British Boxing

British Boxing News

Khan: I know I can get back to the top with Virgil Hunter as my trainer

Khan: I know I can get back to the top with Virgil Hunter as my trainerBy Michael Collins: Former IBF/WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan is convinced that his new trainer Virgil Hunter can turn his sinking career around and bring it back to where it briefly was while Khan was being trained by the well respected Freddie Roach from 2009 to 2012. Khan started out well with Roach, winning his first six fights before things started to turn rotten for him with two losses to Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia.

Khan said “With Virgil in my corner, I know that I can get back to the very top of the light welterweight division.”

I somehow remember Khan saying pretty much the same thing when he hired Freddie Roach as his trainer not long after Khan was starched by Breidis Prescott. Roach was seen as his savior and indeed he helped Khan’s career by getting him through some decent opponents and through his toughest fight of his career against Marcos Maidana. However, Khan remained pretty much the same fighter he had been with other trainers.

continue

Ricky Burns will be back in the ring in December, but not against Scott Harrison

By Michael Collins: WBO lightweight champion Ricky Burns (35-2, 10 KO’s) will be returning to the ring by December, according to his promoter Frank Warren. However, it won’t be against former WBO featherweight champion Scott Harrison, because the World Boxing Organization president Paco Valcarcel is saying that Burns has to fight his mandatory challenger.

continue

Hatton looking to take on the top world champions

By Michael Collins: Ricky Hatton’s first fight in his comeback will be against former WBA World welterweight champion Vyacheslav Senchenko on November 24th in Manchester, England. This fight is only the beginning for the 33-year-old Hatton, however, because he intends on going after the top world champions to pick up their titles if possible. WBA World welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi will likely be Hatton’s first stop after he beats #5 WBA Senchenko on November 24th.

continue

Ricky Hatton: Chasing the Past

Ricky Hatton: Chasing the PastBy Padraig Ivory: I once saw a black and white photo of Ricky Hatton as he lay unconscious after his last bout in 2009. His ripped abdominal muscles almost gave a cobblestone appearance to the Las Vegas canvas. It was a devastating knockout of the raucously supported English favourite. Now three years later ‘The Hitman’ is preparing both physically and mentally to re-enter the boxing ring.

Envision the early runs. The dew unevenly evaporating from the terrain as the nights shadows slowly recede. The footpaths appear two toned, the white frost fading towards the kerbs edge. His warm breath vaporising as it meets the cooler morning air. The thoughts and dreams of the former champion oscillating to and fro as he paces the city streets.

Turning by Victoria Station he automatically decelerates to a slow jog. Nostalgia weighs heavy. The blurring figure of a younger Ricky Hatton running that same street overtakes the now 33 year old. Inspired by the vivid memory he speeds up, chasing his younger image.

continue

The Hatton debate rages on

By Frank Walsh: Every man is born with a burning desire to go beyond our limits. Circumstance dictates how far we are willing to travel to find it. A man that never faces adversity will never know his true potential.

continue

Ricky Hatton to make an announcement about his next opponent on Friday, Katsidis not likely to be the one

Ricky Hatton to make an announcement about his next opponent on Friday, Katsidis not likely to be the oneBy Rob Smith: Ricky Hatton reportedly will be revealing who his next opponent during a press conference this Friday to discuss his upcoming comeback fight on November 24th in Manchester, England. It was thought that Australian Michael Katsidis would be Hatton’s next opponent, but those rumors were quashed earlier today when Katsidis’s agent Matthew Tripp told Sky Sports News “At this stage there has been no discussions. But it is something that we would consider depending on the purse and depending on the weight.”

So there it is. If Katsidis was going to be the next guy to fight Hatton, he would have been contacted by now, but that’s obviously not the case. It’s probably helped Hatton by boxing fans thinking he’s fighting Katsidis because it gave the impression that Hatton would be fighting someone decent. It might be a huge letdown on Friday if Hatton reveals that he’s fighting someone lesser than Katsidis. For Hatton and the sake of boxing fans, hopefully Hatton is going to be fighting someone at least on par with Katsidis.

All this attention for Hatton’s comeback fight only to see him fight some guy that has no chance of winning. You can make a strong argument that Katsidis would have had no chance of winning either given that he’s a small lightweight and would likely be asked to move up two divisions to fight a heavy-bodied Hatton at welterweight.

continue

Haye: I’m not fighting Vitali in Ukraine; it’s too dangerous for me

Haye: I'm not fighting Vitali in Ukraine; it's too dangerous for meBy Michael Collins: Former WBA heavyweight champion David Haye desperately wants to get a fight against WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko before the 41-year-old longtime World Boxing Council champion retires from the sport. However, there are limits to what Haye is willing to put up with in order to get the fight. Haye doesn’t want to fight Vitali in his native Ukraine because he feels it could be dangerous for him to travel there due his fears of being attacked by racist people.

Haye said to the Guardian.co.uk “I’ve never been to Ukraine but I have heard it’s very dangerous for a black man. There are crazy racists who have already sent me death threats. So Germany would be the best and safest place for me to beat Vitali and get out of the stadium alive.”

Haye isn’t exactly in the position to be calling the shots given that he’s just a mere challenger now and no longer a title holder. If Vitali decides he wants the fight to take place in Ukraine, then Haye will have to decide whether he really wants to fight Vitali or not, because the offer will likely be final.

continue