James Slater

Gervonta Davis ready to shine on tonight’s big card; “ready to take over the sport”

Gervonta Davis ready to shine on tonight's big card; “ready to take over the sport”

Tonight, whether he wins, loses, or is held to a draw, we will likely see the final ring appearance of the great Floyd Mayweather Junior. There is, however, a young talent ready to “take over the sport,” and no, it’s not Conor McGregor.

22 year old Gervonta Davis, unbeaten at 18-0(17) and the holder of the IBF super featherweight crown, says he has been “passed the torch by Floyd” and is ready, willing and able to become the sport’s next star. Tonight, the gifted southpaw will, in all likelihood, enjoy showcasing his considerable skills, as he faces Francisco Fonseca of Costa Rica.

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Heavyweight excitement: Deontay Wilder-Luis Ortiz in the works for Nov. 4; unbeaten Jarrell Miller set to co-feature

Heavyweight excitement: Deontay Wilder-Luis Ortiz in the works for Nov. 4; unbeaten Jarrell Miller set to co-feature

Fight fans have read about how a fight between unbeaten WBC heavyweight ruler Deontay Wilder and unbeaten Cuban southpaw Luis Ortiz is very much on the agenda, but so far the fight has not been signed. This could change soon. According to a piece on RingTV.com, the fight is back on the radar, for November 4, in Brooklyn, New York, to go out on Showtime.

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Remembering the great Diego Corrales: “Chico” would have turned 40 today

Remembering the great Diego Corrales: "Chico" would have turned 40 today

Had his life not been so cruelly taken from him via a motorbike accident in May of 2007, when he was just 29 years old, legendary warrior Diego “Chico” Corrales woud have celebrated his fortieth birthday today. Remembered as one of the bravest, never-say-die fighters of the modern era, Corrales gave us so many classic, monumental ring wars.

Born on August the 25th, 1977, in Sacramento, the lanky puncher with the incridble heart turned pro in March of ’96. A three round TKO win over one Everett Berry was his and the beginning of a sensational boxing career had begun. Corrales went unbeaten in his first thirty-three fights, picking up the IBF super featherweight title with a seventh round stoppage of Roberto Garcia in 1999. This belt proved to be the first of many titles he would box for.

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Happy Birthday, James Toney – where does “Lights Out” rank all-time?

Happy Birthday, James Toney – where does “Lights Out” rank all-time?

Boxing great James Toney celebrates his 49th birthday today, yet we do not know for sure if his fighting career has yet reached its end. Back in May, “Lights Out” fought what was dubbed his “final” fight, stopping journeyman Mike Sheppard in a heavyweight bout.

But the lure of one more fight is there for Toney as it is for every fighter who finds it so incredibly hard to walk away. I messaged Toney’s manager John Arthur shortly after the Sheppard win, asking him if it really was the end for his fighter:

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Spike O’Sullivan “I’m sharpening my tools for war” – fight with Gabriel Rosado close for Sep 30 in Boston

Spike O'Sullivan “I'm sharpening my tools for war” - fight with Gabriel Rosado close for Sep 30 in Boston

Philadelphia’s Gabriel Rosado is scarcely in a dull fight while the same thing could be said of Cork, Ireland’s Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan, and the two middleweight warriors are reportedly very close to swapping leather in a fight next month.

According to the twice-beaten O’Sullivan (the losses coming at the hands of Chris Eubank Junior and before that Billy Joe Saunders) he and Rosado are close to signing on for a fight that will headline a Golden Boy card on ESPN in Boston on Sep 30. Seemingly a terrific match-up that would deliver terrific action, this in the works battle will hopefully come off.

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Mayweather: McGregor looks heavy, I think he’s 164 pounds

Mayweather: McGregor looks heavy, I think he's 164 pounds

The grand arrivals took place yesterday evening in a buzzing Las Vegas, with Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor given the red carpet treatment. Though Saturday’s crossover fight has been, and is being, derided by many, the fans in attendance are excited about it.

Down to curiosity it may be (fans are wholly unsure of what to expect when the bell rings) but millions of people are expected to tune in – one report says that as many as an incredible 1 in Six Americans could wind up watching the bout on TV. Mayweather, though, says he has doubts McGregor has trained as hard as he should have for the contest; at least Mayweather strongly suspects the MMA star is currently carrying a good deal of excess weight – perhaps as much as ten-pounds more than the 154 pound weight limit allows.

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Which Pound-for-Pound star will get revenge this year: Pacquiao or Gonzalez – or neither?

Which Pound-for-Pound star will get revenge this year: Pacquiao or Gonzalez – or neither?

There have been a number of big boxing upsets this year (and, if the betting wishes of the high rollers are to come true, there will be another one witnessed this Saturday night in Las Vegas) but to many, the respective losses Manny Pacquiao and Roman Gonzalez suffered rank as the biggest shocks of 2017.

As fans know, Gonzalez, when closing in on Rocky Marciano’s 49-0 ledger, fell foul of teak-tough Thai fighter Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (AKA Wisaksil Wangek) in March, the Nicaraguan losing his super-flyweight crown. While in July, Pacquiao lost his welterweight title to big Australian outsider Jeff Horn in another stunning decision.

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Miguel Cotto says he’s absolutely made up his mind: 2017 will be his final year in the ring – will he go out a winner?

Miguel Cotto says he's absolutely made up his mind: 2017 will be his final year in the ring – will he go out a winner?

Though his fight has been somewhat overlooked due to the so-called Super Fight that will take place on the same night in Las Vegas, future Hall of Famer Miguel Cotto’s Saturday night fight against Yoshihiro Kamegai could turn out to be a memorable one – for a few reasons.

Firstly, the fight set for Carson, California could be an action fight, a slugfest even; and secondly, the fight that will see Cotto and Kamegai duel for the vacant WBO 154 pound title could be the Puerto Rican great’s final ring appearance. 36 year old Cotto hasn’t said Saturday’s bout will be his swansong but he has said that no matter what, 2017 will be his final year in the ring.

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