Does Khan lack mentality of a fighter.

This is not a Khan bashing thread so I will keep it short and sweet. Khan has recently indicated that soe of the blame for his loss to Garcia lays at Roach's feet. Khan has stated that he should be umber 1 in the wild card gym which obviously means ahead of Pac and Chavez. Where does he get this from...he lost.

After the Peterson fight he put it all down to the PED use with regards to why he lost, not to his obvious flaws. He overlooked Garcia looking at PBF instead and took his eyes off the ball. Now he wants full attention. It seems there is somewhat of a DIVA in Khan's head ready to blame everyone and anything apart from himself.There are room for diva's in this game.

To be fair I think Kahns statement yestrday showed he took a lot of the blame, he did say he wanted to have Roachs' full attention which is perfectly understandable to expect from your trainer when your are trying to be #1 in the division and move into the P4P ratings.

At the moment Roach won't be able to offer Kahn this sort of commitment so I think Kahn will look for a new trainer where he will be the sole focus and look to keep on improving as he seems to have stagnated in his last few fights.

No, not at all. He was going in to a unification fight and his trainer couldn't give him 100% of his time. Had that been Manny, Roach wouldn't have left his side.

While Khan has frailities, and it sounds like his attitude in camp wasn't great (calling his training boring) he needs 100% attention going in to the biggest fight of his career. Also Khan said admitted he got things wrong.

He said the style looked boring, he wanted to be exciting thats where the problem lies in my view, he wants to be exciting in the ring, rather than be a little more careful.

i think looking for excuses, to convince yourself you're the best or would have won otherwise etc, is fundamentally the mentality of a fighter.

I know he often uses 'we' as in 'we got knocked the fluck out', but i see that more as a manner of speech popular in individual sports, than him blaming his team per se.

I think khan shows plenty of cojones in the way he fights, he's just chinny which is a biological thing not a mentality thing, and he lacks survival instincts when hurt... or the right survival instincts.

His real problem though is he just isn't smart enough to learn, and years on from when he saw him as an amateur, he still hasn't grasped some of the pro fundamentals to make the best use of his talents.

ONETWOFOREVER wrote:This is not a Khan bashing thread so I will keep it short and sweet. Khan has recently indicated that soe of the blame for his loss to Garcia lays at Roach's feet. Khan has stated that he should be umber 1 in the wild card gym which obviously means ahead of Pac and Chavez. Where does he get this from...he lost.

After the Peterson fight he put it all down to the PED use with regards to why he lost, not to his obvious flaws. He overlooked Garcia looking at PBF instead and took his eyes off the ball. Now he wants full attention. It seems there is somewhat of a DIVA in Khan's head ready to blame everyone and anything apart from himself.There are room for diva's in this game.

I've said this many times. Roach is not the type of trainer best suited to bring out the best in Khan. Fabulous trainer for guys who are more fighters than boxers. Khan should be a boxer. In the amateurs he had a very good jab and pure boxing skills. That has been done away with.

He needs a complete overhaul with a new trainer. Have 2 fights to put into practice what he has learned and then go for a title at whatever weight. I read on yahoo boxing that he is very tight at the weight also. Maybe he is missing Ariza.

I don't think Roach should be the target of anyone's ire here, really. It would be unrealistic to pretend that Khan is the only fighter at a high level who doesn't enjoy the full and undivided attention of his trainer at all times, and I think we'd do well to consider just where Khan was at before Roach got involved - most people, after the Prescott defeat, were doubting that Khan would ever hold any version of a world title despite them being so readily available in today's game, never mind a unified titlist with a claim to being the best in his weight class.

Pacquiao has been Roach's ticket to boxing trainer immortality and has been the fighter providing Roach with the greatest living. With their recent fights only five weeks apart, training camps of Pacquiao and Khan were always going to clash at some points, and needless to say this won't have been the first time it's happened. As harsh as it may sound, Khan can't realistically ever expect to be centre of Roach's attentions as ong as Pacquiao is still active. That is not, by any means, to say that he should have to settle for that, more just a nod towards the harsh and bleak reality of the situation.

Besides, I do worry that Roach is finding it a little too difficult to effectively train so many fighters now. His condition is visibly worsening at an alarming rate, sadly - he seems to have aged more than ten years in the last couple alone, and there is a stark contrast in his movement from a two or three years ago as opposed to now.

I think there is a case for Khan to consider a switch of trainers, but that doesn't mean that Roach is directly accountable for the disappointments which have hit Khan in the past seven months or so.

Nothing wrong with his fighting mentality its his Poor defence, lack of ability to fight inside, suspect chin, poor boxing brain and average power that let him down. Khans only exceptional gifts are his hand speed and heart. We all know he must have been working all his career on the basics like defence and mixing it up inside so if he still so poor in these departments now he is never gonna get better, using his trainer as an excuse is lame it is sadly down to a lack of boxing brain and you cant teach that. The fact is despite all the kind matchmaking, media hype and ego there lies a fairly average fighter with a fairly average record.

Roach's metehods and style isn't suited to Khan's abilities. Nothing to do with how long he spends with him. Khan could have his 100% undivided attention, it still wouldn't make a difference.

It would not make a difference if he had the ghosts of Eddie Futch as his trainer and Angelo Dundee as cutman, Khan just simply lacks the natural abilities in certain basic areas and all the trainers in the world will not change it. At least with Roach he developed some strength before that he used to get knocked down in a brisk breeze. Based on his clear flaws he has probably achieved more than he should.

I disagree Hogey. I think he has all the natural ability in the world except it hasn't been bridled and channelled in the right direction. He tends to rely on instinct and hand speed. However, he hasn't got a good brain therefore his instinct gets him in trouble. He has all the natural ability in the world combined with poor ring acuity. He needs a trainer to teach him to THINK, or, he needs a trainer to THINK for him. However, if someone is going to THINK FOR HIM, he needs to develop some modesty to allow him to LISTEN instead of thinking he knows best.

i think teaching him to think would be a remarkable achievement mackem, so his best bet would be your second option.

Mawler i know he possess some natural ability when it comes to hand speed, but for me the ability to evade punches, take punches, instinctively know what to do when you are hit and also punch power are also to a huge degree natural abilities and Khan is average or below in all these areas. I am pretty sure he will never learn to fight well on the inside now if he hasnt after this many years in the game, this is a huge problem for him because fighter's now know they can bust him up if they are prepared to come through his flashing combos early in the fight.

roger mayweather is the type of trainer khan needs.

azania wrote:

ONETWOFOREVER wrote:This is not a Khan bashing thread so I will keep it short and sweet. Khan has recently indicated that soe of the blame for his loss to Garcia lays at Roach's feet. Khan has stated that he should be umber 1 in the wild card gym which obviously means ahead of Pac and Chavez. Where does he get this from...he lost.

After the Peterson fight he put it all down to the PED use with regards to why he lost, not to his obvious flaws. He overlooked Garcia looking at PBF instead and took his eyes off the ball. Now he wants full attention. It seems there is somewhat of a DIVA in Khan's head ready to blame everyone and anything apart from himself.There are room for diva's in this game.

Yeah I agree this is NOT a Khan bashing thread. I don't know what could give anyone the idea that it was!

I thought Roaches tactics were spot on against Garcia. The first couple of rounds Khan was beating him up and looking good doing so. The problem is that Khan began standing in front of Garcia a fraction to long and got caught by a big shot.

But even in between rounds you could hear Roach say to Khan to concentrate on getting in and out and to not stand in front of Garcia which was exactly the right way to do.

I think Khan is possibly one of these fighters that just struggles to stick to a gameplan and is prone to making mistakes. I think the tactics Roach uses with him are designed to maximise the advantages he has in speed. But when you have a fighter that lacks durability at a high level then all it takes is one mistake and the fight can be over. Khans concentration levels might need to be improved.

Another issue which is different is with regards training and prepartation. Having to go to the Phillipines or play second fiddle to Pacquiao may be an issue for Khan and obviously the Peterson fight falling thorough and his extended training camp didnt help.

But tactically I thought Roach had the right plan for Garia. Khan just wasnt able to execute it for more than a couple of rounds on the night.

Don't care about the particulars, if you get hit on the chin once and it pretty much finishes you off, there isn't anything any trainer in the world can do for you.

Personally I don't think Roach is teaching him anything he doesn't already know. Watch the first round of the Prescott fight, he makes the same mistakes as he did against Garcia: elbow high when jabbing and lifting his chin in unison with the initiation of his punches. School Boy. The main thing Roach has encouraged him to do is throw fast clusters, like Manny. Not right for Khan. The more punches you throw in a combination the more time your fists are away from your chin. Why embolden a boxer to throw bunches and expose his whiskers, when he's unable to throw a single dig while keeping his chin on his chest? School Boy.

HE NEEDS A COMPLETE OVERHAUL!

He needs to counter and not force the action.

# Will he be a big draw in the sport boxing like this? Probably not.

# Would he be more successful? Probably.

# Can Roach teach him to box like that? Definetly not.

He can't teach the counter style, he doesn't understand the counter style, he is unable to prepare his charges to face the counter style. All of Roach's boxers struggle against counter punches. Mayweather for Khan. Simples.

How the hell do you know what Roach's teaching him???

He was beating Peterson and Garcia and then got careless or stupid.....

Coaches can't teach commonsense..

I don't know what he's teaching him. To my knowledge Roach doesn't have any world class counter punches? To my observations, Khans style is becoming more like Manny's (jumping in, often in straight lines, throws fast bunches). That style doesn't suit him. Who's teaching him that style? Roach.

Yes Khan lacks common sense also.

Roach has a lot of fighters in his stable........

All I'm saying is..Khan tends to get careless!! When he boxes he dominates!!

So roach is doing a good job!! His problem is his charge has a small brain..

He's not doing a good job though. Explain?

Actually don't bother I'm going to bed

His record speaks for itself....I don't have to explain..the results are self-evident!!!!!

I'll explain one thing.....Khan boxed Petersen's ears off.....was beating Garcia comfortably enough and has basically outboxed everybody he's fought!!!

However in both those fights he was either stupid!! (a la petersen) or careless a la Garcia!!

How can you blame a coach for that?????

It's like blaming a soccer coach for a stupid back pass!!!!

Thought I'd explain anyway...you seem a bit naive!!!

Next you'll be saying Dundee and Futch were crud as well!!

i read a quote on twitter the other day...........cats and dogs fight but champions box!!!!!!!!!!!i love this quote it sums up khan pretty well i think aswell.

supremeskills wrote:roger mayweather is the type of trainer khan needs.

Apart from the obvious, who has Roger trained that makes you think he's right for Khan?

Yo Truss, you call me naive then seem to credit Roach with Khans good performances? Khan has bags of ability and massive amounts of natural talent, therefore, any coach in their right mind could have trained Khan to beat Garcia or Peterson. BECAUSE HE IS BETTER THAN THEM... so don't credit Roach for Khan having the ability to beat those guys. All freddie has done is made Khan more like Manny which is a bad thing (see my post above for the reasons). Khan is brilliant and flawed at the same time; speed, fitness and mobility Vs chin, concentration and appaling instinct when hurt. Roach can't do anything about those last three, but he should be able to devise a plan that contains less haste and more composure. Haste breeds mistakes. Mistakes expose chins. Luckily Manny has a good one, unfortunatley Khan doesn't.

He needs a overhaul and I don't think Freddie is the man to do it. (even Brendan Ingle would do a better job with Khan).

By the way... Truss and Roach sitting in a tree, K....I...SS...I.N.G

... and you're a body builder..

Blaming Roach for the Garcia fight is a bit like blaming a football manager for an individual mistake on the field I think.

If you listen to Roach before, during and after the fight his plan was to utilise Khans speed and to get in and out. Hes very clear and specific to Khan to follow the plan and not to stand in front of Garcia. Unfortunately thats whats happened but I think the first two and three quarter rounds was more or less punch perfect from Khan and a well put together plan from Roach. What did Khan do wrong? Well he stood that fraction of a second too long in front of Garcia and Garcia landed a huge shot.

I think the greater concern with Roach and Khan is firstly how much Khan being second fiddle is a factor in the gym. Preparation for this fight was obviously not ideal with the Peterson fight being cancelled and Khan having to travel alot due to Pacquiaos fights. The second issue is why cant Khan seem to follow instructions. Hes been too willing to stand n front of oppoents and too willing to engage in tear ups. This has never been part of Roachs strategy who has always emphasised hit and move.

Overall I think Roach has done a good job with Khan considering the position Khan was in when he took over. Khan has had some good performances under Roach. I think there is an element of Khan himself having to make changes himself if he wants progress. Namely working on his movement, concentration and avoiding the macho stuff.

My gut feeling is that if Roach cant take Khan any farther, at least in a technical sense, then few other trainers will. However if the relationship becomes strained then a fresh start might be better. But I do think alot of Khans failings are self inflicted. If he did change trainers, I woud not neccessarily like to see one who inflicts a massive overhaul in style or drastic changes. But one who can get Khan to listen and follow instructions in the corner.

TheMackemMawler wrote:I disagree Hogey. I think he has all the natural ability in the world except it hasn't been bridled and channelled in the right direction. He tends to rely on instinct and hand speed. However, he hasn't got a good brain therefore his instinct gets him in trouble. He has all the natural ability in the world combined with poor ring acuity. He needs a trainer to teach him to THINK, or, he needs a trainer to THINK for him. However, if someone is going to THINK FOR HIM, he needs to develop some modesty to allow him to LISTEN instead of thinking he knows best.

Ok, I said what is in the quotation marks earlier in this post. No where have I explictly blamed Roach for the Garcia fight. The problem lies with a combination of the two, as well as the issues about playing second fiddle mentioned by Mano, Roach is not a coach who's style of fighting goes well with Khans.

However, it is common sense that if you have a poor chin you don't stand in front of an opponent.. so you aren't telling the board anything new with that peice of tactical genius!

So its been established Freddie will have told Khan not to stand in front of Garcia.. however he probably DID tell him to throw flurries (like Manny). These are two incompatible notions for Khan as he is unable to integrate lateral movement and head movement with a combination like tyson or hatton. The issue Khan has is to throw fast combinations like Manny YOU HAVE TO BE INFRONT of your opponent, be a bit reckless and have a decent chin. Plus, the greater number of punches contained within a combination the more time your fists are on an opponent's body and AWAY from your own chin. Therefore, head movement and lateral movement are necessary. Khan is not that type of fighter. He's a european style fighter and he shouldn't be taught head movement at this stage.

He should go to someone like Booth, who has Haye and Groves (guys without granite chins). Booth, love him or loathe him, can study the opposition and devise a "back foot plan" to win.

If it isn't Roach influencing Khan to throw the flurries like Manny then here is my theory: Khan knows he is second fiddle to Manny, he's all too aware of the Father/Son relationship shared between Freddie and the Filipino. Therefore, Khan could be guilty of trying to incorporate Manny's style into his own to gain Roach's affections, for example, reckless flurries and the Macho BS when hit (at some point in the future, we may even see him tap his gloves together when caught with a cracker......if he's still standing!). Its difficult not being the coaches Favourite so I'm just throwing that one out there...

A few people have said that Khan has a very amateurish style, I have to disagree. I've just watched the Khan vs Kindalen fight from Athens and Khan worked behind a high guard and picked his shots really well. He still got a little wild when he got tagged but on the whole his technique was a lot better back then.

manos de piedra wrote:Blaming Roach for the Garcia fight is a bit like blaming a football manager for an individual mistake on the field I think.

If you listen to Roach before, during and after the fight his plan was to utilise Khans speed and to get in and out. Hes very clear and specific to Khan to follow the plan and not to stand in front of Garcia. Unfortunately thats whats happened but I think the first two and three quarter rounds was more or less punch perfect from Khan and a well put together plan from Roach. What did Khan do wrong? Well he stood that fraction of a second too long in front of Garcia and Garcia landed a huge shot.

I think the greater concern with Roach and Khan is firstly how much Khan being second fiddle is a factor in the gym. Preparation for this fight was obviously not ideal with the Peterson fight being cancelled and Khan having to travel alot due to Pacquiaos fights. The second issue is why cant Khan seem to follow instructions. Hes been too willing to stand n front of oppoents and too willing to engage in tear ups. This has never been part of Roachs strategy who has always emphasised hit and move.

Overall I think Roach has done a good job with Khan considering the position Khan was in when he took over. Khan has had some good performances under Roach. I think there is an element of Khan himself having to make changes himself if he wants progress. Namely working on his movement, concentration and avoiding the macho stuff.

My gut feeling is that if Roach cant take Khan any farther, at least in a technical sense, then few other trainers will. However if the relationship becomes strained then a fresh start might be better. But I do think alot of Khans failings are self inflicted. If he did change trainers, I woud not neccessarily like to see one who inflicts a massive overhaul in style or drastic changes. But one who can get Khan to listen and follow instructions in the corner.

The problem with that is that you run the risk of getting nailed when you try to go in. Also as you tire getting in and out becomes more risky as you will get countered eventually. For me, Khan needs to box behind a jab first and foremost. He has tremendous handspeed and his jab would also be very fast.

azania wrote:

manos de piedra wrote:Blaming Roach for the Garcia fight is a bit like blaming a football manager for an individual mistake on the field I think.

If you listen to Roach before, during and after the fight his plan was to utilise Khans speed and to get in and out. Hes very clear and specific to Khan to follow the plan and not to stand in front of Garcia. Unfortunately thats whats happened but I think the first two and three quarter rounds was more or less punch perfect from Khan and a well put together plan from Roach. What did Khan do wrong? Well he stood that fraction of a second too long in front of Garcia and Garcia landed a huge shot.

I think the greater concern with Roach and Khan is firstly how much Khan being second fiddle is a factor in the gym. Preparation for this fight was obviously not ideal with the Peterson fight being cancelled and Khan having to travel alot due to Pacquiaos fights. The second issue is why cant Khan seem to follow instructions. Hes been too willing to stand n front of oppoents and too willing to engage in tear ups. This has never been part of Roachs strategy who has always emphasised hit and move.

Overall I think Roach has done a good job with Khan considering the position Khan was in when he took over. Khan has had some good performances under Roach. I think there is an element of Khan himself having to make changes himself if he wants progress. Namely working on his movement, concentration and avoiding the macho stuff.

My gut feeling is that if Roach cant take Khan any farther, at least in a technical sense, then few other trainers will. However if the relationship becomes strained then a fresh start might be better. But I do think alot of Khans failings are self inflicted. If he did change trainers, I woud not neccessarily like to see one who inflicts a massive overhaul in style or drastic changes. But one who can get Khan to listen and follow instructions in the corner.

The problem with that is that you run the risk of getting nailed when you try to go in. Also as you tire getting in and out becomes more risky as you will get countered eventually. For me, Khan needs to box behind a jab first and foremost. He has tremendous handspeed and his jab would also be very fast.

Well your always going to be running a risk of getting nailed in boxing. Its a problem for Khan because hes not the most durable. But even the best jabbers of all time still got nailed from time to time.

With Khan I think the speed of hands and ability to get his punches off quick should allow him to get in and land but he has to be disciplined about it. His effective drops off massively and his vulnerabilities exposed when he stands in front of a fighter. I think this is the bigger issue. Even if you focus massively on the jab if he doesnt have the discipline, awareness or movement to avoid staying in the same spot too long I think the same problems will surface.

Im a little bit on the ence with the Garcia fight because for almost three rounds Khan was about as good as I had ever seen him. He was really beating Garcia up. The gameplan looked very effective and Garcia seemed to be second best. Other than his ability to soak up punishment, he wasnt showing he could live with Khans speed at all. Then one mistake, one big(ish) punch and suddenly its over.

The commentary on Sky did a full 360. What was being described as masterful from Khan suddenly ended up being a masterful performance from Garcia. I think Garcia was truthful in terms of what he expected from Khan, how he expected Khan to start but Im not fully convinced the way things panned out were part of the plan. His corner seemed far from in control and were panicking a bit after the early couple of rounds because frankly he was getting beaten up. Maybe the tactic was to just look for one big counter punch or exploit a Khan mistake but I not fully convinced the fight was as comfortable for Garcia as the result indicates. Could it have been the "punchers chance" punch landing? I may be slightly harsh on Garcia but its partially born from the fact that previous to the fight he never really looked like a puncher and never really impressed me all that much. I actually thought he was perfect for Khan. But hes a young fighter so maybe hes improving, his power is increasing and he hasnt been fighting at his full potential so we will see. But I remain very much on the fence with him.

The risk of getting nailed increased if you dart in and out. Garcia was winging in the left hook counter when Khan was coming in and it was only a matter of time before it landed. Those tactics increases the proverbial puncher's chance. Frankly that was the only tactic Garcia had, used and the only tactic needed.

If you have a dodgy chin, temple or neck, you box from range and utilise your natural advantages.

Yep Sky spun a hoop in their commentary.

In response to manos,

Look he doesn't have head movement and is unable to move laterally when throwing combinations. He is throwing reckless Mannyesque combination flurries that cause him to stand in front of his opponent. It's the only way to throw them. He has to stand still when he throws these because he's throwing alot of arm shot flurries. The kind of arm shot flurries he's throwing he doesn't have his bodies natural momentum behind the shot. Normally this momentum would be used to initiate rolls or lateral movement. In the case of arm shots the only head movement that tends to occur is that the head follows the fists and you can end up looking at the floor. He needs to jab more, he needs to move more and he needs to utilise his speed to counter rather than attack. I don't know if Khan is trying to gain Roach's favour by emulating Manny's flurries and machismo, or, whether Roach is conditioning this style of fighting. What I do know is that the way he is boxing is making him vulnerable, and this made worse because it is compounded by his characteristic frailty and an unfortunate instinct. The Khan/Roach combination have some serious thinking to do..

Mackem - That flaw in technique could just be from overtraining and getting sloppy, without Roach around all the time to correct it. I'm certain theres a term for it, where your technique suffers from doing too much. Will observe next fight before passing judgement - although I think Steward WOULD make a better trainer - perhaps Atlas would even more - Khans problem is - he has been trained to pass exams, rather than working it out himself and using his own education to pass. Perhaps Atlas can determine what would be most suitable and teach how to learn. Bit late, but better late than never.

ShahenshahG wrote:Mackem - That flaw in technique could just be from overtraining and getting sloppy, without Roach around all the time to correct it. I'm certain theres a term for it, where your technique suffers from doing too much. Will observe next fight before passing judgement - although I think Steward WOULD make a better trainer - perhaps Atlas would even more - Khans problem is - he has been trained to pass exams, rather than working it out himself and using his own education to pass. Perhaps Atlas can determine what would be most suitable and teach how to learn. Bit late, but better late than never.

It could be shah. Who knows what goes on in their camp. I was reading today that Khan is miffed about the lack of attention.. so that backs your claim his technique may not be corrected when appropriate. I just feel the lad is talented. He has a vulnerabilty and needs more help. He's making mistakes he didn't make as an amateur. There can be no justification for that. Ok he has a concentration issue but this can be improved, just little things like exhausting the guy, really exhauting the guy, and then getting him to perform intricate tasks that require thought and concentration. Simple.

Technically if his head is not goin down with his arm shots then his chin is comin up. There is no excuse for this. I think he is a little over zealous at times, like puppy trying to impress it owner. I guess its hard coming second fiddle to Manny. Someone needs to put an arm around him and drag him in the right direction.

I wish I knew more about the American coaches so i was able to recomend one.

Would Booth be any good? He seems industrial and studious and gives his guys alot of attention. With Haye retiring he'd supercede Groves as number 1. And he seems to able to devise a plan which works for his charges who don't possess granite chins.

Also wont either of the Mayweather's have time on their hands once their Son/Nephew retires?

azania wrote:The risk of getting nailed increased if you dart in and out. Garcia was winging in the left hook counter when Khan was coming in and it was only a matter of time before it landed. Those tactics increases the proverbial puncher's chance. Frankly that was the only tactic Garcia had, used and the only tactic needed.

If you have a dodgy chin, temple or neck, you box from range and utilise your natural advantages.

Yep Sky spun a hoop in their commentary.

Its laughable beyond belief really that a so called top fighter 'Khan' was to be undone by a simple tactic lol, Khan will only ever land a punch in 'flurries' why cos he lunges forward in straight lines meaning he is open to any hook. Don't understand why Roach hasn't utilized Khans main attribute 'speed' to help him defend.

Defense in boxing is not always about standing back like Khan and some others do, its also an awareness, meaning if you’re thinking in terms of defense and keeping it in the back of your mind as you box then you have defense. When Khan goes forward lunging in with flurries what is he thinking in terms of defense? If you don’t think about your defense as you’re walking into range of your opponents punches, you’ll likely get hit by one. Its really that simple :-)

Read on BBC text via the red button that Froch has offered Khan the chance to join his camp and McKracken? Anyone know if there is in truth in this? Or does anyone have any thoughts on the matter?

TheMackemMawler wrote:Read on BBC text via the red button that Froch has offered Khan the chance to join his camp and McKracken? Anyone know if there is in truth in this? Or does anyone have any thoughts on the matter?

Wasn't that the sea monster in "Clash of the Titans"?

Yeah it is. Froch sacked McCracken after Bute, didn't you know that?