Former WBA heavyweight champ David Haye, who returned to the ring following a near four year absence in January, will host a press conference at London’s O2 next Wednesday to officially announce his second comeback opponent, so reports South London Press. Haye, also a former undisputed cruiserweight champion, destroyed Australia’s Mark de Mori inside a round in January, before a sold-out O2 arena, and with a TV audience of over three million tuning in to free-to-air channel DAVE.
James Slater
Victor Ortiz-Andre Berto II: will the rematch live up to the first great fight?
Fight fans who saw the first, 2011 encounter between welterweights Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto remember fondly the four-knockdown battle won on points by Ortiz – so much so that everyone involved in putting together the rematch of April 30th is hoping these same fans will pay to see the sequel. Neither Ortiz, 31-5-2(24) nor Berto, 30-4(23) are the fighters they once were and both have suffered injuries and bad defeats since they went to war five years ago. Still, the two 147-pounders are doing their utmost to talk up the rematch.
Fury-Klitschko rematch takes another turn, promoter Hennessey says “It’s looking like July in the UK”
Fight fans might be getting a little bit tired of waiting for the Tyson Fury-Wladimir Klitschko rematch, and they are certainly getting tired about hearing when and where the fight may or may not take place; but still the saga continues. We’ve heard how the fight might go ahead in Austria on June 4th, or in Manchester, UK on the same date.
Then both venues and dates were confirmed as unconfirmed (!) and the wait for something concrete resumed. But today, in speaking with weekly trade paper Boxing News, or at least its website, Fury’s promoter Mick Hennessey said the latest word is that the fight will go ahead at a stadium in the UK in July.
Officials named for Pacquiao-Bradley III – Robert Byrd will be the third man in the ring
The referee and the three scoring officials have been named ahead of the upcoming April 9th rubber-match between Manny Pacquiao and Tim Bradley. Robert Byrd will referee the clash in Las Vegas, while the three judges will be Dave Moretti, Burt Clements and Steve Weisfeld. Byrd is as experienced as can be and he has refereed both Pacquiao and Bradley before, being the third man for the first fight between the two, which as we know ended up as one of the most controversial fights, or decisions, in years. Bradley won in 2012, yet virtually nobody agreed with the verdict.
Tony Bellew: Boxing has a major problem with drugs
British cruiserweight contender, and soon to be world title challenger Tony Bellew (with Bellew set to face Junior Makabu for the vacant WBC 200-pound belt soon) has spoken out about what he says is a “major problem with drugs in boxing.” Speaking on BBC radio, Bellew said that fighters caught “should be made an example of,” and the Liverpudlian suggested an appropriate punishment would be “a lifetime ban.”
Deontay Wilder says he’s “re-doing Rocky IV” in Russian defence against Povetkin
WBC heavyweight ruler Deontay Wilder is having fun ahead of his imminent mandatory title defence against Alexander Povetkin. Far from coming across as a fighter who is worried or concerned about the fight – set to take place in Russia against a Russian superstar – Wilder is giving plenty of interviews and he has said in some of them how he feels he will KO Povetkin (becoming the first fighter to do so) and will make it look easy.
Shane Mosley hooks up with new trainer Roberto Duran
Sugar Shane Mosley and Roberto Duran, two of the finest lightweights in boxing history – Mosley being at his fastest and most dazzling in the weight class he never lost in, Duran being ranked by many historians as THE greatest 135-pounder of all-time – have hooked up and are working together as Mosley searches for one more world title. 44-year-old Mosley, 49-9-1(41) has already captured titles at 135, 147 and 154, but he still craves more.
Get well soon, Herol “Bomber” Graham
British great Herol Graham – widely recognized as one of the finest fighters of recent years never to have won a world title – is currently in hospital, battling complications that arose from a burst appendix, so reports The Sheffield Star. The former British, Commonwealth and European king who retired with a 48-6(28) record in 1998 – after a stoppage loss to Charles Brewer in what was the ludicrously talented southpaw’s third crack at world glory – has been given a boost by way of hospital visits from the likes of Frank Bruno, Colin McMillan and other British boxing stars.
Pacquiao speaks about his recent lack of KO wins: I’m a 140-pounder, I can make 135
Superstar Manny Pacquiao, a once vicious, unstoppable whirlwind of a fighter, has heard the criticism thrown his way for not scoring a knockout victory in quite some time (Pac-Man’s last stoppage win coming over Miguel Cotto back in 2009) – and the former multi-weight king has an explanation: he is not a welterweight.
Despite having fought in the 147-pound division for some time – included amongst his welterweight bouts the highest grossing fight in history with Floyd Mayweather Junior – 37-year-old Pacquiao, 57-6-2(38) told ESPN Deportes he is really a natural 140-pounder who could still make lightweight if he really wanted to. This, Pac-Man says, accounts for his long string of KO-less fights.
New WBA heavyweight champ Lucas Browne fails drugs test, is seeking legal advice
Recently crowned WBA heavyweight titlist Lucas Browne, who made history by becoming the first Australian to win a portion of the world heavyweight title with his stunning stoppage win over Ruslan Chagaev, is today seeking legal advice after reports surfaced saying he failed a drugs test.
According to a story broken by ESPN.com and subsequently picked up by a vast number of publications and web sites, Browne tested positive for the metabolism booster, Clenbuterol. Browne, responding to the report via his Twitter page, insists he knows nothing about these events and that he will seek the advice of a lawyer immediately.