James Slater

Miguel Cotto-James Kirkland looms for February 25

Miguel Cotto-James Kirkland looms for February 25

According to a piece on ESPN.com, Miguel Cotto will return to action on February 25, against a fighter who will also be coming back from a substantial layoff. Cotto, who is zeroing in on retirement having pretty much done everything – winning world titles in multiple divisions and engaging in numerous super-fights – is set to face Texan banger James Kirkland.

The fight, which both fighters have agreed to, is scheduled to take place at a facility inside the Dallas Cowboys stadium in Frisco, Texas. The bad news (for those who see anything good about this match-up in the first place) is that the fight will be a pay-per-view offering on HBO. Who knows what we can expect to see in a fight between Cotto, 40-5(33) and last seen losing a competitive fight with Canelo Alvarez 13 months ago, and Kirkland, 32-2(28) and last seen getting crushed by Canelo over a year-and-a-half ago.

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Wladimir Klitschko anxious to get back in the ring: “This year has been very frustrating”

Wladimir Klitschko anxious to get back in the ring: “This year has been very frustrating”

Back in 1994, when heavyweight legend George Foreman challenged Michael Moorer in an attempt to regain his old heavyweight belts, he had not fought for 17 long months. When Wladimir Klitschko, a modern day legend, challenges Anthony Joshua (planned for next April, dependant on AJ beating Eric Molina on Saturday) in an attempt to regain the IBF and WBA titles, he will have been out of action for a similar amount of time.

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WATCH: Dereck Chisora loses plot at presser, throws table at rival Dillian Whyte – VIDEO

YouTube video

Today at the final press conference to promote this Saturday’s Dereck Chisora-Dillian Whyte clash for the British heavyweight crown, things got well and truly nasty. Chisoa, angered at an apparent “death threat” hurled at him from his bitter rival (no, seriously, fight fans, in this day and age of pre-fight shenanigans, some staged, others not, this particular feud is as REAL as it gets) suddenly picked up a portion of the head table and threw it at Whyte; with it just missing promoter Eddie Hearn’s head.

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A Case For The Cruisers: is cruiserweight the most exciting division in boxing today?

A Case For The Cruisers: is cruiserweight the most exciting division in boxing today?

Fight fans who tuned in saw a great card in Moscow this past Saturday, and it was a card that was predominantly highlighted by cruiserweights. We saw hard-hitting Murat Gassiev decision the unimaginably tough Denis Lebedev in a great fight, and we saw the lethal banger that is Dmitriy Kudryashov – arguably the single hardest one-punch terminator in the sport today – ice Santander Silgado in typically chilling fashion.

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David Haye says he’d have “fun” against “robotic” Anthony Joshua, predicts KO win inside three rounds

David Haye says he'd have “fun” against “robotic” Anthony Joshua, predicts KO win inside three rounds

While a good number of fight fans may well agree with David Haye’s prediction that he will “demolish” Tony Bellew when they meet in their heavily hyped fight next March, these same fans may raise an eyebrow at the former WBA heavyweight champ’s claim – made yesterday – that he would knock unbeaten star Anthony Joshua out inside three rounds.

Haye, aged 36 and having boxed just three rounds since the summer of 2012, says that everything he has seen of the reigning IBF heavyweight champ tells him he would not only have a short night against him but that he would even enjoy the fight, and have “fun.” Haye calls the 17-0(17) British star “robotic” and he insists there are just too many holes in his overall game for him to be able to cope with “The Hayemaker.”

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Hughie Fury puts out Tweet saying Wilder wants to fight him, Feb. 25th – “I’m happy, make this fight”

Hughie Fury puts out Tweet saying Wilder wants to fight him, Feb. 25th - “I'm happy, make this fight”

A Deontay Wilder-Hughie Fury fight has been spoken of before now, at least as a possibility, and yesterday, in a Tweet by unbeaten Hughie, cousin of course of troubled former world heavyweight king Tyson, an actual date for this would-be fight appeared. 22-year-old Fury, 20-0(10) Tweeted the following:

“I’m ready for the big fights. Wilder wants it 25th Feb. I’m happy please make this fight @boxnationtv @MGM_Manchester @HennesseySports.”

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Michael Katsidis the latest boxer to call out Conor McGregor – “The Fight of The Year right there!”

Michael Katsidis the latest boxer to call out Conor McGregor - “The Fight of The Year right there!”

The recent news that MMA superstar Conor McGregor got himself a license to box in the state of California really did start a scrum of activity amongst active and even inactive boxers, all of whom want a piece of McGregor in his assumed boxing debut/tune-up ahead of his hoped for (but very unlikely) mega-match with Floyd Mayweather.

The latest boxer to call McGregor out is Australian lightweight warrior Michael Katsidis. Katsidis, as he explained to The Gold Coast Bulletin, is ready and willing to finish off his exciting ring career with a fight against McGregor. “The Great,” as Katsidis, the former WBO 135-pound champ is known, predicts a “Fight of The Year” bout if McGregor takes him up on his offer to face him.

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Rumble in The Jungle II? Joshua could fight in Africa says Hearn

Rumble in The Jungle II? Joshua could fight in Africa says Hearn

It was just over 42 years ago when promoter extraordinaire Don King’s vision of having the great Muhammad Ali try and regain his crown from an unbeaten George Foreman in the African jungle became reality. And it was 15 years ago this year when Hasim Rahman shocked Lennox Lewis in South Africa. Now, promoter Eddie Hearn says it is possible that IBF heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua could follow in the footsteps of Foreman and Lewis and defend his title in Africa.

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Video: Out of shape Sam Peter no match for Kubrat Pulev, quits after three rounds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tot5Vj1SLzs

Last night in Sofia, Bulgaria, heavyweight contender Kubrat Pulev enjoyed an easy homecoming as he bashed around an out of shape Sam Peter in front of his adoring fans. Pulev, basically having nothing to beat, landed punches on the overweight, slow-footed 36-year-old at will. Peter threw a few punches, off balance as he was, but nothing ever came close to troubling 35-year-old Pulev.

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