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In the 60s, 70s and 80s the biggest boxing fights were all held on network television. From Ali's classic fights with Foreman and Fraiser, to the Four Kings of the 80s in "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler, Tommy "The Hitman" Hearns, Roberto "Hands of Stone" Duran and "Sugar" Ray Robinson, network TV used to show a who's who of great fighters who not only fought the best but fought in front of millions of people. In recent years, the money of premium channels like HBO and Showtime have lured the best of boxing away from the limelight, limiting boxing to small shows on EPSN2 which still requires a cable package to watch. The rise of the pay-per-view business model has further stratified the sport, taking away the very best fights from the public eye. All that is about to end with the return of boxing to a primetime Saturday slot. For the first time in nearly thirty years, we have a big boxing fight on free television. Saturday, March 7th NBC starting at 8:30e / 5:30p at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV Keith "One Time" Thurman vs Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero - twelve rounds, welterweight (147 lb) WBA title fight Adrien "The Problem" Broner vs John "The Gladiator" Molina Jr. - twelve rounds, jr. welterweight (140 lb) Abner Mares vs Arturo Santos Reyes - ten rounds, featherweight (126 lb)  The very first fight in Al Haymon's "Premier Boxing Champions" series features two top welterweights (147 lb) in what I consider to be a very even fight, with two styles that could clash and produce a very, very tense and action-packed main event. Keith "One Time" Thurman (24-0, 21KO) has been on the radar of many boxing fans for a while as an aspiring knockout artist with a ton of power and a good amount of talent. Thurman has dispatched the vast majority of his opponents inside the distance, sporting a solid mid-range style that allows him to be flexible in the ring. Thurman isn't exactly a proven fighter yet, despite the considerable amount of hype surrounding him, and no doubt has high expectations resting on him to not only win this fight but look spectacular doing it. His last fight against a 40-year-old Leonard Bundu ended up going the distance as Thurman boxed cautiously on the outside, displeasing the Vegas fans who booed Thurman for not being aggressive enough. This time around, Keith Thurman will want to stop the very durable Guerrero, not just to maintain his knockout artist reputation even at the elite level of the sport, but also to dazzle the public on the stage of network television.  His opponent, Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero (32-2-1, 18KO) won't be so easy to close out of the show, however. Guerrero, who some of you may know as being a former Mayweather opponent that got outboxed trying to take the fight to Floyd on the inside, is a veteran of the sport and a former titleholder at featherweight (126 lb), super featherweight (130 lb) and lightweight (135 lb). Guerrero has only lost twice in the ring, once against the best boxer in the world in Floyd Mayweather, and once in a split decision that Guerrero later avenged via knockout. Three years ago The Ghost made his move to the welterweight division as part of a campaign to earn a fight against Mayweather, which he did by winning in gritty, rugged contests on the inside against very tough men in the division. Guerrero was once known for his outside fighting style, but the small welterweight in recent matches seems to have transitioned into an inside, pressuring fighter that likes getting his shoulder up on his opponents and firing at close range. Guerrero has only fought once since his one-sided loss to Mayweather, and there are lingering questions about his continued relevance in a very deep welterweight division.  Enough cannot be said about the importance in winning this match. Both Thurman and Guerrero are top fighters who would be considered strong contenders against anyone else in their division, and they're fighting on one of the biggest platforms boxing has ever appeared on. Hundreds of millions of people have the option of watching this fight, so you can bet that both fighters will be very motivated not only to win this match but to win it impressively. Both men have reputations as action fighters, and both have shown more than a willingness to mix it up inside and go toe-to-toe. I think Keith Thurman will have the advantage in power, but Guerrero will certainly have the advantage of experience on his side, having already fought against the best fighter in the world on a very big stage. As the undefeated fighter and the current betting favorite, the pressure will be on Thurman to prove himself as more than another hot prospect. He's certainly never experienced the level of public scrutiny he'll be facing tonight. Presuming that the limelight does not affect either fighter, I expect Thurman to start off pursuing the Ghost as Guerrero returns to a more outside boxing style than he's shown in recent fights. Both men are very versatile and both can fight on the outside if needed, so I'm expecting a feeling-out period lasting perhaps a round or two, as each man tries to find an opening to put pressure on the other. In no time I expect the gap between them to close as both men try to put the hurt on the other. Neither Thurman nor Guerrero has ever been stopped, but I doubt that will keep each from testing the chin of the other. Guerrero has already come through against a very big puncher in Andre Berto, whereas it's arguable whether Thurman has even fought an opponent on the level of Berto. Still, I would be very surprised if we see a knockout in this fight. Instead, I think this will develop into a close-range action fight with several shifts in momentum as each fighter tries to assert himself on a very grueling and tiring match. I believe the two fighters here are very well-matched and that the fight will ultimately come down to who can be more busy and maintain their punching activity throughout all twelve rounds. I am picking the more experienced and somewhat underrated Robert Guerrero to come through in a hard-fought decision against Thurman, who I feel has been somewhat overhyped by internet fans, but I would not be surprised by any outcome and I think that no matter what we'll have a great main event on our hands.  The co-feature on this card is headlined by Adrien "The Problem" Broner (29-1, 22KO) as he takes on a rugged contender in John "The Gladiator" Molina (27-5, 22KO). Broner is probably one of the more infamous boxers around right now, known for his antics outside of the ring as much as his performance inside of it. Some of Broner's exploits include flushing money down a toilet on camera, staging a fake "proposal" after a fight in which he asked his girlfriend to brush his hair, and showing up to events wearing ridiculous golden suits and wearing big shiny grills. Broner, who has called himself "The Can Man" because "anybody can get it," was once tabbed as a potential follow-up to Mayweather, but most of that hype has disappeared as the Cincinnati resident has shown himself to be more of an offensive than defensive fighter. Despite his somewhat limited footwork, Broner is very fast and powerful in the ring and can be incredibly entertaining to watch. His opponent John Molina is coming off of a loss against Lucas Matthysse in what was widely viewed as 2014's Fight of the Year, and is known for being a rugged action fighter who will take a punch to give a punch. There is definitely a talent gap here, and Broner is expected to handle Molina without too much trouble, but keep in mind that Molina is a live underdog and won't go away without a fight. This could be an easy showcase for Broner or it could be a real test for him. Expect bigger things moving on for Broner if he does win, especially if he does it in exciting fashion for NBC  The very first fight on this card features Abner Mares (28-1-1, 15KO) in a stay-busy fight at featherweight (126 lb). Mares had a big setback a few years ago against Jhonny Gonzalez, an underdog who had nevertheless sparred with Mares and had a game plan to take him out early. Gonzalez executed it well and managed to stop Mares in the first round, but that doesn't mean that the gritty Mares is a bad fighter or that he's not worth watching. Mares is a pressure-fighter that uses his sheer volume to overwhelm and outwork his opponents, and always makes for entertaining fights. He also has a reputation as a dirty fighter, once clocking something like 30 questionably low blows in one match, but it's hard to tell if the dirtiness is intentional or just a side effect of Mares' frequent attacks to the body. His opponent, Arturo Santos Reyes (18-4, 5KO), is a guy I've never heard of and is pretty transparently here just to get Mares a good win on TV. After that I expect Mares to call out Gonzalez so that he can avenge his first and only loss. The Ninth Layer fucked around with this message at 01:36 on Mar 8, 2015 |
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Mar 8, 2015 01:32
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I'll be going to a bar to watch this fight and I encourage others to try and do the same. You should be able to go to any sports bar and ask them to turn it to NBC for these fights. Boxing is back on free TV!! Here's a little promo video from the fantastic Gorilla Productions to get you guys warmed up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4SKm0sNk3k
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Mar 8, 2015 01:33
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i'll take floyd dominating manny without breaking a sweat if broner gets exposed again tonight. im willing to make this deal now universe.
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Mar 8, 2015 01:45
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It looks like anyone can just watch live here: https://www.nbcsports.com/liveextra edit: nevermind you need to sign in with your cable provider.
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Mar 8, 2015 01:57
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thehappyprince posted:i'll take floyd dominating manny without breaking a sweat if broner gets exposed again tonight. im willing to make this deal now universe. I mean anyone expecting Floyd not to cruise is going to be disappointed, but I agree with you that I've never been happier than I was to see Maidana embarrass Broner.
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Mar 8, 2015 02:11
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Waiting for Time Warner to gently caress up this new digital feed they put us all on
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Mar 8, 2015 02:32
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The show's live. Good intro imo.
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Mar 8, 2015 02:33
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Oh a bunch of guys in suits are going to fight tonight. ... I wish that wasn't an easy joke.
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Mar 8, 2015 02:33
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It's those special 3 weeks of the year where the clocks change in the US but not here so I can stay up and it'll still be half reasonable
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Mar 8, 2015 02:33
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The production values are nuts. HBO better be taking notice.
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Mar 8, 2015 02:40
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Great production. Weird, but very cool.
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Mar 8, 2015 02:47
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He gave him an 'insincere hug.' gently caress everything involving Broner.
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Mar 8, 2015 02:48
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Yeah it's strange, but I like it
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Mar 8, 2015 02:48
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This is really weird and the crowd seems to feel the same way.
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Mar 8, 2015 02:49
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Did they just skip Abner Mares' fight? Got the impression it would be on TV but I guess not.
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Mar 8, 2015 02:51
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The Ninth Layer posted:Did they just skip Abner Mares' fight? Got the impression it would be on TV but I guess not. They way they presented it seemed like it would be between this and the main event.
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Mar 8, 2015 02:54
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The following things own: John Molina when he's active Joe Goosen Fat neckbeard dude in a tux sitting ringside
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Mar 8, 2015 03:02
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This fight is WILD
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Mar 8, 2015 03:03
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The SituAsian posted:John Molina when he's active He looks so scared most of the time and I don't understand it. Maybe scared is the wrong word but it seems right.
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Mar 8, 2015 03:04
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Broner's jab does work. I think it's the big factor in this fight so far.
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Mar 8, 2015 03:07
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Broner is a huge turd
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Mar 8, 2015 03:08
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I've never watched boxing before so I don't really know what to look for, but I like this Molina guy, he's going in for big nasty shots with no fear.
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Mar 8, 2015 03:10
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It's crazy to see boxing on prime time tv. I don't know anything about these fighters but that one dude's trunks are drat ridiculous.
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Mar 8, 2015 03:11
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Sanguinia posted:I've never watched boxing before so I don't really know what to look for, but I like this Molina guy, he's going in for big nasty shots with no fear. Second this, I never watch but if it's on NBC, eh, why not? And it's amazing how obvious Broner is a bag of dicks.
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Mar 8, 2015 03:12
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Molina lands the occasional shot when he actually throws. He needs to keep those combos up. Adrien Broner is looking really sharp with his shots at range.
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Mar 8, 2015 03:14
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Throw punches. It's like...part of the deal, you need to do it.
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Mar 8, 2015 03:19
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Broner looks like an incredible rear end in a top hat, but he's entertaining.
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Mar 8, 2015 03:20
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Molina is loving awful
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Mar 8, 2015 03:20
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The Ninth Layer posted:Did they just skip Abner Mares' fight? Got the impression it would be on TV but I guess not. It's likely going to be on next, which I think is a good start to this experiment. Starting off with an exciting fight, having the most predictable fight on the card after, and ending with the hyped main event.
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Mar 8, 2015 03:20
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Molina keeps putting his head way down after landing a combo, he's going to get clocked on the way up
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Mar 8, 2015 03:21
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Broner is such a goddamned jackass and I wish he were fighting Maidana again.
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Mar 8, 2015 03:23
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Just get some Mexican lightweights in here to beat the gently caress out of one another instead
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Mar 8, 2015 03:24
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Ha, Broner is such an obvious douche. He's taking Molina apart too. What a heel.
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Mar 8, 2015 03:24
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I'm gonna laugh so hard when Broner gets cocky here late and gets his head blown off
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Mar 8, 2015 03:25
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We'll always have that night with Marcos, they can never take it away from us
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Mar 8, 2015 03:25
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Completely cool with Broner getting a decision win if it results in him being cocky enough to ask for a rematch with Maidana in the interview
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Mar 8, 2015 03:28
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Smoger rules.
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Mar 8, 2015 03:29
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Lionel Richie posted:We'll always have that night with Marcos, they can never take it away from us bless
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Mar 8, 2015 03:30
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Smoger should be in the damned ring and not commentating. For every fight.
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Mar 8, 2015 03:30
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Chris James 2 posted:Completely cool with Broner getting a decision win if it results in him being cocky enough to ask for a rematch with Maidana in the interview Yeah, pretty much this.
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Mar 8, 2015 03:30
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