Trainer Joel Diaz plans on giving former WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz one more fight before returning him to the top of the sport. Ortiz is one of those guys who has had a tremendous fall from grace in this sport. In 2011 he beat an undefeated Andre Berto in one of the most exciting fights of that year which saw four knockdowns, a point deduction and a narrow decision. He then went on to fight pound for pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr.
James Sexton
Paul Smith to get a big fight if he wins on February 21st
If Paul Smith can become the WBO world champion in his fight against Arthur Abraham he is promised a huge fight. Who that would be is unsure but Eddie Hearn has tossed around names such as James DeGale, George Groves or Carl Froch even. Whether any of these type of fights will come off remains to be seen but first of all Smith has to pull the Abraham victory out of the bag.
In the first fight I had Smith losing to Abraham but the scores must have been closer than the ones the judges has on the night. 111-117 twice and 109-119, were the final scores and the moment they were announced there was outrage amongst the Smith fans.
Eddie Hearn still discussing Brooks summer superfight
In an interview with IFL TV Eddie Hearn again referenced his plans to set up a big money and exposure fight for IBF welterweight champ Kell Brook in the summer of 2015.
Eddie Hearn now has said that Juan Manuel Marquez is the number one fight that they want, as Marquez is the biggest name out there available for Brook. Whilst they understand that Mayweather and Pacquiao are a bit out of their reach currently, everyone else is on the hit list and the first now on that list is Marquez.
Anthony Joshua back in the gym
Anthony Joshua is back in the gym in training for his April fight. Joshua took a little time off from his busy fight schedule after discovering a stress fracture in his back.
Now Joshua is back in the gym sparring, training and getting prepared for his bout on April 4th. After that he is expected to take part in the Kevin Johnson fight, therefore the TBE opponent we will see him fight next likely wont be a dangerous puncher or someone capable of upsetting Joshua as that would spoil the Johnson fight and end the Joshua express.
Omar Figueroa vs Ricky Burns
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn has made the announcement that 90% of the terms are agreed regarding the proposed fight between Omar Figueroa and Ricky Burns.
Hearn made the point to announce that the largest remaining issue was with weight as he initially believed the bout would be contested at a catch weight of 138 pounds, however now Figueroas people are now saying the fight will happen at the full super lightweight limit of 140lbs. Burns may not be fully comfortable at 140 and we know Figueroa isn’t happen with 135 so with this issue the negotions are ongoing, however we hope they get settled as this is a fantastic matchup.
The list of boxers and stars picking Mayweather over Pacquiao is overwhelming
Bodybuilding legends Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler are the latest in a long list of famous individuals now siding with Mayweather over Pacquiao should the fight be made for May 2nd. The list of picks for these two fighters at this point is ridiculously one sided in Mayweathers favour.
I think over the years his auro of invincibility has grown to the point where even Pacquiao is viewed as an expected win for the man and this is displayed in the betting odds which are looking to be around 3-1 in Floyds favour. It speaks a ton about Mayweathers level of skill when the other top 5 pound for pound fighters like Pacquiao are being given such a small chance of winning.
Miguel Cotto to fight Timothy Bradley if Mayweather fights Pacquaio
Several corroborating sources have now said that Miguel Cotto is likely to fight former welterweight champion Timothy Bradley. It is widely believed that May 2nd will host the rematch between Floyd Mayweather and Miguel Cotto for Mayweathers sixth weight class world title. Not a lot of fans are putting faith in the boxing forces being able to successfully negotiate a fight between Mayweather and Pacquaio and this is the most likely scenario to take place.
However if for some reason Cotto and Mayweather do not end up fighting we could see Timothy Bradley moving up in weight again. Cotto has a lot of negotiating power amongst all of the big names as he is a four weight world champion with a storied career and a large fan base in Peurto Rico. Although he has come up short against Mayweather and Pacquiao due to his big name it wouldn’t be unlikely to see rematches of both of those fights at some point.
Bout with Andriy Rudenko could make top prospect of Hughie Fury
So far in the 2 year professional career of Hugie Fury (14-0-0 8KO) he has largely been overlooked in favour of the other top British heavyweights, however that could change this month when Fury takes on Andriy Rudenko (24-1-0 16KO).
Whilst I wouldn’t rate Rudenko as a top 25 heavyweight myself, he is a very good test for the young fighter Fury. Actually in most eyes he will be the favourite going into this fight which would mean a big boost in Hughies stock should he come out victorious.
Who next for Amir Mansour?
Amir Mansour had a great year in 2014. He came into the year undefeated at 19-0-0 with 15 knockouts and was coming off of a stoppage over the once beaten Kelvin Price. He went into a bout with Steve Cunningham which would decide which American heavyweight would move up in the ranks and back into contention. The fight turned out to be one of the best of the year with a lot of punches thrown and knock downs on both sides.
In the fifth round of the fight between Mansour and Cunningham, Amir dropped Cunningham quite heavily two times. It looked as though Mansour was closing in on yet another stoppage win, but Steve managed to find a way back into the fight and even dropped Mansour in the tenth round before coming away with a close but fair decision.
Why do people compare Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua?
How often do you get to compare a professional in their seventh year to one in his second year? For myself it is not often but apparently that is normal for drawing comparsions between fellow olympians and current heavyweights Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder.
Both men are tall and strong and produce knockouts in high volume but that is really all you can tell so far. Anthony Joshua is still in the early stages of his career and has only just made it to double figures in total fights where as Deontay has now had 30+ bouts and his first world title. What is interesting is that other than the Stiverne fight they have been facing the same level of competition through 2014.