₦airaland Forum

Ibime:
Holmes is my best heavyweight of all time. The complete package.

OF all time?..Greater than Alli? Joe Louis? Sugar Ray Robinson? Jack Dempsey?..Even Mike Tyson?

afrodoc2:
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You have a point there especially considering he was Ali's sparring partner for several years and learnt a lot from Ali. When Ali was old and slow he peppered his oga, although in his defence he did say he was begging Ali to quit during the fight. He was the master jabber and had a solid chin and the heart of a lion. His fight with Norton was like a life and death match.

As per the Ali/Foreman fight if you watch the old tapes and documentaries many journalists truly feared for Ali's life. They truly believed Foreman would kill him.
See what Foreman did to Frazier na, who wouldn't be afraid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zx9iSfRIFI

Na Howard Cossel commentary crazy pass..DOWN GOES FRAZIER, DOWN GOES FRAZIER..THE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION IS TAKING THE MAN TO JURY EIGHT COUNT AND FOREMAN IS AS POISED AS CAN BE IN A NEUTRAL CORNER. Foreman was crazy though and it was because Alli beat him with a TKO, thats y Alli is the greatest in my mind.

As for Holmes, i don't really know if i should blame him,
He needed to leave Alli's shadow, cos no matter how good he was then, he just wasn't considered as good as ALLI. Even the fight posters had Alli vs Holmes, when traditionally its should be Holmes vs Alli cos Holmes was the Champion and Alli was the challenger. But Holmes should have taken it easy with Alli, The brutality was too much, I wasn't born when the fight happened but watching it years later self, i had tears in my eyes..Holmes na werey

afrodoc2:
When i say betting his chin of course i don't mean that he would just lie there like nama and not block or defend. Remember that many of the fighters that Foreman beat like drum also tried to block but just didnt have Ali's ability to withstand punches. Foreman was knocking people out with glancing punches, blocked punches, deflected punches. He was the meanest man who ever walked into a boxing ring.

Your list is not bad. Ali, Foreman, Holmes/Tyson sounds about right. Holmes was a complete package, much underrated because he came between the Ali and Tyson eras.

Well Foreman had no tactics going into that Alli fight. All he wanted to do was get Alli down at all cost so he was just throwing wild punches with little or no calculation.

As for meanest, I agree..Old Archie Moore-Foreman's manager- said in the dressing room when Foreman was to come out and make the long walk down to the zaire stadium, that when he stared into George's eyes, he feared for Alli's safety and prayed Alli doesn't leave on a stretcher.


For Holmes though, many didn't forgive him for the annihilation of the Universally loved Alli, maybe that explains why he gets little love and recognition.

afrodoc2:
That rope-a-dope has been overhyped. It was nothing magical, it was just Ali betting his iron chin against Foreman's suspect stamina. He allowed Foreman to punch himself out and get exhausted, betting that Foreman would get tired before he (Ali) got knocked out.
In essence the rope-a-dope was based on the premise that Foreman had suspect stamina.
Skill and stamina can be worked on and the kind of stamina needed to fight the ferocious battles of the 70's was not required in the 90's.
Chin and punching power are God given.

Taking nothing from Foreman, he is one of the greatest ever heavyweights, likely 2nd only to Ali in terms of modern heavyweights. Had he not retired at 28 he might have gone down as the G.O.A.T

I dont think Alli was betting his iron chin..Alli was blocking all through, Infact if you watch that fight again Foreman wasn't scoring at all, and all said in his post fight presser that Foreman was fighting dirty that's why Alli's eye appeared bruised.

As for the modern greatest list. In this particular order ill rate my top 3

Alli
Foreman
Tyson/Holmes

A40:
Of course he could say that after his first fight. He was barely 22, no disrespect to Cooper but I'd rank the likes of Frazier , Norton and Foreman as tougher fights for him

Lol we never really got to know how good Foreman's stamina was did we? His fight with Lyle showed that maybe his stamina was not as bad as advertised. I wouldn't use the loss to Ali to say Foreman was exposed since Jimmy Young and Ron Lyle are the only guys that didn't look like idiots against Big George. You would need a chin made of titanium and insane ring craft to pull off what Ali did. Two of Ali's biggest rivals George beat them like a stepfather. That says a

Fury would be a big problem for AJ to be honest

Alli knew Foreman lacked Stamina frankly..In Foreman's fight against Frazier,in the 2nd round or so after Foreman had knocked Frazier out like the 5th time in 2 rounds, Foreman placed his hands on the ropes as though resting..Angelo dundee later said in a later interview many years later that Alli was watching that fight and murmured NO Stamina to him..So its safe to say Alli knew all along,

Also Foreman's opponents looked like idiots because Foreman had great punching power and was very domineering..Infact i dont think Foreman ever trained for his fights to go the distance,maybe thats why he always tried to get the knockout punch quickly..Alli knew all this and thats why Alli kept ducking and taunting so the fight would go the distance and eventually tire Foreman out.

As for Fury, that guy get psycho, if only he can stay fit and get his acts together but we fit hear now 2 months to the fight say baba go day chop Boar diick and thus banned.

A40:
Deontay's style makes him remarkably vulnerable to any fighter with even remotely decent counter-punching ability. As far as AJ I'm more worried about a fit Tyson Fury than Deontay. Not saying Deontay can't beat AJ but I'm saying based on what I've seen from both fighters.

Naah I won't necessarily include Cooper in the list of guys that gave Ali tough time. Where you put Smoking Joe and George Foreman?

I don't mean unpolished means lack of quality. However when you meet an evenly matched fighter that can match your best attributes and neutralize them then that's when the lack of polish would show. Ali vs Foreman is a good example! Ali won that match with sheer ring craft knowing fully well he couldn't match Foreman punch for punch over the duration of the fight, it's why Tyson despite his devastating KO ability couldn't beat Holyfield and was ducking from Lennox till he wound up in the bing because at some point power won't be enough..

Foreman was a methodical fighter with arguably the heaviest fists in the division. It's why he could retire and still comeback to knock down guys half his age. Only Ali with his superior ring craft managed to make him look bad. I don't agree he was ponderous at all

As for Wilder and AJ well you're typically going to need a combination of blows to take down anybody so I think this is why I think they are at best tied. What I think Wilder has is slightly more speed and not power over AJ

On the Contrary, Cooper would be No. 3 on the list of the toughest fighters Alli ever faced..Infact I think Alli called him the toughest he ever faced after their first fight,Yes Alli was fooling around and quite inexperienced but still nothing takes away the fact that Cooper gave Alli his first ever knock down and one of 4 knockdowns Alli ever got in his long career.
As for Foreman, Before his self decided Hiatus, He lacked Stamina and really didn't have basic Counter punching Skills, He was also very Lethargic also and it wasn't exposed because he was mostly dominating all the fighters he fought before Alli and never went the distance..i think he never went beyond 2 rounds before the rumble in the Jungle and Alli exposed it all..Thats why i think if A.J faces an unorthodox,talented,natural fighter like Fury, he'll find it really hard..Not Wilder,A.J would chew this Wilder every day till Sunday and twice on Sunday self.

This one that Boss wants to force himself to play against Spain at the Metropolitano...Abeg its just a friendly baba..Even if he sits out all games till June 16 when Argentina face Iceland, He'll still be No 1 name on the list..Pls no go risk am abeg.

peterd53:
G. O. A. T

Nice one..Save your energy till we win the treble so you'll draw Messi with the three titles..That'll be Glorious.

phaamsaam:
International break things ooo

Update : Busi, Semedo, Denis are back to light training, not sure about Vermaelen

While we keep track of the players who are on international duty and pray against the international break curse

Im talking about the continued trash posted by trolls jare..Messi shouldn't have an issue with the break though.He wouldn't have to travel halfway round the world as usual this time around cos he would play Spain at the Wanda nxt week..Na only Suarez we fit day beg Fate for and that one no day use ear hear Country like this,with injury self he go still carry him big teeth go play with passion.

mehhhhhhhhnnnn..Whats going on here

phaamsaam:
Won't be the first and certainly not the last, after all everyone wouldn't be going, and he still has 2022, azpiculeta was called up I guess

At 30?.No.

He has to go now.

Upnepaa:
i bet he will go, too important a player to be dropped, considering his versatility he will be used as a squad player.... Spain have a lot of players covered in the RB position.(Carvajal, juafran, azpi,bellerin) somebody must be dropped.

He has to..He just must.

Below you can see the Second most important Trophy Barcelona ever Owned and a UCL trophy.


Happy Birthday.

phaamsaam:
He gave an excuse regarding Roberto that he needed a Right back by trade, it's barca gain, Roberto needed rest for 2weeks,semedo is coming back, pique also may miss one of the international game due to flu...i fear for Suarez and Messi, suarez is in China, hope Messi can protect himself as always

Fair point..But Carvajal and who was invited again??..Whereas on the Short term its better for Us cos he gets 2 weeks of solid rest but Generally looking at the big picture,it could mean him not going to the World cup..And that'll b a shame that such a player wouldn't grace the grand stage.

BARCA

The only team that has treated her fans to brilliant football consistently that fans believe its wrong to score against Us.
The only team that has spoilt her fans to the extent that when we see teams springing up passes against Us, we begin to get uncomfortable and believe its not supposed to be.
Barca!!!
When teams score a goal against Us, we see it as a mistake on our part not as a result of the opponents brilliance.
Barca!!
We believe we have to win the Champions league every season and not winning it is considered a bad season.
Barca
The Job of been a Barca coach is so difficult and the burden is so heavy that it leaves coaches' necks crooked and needing breaks after the herculean tasks.
Barca
The club that winning isn't all that matters, how we win is all that matters.
Barca
The club with 2 trebles..Heck the team from the capital wearing white did a trophy parade for the kings cup ffs
Barca
The team that has the most number of balon d or winners
Barca
The team that won a sextuple in a season
Barca
The team MESSI plays for.
Cules.
I just want us to understand something though. In football, having the ball and making passes isn't an attack. Its just possession, which can often lead to an attack. An attack isn't a goal scoring threat.A shot isn't necessarily a shot on target. A shot on target isn't necessarily a goal scoring chance.The perception of them comes in how we react, based on our expectations and what we've been used to, based on what we want our minds to see and based on what we have been conditioned to see and accustomed to..


We are Barca and we are the Paradigm of Good football, The paragon of Excellence and what we see as Danger isn't really danger.

10Dove:
Nah, the messi/ronaldo talk has dragged on too fuckin long on this thread for the past week. Trolls are definitely feeding off the attention they are gettin here to litter this place with garbage. This is a barca thread not a messi or messi/ronaldo thread.

OH i get it now, I'm actually for ignoring the trolls but sometimes we need to set the records straight by posting real facts.. There are a lot of people who come here to read and get infos about Barca and Sports in general and it'll be suicidal if we allow them read and digest only these wrong facts and trash only..Saying the wrong thing repeatedly over and over again can make it begin to appear as the right thing..So sometimes its not entirely wrong to state facts.

Philfearon no vex biko.

phaamsaam:
Barça training today included Semedo, Denis Suárez, Paco Alcácer, Roberto, Aleix Vidal of the First Team. Aleñá and Jokin Ezkieta of Barça B. Sergio and Vermaelen worked alone.

With a 28 point lead over 5th placed Villareal with 9 games to go, Barcelona becomes the first La Liga team to qualify for the 2018/2019 Champions League.

Omo this is good news though..We need everyone right now including the dead weights too..When we win the treble we can begin to think about selling off the agbakos that are in the team.Wait, Roberto wasn't invited to the Spain squad?..That Lopetogui get eye so?

10Dove:
Do you realise philfearon is a cule?

I know right and i was surprised he didn't read what i typed well.. he probably thought i was glorifying the tap in specialist which i clearly wasn't. Most times I've noticed here that cules no even wan day use eye see anything Ronaldo for here.

philfearon:
Oga, what is your problem?

If you have issues comprehending then run along now..because u can type on here doesn't mean u should ask me nonsense.


Read and comprehend before replying..Its a rule of thumb.

How else do we want to say this.



How else do we want to say the only comparable stats between Messi and Ronaldo is the goals scored Statistics.


Ronaldo: 645 goals and 206 assists in 899 appearances
Messi: 603 goals and 247 assists in 749 appearances.



Ronaldo has 150 appearances more than Messi and only leads him with 42 goals..A Paltry 42 goals..



Yet the Asslickers are so blind to see that despite the fact that the goal scoring ratio is very similar and that Goal scoring is supposedly Ronaldo's forte yet Messi beats him to it.

Kendzyma:
when did scoring inside the box become a crime?..95% of goals scored all around d world is withing d 18 yard box so what's your point?..aside free kicks too,how many goal has messi scored outside box 18 this season?...
Because according to barca fans logic ,when messi sees an opportunity for a tap in or goal withing d 18yard,he will carry it back outside the box 18 to score his non tap in goals abi no b so?

No mate..you just missed the point,When one who isn't a No 9 lurks in the box and waits for others to work the ball to him and score..It means he's limited, it means if the others dont work it out for him to score, his influence in the game would b Zilch,it means he's a persona non grata in the game..If you have been observant you'll notice Ronaldo has suddenly come back to form due to the change in formation back to a 4-4-2..Which means a lot more bodies in the midfield and thus more possession and more chances created solely for Him..

Also have you closed your eyes to the fact that neither Benzema nor Bale nor any other Madrid forward has scored 15 goals this season..Just Ronaldo and only Ronaldo..


I dont need to tell you about Messi cos you already know.

Peter Crouch writing on his column about who's caught his eye this past week.


WHO'S CAUGHT MY EYE...
Lionel Messi
It is an obvious choice, admittedly, but watching him against Chelsea was breathtaking. He is the greatest of all time, without a shadow of a doubt.
I'm honoured that I will be able to tell my grandchildren that I shared a pitch with him in the 2007 Champions League for Liverpool.

Aside freekicks..95% of Ronaldo's goals this season have been scored in the Box.


Isn't that just Fantastic.!!!!



The Best.

sebod:
It's Roma guys

Ahhhhhh Shooki!!!!!!!!

phaamsaam:
The way conte made reference/highlight to super, called it thrice was refreshing ...

Messi assisted a player who wasn't even in this picture..Yet Chelsea fans hold Courtouis single handedly responsible for their woes last night.



Trash.

phaamsaam:

Hazard: When you come up against a Player like Messi,all you can do is pray


Willian(A Brazilian and has no reason to like Messi): Messi rules the World of Football.


Conte: Its important to recognize a super super super top player..We are talking about an extraordinary Player..The best in the World.



Lampard(Ex Chelsea player and Legend): Messi is the most complete player in History.




What else can we Say then?..He doesn't need to speak for himself..His rivals speak for him!.



On Your Knees to the King!!!

tesppidd:
Busquets will be back before the quarter finals, I can assure you of that.

Time for Paulinho to hold that role.

Or maybe Gomez Andre.

Cus word around is that Andre Gomez has got EV's sexx tapes.

Andre Gomes should deputize in His stead..Rakitic can also..Even oturabata Paulihno too..We are more than covered in that area at least for the easily winable matches.


I want Sevilla in the QFs sha...Make Luck of draws even favour us this time..Haba.

femiti:
flop ? Coz he has not scored for long ? Nawa o

last time Suarez scored a Cl goal was the 6-1 victory over PSG last year March..That's horrible for a player of Luisito's standard..Ipso facto its one of the reasons we have had a low turnout of Cl goals since that time till now.

Low key sha Suarez has been a flop in the Champions league for over 2 years now..



He needs to find CL form biko..Messi can't be doing it all.

Official:
Sergio Busquets Injured his toe last night and he will be out for 3 weeks..Would miss the game against Athletic Bilbao,the international friendlies,the away game against Sevilla and possibly the first leg of the CL Quarterfinals.

The Handover?

Frank Lampard(Ex Chelsea player): Messi is the most complete player to ever play the game of football.




Lampard marking register.