Promoter Eddie Hearn has admitted to frustrations in getting all the I’s dotted and all the T’s crossed with the upcoming IBF/WBO welterweight unification clash between Kell Brook and Jessie Vargas. The fight has still not been officially announced, even though Vargas has signed the contract. Speaking with the Daily Mail, Hearn said the fight “will happen,” and that when it does, unbeaten Brook “will underline that he is the best welterweight in the world.”
James Slater
Happy Birthday, Mike Tyson – The youngest heavyweight champ in history turns 50 today
By his own admission, Mike Tyson, who today celebrates reaching his half century, never thought he’d live to the age of thirty, let alone 50. The former street hoodlum who was saved by boxing and then went off the rails as he made too much money, was manipulated by the wrong people he became involved with and eventually fell into pretty much all the traps his mentor and father figure Cus D’Amato so wanted him to avoid, was convinced he’d be dead not too long after his 21st birthday.
But Tyson endured, went through many changes and, by the age of 30, had done it all – he had: made history as the youngest heavyweight champion ever at age 20, become the undisputed king by the age of 21, lost the crown at age 23, served time in jail more than once, taken all manner of drugs and had sex with too many women to possibly count, bitten off a substantial chunk of an opponent’s ear, come close to total bankruptcy, fought on when way past his best, and finally retired from the ring at the age of 39.
Team-Wilder not looking past Chris Arreola, “100-percent focused” on July 16 clash
Some fans have complained about Deontay Wilder’s next defence, a voluntary that was allowed him by the WBC in light of what happened with the Alexander Povetkin fight that was set for May. Unbeaten 36-0(35) puncher Wilder will, as fans know, face veteran, former two-time world heavyweight title challenger Chris Arreola in Alabama on July 16. Though the fight is, at the very least, a good match-up; especially given the relatively short amount of time all concerned had to put Wilder’s next fight together, some fans have moaned.
Liam Smith trainer Joe Gallagher fears judges will not reward his fighter in super-fight chance against Canelo
Britain’s Joe Gallagher has proven his credentials as a world class trainer many times and he has trained, or is training, a number of world champions. A genuinely huge achievement in the Manchester trainer’s career will come on September 17th, though – if his fighter Liam Smith can score the big upset over Mexican superstar Saul Canelo Alvarez. And Gallagher – a man who has shown time and again how he is a mastermind when it comes to planning the downfall of his fighters’ rivals – is hugely confident going into the Las Vegas bout.
Arum wants to make Gilberto Ramirez a pay-per-view fighter, says a win over Golovkin would do it
Latest Mexican star in the making, Gilberto Ramirez, the WBO super-middleweight champion, has what it takes to become a pay-per-view star – so says his promoter Bob Arum. Arum, speaking with Yahoo! Sports, said he believes the unbeaten 25 year-old can defeat feared middleweight king Gennady Golovkin, if GGG moves up from 160 to 168 to tackle Ramirez, and that such a win would make “Zurdo,” as Ramirez is known, a genuine box-office attraction.
Parker’s manager: “How is AJ going to go when he’s eating Joseph’s jab all night?”
Unbeaten Joseph Parker, the mandatory challenger for Anthony Joshua and his IBF heavyweight title, was confident before this past Saturday’s defence by Joshua against Dominic Breazeale, but the New Zealander and his team are even more confident of taking the title when the fight happens; so says Parker’s manager, Dean Lonergan. Speaking with Sky Sports, Lonergan said he wants the fight to happen this year, ideally in November or December, and that he has no doubt his man will win when the big night comes.
Haye speaks on Fury’s injury, is disappointed Klitschko return got delayed
As fight fans will likely recall, heavyweight contender and former WBA champ David Haye twice pulled out of fighting Tyson Fury due to suffering an injury – a cut eye and then a shoulder injury that needed surgery – and Fury really put the boot in, claiming Haye was scared to face him. Now, in light of Fury’s ankle injury postponing his big rematch with Wladimir Klitschko, Haye could perhaps be forgiven for putting the boot firmly back in.
Instead, Haye said to Sky Sports that he is as disappointed as everyone else who wanted to see the July 9 encounter, and Haye said he feels Fury will be able to recover fast and “get back on it,” (Haye meant back on it with regards to training, not boozing!)
Floyd Mayweather is oh, so glad he was a defensive fighter; looks at Ali, his uncle as a reminder of boxing’s dangers
“Retired” boxing master Floyd Mayweather Junior might well go down in history as the finest defensive fighter of all time, and while such a distinction would certainly please Mayweather, he is already very happy – relieved, even – to have been a defensive fighter throughout his long career. Mayweather might not get the love a classic slugger gets (think Arturo Gatti or Matthew Saad Muhammad) and he has often been called “boring” and a “safety-first” ring operator, but Floyd doesn’t seem to care – he is happy he was the way he was (hard to hit) and today in full possession of his faculties as a result.
Keith Thurman-Kell Brook: who wins?
WBA welterweight champion Keith Thurman may need a substantial rest after the quite breathtaking battle he and Shawn Porter (who will also need to recharge his batteries) put on this past Saturday, but Thurman has no shortage of future big fights. One man who says he “needs” to fight Thurman is IBF welterweight ruler Kell Brook. Speaking with Sky Sports shortly after Thurman’s thrilling, FOTY candidate of a win, Brook said he feels that if he and Thurman clash, the excitement would even top the Porter war.
David Haye: “I don’t get hit. I could see every Joshua shot coming”
Former WBA heavyweight champ David Haye served as a pundit for Sky Sports this past Saturday, to commentate on and analyse IBF heavyweight ruler Anthony Joshua’s KO win over a tough and game Dominic Breazeale. And though AJ got the job done in style, winning via 7th-round stoppage, Haye says he saw nothing to change his belief, his conviction, that he will defeat Joshua if and when the two fight.