Month: January 2017

Manny Pacquiao says he has four fights left – who should he face to see out his career?

Manny Pacquiao says he has four fights left – who should he face to see out his career?

Superstar, living legend, future Hall of Famer and all time great (yes, he’s definitely all four) Manny Pacquiao recently gave an interview in which he stated how he feels he has “three, maybe four fights” left inside him. Pac-Man, a truly special fighter who has achieved so, so much, is 38 and he could be gone, perhaps should be gone and retired, by the age of 40.

But if Pacquiao does have four more fights before waving goodbye to the prize ring and fully committing himself to his other passion, politics, who should his opponents be? No disrespect to Australia’s Jeff Horn, but wouldn’t it be great, and fitting, if this unique fighter fought four big fights before leaving us?

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Floyd Mayweather asks, “Are they [the judges] being paid under the table?” after Jack-DeGale draw

Floyd Mayweather asks, “Are they [the judges] being paid under the table?” after Jack-DeGale draw

As fight fans are probably aware, superstar Floyd Mayweather had plenty to say, both before, during and after Saturday night’s big 168-pound unification fight between his fighter Badou Jack and Britain’s James DeGale. But it is what “Money” said after the controversial draw that saw both warriors keep their belt, that has attracted the most attention.

Mayweather was furious over the decision that denied Jack from adding the IBF title to the WBC he already holds, and he has even questioned whether the judges are “being paid under the table?” Mayweather is so angry, he is quoted, by The Mirror, as saying he may not come back to New York to promote any future fights.

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Vasyl Lomachenko-Jezreel Corrales a strong possibility for April says Arum

Vasyl Lomachenko-Jezreel Corrales a strong possibility for April says Arum

It seems there could be plenty of title fight unification match-ups taking place here in 2017. We’ve already had the James DeGale-Badou Jack super-middleweight thriller (which, okay, it didn’t produce the hoped for unified 168-pound champ, but the two warriors tried their best and that’s the point), and in March we will have welterweight stars Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia facing each other for two major belts.

Another hugely intriguing and exciting unification fight could happen in April, as Bob Arum, in speaking with TASS, said reigning WBO super-featherweight king Vasyl Lomachenko will likely face reigning WBA 130-pound boss Jezreel Corrales, on either the 8th or on the 15th of April.

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Ringside Report: Lara vs. Foreman

Ringside Report: Lara vs. Foreman

Friday, January 13, 2017, WBA Super Welterweight Champion Erislandy Lara (24-2-2, 14 KOs) retained his title by knocking out Yuri Foreman (34-3-0, 10 KOs) in the fourth round of a scheduled twelve-round bout at the Hialeah Park Casino in Hialeah, FL.

The champion, Lara, is a Cuban-born fighter who resides in Houston, Texas. A Cuban expatriate, he has built an incredible career in professional boxing in the United States, earning him the handle “The American Dream.” Lara proudly wears this name across the waistband of his trunks. After losing to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in a highly-contested split decision in 2014, Lara has won all of his last five bouts.

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The DeGale-Jack war could be just the start of a great 2017

The DeGale-Jack war could be just the start of a great 2017

The terrific battle super super-middleweights James DeGale and Badou Jack put on last night in New York may have exceeded expectations. Fans expected a good fight, but they arguably got a great one. The drawn verdict aside – a draw rarely pleases in boxing – we want to see more of what we were privileged to have seen last night.

And the way 2017 is shaping up, with a number of potentially great match-ups already confirmed and others likely to be announced over the coming months, fight fans might just get one of the best years in a long time.

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Chris Eubank Jr says he wants James DeGale next – says he is “coming for the rest of those teeth!”

Chris Eubank Jr says he wants James DeGale next – says he is “coming for the rest of those teeth!”

It seems Chris Eubank Junior has moved on from calling out middleweight king Gennady Golovkin, to shouting and screaming about what he will do to reigning IBF super-middleweight boss James DeGale. Recently, just before DeGale went to war in last night’s excellent fight with Badou Jack – a performance which Eubank Jnr has yet to match at any time in his career – the two went back and forth on Twitter.

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Gervonta Davis dethrones Jose Pedraza for IBF 130lb title!

Gervonta Davis dethrones Jose Pedraza for IBF 130lb title!

Undefeated 130-pound Floyd Mayweather protégé Gervonta Davis (17-0, 16 KOs) dethroned defending IBF Junior Lightweight World Champion Jose Pedraza (22-1, 12 KOs) with an impressive seventh round TKO (2:36) in the opening bout of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING.

Davis was supremely accurate from the opening bell, landing an astounding 48 percent of his power punches and 40 percent of his total shots. Davis won his first title at just 22 years of age, similar to his mentor Mayweather, who picked up his first belt in the same weight class when he was 21.

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James DeGale and Badou Jack fight to draw

James DeGale and Badou Jack fight to draw

The No. 1 and No. 2-ranked super middleweights in the world met in a unification to determine the world’s best 168-pound fighter Saturday on SHOWTIME. After two knockdowns and 12 intense, back-and-forth rounds, the distinction as the world’s best super middleweight is still up for grabs.

WBC champion Badou Jack (20-1-3, 12 KOs) and IBF titlist James DeGale (23-1-1, 14 KOs) fought to a 12-round majority draw in the main event of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING in front of 10,128 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The bout was scored 114-112 (DeGale) and 113-113 twice, and the only clear winner was the sport of boxing and its fans.

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Serrano beats Rivas to retain WBO title

Serrano beats Rivas to retain WBO title

Amanda Serrano (31-1-1, 23 KOs) capitalized on the opportunity to fight in the first women’s world title fight on English-language national television in nearly a decade, with a dominating performance in victory. Serrano defended her WBO Junior Featherweight World Championship over former two-division world champion Yazmin Rivas (35-10-1, 10 KOs) via unanimous decision. The judges scored the bout 97-97, 98-92, 99-91.

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