During the relatively short history of the two “rival” sports being in existence at the same time, fight fans have not been treated to too many, if any, glorious spectacles whenever a boxer has crossed over to fight an MMA fighter, or vice-versa. We’ve seen big names from both sports try it (think James Toney succumbing against Randy Couture for an MMA victory over boxing, to Ray Mercer icing Tim Sylvia for a boxing triumph over MMA) but it’s never been too pretty.
James Slater
Who can unify the welterweight titles – Thurman? Garcia? Spence? Vargas?
Modern day fight fans know there is a lot more to it that mere fighting prowess when it comes to being able to unify a weight class. These days, with fighters performing on rival networks for rival promoters, the actual getting of a big fight can prove more troublesome and stressful than the actual in the ring fighting (well, not quite, but you get the idea). Simply put, it is much easier these days for fighter A to duck fighter B, and just put the failure to make the fight down to boxing politics.
Broner-Burns showdown could take place in Vegas, but Burns has to get past Kiryl Relikh first
WBA 140-pound champ Ricky Burns, who has already enjoyed a quite amazing career, has even more incentive to successfully defend his belt against dangerous puncher Kiryl Relikh on October 7. Scottish hero Burns, who rejuvenated his career by winning the WBA light-welterweight title earlier this year, becoming a three-weight champion, could fight American bad boy Adrien Broner in December of this year if he comes through next month against the Ricky Hatton-guided Relikh.
Speaking with STV News, Burns, 40-5-1(14) said talks between his team and Broner’s team have been ongoing and that a fight out in Las Vegas would be something he’d really like. Burns insists, however, he is not underestimating the unbeaten Relikh, 21-0(19)
Team-GGG want BJS unification fight in Vegas, but say they don’t take Saunders’ words seriously
It’s no secret that middleweight king Gennady Golovkin wants two things more than anything else as far as his boxing career is concerned: a mega-fight with Saul Alvarez, and to own all the major middleweight belts. The Alvarez fight will have to wait (probably until next September at the earliest) but a fight with reigning WBO 160-pound champ Billy Joe Saunders could happen in the next few months – if Saunders really wants it, according to Triple-G’s representative Oleg Hermann.
Liam Smith and Kell Brook could meet as they attempt to come back from stoppage defeats
Kell Brook lost in a brave and exciting attempt at taking middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin’s belts. Liam Smith lost in a brave and exciting attempt at defending his super-welterweight title against Canelo Alvarez. Now, as both fighters attempt to bounce back after losing their unbeaten records, word is the two warriors who enhanced their reputations in defeat could meet each other in what would be a British super-fight.
Brook, who is still healing after taking considerable punishment from GGG just over a week ago, said post-fight that be feels his future is at 154, while Smith, who suffered cuts and an injured jaw in his battle with the Mexican superstar who pulled in an astonishing 50,000 fans, will also need time to recover before he can box again. But as a comeback fight, Brook-Smith would certainly prove an attractive fight to fans of both men. It would be a risky fight no doubt, but both Brook and Smith have proven they are more than willing to take risks in order to become great fighters.
Canelo Alvarez: We offered Golovkin the fight, he didn’t want to accept
As expected, the big talking point after Canelo Alvarez’ challenge of WBO 154-pound champ Liam Smith was not the result – a dominant 9th-round KO win by the Mexican star – it wasn’t the bravery of the vanquished Smith, and the talking point wasn’t Canelo’s overall performance. No, the big talking point was, and is, will Canelo now fight middleweight king Gennady Golovkin next?
And in speaking after his victory, Canelo, who also revealed he hurt his right hand in the early going of the Smith fight, said Golden Boy offered GGG a deal “about a month ago.” According to Canelo, the offer was “twice or three times as much [money] to make the fight. He didn’t want to accept.”
Chris Eubank Junior: From the GGG fight, to the Langford fight, to no fight!
What a perplexing figure former British middleweight champion Chris Eubank Junior really is. The vocal, seemingly cocksure fighter has, in the past month or so: gone from being on the verge of challenging world middleweight ruler Gennady Golovkin in a £million pound fight (and beating him, according to Eubank Jr and Senior) to being set to defend his British title against the far less known Tommy Langford for a far less substantial payday, to vacating the British title and now having no next fight in sight, at all.
Veteran scribe Colin Hart says Tyson Fury should win this year’s British Fighter of The Year award
The last 12 months have undeniably been great ones for British boxing. Going back to last September up to the present day, the world has seen some terrific performances from British fighters both at home and abroad. And next week sees the prestigious British Boxing Board of Control’s annual awards dinner. There is stiff competition this year as far as who will lift the British Fighter of The Year trophy.
Does Gennady Golovkin have to go up in weight to become a legendary fighter? Floyd Mayweather says so
Does a fighter, especially these days, have to go up through the weight classes, winning world titles in each one as he goes, to become a true great? It seems, with the vast number of weight classes there are in the sport today (certainly vast in comparison to the traditional 8 weight classes of yesteryear), fans have an urge to see a talented champion move up to try and conquer another weight class almost as soon as he has collected belt-one.
Case in point: middleweight king Gennady Golovkin. GGG has pretty much cleaned up the 160-pound division (save getting and winning the fight he, and we, want so much, in Canelo Alvarez) and there are cries for him to move up, not only to 168-pounds but also to 175-pounds. Is this asking too much of a fighter who is not that big for a middleweight in the first place? Golovkin has spoken of going up to super-middleweight himself, once he has collected all the middleweight titles (just the WBO strap to go) but does he need to do so to become a great, a legend?
Canelo Alvarez, Liam Smith make weight, both men tip-in at 154-even
There were no issues at today’s official weigh-in for tomorrow night’s WBO 154-pound title clash between defending champ Liam Smith and challenger Saul Canelo Alvarez. Both men tipped-in at 154 pounds exactly and both fighters looks to be in great physical condition. Canelo was first to the scale and though he stripped naked to make 154, he made it at the first attempt; putting an end to this week’s rumours that he had been struggling with his weight.