Frankie Gavin Returns Away From the Spotlight

10/22/201410/22/2014 Ryan Forde-Kelly

Both Matchroom and Warren Promotions stage rival shows this coming weekend in two of England’s fighting cities, showcasing some of the best talent these shores have to offer in their dress rehearsals ahead of enormous shows planned by each organisation for the end of November, in doing so displaying the increasing confidence they have in the British public’s appetite for the fight game.

Hull and Liverpool are the chosen venues to play host to a number of British boxing’s brightest prospects, including 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist Luke Campbell, the much maligned and supremely talented Chris Eubank Jnr and recently crowned IBF Bantamweight Champion Paul Butler (Butler subsequently vacated the belt, to drop back to his more natural Super Flyweight division). All of who are beneficiaries of the increased promotional activity propelling their promising careers.

Interview with Jack Catterall

10/22/2014 Queensberry Promotions

In the summer of 2012 Liverpool’s Tom Stalker was rated as the world’s number one amateur lightweight and skipper of the Team GB boxing squad at the London 2012 Olympics. Conversely, Chorley’s Jack Catterall was a student at Preston College who’d never ventured past the English ABA quarter-finals.

Two years on, the pair collides for the vacant WBO European light-welter title at Liverpool’s Echo Arena this weekend and, remarkably, the bookies can barely split them.

Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan – ‘Return Of The Mack’

10/15/2014 ESB

With a month to go until his long anticipated grudge match with Dublin’s Anthony Fitzgerald at The 3 Arena Dublin on November 15th, Cork middleweight Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan says that a new approach to training and preparation has him stronger and sharper than ever before.

David Price: I’ll be looking to take Anthony Joshua’s head off from the shoulders

10/12/201410/12/2014 Bill Phanco

Matchroom Sport promoter Eddie Hearn is interested in matching former British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion David Price (18-2, 15 KOs) against his unbeaten heavyweight Anthony Joshua (9-0, 9 KOs) next year in a fight that he believes the British boxing public will be interested in seeing. Judging by the boos from the British fans last Saturday night when Hearn floated that idea to them, it might not be a fight that the fans want to see.

Price was at ringside for Joshua’s 2nd round demolition of 34-year-old Russian journeyman Denis Bakhtov (38-10, 25 KOs) last night at the O2 Arena in London, UK. Price said that if he’s the guy that ends up facing the 6’6” Joshua next year, he’ll be looking to take his head off.

Joshua obliterates Bakhtov; Selby defeats Brunker

10/12/201410/11/2014 Bill Phanco

2012 Olympic heavyweight gold medalist Anthony Joshua (9-0, 9 KOs) took care of business on Saturday night in dismantling a shorter, older and far slower Denis Bakhtov (38-10, 25 KOs) in scoring a 2nd round stoppage to win the World Boxing Council International heavyweight title at the O2 Arena in London, UK. The win sets the soon to be 25-year-old Joshua up with a fight against Michael Sprott on November 22nd on the Bellew-Cleverly 2 card in Liverpool, UK.

Joshua, 6’6”, hurt the 5’11” Bakhtov with a right hand in the 2nd round. Bakhtov was against the ropes at the time and pretty much helpless with nowhere to go. Joshua then opened up with a storm of shots to the head resulting in the referee Ian John-Lewis separating the two fighters for some reason.

Selby and Brunker Dispute Title Shot

10/10/201410/09/2014 Dean Tinklin

This coming Saturday at the O2 Arena, London, two top-level pugilists will be putting it all on the line in a clash that will define exactly who has the right to fight Evgeny Gradovich for his IBF World Featherweight Title.

The Australian, Joel Brunker, has fought twenty-seven men so far and he’s beaten every single one of them. Brunker’s last victory was in Atlantic City, USA, over the respected Mike Oliver whom Brunker beat comfortably, as indicated by the unanimous decision. In support of Brunker’s unblemished professional record is his supreme level of fitness and conditioning which is a result of his sheer hard work and dedication to being the best that he can possibly be. The IBF ranks Brunker at number 3 in the world.

DeGale faces Periban on 11/22 on Bellew-Cleverly 2 card in Liverpool

10/09/201410/09/2014 Bill Phanco

Boxing fans will be seeing #1 IBF, #4 WBO James DeGale (19-1, 13 KOs) stepping into the ring to fight #11 WBC Marco Antonio Periban (20-2-1, 13 KOs) on 11/22 at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, UK. DeGale’s promoter Eddie Hearn made the announcement that DeGale-Periban has been added to the Tony Bellew – Nathan Cleverly 2 card as likely the chief support. Periban is a decent, but hardly great opponent.

It would be a lot more interesting to see DeGale fighting the guys that recently beat Periban in Sakio Bika or J’Leon Love. Hearn obviously doesn’t want to take any chances of DeGale getting beaten by matching him against someone with a decent chance of beating him like Bika and Love.

The Competitive Way Forward – Nurse V Ryan

10/10/201410/09/2014 Ryan Forde-Kelly

All British World Title fights are certainly in vogue at this moment in time, showing time and again that in terms of passion, drama and the ability to draw a crowd, there are few occasions that measure up. The success of both Froch v Groves promotions captured the imagination and paved the way for further grudge matches, with both major promotion outfits, to be made.

It would seem that finally, the landscape has changed for the better and the fans are to be treated to consistent, meaningful fights at not just World level, but European and domestic level also. With fights such as, Bellew v Cleverly 2, Fury v Chisora, Saunders v Eubank, alongside muted bouts featuring Kell Brook v Amir Khan and Carl Froch v James DeGale, the British public are salivating, with I’m sure the boxing world at large closely behind, reaching for their handkerchiefs.

Josh Warrington Incites a Riot

10/05/201410/04/2014 Ryan Forde-Kelly

Whatever it is about Josh Warrington, which inspires what I witnessed in Leeds tonight, if he possessed a pint of it, he would never have to enter the ring again, such is the sheer value it would command.

Backed by a support, more likely to be seen in a field Glastonbury, Warrington, 23, produced the performance of his career to date with a scintillating 4-round demolition of the brave Davide Dieli. Clearly carrying the sporting hopes of a City on his shoulders, you could forgive the young man for being apprehensive, nervous even.

Not a bit of it, he embraces the expectation and wears it as a badge of honour, refusing to wilt under the pressure, instead allowing it to fuel him, spurred on by the desire to please his fans. In his own word’s, “If they tell me they are going to make a day of it, it fires me up to train harder and put the graft in.”

Warrington v Dieli the Undercard

10/05/201410/04/2014 Ryan Forde-Kelly

The Matchroom promoted Battle Lines, presented a stacked undercard, which contained Ricky Burns, Callum Smith and Brian Rose no less, not to mention an all British Commonwealth title fight at Light Welterweight.

Ricky Burns v Alexandre Lepelley

Ricky Burns began his campaign at Light Welterweight in good style, knocking down the Frenchman with a hard right hand, followed by a left hook to seal the deal. Unfortunately, that is as good as it got for the 2-time former World Champion.

Although Burns was winning the rounds, the distance between the fighters reduced as the fight went on, descending into a war of attrition, which was not the order of the day. The Scotsman continued to win the rounds, but he didn’t look great in doing so.