James Slater

James Slater has been a leading voice at Boxing247.com (East Side Boxing) for more than two decades. His expertise lies in writing news, detailed historical articles, and conducting interviews with fighters across the globe. Over his career, Slater has spoken with world champions, prospects, and legends, bringing unique insights to both current events and boxing’s rich history. Slater’s long-standing commitment to the sport has made him a trusted source for fans who want context, reliability, and passion in their boxing news.

Can a Wilder-Joshua clash bring the heavyweight magic back to Las Vegas?

07/29/2016 James Slater

There was a time, in the 1970s and 1980s especially, when almost all the big heavyweight fights took place under the glitzy lights of Las Vegas. Be it George Foreman, Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes, Mike Tyson or Evander Holyfield, and be it Caesars Palace, The Las Vegas Hilton or The Mirage, most of the heavyweight action was being fought in the Nevada desert. This changed in the 2000s and it’s hard to think of the last massive heavyweight showdown that took place in Vegas.

But this could change next year, so says Showtime boss Stephen Espinoza. Speaking with RingTV.com, Espinoza says there is a “lot of pent up demand” for a big heavyweight occasion in Vegas, and, all being well, rival title holders Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua will be giving these fans what they want before the end of 2017.

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Get ready for Danny Garcia vs. Andre Berto

07/28/2016 James Slater

It’s not official yet, but welterweights Danny Garcia and Andre Berto are in talks for a possible September or October fight; so reports RingTV.com (although the man with all the news, Dan Rafael, wrote how this fight was a possibility a few days ago). Reportedly, the likely date is September 24th at The Barclays Centre in New York, with a later date in October also being looked at. But never mind the finer details – are fight fans happy with this match-up?

It’s by no means a bad fight, but shouldn’t Garcia – a superb fighter who looked as though he was at least three feet along the road to superstardom after his fine 2012/2013 wins over Amir Khan and Lucas Matthysse – be facing the elite of the elite? Okay, Garcia, 32-0(18) has not had that much experience as a welterweight (his biggest wins coming down at 140) but with the likes of Keith Thurman calling him out and with those recent reports suggesting “Swift” was in the running to face the soon to return Manny Pacquiao, it’s possible fans will fail to be too thrilled if the Berto fight is finalized and then announced.

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Ricky Hatton “feels sorry” for Kell Brook, wishes him well against “punching machine” Golovkin

07/28/2016 James Slater

British boxing hero Ricky Hatton, a fighting man who knows all about how special it feels to smash the odds, and, all about how it feels to be smashed when the odds against you are obeyed, is hoping his countryman Kell Brook can pull it off against Gennady Golovkin on September 10. But, in speaking with Ring Magazine, “Hitman” Hatton wasn’t about to betray his brutally honest nature and he had to admit how he feels Golovkin will prove too much for Brook.

Brook is of course moving up from 147 to challenge the feared middleweight destroyer, a destructive puncher nobody has thus far been able to go the full 12-rounds with, and it is this “punching machine” that Hatton feels will win in London in just over six week’s time. Hatton said Brook “cannot be blamed” for taking this, the ultimate of gambles, but the warrior who faced three pound-for-pound stars during his exciting career – Kostya Tszyu (a magnificent win), Floyd Mayweather (a spirited loss) and Manny Pacquiao (a brutal KO destruction) – can only hope that Brook will somehow prove him wrong and score a sensational upset win.

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Dillian Whyte-David Allen: Allen says he’s “boxed Joshua’s head off on several occasions”

07/28/2016 James Slater

It’s a stacked card in Leeds, UK on Saturday, and the fight of the night might just be the heavyweight clash between two men who appear to have a genuine dislike for another, or at least a healthy difference in opinion. Dillian Whyte will face unbeaten but far less known David Allen in a fight that although not a big fight, could propel the winner into something big. Whyte, beaten only by reigning IBF heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua in a great action fight, is a big favorite to win at the sold-out show, but Allen has been calling for this fight for some time.

Now that he has what he today called his big opportunity, Allen is confident he will win the fight and prove that he belongs “at the top.” Allen, 9-0-1(6) may not have faced any big names in a pro fight, but as he said today at the final press conference before the fight, he has sparred plenty of elite heavyweights – and he says he more than held his own.

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Amir Khan says he’ll be back in January

08/01/201607/27/2016 James Slater

Amir Khan, last seen being KO’d by Canelo Alvarez in his brave 155-pound challenge of a fight back in May, says he hopes to be back in action in a big fight in January. Speaking with Sport360, the former 140-pound champion says he has “two options,” in a fight with either Danny Garcia or Manny Pacquiao. Khan also revealed how he has undergone hand surgery so as to fix an old problem with his right hand.

“I’ve had this hand problem since my second (pro) fight when I broke my hand,” Khan told Sport360’s Alex Rea in Dubai. “Since then it has never been the same. The doctor told me that the ligaments were destroyed so, after seven years, I finally got it operated on. I was told I have only been fighting with 30 percent power so I’m glad that it is fixed as I need to be able to throw my right hand with full power. I will be ready to fight in January. I’m mandatory for [Danny] Garcia’s belt so that is a big fight for me right there.”

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Kell Brook happy to be tested by Vada ahead of Golovkin fight

07/27/2016 James Slater

Kell Brook has already said he doesn’t want any excuses after he’s shocked the world against middleweight king Gennady Golovkin, as he insists he can do and will do. And “The Special One,” does not in any way want to risk anybody claiming after his upset victory that it came with the assistance of anything illegal. Brook, the IBF welterweight king who rose through the ranks the hard way, from British level to European and then to world level, has always been a clean athlete.

Making the welterweight limit was proving tough for Brook, which was one of the reasons he agreed to take the massive gamble of a fight with the feared puncher known as Triple-G, but Brook continued to put in the honest, hard work so as to make 147. Never has Brook’s name ever been anywhere close to linked to PEDs, not as much as a whisper – and Brook is making sure it stays that way. Happy to be going through a series of tests conducted by VADA, earlier this week Brook underwent his first test. Brook took to his Twitter page to indicate how pleased he is to be proving – not that he needed to – how he is one of the sport’s clean practitioners.

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Yuriorkis Gamboa says Top Rank are keeping Vasyl Lomachenko away from him

07/27/2016 James Slater

It would be a superb match-up between two of the finest boxers currently doing their thing in the lower weight classes, and Yuriorkis Gamboa wants it: a fight with the man promoter Bob Arum has gone as far as to say is the best he has ever seen – Vasyl Lomachenko. Gamboa, back training with Ismael Salas, ha snot fought since December of last year, but he is currently training and a fight will hopefully be announced soon.

Gamboa, a former champion at featherweight as well as an interim champ at 130-pounds, has been defeated just once in his pro career – in that thriller with new pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford – and he said on Twitter shortly after watching Crawford’s master class of a win over Viktor Postol how he gave Crawford a much tougher fight and this is why Top Rank are “keeping Vasyl Lomachenko away from me.”

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James Toney: Has “Lights Out” hit the switch for the final time?

07/26/2016 James Slater

“He didn’t pay his electric bill, so his lights must go out,” James Toney ahead of his 2003 clash with Evander Holyfield.

Some fighters, be they greats or mere club fighters, never make an official retirement announcement. Instead, usually after a loss, they just fade away quietly; fans only realising they haven’t seen them in the ring for quite some time before wondering where their one-time hero is now. It looks as though it might be this way for one of the greatest defensive fighters in history, a man who, in his own words, “kicked some ass all the way from middleweight up to heavyweight.”

The fighter in question is James Toney and although it could be wishful thinking speaking about how Toney, aged 47 (48 next month) and an astonishing 89 bouts into a career that began in 1988, might have called it a day – after all, Toney could remerge with yet another return fight at any time – things have been quiet lately.

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Parker’s trainer Kevin Barry: “Joshua is talking to other camps at the moment”

07/26/2016 James Slater

Unbeaten Joseph Parker’s team feel the fight the New Zealander is mandated to have, against reigning IBF heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua, will almost certainly come next year, not this year. Speaking to the media in New Zealand, Team-Parker announced an October 1st date with experienced fringe contender Alexander Dimitrenko and it was also announced how Parker, unbeaten at 20-0, will then almost certainly have another fight after that; while waiting for the shot at Joshua.

“All we know is [Anthony] Joshua is talking to other camps at the moment,” Parker’s trainer Kevin Barry said as reported by stuff.co.nz. “He’s definitely not talking to us. The fact we’re taking this fight on October 1st, there is a pretty fair assumption we’re not fighting Joshua in November. After this fight there’s every indication that, everything going well, we’ll fight another tall guy later in the year.”

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Two fights planned for David Price, Eric Molina at the end of the year

07/26/2016 James Slater

Promoter Kalle Sauerland has big plans for his heavyweight, former British champion David Price. Price, who put a terrible spell behind him in returning to winning ways at the end of May, could even be close to being in line for a shot at IBF heavyweight boss Anthony Joshua. Sauerland told Sky Sports his plan is for Price – beaten only by Tony Thompson and Erkan Teper, who both failed post-fight drugs tests – to box on the upcoming October show in Liverpool topped by Tony Bellew and then in November on the card of the expected Joshua voluntary defence.

Sauerland says Price will be matched with a “decent” opponent in October and will then likely face Mexican/American Eric Molina in November.

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