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Godfrey
ready for world title shot
PROVIDENCE (April 19, 2007) - World cruiserweight contender Matt "Too
Smooth" Godfrey made a major statement on April 6, loud and clear to be
precise, when he stopped Felix Cora, Jr. in the second round of their
ESPN2 Friday Night Fights main event fight at Mohegan Sun Arena.
"I am the best cruiserweight in the world," Godfrey looked back at his
scintillating performance to describe the statement he made. "I'm ready
to take on anybody in the world who's ranked ahead of me. An opportunity
to fight (Jean Marc) Mormeck for his titles would be a gift from heaven
for me."
Godfrey (15-0, 9 KOs), 26, recently moved up to No. 3 in the World
Boxing Council ratings. He's also ranked No. 7 in the World Boxing
Association and No. 9 in the International Boxing Federation.
"There's nobody out there who is as talented as Matt," Godfrey's manager
Bret Hallenbeck added. "We believed Cora was a top 5 talent. We're
coming after all of the top cruiserweights."
Godfrey broke down some of the top cruiserweights in the world although
he passed commenting on WBO champion Enzo Maccarinello, IBF title-holder
Krzysztof Wlodarczyk, Marco Huck and Pietro Aurino because he hasn't
seen them fight.
Jean Marc Mormeck (WBC/WBA champion): "Very limited. He dies-out in
fights after really coming out and pressing the action early. He's a
power fighter who's in trouble when he has to box like in the last four
rounds against (O'Neil) Bell. When his opponent comes right back at him,
he doesn't know what to do."
Steve Cunningham: "He gets better each fight. He's a prototypical
cruiserweight - 6-3, 190 pounds. A very good boxer."
David Haye: "I think he's the best one out there. A hard power puncher
who is wild at times. He's really gotten better since his only loss to
(Carl) Thompson."
Vadim Tokarev: "I'm surprised he's won as many fights as he has because
he had no amateur background. He was a kick-boxer and now he has 23 wins
as a professional fighter. He's won some good fights, but he doesn't
have enough boxing experience, at least not for me."
Valery Brudov (WBA Interim champion): "Not impressed at all. He got his
ears boxed off against an old Virgil Hill."
Virgil Hill (WBA regular champion): "Over the hill, he's all done. At
43, he's still better than 75-to-80 percent of the cruiserweights in the
world, but his time has gone."
O'Neal Bell: A very hard puncher who relies too much on his power. He's
a real good fighter. He goes too much for the knockout, which is what
happened in his last fight against Mormeck. The same thing against
(Dale) Brown and (Sebastian) Rothman, who he(Bell) finally got in the
11th round."
Guillermo Jones: "He should go back to the middleweight division where
he belongs. His last fight was as a heavyweight."
Wayne Braithwaite: "He's been exposed. His time has come and gone."
Jonathon Banks: "A very hard puncher who is 99-percent offense like all
of Emanuel Steward's guys. He was down twice in the first round against
Eliseo Castillo (Banks won via a 4th round knockout), who's about the
only one with a pulse who Banks has fought."
Matt Godfrey: "A fighter a lot of guys want to stay away from because
you don't know if he's coming out left or right-handed, boxing or coming
right at you. He's a wild card; a very dangerous fighter." |
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