Welcome to Magno’s Bulging Mail Sack: The Thanksgiving Edition, where my sack is filled with your questions, insults, and opinions, as well as a heaping amount of stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie filling. So, let me slap my gigantic sack up on the dinner table, right next to the turkey, and let’s have a feast.
Overrated
Magno. I know you won’t hold back when I ask you anything so let me come right out and ask you: Who would you say are the most overrated boxers around today? I got my own opinions on the matter and I say Canelo, Anthony Joshua, and Danny Garcia. What do you say?
-- A. Pierce
Hey A. Oh, I definitely have a few names in mind when it comes to fighters who get way more positive attention than what their skill sets and/or resumes demand. Here are a few, just off the top of my head:
Joshua is on that list. The guy was getting the king treatment even before he beat Klitschko. I’ve literally never seen so much love for so little actual achievement. But people WANT to believe.
Keith Thurman also makes that overrated list. He’s good, but definitely less than the sum of his parts and I don’t think he’s really had a career defining performance against any of the higher-level guys he’s fought. He outlasted a sloppy Shawn Porter. He tip-toed past a totally disinterested Danny Garcia. He’s even struggled in spots against guys he should’ve rolled over like Collazo, Bundu, and Guerrero.
Generally speaking, offensive “beasts” get spots on my overrated list, too, because fans and media always fall all over themselves to put these “monsters” on pedestals. Gennady Golovkin is NOT an ATG at middleweight, Sergey Kovalev is not an unstoppable force, Lucas Matthysse has already been humbled, Vasyl Lomachenko is overrated based on his actual, current level of accomplishment. You can be sure that whenever a fighter goes on a run of media-acclaimed offensive performances, he’ll find himself inching up the pound-for-pound ranks.
The Return of Devon Alexander
Devon Alexander is back. Where do you see him settling in in the packed and stacked welterweight division?
-- Danny Meija
Honestly? Meh.
Devon Alexander had all the physical tools for greatness, but none of the attitude or mentality. Watching Alexander fight is like watching a top of the line sports car never go beyond doing laps around the block at 35 mph.
It used to be frustrating, but now I really don’t care. I don’t think that settling his personal problems will change his approach to the game one bit. I hope I’m wrong, though.
De la Hoya-McGregor
Yeah it’s stupid and pointless, but if it happens who you got? Golden Boy or Conor?
-- Tony K.
I think De La Hoya could very well do what he promises and stop McGregor within two rounds. I think Mayweather could’ve done the same thing. IMO, most high-end boxers could do the same. Mayweather clearly carried McGregor for awhile before stepping on the gas and a more offense-minded fighter wouldn’t have been so kind. Let’s be real, McGregor boxing is a joke—good for business and fun for fun’s sake, but a joke nonetheless. Any good pro boxer will disassemble the guy as soon as they decide to start disassembling.
A Thanksgiving Word
I just wanted to take a moment from this week’s mail sack to give my own thanks to all of you who read my ramblings and take the time to leave a comment and/or send me an email—even if it’s an expletive-filled attack on my work, my state of sobriety, and my sexuality. I would hope most people know by now that what I do comes out of a love for the sport of boxing and a greater love for honesty in reporting. Not everyone may agree with my opinions, but everything I write comes from an honest place. Any movement towards honesty and away from the current state of sponsored news-as-propaganda is good for the fans, for the fighters, and for the sport in general. Also, I wanted to give my thanks to FightHype bossman Ben Thompson for allowing me a voice on his site when, literally, nobody else would and for doing so without any limits placed on what I say or how I say it. I’m under no delusion as to my importance in the biz, but what I do is most definitely not appreciated by the boxing establishment and the media that is flat-out paid to support them. Expect bigger, better, and bolder things from me in the immediate future.
Got a question (or hate mail) for Magno’s Bulging Mail Sack? The best of the best gets included in the weekly mailbag segment right here at FightHype. Send your stuff here: paulmagno@theboxingtribune.com.