Back in November, Bristol’s talented Lee Haskins won the IBF bantamweight title without throwing a single punch. The 32-year-old southpaw travelled to Las Vegas to challenge Randy Caballero, but Caballero failed to make the 118-pound weight limit by quite a margin, and the title was handed to the Brit. Haskins was upset at not being able to realise his dream of boxing under the bright lights of Las Vegas, but he was of course thrilled to become a world champion.
James Slater
Adrien Broner: “No problem with Floyd”
Remember back a few years when some fans and even a few experts called Adrien Broner “The new Floyd Mayweather,” or a “Mayweather clone?” Well, a whole lot has happened since then. Broner is no longer an unbeaten fighter, he has ran afoul with the law and, more recently, “The Problem” has appeared to have had problems getting along with Mayweather.
Broner, even more outspoken than Mayweather, recently had a spat with the retired great, going as far as to criticise Mayweather, Al Haymon and Mayweather’s whole “The Money Team,” outfit. Floyd told FightHype how Broner “has a lot of growing up to do.”
However, as he gets ready to fight Britain’s Ashley Theophane this coming Friday night (in a fight that looked to have been in jeopardy due to Broner’s recent troubles, a warrant issued for his arrest and all) Broner told Sky Sports he has “no beef” with Mayweather.
Fury-Klitschko rematch still dragging on; Loeffler suggests the fight may not take place until the autumn/fall
Don’t hold your breath over the Tyson Fury-Wladimir Klitschko rematch you, we, everyone wants to see. The return fight has dragged on and on, to a tiresome degree, and now, in speaking with RingTV.com, Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions said yesterday the fight may not take place until the fall (Autumn as we call it in the UK). As fans know, it was back in November, getting on for five months ago, when Fury defeated Klitschko in an upset, and neither fighter has had the chance to either reverse or repeat the result since.
Conor Benn, son of “The Dark Destroyer,” talks about his April 9th pro debut, the dangers of boxing
19-year-old Conor Benn has some mighty boxing boots to try and follow, but the teenager who will box his pro debut on the Anthony Joshua-Charles Martin bill in London on April 9th, insists he is very much his own man. The son of British legend and two-weight king Nigel Benn, Conor, who will face Luke Keleher in a four-rounder at super-welterweight, told The Evening Standard that unlike Chris Eubank Junior, he does not want his father taking away any of the limelight.
Joseph Parker focused on Carlos Takam fight, his team already looking at potential blockbuster with Anthony Joshua
Unbeaten New Zealand heavyweight Joseph Parker has his biggest career test on May 21st, when he will, in an IBF elimination bout, face experienced French-based Cameroon heavyweight Carlos Takam. The fight will go ahead in New Zealand, much to the delight of Parker and his team, but Takam is unlikely to be overly fazed, having boxed in both Russia and Canada during his pro career.
Takam, 33-2-1(25) is 35-years-old and he was knocked out by Alexander Povetkin four fights ago, but he has good results on his record, including a win over Tony Thompson (when Thompson still had way more to offer than he did in his recent loss to Luis Ortiz) and a draw with a then unbeaten Mike Perez. Takam has won three in a row against so-so opposition since the loss to Povetkin (his other defeat coming on points to Gregory Tony of France way bay back in 2009).
Haye-Gjergjaj press conference gate crashed by Shannon Briggs!
As fight fans may have heard, former WBA heavyweight champ David Haye today officially announced how he will face unbeaten, but largely unknown, Arnold Gjergjaj on May 21st in what will be Haye’s second comeback fight of 2016. But while the fight announcement may have surprised some – Gjergjaj is a 29-0 fighter with a string of KO’s and he could prove to be a real threat to 35-year-old Haye despite his low profile in the UK and the lack of big names on his record – a very familiar face crashed today’s press conference and arguably stole the show.
Bob Arum’s 50 years in boxing
Today, one of boxing’s most well known, most hard working, most successful and, at times, most controversial figures celebrates an amazing 50 years in the sport. The man is Top Rank promoter extraordinaire, Bob Arum. Arum is 84-years-old but, unlike the man who was once his archrival, Don King, he is still very much at the top of his game, promoting some of the biggest names in the sport.
Actually, in the 1980s and ’90s, King and his domain eclipsed Arum and his empire; thanks in large part to King having the majority of the heavyweight division – including its star fighter Mike Tyson – firmly in his clutches. But Arum was always there, as he seems to have been forever, and he never lost the passion for the sport he first found in the mid 1960s.
Deontay Wilder-Alexander Povetkin to headline a potential night of KO’s in Russia!
The upcoming Deontay Wilder-Alexander Povetkin WBC heavyweight title fight will take place at Megasport Arena in Moscow – Povetkin’s promoter, Andrey Ryabinsky has confirmed. Ryabisnky won the purse bidding battle for the fight with a big $7.15 million bid and Wilder, 36-0 (35) will have his sixth pro fight outside of America as a result. A great night is expected in May, with the main event expected to prove both interesting and exciting – with a good under-card of further potential knockouts thrown in.