Yuriorkis Gamboa says Top Rank are keeping Vasyl Lomachenko away from him

07/27/2016 James Slater

It would be a superb match-up between two of the finest boxers currently doing their thing in the lower weight classes, and Yuriorkis Gamboa wants it: a fight with the man promoter Bob Arum has gone as far as to say is the best he has ever seen – Vasyl Lomachenko. Gamboa, back training with Ismael Salas, ha snot fought since December of last year, but he is currently training and a fight will hopefully be announced soon.

Gamboa, a former champion at featherweight as well as an interim champ at 130-pounds, has been defeated just once in his pro career – in that thriller with new pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford – and he said on Twitter shortly after watching Crawford’s master class of a win over Viktor Postol how he gave Crawford a much tougher fight and this is why Top Rank are “keeping Vasyl Lomachenko away from me.”

James Toney: Has “Lights Out” hit the switch for the final time?

07/26/2016 James Slater

“He didn’t pay his electric bill, so his lights must go out,” James Toney ahead of his 2003 clash with Evander Holyfield.

Some fighters, be they greats or mere club fighters, never make an official retirement announcement. Instead, usually after a loss, they just fade away quietly; fans only realising they haven’t seen them in the ring for quite some time before wondering where their one-time hero is now. It looks as though it might be this way for one of the greatest defensive fighters in history, a man who, in his own words, “kicked some ass all the way from middleweight up to heavyweight.”

The fighter in question is James Toney and although it could be wishful thinking speaking about how Toney, aged 47 (48 next month) and an astonishing 89 bouts into a career that began in 1988, might have called it a day – after all, Toney could remerge with yet another return fight at any time – things have been quiet lately.

Parker’s trainer Kevin Barry: “Joshua is talking to other camps at the moment”

07/26/2016 James Slater

Unbeaten Joseph Parker’s team feel the fight the New Zealander is mandated to have, against reigning IBF heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua, will almost certainly come next year, not this year. Speaking to the media in New Zealand, Team-Parker announced an October 1st date with experienced fringe contender Alexander Dimitrenko and it was also announced how Parker, unbeaten at 20-0, will then almost certainly have another fight after that; while waiting for the shot at Joshua.

“All we know is [Anthony] Joshua is talking to other camps at the moment,” Parker’s trainer Kevin Barry said as reported by stuff.co.nz. “He’s definitely not talking to us. The fact we’re taking this fight on October 1st, there is a pretty fair assumption we’re not fighting Joshua in November. After this fight there’s every indication that, everything going well, we’ll fight another tall guy later in the year.”

Two fights planned for David Price, Eric Molina at the end of the year

07/26/2016 James Slater

Promoter Kalle Sauerland has big plans for his heavyweight, former British champion David Price. Price, who put a terrible spell behind him in returning to winning ways at the end of May, could even be close to being in line for a shot at IBF heavyweight boss Anthony Joshua. Sauerland told Sky Sports his plan is for Price – beaten only by Tony Thompson and Erkan Teper, who both failed post-fight drugs tests – to box on the upcoming October show in Liverpool topped by Tony Bellew and then in November on the card of the expected Joshua voluntary defence.

Sauerland says Price will be matched with a “decent” opponent in October and will then likely face Mexican/American Eric Molina in November.

Luis Ortiz: STILL the heavyweight seemingly nobody wants to fight

07/25/2016 James Slater

Just how good is unbeaten Cuban heavyweight Luis Ortiz? We don’t know, and why? – because the hard-hitting and skilled southpaw just cannot seem to get himself a fight. This far in his pro career, the reigning WBA titlist has looked good, maybe even very good; and he could perhaps have the stuff inside him needed to become a great. But the clock is ticking on the man who is on the wrong side of 35 and the big, testing fights continue to elude him.

Next up for Ortiz, supposedly, is (or was) a mandatory defence against Alexander Ustinov. This fight has been in the works for months now (it seems longer) and the last we heard was the fight would likely go ahead on the under-card of the Canelo-Smith card of September 17th. However, according to Eric Gomez of Golden Boy, who spoke with RingTV.com, the ongoing talks have “hit a snag.” The fight, part of the WBA’s tournament to crown just one fighter as the organisation’s heavyweight ruler, has to happen, but Gomez says it’s not looking good.

Joseph Parker likely to get Alexander Dimitrenko test as final prep for shot at Joshua

07/25/2016 James Slater

It’s not official yet, but New Zealand media feel tomorrow’s press conference hosted by Joseph Parker’s promoter Dean Lonergan will confirm how the IBF mandatory challenger will face experienced Ukrainian Alexander Dimitrenko in his next fight, penciled in for September. Parker, unbeaten at 20-0 and coming off a 4th-round stoppage of Solomon Haumono, is expected to get his shot at Anthony Joshua late this year or early next year, but he and his team want to gain more experience before the expected trip to London. And this is where 34-year-old Dimitrenko comes in (or is expected to come in according to a report by The New Zealand Herald).

Dimitrenko, 38-2(24) is big at 6’7” and he has mixed it with some good fighters during his 15 year pro career – including Eddie Chambers, Albert Sosnowski and Kubrat Pulev. Parker will be facing the tallest pro opponent of his career thus far and he and his team obviously feel the fight will be great preparation for the Joshua fight.

Bored by Crawford-Postol? Get ready for a fun fight on Saturday: Santa Cruz-Frampton will not disappoint

07/25/2016 James Slater

Many fight fans are just that: fans of a fight, not so much fans of a showcase of subtle skill. For all the respect many fans have for practitioners of The Sweet Science, there is nothing more enjoyable than a two-way slugfest, or as Britain’s Nigel Benn would put it, a tear-up. This past Saturday’s classy and dominant points win Terence Crawford scored over Viktor Postol is a classic example – boxing fans certainly appreciated the boxing mastery of Crawford, but they were not thrilled or left buzzing by it.

The dreaded “boring” tag has already been attached to the 140-pound king, with the comparisons between Crawford and Floyd Mayweather Junior being made. Many a fighter would hugely appreciate being compared to the great defensive master, but some fans have made the comparison by way of a negative thing. Crawford, while highly skilled, didn’t give these fans the kind of raw action they hope to see when they part with their cash (not against Postol he didn‘t, but Crawford has thrilled us before – see his battle with Yuriorkis Gamboa). These same fans will almost certainly get what they want this Saturday, when featherweights Leo Santa Cruz and Carl Frampton rumble in New York.

Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez: If only they’d stopped at a trilogy

07/24/2016 James Slater

photo by Tom Casino/Showtime – Fight fans more than likely read the bad news that broke last week regarding how retired Mexican warrior Israel Vazquez will soon undergo an operation to remove his fight-damaged right eye. This news – news the unbelievably brave, in out of the ring, Vazquez has taken with the same courage he displayed in his career – goes to show just how much fighters risk when they fight. Vazquez, who retired after an unnecessary fourth fight with countryman Rafael Marquez, is a classic example of a warrior who gave of himself above and beyond in the ring.