhardy.

He's tall for a middleweight, so down the line, if successful, could always move up.
He has great hand speed, and serious knock out power, 11-0-0(8) speaks for that.
He's got very good movement, and since his amateur days, he's improved going forward. Before he would usually let the fight come to him, but he closes down more now, and cuts the ring off.
And he's finally showing a great variety of punches, with as many of his knockouts coming from body shots as to the head.

To call him a future hall-of-famer is obviously more than a bit premature, but out of all the fighters on that list, and any other Irish boxers, he's got the most going for him.

Power, speed, movement, defence, size, and variety.
Not to mention some of the best trainers and sparring partners in the world!
He lives in Manny Stewart's house for God's sake, and has spared with Jermaine Taylor, Wladimir Klitschko and Hermit Clintron!

megadodge

Savon while extremely good wasn't a monster puncher .Having seen that you would never of believed the iron beard Tua showed in the pros .


I'll question Lee's chin if/when someone can hurt or drop him in the pros .

By amateur standards Savon WAS regarded as a monster puncher. He had a huge reach which he used by pawing/jabbing to set up the long right - and that was basically it (at least in the later years). He wasn't particularly skilful but used his advantages very well.

I agree though that you wouldn't think Tua would go on to show the durability he had/has based on that performance, so it's a fair point.

The thing about prospects though is that until it's tested the chin is always the piece of the jigsaw that's going to be questioned. At the moment, as he hasn't been hit hard by anyone yet we can't say what his chin is like either way, but when he is hit hard and consistently I'm not 100% convinced he'll stand up to it - hopefully I'm wrong.

RealJohn

Has to be Lee or Duddy and I voted Lee by a nose.

I'm afraid Dunne will never be there on the world stage because he just can't defend and he can't take a punch.

henbane

Has to be Lee or Duddy and I voted Lee by a nose.

You've seen Duddy in the ring, right?

RealJohn

Yes I have. He has a lot of potential but he's not there yet. Now is the crucial time for him.