James Slater

James Slater has been a leading voice at Boxing247.com  (East Side Boxing) for more than two decades. His expertise lies in writing news, detailed historical articles, and conducting interviews with fighters across the globe. Over his career, Slater has spoken with world champions, prospects, and legends, bringing unique insights to both current events and boxing’s rich history. Slater’s long-standing commitment to the sport has made him a trusted source for fans who want context, reliability, and passion in their boxing news.

Artur Beterbiev-Sullivan Barrera to meet in IBF eliminator say reports

Artur Beterbiev-Sullivan Barrera to meet in IBF eliminator say reports

According to various reports, along with Artur Beterbiev’s twitter page, Beterbiev and Sullivan Barrera will clash in an IBF light-heavyweight eliminator – the winner to challenge Andre Ward (if Ward doesn’t retire, as he has suggested might be the case).

There is no date or venue yet and the fight has not been officially announced, but Barrera has tweeted how he wants the fight – even stating how he cannot understand why other fighters have swerved the unbeaten Russian banger – and Beterbiev has tweeted that Barrera has agreed to face him.

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Canelo vs Chavez Jr Battle of Mexico could take place at Jerry Jones’ AT&T Stadium, Texas

Canelo vs Chavez Jr Battle of Mexico could take place at Jerry Jones' AT&T Stadium, Texas

Is the upcoming May 6 Battle of Mexico between stars Canelo Alvarez-Julio Cesar Chavez Junior capable of pulling in a massive 100,000 live audience? We might find out. According to a news piece in The Los Angeles Times, Oscar De La Hoya and Jerry Jones engaged in a “very productive” talk yesterday about the fight taking place at Jones’ AT&T Stadium in Texas.

The frontrunner to hold the fight might now be the 100,000 capacity stadium, but the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas remains a strong possibility. Canelo has of course got one huge following – see his perceived “easy” fight with Britain’s Liam Smith last September, which drew a hefty 50,000 paying fans – while Chavez Jnr is also a big draw in Texas.

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David Haye says he has five fights left; says Joshua, Fury are potential targets

David Haye says he has five fights left; says Joshua, Fury are potential targets

Former WBA heavyweight champion David Haye is thinking big in this, the final phase of his career as a fighter. Having just formed his own promotional company – Hayemaker Ringstar with Richard Schaefer as his partner – the 36-year-old says he feels he has five fights left in which to “prove what I need to prove before I retire.”

Haye of course faces Tony Bellew on March 4, but he is already looking at bigger fights in which to cement his legacy. Haye said he is looking at a big “box office clash” against Anthony Joshua and/or Tyson Fury.

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De La Hoya says Canelo-Chavez Jnr “could be a war,” says a rematch, even a trilogy could be possible

De La Hoya says Canelo-Chavez Jnr “could be a war,” says a rematch, even a trilogy could be possible

Oscar De La Hoya is not alone in thinking the upcoming 164.5-pound catch-weight battle between Mexican stars Canelo Alvarez and Julio Cesar Chavez Junior could be a great fight. With Canelo set to fight at the highest weight of his career against a seemingly motivated and deadly serious and determined Chavez, fans could get something special on May 6.

And De La Hoya, in speaking with ESPN Deportes, goes as far as to suggest the fight could end up a draw, with a rematch and even a third fight possible. De La Hoya also said that while the plan for Canelo to go ahead with his verbally agreed super-fight with Gennady Golovkin in September remains in place, the nature of the May fight with Chavez could change things.

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Manny Pacquiao on Floyd Mayweather fight: “I only lost in the eye of the judges”

Manny Pacquiao on Floyd Mayweather fight: “I only lost in the eye of the judges”

Superstar Manny Pacquiao’s next fight is still up in the air – recently, Pac-Man said he didn’t even know who possible foe Jeff Horn of Australia is – but one fight from his recent past remains uppermost in Manny’s mind. Or so it seems.

Talking to Fox Sports, the former multi-weight king and reigning WBO welterweight champ spoke about “The Fight of The Century” with Floyd Mayweather from May of 2015. Pacquiao insists that he was deserving of the decision after the 12 rounds had been completed; that he won the highest grossing money fight in history by “two or three rounds.”

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Chris Eubank Junior: I want DeGale, Saunders and Golovkin

Chris Eubank Junior: I want DeGale, Saunders and Golovkin

Is 2017 the year when outspoken former British middleweight champ Chris Eubank Junior gets in with the elite fighters? Once again, the once-beaten contender is saying all the right things; stating how he wants to fight not only middleweight king Gennady Golovkin but also IBF super-middleweight ruler James DeGale and, in a rematch of his sole pro defeat, WBO middleweight champ Billy Joe Saunders.

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David Price feels he is two wins away from a world title shot, also says Tyson Fury fight remains a possibility

David Price feels he is two wins away from a world title shot, also says Tyson Fury fight remains a possibility

When you have been KO’d three times in quite rapid succession the way heavyweight contender David Price has, every fight is a potentially career ending one. One more KO loss, and it could be the end of Price, at least at anything like top level.

Price and his team are surely aware of this as the former British champion and former Olympian heads into his February 4 fight with Christian Hammer, this fight being the first real test for Price since being blasted by Tony Thompson (twice) and Erkan Teper (who was out-pointed by Hammer in his last fight). But the giant from Liverpool is very optimistic right now, as well as confident. Price, in speaking with Nick Parkinson, said he feels he is two wins away from a world title shot, possibly the WBO title currently held by Joseph Parker.

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Espinoza: We’ll be calling [Floyd] after the Garcia-Thurman fight, maybe he’ll be interested in facing the winner

Espinoza: We'll be calling [Floyd] after the Garcia-Thurman fight, maybe he'll be interested in facing the winner

Though the optimism for those who want to see Floyd Mayweather fight again is dwindling day by day, there are still plenty of people out there who feel the 49-0 superstar WILL maybe fight again. One of these influential people is Stephen Espinoza of Showtime, and he recently told BoxNation how he is curious to see if the upcoming March fight between unbeaten welterweight champions Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia “piques” Mayweather’s interest.

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Dereck Chisora, Dillian Whyte both promise KO victory in rematch; Chisora says rematch has to happen

Dereck Chisora, Dillian Whyte both promise KO victory in rematch; Chisora says rematch has to happen

It was without a doubt THE best heavyweight fight of last year. It was the 12 round war rival British heavies Dillian Whyte and Dereck Chisora engaged in in December, and almost as soon as the oh, so close points victory was awarded to Whyte, fans began asking for a part two.

In fact, according to Chisora – who believes he should have had his hand raised after the 36 minutes of electrifying warfare was over, not Whyte – people are going up to Whyte on an almost permanent basis, telling him he lost and that he should fight the return fight.

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