Chris Eubank Jr: The Real Deal?

12/02/2014 Philip Anthony

Prior to Saturday night, Chris Eubank Jr had never been involved in a boxing match which lasted beyond 8 rounds. Despite having racked up 18 wins, his victories had all come against less than stellar, low level opposition. With a virtually non-existent amateur record, Christopher entered London’s full to capacity ExCel arena, having never come close to experiencing an event of such magnitude.

By the nights end, the fight is lost only by a narrow split decision (one judge had him winning) in a closely fought battle. Considering Eubank was challenging an undefeated Olympian and holder of British, Commonwealth and European titles, many would perceive his efforts as brave and valiant considering the vast gulf in experience between the competitors. However, when you’re the son of an enigmatic figure considered amongst the most exciting middleweight champions Britain has ever seen and when your dad is making proclamations about you being the most talented pugilist seen since Sugar Ray Leonard who will go on to eclipse the achievements of the world’s highest paid athlete Floyd ‘money’ Mayweather, the judging barometer begins to differ from other fighters.

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Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag – Mayweather vs Pacquiao, Terrance Crawford, Garcia, Thurman, GGG, and more!

12/01/2014 Vivek Wallace

Freddy C. (Raleigh, NC): Terrance Crawford is a guy that I never really cared for initially, but after watching him again, this kid is solid. Give us your thoughts on where you place him as a talent and who you would like to see him face going forward?

Vivek W. (ESB): I’ve watched Crawford develop over the past few years and I can say unequivocally, this is the most polished “fighter on the rise” in the sport, today. When I look at young talents out there that seem to grab headlines at will…..guys such as Danny Garcia, Keith Thurman, Adrien Broner, Golovkin, etc.; each of those young studs are great in their own way, but Crawford is without question the most complete talent of them all. What I love most about him is the hybrid type effect he exudes. You get the cerebral, fundamental type execution; yet when he gets touched, you see the ‘dog’ in him surface and take over, as well! Literally, the best of both worlds!

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Billy Joe Saunders wins tough split decision win over Chris Eubank Junior

11/30/201411/29/2014 James Slater

Tonight in London, in one of the most heavily hyped and intriguing British middleweight clashes of recent years, Billy Joe Saunders ultimately proved too tough, too skilful and too experienced for a game and always dangerous Chris Eubank Junior.

At the end of 12 hard rounds, southpaw Saunders retained his unbeaten record and his European, British and Commonwealth titles. The scores were 115-114 for Saunders, 116-113 for Eubank and 115-113 for Saunders.

Thanks mostly to his famous father, there was plenty expected of Eubank Jr in the lead-up to this fight. “He beats [Gennady] Golovkin now,” Senior stated of his son. And, “He will be better than Floyd Mayweather Junior.” Such talk now looks foolish, if it didn’t before Saunders took away Junior’s unbeaten pro ledger. Still, Eubank Jr did display real grit, determination and a good chin. Sadly for those fans who hoped the young Eubank would achieve the great heights his father did, tonight’s challenger also displayed certain moves to rival those of a rank amateur, as well as a game-plan that saw him all but give away the early rounds.

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Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag – Pacquiao, Mayweather, Khan, Thurman, & More!

11/26/2014 Vivek Wallace

Laney G. (Oakland, CA): For the first time in a few years, I feel very strongly about Manny Pacquiao. I thought he looked strong and as good as we’ve seen since the knockout. How did you rate his performance and do you think he’s a threat to Mayweather?

Vivek W. (ESB): I like to look at the big picture when making my assessments. In this situation, like any other, I think it’s another one of those times when you have to also see the good, the bad, and the “ugly”, each for what they truly are. On the “good” side, I would agree, totally, that this is the best I’ve seen Pacquiao since prior to the Marquez stoppage. He threw nearly 700 punches, he was fast, and his power proved to be very much a threat to anyone facing him. There’s a reason why I’ve rated him as my personal favorite offensive fighter in the game for nearly a decade now.

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What Did We Learn in Macau This Weekend?

09/15/201611/25/2014 Michael Montero

Manny Pacquiao’s shutout victory over Chris Algieri in Macau was the most one-sided 12 round affairs we’ve seen in years. Although several of the knockdowns should have been ruled as slips, Pac absolutely dominated his opponent throughout the fight, badly hurting Algieri several times. Does this mean the “old” Pacman is back, or was it all smoke and mirrors? Other than a handsome payday, what can be taken from this experience for team Algieri? What lies ahead for both fighters next year? And how does Pacquiao’s 2014 compare to that of Floyd “Money” Mayweather?

For Chris Algieri, there were indeed positives to take away from his first professional loss. Against Pacquiao he displayed the same heart, resilience and toughness that he showed against Ruslan Provodnikov in June. There was solid footwork for the most part, as well as a few nicely timed right hands that caught Manny as he lunged in. But the inexperience of Algieri and his team was obvious throughout; from coming in heavy on the scales at the weigh in, to the strategy of the fight itself. The game plan of starting with “four first rounds” was all wrong; Algieri averaged just 5 punches landed in those first four rounds. There was no “Plan B”. No adjustments were made. His corner gave the wrong advice between just about every round. On top of all that, the New York native was stripped of his WBO 140 pound title that same day for absolutely no reason (but since when do sanctioning bodies do anything logical, right?)

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Manny Pacquiao: The Final Chapter

11/25/2014 Adam McMeeking

A flicking right jab immediately followed by a thunderous, booming left cross, detonated on the chin of Chris Algieri, sending him crashing to the canvas midway through round nine. Rising unsteadily at the count of nine, or possibly ten seconds, Algieri turned away from the referee in a desperate attempt to conceal his scrambled senses. During the first fifteen seconds after the New Yorker hit the floor it can be argued that he was in no position to continue. Nevertheless, all questions about the Filipino superstar’s dwindling punch power had been silenced. It appeared Manny Pacquiao was back to his best.

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Manny Pacquiao Scores 6 Knockdowns in a One-sided UD Win Over Chris Algieri

11/24/201411/23/2014 Ivan Ivanov

The main event at the Cotai Arena, Venetian Resort in Macao, China looked like an amicable sparring session. The challenger Chris Algieri climbed the ring with the sole purpose of going the distance at any cost. Pacquiao was the predator in this bout but he did not appear too focused on his foe and fought as if with Mayweather on his mind.

Chris Algieri knew he was way out of his depth although he was two divisions bigger than the champ and reportedly weighed close to the middleweight limit on fight night. His stance was awkward and uncomfortable and he moved as if he was jumping rope in the ring. Apparently he was in great shape because he was able to survive his own footwork and stance for 12 rounds under enormous pressure. He clearly didn’t belong in the same ring with his star opponent and brought a look of amusement to Pacquiao’s face.

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Cleverly v Bellew II – Main Event Review

11/24/201411/23/2014 Ryan Forde-Kelly

Tony Bellew gained sweet revenge this evening with a split decision victory over bitter rival Nathan Cleverly in his hometown of Liverpool. In doing so, Bellew (who moves on to 23-2) established himself as mandatory challenger to the WBO Cruiserweight World Champion Marco ‘Captain’ Huck.

It’s often the case that rematches just fail to deliver on their promise of a repeat of what had gone before. Tonight the Liverpool Echo Arena bore witness to one such occasion, when Nathan Cleverly and Tony Bellew met for the second time to settle their long-standing bitter feud, in the full view of the PPV cameras.

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Pacquiao vs Algieri – Keys to Victory, Four to Explore, Official Prediction!

11/23/201411/22/2014 Vivek Wallace

Tonight, Filipino phenom, Manny Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38KOs) will return to the ring as he squares off against New York native, Chris Algieri (20-0, 8KOs). At age 36 and facing the proverbial ‘westside’ of his sun-setting career, one of the biggest subplots surrounding this showdown sheds light on one major question: How much does Pacquiao have left? There’s no better way to answer that question than to place him in the ring across from a young, talented lion like Algieri. As we prepare for this clash, we now take a look at “Keys to Victory”, “Four to Explore”, and an “Official Prediction”.

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Cleverly v Bellew II – Main Event Preview

11/22/2014 Ryan Forde-Kelly

The talk, the hype, the bravado, it all stops today for Nathan Cleverly and Tony Bellew as the time to set the record straight finally arrives. The magnitude of the occasion will have dawned on the fighters the moment they opened their eyes; failure is not an option at this stage of either career. And, if the weigh-in is anything to go by no stone has been left unturned, both men looked great tipping the scales at 14st 3lbs, ready to deliver as they did 3 and half years ago.

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