James Slater

Sergey Kovalev wants his belts back; looking ahead to big fights against the likes of Bivol, Beterbiev

Sergey Kovalev wants his belts back; looking ahead to big fights against the likes of Bivol, Beterbiev

Now that Andre Ward, the only man to have beaten him at pro level, is out of the way, Russia’s Sergey Kovalev is on a mission to get all his belts back – “Krusher” of course losing his WBA/WBO/IBF light-heavyweight titles to the now-retired Ward last year.(Photo credit Craig Bennett/Main Event)

Kovalev, who says he has very much cleaned up his act (no more beer, two a day being his intake according to a recent interview Kovalev gave with fighthype) as well as getting himself a new trainer, faces Vyacheslav Shabranskyy for the vacant WBO belt he lost to Ward. This fight goes down next Saturday (November 25) and Kovalev is favorite to win – but it will prove much tougher getting the three other recognized belts around his waist.

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Jarrell Miller open to fighting Dillian Whyte next, wants it to be a final eliminator for either Joshua or Wilder

Jarrell Miller open to fighting Dillian Whyte next, wants it to be a final eliminator for either Joshua or Wilder

Unbeaten New Yorker Jarrell Miller says he is ready and willing to take on Britain’s Dillian Whyte (who was recently elevated to the number-one position in the WBC heavyweight rankings) in an Eddie Hearn show in the US next April. As fans may know, Miller and Whyte have been going back and forth on social media for some time now, with both contenders vowing to KO the other.

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Hearn says if no GGG-Canelo II next, how about GGG-Jacobs II next instead

Hearn says if no GGG-Canelo II next, how about GGG-Jacobs II next instead

Up until his controversial September draw with Canelo Alvarez, world middleweight king Gennady Golovkin had never been pushed farther, or closer than when he met Daniel Jacobs in March of this year. As fans know, “Miracle Man” Jacobs was ultra-competitive against Triple-G (suffering a flash knockdown but at no time really appearing hurt or buzzed), eventually losing via close, some said controversial, decision.

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Tyson Fury-David Price in 2018? Both men want it!

Tyson Fury-David Price in 2018? Both men want it!

Go back a few years (around four but it sure seems longer) and it could have been argued that David Price was the best and most exciting up and coming British heavyweight on the scene. An Olympic medal winner who also held a win over an amateur Tyson Fury, Price was putting opponents away in quick and impressive fashion.

Then the likeable giant from Liverpool ran into Tony Thompson (twice) and it all fell apart. Ever since, though he has gamely tried to rebuild, Price has been looked at as a ‘what might have been’ figure: stoppage losses to Erkan Teper and, this past February, Christian Hammer not helping in the slightest.

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Jeff Horn says he can beat Terence Crawford just like he did Pacquiao

Jeff Horn says he can beat Terence Crawford just like he did Pacquiao

If he could pull it off, it would almost certainly go down as a bigger upset than the one he scored in July of this year in dethroning defending WBO welterweight champ Manny Pacquiao – and Jeff Horn says he “knows” he can do it: beat pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford.

As per Australia’s Grantlee Kieza’s weekly boxing blog via The Courier Mail, Horn says he is “very keen to fight Terence Crawford.” The unbeaten Horn faces Britain’s Gary Corcoran on December 13 in Brisbane, but “The Hornet” is looking at a massive fight with unbeaten two-weight king Crawford; who has recently moved up to 147.

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Tributes flooding in for Rafael Garcia – the man who Floyd Mayweather said this about: I won’t let anyone else touch my hands

Tributes flooding in for Rafael Garcia – the man who Floyd Mayweather said this about: I won't let anyone else touch my hands

Tributes have been flooding in due to the sad passing of lifelong boxing figure Rafael Garcia; best known for being a long-serving cutman for Floyd Mayweather Junior. Mayweather has led the tributes, of both the written and verbal variety.

Garcia was 88 years old and he died due to a heart attack, he was also suffering from leukaemia.

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James Toney to fight Britain’s Sam Pomphrey in white collar bout in Bristol, UK November 25

James Toney to fight Britain's Sam Pomphrey in white collar bout in Bristol, UK November 25

You won’t see it on BoxRec and chances are it won’t generate too many articles or post-fight reports, but all-time great James Toney is set to fight again – in Bristol, England on November 25, against Sam Pomphrey, 2-0 as a pro.

It’s a white collar bout and 27 year old Pomphrey, a good amateur boxer who boxed in a number of tournaments before briefly going pro (both bouts taking place at light-heavyweight, Pomphrey winning both via decision; his debut against a guy who was 6-36-2, his second fight against a 0-1-0 fighter) – is understandably excited about the prospect of sharing the ring with a living legend.

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Will GGG-Canelo II get done any time soon? Don’t hold your breath

Will GGG-Canelo II get done any time soon? Don't hold your breath

It’s far from the kind of news fights fans eager to see a return fight between middleweight king Gennady Golovkin and Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez want to hear (and who doesn’t want to see a sequel – ideally one with a definitive ending – to the September draw!), but Golden Boy head Oscar De La Hoya has conceded how talks for the fight are “going slow.”

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