Back in May, underdog Tony Bellew rose to the occasion and put in a contender for best performance by a British fighter this year, when he destroyed the dangerous Ilunga Makabu in three-rounds to take the WBC cruiserweight title. Now, “Bomber” has to hold onto the belt, and his first defence will take place in Liverpool in October, Bellew told Sky Sports.
James Slater
Bermane Stiverne already in training camp for Joshua shot: “I have a desire to be a two-time heavyweight champion”
Former WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne is already in training camp, working ahead of a hoped for shot at IBF heavyweight ruler Anthony Joshua at the end of the year. Joshua has spoken of wanting to get a second voluntary title defence in before moving on to face his mandatory, Joseph Parker, early next year. And Joshua said he would be interested in fighting Stiverne, as he feels the fight would have a good chance of going into the later rounds, where A.J is keen to show his stamina (he has of course not yet gone past the 7th-round as a pro).
Deontay Wilder-Chris Arreola: the best value for money fight of the year, whatever happens (your seat – $20!)
It might be a competitive fight, it might not be. It might be an exciting fight, it might not be (it will be!) And it might be a long fight, it might not be – but what Saturday’s WBC heavyweight title fight between champ Deontay Wilder and challenger Chris Arreola will be, is a value for money fight. Cheapest tickets at The Legacy Arena in Alabama? Yours for just the almost insulting price (insulting to the two fighters and the promoters who, let’s face it, need to earn a buck) of $20.00!
Kell Brook:” As crazy as it sounds, I’m looking forward to feeling his power”
Kell Brook really does come across as a very confident fighter entering his massive challenge of feared middleweight king Gennady Golovkin (the man and his power he is of course referring to in the above headline). Of course, any fighter who has called for a big fight and got it should be fully confident he is going to win, but there are sceptics out there who feel Brook – who is a huge underdog according to the latest betting odds available – has taken this fight for the huge payday and nothing more.
Hail Cesar! Chavez, the greatest Mexican fighter ever born on this day in 1962
Who is the greatest ever Mexican fighter: Ruben Olivares? Salvador Sanchez? Carlos Zarate? Miguel Canto? Juan Manuel Marquez? Erik Morales? Marco Antonio Barrera? Ricardo Lopez?
No, top of the list, above all this incredible talent, is the man who was born today in 1962 and went on to record an astonishing 107-6-2(86) pro record – the mighty, the incomparable Julio Cesar Chavez. Simply unbeatable in his prime years – 1984 to 1993 – Chavez tore through the super-featherweight, lightweight and super-lightweight divisions, capturing world titles in each weight class and retaining them for a substantial amount of time. Among the fine fighters Chavez defeated: Mario Martinez, Ruben Castillo, Roger Mayweather, Rocky Lockridge, Edwin Rosario, Jose Luis Ramirez, Meldrick Taylor and Hector Camacho.
Andre Ward must get past his “tune-up” first, but looks the favourite to defeat Sergey Kovalev in November
In boxing, a so-called “tune-up” fight can have the exact opposite result than was planned or hoped for. Wanting to sharpen up tools and pick up added, reaffirming confidence before heading into a big match-up, a fighter can sometimes leave said “tune-up” feeling rustier, less sharp and less confident than he was before fighting it. Light-heavyweight ruler Sergey Kovalev might be feeling a little this way right now, after his frustrating, less than satisfying points win over Isaac Chilemba yesterday.
Sergey Kovalev wins 12-round UD over a game and tricky Isaac Chilemba
Tonight in Russia we came away with two overwhelming thoughts: no wonder Isaac Chilemba has never been stopped, and Andre Ward will be feeling quite happy right now.
IBF/WBA/WBO light-heavyweight king Sergey Kovalev retained both his belts and his unbeaten record against Isaac Chilemba, but, boy did he have a tough/awkward night’s work in doing so. The final scores of the three judges – 118-109, 116-111, 117-110, all for “Krusher” do not tell the full story. Kovalev, now 30-0-1(26) still moves ahead to his big November fight with Andre Ward, but Chilemba, now 24-4-2(10) sure gave Ward plenty of pointers.
Abel Sanchez on GGG-Brook: “We seem to forget that others have tried [moving up in weight] and succeeded”
![Abel Sanchez on GGG-Brook: “We seem to forget that others have tried [moving up in weight] and succeeded”](https://www.boxing247.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/1-Golovkin_Wade_AY1J2028.jpg "Photo: Abel Sanchez on GGG-Brook: “We seem to forget that others have tried [moving up in weight] and succeeded”")
In the history of boxing only a few very special fighters have managed to move up from welterweight to middleweight and rule the world there too. We are, on September 10, when he challenges the feared Gennady Golovkin for middleweight gold, going to see if Kell Brook is destined to go down as one of these special fighters (or just go down, as the IBF welter champ’s critics suggest).
Kell Brook not the only British boxer up against it – Jazza Dickens challenges Guillermo Rigondeaux this Saturday
It’s not had anywhere near the hype, the attention or anything like the shock factor, but this Saturday’s fight that will see a challenge of the sublime Guillermo Rigondeaux by James Dickens, better known as Jazza, is just as lofty a task of a fight for a British boxer as the Kell Brook-Gennady Golovkin bout. In fact, if anything, Dickens, 22-1(7) will enter the ring in Cardiff, Wales as an even bigger underdog than Brook will against GGG in London in September.
Tony Bellew: “Kell Brook is taking on the most feared middleweight since Marvin Hagler”
British fighters, even rivals in the sport, often rally around one another when the need arises (see the selfless gestures a number of British fighters made in aid of the recently retired Nick Blackwell; David Haye especially). And this need, in the form of wishing to get behind Kell Brook as he enters his absolutely massive, potentially life and career-changing fight with the feared Gennady Golovkin, has arisen again.