Unbeaten Cuban heavyweight Luis Ortiz really blew it when he tested positive for a banned substance a few weeks ahead of his scheduled WBC title challenge of Deontay Wilder. Not only did the 38 year old southpaw ruin that intriguing fight, but Ortiz has now lost the mandatory status he had with the WBA – meaning Ortiz can no longer challenge current WBA (and IBF) ruler Anthony Joshua; not for a year anyway.
James Slater
Ten years ago today: Joe Calzaghe beats Mikkel Kessler in his “finest fight”
Joe Calzaghe, arguably the finest super-middleweight in history, scored a huge win a decade ago today when he decisioned Danish hero Mikkel Kessler over 12 gripping rounds. Today when looking back, Calzaghe, who of course retired at a perfect 46-0, has a number of fights to look back on and feel very, very proud.
But Joe has one fight as his pick for his finest, his best; the one he is most proud of. It is the win over Kessler that took place in Cardiff in front of around 50,000 fans. Some fans may point to Calzaghe’s great win over Jeff Lacy as his finest showing, some to his win over Bernard Hopkins.
Bellew-Haye II under-card shaping up: Joe Joyce, Skoglund-Fielding and more to come
Will the December rematch between bitter rivals Tony Bellew and David Haye prove to be a hit, … continue
Shannon Briggs says he’s been in talks with Warren for a fight with Fury; says he’s nobody’s tune-up!
Shannon Briggs has taken to social media (again) to announce how he has been in talks with promoter Frank Warren regarding a bout between he and the possibly set to return Tyson Fury. It goes without saying that absolutely nothing is close to close to concrete as far as these two great talkers are concerned (will Fury ever fight again? Will Briggs get a license to box in the UK himself?) but Briggs is eager to be the first man Fury faces upon his will-it-won’t-it-happen comeback.
Will Deontay Wilder have to face the winner of Dominic Breazeale-Eric Molina if he gets through Stiverne return?
WBC heavyweight ruler Deontay Wilder wants a big unification showdown with Anthony Joshua, the reigning WBA and IBF champ – as Wilder has made clear many times. Joshua, straight after Saturday’s tougher than expected win over Carlos Takam, said the Wilder fight “has to happen.”
Tyson Fury compares his coming back to Ali’s epic return to the crown versus Foreman
It’s just talk and will remain as such until he gets his license back, but former and unbeaten heavyweight ruler Tyson Fury is busy calling out not only his rival Brit Anthony Joshua, but also Deontay Wilder.
As convinced as ever that he has the beating of both the reigning WBA/IBF champ along with the current WBC king, Fury has declared, once again, how he will be back. And this time, via his twitter page, Fury has said his return to glory by “taking down” Joshua will be just like the great Muhammad Ali’s return to the crown against George Foreman back in 1974.
Warren: Comparing Joshua to Ali? It is beyond stupid
Top British boxing promoter Frank Warren says that anyone who compares reigning WBA and IBF heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua to the great, the, well, incomparable Muhammad Ali is saying something that is “beyond stupid.”
Most fans, in fact virtually all of them, will agree perfectly with Warren; although, shockingly and sadly there are those people who are trying to tell us that AJ, at just 20-0, is already a great fighter – even deserving of being compared with “The Greatest.” Warren spoke on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast show this morning and the promoter explained his feelings on Joshua.
Alexander Povetkin-Christian Hammer: Who wins?
Alexander Povetkin will return to action in his native Russia on December 15, and it’s no secret his opponent is likely to be Romanian-born German-based contender Christian Hammer. This match-up (up on BoxRec and already having been discussed on a number of boxing web sites) is not yet official but seems likely.
And a good match-up it is. Povetkin, having been plagued by failed drugs tests (seeing a huge fight with WBC heavyweight boss Deontay Wilder fall apart as the result of a failed test on the part of the Russian star) needs to get his career moving. At age 38, the former WBA champ has no more time to waste. Last seeing action in July when he improved to 32-1(23) with a wide decision victory over Andriy Rudenko, Povetkin figures to get a stiffer test against Hammer, 22-4(12).
Warren raves about new kid on the block Daniel Dubois: “I’d put him in with Parker after five more fights.”
Top British boxing promoter Frank Warren has seen it all, and it’s fair to say it takes quite a bit to get him excited as a result. However, as he explained when speaking with Gareth A Davies of The Telegraph, Warren is very excited about his latest heavyweight signing: the unbeaten, 5-0(5) Daniel Dubois.
Warren says, without getting carried away, how he believes the 20 year old from London is “the best heavyweight prospect I have ever seen at this stage.” It’s no secret how Dubois, all 6’5” and approx 250 pounds of him, gave current WBA/IBF heavyweight ruler Anthony Joshua real problems in sparring (allegedly knocking him down, even dominating him behind closed doors) and Warren says he feels his new star “has Joshua’s number.”
25 years ago today this Halloween: Lennox Lewis ices Razor Ruddock in terrifying performance
Sometimes in heavyweight boxing a fighter, with just one win, arrives on the world stage and captures the attention of anyone and everyone interested in boxing in a massive way. This was exactly what happened on this day, Halloween, in 1992. Lennox Lewis may already have been known to a good share of fight fans, due to his winning the Olympic gold medal in 1988, but his performance on this night really catapulted the Brit to superstardom.