British Boxing News
There is little argument that Chris Eubank Jr has the potential to be a world level fighter. There is however, countless column inches about the nature of the involvement of his father and the effect it will have on his career.
The question is this: Are Chris Eubank’s actions a carefully considered ploy to draw attention and pressure away from his son, or are they the actions of a man hungry for the limelight with a desperate need to rekindle public interest in himself?
Following the latest round of Twitter exchanges between Kell Brook and Amir Khan it seems more likely than ever that this highly anticipated fight may actually be made for sometime in 2017.
Khan claimed the Brook wasn’t on his level previously and that he need a win over a big name to turn himself into a viable opponent. Brook on the other hand has always publicly shown a willingness to test Khans ‘whiskers’ and get the fight on.
In the wake of Anthony Joshua’s latest victory and after the announcement of his 2017 contest against a fighter of note in Wladimir Klitschko, we look to discuss if the IBF Heavyweight Champion will ever gain the respect of ‘hardcore’ boxing fans or will be forever seen as a poster boy for ‘casuals’ and the increasing wave of new boxing fans.
Joshua is an Olympic Champion, and however you view his victory over Charles Martin in terms of credibility, he is also a recognised World Champion. Whilst he hasn’t yet been pitted against the divisions top level operators he appears to receive very little acclaim for his achievements to date from many long standing boxing fans.
Have we seen the best of former 140-pound champ Amir Khan, maybe even the end of his winning fights at the top level – or can the now 30-year-old bounce back from his crushing KO loss to Canelo Alvarez in 2017? Khan, who is excited to get back in action having had an op on his troublesome right hand, told The Bolton News he is positive he can win a world title at welterweight.
Khan Tweeted yesterday how his next opponent will be announced “soon” and the British star told The Bolton News how he will win that welterweight title and that after he does so, “people will forget about the defeats.” Khan of course suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of the much bigger and heavier Canelo, and there are plenty of critics out there who feel Khan may have suffered irreparable damage from the heavy KO.
Rather than fight each other, Amir Khan and Kell Brook have been fighting over who can face the most outrageous opponents instead, but signs are that a meeting between the two is at least on the radar for 2017.
Amir Khan is back in training following hand surgery and talking of a British ring return in April against an opponent yet to be determined, although Kell Brook won’t be his pugnacious homecoming first date.
British heavyweight Dillian Whyte has Tweeted how he and Bermane Stiverne could soon meet in a final WBC eliminator, the winner to challenge champ Deontay Wilder. As fans know, former WBC heavyweight champ Stiverne was to have fought Alexander Povetkin this past Saturday, the winner to face Wilder, but Povetkin failed a drugs test and fought late sub Johann Duhaupas instead (winning by violent 6th-round KO).
Reigning WBC cruiserweight champ Tony Bellew, who will face David Haye in a huge British showdown at heavyweight next March, will leave the ring as a world champion regardless of the outcome of the fight. Bellew has revealed to Sky Sports how he has been given a “special exemption” by the WBC, that allows his mandatory defence – against the winner of the April Marco Huck-Mairis Breidis fight – to be delayed until August of next year.
Boxing history could be made on April 29th at Wembley in London, in a number of ways. The heavyweight title clash between reigning and defending IBF heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua and former lineal king Wladimir Klitschko – which will also contest the vacant WBA belt – could smash the record for most tickets sold for a boxing match. The current record of almost 80,000 tickets sold was set by Carl Froch and George Groves a couple of years back, but now there are realistic expectations of 90,000 tickets being shifted for the clash of generations next April.
If Klitschko wins he will be one of the very few three-time heavyweight champions in history, and as far as ticket prices go for the big fight, the record for the most expensive ringside seat will be broken next April. How much for a VIP ringside seat? £800? No. £1,000? No. £1,500? No again. A VIP seat at ringside can be yours for, get this……£2,000 (approx $2,490 US). A regular ringside ticket will set you back the considerable sum of £800.
Fight fans roared their approval over the December 10 under-card at The Manchester Arena; both during the action that supported the headline act that saw Anthony Joshua blast out Eric Molina and afterwards. There have been no complaints about having parted with pay-per-view cash for the card, despite the disappointing (if predictable) headline fight.
The fan approval largely stemmed from the quite fantastic FOTY candidate that was the heavyweight war between bitter British rivals Dillian Whyte and Dereck Chisora. Indeed, this fight stole the show, leaving fans, pundits and experts alike breathless. The call for a rematch began almost immediately and promoter Eddie Hearn says it is definitely a possibility for next year – only this time, the fight will be deservedly elevated to headline status.
The first period of ticket sales for the World Heavyweight unification blockbuster between Anthony Joshua MBE and Wladmir Klitschko on April 29 at Wembley Stadium Connected by EE will commence at midday on Friday December 16.
There will be two periods of ticket sales for the event and coach packages are available in order to maximise the available capacity at Wembley.
The first batch of tickets on sale from Friday December 16 as follows: