Billy Joe Saunders wins tough split decision win over Chris Eubank Junior

YouTube video
Tonight in London, in one of the most heavily hyped and intriguing British middleweight clashes of recent years, Billy Joe Saunders ultimately proved too tough, too skilful and too experienced for a game and always dangerous Chris Eubank Junior.

At the end of 12 hard rounds, southpaw Saunders retained his unbeaten record and his European, British and Commonwealth titles. The scores were 115-114 for Saunders, 116-113 for Eubank and 115-113 for Saunders.

Thanks mostly to his famous father, there was plenty expected of Eubank Jr in the lead-up to this fight. “He beats [Gennady] Golovkin now,” Senior stated of his son. And, “He will be better than Floyd Mayweather Junior.” Such talk now looks foolish, if it didn’t before Saunders took away Junior’s unbeaten pro ledger. Still, Eubank Jr did display real grit, determination and a good chin. Sadly for those fans who hoped the young Eubank would achieve the great heights his father did, tonight’s challenger also displayed certain moves to rival those of a rank amateur, as well as a game-plan that saw him all but give away the early rounds.

continue

Fury vs. Chisora 2 Preview & Prediction

Fury vs. Chisora 2 Preview & Prediction

Boxing fans have plenty to be thankful for with a jam-packed holiday weekend which includes a return trip to Omaha on HBO Championship Boxing and a rematch across the pond between much hated Heavyweight rivals.

Let’s start with a rematch pitting Tyson Fury against Derrick Chisora at the ExCel Arena from Dockland, London. These two characters met over four years ago in a back and forth fight that saw Tyson Fury walk away victorious.

The combatants traded punches and rounds until somewhere in the middle the pace slowed to a crawl with both fighters gassed. Fury’s excessive holding and Chisora’s inactivity made for an uneven contest.

continue

Sky Sports to broadcast Khan vs Alexander

Sky Sports to broadcast Khan vs Alexander

Sky Sports has secured the rights to show Amir Khan’s pivotal fight with Devon Alexander exclusively live from the MGM Grand in December.

Khan tops the bill in Las Vegas as he goes head-to-head with Alexander on Saturday 13 December, live on Sky Sports 1, with the winner set to throw their name into the sweepstakes to face WBA Super and WBC welterweight world champion Floyd Mayweather Junior.

Khan’s first fight at 147 pounds came in May when he overcame Luis Collazo on points, and the Bolton fighter returns to Las Vegas again to face the former two-weight world champion from St. Louis.

continue

Cleverly v Bellew II – Undercard Review

YouTube video
On a night where the main event failed to deliver on the fireworks promised Cleverly v Bellew II was ably propped up by an undercard featuring some of Britain’s brightest talents. Both current and future world champions sharpened their tools ahead of bigger nights to come.

Anthony Joshua KO1 Michael Sprott (10 x 3 mins British Heavyweight title eliminator)

When Anthony Joshua arrived in the ring at 11pm he did so with menace sporting a Tyson like get-up of solid black and like the erstwhile baddest man on the planet, the 2012 Olympian wasn’t in the mood to hang around.

continue

Cleverly v Bellew II – Main Event Review

YouTube video
Tony Bellew gained sweet revenge this evening with a split decision victory over bitter rival Nathan Cleverly in his hometown of Liverpool. In doing so, Bellew (who moves on to 23-2) established himself as mandatory challenger to the WBO Cruiserweight World Champion Marco ‘Captain’ Huck.

It’s often the case that rematches just fail to deliver on their promise of a repeat of what had gone before. Tonight the Liverpool Echo Arena bore witness to one such occasion, when Nathan Cleverly and Tony Bellew met for the second time to settle their long-standing bitter feud, in the full view of the PPV cameras.

continue

Cleverly v Bellew II – Main Event Preview

Cleverly v Bellew II – Main Event Preview

The talk, the hype, the bravado, it all stops today for Nathan Cleverly and Tony Bellew as the time to set the record straight finally arrives. The magnitude of the occasion will have dawned on the fighters the moment they opened their eyes; failure is not an option at this stage of either career. And, if the weigh-in is anything to go by no stone has been left unturned, both men looked great tipping the scales at 14st 3lbs, ready to deliver as they did 3 and half years ago.

continue

Cleverly v Bellew II – Undercard Preview

YouTube video
The moment has finally arrived to put an end once and for all to a bitter domestic rivalry that stretches back to before the first time Nathan Cleverly stood in the opposite corner to Tony Bellew in Liverpool’s Echo Arena in May 2011.

We return to the same venue, but this time under Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom banner, who has once more delivered one of deepest undercards in recent British boxing memory in support of one of the most eagerly anticipated fights of the year.

Here we will take a look at the mouthwatering list assembled that has boxing fans licking their lips.

continue

The Art of Delusion

The Art of Delusion

Delusional, that’s a word you’ll have heard regularly within the world of boxing in the modern era and one you will hear more and more as we approach a series of grudge matches that has lit a fire beneath British boxing that is likely to see the levels of bluster reach fever pitch. It’s a word that has always interested me, simply because despite its negative connotations it is such a crucial weapon in the armory of a professional fighter.

The manifestations of such behavior is of course dictated by an individuals personality, but believe me, to a man, every boxer, journeyman aside, have convinced themselves completely that they have the beating of their opponent. To me, the only difference between these assertions being considered delusion rather than belief is the manner in which you choose to state it. In an era when self-promotion is as important to a fighters earning potential as skill, delusion has become somewhat of an art form and three of its chief exponents will benefit in the coming weeks.

continue

Return of the Mack – Preview: The time is now for Matthew Macklin

Return of the Mack – Preview: The time is now for Matthew Macklin

The time is now for Matthew Macklin. That final window of opportunity to realise his dreams of being crowned a world champion has opened in the form of a makeable fight with the winner the Matt Korobov/ Andy Lee WBO World Middleweight title fight in December.

There can be no mistakes from here on in.

This won’t be the first time the courageous Birmingham man has heard such assertions, but I have a feeling it will be the last should he fail to dispose of Jorge Sebastian Heiland on Saturday night in Dublin. Failure, however, is not something the 32 year old is entertaining, admitting openly this week that retirement beckons should the unthinkable happen.

continue