James Slater

And so we go down that road again…talks begin anew for Mayweather Vs. Pacquiao

pac931I can hear the groans from some fight fans already, those who have suffered enough over the games both sides have played with regards to thus far putting the stumbling blocks on making the fight the whole world (still) wants to see: Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao.

No sooner had Pac-Man put a beat down on a game but outclassed Brandon Rios, did promoter Bob Arum and Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach begin banging the drum (again) for a Mayweather-Pacquiao showdown. Arum told AFP that the fight can finally be made because “where there is a will there is a way.”

Roach went further in hyping the would be fight, stating how he believes his fighter will “overwhelm” Mayweather should the two superstars get it on.

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Roy Jones Junior will not face Bobby Gunn on Dec. 4th as planned, will box in Russia on Dec. 21st instead

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Living legend and future Hall of Famer Roy Jones Junior was originally set to attempt to keep his fading career alive by facing ‘bare knuckle champ’ Bobby Gunn in Philadelphia on December 4th. Gunn – who lost to former Jones rival James Toney in his most recent sanctioned boxing match, being stopped with a broken hand after 5-rounds last April – will be disappointed, yet Jones has had a change of mind and will instead be fighting in Moscow on December 21st.

(statement from Team Toney: For the record, the reason why Bobby Gunn didn’t answer the bell was cause he didn’t want to fight James Toney anymore. Gunn did not sustain a broken hand as you reported during the fight, the following morning he was even in the lobby shaking hands and laughing with boxing fans. Also for the record, there are no medical documents whatsoever supporting that he indeed had a broken hand. We are tired of hearing the same old false reports of Bobby having a broken hand. – TEAM LIGHTS OUT)

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Tyson vents his Fury: announces his retirement from boxing!

fury5333Remember when, after his awesome KO win over Michael Spinks, an upset Mike Tyson told the media at the post-fight press conference that he may well have fought his last fight and was retiring due to his general disgust at the way the media types had treated him? Of course Tyson never meant it, even if he was angry at the time.

Well, another fellow named Tyson who has not been altogether happy lately, namely Tyson Fury, has also announced his “retirement” from boxing. The word retirement has the speech marks surrounding it because no-one really believes or takes seriously the announcement Fury has made via Twitter, yet who knows for absolutely sure?

Fury, no doubt disgusted at his big money fight with rival British heavyweight David Haye having been cancelled twice, wrote:

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Fury Vs. Haye is off. Again! Haye has shoulder surgery, career may be over

haye7It looks like those fight fans who remained interested in seeing Tyson Fury get it on with David Haye will be disappointed on a permanent basis. The heavily hyped British heavyweight showdown, that was postponed from September due to a cut suffered by Haye in some late sparring, has been called off for a second time – this time due to shoulder surgery Haye underwent in Germany this past Thursday.

And now, with some experts telling Haye he must retire from the ring, Team-Fury are searching for a replacement foe for the February 8th date the Haye fight was rescheduled for at The Phones 4U Arena in Manchester (the fight set to go out live on Sky Box Office).

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Tua and Ustinov weigh-in for heavyweight showdown, a trim Tua ready to give it one last shot

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The David Tua-Alexander Ustinov heavyweight clash, a big deal in New Zealand but in truth nowhere else, will see a Tua who has gotten himself in his best physical condition for some time. Tipping-in at a trim and solid 236-pounds – to giant Ustinov’s 292 – Tua knows he will have to retire if he loses.

Now in his forties, the Samoan powerhouse is coming off a points loss to Monte Barrett. The real carrot for Tua in this fight is the vague possibility of a shot at Wladimir Klitschko should he get the job done in style. But can Tua, even an in-shape version, get inside on the much taller Ustinov and detonate his bombs? A true David Vs. Goliath showdown, this fight could be lively, or it could go the other way and be a dull affair. If Ustinov uses his height, reach and strength and is content to jab and then tie Tua up, how will the much shorter man be able to cope?

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If James Toney wins “Prizefighter” – what then?

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With just hours to go until tonight’s intriguing edition of “Prizefighter: UK Vs. USA” gets underway – and with the debate continuing as to whether or not former multi-weight ruler James Toney should even be participating – the betting odds have shifted in the 45-year-old’s favour.

Toney, a veteran of 88 pro outings dating back to the tail end of the 1980s when his marvellous career began, has surprised many by getting himself in good physical shape (at least Toney looks to be in good shape, having dropped something like 50-pounds) and tipping-in at a lowly (for him) 217-pounds. This, and the fact that Toney has been matched with relative novice Matt Legg (who has just 7 pro bouts to his name) in his first fight, must be what has influenced the bookmakers.

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Mayweather-Khan is on for May 3rd in Las Vegas, according to The Daily Express!

mayweather644According to an article from UK newspaper The Daily Express – an article that has been read by many people online – the Floyd Mayweather-Amir Khan fight that has been talked about as a possibility for some time will indeed go ahead next May.

The publication reports how the fight has been “finalised” for May 3rd at Mayweather’s second home of The MGM Grand in Vegas. No source is cited in the article but in truth it will not shock too many fans if the paper is correct and hasn’t jumped the gun. Many fans will, however, be angry if Khan gets this massive opportunity.

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Latest Prizefighter tournament line-up complete: James Toney enjoys star status

IMG_47921Fight fans can expect an interesting, hopefully exciting, latest instalment of the popular “Prizefighter” tournament on November 14th. Set to go out, as usual, live on Sky Sports, the latest tournament is another international heavyweights edition, with a Team USA Vs. Team UK element added for further intrigue.

The full eight-man line-up has been confirmed by Matchroom Sports as follows:

James Toney (USA)
Jason Gavern (USA)
Brian Minto (USA)
Damian “Bolo” Wills (USA) – (stepping in for Sherman “Tank” Williams, who pulled out for some reason)

Larry Olubamiwo (UK)
Michael Sprott (UK) – (stepping in for an injured Sam Sexton)
Matt Legg (UK)
Tom Little (UK)

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November 7th 1988 – Sugar Ray Leonard Vs. Donny Lalonde: “For All The Gold” – 25-years on

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It was one of the biggest and most controversial catch-weight world title fights in boxing history, and almost as soon as Sugar Ray Leonard-Donny Lalonde was announced fans wrote into top magazines such as KO and The Ring, complaining how Leonard had massively stacked the deck in his favour.

To refresh the memory of fight fans:

Leonard, at the time of November of 1988 already a three-weight world champion (welterweight, light-middleweight, middleweight), wanted more gold and to get it he persuaded Lalonde to defend his WBC light-heavyweight title against him at Caesars Palace. But there was a catch (pardon the pun!). Lalonde, a natural 175-pounder, had to drop down to the newly-created super-middleweight weight limit of 168-pounds because – in either a stroke of contractual genius or a stark example of gaining an unfair advantage – Leonard had seen to it that the newly-gilded WBC 168-pound strap would also be on the line.

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Ricky “Hitman” Hatton hits York!

Boxing legend and former light-welterweight king Ricky Hatton was in my hometown of York, England yesterday, the Manchester warrior a guest of honour at a dinner. Joined by York hero and former European, British and Commonwealth super-middleweight champ Henry Wharton, Hatton mingled with fans, posed for photos, signed autographs and then took to the microphone to speak about his fantastic career.

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