James Slater

James Slater has been a respected voice at Boxing247.com (formerly East Side Boxing) for over twenty years. Known for his deep knowledge of the sport, he covers everything from breaking news and historical features to exclusive fighter interviews. Throughout his career, Slater has spoken with world champions, rising prospects, and boxing legends alike, offering readers trusted insight and genuine passion for the fight game.

Lennox Lewis Vs. Vitali Klitschko: Vitali’s defining fight

Lennox Lewis Vs. Vitali Klitschko: Vitali's defining fight

June 2003, The Staples Centre, Los Angeles.

The date and venue are familiar to fight fans, heavyweight fight fans especially. Why? Because we saw a great action fight between two huge heavies, both well above the mid-240-pound range, we saw blood and gore, we saw huge bombs landed, we saw heart and courage on the line, and we were left wanting to see a rematch.

But the biggest reason fans still talk about this fight, won by Lewis via corner retirement on the part of Klitschko at the end of the sixth round, is because we all wonder what might have happened; what would have happened.

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Kudryashov vs Dorticos = Guaranteed Explosion!

Kudryashov vs Dorticos = Guaranteed Explosion!

Between them, cruiserweight bangers Dmitriy Kudryashov and Yunier Dorticos have 41 KO’s. Russia’s Kudryashov, 21-1(21) has displayed brutal power in both hands, Cuba’s Dorticos, 21-0(20) has never lost a fight. Together, the two 200 pounders will almost certainly give us an explosion of an exciting fight when they hook up on September 23 at The Alamodome in San Antonio.

Meeting up in a battle that is part of the fascinating World Boxing Super Series tournament, the sluggers with the combined 42-1 record (Kudryashov losing once, to Olanrewaju Durodola, later avenging the stoppage loss with one of his own) will contest the WBA belt. As potentially thrilling as this fight is, it’s also a pretty tough one to pick.

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Dillian Whyte talks Joshua rematch: Fight him again and it will be a different story

Dillian Whyte talks Joshua rematch: Fight him again and it will be a different story

Dillian Whyte keeps talking about Anthony Joshua and about that which he is convinced would happen if he got the opportunity to fight AJ again (Whyte having lost via 7th round KO in a thrilling fight back in December of 2015). But Whyte says he is happy that Joshua is still talking about him, too.

Speaking with Sky Sports ahead of his US debut next Saturday on the Terence Crawford-Julius Indongo bill, “The Body Snatcher” said that Joshua “talks rubbish” and is not the tough guy he makes out he is whenever he is around. Whyte, chasing a world title, which he hopes will lead him to a return shot at AJ (who will next defend his IBF belt against Kubrat Pulev, and after that his WBA belt against Luis Ortiz; this the most likely scenario anyway) is sure he will get revenge if the second fight happens.

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Roberto Garcia pounds out unanimous decision win over a lacklustre Omar Chavez

Roberto Garcia pounds out unanimous decision win over a lacklustre Omar Chavez

It was a very quiet Saturday night as far as boxing is concerned (the off-season summer period) but there were a couple of fights taking place. One of them produced a mini upset, as in Monterrey, Mexico, middleweight Roberto Garcia pounded out a pretty wide ten round unanimous decision win over his countryman Omar Chavez to capture the vacant WBC Silver 160 pound strap.

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Yuriorkis Gamboa keeps career alive with majority decision win over Alexis Reyes

Yuriorkis Gamboa keeps career alive with majority decision win over Alexis Reyes

Last night in Cancun, Mexico, 35 year old Yuriorkis Gamboa kept his career alive with a win – but only just. The once seemingly untouchable Cuban scraped through with a ten round MD over Mexico’s Alexis Reyes, prevailing by scores of 95-94 twice in the 135 pound bout, the third judge seeing things all square at 94-94.

Gamboa is now 27-2(17), 22 year old Reyes, who has never been stopped, is now 15-3-1(7).

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McGregor: If it’s eight ounce gloves, I’m struggling to give Mayweather two rounds

McGregor: If it's eight ounce gloves, I'm struggling to give Mayweather two rounds

As fight fans now have a chance to see a short (very short) clip of the sparring sessions we’ve heard so much about, between Conor McGregor and Paulie Malignaggi, they also have a chance to listen to the MMA star’s latest prediction regarding his August 26 showdown with Floyd Mayweather.

Regarding the short clip of the sparring sessions: the clip does show Malignaggi going down, yet he appears to be off-balance and also helped down by a forearm, and the second the clip ends, Malignaggi is in the act of bouncing straight back up, clearly unhurt. Still, McGregor and his supporters are using the video clip as “proof” that he can box and that Mayweather will be in trouble, as was Malignaggi.

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Sugar Ray and The Hitman have mutual respect for one another – they earned it

Sugar Ray and The Hitman have mutual respect for one another – they earned it

Boxing legends Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns are currently in Las Vegas – the scene of many of their sensational, unforgettable fights – to attend tonight’s Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame.

Hearns, a former five-weight king, will be inducted, Leonard, also a five-weight ruler, will be taking care of the induction duties. Once venomous rivals, the two all-time greats who met in 1981, at welterweight, and in 1989, at super-middleweight, have nothing but mutual respect these days. They earned it in the ring, in so doing thrilling the world with 26 rounds of superb boxing.

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Deontay Wilder says he wants “Boogeyman” Luis Ortiz next: If people are scared to fight you, let me tell you who ain’t

Deontay Wilder says he wants “Boogeyman” Luis Ortiz next: If people are scared to fight you, let me tell you who ain't

Deontay Wilder is shopping around for his next fight – set to take place, possibly, in November – and he may have found a most marketable and exciting opponent in dangerous Cuban southpaw Luis Ortiz.

Speaking with Premier Boxing Champions, the unbeaten WBC heavyweight king spoke about how Ortiz, also unbeaten, is a fighter other heavyweights are afraid of. But “The Bronze Bomber,” who said Ortiz is known as a “Boogeyman,” insists he does not in any way shape or form scare him.

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Juan Manuel Lopez-Jayson Velez set for September 30 in all-Puerto Rican clash

Juan Manuel Lopez-Jayson Velez set for September 30 in all-Puerto Rican clash

The last time he fought, former two-weight champ Juan Manuel Lopez actually fought twice on the same night. “Juanma,” who returned from a two year layoff last October, this inactive spell coming after two straight (and quite nasty) stoppage losses, beat Wilfredo Vazquez Jr – and after the 11th round TKO win, the Puerto Rican got involved in a fracas with one of Vazquez’ corner-men!

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De La Hoya says GGG-Canelo will be “biggest fight in history of middleweight division,” but will it be one of the best?

De La Hoya says GGG-Canelo will be “biggest fight in history of middleweight division,” but will it be one of the best?

Biggest isn’t always best. Promoter Oscar De La Hoya, himself no stranger to gargantuan numbers, either as a fighter or as a promoter, said on Tuesday’s conference call to further promote the September 16 world middleweight clash between Gennady Golovkin and Saul Canelo Alvarez that the upcoming fight will be THE biggest fight in the history of the middleweight division.

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