Kunle Solaja posted: " Analytics in sport has been on the rise over the last 20 years. However, Tyson Fury does not believe in its place in boxing. The popularisation of analytics in sports first grew in Baseball, when Oakland Athletics general manager Billy B"
Analytics in sport has been on the rise over the last 20 years. However, Tyson Fury does not believe in its place in boxing.
The popularisation of analytics in sports first grew in Baseball, when Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane was able to break league records with, by far, the smallest budget in the league. Beane used a form of analytics called sabermetrics to evaluate and identify undervalued players to bring in to the team in order to create a winning formula amongst a team.
Beane also became co-owner of Barnsley FC in 2018, just two years later, using sabermetrics, he helped put together the youngest squad and one of the smallest budgets in the Championship, finishing in fifth place and making it to the play-offs for the first-time in 24 years.
The Oakland Athletics were the only known team to use analytics to make on-field decisions at the time. Fast-forward to today, almost every team in world sport is heavily reliant on using forms of data.
In recent years, analytical metrics are said to have been available to boxing coaches, with Anthony Joshua said to be a proponent of using the available data to improve his overall performance level.
WBC heavyweight champion of the world Fury, however, is not convinced.
Speaking on Instagram live, Fury was open in his dismissal of analytics in boxing, as he made the point that numbers on a screen can't help you win in the ring.
Fury explained: "In boxing, computer science and technology - I personally do not think works.
"You take me for instance, I am far, bald, people say I am out of shape - I do not do any of that b******* with computers, numbers on a screen and all that stuff.
"But yet, I always win. So it obviously means f*** all."
Fury even cited a fight which he believes show that analytics would be useless in determining the outcome of.
He added: "You look at Anthony Joshua who follows all of those numbers on a screen and whatnot, and then you look at Andy Ruiz who eat nothing but Snickers for two weeks - Ruiz went in there and knocked him out.
"There's a lot of stuff to say that all those numbers don't work."
Whilst Fury and Ruiz' respective fighting weights may suggest that they could be in better shape, which ultimately may have put them both in better positions to win certain fights, it's fair to say that anything can happen in heavyweight boxing.
Fury's intangible boxing skills have undoubtedly allowed him to dominate his opponents throughout his career - whilst arguably fighting at a larger than optimal weight for his size.
Fury has certainly implemented a more laid back approach to his off-season, and even pre-camp training sessions.
Whilst he does seemingly continue to train in the gym with no fight in the works, the Gypsy King is happy to put on a few pounds before getting back down to a comfortable fight weight - which last saw him fight at his heaviest of 277lbs.
Fury's ability to remain that athletic at 277 lbs clearly demonstrate how unique of a boxer, and athlete, that he truly is.
However, whether this would be his optimal fighting weight could be debated.
Jesús Montes López posted: "Los jugadores del Boiro Voleibol se concentrarán con el combinado nacional el domingo en Palencia Los receptores Martín Casais y Héctor Barro, integrantes del equipo juvenil del Boiro Voleibol, han sido convocados por la selección española sub-17 par"
Jennifer Martín posted: "Movistar Inter FS impone su juego ante Inagroup El Ejido en su visita y sella su pase a la próxima ronda de Copa del Rey Futsal. Los interistas han realizado un partido serio durante los 40 minutos de juego. Pese a marcharse con empate al descanso, Mov"
Movistar Inter FS impone su juego ante Inagroup El Ejido en su visita y sella su pase a la próxima ronda de Copa del Rey Futsal. Read more of this post
Kunle Solaja posted: " Copa Libertadores - Round of 16 - Second Leg - Palmeiras v Delfin - Allianz Arena, Sao Paulo, Brazil - December 2, 2020 Referee Dario Herrera during the match Pool via REUTERS/Alexandre Schneider A referee in Argentina's first division has accused a L"
Copa Libertadores - Round of 16 - Second Leg - Palmeiras v Delfin - Allianz Arena, Sao Paulo, Brazil - December 2, 2020 Referee Dario Herrera during the match Pool via REUTERS/Alexandre Schneider
A referee in Argentina's first division has accused a Lanus player of threatening to kill him if he ever officiates their games again, according to a report the referee filed with police.
The alleged incident happened during a game between Lanus and Racing on Monday night, which home side Racing won 3-1 to extend Lanus' winless run to four games.
According to the police report seen by Reuters, referee Dario Herrera accused Lanus striker Lautaro Acosta of using foul language and saying to him: "You're corrupt... if you ever referee us again I am going to kill you."
The police report was filed after the game in Avellaneda, a suburb of Buenos Aires.
PunchDrunkGamer posted: "Rob Font poses for a post fight portrait backstage during the UFC Fight Night at UFC APEX on May 22, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. | Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLCCheck out the fight card and bout order for UFC Vegas 44. After a break for Thanksgiving, the UF"
Rob Font poses for a post fight portrait backstage during the UFC Fight Night at UFC APEX on May 22, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. | Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC
Check out the fight card and bout order for UFC Vegas 44.
After a break for Thanksgiving, the UFC is back for three more weeks in December before calling 2021 a wrap. This month's action begins on December 4th, with UFC Vegas 44 at the APEX. In the main event, legendary former UFC and WEC featherweight champion Jose Aldo looks to make it three wins in a row at bantamweight when he takes on the surging Rob Font. The co-main is can't miss material, as Brad Riddell battles Rafael Fiziev in what should be a phenomenal matchup of lightweight strikers.
There's some good news for Bryan Barberena as he will remain on the card despite Matt Brown's withdrawal due to contracting COVID-19. Barberena will welcome Darian Weeks to the Octagon to open up the main card.
Here's the full fight card and bout order for UFC Vegas 44:
PunchDrunkGamer posted: "Kevin Lee throws a kick against Daniel Rodriguez in a welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on August 28, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC'The Motown Phenom' is now a free agent. Veteran lig"
Kevin Lee throws a kick against Daniel Rodriguez in a welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on August 28, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
'The Motown Phenom' is now a free agent.
Veteran lightweight and welterweight Kevin Lee's days in the UFC are over.
MMA Fighting reported on Tuesday that 'The Motown Phenom' has been released from his contract, three months removed from his decision loss to Daniel Rodriguez. He is currently under USADA suspension through February 2022 after testing positive for Adderall.
Lee (18-7) once challenged for the UFC's interim lightweight title when he took on Tony Ferguson at UFC 216 in 2017. After a strong start, Lee wound up losing by third-round submission. He made his UFC debut in 2014, losing a decision to Al Iaquinta before rattling off nine wins over his subsequent 10 fights, including submissions of Michael Chiesa and Francisco Trinaldo.
You could argue that the Ferguson fight was the tipping point towards Lee's current downward trend. While he bested Edson Barboza by TKO in April 2018, he missed weight for the first time in his UFC career and third time overall. A five-round decision loss to Iaquinta soon followed, at which point he decided to move up to welterweight. Rafael dos Anjos gave him a rude welcoming by choking him out at UFC Rochester in May 2019. Lee bounced back with a spectacular head kick KO of Gregor Gillespie later that November at UFC 244.
Lee's sole fight of 2020 saw him miss weight again and get choked out by eventual UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira, and ACL tears put him out for the remainder of the year. He returned to welterweight for the aforementioned Rodriguez bout but ended up with another loss.
The 29-year-old Lee leaves the UFC with an 11-7 record inside the Octagon.
PunchDrunkGamer posted: "Frank Mir between rounds during his boxing bout against Steve Cunningham back in April. | Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images for TrillerThe former UFC champion got TKO'd standing in the main event of Triller's Triad Combat by former heavyweight ti"
Frank Mir between rounds during his boxing bout against Steve Cunningham back in April. | Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images for Triller
The former UFC champion got TKO'd standing in the main event of Triller's Triad Combat by former heavyweight title contender Kubrat Pulev.
For the most part, team MMA walked away from Triller's debut Triad Combat boxing event with their heads held high. The hybrid pugilistic competition featured smaller, MMA styled gloves, a wider variety of allowable punches – including spinning backfists and 'dirty boxing' – as well as the promotion's (debatably) signature triangle ring.
But there was one major victory on the boxing side of things, in the main event—where former heavyweight title contender Kubrat Pulev defeated former UFC champion Frank Mir via first round TKO. The fight wasn't without controversy, however. Not over the result – which couldn't have been clearer – but, instead, from the officiating. Despite Mir clearly being out on his feet, referee Dan Miragliotta was hesitant to call an end to the contest. Pulev would land only one further blow, a left hook to the jaw, before walking away of his own accord. Miragliotta waved the fight off shortly afterward.
The longtime UFC & MMA referee defended his delayed response to MMA Fighting, saying that "when Pulev backed out, I figured Mir had a chance to either go down and take that knee or put his hands up..."
Though, if his explanation hinged on waiting for Pulev to show more fight-ending aggression, not everyone seems like they're buying the idea. Longtime boxing trainer, commentator, and analyst Teddy Atlas gave his own reaction to Mir vs. Pulev on a recent episode of his podcast, where he lambasted Miragliotta for failing to protect a fighter in obvious peril.
"We don't exaggerate these things, we don't look to do that, but [Frank Mir] could have really got hurt bad," Atlas told listeners, speaking with his co-host Ken Rideout. "I mean, if it wasn't for Pulev, not the ref – that ref should never fight again – not for the ref, not because of anything other than, really, where you wouldn't expect it; Pulev had to be his own ref, he had to be his own conscience. He had to use control, discipline, character, humanity..."
"The match never should have been made," Atlas added, after describing Mir's state at the end of the bout at length. "You talk about making good matches? [Mir] was retired from the UFC, he lost four of his last five... and he's 42 years old. I mean come on! And he's not in shape. The fight never should have been made.
"The thing I go back to though, that still kind of gets where you can't quite understand, is how do you have a referee not stopping that? That's something I couldn't really get my answer to.
"First of all, if that's the guy, why is [Miragliotta] in the ring? He doesn't know why he's in the ring. If there's ever an example of why you need a referee, that was it; to protect a guy, to save a guy, to save a life. To literally save a life, and he's standing there. [Pulev] could throw another two, three punches if he didn't decide not to throw them. I was trying to get an answer to why—I'm a stubborn son of a gun, you know that, and sometimes I want an answer. And I'm saying, 'How is that the ref? And how is he allowed to be the ref? And how does he not recognize that moment is the moment he needed to be a ref?"
Going in to the fight, Mir claimed that, were he to win, he'd be lined up for the biggest payday of his combat sports career. Even more-so than his legendary rematch against Brock Lesnar at UFC 100. After this loss, however, it seems worth asking whether Mir's dip into the boxing world has any life left in it?
