Superb little fighting machine Roman Gonzalez, a warrior who sat atop of Ring Magazine’s respected pound-for-pound list since September of 2015, has been demoted. The result of his thrilling but losing battle with Thai southpaw Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (a tough name to pronounce, but one we should all get used to as the new WBC super-flyweight king promises to stick around the big fight orbit for some time), the Nicaraguan has slipped to No.4 in the mythical rankings.
Month: March 2017
Liam Smith Vs. Liam Williams Update
The World Boxing Organisation today sanctioned the bout between Liverpool’s Liam Smith and Clydach Vale’s Liam Williams for the WBO Interim Super-Welterweight World Title.
Smith and Williams’ mouth-watering showdown will take place at the Manchester Arena on Saturday 8th April, broadcast live on BT Sport and BoxNation.
Brook vs Spence on 5/27 at Bramall Lane
Kell Brook will defend his IBF World Welterweight title against U.S. star Errol Spence at Bramall Lane in Sheffield on Saturday May 27, live on Sky Sports Box Office and live on SHOWTIME in the U.S. on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING.
Brook makes the fourth defense of his beloved IBF strap he landed in the U.S. in August 2014 with a career-best win over Shawn Porter. He then blitzed Jo Jo Dan, Frankie Gavin and Kevin Bizier before stepping up to middleweight to face fearsome Kazakh Gennady Golovkin at The O2 in September. Now, the Sheffield star welcomes another unbeaten superstar into the ring.
Linares – Crolla camp notes
Returning to the Manchester Arena for part two of the highly anticipated rematch for the WBA, WBC Diamond and Ring Magazine World Lightweight Championship on Saturday, March 25, both current Champion Jorge “El Niño de Oro” Linares (41-3, 27 KOs) and former champion Anthony “Million Dollar” Crolla (31-5, 15 KOs) have vowed to come back into the ring at full force, ready to take home the belts both fighters claim belong to them. Linares vs. Crolla II will be live from Manchester Arena in Manchester, England and available to U.S. fans on Showtime, beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT.
50 years ago: Ali stripped and refused license to fight – but think what might have happened if he’d been able to box on
A half century ago (March 22, 1967) the greatest heavyweight champion boxer in the sport’s long history was, quite disgracefully, stripped of his world title. Even worse, Muhammad Ali – who was still unashamedly being called Cassius Clay by certain people who basically knew no better – was refused the right to box, to earn a living.
It was the height of America’s most unpopular (some would say needless) war, and Ali, having been ordered to fight in Vietnam, refused and was almost universally vilified as a result. Called a traitor and other things, Ali had been transformed from a jovial, entertaining star fighter to a cowardly non-fighter. It would be years, almost four, before Ali would be exonerated and referred to by his real name by all.
Huck vs Briedis: Huck ready for big fight
Champion Captain Huck after his fight with broken hand – “Ulli Wegner made me to an Indian brave!”
One and a half week till showdown – IBO champion Marco “Captain“ Huck fight at 1st of April with Mairis Briedis in Dortmund, Germany, for the WBC Cruiserweight title.
Huck worked very hard in the training camp in Braunlage, Niedersachsen, with his new trainer Oktay Urkal. The preparation with the former Olympic medalist was special because of Huck had broken the metacarpal bone in the last fight with Dmitro Kutcher in November 2016. But the injury is healed now and the bone is able to work under pressure.
Video: George Foreman vs Ron Lyle – Classic Fight Recap
There have been many extraordinary slugfests in the long rich history of professional boxing, but few of the magnificent wars that have taken place over the years can match up to the epic clash that took place on January 24, 1976 between former heavyweight champion George Foreman and former title challenger Ron Lyle. The bout was an absolute battle for the ages that had everything a boxing fan could hope for in terms of exceedingly crowd pleasing back and forth action.
Liam Williams: “I More Than Held My Own With Everyone I Sparred In Vegas.”
Unbeaten British Super-Welter boss Liam Williams is back on Welsh soil and itching to rumble after a highly productive two week tutorial in the unforgiving fight gyms of Las Vegas, writes Glynn Evans.
The bull strong, bionic punching rumbler from the Rhondda meets Liverpool’s Liam ‘Beefy’ Smith at the Manchester Arena on April 8th and insists that his US excursion has placed him into the best form and condition of his five and a half year pro career.
Linares and Crolla quotes for this Saturday
WBA Lightweight World Champion Jorge Linares and former champion Anthony Crolla participated in a public workout at National Football Museum in Manchester, England on Tuesday in preparation for their rematch this Saturday, live on SHOWTIME (6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT) from Manchester Arena.
Linares (41-3, 27 KOs) dethroned Crolla (31-5-3, 13 KOs) in an action-packed battle last September in Manchester to capture the WBA crown. Crolla and Linares were neck-and-neck going into the sixth round until Linares rocked the hometown favorite with a series of shots that galvanized the Venezuelan toward a close 115-114, 115-113 and 117-111 unanimous decision.
Vitali Klitschko: Of course Wladimir has to be the winner on April 29
Vitali Klitschko, brother of course of Wladimir, is convinced his sibling will emerge victorious in his fast approaching April 29 clash with unbeaten star Anthony Joshua. Vitali – a great fighter in his own right, now heavily involved in politics in his native Ukraine – took some time out to speak with Sky Sports about the upcoming IBF/WBA title fight that will play out in front of a record breaking 90,000 crowd.