Andrew Flintoff

He's applied to become a professional boxer and could make his debut on the 30th of November in Manchester if granted a licence. Obviously he'll be fighting at heavyweight, but how do you guys feel he'll do? He's being training by Barry McGuigan so hopefully he'll make sure he has enough basics not to look stupid.

It's a bit early for April fools stunts, Hampo!

Not what boxing needs, this. The bloke is in his mid thirties, has spent just about all of his adult life in a totally different sport (which even then proved too much for his body, resulting in him playing just about all of his best cricket before the age of 28 / 29 and playing his last test match at 31) and just seems desperate to keep himself in the limelight whatever it takes.

God only knows the kind of opposition they'd have him lining up against.

Its for a 2 part documentry. Dont think he is making a new career. Just more silly tv.

His knee is shot, I think they removed his whole cartilage in his last op.

He wasn't even fit enough to play cricket haha! Half a round and he'll go down voluntarily.

How long until Wlad or Vitali offers a title fight to avoid more people

Fernando wrote:How long until Wlad or Vitali offers a title fight to avoid more people

Care to name any of these people either brother has avoided?

Can you honestly say their continuously fighting the best out there Rowley?

I sure couldn't everyone goes into their matches knowing who's going to win 99% of the time

Fernando wrote:Can you honestly say their continuously fighting the best out there Rowley?

I sure couldn't everyone goes into their matches knowing who's going to win 99% of the time

Im not a major fan of theirs but accept that you cant blame them for the fact that nobody is good enough to oppose them at this time.

I genuinely do think they fight the best out there, they fight a lot of guff undoubtedly but you'd struggle to name any long reigning champ be they Ali Louis or anyone for whom the same is not true. However when someone emerges as a legitimate or perceived threat to the brothers dominance they get dealt with.

Would not confuse them operating in a weak era with being unwilling to take on tough challenges.

Ah, c'mon, jeff. Calzaghe's just sitting at home waiting on an offer! Don't you know anything about boxing?

I would say that they are facing the best that is willing to face them. Not there fault that them type of opponents are generally absolute GUFF, however. It has been shown though that when a genuine threat has come up such as Haye for example, make of it what you will with thinking he is a threat but there was an awful lot of hype about the fight, they took it on and won as they have been doing for years.

I'm sure Charr is no worse than Jean-Pierre Coopman, Richard Dunn or Brian London.

'Nando, could you name anyone that either of the Klitschkos have 'avoided' in the past ten years?

The fact that Wladimir has gone to the trouble of multiple unification fights shows that he's been taking on the best the division has to offer. Ibragimov and Chagaev were unbeaten titlists - Wladimir didn't drop a single round to either of them, for all intents and purposes. Haye, a former unified Cruiserweight champion and a Heavyweight title holder, couldn't do anything to worry him.

As others have said, there's a difference between operating in a weak era and ducking out of taking on the best. They've avoided nobody.

Flintoff will do alright in the Heavy division. He would dance rings around the fat slow useless heavyweights and could beat the 2 big russians.....or so I've heard.

This isn't news by the way, its Flintoff doing a documentrey about boxing where he is going to take on someone (probably from a local boozer), beat him up and have McGuigan saying how much talent he has. With dramatic music as each punch is thrown, a lot of camara shaking to make it look like the punches are rocking the building.

Just more poor telly for Flintoff's legion of beer bellied fans who see him as one of tha' lads.

Pretty much sums it up and i think my Vitali/Wlad comment disappeared over the heads of people a bit i don't think they've ducked people it just takes them years to get round to fighting then Haye called them out in 2008 got his title shot in 2011

Did the fact that the Haye-Wladimir fight was signed in 2009 and that Haye then pulled out two weeks before get lost on you then, 'Nando?

Fernando wrote:Pretty much sums it up and i think my Vitali/Wlad comment disappeared over the heads of people a bit i don't think they've ducked people it just takes them years to get round to fighting then Haye called them out in 2008 got his title shot in 2011

If you choose to blame K Bros for this then Haye has to share it in equal measure.

Perhaps he'll fight The Fraudster in an exhibition for charidee.
My money's on Flintoff, even with half a knee missing.

As it's at Heavyweight they'll line him up against plenty of overweight hasbeens and never were's. His first fight will be against someone like Jeff Rowley and in his tenth fight he'll encounter Trussman66 for the Interim WBU Inter British Heavyweight Title.

Either that or it's a sad publicity stunt.

Oh dear Fernando, I think you've opened up a can of worms, pure and simple Haye wasn't anything in the Heavyweight Division in 2008, he won his world title at HW after an undeserved shot and was also given the opportunity in 2009 to face Wlad but it fell through with David pulling out with injury. But really it was because Setanta had no money and David wouldn't fight for free (Which is fair enough)

It would be that i don't follow boxing as close as you if it's on tv ill watch it

so Yes and if your injured then you'd pull out it's just common sense just a shame he didn't use it 2nd time around

As for Flintoff and this sham I reckon the fight will already be decided before they lay a glove on his opponent. They wont have this on Sky along with McGuiagan being heavily involved without Flintoff winning this, it will predetermined.

Look, give over Alex. The Klitbots ducked Haye, FACT!

Fernando wrote:Pretty much sums it up and i think my Vitali/Wlad comment disappeared over the heads of people a bit i don't think they've ducked people it just takes them years to get round to fighting then Haye called them out in 2008 got his title shot in 2011

Gordy??

rowley wrote:

Fernando wrote:How long until Wlad or Vitali offers a title fight to avoid more people

Care to name any of these people either brother has avoided?

Each other?

Povetkin?

Maskaev?


Ummm Flintoff?

Super D Boon wrote:As it's at Heavyweight they'll line him up against plenty of overweight hasbeens and never were's. His first fight will be against someone like Jeff Rowley and in his tenth fight he'll encounter Trussman66 for the Interim WBU Inter British Heavyweight Title.

I'll take him, he is a Lancastrian, struggle to imagine it would be too tough a nights work.

Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler wrote:

rowley wrote:

Fernando wrote:How long until Wlad or Vitali offers a title fight to avoid more people

Care to name any of these people either brother has avoided?

Each other?

Povetkin?

Maskaev?


Ummm Flintoff?

Each other is perfectly understandable, and to be honest of the others there is more chance Flintoff will declare himself ready before Povetkin does

What about sticking him in with Sonny Bill Williams?

quentins_monkey wrote:What about sticking him in with Sonny Bill Williams?

When's his fight with Botha?

It'll not be long before they've ducked Audley at this rate, judging by some of the names being thrown around above.

We had this debate some time in the past the best names anyone could come up with then was Ruiz and Valuev, am not sure if we have moved forward or backwards from there.

About sums it up, Rowley.

Ruiz? Well it's pretty fanciful to suggest that either brother would have held any fear of him. Besides, Ruiz flickered between 'champion' and 'contender' status with frequency - I'm sure if he'd put together a half-decent reign he'd have been accommodated.

Valuev? Well after losing his bargaining tool (the WBA belt) to Haye he was offered a fight with Vitali in 2010 and refused. Prior to that, Mr. King wouldn't let him near either brother in any case.

It shows the effectiveness of Hayes propaganda though. I bet if Haye began claiming Wlad was ducking a rematch before long there would be no shortage of people willing to believe it. Especially if he knocked out Tyson Fury in a carpark in the meantime. Theres no boundry I dont think Haye can surpass. I actually think if he came out after the Wlad fight and said he had been robbed in Germany by the judges there would still be people who would by it. He can sell anything.

rowley wrote:

Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler wrote:

rowley wrote:

Fernando wrote:How long until Wlad or Vitali offers a title fight to avoid more people

Care to name any of these people either brother has avoided?

Each other?

Povetkin?

Maskaev?


Ummm Flintoff?

Each other is perfectly understandable, and to be honest of the others there is more chance Flintoff will declare himself ready before Povetkin does

Well yes it was more a "clutching at straws" comment to highlight the point, but Povetkins lot were supposedly trying to get a fight with Wlad before Rahamn got shoved on him. How serious it was is another question of course.

Its fair to say that for every champ thats ducking someone theres someone trying to big themselves up by making it look like the champs ducking them

Povetkin could have fought Wlad twice as his mandatory but turned it down both times. In his case its hard to view him as anything other than a guy happy to defend his plastic belt.

88Chris05 wrote:About sums it up, Rowley.

Ruiz? Well it's pretty fanciful to suggest that either brother would have held any fear of him. Besides, Ruiz flickered between 'champion' and 'contender' status with frequency - I'm sure if he'd put together a half-decent reign he'd have been accommodated.

What amuses me is at the time I suggested if you were going to slate either brother for avoiding Ruiz you simply had to throw the same accusation at Lewis, in fact probably more so because he dumped a belt rather than face him, seems the suggestion is ridiculous for Lewis but valid for the brothers.

rowley wrote:

88Chris05 wrote:About sums it up, Rowley.

Ruiz? Well it's pretty fanciful to suggest that either brother would have held any fear of him. Besides, Ruiz flickered between 'champion' and 'contender' status with frequency - I'm sure if he'd put together a half-decent reign he'd have been accommodated.

What amuses me is at the time I suggested if you were going to slate either brother for avoiding Ruiz you simply had to throw the same accusation at Lewis, in fact probably more so because he dumped a belt rather than face him, seems the suggestion is ridiculous for Lewis but valid for the brothers.

Stop trying to pull Gordy into threads Rowley.....

I'd be surprised if Gordy ever has the front to show his face on the boxing board ever again after the dressing down which Il G gave him on the Ward thread, TopHat!

Met Flintoff at a book signing once. I was working in a bookstore at the time and had to meet and greet him when he arrived...

What a tw** that man was, and what an even bigger one he is now for wanting to turn pro. He will get pancaked the minute he steps in against a fighter that hasn't just fallen out of a kebab shop.

This is bad for boxing, and what the hell is Barry Paddy doing training him? Frampton must be thinking his man's gone loco.

Freddie, take the first letter of your name, add three more, and do one. Egotistical...

Thoughts?

emore

Guys do we need this thread....can we not incorporate it with the last!!

I've never met him but all of a sudden I like him!!

TRUSS i will find you and i will hug you. Back up with the incorporate talk, these peeps on 606v2 belong to me, TO ME!

Bromance.

I sometimes get the feeling TRUSS and emore are run by the same deranged war vet with a multiple personality disorder.

Oliver North.......

I sometimes get the feeling too..but very rarely get the chance these days to follow it up!!

I've met him at Old Trafford and he was a great guy. Very approachable and happy to have a drink in the members bar with fans.

Merged the two Flintoff threads, noticed the duplicate whilst reading.

I agree looks like a publicity stunt, wonder what he'll try after failing at this?

Instead of wife swap why not sports swap!!

How about Lennox Lewis opening the bowling for England...

For Canada, surely, Truss?

superflyweight wrote:For Canada, surely, Truss?

88Chris05 wrote:I'd be surprised if Gordy ever has the front to show his face on the boxing board ever again after the dressing down which Il G gave him on the Ward thread, TopHat!

Sadly for the rest of us Gordy has pretty thick skin, and will no doubt be back. For my part I am simply going to try and avoid commenting on any threads that he participates on. Afterall, this is supposed to be enjoyable , and debating, if that's the right word, with him is far from that.