Anthony Crolla is hoping he can turn up the heat in his rematch challenge to WBA lightweight champion, Darleys Perez (32-1-1, 20ko) on Saturday, and see justice finally done after his hugely controversial draw with the Colombian back in July.
Olly Campbell
Joshua: ‘I’d Love to Fight Fury’
Rising British heavyweight prospect, Anthony Joshua, claims he remains calm and focused ahead of his Box Office showdown with Dillian Whyte on December 12, at London’s O2, though after he dispatches Whyte as he believes he inevitably will, a future showdown with Tyson Fury appeals.
While Joshua’s British and Commonwealth title fight with Whyte is a sought after domestic clash, the card’s PPV price tag has provoked the ire of many fans for it’s failure to include ANY bona fide, GENUINE world title fights, with promoter Eddie Hearn attempting to justify it by claiming the gold medal winning Olympian is already a Box Office fighter after just 14 one-sided blow-outs against limited opposition.
Ruslan Knocks Bradley Out in a Rematch says Joel Diaz
Ruslan Provodnikov’s new trainer, Joel Diaz, believes that if his Siberian charge was to rematch his old fighter Timothy Bradley, then this time he wins by knockout.
Diaz has recently split from WBO 147 champ, Bradley, whom he had guided since day one of his pro career, and was in his corner for the American’s 2013 fight with Provodnikov, in which he won a hugely entertaining and hard fought decision in which both fighters absorbed a lot of punishment.
Abraham/Murray Rematch Clause inc. Groves/Feigenbutz Option
Should Martin Murray be successful in dethroning Arthur Abraham for the German’s WBO 168 lb title next Saturday, then Abraham’s Sauerland stablemates George Groves, or up and coming puncher Vincent Feigenbutz, could face off with the 3x world title challenger next in the unlikely event ‘King Arthur’ opts out of a rematch.
Murray will go into his 4th world title challenge in Hannover at his new weight of 168, after moving to super middleweight in the wake of February’s loss to Gennady Golovkin, and while he will rightly enter an underdog into the fight with the 35 year old champion, he feels this is his best chance at fulfilling his world title dreams.
Rigondeaux Signs With Roc-Nation
Guillermo Rigondeaux (15-0, 10ko) has officially signed with Roc-Nation Sports, and will appear on the Nov. 21 Cotto-Canelo HBO PPV from Las Vegas, with wide circling early reports that he is set to square off against Filipino, Drian Francisco (28-3-1, 22ko) in a 10 round non-title bout.
The oft-avoided Rigondeaux has suffered an inactive period, with his last fight being December 2014’s clash with Hisashi Amagasa in Japan, that he eventually won after 11 rounds, though not before being put down twice by the visibly bigger home fighter.
Arnfield Looking to Seize British Title Chance Tonight in Bristol
Blackpool’s Jack Arnfield (19-1, 4ko) is looking to seize his late call-up shot at British middleweight champion, Nick Blackwell tonight in Bristol (18-3-1, 8ko), and halt the rise of the man they call ‘Bam Bam,’ live on Ch5.
De La Hoya’s Open Letter to Floyd His Latest Publicity Masterstroke?
Depending on which way you look at it, Golden Boy CEO and former 6 division titlist, Oscar De La Hoya has played what can be seen as a pair of publicity masterstrokes of late – firstly with his controversial inclusion of female MMA fighter, Ronda Rousey appearing on the [GB owned] Ring magazine cover, and now, with an ‘open letter’ to Floyd Mayweather that has created a similar storm and diverted ‘attention’ back to boxing.
Whether that attention has been for the good of the sport, or to the detriment of it, is for the individual to decide, yet in his 1148-word-long written diatribe at Mayweather – which is published in Playboy magazine – there is no doubting De La Hoya asserts some cold, hard facts laced with a caustic wit that, assuming Mayweather has had someone read it to him [sorry, couldn’t resist] can’t not have bruised the inflated ego of the self professed ‘TBE’ – even just a little bit.
Victor Ortiz Ready for Ring Return
He hasn’t been seen in a ring since December of last year, when he stopped Manuel Perez in 3 rounds and badly injured his hand, yet Victor Ortiz is finally ready to return to action, claiming he is fully healed and only needs one fight before going after ‘the big boys.’
“I’m finally healed. I shattered my wrist in my last fight in four places. I had two screws in there. I finally got my cast off 3 months ago, did therapies and what not and I’m going at 100% now,” Ortiz told fighthub.tv.
Fans Outraged at Joshua/Whyte PPV Decision
Just because UK fans knew it was likely coming, doesn’t make it any less a bitter pill to swallow, yet the [bad] news has finally dropped this afternoon [Fri] that Matchroom’s Dec. 12 show, headlined by the British heavyweight title clash between prospects Anthony Joshua (14-0, 14ko) and Dillian Whyte (16-0, 13ko) is to be a PPV event.
Promoters Matchroom and Sky Sports – their exclusive broadcast partner – are already taking an absolute hammering from angry fans on social media, dismayed at the prospect of shelling out for a PPV that includes NO genuine world title fights so close to Christmas, and only two weeks after Sky are set to charge fans for the Klitschko/Fury heavyweight world title fight on Nov.28.
Hearn: Eyeing Brook v Khan in 2016
Matchroom boxing boss, Eddie Hearn, likes to make a wish list of fights he’s keen on making for the coming year, and top of the tree for 2016 is the huge welterweight showdown between IBF champion, Kell Brook and domestic rival, Amir Khan; a fight he is eyeing for the Summer.
Brook – currently recovering from a rib injury sustained shortly before his scheduled October clash with Diego Chaves – is intending to box 2 or 3 more times at 147 before an eventual move to 154, so Hearn believes that time is of the essence – something he told Khan, who attended last week’s Matchroom show in Liverpool.