British Boxing News
LONDON (29 Oct) – Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao’s return to the ring against the unyielding Brandon Rios on November 23rd will be brought to UK fight fans live and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky Ch.437/Virgin Ch.546).
The eagerly anticipated matchup which sees Pacquiao make his first return to the ring since his devastating knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez will pit him against one of boxing’s most relentless warriors in the shape of Rios, in a bout certain to produce fireworks.
On Saturday afternoon November 23rd, boxing fans will get an early holiday gift as one of most anticipated All-English bouts in a long time will take place as IBF/WBA Super Middleweight champion Carl Froch defends his crown against undefeated George Groves.
The bout will be televised LIVE and exclusively in the United States by AWE and awetv.com
The announcement comes on the heels of a great afternoon of boxing that will see IBF number-one Welterweight Kell Brook take on former WBA Welterweight champion Vyacheslav Senchenko that will be shown LIVE TODAY AT 3 PM EST / 12 PACIFIC
Two ageing heavyweights who really should be happily enjoying retirement will meet in Russia on November 4th. R-Sport reports how Oleg Maskaev, the former WBC heavyweight champion, will face Britain’s Danny Williams in Krasnodar, Russia. 44-year-old Maskaev, 38-7(28) was to have faced Corey Sanders in a rematch of a 2002 meeting which was won by Sanders via 8th-round TKO, but Sanders was unable to get a visa to travel to Russia. 40-year-old Williams, who has a 44-18(33) record (having lost his last eight outings, half by stoppage) was available and has been brought in at short notice.
Maskaev, known as “The Big O,” launched his latest comeback in December of 2012, and since then he has picked up two wins (a 3rd-round TKO over Owen Beck and, last time out in May of this year, a ten-round UD over Jason Gavern). Williams should certainly have quit at least a couple of years ago (he is unable to get a licence to box in Britain), while Maskaev, also way past his best, appears to have at least something left.
Brook needs a victory in this fight to move forward for another shot against IBF welterweight champion Devon Alexander.
Brook fought a won an IBF eliminator last year in defeating Hector Saldivia. But then unfortunately Brook suffered two injuries that got in the way of his title shot against Alexander. This time Brook intends on making the most of his opportunities by beating the 36-year-old Senchenko, and then finally getting his shot against Alexander.
IBF/WBA super-middleweight king Carl Froch is confident he will defeat unbeaten George Groves in the all-British showdown set for November 23rd; with “The Cobra” believing he will get the job done inside the distance. And the 36-year-old is already eyeing an even bigger fight for himself, to take place in Las Vegas.
Speaking with U.K tabloid The Sun, Froch revealed how his promoter Eddie Hearn has been talking to HBO about him facing either Julio Cesar Chavez or Gennady Golovkin.
“It’s potentially one of the biggest fights to happen in the last decade,” Froch said of his possible fight with Chavez Junior or Golovkin.
European Heavyweight Champion Dereck Chisora gets to do an Italian job on unbeaten Italian challenger Matteo Modugno at the Copper Box Arena on Saturday 30th November.
The big-punching Finchley star has recaptured his form winning all three fights this year by stoppage and aims to stop Modugno to cap a fantastic year as he looks for a world title shot in 2014.
Chisora, 29, captured the European title last month with a devastating display to smash German Edmund Gerber inside five rounds, showing that he is back to his best and ready for a second world title opportunity.
British fighter Tony Bellew (20-1-1, 12 KO’s) is going to need a miracle knockout to beat WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson (22-1, 19 KO’s) on November 30th because he’s out of his league in every way you can imagine in this one. Bellew has wanted this fight for ages, and now that he’s got it he doesn’t look nearly ready.
While Bellew talks like he’s got the skills to beat Stevenson, the fact is Bellew doesn’t look like he’s in the same class as him. In the last two years of Bellew’s career, he hasn’t shown improvement from his defeat to former WBO light heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly.
LONDON (22 Oct) – Undefeated boxing great Joe Calzaghe will kick off ‘Fighting Back’, a hit new series debuting on BoxNation this Friday, ahead of Bernard Hopkins’ world title showdown with German contender Karo Murat. The first instalment of the series features the Welsh pugilist as he looks back over his historical victory over the eternal Hopkins, who became the oldest world champion ever at 48 when he beat Tavoris Cloud for the IBF title last March.