British Boxing

British Boxing News

The Time Has Come For James DeGale To Realise His Dream

The Time Has Come For James DeGale To Realise His Dream

A week Saturday, British gold medal winning Olympian James DeGale (20-1, 14ko) will attempt to make history when he turns road warrior and travels to Boston to challenge Andre Dirrell (24-1, 16ko) for the vacant IBF 168lb strap.

Should the talented Londoner succeed in his mission, he will become the first gold medal winning Brit in history to then go on and win a world title. Only Chris Finnegan who won gold at the 1968 Melbourne games ended up coming close – losing his shot to light-heavyweight legend Bob Foster in 1972 in the Ring Magazine’s Fight Of The Year.

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Froch May Well Return Says Trainer – Only ‘ Elite’ Fighters Can Challenge Him

Froch May Well Return Says Trainer - Only ' Elite' Fighters Can Challenge Him

168lb boss Carl Froch, recently stripped of his WBA (reg) title for inactivity, has hinted more than enough recently that the end is nigh. Promoter Eddie Hearn also waded in last week to say he too suspects we’ve seen the last of “The Cobra”, yet The Daily Star are reporting that long time trainer and Team GB Olympic boxing head coach Rob McCracken, may well think otherwise.

Provided Froch fights on for the right reasons – and not just the money – then the former fighter-turned-trainer can feasibly see a return.

He said;

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Crolla At Last Gets His Dream Shot/Gonna Be Up Against It

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Brilliant news this afternoon for British lightweight Anthony Crolla (29-4-2, 11ko) who will at last land a world title shot, getting the gig to fight dangerous Colombian Darleys Perez (32-1, 20ko) for the WBA (reg) 135lb strap on the same card as Scott Quigg’s 122lb WBA defence against Kiko Martinez on July 18 in Manchester.

The saga began with Crolla being due to face then-champ Richar Abril for the belt but fate intervened before Christmas when the Manchester prizefighter was hit over the head with a concrete slab confronting burglars at a neighbour’s home.

A fractured skull and a broken ankle, sustained during the assault has kept him out of action until now.

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Scott Quigg To Fight Kiko Martinez – July 18th

Scott Quigg To Fight Kiko Martinez - July 18th

WBA (reg) 122lb champion Scott Quigg (30-0-2, 22ko) has once again dodged the Guillermo Rigondeaux bullet with the announcement that he will defend his title on July 18th in Manchester against Spain’s Kiko Martinez. (32-5, 24ko)

After negotiations for a massive unification clash with Belfast’s IBF champion Carl Frampton falling through recently, it would seem Eddie Hearn has turned to Martinez for comparative purposes.

The former world and European champion has been twice beaten by Frampton in the past – in February 2013 when he was stopped (for the only time in his career) and again last September when he surrendered his belt via 12 round decision.

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Eddie Hearn Concedes GGG Could Hurt Froch – The Cobra Unlikely To Fight On

Eddie Hearn Concedes GGG Could Hurt Froch - The Cobra Unlikely To Fight On

In a refreshing move, Matchroom Sport’s Eddie Hearn has admitted that should his fighter choose to go on and bow out in a big stadium fight in America in the Summer – murderous punching middleweight Gennady Golovkin would be one to swerve.

However, in speaking to the Daily Mail, “Fast Car” has conceded it is unlikely that Nottingham’s Froch will look to extend his 13 years as a professional with another contest – choosing instead to go out on the famous KO of George Groves in their Wembley rematch a year ago.

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Johnson Says He Will Knock Joshua Out/AJ Unfazed

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Anybody who tuned in to see British future heavyweight star Anthony Joshua’s (12-0,12ko) routine, one sided knockout of South American Raphael Zumbano Love on Saturday night will have witnessed durable American veteran Kevin Johnson (29-6-1, 14ko) step into the ring post-fight to hype and sell their upcoming May 30th bout from London’s O2.

The veteran American, who has never been stopped in his 36 professional fight career – looked calm and composed as he met Joshua’s stare and said;

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You Have To Feel For Ricky Burns – But Boy Is He Back!

You Have To Feel For Ricky Burns - But Boy Is He Back!

After last night’s contest in Texas- as part of Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions brand – the history books will always say Ricky Burns (37-5, 11ko) lost 3 of his last 4 fights. Yet in my humble opinion, the former 2 weight world champion was extremely unlucky as the traveling fighter against Omar Figueroa (25-0-1, 18ko) – dropping the decision in a fight where he wasn’t just fighting his opponent but also the referee and the odds in general.

Some might say, in a different ring, with a different ref, had the action all been the same – Burns may well have walked out the victor. Or at least battled to a hard earned draw.

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“War” From Buglioni & Markham – “Striking Distance” Card Review Feat. Skeete/Smith

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Frank Warren tonight brought his “Striking Distance” show to the Wembley Arena in London (in a televised clash with Sky’s Matchroom “Resurrection” show from Birmingham) – which after pull-outs by middleweight stars Billy Joe Saunders and Chris Eubank Jr, ended up being (ably) carried by stable starlets Frank Buglioni, Bradley Skeete and Mitchell Smith – whose loyal A-Team were out in droves and vocal in their support of the top young 126/130lb prospect.

In the end it was Enfield’s Buglioni and his fight with old amateur rival Lee Markham that stole the show in a hard fought, blood and guts domestic battle that going in was tipped to be the Fight Of The Night.

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Resurrection – Birmingham – Ringside Review

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Anthony Joshua KO2 Raphael Zumbano Love

Ever since Anthony Joshua demolished Denis Bakhtov in two disturbing rounds back in October 2014, there have been calls for the so obviously blessed heavyweight to be matched tougher.

Unfortunately for South America’s heavyweight champion Raphael Zumbano Love (donning velour shorts on the night) these calls have been ignored. In two equally alarming rounds he, just like his 11 peers before him, found out just what the fuss is all about.

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Matthew Macklin still focused on World titles

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Matthew Macklin retains the unflinching belief that he is capable of world title glory ahead his comeback on Matchroom’s RESURRECTION card this Saturday.

Multiple middleweight World title challenger Macklin, 31-6 (20KO’s), returns to British shores for the first time since 2010 as he looks to rebuild his career in his hometown of Birmingham following his crushing defeat to Jorge Sebastian Heiland by 10th round knockout in November 2014.

Macklin will now face unheralded Hungarian southpaw Sandor Micsko, 25-8-2 (19KO’s), in the wake of original opponent Ferenc Albert’s withdrawal from the contest earlier this week. A change unlikely to phase the middleweight who continues to reach for the stars, despite some alarming signs in his previous contest.

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