Heavyweight contender Tyson Fury is a polarising character indeed. Fond of antagonistic commentary leading up to, during, and after a fight, not to mention being partial to a bit of abusive chat on Twitter or Facebook, the 6’9’’ giant from Manchester isn’t at all bothered about upsetting fans or fellow boxers in the slightest. To many this makes him an entertaining and colourful character, bringing an element of theatre to the “big-man” division, which has been longing for such a shot of adrenaline in many people’s eyes. To others, he comes across as arrogant and unruly, rude and obnoxious, with little or no respect for his opponents or for the sport in general.
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Mayweather v Pacquiao: Boxing’s Will They, Won’t They Saga
After half a decade of strained negotiations, social media sparring, racial slurs and break-ups over drug testing protocols, it appears that boxing’s two most prized assets may finally be prepared to trade in their intolerable courting for a one-night, dysfunctional marriage of fistic brilliance. Notice the choice of the modal verb ‘may’; quite simply, the certainty of a ‘will’ or a ‘must’ has seemed and still seems a tad fanciful in the context of a Floyd Mayweather – Manny Pacquiao landmark bout.
Why the renewed optimism for the premiere bout being launched then? Well, coming into 2015, widely acknowledged pound for pound kingpin, Mayweather, is entering the final year of his lucrative contract with US television network Showtime which guarantees him two further fights this year. With the ripened age of 38 less than a month away, Mayweather has admitted for some time that 2015 will be his last rodeo; one in which he hopes to deliver a brazen exclamation mark to his protestation that he is the greatest fighter of all-time. With his perennial rival Pacquiao, battle hardened at 36 and with a myriad of bruising encounters lining his recent history (not least a knock out loss at the hands of Welterweight Juan Manuel Marquez in 2013), then the marketability and plausibility of the mega-fight are all reaching an apex at this juncture. With this in mind, the projected date of May 2nd, or never, is the forecast for the fight amongst the boxing intelligentsia.
Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Mayweather/Pacquiao, Cotto, Garcia, & Guerrero/Thurman!
Chris H. (Dallas, TX): Reports have spread that Miguel Cotto will be announcing his next opponent in a week or so. What are the odds that Floyd Mayweather has opted to face him instead of Pacquiao at this time? And if not, do you think the Pacquiao fight gets done?
Vivek W. (ESB): All eyes in and around the sport remain locked on Mayweather and Pacquiao. I’ve said from day one that there are more layers to this mess than meets the eye, and as time goes on, we’re reminded of exactly how complex these negotiations are. Years ago, these two men stood to make two incredibly healthy pay checks. Despite Pacquiao being knocked out and on the losing end a few times, the demand for this fight is even greater now than it’s ever been, which may actually have a lot to do with why the fight can’t seem to be made.
Mikkel Kessler Retires: “The Viking Warrior” Sails Off into the Sunset
This past weekend, as boxing fans focused their attention yet again upon the question of whether Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao would finally meet inside the ring, former super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler took to Facebook to address a question of a different sort. This question concerned Kessler’s future as a competitor, and within the space of a few short paragraphs, “The Viking Warrior” provided his answer:
“I have thought long and hard over the options, which have been made available, but none of these options are enough to get me motivated” stated Kessler. The Danish boxer then added “I am always in training, it is part of my life, but I consider myself in a state of retirement.”
Who are the best undefeated fighters in the sport?
Many of the sports most dominant fighters throughout history have taken losses and this is the same today with many of the top rated fighters such as Wladimir Klitschko, Manny Pacquiao, Saul Alvarez, Adrien Broner, Juan Manuel Marquez, Carl Froch, Erislandy Lara, Miguel Cotto and literally hundreds of others having tasted defeat before in their campaigns to the ring. Despite what many casual fans seem to think today in the Mayweather Era, a loss does not mean anything if a fighter can come back from it and rise again to the top of the sport. Fighters are generally more remembered for the quality of opposition rather than the raw figures.
Nevertheless there is something exciting about watching a fighter who has never tasted defeat. A man who has had his hand raised each and every time he has stepped through the ropes. Here is my personal opinion on the top batch of currently undefeated fighters in the sport today.
Khan could get lucky in landing superfight
Many people were expecting an announcement during the superbowl for a confirmed Mayweather vs Pacquiao event. This did not happen. It is now coming out that there are a lot of problems in keeping this fight from being made. Largely the old issues of blood testing and money splits have been squashed, however they have been replaced by new issues such as the promotional split between Showtime and HBO.
A meeting between the two boxing icons was seen at a Miami Heat-Wilwaukee Bucks game and this sent another wave of excitement through the boxing world as videos surfaced of the two speaking at the game and reportedly exchanging private contact information. Then a meeting at a hotel between the two occurred and it was believed that real steps were being made to secure this fight for the fans. However it seems a wall has been hit somewhere as no new developments have been made since and the May 2nd date is rapidly approaching.
Five Reasons Floyd Mayweather Jr. is More Like Sugar Ray Robinson Than the Boxing Public is Willing to Admit
At the heel of one of the most interesting and controversial negotiations in boxing history, a lot of talk about the good ol’ days and other clichés emerged and are thrown around like medicine balls in sweaty boxing gyms. They’re used to describe a time when all was well – the gas station attendant filled up your car, the doctor made house calls, and the best fighters fought the best fighters. You even hear fighters repeat the phrase, “I’m old school”, in hopes of luring a no nonsense fan base that will follow them down the often lonely, dark hallways of their boxing journey
So where does Mayweather fit into all of this? You dare not compare Mayweather to the late, great Sugar Ray Robinson. I can feel the eyes of many strangers hawking at their tablets, phones and computer screens as I type this.
Capital Punishment – Main Event Review: Mitchell destroys Estrada in 8
From the first punch until the last Mitchell, now 39-2 (29KO’s), was punch perfect as he completely dismantled a credible opponent in a career best showing.
Estrada, who now moves to 32-4 (24KO’s), looked surprised from the first exchange in the face of the superior speed of thought and movement from the Londoner who beat the Mexican to the punch on every occasion. Mitchell a standout victor of the first round accentuated the point landing flush with his lead left uppercut, the punch that would define the fight.
Alvarado-Rios 3 Weigh In Video, Photos
http://youtu.be/CLqLJmvH9rc
Photos by Tiffany Lam / ESB & Ed Mulholland/HBO: Everything went smoothly at today’s weigh in. There were no issues making weight, no trash talk, no shoving matches, it was all positive as the fighters hit the scales this afternoon in Denver, Colorado. The undercard fighters weighed in first, building up anticipation for when “Mile High” Mike Alvarado (34-3, 23KO) and Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios (32-2-1, 22KO) hit the stage.
Alvarado-Rios 3 Presser Highlights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZqud3q-W9M&feature=youtu.be
Photos: Tiffany Lam – The much anticipated rubber match between Americans “Mile High” Mike Alvarado (34-3, 23KO) and Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios (33-2-1, 22KO) takes place this Saturday night in Alvarado’s hometown of Denver, Colorado. Both fighters have had a tough road since their second bout in early 2013 and find themselves in need of a big win. Alvarado took plenty of punishment in losses to the hard-hitting Ruslan Provodnikov and Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez. For Rios, there was the shutout decision loss to Manny Pacquiao, and then a tough disqualification victory over the dirty Argentinian Diego Chaves. This afternoon at the final press conference before Saturday night, the two proud warriors promised fireworks.