Each and every Thursday here at Fight Hype, I spray boxing's bad guys with gooey, salty truth unleashed from the depths of my bulbous, bulging mail sack-- and this Thursday is no different. This week, I shoot my load of wisdom all over the welterweight division.
Thurman/Crawford/Ortiz-Ennis/Khan-Brook
Hi Paul.
Time to talk about welterweights, I guess I ran outta lightweight questions.
First, let me slam Keith Thurman. So, suddenly he wants to face all the best when prior to the Pacquiao fight he gave lots of BS arguments of why he should not fight Spence. I don't believe Thurman is a top 5 nowadays. If he suddenly decided to take on rematches (Porter,Garcia) I believe he would be TKO'd.
Terence Crawford keeps sitting on his shelf looking at the PBC side of the street. I guess he took a terrible decision once he re-signed with Top Rank. I guess there is only one option for him, which is sitting down for the rest of his contract. He is no spring chicken at 33 so I guess this would have some sort of effect on his future performances.
As far as rising contenders, there are some good prospects, I have always been high on both Vergil Ortiz and Jaron Ennis, contrasting styles, but both efective and powerful. We also got Conor Benn knocking on the welterweight door. There was at sometimes talk about Josh Kelly, but I don't see him as being relevant at this point.
Last but not least, battle of shot fighters, who do you got? Glass Chin Khan vs. Fragile Brook?
Best Regards.
-- Miguel
Hey Miguel.
-- I've been a well-established Thurman cynic from the first step he took on to the main stage. I don't think he ever became greater than the sum of his parts. As I wrote elsewhere a few years back: "Fast, but not elusive…strong, but not powerful…brave, but not fearless, Thurman is less than the sum of his parts. His movement has no purpose other than to show movement. His “One Time” power is more like a solid thud than an explosive blast...Thurman is more like a three-sport high school standout athlete wearing boxing gloves than a born fighter."
That assessment was written back in 2015 and, to be honest, it's been proven accurate. I had to step on my criticism a bit when he did pull off some quality wins-- against Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia. Those were quality wins over quality opponents, but he didn't really separate himself from the pack with his performances. He, again, proved that his overall talent could take him to victory, but that he could never put all of the individual parts together to create a cohesive, elite-level unit. And, as time went on and he aged, got injured, wavered in his focus, that talent proved to be not enough anymore. There's always the possibility that, one day, it all suddenly clicks into place and he becomes the fighter he could've/should've become, but at 32 and given my admittedly superficial observations of his current mindset based on what can be gleaned off media and social media, I see it very difficult to do that now. Thurman will still be good enough to beat most every welterweight out there, but he's not beating any of the elite three-- Spence, Crawford, or Pacquiao-- and may struggle getting through the tier below the elite as well.
-- I agree that Crawford's best bet at this point is to just wait out the end of his contract and see what he can find outside the Top Rank universe. I've said this a million times before, but it would be a real shame if such a complete package of talent, skill, and instinct never got a true legacy-defining bout or series of bouts.
-- Yep. Ortiz and Ennis are at the top of the young gun welterweight list. There's legitimate debate over who's the better prospect. Ortiz gets more acclaim, but pure offense fighters are always overrated to a degree as they come up-- but this isn't to say Ortiz, specifically, is overrated. I don't think he is. Ennis is a more well-rounded fighter, but not as accomplished at the moment. It'll be interesting to see how they develop. Ortiz-Ennis may eventually become the Spence-Crawford "must" happen fight of the division.
-- I got Khan over Brook in a real safety-first snoozer. Khan's still got the legs and speed to bike his way to a long distance win.
Outside-the-Box Welterweight Contenders
Hey Magno.
We all know the major players at 147. There's Spence, Crawford, Pacquiao and right below them Porter, Thurman, Mikey Garcia, and Danny Garcia. We also know the young lions coming up like Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Jaron Ennis. But outside of the names, outside of the box, is there anyone you see making some waves at 147 or, even better, taking out one of the top players?
Have a happy and safe 2021, bro. Thanks for what you do.
-- Damon
Hey Damon.
Yordenis Ugas is good enough to beat anyone on any given day, although I don't see him taking a spot among the elite of 147. Jamal James has developed into a legit player and could cause a surprise or two. Rashidi Ellis is someone you don't hear a lot about, but he's got real potential. Josesito Lopez and Luis Collazo are well-weathered veterans, but are tough enough to pull off a shocker. I don't see anyone else being up to some welterweight script flipping at the moment.
Spence vs. Crawford
Paul.
You probably get this a lot, but who do you got: Spence or Crawford? Why?
-- Antonio from Dallas
Hey Antonio.
I do get that one a lot and my answer remains the same. I think Crawford beats Spence via decision, somewhere around 116-112. Crawford's versatility will be the key. That versatility gives him multiple paths to victory whereas Spence may not have a viable Plan B if Plan A doesn't pan out. I'm very willing to admit my mistake if/when I'm wrong. I just want the fight to happen so we can see what's actually what.
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