Tyson Fury vs Omar Basile on February 15

Tyson Fury vs Omar Basile on February 15

Heavyweight sensation Tyson Fury will take on Argentine puncher Gonzalo Omar Basile at the Copper Box Arena on Saturday 15th February.

Fury features on the big multi-title show – headlined by his rival and European Champion Dereck Chisora – in a ten-round International contest, live and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky Ch. 437/Virgin Ch. 546).

The heavily tattooed Basile, from Buenos Aires, is a veteran of 70 fights with 23 championship title fights in a near ten-year career. The 39-year-old, who has 61 wins and 28 knockouts, is the reigning IBF Latino Champion, winning the title last year with a seventh round stoppage of Victor Dario Gimenez and defending against Alfredo Diaz in December.

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Carl Froch says a Vegas fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Junior motivates him more than a Groves return

Carl Froch says a Vegas fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Junior motivates him more than a Groves return

It seems Carl Froch will not be facing bitter British rival George Groves in a rematch – not in his next fight, anyway. “The Cobra,” who says he has many options, told Sky Sports Ringside that a fight with Mexico’s Julio Cesar Chavez Junior is “closer to being made than a Groves rematch.” Froch also said that the idea of facing Chavez in Las Vegas, where he has never boxed, motivates him hugely.

Under fierce pressure from Groves to grant him a rematch – with many fans also asking for a second slice of the action that ended prematurely back in November – Froch says he is not all that interested in “going over old ground and beating George Groves again.”

Froch said that should he fight twice this year, as he usually does, he will look at facing Groves and Julio Chavez Junior but, “not in that order.”

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Airich fails medical – David Price now faces Istvan Ruszinski on BoxNation

Airich fails medical - David Price now faces Istvan Ruszinski on BoxNation

David Price believes his work with a sports psychologist can help propel him back into the mix for heavyweight glory.

The Liverpudlian banger makes his ring return against Istvan Ruszinski, live this Saturday on BoxNation, where he will enter the squared circle for the first time since his emphatic back-to-back defeats against American hitman Tony Thompson. The losses to Thompson last year came at a time when Price’s name was being touted as one of the genuine contenders to take over the throne of the dominant Klitschko brothers.

So crushing were the defeats for the British heavyweight that many speculated they could well have signalled the end for the rising pugilist.

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Darren Barker retires from boxing

Darren Barker retires from boxing

Former IBF middleweight champion Darren Barker (26-2, 16 KO’s) has reportedly retired from boxing following his 2nd round stoppage loss to Felix Sturm last December in Stuttgart, Germany. The 31-year-old Barker suffered a hip injury in the 2nd round, which made impossible for him to fight effectively. With Barker unable to put the full weight on his injured hip, he ended up getting knocked to the canvas twice by two clubbing shots from Sturm before Barker’s corner threw in the towel to have the contest halted.

For Barker, this was his 2nd hip injury and a clear signal that it might be wise for him to hang up the gloves. Barker had a rematch clause in his contract to fight Sturm again, and he likely would have gotten a nice payday out of the fight. However, it’s possible that Barker might have had a tough time making it through a grueling training camp, and more importantly passing a physical to be allowed into the ring to face Sturm for a second time.

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Ashley Theophane looks back on 2013 and talks Mayweather Promotions

Ashley Theophane looks back on 2013 and talks Mayweather Promotions

by Ashley Theophane – As I look forward to a fresh and positive new year, it has given me the chance to reflect back on 2013 from my perspective.

It has been an exceptional year that met the dreams I had as a five year old child. Many of the ‘experts’ have frequently said that it would not be possible for me to achieve hardly anything over my ten year career. This could have deflected anyone from their goals and dreams, but for me, it has only served to drive my determination to achieve even more.

I still have much more to achieve and have so many youngsters to continue the privilege of doing all I can to be a ‘role model’ for. My life is proof that if you believe and want to be something in life, you can achieve it. You just have to work really hard for it, without ever being put off by mishaps, lack of support or failure.

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Ricky Burns: Crawford fight will be difficult for me

Ricky Burns: Crawford fight will be difficult for me

After two years as the WBO lightweight champion Ricky Burns (36-2-1, 11 KO’s) may be reaching the end of the line as the champion after four title defenses. He dodged a bullet against Raymundo Beltran last September in being given a 12 round draw, and he lucked out in halting Jose Gonzalez last year in May in a fight that he was losing. However, Burns’ luck might be at an end when he faces the unbeaten Terence Crawford on March 1st at the Scottish Exhibition Center in Glasgow, Scotland.

Burns is a very good fighter and he’ll try every trick in the book in an effort to beat Crawford, but it might not be good enough. Burns appears to be overmatched in this fight, and he’s going to need to come up with the perfect fight strategy for him to come out ahead on March 1st.

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Eddie Hearn says Froch-Groves II could sell out an 80,000 arena in UK! (but will it happen?)

Eddie Hearn says Froch-Groves II could sell out an 80,000 arena in UK! (but will it happen?)

Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn spoke with Sky Sports today, on the subject of whether or not we will see a return bout between bitter British rivals Carl Froch and George Groves. Fans everywhere have craved a sequel ever since the November clash between the two super-middleweights thrilled and then ended controversially, with Froch retaining his super-middleweight titles via what was widely viewed as a premature 9th-round TKO.

Hearn says he feels a return will take place:

“I think there’s a great chance,” Hearn told Sky Sports on the possibility of a Froch-Groves II. “I think it comes down to pride and ego at the end of the day, and of course a lot of money. As a fan and a promoter it’s the biggest fight out there. I know we could have this at a huge stadium and have 60, 70, 80,000 people. It was a tremendous fight last time and taking away the controversy, it was one of the best fights I’ve ever seen. A rematch could be even bigger. If I was a betting man I think we are going to get there. I hope we do.”

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Chisora to try and get Wladimir fight in Africa in 2014

Chisora to try and get Wladimir fight in Africa in 2014

EBU heavyweight champion Dereck Chisora (19-4, 13 KO’s) is hoping to work his way into a world title fight this year against IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (61-3, 51 KO’s). Chisora figures he could be two wins away from locking himself in as the mandatory challenger for Wladimir. Chisora specifically wants to get Wladimir over to Africa to fight him there in a repeat of the ‘Rumble in the Jungle.’

It’s kind of a crazy idea that Chisora has in wanting to get Wladimir over to Africa, because the chances of it happening are so remote that it’s kind of difficult to even fathom this taking place. For Chisora to have a chance of realizing his dream of getting Wladimir to Africa, he’ll need to beat Ukrainian Andriy Rudenko (24-0, 16 KO’s) on February 15th, and then beat Tyson Fury in a rematch next summer.

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Fury-Chisora II – winner worthy of a shot at Wladimir Klitschko?

chisora3243Promoter Frank Warren has big plans for Dereck Chisora and Tyson Fury, Chisora has come up with his own novel idea of a big plan; and Fury has a whole bunch of big plans he’s set for himself. Warren, as fans may have read, hopes to stage a Chisora-Fury rematch in the summer, in what the promoter feels would be a massive event to be held at a football stadium in the UK, and there is the possibility the would-be rematch could also be a world title eliminator of some kind.

Both fighters are highly ranked, experienced and both are young and hungry and it’s certainly possible, maybe even probable, that a case could be made for the summer rematch winner having earned a shot at world ruler Wladimir Klitschko. Chisora has of course already fought a Klitschko – losing a hard-fought 12-round decision to big brother Vitali not too long ago. Ever since that fight, having done himself proud (in the ring when the bell rang, not so much the infamous spitting/slapping/post-fight brawling with David Haye) Chisora has craved a shot at Wladimir. Maybe, if he can get revenge over Fury (who out pointed him back in 2011), Chisora will get his wish.

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Big-hitting Copper Box arena news! Tyson Fury and cousin Hughie added to the show

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Promoter Frank Warren announced today that he has agreed a deal with Tyson Fury’s team, represented by Mick Hennessy, for the undefeated heavyweight sensation to fight on the multi-title Copper Box Arena show on Saturday 15th February, live and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky Ch. 437/Virgin Ch. 546).

Fury will feature in an International Heavyweight contest against an opponent to be confirmed, while his big rival Dereck Chisora headlines the action-packed card defending his European Heavyweight title against undefeated and hard-hitting Ukrainian Andriy Rudenko.

If both men emerge victorious at the Copper Box Arena in their fights then it will set up a deal between the two camps for a joint promotion for the long awaited rematch between the two big men – Fury defeated Chisora on points in July 2011 to take his British and Commonwealth belts and undefeated record – that Warren says could happen in June at a football stadium in a huge summer showdown.

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