British Boxing News
Rigondeaux: “Dickens is the only 122 pounder in the world that has the courage to take me on.”
Dickens: “I’m the massive underdog. I’d just like to say to all the youngsters out there don’t be afraid to chase your dreams.”
Cuban boxing great Guillermo Rigondeaux came face-to-face with Liverpool’s Jazza Dickens at today’s press conference ahead of their WBA Super-Bantamweight World Title showdown at the Cardiff Ice Arena this Saturday, live and exclusive on BoxNation.
Kell Brook really does come across as a very confident fighter entering his massive challenge of feared middleweight king Gennady Golovkin (the man and his power he is of course referring to in the above headline). Of course, any fighter who has called for a big fight and got it should be fully confident he is going to win, but there are sceptics out there who feel Brook – who is a huge underdog according to the latest betting odds available – has taken this fight for the huge payday and nothing more.
It’s not had anywhere near the hype, the attention or anything like the shock factor, but this Saturday’s fight that will see a challenge of the sublime Guillermo Rigondeaux by James Dickens, better known as Jazza, is just as lofty a task of a fight for a British boxer as the Kell Brook-Gennady Golovkin bout. In fact, if anything, Dickens, 22-1(7) will enter the ring in Cardiff, Wales as an even bigger underdog than Brook will against GGG in London in September.
British fighters, even rivals in the sport, often rally around one another when the need arises (see the selfless gestures a number of British fighters made in aid of the recently retired Nick Blackwell; David Haye especially). And this need, in the form of wishing to get behind Kell Brook as he enters his absolutely massive, potentially life and career-changing fight with the feared Gennady Golovkin, has arisen again.
An interesting heavyweight match-up will take place on the July 30th Matchroom card in Leeds, as Dillian Whyte will face unbeaten Dave Allen for vacant WBC international belt. The 17-1(14) Whyte, who gave current IBF heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua a great fight last December and is aiming to earn a second crack at A.J, will be having his second return bout since the 7th-round KO loss he suffered. Allen, 9-0-1(6) will be taking a step up in class against the man who is four years his senior at age 28, but “The White Rhino,” as Allen is called, has been asking for a fight with Whyte for some time.
![Amir Khan: British fighters [are] running the sport of boxing right now](https://www.boxing247.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/1-khan-canelo-8.jpg "Photo: Amir Khan: British fighters [are] running the sport of boxing right now")
The similarity between Amir Khan’s brave but ultimately unsuccessful step up to fight Saul Canelo Alvarez, and Kell Brook’s decision to do likewise against Gennady Golovkin has not been lost on fight fans. Some fans have applauded Brook, as they applauded Khan, but others have criticised Golovkin the way they criticised Alvarez, for picking on a naturally smaller man. But whether you liked Khan’s challenge of Canelo or not and whether you like Brook’s challenge of GGG or not, one thing is clear: both fights are recognised as huge fights for British boxing.
![Eddie Hearn: “The Eubanks missed the deadline, but Eubank can fight the winner [of GGG-Brook]”](https://www.boxing247.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/eubank9144.jpg "Photo: Eddie Hearn: “The Eubanks missed the deadline, but Eubank can fight the winner [of GGG-Brook]”")
As the boxing world gets to grips with the stunning news that was announced yesterday how Gennady Golovkin will face Kell Brook in London on September 10th, a certain Chris Eubank Junior and his immediate future is a somewhat interesting proposition. As fans know, Eubank Jr was, we thought, all set to take the challenge and fight GGG this year – Golovkin even Tweeting how he had signed on for the fight – but in the end he did not sign in time, losing the fight to his countryman Brook, a welterweight (albeit a massive welterweight.
It has to be agreed by all what a great job of delivering big fights British promoter Eddie Hearn is doing right now. For whether you like the Matchroom boss or not – and like any boxing promoter he has his share of critics – Hearn continues to get the big fights, plenty of them world title opportunities, for his fighters. Last week’s big news story was of course the announcement of the Gennady Golovkin-Kell Brook fight (by the way, Hearn has Tweeted that Brook will remain IBF welterweight champ should he lose on September 10) but Hearn has recently made the following big fights for his boxers, or helped make them:
British heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte is still talking about a potential fight with veteran former light-heavyweight king Antonio Tarver. The two have exchanged words on social media and Whyte says the fight can be made for this September, as long as Tarver does not price himself out and providing he can get a license to box over in the UK. Whyte wants 47-year-old Tarver’s name on his record, and he is sure he’d stop him if the fight did come off.
Former IBF super-middleweight king Jeff Lacy is still not ready to walk away from the sport he loves. “Left Hook,” now aged 39 and coming off a loss to Sullivan Barrera – a 4th round stoppage loss back in January of last year – will face former British light-heavyweight champ Tony Oakey in a white collar show set for Bristol, England on October 1st. Lacy, 27-6(18) will be making his first UK appearance since that famous night when Joe Calzaghe dethroned him and arrived as a star on the world stage.