Hennessy Sports promoted John Murray is not surprised that his British lightweight rival Amir Khan rejected an offer to fight him this Saturday on potentially the biggest event in boxing history, despite the Olympic Silver medalist’s false claim that he ‘played’ with him in sparring.
Undefeated Manchester star Murray, 22, will have his 21st professional fight on the undercard of the highly anticipated showdown between Oscar de la Hoya, his US co-promoter, and Floyd Mayweather at the MGM Grand. Read the rest of this entry »
In what we hope will become a regular feature, UKBoxingPress in association with 3pBoxing brings you coverage of last month’s light-heavyweight clash between Cello Renda and Ayittey Powers in Peterborough. Renda was looking to gatecrash the domestic top 10 rankings with a win over Powers who had recently gone the distance with Gary Lockett and Matthew Barney.
Oscar De La Hoya v Julio Cesar Chavez (1)
7 June 1996 Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas
Floyd Mayweather Jnr defeated solid, world class fighters like Genaro Hernandez and Diego Corrales to prove his credentials. Oscar De La Hoya deposed a living legend.
This was the 100th professional bout for Julio Cesar Chavez, who had been in the paid ranks since the age of 17. Chavez was, and is, a cult idol in Mexico. He could command audiences of 132,000 devoted fans, such as that which had turned up to the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City to see him take Greg Haugen apart three years previously.
Haugen had incensed the Mexican public by suggesting that most of Chavez’s opponents had been ‘Tijuana taxi-drivers’. It gave them great satisfaction when, after five rounds, the American was forced to mumble through broken teeth, ‘Those were tough Tijuana taxi drivers.’ Read the rest of this entry »
Floyd Mayweather Jnr v Diego Corrales
20 January 2001 MGM Grand, Las Vegas
Corrales was a two-time world title holder coming into the bout at 33-0, 27 inside. Pretty Boy, at 24-0 with 18 kayos, was making his sixth defence of the WBC super-feather title taken from Genaro Hernandez. Corrales gained 16 pounds between the weigh-in and the ring while Floyd was on the button.
Pretty Boy entered to custom-made rap music, prompting the comment from HBO’s Larry Merchant that, ‘Sometimes fighters come in with these hard edged rap lyrics and they fight like the sound of music or Britney Spears.’ By the end of the night, however, Harold Lederman was saying, ‘I don’t think I’ve seen an exhibition of boxing like this since Willie Pep.’ It was sometimes said of Pep that, if you listened closely, you would hear music as you watched. It wasn’t Britney. Read the rest of this entry »
The expected clash between Peter Oboh and Tony Oakey for the British light heavyweight title did not take place. A ring announcement by Oakey went thus:
‘Peter Oboh has refused to fight. It’s not my fault, it’s not Frank’s fault. I’m absolutely gutted.’No further details were forthcoming, and there was no way to get close to events on the ground thanks to the uniformed jobsworths holding us at bay. Read the rest of this entry »
Paul Buchanan was slated to face Maxwell, but came down with a rotten cold. Ajetovic stepped in at the last moment, and as it turns out this was the highlight of the evening. I know, I know – David got his knockout win. Most of the sparse crowd seemed happy to spend the evening in the bar and take their seats for that 1 minute 45 seconds of action. But for those of us who came to see quality boxing between well-matched opponents, this was the pick of the bunch. Read the rest of this entry »
For the main event of the evening, David came in at a low 15 st 7, while the Pole scaled a full stone more. This is exactly the weight Haye was aiming for tonight, as he’ll need to drop down to cruiser to meet Mormeck in September or October.
Interestingly, the crowd was not full of screaming laydeez as many had speculated. There were considerably more at the Contender, percentage-wise. This is because, unless peripheral fans bookmarked their quality boxing websites, they may not have known David was here tonight. The event was not well-advertised and there were many empty seats in the Arena, half of which had been curtained off anyway. Read the rest of this entry »
David Haye looked like a heavyweight force to be reckoned with as he required only 1 minute and 45 seconds to destroy Tomasz Bonin at Wembley Arena tonight. Working behind a commanding jab, Haye sent the shell-shocked Pole to the canvas three times following devastating right hands delivered with deadly accuracy prompting referee Ian John-Lewis to end the mismatch.
Haye will now reportedly drop back down to the cruiserweight division to challenge WBC & WBA champion Jean Marc Mormeck later this year. However, after tonight’s display many will be eager for Haye to continue his quest to be the saviour of the British heavyweight division. Suzanne Nield was ringside for us (well, she was in the arena, thanks Frank) and will bring you the full lowdown later on tonight’s action.
Earlier in the evening, British light-heavyweight champion Peter Oboh went AWOL and left the arena following a backstage row resulting in his title defence against Tony Oakey being aborted. The rarely seen Oboh, who hasn’t defended his British crown for three years, will now almost certainly be stripped.
Hennessy Sports promoted John O’Donnell will face Mexican Christian Solano on the Oscar de la Hoya-Floyd Mayweather undercard at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 5th.
The Shepherds Bush welterweight competes alongside his Hennessy Sports teammate John Murray on arguably the biggest promotion in boxing history. The ‘Golden Pair’ will both box over ten rounds. Read the rest of this entry »
Oscar De La Hoya v Jimmi Bredahl
WBO Super-featherweight Title
The latest copy of The Ring Extra tells us that ‘De La Hoya’s first alphabet strap was the IBF version he won at 135 with his win in ‘95 over Rafael Ruelas.’
Er, no. That would be wrong. The magazine, along with much of the American media to date, is wilfully ignoring the World Boxing Organisation, under whose auspices Oscar took two consecutive titles prior to the Ruelas match – the above-mentioned and also the lightweight version, when he knocked out Mexican hero Jorge Paez in 2 rounds.
HBO television only recently deigned to regard the WBO as an official sanctioning body, calling it a paper organisation at first, and making snooty comments about its champions ‘holding some title or other’. Read the rest of this entry »
Frank Maloney has put together a stacked undercard to support “Heavyweight Hayemaker”, David Haye’s heavyweight gamble against Polish hardman Tomasz Bonin, on Friday, April 27 at London’s Wembley Arena.
Chief support bout sees ex-WBU super middleweight titlist Tony Oakey looking to complete his comeback by challenging the reigning British light heavyweight champion Peter Oboh. Oakey, 23-2 (5), has won 4 straight contests since losing a razor thin controversial points decision to English champion Peter Haymer two years ago. Read the rest of this entry »
Hennessy Sports promoted John O’Donnell and John Murray arrived in America on Tuesday ahead of their appearance on the Oscar de la Hoya-Floyd Mayweather undercard at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 5th.
The ‘Golden Pair’ flew in to Los Angeles – the home of de la Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions – with their promoter Mick Hennessy and trainers Robert McCracken, (O’Donnell), and Joe Gallagher, (Murray). Read the rest of this entry »
David Haye’s heavyweight debut has captured the imagination of everyone and the UKBP team give their assessments on how the ‘Hayemaker’ will cope against Bonin on Friday night. Some forecast an easy night, whilst one individual thinks Haye has bitten off more than he can chew this time. Who do you think is on the money? Read the rest of this entry »
Ryan Rhodes makes his long awaited comeback on a Koncrete Promotions/DavidColdwell Productions show at the Barnsley Metrodome on Sunday June 3rd. Rhodes has not been in action since narrowly missing out on capturing the WBU middleweight crown, losing on points to Gary Lockett at the Millenium Stadium in July of last year.
Rhodes has been hampered by a back injury that has sidelined him since then but has recovered from successful treatment and is looking forward to getting back into title contention. He will top the bill in a six round contest at middleweight before dropping down to light-middle in pursuit of his title ambitions. Read the rest of this entry »
Floyd Mayweather Jnr v Genaro Hernandez
WBC Super-featherweight Title
On 3 October 1998, Floyd was a hot prospect at 17-0 with 13 wins inside the distance. But his best opponent thus far was experienced Canadian Tony Pep, whom he’d outpointed over ten.
Hernandez had been a super-feather world champion for much of the previous seven years. The Californian’s only loss in 40 fights had come when he relinquished his WBA belt to challenge for Oscar’s lightweight title, and was destroyed in six rounds. De La Hoya was too powerful and threw an uppercut that shattered Hernandez’s nose to stop the fight.
But Genaro dropped back down to super feather to collect the WBC strap – from Azumah Nelson, in a difficult battle where Hernandez took a hard shot to the throat after the bell rang to end the seventh, could have won on disqualification but chose to do it the hard way. Read the rest of this entry »
Carl Johanneson will challenge Russia’s Leva Kirakosyan for the European super-featherweight title at Leeds Town Hall on July 13 and seek to overturn a shattering first round knockout suffered against Kirakosyan in Crystal Palace back in December 2004.
Johanneson has recovered well since slipping to the only second defeat of his career, winning the British crown last July and successfully defending it against Femi Fehintola (TKO6) and Ricky Burns (UD). Read the rest of this entry »
Oscar De La Hoya made his pro debut at lightweight in the midst of a three-ring circus. Riddick Bowe, unified heavyweight champion at the time, was on hand to wave to the hometown crowd. Teenage girls jumped up and down with banners screaming ‘We love you, Oscar!’, and Jimmy Lennon Junior’s ring announcement was for a young fighter ‘really needing no introduction’. Oscar was fresh from scooping an Olympic gold in Barcelona, and at the age of 19 was the toast of America.
His opponent on 23 November 1992 was Lamar Williams, a young boxer who looked a lot like a skinny Roy Jones Jnr but didn’t fight like him, holding an unassuming 6-2 (2) record. Read the rest of this entry »
Suzanne Nield concludes her in-depth look at what lies ahead for Joe Calzaghe and considers the merits of Denis Inkin, Carl Froch and Roy Jones Jnr as potential opponents for the Welshman. Read the rest of this entry »
Ok, so we usually report only British action. And it’s actually going to be May 6 for us, around 4am by the time the undercards are done. But it will be the first day of a new world. We’ll have a judgement on who’s the better fighter: Floyd or Oscar. And if anything matters more than this in boxing, I don’t know what it is.
Most websites will be splashing around the promoters’ propaganda about the supposed hate-fest between the Golden One (good guy) and the Pretty One (bad guy). Floyd, for instance, recently christened a chicken ‘Golden Girl’ and gave it a little Olympic medal. So who do you reckon said this: “I think Oscar is an unbelievable fighter, an unbelievable champion. He is a true icon in the sport of boxing.” (Interview with Bernard Fernandez, Philadelphia Daily News for CBS Sportsline).
Pretty Boy, that’s who. But don’t let me get in the way of a good sales build-up. (Not that the Hoover Dam could slow the cashflow from this one.)
To make a refreshing change, UKBP have decided to bypass the screaming headlines, and compare instead some important fights in the careers of these two phenomenal talents at the pinnacle of the sport.
In the countdown to the big night we’ll release regular episodes in this series:
According to the EBU’s official site, Ireland’s Bernard Dunne will make the second defence of his European super-bantamweight title against Reidar Walstad in Dublin on 23 June.
After boxing brilliantly to capture the title by outpointing Esham Pickering in November, Dunne was handed something of a “gimme” first defence when halting Yersin Jailauov in three rounds last month in front of 8,000 passionate fans at The Point Theatre.
And despite only one defeat in 18 fights, Walstad looks like being another routine assignment for the 23-fight unbeaten Dunne. Read the rest of this entry »
John Simpson will make the first defence of his British featherweight title against Ryan Barrett in London on 8 June. It will be Simpson’s first bout since his bloody points defeat to Derry Matthews for the WBU crown in March.
The Scot dropped Matthews in the first, saw the petulant Liverpudlian deducted two points for various infringements, but still controversially conceded a wide unanimous decision to Matthews on the cards in what looked a close fight all the way. Read the rest of this entry »
According to the Scotsman, Amir Khan will challenge Scotland’s Willie Limmond for the Commonwealth lightweight title in London on July 14. Though there has been no official announcement from promoter Frank Warren, rumours of a meeting between Khan and Limmond have been gathering pace over the past week (Update – Warren has confirmed the bout today – Ed).
The 28-year-old Limmond, with an impressive record of only one defeat from 29 contests, should present Khan with his toughest assignment to date, but one which the Olympic silver medallist will be comfortably expected to pass. Read the rest of this entry »
British lightweights beware: Stoke handful Gary Reid is dropping down to 9st 9.
The Stoke slugger continued his late career resurgance by battering Dean Hickman to defeat in five action-packed rounds to seize the Midlands Area light-welterweight title on the Eastman-Ashira undercard.
In doing so, the 34-year-old exacted revenge over Hickman who had controversially outpointed Reid three years ago and exposed the local man’s known vulnerability to body shots by bulldozing his opponent to the canvas on no less than five separate occasions. Read the rest of this entry »
Howard Eastman kept his slim hopes to secure a third crack at the world title alive by outpointing Evans Ashira to add the vacant Commonwealth middleweight crown to his British title in Dudley on Friday night.
Judges Howard Foster and Terry O’Connor scored 116-113 in Eastman’s favour after twelve stop-start rounds. The third judge, Ian John-Lewis, had things fractionally wider at 116-112. The officials obviously preferred Eastman’s pitter-patter blows thrown off the back foot and his steady, if unspectacular work to Ashira’s more eyecatching punches.
Personally, I preferred Ashira’s crude aggression and had him up 115-113 on my card at the finish. Read the rest of this entry »
In the first of a two-part feature, Suzanne Nield takes an in-depth look at what lies ahead for Joe Calzaghe as the Welshman enters the final stages of his career.
After that frustrating premature stoppage against Manfredo, the fans need something to look forward to. But they’re starting to feel nauseous as the endless carousel of possible challengers keeps spinning. We’ve been told a possible date and venue: July at the new Millenium Dome in Greenwich.
But who will be in the other corner against Calzaghe? And will it be another disappointment? Read the rest of this entry »
Featherweight Nicky Cook is on the verge of a world title shot after suffering extreme disappointment when former WBO champion Scott Harrison pulled out of their scheduled clash last year. Cook is currently ranked at 2 by the WBO and could contest the world title against no.1 ranked Steve Luevano if current champion Juan Manuel Marquez decides to vacate and meet Manny Pacquiao in a mouthwatering rematch up at super-feather.
However, Cook could also be set to land a crack at the IBF title currently held by Robert Guerrero. The Dagenham fighter has moved up from 7 to 3 in the IBF’s latest rankings with the organisation’s number 1 and 2 ranking berths currently left unoccupied. It seems likely then that Cook will be ordered to box a final eliminator for the right to become Guerrero’s mandatory challenger. For the record, Valdemir Pereira and Eric Aiken are ranked 4th and 5th respectively by the IBF.
To find out where the rest of the Brits are currently ranked by the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO click the link below. Read the rest of this entry »
Former British, Commonwealth and European Middleweight champion Howard Eastman sees victory over Evans Ashira for the vacant Commonwealth Middleweight Title at the Dudley Concert Hall tomorrow night as a further step towards a third world title challenge.
A win on the Hennessy Sports and GoldenPalace.com event, being covered live by Sky Sports, will also see ‘The Battersea Bomber’ claim back the second of the titles he relinquished in order to challenge then undisputed champion Bernard Hopkins in February 2005. Read the rest of this entry »
David Haye 18-1 (17 KOs) meets Tomasz Bonin 37-1 (20 KOs) at Wembley Arena in London on April 27 in a bout that neither fighter, with a combined record of 37 knockouts from 57 fights – and just one loss apiece – can afford to lose.
“This is a major gamble for David Haye,” promoter Frank Maloney said. “David is the mandatory challenger to Jean Marc Mormeck, the WBC Cruiserweight champion, and he is putting it all on the line by testing himself for the first time at this level.” Read the rest of this entry »
Ahead of his heavyweight debut on April 27, David ‘The Hayemaker’ Haye has issued a stark warning to his Polish opponent Tomasz Bonin. The 26-year-old Haye – currently the number one ranked cruiserweight contender with the WBC – has informed Bonin that he has never before been beaten by an Eastern European opponent – amateur or professional.
“I love boxing guys from Eastern Europe,” Haye says. “I feast on those guys like they’re going out of fashion. While other boxers often avoid the best fighters in Eastern Europe – because of their technical skills and amateur background – I thrive on facing their style. I love chinning Eastern Europeans.” Read the rest of this entry »
Former British, Commonwealth and European Middleweight champion Howard Eastman, who is something of an all-round sportsman, continues the process of rebuilding towards another world title attempt this Friday, (April 20th).
The Hennessy Sports boxer faces Kenyan Ashira Evans for the vacant Commonwealth Middleweight Title at the Dudley Concert Hall live on Sky Sports as he aims to win back the second of his old belts. Read the rest of this entry »
For Sheffield-based Patrick J. Maxwell, time is of the essence. The aggressive light-middleweight-cum-middleweight is targeting a world title shot and hopes to get there as soon as possible.
“I haven’t got long left at 28 years of age,” Maxwell says. “I’m not old, but I’m not a young prospect anymore, either. I want to crack on now, leave all the politics behind, and, with the help of Desert Sky Promotions and Hayemaker, make my way towards titles.
“The minimum I want this year is the Commonwealth title. I also want to get a shot at the European title. That’s my aim.” Read the rest of this entry »
Given the lack of clarification on the terms of Frank Warren’s offer for British and Commonwealth super middleweight champion Carl Froch to challenge WBO champion Joe Calzaghe, Froch’s promoter Mick Hennessy has tabled a proposal of his own to stage the all-British super fight on a Hennessy Sports event either this July or September.
“After being made aware of Frank Warren’s comments over the last few days, I’m pleased to confirm that negotiations have started with his company Sports Network about a super fight between Carl Froch and Joe Calzaghe,” confirmed Hennessy. Read the rest of this entry »
When Haye disposed of the undefeated Giacobbe Fragomeni last November in his third defence of the EBU cruiser belt, the fight also functioned as an eliminator for the WBC title then held by O’Neil Bell. Bell failed to get past Jean-Marc Mormeck in their rematch recently, and Haye was named number one contender for Mormeck’s new WBC strap.
However, David’s problems making the weight are well known. It’s only a matter of time before his body dictates that sub-200lb battles are a thing of the past, which is partly why he’s decided to test the water at heavyweight against Tomasz Bonin next Friday, before dropping back down to cruiser to challenge Mormeck later this year.
The other reason for the move up is that it proved impossible to get a match with Maccarinelli on good terms for David. (Now, wouldn’t that have been better than Bobby Gunn? It beggars belief, it really does). Read the rest of this entry »
Despite the entertainment generated by Britain’s top heavyweights in recent years, David ‘The Hayemaker’ Haye feels the merry-go-round attitude of British heavyweights is ultimately damaging.
Set to step up to the heavyweight division on April 27 against Poland’s Tomasz Bonin, Haye believes the key to success is found further afield.
“I’m targeting the world heavyweight title not the British heavyweight title,” the 26-year-old stresses. “I’m not moving up to heavyweight to fight all my domestic rivals and end up going absolutely nowhere. Read the rest of this entry »
Joe Calzaghe’s promoter Frank Warren has hit back at the critics who have suggested that Joe Calzaghe is content to beat up overmatched foes like Peter Manfredo instead of facing a real challenge. Speaking in his weekly column in the News of the World, Warren reiterated that he has made offers to Mikkel Kessler, Jermain Taylor and now Nottingham’s Carl Froch.
“WBA super-middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler is already claiming he won’t be ready until September even though three weeks ago he was screaming for a fight with the no 1. As well as making an offer to the Dane, I’ve also put $4million on the table if middleweight number one Jermain Taylor is interested.
And up and coming Carl Froch – who doesn’t yet mean anything the States – who likes to boost that he’ll smoke Calzaghe’s boots – has also been made a more than generous offer. Will he risk the Welshman putting out his fire?” Read the rest of this entry »
Rendall Munroe, who outpointed Gavin Deacon 59-56 on the Moore-Lujan undercard on Friday night, has been paired with Ryan Barratt for the vacant English featherweight crown. Leicester southpaw Munroe had previously been out of the ring for a year after losing on points in his British featherweight title challenge to Andy Morris – his solitary career loss.
Barratt has rebounded well after his mauling by Olympic silver medalist Amir Khan, outpointing faded former British champion Jamie McKeever. Read the rest of this entry »
David Haye seeks to emulate Evander Holyfield’s outstanding record by becoming the first British boxer to hold the World Heavyweight and Cruiserweight titles and takes a significant step towards boxing’s Holy Grail when he meets Tomasz Bonin, the WBC No.11 ranked fighter, at Wembley Arena on 27 April.
Haye, “The face of British boxing” must be admired for shunning the plentiful cruiserweight opportunities and risking everything by stepping up to fight at heavyweight for the first time against a world ranked, rather than “safety first” opponent. Read the rest of this entry »
David Coldwell promotes an eight-fight card at the Barnsley Metrodome tomorrow afternoon (Sunday). Doors open at 1pm with the action set to get underway at 2. £25 tickets will be available on the door.
Footballer-turned boxer Curtis Woodhouse, now trained by Coldwell, takes part in his second pro contest against Duncan Cottier. Top of the bill sees dynamite fisted cruiserweight John Anthony meet JJ Ojuederie. Multi-title winning amateur Josh Wale continues his pro career at super-bantam. Former England international Wale required only 73 seconds to stop Neil Read in the opening round of his debut.
There are also outings for former British welterweight champion Chris Saunders and popular ticket sellers Andrew Ward and Paul Royston who will attempt to secure their first pro victories. Finally, local pride will be at stake when Sheffield’s Dean Walker tackles Barnsley’s former two-weight Central Area champion Rob Burton at light-heavyweight.
The rangy Scott Haywood recorded the finest win of his career to widely outpoint local favourite Gary O’Connor on the Moore-Lujan undercard. Referee Phil Edwards awarded Haywood every round and only gave O’Connor a share of one returning a 60-55 verdict in this welterweight six-rounder. The Manchester man could have no complaints. He was outpunched, outsmarted and ultimately outclassed for the duration. Read the rest of this entry »
Don’t say I didn’t warn you. It happens. We import a tough guy for a tear-up and are treated instead to a civilised game of lawn tennis.
Lujan entered the ring at 10st 13lbs of 27-year-old muscle, with a reputation for giving world-class operators a tough workout. Margarito had to punch his ear off to stop him (and didn’t they do a good job fixing that?) Maybe one or two of us felt a moment’s unease at the thought of our Jamie stepping up against the man who took Dzinziruk 12 rounds for the WBO belt. Read the rest of this entry »
Chris Edwards and Dale Robinson suffered cuts to both eyes as they battled to a bloody draw in their clash for the vacant British & Commonwealth flyweight titles in Altrincham on Friday night.
In November, Edwards did a number on Robinson stopping him in eight rounds to claim the vacant English crown in a major upset. This time a better prepared and focused Robinson made this rematch closer. So close in fact that the three judges couldn’t split them. Judge Phil Edwards favoured Robinson 115-113, Mickey Vann ruled for Edwards by the same margin. The casting vote saw Dave Parris return a 114-114 draw. UKBP’s scorecard totalled 115-113 for Edwards who finished strongly to sweep the final four rounds from my ringside vantage point. Read the rest of this entry »
Hennessy Sports are pleased to announce that Junior Witter will make the second defence of his WBC light welterweight title against former world champion Vivian Harris in the UK this summer.
The right to stage the Championship was due to have been decided by a purse bid at 6pm GMT today, but Witter’s promoter Mick Hennessy was able to agree terms with his counterpart Gary Shaw beforehand. Read the rest of this entry »
Jamie Moore weighed in at 156 lb yesterday ahead of his light-middleweight clash with Sebastian Andres Lujan at Altrincham Leisure Centre tonight, Friday, April 13, 2007 in Manchester, England.
Lujan, weighing in at 154 lb, poses a significant threat to the talented Salford resident having fought at the highest level and Moore, soon to be awarded an honorary degree in Sports Science by his local University, believes that a convincing victory will propel him into the WBC’s top five.
Dale Robinson, who fights Chris Edwards for the British and Commonwealth Flyweight titles, weighed in at 110 lb to Edwards 108 lb.
Robinson suffered the third loss and first stoppage of his 23 bout career at the hands of Edwards last November and he will be eager to erase this blemish. Edwards, unbeaten in his past three bouts, seeks to become the first Stoke-on-Trent boxer since 1922 to win a British title.
Former WBC world super-middleweight champions Robin Reid and Glen Catley have been paired together in a final eliminator to contest the British super-middleweight title held by Carl Froch, following a meeting held yesterday by the British Boxing Board Of Control. Interested parties have until noon on Wednesday 9 May to submit their purse bids for the right to promote the clash between the two faded veterans. Read the rest of this entry »
Manchester’s John Murray has hit back at Amir Khan, stating his domestic rival is ‘either seriously confused or lying’ and believes he is a ‘hypocrite’.
Khan, 20, claimed after his 12th professional win on Saturday that he had “played with” Murray during a sparring session and that his domestic rivals are just looking to earn a pay-day by calling him out. Read the rest of this entry »
Fancying a flutter on Friday’s showdown between Jamie Moore and Sebastian Lujan? Before you do, make sure you collect the opinion of the UKBP team. Spared the burden of predicting on Joe Calzaghe’s walkover against Peter Manfredo at the weekend, the fantastic four have been chomping at the bit to deliver their verdict on a more competitive looking fight.
Do you agree with them? To read a more in-depth preview of Moore-Lujan, Ben Carey gives you the lowdown further on down the homepage. Read the rest of this entry »
A fascinating meeting at light-middleweight between the explosive punching but brittle chinned Wayne Alexander, and the flashy but defensively negligent Anthony Small, could take place this Summer.
“Through agents, I heard I could be fighting against Anthony Small, who was in the UK team on the Contender card, in July. It could be on the Amir Khan and Joe Calzaghe bill.
“Small will be the favourite and he is much younger than me. But if I beat him it could give me another opportunity of a world title shot and a big pay day,” said Alexander in an interview with the Wimbledon Guardian. Read the rest of this entry »
Howard Eastman continues the process of regaining his triple crown when he faces Evans Ashira for the vacant Commonwealth Middleweight Title at the Dudley Concert Hall on Friday April 20th live on Sky Sports. Former British, Commonwealth and European champion Eastman relinquished his championships in order to challenge then undisputed champion Bernard Hopkins in 2005.
Two world title eliminators followed, before he regained the domestic crown by knocking out old friend and fellow Londoner Richard Williams in December. Former two-times world title challenger Ashira, now based in Denmark but from Kenya, is another major step back towards the top level. Read the rest of this entry »
Four years on after he first became British champion, Jamie Moore finally bids to wave goodbye to the domestic light-middleweight scene when he takes on former world title challenger Sebastian Andres Lujan over 12 rounds at the Altrincham Leisure Centre on Friday night.
Victory for Moore won’t seal the world title opportunity he so desperately craves, but it will cement his position in and around the world’s top 15 rankings and provide the clearest indication yet that he belongs in the upper echelons of the light-middleweight division. Read the rest of this entry »
Light middleweight Jamie Moore’s much awaited fight this Friday against former two time world title challenger Sebastian Lujan will be supported by a solid undercard from Frank Maloney Promotions at the Altrincham LC in Manchester, England.
The main co-feature pits bitter rivals Chris Edwards, 10-12-2 (3), and Dale Robinson, 19-3-1 (9), in a rematch for the vacant British and Commonwealth Flyweight titles. The two tangled previously last November and journeyman Edwards pulled off a career best performance with a shattering slugfest that stopped Robinson in the eighth round. Read the rest of this entry »
Explosive punching enigma Patrick J Maxwell is primed for a fresh assault on Britain’s leading middleweight and light-middleweight contenders. His second round stoppage over Kevin Phelan in Dagenham last month was his first fight in Britain since September 2005, and only his fifth in three years.
Now rejuvenated following a stint in America, and having secured the backing of manager Frank Joseph which has also seen Maxwell work alongside Adam Booth and David Haye, the 28-year-old is determined to make up for lost time. His comeback will continue in an eight-rounder on the undercard of Haye’s heavyweight debut against Tomasz Bonin at Wembley Arena on April 27. Read the rest of this entry »
Carl Froch has offered to end the search for Joe Calzaghe’s next opponent and has told the Welshman that fighting him in London this July will make him more money than if Russian Denis Inkin was in the other corner.
British and Commonwealth Super-Middleweight Champion Froch, 29, is currently ranked third by the WBO and promoter Mick Hennessy has asked the governing body to match the undefeated Nottingham fighter in a final eliminator with Calzaghe’s #1 ranked challenger Inkin, after #2 Lucian Bute opted to fight for the IBF crown. Read the rest of this entry »
Potteries’ boxing promoters, Impact Boxing have today announced that their next event will take place on 12th May at Stoke’s Fenton Manor Sports Complex for the first time.
The seven-fight bill will feature local favourites and regulars on Impact shows Jimmy Doherty and Danny Johnston. Shelton’s Imran Khan together with Burslem based light-heavyweight Justin Jones will each make their second appearance in the pro ranks. Khan will be seeking to continue his winning ways whereas Jones will be looking to go one better than last time when he drew with fellow debutant Richard Collins. Read the rest of this entry »
Matt Skelton has paid tribute to opponent Michael Sprott ahead of their Commonwealth heavyweight title clash at the ExCeL Arena on May 26. The Bedford Bear has been out of the spotlight since injuring his hand prior to his scheduled meeting with Audley Harrison last December.
Harrison’s subsequent three-round battering of Danny Williams increased the clamour to see a Skelton-Harrison match-up resurrected, only for Sprott to throw a giant spanner in the works by knocking the Olympic champion out cold in February thus costing Skelton a bumper pay day in the process. Read the rest of this entry »
Joe Calzaghe’s hopes of a July super-fight against either Mikkel Kessler or Jermain Taylor are likely to be dashed, at least for now. Promoter Frank Warren revealed after Calzaghe’s three-round hammering of Peter Manfredo on Saturday night that his overtures to Kessler’s promoter Team Palle had been met with barriers.
“I had already offered Mikkel Kessler a multi-million dollar purse, including his keeping the German and Danish TV rights, for a summer title unification fight. However, Kessler’s promoter countered with a demand for parity and a 50/50 split on everything,” said Warren. Read the rest of this entry »
On a bill packed with quick kayos and premature stoppages, it was a treat to see this one go the distance. Michael Jennings may be no knockout artist, but who cares? I could watch him for hours. And he could probably fight for hours and still look as fresh as a daisy.
There’s only one loss on this superb stylist’s record – a split decision awarded to Young Mutley back in January of last year, when Jennings lost the British title on his second defence. Many felt that Young Mutley’s flashy approach and heavy hooks distracted two of those judges from the Chorley man’s more consistent scoring work. Read the rest of this entry »
If a live crowd of 35,000, breaking indoor records for Europe, and huge TV audiences in Britain and across the Atlantic, put Amir Khan under the slightest pressure, he didn’t show it.
He looked razor sharp and as cool as they come. “I’ve done all my homework,” he said, “I’m going to prove a point.” Read the rest of this entry »
Joe Calzaghe successfully defended his WBO World Super Middleweight Title against American Peter Manfredo Jr (26-4). Referee Terry O’Connor controversially stopped the bout after 1 minute 30 seconds of the 3rd round. In my opinion, the fight was stopped far too early, TV showed the replay of the stoppage, many of the Calzaghe punches clearly missed their intended target. With that said, it was utterly clear that Manfredo was not in the same league as Calzaghe as it was only a matter of time before his 43rd career victory arrived.
Calzaghe has now reigned at the very top of the Super Middleweight division for an impressive 10 years and tonight saw him defend his WBO crown for the 20th time. Read the rest of this entry »
Earlier in the evening, Commonwealth light-middleweight champion Bradley Pryce made a successful second defence of his crown with a clear 12-round points decision over Ghanaian novice Thomas Awinbono. The judges returned scorecards of 120-109, 117-111 and 118-111 which reflected Pryce’s superiority but failed to acknowledge the African’s honest endeavour.
Pryce was generally one-step ahead, throwing punches in combinations as Awinbono stalked him throughout. The erratic Newbridge stylist did have his customary mid-fight blip however, allowing his eight-fight challenger encouragement in the middle rounds as he outworked Pryce, catching him with occasional left hooks and targetting his body. Read the rest of this entry »
In a dreadful mismatch, Enzo Maccarinelli retained his WBO cruiserweight title with a first-round drubbing over the overmatched Bobby Gunn. Maccarinelli, with massive height and reach advantages, looked at least a division bigger than his Canadian challenger who began his pro career as a welterweight back in 1989.
Sharp hooks and mean right hands busted Gunn’s nose inside the opening minute and everyone, including Gunn, knew it was just a matter of time. A left hook soon dipped Bobby’s knees and a booming right hand sent him staggering backwards with only the ropes keeping him up. Read the rest of this entry »
Stoke based flyweight, Chris Edwards is scheduled to challenge for the vacant British and Commonwealth titles at Altrincham Leisure Centre on 13th April. As Edwards put the finishing touches to his preparations for his rematch with Dale Robinson he spoke about the forthcoming bout.
“I’m better prepared than I have ever been before and I’m really pleased with the way that my training has gone,” said Edwards. “This is the biggest fight of my career and I’m determined to produce the performance of my life so that I can come home to Stoke with those two belts.” Read the rest of this entry »
Fresh from his first round destruction of Ovill McKenzie, Commonwealth light-heavyweight king Dean Francis will return to action on June 2 against Ayitey Powers at Bristol’s Ashton Gate stadium. Disappointingly, the pair will contest the lightly regarded IBO inter-continental light-heavyweight crown.
The popular 33-year-old kept his career alive with his stunning win over McKenzie in February and looked like the Francis of old after successful surgery to cure a long-standing shoulder injury that has ransacked his career. The Powers clash is something of a sideways step but Francis may wish to get rounds under his belt against the durable Ghanaian as he prepares for an assault on the British and European titles. Read the rest of this entry »
Tomasz Bonin is looking forward to his return to London for his bout with David Haye on 27 April following his controversial loss to Audley Harrison when challenging for the WBF Heavyweight title in June 2004.
In the intervening years Bonin’s stock has rocketed and he is now ranked No. 11 by the WBC while Harrison’s rating has dropped and the Pole will be seeking to further improve his position while blocking Haye’s heavyweight aspirations.
Bonin, 33, is sure to feel at home amongst London’s one million plus Polish residents and the Tczew, Poland, born fighter will not want to let his countrymen down in what is sure to feel like a home fixture for this talented Warsaw resident.
Tickets are priced at £100; £70 & £40.
Frank Maloney Promotions presents ‘Heavyweight Hayemaker’ at Wembley Arena, London, England on April 27, 2007. Tickets are available by logging
onto www.frankmaloney.com or by calling the Box Office at 0871 226 1508 or televised live on Sky TV. If you can’t make it to the fight watch it live on Sky TV! For any further Press information please call 02086914165.
Amir Khan has stated this week that he is ready for his British Lightweight rivals and insisted that they need to fight him now. History making WBC World Youth Champion John Murray has accepted the challenge.
Bolton’s 2004 Olympic silver medalist has claimed ahead of only his 12th professional fight this weekend that he is ready to face the likes of British lightweight champion Jonathan Thaxton. Read the rest of this entry »
David Haye will challenge WBC cruiserweight champion Jean Marc Mormeck irrespective of whether he triumphs in his heavyweight debut against Tomasz Bonin later this month. After months of frustration, Haye recently received confirmation of his mandatory challenger’s status from the WBC with the Mormeck clash expected to take place in the autumn, either in Paris or London.
Mormeck withstood a late onslaught from O’Neil Bell to regain the WBC crown following a narrow points victory in Paris three weeks ago. It was the first time Bell had fought since knocking out the Frenchman in ten rounds 14 months prior. The Jamaican’s inactivity was not only hindering his own career but also stalling Haye’s. Given his well documented battles to make the 14st 4lbs cruiserweight limit, the European champion has understandably grown impatient whilst being kept waiting for his overdue opportunity. Read the rest of this entry »
When Amir Khan turned pro, many in the game said he’d switched codes too early, passing up the opportunity to gain experience and win an Olympic gold in Beijing. Whether he was right or wrong to make the jump when he did will always be a matter of conjecture, but few can deny that the talent he now has owes a great deal to the investment made in him by the unpaid and often unsung heroes who coach the amateur ranks.
As the British Olympic team gears up to 2012 there’s likely to be increased investment at amateur level, and it’s a safe bet that there’ll be a better-than-usual crop of young boxers turning professional after the London games. So is there anything that professional promoters could, or even should be doing now to build bridges between the two sides of the sport? Read the rest of this entry »
In most sports, Olympic success is the pinnacle of achievement. Outside of Cuba, this is not the case in boxing, where the question is always, ‘So what’s next?’
Unbeaten prospects are a precious commodity, and no-one really wants to see the shine taken off the young Bolton hero who brought home the silver from Athens at the tender age of 17. But we do want to know just how valuable he really is, considering that the stock of a certain Sydney heavyweight has plummeted rather badly of late. Read the rest of this entry »
A quote can be the perfect way to start a story. Passages from classic literature, verses from the Bible, or excerpts from the motivational speeches of revolutionaries are writers’ favourites.
For my preview of Enzo Maccarinelli’s second WBO cruiserweight title defence, the boxer himself offers me a perfect lead-in. Read the rest of this entry »
A few years ago, I was on my way out of the day job’s office when a young female colleague gave me an excited look and said: “I bet you’ll be watching the big fight tonight, won’t you?”
Given how she would previously have struggled to tell Joe Frazier from Joe Pasquale, I was surprised at her sudden interest in the sport.
When English flyweight champion Chris Edwards meets Dale Robinson at Altrincham Leisure Centre later this month, for one of the two pugilists Friday the 13th will a lucky day after all. Not only will the prestigious British flyweight title be at stake but also the Commonwealth title.
For Edwards it provides the opportunity to match the achievement of Stoke’s last British champion Tommy Harrison. Harrison won both the British and Commonwealth (then the British Empire) titles when he defeated Jim Higgins in Liverpool on 26th June 1922. Read the rest of this entry »
Carl Froch has asked World Boxing Organisation president Francisco Valcarcel to do the right thing and match him in a final eliminator against Russia’s Dennis Inkin for their Championship, currently held by his long-term rival Joe Calzaghe.
Welshman Calzaghe, 35, has held the WBO title for ten years but his last mandatory defence, a 12 round domination of American Jeff Lacy, was over a year ago. Read the rest of this entry »
Fighter of the Week – Freddy Curiel Kayos Ross Minter
By Suzanne Nield
In the most dramatic bout of the evening at the Metroradio Arena, baby-faced Freddy turned the tables on favourite Ross Minter to win a spectacular eighth round knockout.
UKBP, as you know, had tipped Freddy to win – certainly not the bookies’ choice. But the New Jersey father of three can be a very silky customer. His beautiful evasive skills did not disappoint tonight – but he gave more besides, digging deep after absorbing punishment in the middle rounds to deliver a conclusion no-one saw coming. Read the rest of this entry »
Suzanne Nield was in Newcastle for us and brings you the most detailed lowdown of the UK vs USA Contender matches. Click the link to read all about it!. Read the rest of this entry »
A crowd of 6,500 filled the Arena on an atmospheric evening when British fans flocked to see their hometown favourites meet the famous faces from the popular TV show.
If you don’t want to see the results before the shows are aired, don’t follow the link below! Read the rest of this entry »
Tomasz Bonin, the WBC 11th ranked heavyweight who is on his way to Wembley Arena to take on David Haye, the face of British boxing, on 27 April has released the first comments from his Polish training camp.
Bonin is clearly not making the journey to the UK just to make up the numbers, but to inflict a severe dent into any ambitions Haye may have in the heavyweight division. Read the rest of this entry »
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Countdown to May 5
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‘Trophy Scalps’
by Suzanne Nield
David Haye’s heavyweight debut has captured the imagination of everyone and the UKBP team give their assessments on how the ‘Hayemaker’ will cope against Bonin on Friday night. Some forecast an easy night, whilst one individual thinks Haye has bitten off more than he can chew this time. Who do you think is on the money? 
By Ben Carey
Stoke based flyweight, Chris Edwards is scheduled to challenge for the vacant British and Commonwealth titles at Altrincham Leisure Centre on 13th April. As Edwards put the finishing touches to his preparations for his rematch with Dale Robinson he spoke about the forthcoming bout.
