Ketch's 10 Thoughts From the Weekend (Six months into his new job and Herman has OU on tilt)

[Ketchum]

Joshua vs. Klitschko was the best heavyweight fight in years. Keith Thurman had a GREAT fight against Danny Garcia. Shawn Porter's TKO of Andre Berto was a great rebound fight for him. GGG barely getting by Daniel Jacobs was fun to watch. Canelo's last fight wasn't great, but it was entertaining to watch him do his thing.

Terence Crawford vs. Felix Diaz on Saturday
Kell Brook vs. Errol Spence Jr. on May 27 - this is a MUST see
Andre Ward vs. Sergey Kovalev on June 17
GGG vs. Canelo on September 16.

There is such much buzz around boxing right now. Great fights this year. Many more ahead. Boxing is not back, but the sport is having a comeback.

Oh, if you missed this knockout, here you go

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No doubt on the Joshua/Klitschko fight. I had forgotten that division could be good.

Was the Thurman/Garcia fight great?

Porter/Berto was kind of a meh event for me.

Canello/JJCJr. was a dud.

I feel you on the sport having a good year., maybe even a great year when the dust settles, but the bar has really been lowered.

 

[Anwar Richardson]

No doubt on the Joshua/Klitschko fight. I had forgotten that division could be good.

Was the Thurman/Garcia fight great?

Porter/Berto was kind of a meh event for me.

Canello/JJCJr. was a dud.

I feel you on the sport having a good year., maybe even a great year when the dust settles, but the bar has really been lowered.

Yes, the Keith Thurman fight was great


Porter picking apart Berto was fun to watch. Canelo wasn't a bad fight.

Not sure why UFC fighters don't want to fight each other anymore, but a premier boxing match will trump a premier UFC fight every day.

 

[ball911]

good grief. I'm blaming my proofer!

Haha...I new you would do that.

 

[Ace Boogie!]

a. Watson isn't better than Dak.
b. Foreman isn't in the same class as Zeke.
c. Neither have played a game as a pro.
d. Slow down.

Watson isn't better than Dak? Uh, what?

Unless you mean that Dak is better than Watson by default, because Watson has yet to take an NFL snap.

But coming into the draft Watson was drafted a lot higher, better resume, highly decorated, and is just more talented.

 

[EdSimmonsPants]

I know people need positive vibes on here but on tilt? they did just sign more four star prospects than the rest of the Big 12 combined last year and have the two highest rated commitments in the conference in 2018

Maybe you go speak to their coaches about it,.

Ketch did not say they should or shouldn't be on tilt, he said they ARE on tilt. Don't try to use logic with those land thieves!

 

[Ketchum]

Yes, the Keith Thurman fight was great

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Porter picking apart Berto was fun to watch. Canelo wasn't a bad fight.

Not sure why UFC fighters don't want to fight each other anymore, but a premier boxing match will trump a premier UFC fight every day.

Other than Canelo/GGG fight, name another boxing match without Money that sells more fights than a Bomes Jones/Cormier rematch?

 

[Ketchum]

Ketch did not say they should or shouldn't be on tilt, he said they ARE on tilt. Don't try to use logic with those land thieves!

The truth is they shouldn't be, but they can't help themselves.

 

[Ketchum]

Haha...I new you would do that.

underrated post of the week

 

[EdSimmonsPants]

@Ketchum - Does anyone give a crap at what a JAG Connie Clark is?

 

[Ketchum]

@Ketchum - Does anyone give a crap at what a JAG Connie Clark is?

you having to ask the question actually answers it, no?

 

[UTJRod7]

You're still missing the point. It's not whether or not Deshaun and D'Onta are better players than Dak or Zeke. It's about which team looks closer to making a super bowl given the fact that each team made the same round of the playoffs last year, Houston did far more to upgrade their roster compared to Dallas so far this offseason, and the AFC will present a much easier path to the Super Bowl over the next 3-5 years.

Watson was better than Dak in 2015 when both were in college... way better in fact. There's a reason one was drafted top half of the first round and the other wasn't drafted until the 3rd round. Watson was also pretty damn good last year too by the way.

Dak was always a better pro prospect than Watson. Dak was just one of those weird ones that fell through the cracks for whatever reason. Watson is your typical good college QB from a name program that got drafted way too high based on his college hype like a Joey Harrington or a Mark Sanchez but not a great pro prospect. He might end up okay, but I wouldn't count on it.

 

[Anwar Richardson]

Other than Canelo/GGG fight, name another boxing match without Money that sells more fights than a Bomes Jones/Cormier rematch?

That's a totally different argument.

1) Give me the other UFC fight this year that will top the pay-per-view buys of that rematch. The first fight did around 800K pay-per-views. Canelo did over 1 million fighting a guy everybody knew he'd beat.

2) If you look up Jones' other ppv fights, there usually in the 400K ballpark. Rousey and McGregor are UFC's biggest draws, and neither is interested in fighting for Dana anytime soon.
http://mmapayout.com/blue-book/pay-per-view/

3) Back to the original conversation. Boxing has offered more exciting fight this year than MMA. The top UFC fighters aren't fighting each other. I named multiple boxing matches with a lot of appeal that will occur in the immediate future. You named one fight. Every sport has a bad year. This is the UFC's bad year. Boxing is having a very good year, and the story I posted in my column by Dan Rafael backs it up.

 

[Ketchum]

That's a totally different argument.

1) Give me the other UFC fight this year that will top the pay-per-view buys of that rematch. The first fight did around 800K pay-per-views. Canelo did over 1 million fighting a guy everybody knew he'd beat.

2) If you look up Jones' other ppv fights, there usually in the 400K ballpark. Rousey and McGregor are UFC's biggest draws, and neither is interested in fighting for Dana anytime soon.
http://mmapayout.com/blue-book/pay-per-view/

3) Back to the original conversation. Boxing has offered more exciting fight this year than MMA. The top UFC fighters aren't fighting each other. I named multiple boxing matches with a lot of appeal that will occur in the immediate future. You named one fight. Every sport has a bad year. This is the UFC's bad year. Boxing is having a very good year, and the story I posted in my column by Dan Rafael backs it up.

a. Don't get it flipped. The UFC is in a major funk and isn't producing interesting ppvs. I wouldn't compare the products side by side right now because it's turned into apples and oranges. Neither truly delivers for the fans.

b. Unless the UFC has a champion vs. champion fight, it won't come close to 800K buys IMO. Maybe not even then. Not unless Conor is involved.

c. That Thurman fight wasn't great. I thought it was pretty good, nothing to remember for very long.

d. Porter/Berto was a dud. This comes from a guy that has had dinner with Porter, thought he was a good guy and roots for him, all things equal.

e. That Canello fight was 120-108 across the board. Unless you enjoy JJCJr. just getting beat up on, it wasn't very entertaining. IMO.

 

[heightser]

Your No. 8 makes it sound like GSW would have still comeback to win the game had Kawhi Leonard not been cheaply injured. Spurs would've won by double digits. Let's not give the Warriors too much credit on that one. Kawhi and the Spurs were making Golden State look like the ones held together by duct tape before he left the game. Curry suddenly getting tons of open looks (although he was draining them) wasn't a coincidence.

Leonard would have scored enough points for the Spurs to win the game. Cheap shotequals tarnished trophy. That;s if they get by Lebron.

 

[EdSimmonsPants]

you having to ask the question actually answers it, no?

touche

 

[HornHammer]

Good for you coming around to the realization that UFC, along w Wrestling, sucks!!

 

[Ketchum]

Cheap shotequals tarnished trophy.

stop it.

 

[StevenG17]

Leonard would have scored enough points for the Spurs to win the game. Cheap shotequals tarnished trophy. That;s if they get by Lebron.

I'm just ready to see what kind of adjustments Pop makes in Game 2.

 

[Anwar Richardson]

a. Don't get it flipped. The UFC is in a major funk and isn't producing interesting ppvs. I wouldn't compare the products side by side right now because it's turned into apples and oranges. Neither truly delivers for the fans.

b. Unless the UFC has a champion vs. champion fight, it won't come close to 800K buys IMO. Maybe not even then. Not unless Conor is involved.

c. That Thurman fight wasn't great. I thought it was pretty good, nothing to remember for very long.

d. Porter/Berto was a dud. This comes from a guy that has had dinner with Porter, thought he was a good guy and roots for him, all things equal.

e. That Canello fight was 120-108 across the board. Unless you enjoy JJCJr. just getting beat up on, it wasn't very entertaining. IMO.

A) Boxing has been delivering for the fans. You can say the bar was low, but this has been a great year for boxing so far, and as I have pointed out more than once, there are plenty of potentially great fights later this year.

B) We agree. UFC might have a few megafights, but a huge boxing fight will always have more fans than a UFC bout that doesn't include McGregor or Rousey (not sure she'll ever draw like that again). There will be fight parties across the world for GGG vs. Canelo, and those PPV buys will be something that UFC cannot produce.

C) I didn't mind the Thurman fight, but maybe because I had dinner with him and his trainer and I are friends.

D) There was too much action in that Porter fight for it to be called a dud. Any fight that results in the knockout of a good (not great) fight cannot be classified as a dud. Fans want to see the knockout and Porter delivered.

E) The Canelo fight was a tuneup fight that did over 1 million buys on Cinco de Mayo weekend. Haven't heard one complaint.

F) We haven't gotten into the potential fights later this year, including a possible return by Tyson Fury. Wilder could line up a big fight. I'm ignoring Manny's fight in July. The good year will only get better.

You get the last word. I'm heading out the door to see Chris Rock tonight.

 

[bbussell1]

Yes, I know the instant reaction is to say no way based on the year Dak and Zeke just had, but consider the following:
1. Last year, both teams made the exact same round of the playoffs (round of 8).
2. Even if Watson is only a league average QB at first, the Texans just got a huge upgrade at the most important position on the field. At the end of 2015, if you had your choice between Deshaun and Dak as your franchise QB, which guy would you have chosen?
3. The Texans also upgraded the RB position by adding college football's most productive RB to a team that already has a 1,000 yard rusher on it.
4. The Texans add some guy named JJ Watt back onto the field this year. Watt alone has to be considered enough to get them one win closer in the playoffs than they would be without him, which puts them one win shy of a super bowl.
5. The competition in the AFC isn't as tough as it is in the NFC, and if you figure both Brady and Big Ben will retire in the next 1-2 years, the AFC will be completely wide open.

The Texans took a final 8 team from last year, upgraded the QB position, upgraded the RB position, and added through "virtual free agency" the most dominating defensive player in the last decade. What did the Cowboys do in the last month to go from a final 8 team in the NFC to NFC champs?

Huge leap on Watson even being a league average QB his rookie season. Cowboys got extremely lucky on many fronts with the Prescott situation last year for that to work out like it did. Most rookie QBs suck and no reason to think Watson breaks that trend.

 

[bbussell1]

I don't think Houston is that close yet.

Debating whether the Texans or Cowboys make the Super Bowl first is like me debating whether Scarlett Johansson or Charlize Theron will accept by request for a date first.

The Cowboys took a giant step backwards this off season and the gap between the Texans and the AFC Elite is the Grand Canyon.

 

[bbussell1]

@Ketchum - Does anyone give a crap at what a JAG Connie Clark is?

It is hard to understand how she keeps her job. She has accomplished absolutely nothing at Texas other than landing Cat as a recruit 10+ years ago.

 

[danhorn]

Bill Russell is the GOAT.

 

[sodiumacetate]

You guys sure have taken the bait on Herman's motivational tactics. Of course he wants another capable qb. He's two hits away from having to play Heard as emergency qb. It doesn't mean he thinks Zaire gives him a better option than Shane. Just like in recruiting, he wants to bring in as much talent as possible and let the best man win.

You guys bit hard on how he didn't mention Shane at the first press conference, how he dressed down Shane in front of the media, and claimed that Shane had to really step up his game to hold off Sam. Then the spring happens and Shane was never even remotely threatened. This is all straight out of the Urban Meyer 101 playbook. Now we need another body at QB and you think it means that Herman thinks Zaire is a better option than Shane.

 

[texaspaulo]

E) The Canelo fight was a tuneup fight that did over 1 million buys on Cinco de Mayo weekend. Haven't heard one complaint.

FWIW, I thought the Matthysse and Lemieux fights more than made up for the lack of action in the Canelo fight, which was enjoyable at least for the clinic Canelo put on.

 

[Iceman]

You'll never get me to say anyone other than Michael Jordan is the GOAT, but LeBron James is building one hell of a case to be the no-doubt-about-it No. 2 player of all-time.

MJ is my #1, Bird #2, and LeBron #3. I just can't overlook the fact that those two have a level of "it" factor that LeBron has zero shot of ever matching. LeBron is the greatest talent in NBA history, but he's not the alpha that Jordan or Bird were. I remember watching warm ups and seeing opposing defenders take deep breaths over and over. They were stressed to the max at the idea of going out and having to defend them. LeBron just doesn't strike fear in defenders the way MJ and Bird did (and that's feedback from NBA clients who've guarded LeBron).

 

[Wooderson_SoCal]

BUY or SELL: A Deshaun Watson/D'Onta Foreman backfield pairing wins and/or makes a Super Bowl before a Dak Prescott/Zeke Elliott pairing does?

(Sell) lol, my friend.

Well played, sir

 

[Ketchum]

A) Boxing has been delivering for the fans. You can say the bar was low, but this has been a great year for boxing so far, and as I have pointed out more than once, there are plenty of potentially great fights later this year.

B) We agree. UFC might have a few megafights, but a huge boxing fight will always have more fans than a UFC bout that doesn't include McGregor or Rousey (not sure she'll ever draw like that again). There will be fight parties across the world for GGG vs. Canelo, and those PPV buys will be something that UFC cannot produce.

C) I didn't mind the Thurman fight, but maybe because I had dinner with him and his trainer and I are friends.

D) There was too much action in that Porter fight for it to be called a dud. Any fight that results in the knockout of a good (not great) fight cannot be classified as a dud. Fans want to see the knockout and Porter delivered.

E) The Canelo fight was a tuneup fight that did over 1 million buys on Cinco de Mayo weekend. Haven't heard one complaint.

F) We haven't gotten into the potential fights later this year, including a possible return by Tyson Fury. Wilder could line up a big fight. I'm ignoring Manny's fight in July. The good year will only get better.

You get the last word. I'm heading out the door to see Chris Rock tonight.

a. Yes, I can say the bar is low. The sport is having a good start to the year. Here's hoping it picks up steam from here.

b. GGG is far from a known quality as a PPV seller. That's a maybe.

c. I dig Thurman. Easy to root for.

d. The Porter fight was purposeless. Not a fight I had any interest in at this stage of his career.

e. You haven't heard one complaint about the fight? Not one? Have you spoken with people that paid for it outside of the Canelo fanatics?

f. I hope you're right.

g. I want to talk to you on the radio about the Rock show tomorrow.

 

[Ketchum]

Debating whether the Texans or Cowboys make the Super Bowl first is like me debating whether Scarlett Johansson or Charlize Theron will accept by request for a date first.

The Cowboys took a giant step backwards this off season and the gap between the Texans and the AFC Elite is the Grand Canyon.

fair enough

 

[Ketchum]

It is hard to understand how she keeps her job. She has accomplished absolutely nothing at Texas other than landing Cat as a recruit 10+ years ago.

zero urgency