https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27VH8lzzAmg
The boxing world is still trying to come to terms with what has surely been the biggest, “I didn’t see that coming!” mega-fight announcement of the year: Saul “Canelo” Alvarez Vs. Amir “King” Khan, set for Las Vegas on Cinco de Mayo weekend of May 7th.
David Haye is set to continue his comeback on May 21st, against TBA, and the former WBA heavyweight ruler has been speaking with Sky Sports about possible fights – or specifically one fight – for the future. Haye, even his harshest critics must admit, is exciting to watch, and he says he wants to give fans the fights they want to see.
A very interesting and potentially exciting heavyweight match-up has been set, one that will contest the EBU title the unbeaten Robert Helenius has just vacated. Once-beaten Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev will meet experienced Brit Dereck Chisora at a date and venue still to be determined.
Helenius, fresh off a December win over Franz Rill – a points victory that saw him take the EBU title that had been stripped from Erkan Teper due to Teper failing a post-fight drugs test after his KO win over David Price – opted to vacate the European crown to concentrate on his world title ambitions. So, Pulev, 22-1(12) and two wins removed from his November 2014 stoppage loss to then world heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko, will face well-travelled Brit Chisora, 25-5(17) and four wins removed from his stoppage loss to reigning heavyweight boss Tyson Fury, in what should be a an entertaining battle.
Retired superstar Floyd Mayweather Junior is currently in the UK, embarking on a special (and very expensive to attend) “Victory Tour” where the man known as “Money” will meet and greet his UK fans. And, whilst here, the soon-to-be 39-year-old great spoke with BBC Sport.
Mayweather began by revealing how he has been offered “crazy numbers – nine figures” to fight again. Floyd said the offers have been coming in from a number of different countries around the world. But as of right now, Mayweather is “completely out” of boxing and has no plans to box again.
It has been confirmed by ESPN.com, how Cuba’s Luis Ortiz will face German-based Russian Alexander Dimitrenko on March 5th. Southpaw Ortiz, 24-0(21) will be making the second defence of the interim WBA heavyweight title he won by stopping little-known Matias Ariel Vidondo last October. The 36-year-old who is known as “The Real King Kong,” is coming off a very impressive stoppage win over Bryant Jennings who he halted in the seventh-round in December.
Boxing legend, icon and global superstar Muhammad Ali today celebrates his 74th birthday. And, judging by the numerous photos his daughters – May May amongst them – put up on FaceBook, the living legend had a great time celebrating last night.
Without doubt the single most important and influential athlete of the 20th Century, Ali has been battling Parkinson’s disease for over thirty years now, yet he has managed to keep going, even out-living a number of his former opponents: Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, Jimmy Ellis, Ron Lyle and Sir Henry Cooper among them.
On this day in 1964, in Norfolk, Virginia, Pernell Whitaker was born. Known today as one of the finest defensive fighters in the history of the sport – or arguably as the best-ever – the gifted southpaw achieved plenty as both an amateur and a pro boxer.
Winning a silver medal at the 1982 World Amateur Championships, Whitaker, who was soon given the nickname of “Sweet Pea” due to his slick skills, went one better and captured gold at The Pan American games the following year. Then, capping off a superb amateur career, Whitaker, as part of the celebrated U.S team of 1984, won gold at the Los Angeles Olympics.
1990’s heavyweight contender Ike Ibeabuchi – who scored some very impressive victories in compiling a 20-0 (15) career before being incarcerated for sexual assault in July of 1999 – is a free man and is planning to return to the ring at age 43.
According to an exclusive by Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports, Ibeabuchi – who was released by the Nevada prison system in February of 2014 and then, after being held by the U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement, becoming a free man in November of this year – plans to fight on the under-card of the upcoming April 9th card set for Las Vegas (with Pacquiao still to announce his opponent).