Anthony Joshua Is A ‘Media Hype-Job’ Says Johnson

05/28/201505/25/2015 Olly Campbell

Eddie Hearn is indeed building up Anthony Joshua (12-0, 12ko) as the next British heavyweight boxing hero and it’s true that his hopes for the London 2012 Olympic medalist are extremely high.

The unbeaten knock out artist is arguably the future “face” of the Matchroom Boxing brand and Hearn is praying Joshua will capture the public imagination in much the same way fellow Brit Frank Bruno once did in terms of his enormous popularity – and he believes the Watford man can emulate what Hall Of Famer Lennox Lewis did in terms of his extraordinary 3x world title winning career.

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Jamie McDonnell: A Hero Lacking in Appreciation

05/23/201505/23/2015 Ryan Forde-Kelly

When Carl Froch travelled to Mashantucket, Connecticut to defend his WBC super-middleweight crown against Jermain Taylor in 2009, he exposed an embarrassing blind spot within British boxing that was in need of rectification.

Britain’s only active World champion – at the time – travelled across the Atlantic Ocean to defend the title he won on terrestrial television – when defeating Jean Pascal unanimously over 12 rounds in one of the finest super-middleweight title fights in recent memory – only to find himself without a broadcast partnership.

What transpired was a performance that would find a home in the annals of British boxing history, the only problem, no one got to watch Froch snatch victory from the jaws of defeat live – well, not in his own country any way. This could never happen again, the country was now on board and Carl Froch has never looked back since.

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Super-Middleweight: The British Battleground

05/22/2015 Michael McEwan

Nigel Benn- Michael Watson- Chris Eubank: three names that perhaps do not signify pound for pound pedigree but a trifocal of British pugilists that waged successive wars against each other across the early nineties. Frankly, any boxing purism would have been out of place in a hellish round robin of barbaric contests between the trio predicated upon genuine animosity and bloodlust that were more reminiscent of trench warfare than of any sporting endeavour. For the pleasured served up, tolls were taken, with Michael Watson suffering a cruel brain injury in his bout with Chris Eubank that would permanently alter his life. Speak to the irrepressible Watson today though and not a modicum of self-pity or regret will be detected in his attitude.

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Andre Dirrell and James Degale meet in Memorial Day Matinee on NBC

05/23/201505/21/2015 Chris Carlson

East meets West in a Memorial Day Matinee matchup between James Degale and Andre Dirrell. The card will be broadcast live on NBC from Agganis Arena on the Boston University campus. It pits two one-loss fighters hoping to standout as pros to match their amateur pedigree.

Rarely in life or in boxing do you get a second chance to improve upon your a first impression. Once a fighter loses as a favorite or puts on a poor performance, they can be casted away and shot down the ladder only to have to brush him or herself off and pick up pieces to climb back up again. This generally can be the case for non-popular boxers who don’t have a barn-burner style.

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Hearn Announces 5 Year Contract Extension With Sky

05/21/2015 Olly Campbell

Matchroom Sports promoter Eddie Hearn has this afternoon announced a 5 year extension to their current exclusive Sky Sports broadcasting contract (which ends next year), meaning that the present Saturday night formula for British fans is set to continue until 2021.

This is sure to elicit a mixed response from fans who, as of late, have grown tired of what they perceive as mis-matches on many of the domestic cards, taking to calling the firm “mis-Matchroom” boxing in jest on social media.

For example, a £5 7-fold bet on the favourites for the last domestic show in Birmingham, that included Matthew Macklin and Anthony Joshua, would have returned you the princely sum of £5.31.

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Credible Fights For Hughie Fury /Arreola In The Frame

05/21/201505/20/2015 Olly Campbell

It would appear that the future is looking bright for British heavyweight prospect Hughie Fury (15-0, 8ko) – cousin of Tyson, if a series of late night tweets from his father and trainer Peter are anything to go by.

The young 20 year old heavyweight took a significant step up in class last time out, turning in a confident and mature performance against the more experienced Ukrainian Andriy Rudenko (24-2, 16ko) on the undercard of the Gennady Golovkin/Martin Murray fight in February.

Clearly looking for credible tests for his son, which is always a refreshing thing to hear regarding a young fighter, Peter tweeted the following with regards to the next outing;

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George Groves Tips DeGale To Beat Dirrell – Eyeing The Rematch

05/21/201505/20/2015 Olly Campbell

WBC 168lb mandatory challenger and long time James DeGale rival George Groves, has tipped his old foe to do the business against Andre Dirrell in Boston on Saturday night, saying;

“He’s in with a chance, a real good chance.”

Groves, who holds victories over the Harlesden fighter in both the amateur and paid ranks, told Sky Sports that while he doesn’t think DeGale can get a stoppage “a points win wouldn’t surprise me.”

DeGale is chasing history when he fights Dirrell by attempting to become the first Brit gold medal winning Olympian to go on and win a world title in the paid ranks. The two men will be contesting the IBF strap recently vacated by Carl Froch.

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What side of the pond will the IBF Super Middle Weight title land, when James Degale and Andre Dirrell square off?

05/18/201505/18/2015 Adam Kallanous

May 23rd DeGale, and Dirrell will climb into the ring, and one will return home with an impressive red belt, and a second chance at stardom. Both of these men are at a critical point in their careers, and each has traveled a rocky path to arrive. Despite bringing home a gold medal in 2008 Olympics, DeGale was far from a fan favorite. The crowd erupted in boos as Chunky made his pro debut.

He later played the villain during the lead up to a George Groves clash, and further estranged his fan base.

After losing for the first time however, DeGale was humbled. He made changes, and not only sharpened his boxing acumen, but also polished his people skills. He went on to have a 10 fight winning streak, and win a European title. Now he is boxing for a world title.

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David Price: The Rebuilding Comes Home

05/16/201505/15/2015 Olly Campbell

After those devastating back to back knockout losses to American veteran Tony Thompson 2 years ago, Liverpool’s heavyweight contender David Price (19-2, 16ko) went away to lick his wounds and re-assess his career and his options.

As far as the boxing went, his life was in tatters. Then promoter Frank – now Kellie – Maloney, was going through her own turmoil and walked away from the sport. In the British media Price was written off as finished and ridiculed over his punch resistance. He truly was out in the cold.

Yet the big-punching Scouser decided not to pack it all in and after inking a promotional deal with German heavyweights Sauerland, has cautiously been rebuilding in confidence-building fights in Europe – mostly in Germany.

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Kell Brook v Frankie Gavin – “Funtime” Fancies The Job

05/16/201505/15/2015 Olly Campbell

Whether or not he chooses to use his former “funtime” moniker on May 30th, IBF world welterweight challenger Frankie Gavin has insisted he will be all business when he steps between the ropes to face Kell Brook at London’s O2 on Matchroom Sports bumper triple-header-world title card.

It’s no secret Gavin is going to be up against it fighting the slick Wincobank world champion who was excellent last time out returning from a nasty stab wound to the leg to destroy limited mandatory challenger Jo Jo Dan.

The former world amateur champion, who has long been criticised for not fulfilling his obvious potential in the paid ranks, has spoken to Sky Sports about the fight – promising he will be the man to upset Brook on the night.

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