Whether or not you agreed with the man himself when he made his bold claim of being The Greatest, and whether or not you agree with those fans and experts who say heavyweight legend Muhammad Ali deserves to go down in history as the best fighter of all time, it has to be agreed how the world lost a very special boxer, athlete and human being on June 3rd when the three-time king passed away.
James Slater
Muhammad Ali – January 17th 1942-June 3rd 2016 – Tsunami of tributes pour in for The Greatest
The greatest fighter of all-time, Muhammad Ali, passed away just hours ago as surely every person with a TV, a radio or a computer knows by now. Without doubt the most famous, the most celebrated and the most intoxicating sporting personality who ever lived, Ali, the former three-time world heavyweight king, will continue to be celebrated and honoured for many days, weeks, months, years, decades, maybe even centuries from now.
Tyson Fury: “Klitschko will see I am massive, I will knock him out”
Heavyweight champ Tyson Fury has been boasting about the way he is able to “go from a fat pig on the booze to a feeling really fit.” Currently training, apparently hard, in Holland, the unbeaten 27-year-old says he has put down the beer, the champagne and the vodka and is now in great physical shape. With just over a month to go until the anticipated rematch, Fury says he has bulked up and added muscle to his 6’9” frame.
Speaking from his Dutch training base, Fury said he will “be massive” upon entering the ring in Manchester on July 9 and that he will “knock Klitschko out” this time. Fury isn’t expecting an easy fight, and he says 40-year-old Klitschko “would beat anyone else but me,” but he sees only one winner.
Terry Flanagan-Mzonke Fana set for Fury-Klitschko II – a mismatch or can the veteran roll back the years?
Terry Flanagan of Manchester is thrilled he will be appearing on the July 9 under-card of heavyweight champ Tyson Fury and his defence against ex-champ Wladimir Klitschko in their rematch in his hometown, but fans may not like the man chosen to be the unbeaten WBO lightweight’s challenger. 26-year-old Flanagan, 30-0(12) will face 42-year-old Mzonke Fana of South Africa next month. Now, to be fair, his age aside, Fana, 38-9(16) is not a bad, or shot fighter, even if he has seen better days.
Jarrell Miller, the best young heavyweight up-and-comer on the scene?
He’s big at approx 280-pounds, he has genuine punching power and Jarrell Miller is young at age 27. Further good news for those fans who feel the Brooklyn talent is the next big thing in a heavyweight division that has been referred to by many as “wide open,” comes with Miller’s plans to stay active. “Big Baby,” as Miller, 17-0-1(15) is curiously nicknamed, fought just a week ago – crushing an overmatched Nick Guivas inside a couple of rounds – yet he is scheduled to be back in action on August 19th, his manager Greg Cohen told ESPN.com.
Jessie Vargas-Kell Brook – does Vargas need a KO to win?
It’s a very solid, if not overly intoxicating fight, and a WBO/IBF welterweight unification showdown between Britain’s Kell Brook and California’s Jessie Vargas is all set to go in either August or September. Vargas signed on for the fight on Tuesday of this week, no doubt enticed greatly by the promise of a career high payday of $1.7 million. Brook, who has craved a meaningful fight for months now, is expected to sign imminently and promoter Eddie Hearn told RingTV.com how he expects to officially announce the fight – for either Aug. 27 or Sept. 3rd in a big stadium in Sheffield – next week.
Amir Khan says he “would love” to fight in Rio 2016, wants to represent Pakistan
Former 140-pound world champ Amir Khan, last seen being brutally KO’d in a brave challenge of then middleweight champ Saul Canelo Alvarez, could be on the verge of a most astonishing comeback – at the Olympic games this year. Khan, unlike fellow big name fighters such as Mike Tyson, George Foreman and David Haye, has expressed positive words about the recent decision to allow pro boxers to compete at the Olympics.
It’s official now: pro boxers are now allowed to fight at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio
For weeks now, fight fans may have read about the notion that pro boxing will be allowed in the Olympic games, beginning in Rio 2016. Well, it is now official, thanks to a vote by members of The AIBA, who voted in favour of approving the rule change. This means, in theory, that up to 26 pro boxers will be able to box at the Games, which of course start in August.
Liam Smith says if a reasonable offer is made, he’ll definitely take Canelo Alvarez fight
There are some good judges who feel unbeaten Liverpool fighter Liam Smith, the reigning WBO super-welterweight champion, is one of the best largely unknown world champions in the sport right now. Smith wants to prove his worth and at the same time boost his global profile with a big fight. The 27-year-old makes the second defence of his title on Saturday night, when he faces once-beaten Predrag Radosevic at The Echo Arena in his hometown, and Smith is hoping a Canelo Alvarez fight – which has been spoken about as a real possibility in the past – is again offered to him.
Artur Beterbiev wants all the belts at light-heavyweight; and superstardom
Exciting and talented light-heavyweight puncher Artur Beterbiev looks to make up for lost time this Saturday in a fight to be televised live by ESPN. The former amateur great will take on Ezequiel Maderna in Montreal in what will be the 31-year-old’s first fight in almost a full year. The 9-0(9) contender suffered a bad right shoulder injury and needed surgery. Now, the Russian destroyer aims to take aim at the 175-pound champions, Sergey Kovalev especially.