British Boxing

British Boxing News

Tyson Fury-Dereck Chisora II official for July 26th in Manchester

Tyson Fury-Dereck Chisora II official for July 26th in Manchester

It has just been made official how British heavyweights Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora will meet in a rematch of their 2011 clash on July 26th. The rematch, which will be an official WBO final eliminator, will take place in Manchester at The Phones 4U Arena.

BoxNation TV channel in the UK will show the fight live.

25-year-old Fury, unbeaten at 22-0(16) out-pointed 30-year-old Chisora, 20-4(13) three years ago, but Chisora was carrying excess weight and “Del Boy” has promised he will be in tip-top shape this time. Both men want a shot at Wladimir Klitschko and a win on July 26th will take either man a big step closer to that.

Fury-Chisora II has been dubbed “The Fight for The Right.”

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Bellew defeats Brudov; Brook stops Robles

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Making his first fight at cruiserweight, Tony Bellew (21-2, 13 KO’s) was able to stop former WBA interim cruiserweight champion Valery Brudov (41-5, 28 KO’s) in the 12th round tonight to win the vacant WBO International cruiserweight title at the Echo Arena, in Liverpool, UK. Bellew showed good power in dropping Brudov three times in the fight.

In the 12th, Bellew caught the 37-year-old Brudov with a perfectly timed left hook to the head that dropped him on his backside. Brudov tried to get up, but he was far too hurt and the fight was immediately stopped. Bellew also knocked Brudov down once in the 2nd round and another time in the 6th.

Bellew will need to improve dramatically if he’s going to go anywhere in the division. Brudov was an old small guy without a ton of power, and there are much better contenders in the division than this guy and Bellew had major problems against him.

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Weights: Brook-Robles, Bellew-Brudov, & Mitchell-Avakyan

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#7 WBC cruiserweight contender Tony Bellew (20-2-1, 12 KO’s) made weight on Friday for his make or break fight aganst Valery Brudov (41-4, 28 KO’s) for their fight on Saturday night at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, UK. Bellew weighed in at 197 lbs, whereas Brudov weighed 192.25 lbs.

For Bellew, this is 22 lbs heavier than he weighed for his last fight against WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson last November. Bellew has moved up in weight to the cruiserweight division due to his struggles to make weight at light heavyweight. With him now at a much heavier weight, Bellew feels that he’ll be stronger and will be able to fight at a higher level.

Bellew is putting a lot of pressure on himself to beat the 37-year-old Brudov, as he’s talking retirement if he loses to him. Bellew said to Sky Sports “It’s the be all or end all. It’s that big. If I can’t beat Valery Brudov then I’m not going to be a world champion and I just don’t think there’s much point in carrying on to be totally honest, so this is it for me.”

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Froch/Groves – Promotion for Dummies?

Froch/Groves - Promotion for Dummies?

So, again, a promoter announces “The biggest domestic fight in history”. This time it’s different faces, but the same old schtick is still there like an itch right in the middle of your back – just between the shoulder blades. This time, going against the grain of the Promoter, they could well be near the mark. I’m referring to the May 31st bout between Carl Froch and George Groves.

Froch/Groves 1 was a great piece of entertainment and some consider it one of the best UK boxing events for many, many years. I’m no different in that regard; for my part, and from the viewing position of my kitchen, I found the fight a real roller-coaster of all that can be great about boxing. From the early knockdown, to the early stoppage and the abject fickleness of the largely partisan crowd, the bout had all the hallmarks of a fight destined to be contested again; which meant leaving itself open to the wild vagaries of building more hype, tackling money in oak paneled offices, and planning the future – whatever the outcome.

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Carl Froch: The Reluctant Warrior

Carl Froch: The Reluctant Warrior

By Nathan Laryea: A professional prize fighter can be slave to many things. Commercial interests, fan pressure and promotional greed will push fighters into situations, and opponents, they may not have chosen for themselves. The power to choose, then, is a rare and valued commodity in this most dangerous of sports.

Few genuinely hold it. The pantomime surrounding Floyd Mayweather’s next choice of opponent is perhaps as clear an example there is of a fighter calling the shots in own career. Mayweather’s unique ability to bring masses of revenue into the sport has rendered him master of his own destiny, but that situation is significant because it is rare.

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Froch-Groves II: Wembley Stadium to serve as Battleground

Froch-Groves II: Wembley Stadium to serve as Battleground

After weeks of speculation the battleground for the eagerly anticipated rematch between Carl Froch and George Groves on May 31st has finally been announced as the Wembley Stadium. Although Wembley had always been the favorite venue, other stadiums including Emirates and The Millennium Stadium were slated to play host on account of the logistical issues posed by Wembley’s accommodating the England and Peru friendly match on the prior evening.

However the fight’s promoter Eddie Hearn was said to be blown away after first walking through Wembley’s tunnels and has worked tirelessly with the stadium and the FA to see that the biggest fight since the Eubank and Benn rematch was staged there. Hearn heavily believes that the fight is the biggest that Britain will have yet seen and strongly felt that the new Wembley Stadium would do it the most justice, especially as it will be the first boxing match to be held at the new stadium since its reopening in 2007.

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Hearn says Froch-Groves II is “Biggest fight in British boxing history” – but who wins?

Hearn says Froch-Groves II is “Biggest fight in British boxing history” - but who wins?

As fight fans may have read by now, it has been confirmed how the eagerly anticipated rematch between bitter super-middleweight rivals Carl Froch and George Groves will go ahead at the colossal Wembley Stadium in London. The fight, a return meeting of last November’s controversial thriller won by Froch via 9th-round TKO, is expected to sell over 60,000 tickets on May 31st.

Promoter Eddie Hearn told BBC Sport today that he thinks the fight will surpass all other British fights as far as ticket sales go, and Hearn has called the return “the biggest fight in British boxing history.” Currently, there have been a few fights held in Britain that saw over 50,000 fans attend – the Joe Calzaghe-Mikkel Kessler fight that took place at The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in 2007 and Ricky Hatton-Juan Lazcano clash that went down at The City of Manchester Stadium in 2008, this fight the current record holder at around 54,000 tickets sold – but Hearn is convinced Froch-Groves II will break all records.

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Acourtier ‘Warzone’ Event Review

MarkPrince2780 Former cruiserweight world title challenger Mark Prince continued his comeback on Saturday night when he demolished Latvian Olegs Lopajevs in the first round at a lively Acourtier event at the legendary York Hall venue in East London.

Although the event was less high profile than the shows in Glasgow, Germany and the US which all had world title fights, the evening was packed with all the boxing related drama you could wish for.

Seasoned pro Mark Prince was the headline act and he showed real class when he took centre stage. The Londoner, who has called his comeback the ‘Return Of The Prince’, was actually taking part in his second bout after being absent from the ring for 14 years.

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DeGale defeats Khatchikian in a surprisingly competitive fight

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WBC Siler super middleweight champion James DeGale (18-1, 12 KO’s) stayed in line for a world title shot against WBC 168 lb champion Sakio Bika by defeated Gevorg Khatchikian (20-1, 8 KO’s) by an 11th round TKO last Saturday night at the City Academy Sports Centre, Bristol, Avon, United Kingdom.

DeGale knocked Khatchikian down a couple of times in the 11th round with body shots. Referee Mark Green then decided that Khatchikian had taken enough punishment so he stopped the bout at 2:58 of the round.

DeGale boxed beautifully through most of the fight. However, his habit of keeping his hands down by his sides led to DeGale getting nailed with a lot of hard right hands from Khatchikian. In the 5th round, DeGale got caught with a tremendous right hand from Khatchikian. DeGale backed up like he was hurt, and he took punishment for the remainder of the round.

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