Does he believe Money v Manny hype?
Tuesday 27 January 2015 09:31, UK
Floyd Mayweather v Manny Pacquiao is the talk of the town - Jamie Moore gives his verdict on the super-fight and discusses Khan v Brook and a pair of heavyweight bruisers.
Jamie says: I’m starting to believe it. We’ve heard the rumours in the past and they fizzle out but this one has been going on for a while. I’ve got a feeling that both fighters don’t want the fight to pass them by. They realise if it doesn’t happen now it will never happen.
It’s probably the biggest fight of all time. I’ve always fancied Mayweather because technically he is able to work people out. Even if he struggles for two or three rounds he finds the antidote for whatever style comes at him. Years ago, Pacquiao was ferocious and knocking everybody out but now he’s plateaued. The snap in his shots isn’t there. I fancied Mayweather originally but I fancy him heavily this time.
Jamie says: It’s about Khan's legacy, he could retire now and not worry about money ever again. If he were to cement and concrete his British legacy, a fight with Kell Brook would go a long way to doing that.
Khan-Brook is not a big fight in America and I see Amir’s point of view when he says ‘that’s not on my agenda’. But everyone loves a domestic rivalry and he saw how big Froch-Groves II was, I’m sure he wants fights like that because it’s not about the money for him anymore.
I thought Khan, after the couple of times the Mayweather carrot was left dangling, would go after Pacquiao. He boxed two world-class southpaws and why would he do that?
Amir is held in a higher regard in America than here. There’s Tim Bradley and a rematch with Danny Garcia – big names in America that are worth more money to Khan than a fight with Kell Brook.
Jamie says: Brook has wanted the Khan fight for a long time. If he boxes at the end of March and Khan says they can box at the end of June, I’m sure Brook would oblige him. He wouldn’t turn that down. Even if he doesn’t get the extra six weeks, for one of the biggest British boxing fights that could actually happen he’d put that to one side.
After what he went through, for him to resume his career at all, let alone so quickly, is great to see. It will be interesting to see how he responds to it because that was a nasty injury to his leg. He’s lucky that he can get back to his career. I’m interested to see how he looks physically but also mentally because it will be a tough comeback for him.
Jamie says: It could be a blessing in disguise, he probably needed a rest. He doesn’t want to run before he can walk and although keeping busy is always good, if you’re too busy and racking up the fights then people say you should move up when you haven’t got the experience.
Maybe it will give the people around him some breathing space to say, ‘you know what, maybe we’ve gone too quickly with him’. He had great momentum, he was probably the busiest boxer in the country. It’s a shame but a stress fracture to your back doesn’t sound like the best injury to have. Maybe that’s caused by over-training? He’s been very active. For somebody so big, it must put a lot of strain on the joints.
Jamie says: I really rate him. When I look at him I don’t just see knock-outs, I see the technique and his ring generalship. He’s not the greatest technical boxer but he generates his power and it is delivered in the right way. He’s still got tests to come through – he needs a chin check, he needs to be in with someone who is as big as him. I can’t see him having too many problems.
Like Anthony Joshua, we won’t see Wilder tested until he’s at world level. Stiverne is a good fighter, but it probably flatters him that he’s the WBC heavyweight champion. Wilder won’t have any problems with him, he’ll have the range and distance on him. He’ll land heavy shots from the outside.
