British Boxing

British Boxing News

Bellew plans on overwhelming Chilemba with punches on Saturday

bellew64#1 WBO light heavyweight contender Tony Bellew (19-1-1, 12 KO’s) will be trying to erase the controversy of his previous fight when he faces #3 WBC Isaac Chilemba (20-1-2, 9 KO’s) in a rematch this Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London, UK.

The fight is buried on the Carl Froch vs. Mikkel Kessler card, and you have to wonder if this was an intentional move by Bellew’s promoter Eddie Hearn in case Bellew gets boxed silly again by Chilemba and it ends up as a huge buzz kill for all the Brits at ringside and watching on television.

Audley Harrison changes his mind about retiring, will fight on

harrison323British heavyweight Audley Harrison (31-7, 23 KO’s) says he’s changed his mind about retiring from the sport, and he’ll be continuing with his career, such as it is. Audley had said he was retiring after he was blasted out by unbeaten Deontay Wilder (28-0, 28 KO’s) in one round on April 27th in Sheffield. We should have known that Audley wouldn’t stay retired because he seems to be remaking his career after every defeat.

Audley said this to BBC: “I can’t walk away with that performance [against Deontay]. If I do it would haunt me until I’m old and gray. I got up, they should have let him come to finish me and let me show what I got.”

Groves has good idea who’ll win between Froch and Kessler on Saturday

kessler#11Unbeaten George Groves sparred with both IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch and WBA champion Mikkel Kessler, and he feels knows who’s going to be the clear winner on Saturday night based on his sparring sessions. He won’t say who it’ll be though, but you can guess that Kessler will be the guy that comes out on top in this one.

Groves said to the telegraph.co.uk “I’ve sparred with both. I spared with Carl before his first fight with Kessler in 2010. I suppose I’ve had a better look at both of them than most have, and for me there’s a clear winner, but I can’t really share. It wouldn’t be fair to the lads.”

Froch brands Groves and Cleverly “Bitter and Jealous”

froch922 Boxing fans should already be aware that on Saturday the 25th of May, Nottinghamshire warrior, Carl Froch, will be fighting in his long awaited rematch with Mikkel Kessler at the 02 Arena. The first bout was a captivating toe to toe war and it is believed that this Super Middleweight contest will also be a battle for the ages.

In the build up to the fight there have been no real hiccups. This is a far cry from the volcanic ash cloud fiasco, one that Froch rather dubiously blamed for his loss in their 2010 match-up. However, there has still been some room for dissatisfaction in the Froch camp. He is allegedly enraged by George Groves’s and Nathan Cleverly’s decision to assist Kessler in sparring. As a result, has labelled the duo “bitter and jealous” in a cutting tirade of abuse.

Fury to Deontay: If you beat Kevin Johnson, I’ll give you a fight

fury1Heavyweight contender Tyson Fury (21-0, 15 KO’s) has ignored American heavyweight contender Deontay “Bronze Bomber” Wilder’s attempts to get him in the ring despite it being a fight that would help Fury in a huge way if he won. However, Fury now is saying that he’ll agree to fight Deontay if he beats Kevin “Kingpin” Johnson (29-3-1, 15 KO’s), a guy that Fury easily beat by a 12 round unanimous decision last December.

Fury said on his social media site: “At Bronzebomber [Deontay Wilder], if you can beat Kevin ‘Kingpin’ Johnson, I’ll definitely give you your fight with me!!!! What do you say? I know Kevin will fight.”

I don’t think for a second that Fury, #5 WBO, #6 WBC, #8 IBF, would hold up his end of the bargain if Deontay did take the fight with Johnson and knock him out. Without it being written in a contract, Fury could then just ignore Wilder like before and continue to fight other guys.

Haye and Fury eyeing Battle of Britain before 2013’s end

haye#5Last week, David Haye had to temporarily postpone his 29th of June comeback against Manuel Charr due to a hand injury. Team Hayemaker do hope this fight can be remade, but they are already planning a clash with the Mancunian Monster Tyson Fury before the year’s end.

Haye’s trainer and manager Adam Booth told Sky Sports News, “The plan is Manuel Charr then we will look later on this year. We are interested in the fight [with Fury] – it’s a huge domestic fight in the UK.”

Audley Harrison vs Deontay Wilder on Saturday

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An intriguing encounter awaits on the “Return of the King” undercard when Audley Harrison [31-6 -& 23 KOs] meets Deontay Wilder [27-0 & 27 KOs] in a fight which, in some circles, has generated just as much discussion as the main event. For Wilder, Harrison represents a big step-up in competition, as well as the opportunity to collect the first ‘name’ on his record. In contrast, last chance saloon has been a statement thrown around for various fights of Harrison’s over the years, but at 41, it’s difficult to see how he could come back again if he loses this.

Anyone with an interest in the heavyweight division will be curious enough to tune in and have a look at Wilder, a Bronze medalist at Beijing 2008, in his biggest test to date as a professional. Not only does Wilder find himself up against an opponent with a KO record of some significance, but he also finally meets a technical fighter, as well as his first southpaw opponent since turning professional. It will be interesting to see how comfortable Wilder is with open southpaw angles and how he approaches the fight.