Boxing Thread

[ElRaja]

Missed this.

Which round and was it a polished performance or a bit ragged around the edges?

2nd round, took away wilson bents soul, was marking up after the first round, by the second was knocked down and during the count he just looked like he didnt want to be there

for the opponent was a perfect performance, barely caught a punch, but having watched sheeraz know his problem has always been tagging off beat movers.

think he needs to up the ante slowly over the next year, aim for world title in maybe 6 or 8 fights.

 

[KingKhanWC]

2nd round, took away wilson bents soul, was marking up after the first round, by the second was knocked down and during the count he just looked like he didnt want to be there

for the opponent was a perfect performance, barely caught a punch, but having watched sheeraz know his problem has always been tagging off beat movers.

think he needs to up the ante slowly over the next year, aim for world title in maybe 6 or 8 fights.

Thanks. Yes he shouldnt rush it even though his promoter would want him to. Will watch it later.

 

[ElRaja]

Thanks. Yes he shouldnt rush it even though his promoter would want him to. Will watch it later.

im not an expert, but his movement just seems one level below world class and hasn't really improved significantly over the last year or so, altho it wasn't really tested tonight.

like as much as him and ricky funez have a good relationship i think he will need to move on soon, which pbly wont happen but he needs an elite level trainer.

id think he needs to model himself on tommy hearns, who complimented his big frame and bomb punches with excellent distance management.

 

[SpiritOf1903]

Why Adam Aziz fighting at 6PM on a Sunday?. Up against his toughest opponent get whose never been knocked down , Rylen Charlton

 

[Firebat]

Heavyweight Dillian Whyte laboured to a majority points victory against American Jermaine Franklin in London.

 

[Firebat]

John Ryder beat Zach Parker to win the interim WBO super-middleweight title - and move closer to a bout with Mexican legend Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez.

 

[shaz619]

sheeraz stops wilson bent, lack of movement on wilson-bents part played right into sheeraz's gameplan. sheeraz may not be a good mover, but he has a bomb jab. wont really know how good he is until he reaches world level opponents, but good measured fight for him.

He doesn’t need to go right after the top 10, but I don’t know what he is learning from facing these guys. They are more in the mould of keep busy / building confidence.

Skeete has retired which is not ideal but I would suggest these fights, there is some risk but I feel like the timing could be appropriate for Sheeraz and more importantly, aid his development:

- Liam Williams, a name and former world title contender who has been around the block. This may be difficult to make but I feel his punch resistance has deteriorated significantly, but I see him sticking in there and making Sheeraz work

- Anthony Fowler, great amateur pedigree and he is bound to pose a threat with his technical ability as did Skeete, however he has always been chinny since the amateur days and Sheeraz could look to exploit that

Left field choice: Ryoto Murata, former world champion with a great reputation. Highest risk opponent due to his chin and power, but Sheeraz would be in with a chance with a shrewd game play built around using Murata’s pressure against him and using his feet a bit more

Either way, Frank would know his next fight has to be a fighter with a pulse. I guess unlike with Yarde, he may be better positioned to know when to throw Hamzah a real challenge but I don’t think Williams and Fowler are fights which Sheeraz can’t win at all.

 

[shaz619]

Why Adam Aziz fighting at 6PM on a Sunday?. Up against his toughest opponent get whose never been knocked down , Rylen Charlton

They mainly wanted to avoid a clash with any football on, the venue was probably available on a Sunday with their ideal timing.

The card opens at 3pm and finishes around 7pm which means it will start once Belgium/Morocco is over and finishes before the start of Spain/Germany

 

[ElRaja]

He doesn’t need to go right after the top 10, but I don’t know what he is learning from facing these guys. They are more in the mould of keep busy / building confidence.

Skeete has retired which is not ideal but I would suggest these fights, there is some risk but I feel like the timing could be appropriate for Sheeraz and more importantly, aid his development:

- Liam Williams, a name and former world title contender who has been around the block. This may be difficult to make but I feel his punch resistance has deteriorated significantly, but I see him sticking in there and making Sheeraz work

- Anthony Fowler, great amateur pedigree and he is bound to pose a threat with his technical ability as did Skeete, however he has always been chinny since the amateur days and Sheeraz could look to exploit that

Left field choice: Ryoto Murata, former world champion with a great reputation. Highest risk opponent due to his chin and power, but Sheeraz would be in with a chance with a shrewd game play built around using Murata’s pressure against him and using his feet a bit more

Either way, Frank would know his next fight has to be a fighter with a pulse. I guess unlike with Yarde, he may be better positioned to know when to throw Hamzah a real challenge but I don’t think Williams and Fowler are fights which Sheeraz can’t win at all.

think he would have had a bit more confidence to do that if this fight showed some development, but it was too easy for sheeraz, none of his weaknesses were tested, so id be very surprised if he took that a big..ish step up in his next fight.

 

[shaz619]

think he would have had a bit more confidence to do that if this fight showed some development, but it was too easy for sheeraz, none of his weaknesses were tested, so id be very surprised if he took that a big..ish step up in his next fight.

That’s the thing, he wont be showing anything against these guys and most likely he will struggle against the names I mentioned, but that’s the risk his promoter imo needs to take because Sheeraz will learn more from the fights which are difficult. When you watch the new crop of asian talent outside maybe Adam Azim who I believe is special, I feel Khan who was a generational talent never got enough appreciation, forget world honours, but the way he decimated the domestic scene was something to behold. Sheeraz isn’t a generational talent but he has world class tools which can be utilised well, Frank needs to avoid using the Kell Brook model, it would be ideal if Sheeraz finds his Carson Jones during this phase rather then being protected on his way to a WBO world title shot.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Adam Azim brutally finishes Rylan Charlton inside two! &#55356;&#57253;&#55357;&#56485;<a href="https://t.co/sfMqnYBbjK">pic.twitter.com/sfMqnYBbjK</a></p>— Sky Sports (@SkySports) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkySports/status/1596928096938078208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[ElRaja]

That’s the thing, he wont be showing anything against these guys and most likely he will struggle against the names I mentioned, but that’s the risk his promoter imo needs to take because Sheeraz will learn more from the fights which are difficult. When you watch the new crop of asian talent outside maybe Adam Azim who I believe is special, I feel Khan who was a generational talent never got enough appreciation, forget world honours, but the way he decimated the domestic scene was something to behold. Sheeraz isn’t a generational talent but he has world class tools which can be utilised well, Frank needs to avoid using the Kell Brook model, it would be ideal if Sheeraz finds his Carson Jones during this phase rather then being protected on his way to a WBO world title shot.

to play the devils advocate he did say that six other fighters pulled out of the fight. what do u think of ricky funez as a trainer, i hadn't heard of him before sheeraz, and he looks very emotionally invested in the lad, which makes u think at some point changing things up, or getting a fresh perspective might be difficult.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Adam Azim brutally finishes Rylan Charlton inside two! ����<a href="https://t.co/sfMqnYBbjK">pic.twitter.com/sfMqnYBbjK</a></p>— Sky Sports (@SkySports) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkySports/status/1596928096938078208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

azim looked good again, dont think charlton could set up even one punch in that round and bit. also azim looks to exploit awkward angles a lot. unfort for the britpak contingent, esp azim, the coverage means it becomes hard for fighters to get intermediate level fights. should fight again in feb.

 

[SpiritOf1903]

Awesome kid!

 

[shaz619]

to play the devils advocate he did say that six other fighters pulled out of the fight. what do u think of ricky funez as a trainer, i hadn't heard of him before sheeraz, and he looks very emotionally invested in the lad, which makes u think at some point changing things up, or getting a fresh perspective might be difficult.



azim looked good again, dont think charlton could set up even one punch in that round and bit. also azim looks to exploit awkward angles a lot. unfort for the britpak contingent, esp azim, the coverage means it becomes hard for fighters to get intermediate level fights. should fight again in feb.

I guess pull outs don’t help, I wonder who they were. Funez has been assistant to Joe Goosen for many years, he is a lot older now so unrecognisable, but if you go back to watch the likes of Diego Corrales and Casamajor, you will find Funez in the corner. He is the lead trainer now at Goosen’s gym and has been his apprentice for many years, you could say he has the experience and resource to make the step up to pro level and Hamzah is probably his first high profile fighter. I think from Hamzah’s POV, sparring shouldn’t be a problem between 154-160 there are some tough guys available in North America and with Funez, while gaining an increasing reputation, he isn’t the most sort after trainer so that helps with having a slightly more stable and focussed relationship.

What a showing from Adam Azim, should have been stopped after that left uppercut to the guard. Yeah it will be harder with the machine around him but he is a guy who they can also afford to take a little bit of a plunge, at least bring someone who has some skill and is of a similar height / taller, these guys don’t even pose much of a threat physically. Good finish but should be careful from that wide left hook. Azim generally is very professional.

 

[Firebat]

Chris Eubank Jr says he will only need to show "50% of what I can do" to beat Liam Smith in their middleweight fight in Manchester on 21 January.

 

[Firebat]

Manny Pacquiao: Referee Carlos Padilla says he influenced title fight

The World Boxing Council is looking into claims by former referee Carlos Padilla that he influenced the outcome of an early Manny Pacquiao title fight.

Padilla, now 88, said he prolonged a count to help fellow Filipino Pacquiao beat Nedal Hussein and defend his WBC International super-bantamweight title in Manila in 2000.

He also said he overlooked a headbutt from Pacquiao which opened a cut above Hussein's left eye and led to the fight being stopped on medical grounds.

Pacquiao won via TKO and went on to become a five-weight world champion.

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman told BBC Sport: "The WBC has appointed a committee to look into this matter and we will be working on this situation with full attention."

Padilla, who refereed Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier's infamous 'Thrilla in Manila' fight in 1975, made the claims in an interview on the WBC website to mark his induction into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame in September.

Padilla said he was told before taking the Hussein bout that it was an "important fight" for Pacquiao's career.

Pacquiao, then 21, went on to defend the belt two more times before beating South Africa's Lehlo Ledwaba in 2001 to claim the IBF super-bantamweight title.

"Manny is not a (super-bantamweight) world champion yet. He was only a god in the Philippines," said Padilla.

"They told me 'Carlos, please, this is an important fight for Manny because the winner will have a chance to fight for the world championship'."

Padilla said he stepped in after Pacquiao was knocked down in the fourth round.

"I am a Filipino and everybody is a Filipino watching the fight," Padilla said. "So I prolong the count. I know how to do it. When he gets up I say to him 'Hey, are you OK?', which is prolonging the fight."

Pacquiao was knocked down again later in the round, but Australian Hussein was deducted a point for an elbow and Padilla said he allowed Pacquiao more recovery time.

Hussein was declared unfit to continue in the 10th round because of a cut, which Padilla said was caused by a headbutt from Pacquiao.

"He (Pacquiao) is shorter. He butted the other guy. It's a cut. I declare it a punch," said Padilla. "If there is a butt, you have to stop the fight and say to the judges 'headbutt' - that's a point deduction. But if you don't do that, and the fight continues, that says it is a good punch."

Padilla said he delayed medical treatment for Hussein then attempted to influence the ringside doctor's decision to have the fight stopped.

"It takes away my responsibility because as a referee that is the best way to do - let the doctor stop the fight," he said.

Hussein, who was 22 at the time and unbeaten in 19 fights, told Fox Sports that he has "never been the same since" the defeat.

"That guy (Padilla), he took everything from me. He took my soul," Hussein said.

Hussein, who now runs a gym in Sydney, won his next 17 fights before losing on points to Mexico's WBC world super-bantamweight champion Oscar Larios in his first world title fight in 2004.

He lost on points to Scotland's Scott Harrison in 2005 when fighting for the WBO world featherweight title.

Hussein finished his career in 2007 with 43 victories and five defeats.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/63793018

 

[TSA321]

 

[SpiritOf1903]

What's all this lol, apparently Khan's uncle robbed him and represents Hamzah who's become a pawn

 

[Saj]

Tyson Fury retained his WBC world heavyweight title with a brutal stoppage of Derek Chisora - to set up an undisputed bout with Oleksandr Usyk.

Fury, 34, maintained his unbeaten record in front of 60,000 people at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Fellow Briton Chisora, 38, was hurt repeatably by the dominant champion and the referee waved off the one-sided contest in the 10th round.

Usyk, holder of the IBF, IBO, WBO and WBA belts, was ringside in London.

For Chisora, it was the 13th loss of his 46-fight career.

Earlier this week, the pair shook hands and promised to stand toe-to-toe in the opening three minutes with Chisora promising "the best first round the heavyweight game has ever seen".

And, in front of an incredible atmosphere - despite the cold conditions at an outdoor December night in London - the two fighters tried to provide the entertainment they had promised.

But the fight did prove a mismatch as Fury was a level above his opponent and can now look forward to a potential undisputed heavyweight showdown with Ukrainian Usyk in 2023.

BBC

 

[The_KING]

Tyson Fury is a fraud for fighting his mate Chisora and knowing very well that he would win comfortably, which he did. Just lol at people who paid money to watch this farce.

 

[Firebat]

Joe Joyce gunning for summer showdown with Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk

Joe Joyce is gunning for a summer showdown with either Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk next year.

Fury and Usyk are expected to fight for the undisputed heavyweight title early in 2023, with Joyce anticipating a bout with the winner.

He is well placed for that shot. Joyce holds the WBO's 'interim' title and will be the mandatory challenger for the belt that Usyk currently holds.

Although Daniel Dubois, the mandatory for Usyk's WBA belt, should be due to get his challenge in before Joyce, he has an injury to recovery from and might not be ready for a major fight until later in the year.

Joyce himself intends to take a warm-up in March, to prepare him for a stadium fight with the Fury-Usyk winner later in the year.

"I'm planning to have a fight in March, while all the others are taking a fight," Joyce told Sky Sports.

"For the summer one [I plan to] go for a big one, like Usyk or Fury. I'll be ready because I'll have had one at the beginning of the year to get me going."

Joyce, with an undefeated 15-0 professional record, does not want to just sit on his ranking and wait for the winner between Fury and Usyk without fighting.

"I don't understand why people do that. It makes them rusty for when they do get the shot and also their skills as well, you always want to keep on improving your skills and learning and growing as a fighter and correcting any mistakes, and getting in these exciting fights for the fans," Joyce explained.

"It is entertainment, not just let me hold on to my '0' [undefeated record]"

In preparation for what would be a hotly anticipated summer contest with one of the heavyweight division's current world champions, Joyce would like his next opponent to be a southpaw: "Fury switches southpaw and Usyk's a southpaw so it would be a good idea," he noted.

The Londoner is firmly in the mix to get a fight with one of the champions. At the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier this month, once he saw Usyk stepping into the ring to confront Tyson Fury after the latter had beaten Derek Chisora, Joyce didn't want to be outdone.

He joined Fury and Usyk in the ring and all three heavyweights ended up facing off.

"That was funny and fun at the same time," Joyce laughed. "Fury started revving up and then I revved up with him. It was good fun and Usyk was just there staring at Fury."

https://www.skysports.com/boxing/ne...d-by-anthony-joshua-gloating-over-amateur-win

 

[Firebat]

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk agree to fight each other next, says promoter Bob Arum

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk have agreed to fight each other next.

The two hold all four of the major heavyweight world title belts between them and their richly anticipated fight would decide the undisputed heavyweight world championship.

Bob Arum of Top Rank, the US company that co-promotes Fury with Queensberry Promotions in the UK, revealed to Sky Sports that neither Fury, the WBC champion, nor Usyk, the unified WBO, WBA and IBF heavyweight titlist, would take a bout before that showdown.

Fury and Usyk are set on having the undisputed contest in early 2023, with only the exact date and the location to be finalised.

"The two fighters have agreed to fight each other next," Arum told Sky Sports.

"With Fury and Usyk we're dealing with two adults, not a lot of [rubbish] back and forth. Usyk is a good friend of mine, he's very intelligent and Tyson is Superman, both as an athlete and as an intellect," he continued.

"So they want the fight. Both of them want the fight and so there'll be very little, if any, [messing] around. So we'll be able to make that happen. I'm very, very confident. As I said the fighters have both agreed to fight each other next without any interim fights."

The UK is still in the running to host the fight, despite lucrative offers to take it to a venue in the Middle East.

"Now the question is what's the date and what's the site," Arum said. "But that fight is definitely going to happen and it will happen in the first four months of next year.

"We are balancing a couple of significant offers from the Mid East and also there's the possibility of doing the fight in the UK at Wembley [stadium] with a massive 95,000 crowd in attendance.

"Fighters have a relatively short life and money is important. So if the money which has been proposed to us is real that has to be taken into consideration."

But he added: "To go back to Wembley and do a fight before 95,000 people for me really stirs up the blood.

"It would be crazy. It would just be wonderful."

It shouldn't be too long before a final decision is made. "We'll have it all sorted out," Arum said. "I hope maybe by the end of the year."

https://www.skysports.com/boxing/ne...-fight-each-other-next-says-promoter-bob-arum

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"> "People think you're a cheat and that's it"<a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisEubankJr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChrisEubankJr</a> claims the statements from Conor Benn regarding his failed drug tests are 'too little too late'. <a href="https://t.co/AV653ZVV5i">pic.twitter.com/AV653ZVV5i</a></p>— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkySportsBoxing/status/1606281667915943936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 23, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[shaz619]

Tyson Fury is a fraud for fighting his mate Chisora and knowing very well that he would win comfortably, which he did. Just lol at people who paid money to watch this farce.

It amazes me the level of disrespect he gets in the UK. P4P he is arguably the best boxer in the world when you try and comprehend his skillset which is ridiculous for a Heavyweight. If there is a fighter who needs to be assigned the "fraud" card, look no further then Oluwafemi.

As for the fight itself, it's far from the worst to have been made in the division. Fury is not the first either to give a mate a payday, if you look into the career of Joe Louis and probably others, they've done the same against opposition which wouldn't have ranked in the top 20 at the time.

Oluwafemi was coming of two defeats, he was offered the fight and he refused. It would have been the first time in history someone coming of two losses was handed a title shot.

Joe Joyce had just fought and claimed publicly he would not be ready for a December fight and Andy Ruiz Jnr was in a similar position, also ruled himself out with this guy being positioned for a WBC mandatory title shot fight with Wilder.

Dilian Whyte had already been knocked out and Usyk felt December was too early for him, he wanted to rest and most likely, have a look at what Tyson was going to do in his next fight, he's a clever little weasel.

Who is coming of a good win that would provide a good supporting act in a stadium show in the UK? Chisora is very popular and with him coming off one of his best career wins over Kubrat Pulev (a guy who AJ fought on PPV), he was a good option. In the UK you'd still put Chisora in the top 5 and boxrec had him in the top 10 overall, the bottom half of the division is not that strong but there are some decent prospects coming through.

For boxing purists, the performance itself was great to watch, the exhibition of technical ability and ring generalship was outstanding. The speed, movement and ability to set traps like a welterweight were all great to see. Chisora sure was out of his depth but he put up more of a fight then Whyte did. And it was a good opponent to work and get some rounds under the belt before a bigger fight, I don't see who else could have been an option, I don't know if Carlos Takam or Charles Martin were available but chances are they wouldn't have been received as well compared to Chisora.

 

[Firebat]

Charlo-Tszyu off as undisputed world champion breaks hand

Jermell Charlo's bout with Tim Tszyu has been postponed after the undisputed super-welterweight world champion broke his hand in training.

American Charlo, who holds the WBO, WBC, IBF and WBA belts, became the undisputed champion when he knocked out Brian Castano in May.

After his win over Castano, the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) ordered Charlo to defend his title against undefeated Australian Tszyu.

No new date has been set for the rescheduled bout.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/boxing/64091245

 

[Firebat]

American Gervonta Davis defended his WBA 'regular' lightweight title by stopping Hector Luis Garcia after eight rounds in Washington.

 

[SalimBhai]

He should find garcia next. That will be a fight

 

[Firebat]

Australian heavyweight Demsey McKean confirmed talks have taken place to be Anthony Joshua's next opponent, insisting he can "retire" the Briton.

 

[ElRaja]

dont see garcia hurting tank in april, garcia has pace, but tank has a stronger all round technical game.

 

[Firebat]

Liam Smith beats Chris Eubank Jr via fourth-round stoppage

Liam Smith stopped Chris Eubank Jr in four rounds to bring a bitter rivalry to an explosive end.

Eubank Jr, 33, had been unbeaten since 2018 but suffered the first stoppage defeat of his career.

Liverpool's Smith knocked Eubank down twice in quick succession in the fourth round before the referee waved off the contest.

Fight week was dominated by controversy but it was Smith who pulled off the upset after moving up in weight.

There was rapturous celebrations among Smith's team and in the crowd when the fight ended, with the 34-year-old's brothers Callum, Paul and Stephen joining him in the ring.

The two fighters hugged in the ring after emotions calmed and Smith opened the door to a rematch in his post-fight comments.

"I said all week I'm a good finisher and I knew if I got him hurt that I would finish him," Smith told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"Name me a Chris Eubank fight that has been respectful - not many.

"Something I said may have come across wrong and I apologise for anyone offended by that. I respect everybody and it was just tongue in cheek with Chris.

"There's not many fighters who can milk a crowd like I can. That was up there with the best nights in my career.

"I'll do the rematch on my terms."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/64362496

 

[shaz619]

I expected Smith to edge Eubanks on points but couldn’t have imagined a stoppage, wow. I don’t feel as though weight was a big factor given how professional Eubanks has been with his cuts generally but Smith was incredibly disciplined and cut the ring off fairly well, Eubanks has been caught between styles and the low guard is high risk against someone technically sound unless you are insanely athletic, have explosive power and the ability to counter consistently, it also means you need to use your feet more and can’t really afford to hold them, he used his jab and feet generally quiet well but was too static/clumsy in the corner and Smith jumped on him each time. Great fight though it was competitive up until the KO, look forward to the rematch.

 

[SpiritOf1903]

You don't disrespect a Scouser. The shirt was bad enough.

Brutal, incisive, Eubank Jr sent to the clouds

 

[Robert]

[MENTION=46929]shaz619[/MENTION]

Read this…..

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/64392108

 

[KingKhanWC]

Tommorow night in London, imo the baddest man on the planet Artur Beterbiev will be taking on Anthony Yarde.

Poor Yarde is going to feel some pain.

 

[SalimBhai]

He needs to stop fighting chumps and fight David Benavidez. That will be the fight

 

[KingKhanWC]

He needs to stop fighting chumps and fight David Benavidez. That will be the fight

Yarde is the WBO mandatory. Artur being a Muslim must upset you but do your basic homework before commenting.

 

[SalimBhai]

Yarde is the WBO mandatory. Artur being a Muslim must upset you but do your basic homework before commenting.

You need to quit looking at everything through the religious lens. Not very good for mental health. Yes he is a mandatory. But he is a chump. He is too soft. I dont care for athletes religion in order to like or dislike them. My fav are Tyson and Ali. So there goes your lovely theory. Benevadiaz will be a worthy opponent . He can punch back.

 

[KingKhanWC]

You need to quit looking at everything through the religious lens. Not very good for mental health. Yes he is a mandatory. But he is a chump. He is too soft. I dont care for athletes religion in order to like or dislike them. My fav are Tyson and Ali. So there goes your lovely theory. Benevadiaz will be a worthy opponent . He can punch back.

I would worry about your mental health, as daily you need to criticise Muslims or Islam. Of course its like racists saying I have black friends. Ali and Tyson wouldnt be too kind to a person who spends his life hating on their faith.

Benevadiz is no match for Artur, Bivol is the next match up and the correct one. Anyone who thinks Artur ducks anyone is clueless and hating, we know why from you pov.

 

[SalimBhai]

I would worry about your mental health, as daily you need to criticise Muslims or Islam. Of course its like racists saying I have black friends. Ali and Tyson wouldnt be too kind to a person who spends his life hating on their faith.

Benevadiz is no match for Artur, Bivol is the next match up and the correct one. Anyone who thinks Artur ducks anyone is clueless and hating, we know why from you pov.

Benevadiz will run circles around Artur. I don’t think artur is ducking anyone. Thats something you came up with as usual. They will fight sooner than later inshallah

 

[shaz619]

He needs to stop fighting chumps and fight David Benavidez. That will be the fight

Yarde is no chump, am not sure if you’ve seen him fight but he is rated in the top 10 in the division by most respected publications. He’s unorthodox, quick, explosive and excellent low to upper body movement, I expect it to be thrilling fight given Yarde’s aggressive style and I feel he will start out patiently, but how he reacts when hurt will determine how the fight will play. Beterbiev has P4P credentials and a highly impressive resume, his power overshadows his technical ability and no fighter becomes a unified champion simply by facing bums, finishing Joe Smith Jnr in a couple of rounds was no joke.

David Benavidez is not in the light heavyweight division, he is facing Plant in March which will probably be his third notable fight in 27 fights. One of the biggest fight in Boxing and not jus the LHW division, providing they both come through their next fights is Bivol v Beterbiev

 

[shaz619]

Tommorow night in London, imo the baddest man on the planet Artur Beterbiev will be taking on Anthony Yarde.

Poor Yarde is going to feel some pain.

It’s going to be a thrilling fight I am edging towards Beterbiev but feel Yarde will have his say, him and Tunde have worked really hard and their fight methodology gets a lot of stick, but Yarde wouldn’t be the fighter he is otherwise. You have to give Yarde a lot of credit for taking this fight when he could have waited until one of the top names jumped up and went for a vacant title, Beterbiev has been among the most avoided fighters in the sport and has a wealth of experience over him both amateur and pro combined. Remember Beterbiev has also been down but I think that gave him a wake up call, there is some vulnerability but his determination and will is excellent. I genuinely believe this is one of the best bouts we didn’t know we wanted in the division. If it goes past 6, I will be surprised !

 

[shaz619]

[MENTION=46929]shaz619[/MENTION]

Read this…..

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/64392108

I read this earlier, it’s well written and accurate, Wepner was a fascinating character!

 

[SalimBhai]

Yarde is no chump, am not sure if you’ve seen him fight but he is rated in the top 10 in the division by most respected publications. He’s unorthodox, quick, explosive and excellent low to upper body movement, I expect it to be thrilling fight given Yarde’s aggressive style and I feel he will start out patiently, but how he reacts when hurt will determine how the fight will play. Beterbiev has P4P credentials and a highly impressive resume, his power overshadows his technical ability and no fighter becomes a unified champion simply by facing bums, finishing Joe Smith Jnr in a couple of rounds was no joke.

David Benavidez is not in the light heavyweight division, he is facing Plant in March which will probably be his third notable fight in 27 fights. One of the biggest fight in Boxing and not jus the LHW division, providing they both come through their next fights is Bivol v Beterbiev

I have seen yardie fight plenty of times he has not fought to0 fighters in my opinion. It’s a padded record .Artur who i respect as a fighter will destroy him. Yes I know daivid is one level down in weight. But he is tall and will gain weight and move up soon He is a superior boxer to Artur and he also has power. Maybe not as strong as Artur .Artur has great power but is not as fluid. I think a superior boxer will beat him. Also I believe he has been down three times so chin is questionable maybe. Hell of a puncher though.

 

[shaz619]

I would worry about your mental health, as daily you need to criticise Muslims or Islam. Of course its like racists saying I have black friends. Ali and Tyson wouldnt be too kind to a person who spends his life hating on their faith.

Benevadiz is no match for Artur, Bivol is the next match up and the correct one. Anyone who thinks Artur ducks anyone is clueless and hating, we know why from you pov.

Benavidez is having his first proper fight at super middle weight against Plant next month, I never quiet understood the fascination in his own respective division, there’s not a lot to show in a 25+ fight career. I would fear for his health if he moved up to face Beterbiev, I highly doubt it anytime soon because he is chasing that Canelo pay day and has never really stamped his authority in the SMW division in world level terms

 

[KingKhanWC]

It’s going to be a thrilling fight I am edging towards Beterbiev but feel Yarde will have his say, him and Tunde have worked really hard and their fight methodology gets a lot of stick, but Yarde wouldn’t be the fighter he is otherwise. You have to give Yarde a lot of credit for taking this fight when he could have waited until one of the top names jumped up and went for a vacant title, Beterbiev has been among the most avoided fighters in the sport and has a wealth of experience over him both amateur and pro combined. Remember Beterbiev has also been down but I think that gave him a wake up call, there is some vulnerability but his determination and will is excellent. I genuinely believe this is one of the best bouts we didn’t know we wanted in the division. If it goes past 6, I will be surprised !

I like Yarde, the way he carries himself, always respectful and trains very very hard. Very skillful boxer with a great technique esp his uppercuts, the timing on them is as good as it can get when he's been on form. It will come down to his gameplan.

Imo Yarde should use his boxing skills and his footwork to hit and move but whatever he does, he cannot afford to get into a tear up with Artur! The aim imo should be to frustrate Artur, get him agitated and with the home crowd, a few good early rounds for Yarde might lead Artur into mistakes. The problem is Artur's power is not human , its like a terminator from Skynet has landed to destroy all LHWs on earth. Both men can be hit, both have decent chins but again in a tear up there is only one winner. Really looking forward to this fight, was planning of watching it live but couldnt make it. BT Sport show starts early, main card around 7.30pm and main event around 10pm.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Benavidez is having his first proper fight at super middle weight against Plant next month, I never quiet understood the fascination in his own respective division, there’s not a lot to show in a 25+ fight career. I would fear for his health if he moved up to face Beterbiev, I highly doubt it anytime soon because he is chasing that Canelo pay day and has never really stamped his authority in the SMW division in world level terms

David Benavidez has great hands, I love the way he works the body and head together very well in his combos, reminds me at times with the great Sugar Ray Leonard. He has a chance to beat Artur by points but doesnt have the power or chin for anything else. Artur as you say is underated in his boxing skills as people focus on his power. He can work out his opponents quickly and knows immediatley when they are hurt, so knows when to go for the kill. David Benavidez should remain in his division for now.

 

[shaz619]

I have seen yardie fight plenty of times he has not fought to0 fighters in my opinion. It’s a padded record .Artur who i respect as a fighter will destroy him. Yes I know daivid is one level down in weight. But he is tall and will gain weight and move up soon He is a superior boxer to Artur and he also has power. Maybe not as strong as Artur .Artur has great power but is not as fluid. I think a superior boxer will beat him. Also I believe he has been down three times so chin is questionable maybe. Hell of a puncher though.

I wouldn’t call it padded because he turned pro late and only had something like 12 amateur fights, to be fighting for world titles at this stage is commendable, personally if I was managing him I’d have matched him with Craig Richards or Buatsi and took a bit more time ironing out technical issues and waiting on the right title shot, that’s not to take anything away from his challenge because I think he is a worthy opponent. Benavidez is talented but he’d need to grow into the weight, even someone like Usyk recognised that, jumps up in weight are not always so simple and Beterbiev’s technical ability is overlooked, he has at times become lazy due to his power but his amateur pedigree speaks for itself (he beat Kovalev in the 2007 world championship) and the dismantling of Joe Smith Jnr was a master class, it wasn’t just a matter of him walking Smith down, the Russian Boxing school of thought is sound

 

[shaz619]

David Benavidez has great hands, I love the way he works the body and head together very well in his combos, reminds me at times with the great Sugar Ray Leonard. He has a chance to beat Artur by points but doesnt have the power or chin for anything else. Artur as you say is underated in his boxing skills as people focus on his power. He can work out his opponents quickly and knows immediatley when they are hurt, so knows when to go for the kill. David Benavidez should remain in his division for now.

He is an entertaining guy to watch and is gifted clearly, but he hasn’t really fought a live dog and that’s fine due to his age, however he tends to get praise well above his accomplishments so far. I am really interested to see how he does against Plant who wont be too far out his prime and coming just for a check. Yes, I doubt he will and most likely he will hold out for Canelo, if that doesn’t materialise then maybe he will start thinking about it

 

[shaz619]

I like Yarde, the way he carries himself, always respectful and trains very very hard. Very skillful boxer with a great technique esp his uppercuts, the timing on them is as good as it can get when he's been on form. It will come down to his gameplan.

Imo Yarde should use his boxing skills and his footwork to hit and move but whatever he does, he cannot afford to get into a tear up with Artur! The aim imo should be to frustrate Artur, get him agitated and with the home crowd, a few good early rounds for Yarde might lead Artur into mistakes. The problem is Artur's power is not human , its like a terminator from Skynet has landed to destroy all LHWs on earth. Both men can be hit, both have decent chins but again in a tear up there is only one winner. Really looking forward to this fight, was planning of watching it live but couldnt make it. BT Sport show starts early, main card around 7.30pm and main event around 10pm.

Great breakdown totally agreed, I feel they will come in with a solid game-plan, but as the great Tyson said, everyone has a plan until they get hit! how will Yarde react when he is hurt? will he give into his instincts or look to survive, little things like taking an 8 count and not getting up too quick, clinching and wrestling when you are groggy make a big difference, fighters with decent ring IQ take all the time they need, recover and come back (See Ward vs Kovalev 1) , a bad example would be Khan lol gets up super kick, trying to swing when his mind is scrambled and legs gone / didn’t hold, I think we never gave Virgil enough credit for instilling these defensive instincts. The 02 is a good arena tbh, I have grown tired over the years though and those in attendance that can’t control their alcohol intake put you off + extortionate ticket prices, but I will happily watch it on the telly. Ring walk I believe is around 10.30pm

 

[SalimBhai]

The boxing world is overwhelmingly picking Beterbiev to win, and the reason for that isn’t just because of how great a fighter he is but mostly because of how poor Yarde is. He’s the textbook version of a fighter fed tomato cans to build an inflated record. Normally, when guys are matched with weak opposition for a long period, it’s being done by their management to put them in a fight that will make a ton of money. With the light heavyweight division lacking a Canelo Alvarez type of mega-star, Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivola are it.

 

[ElRaja]

amazing fight, yarde showed great heart, but beterbiev's movement when in trouble was masterful. both fighters come out of it looking good and we already have a fight of the year contender, and pretty sure one of the best rounds in a long time, in the fifth.

great to see, buzzing from that. need more high quality match ups.

 

[shaz619]

amazing fight, yarde showed great heart, but beterbiev's movement when in trouble was masterful. both fighters come out of it looking good and we already have a fight of the year contender, and pretty sure one of the best rounds in a long time, in the fifth.

great to see, buzzing from that. need more high quality match ups.

Yes it was a firefight as expected, most of the casuals slept on Yarde going off his resume with little context, Yarde is vastly improved from the man who fought Kovalev and was seconds away from beating him. His pressure was courageous and he impressed me with his chin, Joe Smith Jnr a former world champion mentally checked out, but Yarde went out on his shield, his output was measured and he did well to land those looping right hand counters and upper cuts. However, his best was not enough for Beterbiev, with his power and strength he has more of a window to think and recover, his technique never loses shape and that was the biggest difference, each time Yarde was hurt he lost his form but as you say, Beterbiev used his feet and guard masterfully, it created more space for him to land shots outside Yarde’s eyeline. If there was any doubt on Yarde’s world level credentials then this should prove there’s a lot to build on.

The LHW division is decent but overshadowed by having two great champions in it. Yarde didn’t need to take this shot given his experience levels both amateur and pro + he got into the sport very late, this is why records need to be viewed with context. More should be expected from the Olympic medalist Buatsi who I believe is yet to fight for a world title.

 

[shaz619]

amazing fight, yarde showed great heart, but beterbiev's movement when in trouble was masterful. both fighters come out of it looking good and we already have a fight of the year contender, and pretty sure one of the best rounds in a long time, in the fifth.

great to see, buzzing from that. need more high quality match ups.

And what about that stoppage from Tunde? I could sense he was going go step in and the timing was perfect, not enough trainers who would protect their man like this so credit where due, they live to fight another day

 

[ElRaja]

Yes it was a firefight as expected, most of the casuals slept on Yarde going off his resume with little context, Yarde is vastly improved from the man who fought Kovalev and was seconds away from beating him. His pressure was courageous and he impressed me with his chin, Joe Smith Jnr a former world champion mentally checked out, but Yarde went out on his shield, his output was measured and he did well to land those looping right hand counters and upper cuts. However, his best was not enough for Beterbiev, with his power and strength he has more of a window to think and recover, his technique never loses shape and that was the biggest difference, each time Yarde was hurt he lost his form but as you say, Beterbiev used his feet and guard masterfully, it created more space for him to land shots outside Yarde’s eyeline. If there was any doubt on Yarde’s world level credentials then this should prove there’s a lot to build on.

The LHW division is decent but overshadowed by having two great champions in it. Yarde didn’t need to take this shot given his experience levels both amateur and pro + he got into the sport very late, this is why records need to be viewed with context. More should be expected from the Olympic medalist Buatsi who I believe is yet to fight for a world title.

tbh i hadn't seen much of yarde before, i saw the video of him going back to where he grew up and i instantly recognised it, so got interested in the fight lol, knew beterbiev is master technically so didnt have much hope really, was pleasantly surprised, i think yarde will gain a lot of good will with this fight.

would love to see a unification fight, but boxing is so messed up that u never hold ur breath for the best fights and enjoy whatever u get. i was intrigued by what bunce said abt canelo looking at beterbiev, if canelo won that (and that is an if) it would set up a rematch with bivol perfectly.

I'm just glad at what a great fight it was.

 

[ElRaja]

And what about that stoppage from Tunde? I could sense he was going go step in and the timing was perfect, not enough trainers who would protect their man like this so credit where due, they live to fight another day

excellent stoppage, one he was getting hurt a lot pre knockout, taking heavy blows, two after the punch, he landed a fair distance away from where he was hit, beterbeiv hooked him a fair distance, third he asked the trainer what round it was, and fourth he went straight in with his hands looking low and weak and caught one immediately.

beterbiev was gonna maul him, he couldn't afford getting caught like that, and they both knew it.

 

[Firebat]

Artur Beterbiev stops Anthony Yarde in round eight of thrilling light-heavyweight encounter

Artur Beterbiev came out on top of a firefight with Britain's Anthony Yarde to retain his WBO, WBC and IBF light-heavyweight world titles in London.

Both men fought brilliantly in a back-and-forth epic over eight rounds.

Yarde hurt Beterbiev in an astonishing fifth round, but was then pulled out of the fight in the eighth after being knocked down by a powerful right hand.

Russian Beterbiev kept his 100% knockout record, while Yarde's wait for world honours goes on.

"I could say it was a bad fight but I'm sitting here," Beterbiev told BT Sport.

"Everyone in this division can punch and Anthony can too. He's young and he has time and I hope he does well in the future.

"If I'm honest, I was prepared for all of those punches and that's why I could keep coming back at him."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/64441328

 

[SalimBhai]

Yarde was better than I expected. Both fighters are more brawlers than text book boxers. Just my opinion but David will outscore the Russian

 

[KingKhanWC]

And what about that stoppage from Tunde? I could sense he was going go step in and the timing was perfect, not enough trainers who would protect their man like this so credit where due, they live to fight another day

I think Tunde made the right call but I always prefer fight can only be stopped by ref. Yarde was gassing, he was hurt and would have been knocked down again very quickly. I have seen fights were some have came back to win from such a position but its very rare.

Overall, good performance by Yarde, he gave it his all but his technique along with Arturs power got the better of him. Yarde has a style where his left arm is low, this helps to protect the body but allowed Artur to jab his head off. The jab will always get through with such a defence, esp when Artur lugnes while his jabs are powerful too. Great counter shouts by Yarde but he had to move , getting into a tear up was always going to hurt him.

Artur fought a great fight, he was only getting into the fight in rounds 6. Some people just dont understand his method, its too mentally and physically break down the opponent which he did again. The KO right hook was brutal and as usual Artur targted the top of the head, which makes the head spin and leg wobble esp after being hit hard.

I love how Artur hooks the body and then follows up to the head, reminds me of Mike Tyson.

 

[Firebat]

Kell Brook: Former world champion says he is struggling with retirement and mental health

Former world welterweight champion Kell Brook has said he is struggling with retirement and seeking help for mental health problems.

His comments follow a video published by the Sun newspaper showing him appearing to snort a white powder at a party.

Brook, 36, retired from boxing in May following a career that saw him record 40 wins from 43 professional fights.

"I messed up. I hold my hands up," Brook wrote on Twitter.

His manager Terry Thompson told the Sun that the video was "a joke" and Brook was just "having a laugh".

Brook told the Telegraph last year his decision to quit the sport was because his "heart was no longer in it" and that he had "nothing left to prove."

In Thursday's tweet, he added: "It's no secret that I struggle with mental health and I'm finding retirement really hard.

"I'm actively seeking the help I need to get me on the right path. Again I apologise for the hurt I've caused."

Brook held the IBF world title from 2014 to 2017 after claiming the crown by beating American Shawn Porter on points in California.

He previously said he used a counsellor to help him overcome depression after losing his title in a fight against Errol Spence, during which he broke his eye socket for the second time.

Brook's final bout was a sixth-round victory over bitter rival Amir Khan 12 months ago, but in January Liam Smith said fighting the Sheffield man was an option after his win over Chris Eubank Jr.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/64506311

 

[Firebat]

Lawrence Okolie: WBO cruiserweight world champion faces David Light in Manchester

Cruiserweight world champion Lawrence Okolie will face New Zealander David Light on 25 March at the AO Arena in Manchester.

Okolie, 30, will defend his WBO title for the third time in his first fight since February 2022.

The Hackney fighter is unbeaten in 18 pro fights and competes for the first time under Boxxer's promotional banner after leaving Matchroom.

Light, 31, is the mandatory challenger to Okolie's WBO belt.

The Commonwealth silver medallist is unbeaten in 20 fights but has fought the majority of his pro career in New Zealand.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/64572826

 

[Firebat]

British middleweight Chris Eubank Jr has triggered his rematch clause with Liam Smith.

Eubank, 33, lost to Liverpool's Smith via fourth-round stoppage last month in Manchester.

 

[Firebat]

The WBC says Youtube star Jake Paul will earn a world ranking in the cruiserweight division if he beats Tommy Fury in Saudi Arabia this month.

The American will face Britain's Fury in Riyadh on 26 February in a fight that has been postponed twice.

Paul, 26, has won his six previous fights against a fellow YouTuber, a former NBA player and three mixed martial arts fighters.

Fury, 23, will be the first boxer Paul has faced.

 

[Amjid Javed]

British middleweight Chris Eubank Jr has triggered his rematch clause with Liam Smith.

Eubank, 33, lost to Liverpool's Smith via fourth-round stoppage last month in Manchester.

Looking at Eubank now its clear he struggles to make the 160Lb and be in a decent state after. I was surprised he got down to 157lbs for Connor Benn.

Unless Eubank gers over the weak state he's in after making weight he will lose to Smith again.

 

[shaz619]

Looking at Eubank now its clear he struggles to make the 160Lb and be in a decent state after. I was surprised he got down to 157lbs for Connor Benn.

Unless Eubank gers over the weak state he's in after making weight he will lose to Smith again.

Eubanks has always been very profesional throughout his career, lets see how the rematch goes before reaching a conclusion on if the weight is a big issue, Smith got the KO but Eubanks had his moments in that fight to, it wasn’t a demolition job

 

[Firebat]

Leigh Wood's reign as WBA featherweight champion is over after the Briton lost in devastating fashion to hard-hitting Mauricio Lara in Nottingham.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Leigh Wood's reign as WBA featherweight champion is over after the Briton lost in devastating fashion to hard-hitting Mauricio Lara in Nottingham.

Lara is just a beast, wood had control of that fight for 90% of fight but Lara took him out. Same way he did josh warrington.

Wood vs warrington / conlan (rematch) would be good domestic fights to see.

Lara has bigger fish to fry now.

 

[Firebat]

Conor Benn: British boxer back in WBC rankings after failed drugs test not 'intentional'

Conor Benn is back in the World Boxing Council rankings after it ruled his failed drugs test was not intentional and could have been caused by a 'highly-elevated consumption' of eggs.

Benn failed two voluntary drug tests for the female fertility drug clomifene before his cancelled October bout with Chris Eubank Jr.

He is still under investigation by UK Anti-Doping and the British Boxing Board of Control, and is unable to fight in the United Kingdom as he does not have a boxing licence.

Benn and Eubank were scheduled to meet on 8 October at a catchweight of 157lb - 30 years after their fathers Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank Sr fought.

The 26-year-old has previously blamed "contamination" for the findings. His defence outlined there was a fault with the VADA testing laboratory, but that was rejected by the WBC.

In a full statement, the sanctioning body said it found "there was no conclusive evidence that Mr. Benn engaged in intentional or knowing ingestion of clomifene".

It added: "There were no failures in the procedures related to sample collection, sample analysis, or violations of Mr. Benn's B Sample rights that would justify questioning or invalidating the Adverse Finding, and Mr. Benn's documented and highly-elevated consumption of eggs during the times relevant to the sample collection, raised a reasonable explanation for the Adverse Finding."

The statement refers to a test which took place on 25 July after Benn enrolled in the WBC's out-of-competition testing in July.

He tested positive for clomifene and its hydroxymetabolites MI and M2. The WBC says it did not receive "substantive response" from Benn until December and the WBC did not make a full analysis until January 2023.

The BBBofC said it was aware of the WBC's findings but added: "Whilst the BBBofC wishes to make clear that it respects the WBC, the WBC is a sanctioning body and not a governing body.

"The decision of the WBC does not affect the ongoing implementation of the BBBofC's rules."

The WBC intends to work with Benn and his team in the future to "avoid the risk of a future adverse finding caused by nutritional factors".

Promoter Eddie Hearn said Benn was "ready to resume his career".

"This is now about finding places for Conor Benn to box," Hearn told the Boxing Social podcast.

"Conor Benn can box anywhere in the world, but to box in the UK he has to go through a process, and we don't know how long that process is going to take.

"He's in the gym. He's been in the gym for the last six weeks. He's ready to fight."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/64734190

 

[Firebat]

Conor Benn says he "welcomes the ultimate outcome" after the World Boxing Council ruled his failed drugs test was not "intentional".

 

[Firebat]

Tommy Fury beat Jake Paul by split decision in arguably the most anticipated eight-round contest in boxing history.

Fury, 23, was the busier fighter, landing more accurate punches and demonstrating his boxing fundamentals.

The former Love Island star, brother of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, was knocked down by YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul in the eighth round.

One judge scored it 75-74 to Paul, with the other two scoring it 76-73 to Fury.

"For the past two years this is all that has consumed my life," an emotional Fury, who has now won all nine of his professional bouts, said on BT Sport.

"Everybody thought I was running scared but tonight I made my own legacy."

After dedicating the fight to his new-born baby daughter Bambi, Fury added: "This is my first main event, I am going to get bigger and better and if he wants a rematch, bring it on."

Paul - who lost for the first time in his seventh professional fight - said: "All respect to Tommy, he won. Don't judge me by my wins, judge me by my losses.

"I don't know if I agree with the judges, it is what it is but that is the boxing world."

BBC

 

[shaz619]

I couldn't help but congratulate the first Muslim to win a world title in Saudi Arabia. A lot has been said about the Paul/Fury card, but I was personally more excited for the co-main event; despite his age, I felt Jack had the technical ability to trouble Makabu and he put on a clinic, becoming the oldest cruiserweight champion in history and a 7 time 3 weight world champion; if this isn't Hall Of Fame worthy, I don't know what is. I hope he would bow out on a high after this, but as we know, there are little fairy tales in boxing.

As for the main event, full credit must be given to Tommy, it's a big misconception that Paul is a pretender who don't belong, he has a good chin, resilience and heavy hands which you either have or you don't, Tommy was always going to be superior fundamentally but he had to keep his defence in check, which he managed for the most part and the jab just won the fight for him, great work, he displayed a greta chin to and was calm under immense pressure.

 

[KingKhanWC]

I couldn't help but congratulate the first Muslim to win a world title in Saudi Arabia. A lot has been said about the Paul/Fury card, but I was personally more excited for the co-main event; despite his age, I felt Jack had the technical ability to trouble Makabu and he put on a clinic, becoming the oldest cruiserweight champion in history and a 7 time 3 weight world champion; if this isn't Hall Of Fame worthy, I don't know what is. I hope he would bow out on a high after this, but as we know, there are little fairy tales in boxing.

As for the main event, full credit must be given to Tommy, it's a big misconception that Paul is a pretender who don't belong, he has a good chin, resilience and heavy hands which you either have or you don't, Tommy was always going to be superior fundamentally but he had to keep his defence in check, which he managed for the most part and the jab just won the fight for him, great work, he displayed a greta chin to and was calm under immense pressure.

Badou Jack with a great performance to become 3 time, 3 weight world champion! Makabu is a big strong powerful puncher but Jack was on his game last night. Jack knew inside he was the far superiour fighter, with great short chopping hooks and uppercuts, the timing was amazing! As the fight went on, you could see Makabu gassing more and more, while Jack was taking control, setting the pace. A lovely way to victory by stopping a cruiserweight while he was coming up weights since his career began. A humble and great man with a lovely family.

The main event was as expected, poor technical boxing , lack of movement apart from a few good seconds by Fury. As a boxing fan I would rather watch two female top class boxers over these two any day. Tommy Fury celebrating as if hes the new WBC champ was funny , his dad then calling out another Youtuber was funny too. Good on him for making the paper for his family but he is no great boxer and never will be , esp after being knocked down twice by Jake.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

I couldn't help but congratulate the first Muslim to win a world title in Saudi Arabia. A lot has been said about the Paul/Fury card, but I was personally more excited for the co-main event; despite his age, I felt Jack had the technical ability to trouble Makabu and he put on a clinic, becoming the oldest cruiserweight champion in history and a 7 time 3 weight world champion; if this isn't Hall Of Fame worthy, I don't know what is. I hope he would bow out on a high after this, but as we know, there are little fairy tales in boxing.

As for the main event, full credit must be given to Tommy, it's a big misconception that Paul is a pretender who don't belong, he has a good chin, resilience and heavy hands which you either have or you don't, Tommy was always going to be superior fundamentally but he had to keep his defence in check, which he managed for the most part and the jab just won the fight for him, great work, he displayed a greta chin to and was calm under immense pressure.

Agree, Paul is a lot better than he gets credit for. The guy put Woodley to sleep with one shot. I know he was an MMA fighter past his prime, but it was still impressive. Tommy's a good boxer, this was probably his toughest fight to date, but more important than his boxing was his chin. You are absolutely right in highlighting that, it will make him a hard fighter to beat unless he comes up against someone with better boxing skills.

 

[shaz619]

Badou Jack with a great performance to become 3 time, 3 weight world champion! Makabu is a big strong powerful puncher but Jack was on his game last night. Jack knew inside he was the far superiour fighter, with great short chopping hooks and uppercuts, the timing was amazing! As the fight went on, you could see Makabu gassing more and more, while Jack was taking control, setting the pace. A lovely way to victory by stopping a cruiserweight while he was coming up weights since his career began. A humble and great man with a lovely family.

The main event was as expected, poor technical boxing , lack of movement apart from a few good seconds by Fury. As a boxing fan I would rather watch two female top class boxers over these two any day. Tommy Fury celebrating as if hes the new WBC champ was funny , his dad then calling out another Youtuber was funny too. Good on him for making the paper for his family but he is no great boxer and never will be , esp after being knocked down twice by Jake.

Jack justified the PPV value, huge fan of the ripper. He has been in some wars and couldn’t get a break, despite his age, I felt given the styles clash he had a real chance and boy did he deliver. HOF’er in my opinion, just look at his resume and the names he has been in with, really humble and not afraid to wear his faith proudly, did you notice how BT cut to the studio when the talk around his religion was being mentioned? maybe it’s not that deep but I found it odd. That was a great fight to watch and Makabu can bang really hard, and presented a serious risk but this was Jack’s night.

Your criticism is justified and I’d never ask anyone to pay for this as a main event alone. I personally never took it too seriously and Tommy did well fundamentally, he doesn’t have much of an amateur career and is learning on the job himself, this is why I think his so called vast experience was blown out of proportion when Jake had boxed 2 more rounds then him as a ‘pro’. But I was impressed with his jab and fights like these put a big spotlight on you, but he is essentially a 9-0 novice learning on the job as would a Mexican, I wouldn’t write him off just yet, it’s up to him, if he has genuine world ambitions I think he can develop into a decent fighter and already has a good network around him, but when you make easy money like this, I question his future motivations

 

[shaz619]

Agree, Paul is a lot better than he gets credit for. The guy put Woodley to sleep with one shot. I know he was an MMA fighter past his prime, but it was still impressive. Tommy's a good boxer, this was probably his toughest fight to date, but more important than his boxing was his chin. You are absolutely right in highlighting that, it will make him a hard fighter to beat unless he comes up against someone with better boxing skills.

He has heavy hands, not every fighter will be blessed with that. And he has an awareness for how to set up that looping overhand right and can be sneaky with his left from the lower guard but like with any new starter, establishing and developing the jab is very difficult and that needs major improvement. On Woodley, I don’t think that’s on him, it would happen to 90% of MMA fighters, there’s a huge disparity on a technical level between striking in MMA and Boxing, so I think they were fairly evenly matched in the ring but Paul’s heavier hands, weight advantage and Woodley not being numb to getting hit with 10 ounce gloves would have played a part. I think the all time great strikers in MMA who had some amateur or pro boxing experience are more likely to do well, which is why I think Conor didn’t give the worst account against Floyd and why Anderson Silva outboxed Chavez in an exhibition, I think someone like Silva could have been a world champion if he primarily pursued Boxing and dedicated to it.

 

[Firebat]

Conor Benn says he has "serious concerns" about the testing system in boxing after the WBC ruled his failed drugs test was not "intentional".

 

[Firebat]

Conor Benn admits he "didn't think he would see another day" as he experienced suicidal thoughts during the aftermath of his failed drugs test last year.

Benn was recently reinstated to the WBC rankings after testing positive for a banned substance ahead of last October's proposed catchweight bout against Chris Eubank Jr.

 

[Firebat]

Oleksandr Usyk on Tyson Fury: Both of us need this fight | 'I'm not afraid. It's just a big man'

Oleksandr Usyk has declared that the undisputed heavyweight title fight with Tyson Fury must be made.

"I need this fight and that's it. I think he needs it too. This fight is very important for both of us," Usyk told The Overlap.

After two consecutive victories over Anthony Joshua, Ukraine's Usyk holds the WBO, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles, while Tyson Fury is the WBC champion.

Talks to match the pair in an undisputed heavyweight title fight are currently in progress.

"All four belts haven't been held by one person," Usyk said, pointing out it has been two decades since the heavyweight division had an undisputed champion.

"So both of us need this fight."

He does expect Fury to be even more of a challenge than Joshua. "Yes of course, he has a different style," Usyk said. "Fury is more audacious."

But Usyk insists he is undaunted. Previously an undisputed champion at cruiserweight, London 2012 gold medallist Usyk believes he can repeat the feat at heavyweight, even against Fury.

"I'm not afraid of Tyson Fury," the Ukrainian declared. "This will be like any other fight. It's just a big man who has never lost before against a man who has the WBC belt.

"Of course it's possible to get carried away but actually this is a normal fight for the right to win all the belts.

"If a person is bigger than me, it doesn't mean they're stronger than me. If they have longer arms, it doesn't mean that it will be an advantage.

"I've been boxing since I was 15 years old. They kept telling me that I shouldn't be boxing. They told me that I wouldn't become an Olympic champion or a world champion and that I shouldn't have switched to the heavyweight division.

"But these were opinions from people who couldn't do it themselves. Personally I keep praying and move forward. I don't worry about whether I will reach my destination.

"It's like a samurai. He doesn't have an aim, he has his path. I have my path too."

He is inspired by his country's fight to resist the Russian invasion. He served in the Ukrainian defence force at the beginning of the all-out war last year and now represents Ukraine through his sport.

"I'm boxing for everyone who is defending our country right now and in the memory of those warriors who are no longer with us," he said.

"Also for all those who want to be free and who stood for their country against those who came to conquer us."

https://www.skysports.com/boxing/ne...d-this-fight-im-not-afraid-its-just-a-big-man

 

[Firebat]

Oleksandr Usyk's promoter says the Ukrainian's undisputed heavyweight title fight with Tyson Fury is in jeopardy due to Fury's financial demands.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Oleksandr Usyk's promoter says the Ukrainian's undisputed heavyweight title fight with Tyson Fury is in jeopardy due to Fury's financial demands.

No surprise Fury ruining another fight with stupid demands, the guy says he will fight for free etc.. give his purse to charity etc. Then demanding over 100M when he knows that ain't going to happen in UK

 

[Firebat]

The undisputed heavyweight fight between Briton Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk is "unlikely to happen next," according to the Ukrainian's promoter.