Much has been made of Tyson Fury since it was announced that he would realise his dream of challenging Wladimir Klitschko for the right to call himself undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
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Klitschko v. Fury: The Old Model Still Beats The New One – Weights: Klitschko 245.3 lbs., Fury 246.4 lbs.
On Saturday, November 28, WBA WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight champion Wladimir “Dr. Steelhammer” Klitschko (64-0-3, 53 KOs) faces challenger Tyson Fury (24-0-0, 18 knockouts) in the ESPRIT arena, Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany, for the heavyweight championship title. For veteran and betting favorite Wladimir Klitschko, the 6’6”, .245 lb. thirty-nine year old Ukrainian born in Kazakhstan (currently married to American actress Hayden Panettiere), a win in this bout means his twenty-fourth successful title defense (including his initial reign as a WBO champion), second only behind Joe Louis (twenty-five successful title defenses) and ahead of Larry Holmes (twenty) and Muhammad Ali (nineteen). Dr. Steelhammer is tied with Joe Louis as for most heavyweight title fights ever (twenty-seven).
Andre Ward: ‘Golovkin Won’t Fight Me … Period’
Former WBA (sup) 168 lb champion, Andre Ward, has warned any fans still clinging to the prospect of a fight between him and dominant middleweight champion, Gennady Golovkin, to forget about it, and that his proposed eventual meeting with 175 lb champion, Sergey Kovalev, will present the far tougher challenge in any case.
Ward, set for an official debut at 175 lbs as the first of a three-fight deal with HBO that will culminate in a fight with the Russian ‘Krusher’ next Autumn/Fall, is likely to debut at his new weight in February after pulling out of the recent Cotto/Canelo card through injury.
Mayweather to Oscar: ‘I Didn’t Duck or Dodge Anyone’
Newly retired former P4P star, Floyd Mayweather, has responded to Oscar De La Hoya’s recent ‘open letter’ that said boxing wouldn’t be missing the self-professed ‘TBE,’ thanks largely to his ‘boring’ style and carefully managed career moves, by saying that he never ducked or dodged anyone in his career, though neither did he promise ‘excitement’ in May’s anticipated clash with Manny Pacquiao either.
Mayweather was also dismissive of much of De La Hoya’s honest and – admittedly self-promoting – letter, stating his belief that the boxing world as a whole must miss him if he is constantly being talked about – especially with regard as to whether he will return for the attempt at 50-0 next year.
The 10 Best Unbeaten Streaks in Heavyweight History
When attempting to compare and rank the unbeaten streaks of various fighters it is essential to consider the quality of the opponents that they defeated. If this is not done, Nioklay Valuev’s 47 fight run would rank ahead of George Foreman’s 40 fight undefeated streak. With all due respect to the often underrated “Russian Giant”, this would be ludicrous.
So, determining the quality of each “opponent” is important. The fairest and most objective way to do this – in this writer’s opinion – is to judge each boxer against the standard of the era in which he fought.
Cotto v Canelo: Keys to Victory, Four to Explore, Official Prediction!
“Mexico vs Puerto Rico” is arguably the biggest rivalry in the history of the sport. Tonight that rivalry will etch a new chapter in stone as veteran Puerto Rican warrior Miguel Cotto (40-4, 33KO’s) takes on Mexico’s biggest and fastest rising star, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (45-1-1, 32KO’s). Coming into 2015 the world anticipated Mayweather vs Pacquiao. Although that bout didn’t live up to the larger-than-life hype, there’s no question that this showdown will hit the mark. As we countdown the hours, lets take a quick look at “keys to victory”, four critical angles to explore, and a final prediction:
Canelo vs. Cotto: A battle for pride and legacy
Miguel Cotto and Saul Alvarez will add to the rich history of the Mexico vs. Puerto Rico rivalry this Saturday night. Canelo is the young lion hungry for a signature victory. Cotto is the vet looking for respect and a chance to add another name to his impressive resume. This sure-fire, two-way matchup will be broadcasted live on HBO PPV at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
Cotto: ‘I Don’t Need Their Belt’
Miguel Cotto has shrugged of the WBC’s decision to strip him of his middleweight title days out from Saturday’s clash with ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, saying ‘I don’t need their belt.’
The Puerto Rican, who is nearing the end of his Hall of Fame worthy career, had refused to pay the $300k sanctioning fees wanted by the WBC, instead trying to negotiate a lower fee, which was refused by the organisation.
The WBC Strips Miguel Cotto
The World Boxing Council worked tirelessly through a process that began over two years ago to secure the celebration of the highly anticipated fight between Miguel Cotto and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. The WBC is proud of that accomplishment that is giving boxing fans around the world a very important fight to see. After several weeks of communications, countless attempts and good faith time extensions trying to preserve the fight as a WBC World Championship, Miguel Cotto and his promotion did not agree to comply with the WBC Rules & Regulations, while Saúl Alvarez has agreed to do so. Accordingly, the WBC must rule on the matter prior to the fight.
A Lesson of Hype & Humility: GGG, Rousey, & Pacquiao
(A very candid Editorial by resident boxing scribe Vivek “Vito” Wallace)
There’s been a lot of talk about the perceived negativity aimed towards Ronda Rousey in light of her recent loss. In an effort to provide some level of clarity, I’d like to examine this topic a bit closer. Ronda is a very solid fighter with a great story. But what some need to realize is that there are fans who literally hate to see the media pick and choose who it wants to build up and who it wants to tear down. The word “hate” is probably a bit strong, but under the circumstances, most would agree necessary.