British Boxing News
As most had expected beforehand, reigning and defending IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook made short work of mandatory challenger Kevin Bizier of Canada last night in his hometown of Sheffield. Destroying the previously unstopped challenger inside just two-rounds, Brook improved to 36-0(25). But immediately after his easy and ruthless night’s work, Brook called out the big guns of the talent-rich 147-pound weight class he believes he can conquer.
Two young and unbeaten British heavyweights who are still in the early stages of their respective careers got stoppage wins tonight. In Sheffield, on the under-card of the Kell Brook-Kevin Bizier show, David Allen improved to 9-0-1(6) with a 4th-round corner retirement win over experienced U.S journeyman Jason Gavern, 27-21-4(12).
24-year-old Allen was to have fought Richard Towers in a British title eliminator but Towers pulled out with illness and 38-year-old Gavern, no stranger to British shores having fought Anthony Joshua and participated in a “Prizefighter” show here, stepped in at late notice. The fight was unfortunately a dull, scrappy affair, despite Gavern’s attempts at livening things up with his familiar “whooo” chants during the action.
Former WBA heavyweight champ David Haye, who returned to the ring following a near four year absence in January, will host a press conference at London’s O2 next Wednesday to officially announce his second comeback opponent, so reports South London Press. Haye, also a former undisputed cruiserweight champion, destroyed Australia’s Mark de Mori inside a round in January, before a sold-out O2 arena, and with a TV audience of over three million tuning in to free-to-air channel DAVE.
British middleweight champion Nick ‘Bang Bang’ Blackwell has scoffed in the face of Chris Eubank Jr.’s claims he’s ‘bland’ and ‘boring’ and promised to take the fight to him when they meet on Saturday night (March 26) at The SSE Arena, Wembley.
Kell Brook says he knows that mandatory challenger Kevin Bizier will be desperate to get his hands on his IBF World Welterweight title when they meet at the Sheffield Arena on Saturday night, live on Sky Sports.
Weigh-In Results from London
Chris Eubank Jr 159.6 vs. Nick Blackwell 159.25
Hughie Fury 234.6 vs. Dominick Guinn 254.6
Frank Buglioni 177 vs. Olegs Fedotovs 173.25
British cruiserweight contender, and soon to be world title challenger Tony Bellew (with Bellew set to face Junior Makabu for the vacant WBC 200-pound belt soon) has spoken out about what he says is a “major problem with drugs in boxing.” Speaking on BBC radio, Bellew said that fighters caught “should be made an example of,” and the Liverpudlian suggested an appropriate punishment would be “a lifetime ban.”
Hughie Fury, cousin of heavyweight ruler Tyson Fury, has a busy schedule planned; with two fights set for the next month. The unbeaten 22-year-old who is currently 18-0(10) will face a TBA on April 30th but this Saturday, durable, never stopped Dominick Guinn will face the contender on very short notice.
Nagy Aguilera was to have fought Fury – who has just signed a deal with promoter Frank Warren but will still work with Mick Hennessey also – but he pulled out injured, leaving the respective promoters of Fury to find a late replacement foe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avutPiwY2po
WBO World Middleweight King Billy Joe Saunders is eyeing up a huge Wembley summer showdown with pound-for-pound megastar Gennady Golovkin should he get past ‘Mad’ Max Bursak.
George Groves will face David Brophy in a Super-Middleweight battle of Britain at The O2 in London on April 9, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
Three-time World title challenger Groves meets the Scotsman over 12 rounds on the undercard of Anthony Joshua MBE’s World Heavyweight title clash with Charles Martin, as the Londoner aims to stay on track for a fourth shot at World honours.