back in the amateurs. He was a light heavyweight, and had all the potential in the world. I thought he would likely win the light heavyweight title after turning pro, and eventually grow into the cruiserweight division. But he bulked up, some by lifting, some by a poor diet for a fighter.
The slow-motion replay of the first knockdown provided ample evidence that he has layers of excess weight. He lacks one of two things: the discipline to lose it, or the physical strength needed for that level of training. About a month before the bout, he tried to assure Teddy Atlas that he was training really hard -- he bragged he was doing two miles of roadwork a day.
At that point, he should have been doing at least four miles, six days a week. (On an internet boxing forum, some clown attempted to argue with my son, saying no heavyweight does 4 miles. Of course, my boy documented ten top heavyweights' training schedules. Four-to-six miles, 6 days per week. It ain't coincidence.)
Chris can continue to be a top ten contender. But the abuse he has done to his body, including diet and partying, takes a toll on a fighter in their 30s. You can't reverse that. Thus, I am confident that he isn't going to fulfill that potential he once had. He got caught up in the role of fighter/funny guy that his "friends" liked. In a sense, he compares with Max Baer, though Max was always in good shape.
Stiverne is clearly more disciplined. He added a serious left hook to his offense. The problem I see is his habit of carrying his left hand low. That can work against guys around as tall as him. But both Wilder and Klitschko are taller, with longer reaches. I think Stiverne attempts to incorporate some of the Mayweather shoulder-roll. In boxing, he who knows "why" always masters he who knows "how." The question is if Stiverne knows why not to attempt that move with one of these two. If so, what does he replace it with?
I noted that while he was in better shape than Chris, he had a roll at his trunk-line. To beat either of these guys, he'd need a lot of upper-body movement. He needs to work on that, as it takes a lot of energy. More, he is somewhat stiff in the ring, which cuts down on the mobility he needs for taller foes.
Still, he is an intelligent, disciplined fighter. And he is certainly capable of learning.
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