Badou Jack ordered to fight Callum Smith by WBC, but will Jack vacate and move up?

01/17/201701/17/2017 James Slater

Badou Jack has barely been allowed enough time to get his breath back after Saturday’s rough and tough draw with James DeGale, yet the WBC super-middleweight champ has been ordered to begin negotiations with mandatory challenger Callum Smith.

Jack, as per the WBC order, has until February 17 to come to an agreement with the unbeaten Smith or the fight will go to purse bids. A good and interesting fight on paper, Jack-Smith might not even happen. Jack stated after the draw with IBF 168-pound champ DeGale that he struggles to make the weight and would prefer to move up to light-heavyweight – either to face DeGale again or to challenge reigning WBC 175-pound champ Adonis Stevenson.

Adrien Broner predicts “enormous year,” says he’d come to UK to fight Ricky Burns

01/17/201701/17/2017 James Slater

Back on good terms with Floyd Mayweather and seemingly fully focused on making the most of his talents, Adrien Broner – who recently acknowledged how he had to “grow up” – is predicting an “enormous year” for himself here in 2017. Broner, who has already captured belts in four weight classes, has called out everyone from Manny Pacquiao to Ricky Burns.

Manny Pacquiao says he has four fights left – who should he face to see out his career?

01/17/201701/16/2017 James Slater

Superstar, living legend, future Hall of Famer and all time great (yes, he’s definitely all four) Manny Pacquiao recently gave an interview in which he stated how he feels he has “three, maybe four fights” left inside him. Pac-Man, a truly special fighter who has achieved so, so much, is 38 and he could be gone, perhaps should be gone and retired, by the age of 40.

But if Pacquiao does have four more fights before waving goodbye to the prize ring and fully committing himself to his other passion, politics, who should his opponents be? No disrespect to Australia’s Jeff Horn, but wouldn’t it be great, and fitting, if this unique fighter fought four big fights before leaving us?

Floyd Mayweather asks, “Are they [the judges] being paid under the table?” after Jack-DeGale draw

01/17/201701/16/2017 James Slater

As fight fans are probably aware, superstar Floyd Mayweather had plenty to say, both before, during and after Saturday night’s big 168-pound unification fight between his fighter Badou Jack and Britain’s James DeGale. But it is what “Money” said after the controversial draw that saw both warriors keep their belt, that has attracted the most attention.

Mayweather was furious over the decision that denied Jack from adding the IBF title to the WBC he already holds, and he has even questioned whether the judges are “being paid under the table?” Mayweather is so angry, he is quoted, by The Mirror, as saying he may not come back to New York to promote any future fights.

Vasyl Lomachenko-Jezreel Corrales a strong possibility for April says Arum

01/17/201701/16/2017 James Slater

It seems there could be plenty of title fight unification match-ups taking place here in 2017. We’ve already had the James DeGale-Badou Jack super-middleweight thriller (which, okay, it didn’t produce the hoped for unified 168-pound champ, but the two warriors tried their best and that’s the point), and in March we will have welterweight stars Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia facing each other for two major belts.

Another hugely intriguing and exciting unification fight could happen in April, as Bob Arum, in speaking with TASS, said reigning WBO super-featherweight king Vasyl Lomachenko will likely face reigning WBA 130-pound boss Jezreel Corrales, on either the 8th or on the 15th of April.

The DeGale-Jack war could be just the start of a great 2017

01/15/2017 James Slater

The terrific battle super super-middleweights James DeGale and Badou Jack put on last night in New York may have exceeded expectations. Fans expected a good fight, but they arguably got a great one. The drawn verdict aside – a draw rarely pleases in boxing – we want to see more of what we were privileged to have seen last night.

And the way 2017 is shaping up, with a number of potentially great match-ups already confirmed and others likely to be announced over the coming months, fight fans might just get one of the best years in a long time.

Chris Eubank Jr says he wants James DeGale next – says he is “coming for the rest of those teeth!”

01/15/2017 James Slater

It seems Chris Eubank Junior has moved on from calling out middleweight king Gennady Golovkin, to shouting and screaming about what he will do to reigning IBF super-middleweight boss James DeGale. Recently, just before DeGale went to war in last night’s excellent fight with Badou Jack – a performance which Eubank Jnr has yet to match at any time in his career – the two went back and forth on Twitter.

Floyd Mayweather angry over Jack-DeGale draw: “This is bad for boxing”

01/15/2017 James Slater

While it seems the majority of people agree with the majority draw the three judges collectively handed in after super-middleweights James DeGale and Badou Jack went to war in a great fight, some, including Floyd Mayweather, are extremely unhappy with last night’s decision.

Manny Pacquiao says he has maybe four fights left, can box until 2018

01/14/2017 James Slater

Superstar Manny Pacquiao will turn 40 in December of 2018, and Pac-Man says 2018 is the year in which he will probably call it a (boxing) career. Pacquiao, who looked excellent in his last two fights – commanding decision wins over Tim Bradley and Jessie Vargas – is soon to embark on a “world tour,” at least according to his promoter Bob Arum, and a fight in Australia looks likely for April – against unbeaten contender Jeff Horn.

However, according to a piece ABS CBN News, who quote Pacquiao from his recent appearance on the “Fast Break” radio show, this fight is not yet finalized. Pac-Man has yet to hear from Arum regarding the confirmation of the Horn fight. This of course does not mean it will not be Horn next, but until the official announcement comes – from both Pacquiao and Arum – nothing is, well, official.

Canelo Alvarez Vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Junior: “The biggest fight in the history of Mexico”

01/14/2017 James Slater

We really could be in for a great year here in 2017 if we get both Canelo Alvarez-Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr and Canelo-Gennady Golovkin. We’ve already got Canelo-Chavez, as was of course confirmed yesterday, and unless Chavez upsets Alvarez, we should get the really big one in September. Let’s face it, Canelo cannot use his “I’m not a middleweight” card any longer, agreeing as he has, to face Chavez at 164.5; well above the middleweight limit. If Canelo can fight at that weight, he can fight GGG at 160, right?

But before the hoped for September super-fight rolls around, we have a potentially great fight to look forward to on May 6 (and not forgetting the GGG-Danny Jacobs fight on March 18, which could also be special; as well as being another potential spanner in the works regarding the GGG-Canelo showdown, as Jacobs could perhaps upset the middleweight king).