Written by: DeMarkus Jones – Things are certainly starting to pick up in the heavyweight division. In April of this year we witnessed Anthony Joshua knock out Wladimir Klitschko in a very entertaining bout. Joshua is already scheduled to defend his WBA (super) and IBF titles against Kubrat Pulev in October. Joseph Parker defends his WBO title against Hughie Fury ( cousin of Tyson Fury) in two weeks on September 23rd. On top of those fights WBC champion Deontay Wilder is going to defend his title against Luis Ortiz. It’s has been quite a while since we have had such a string of important fights this close together in the big boy division. With the announcement of Wilder vs Ortiz lets get to both of these titans before their clash in November.
Arum, Team-Parker furious over British referee, judge being assigned to Fury title defence
Promoter Bob Arum and the entire team behind WBO heavyweight champ Joseph Parker are extremely angry at the way both a British referee and a British judge have been appointed ahead of the upcoming September 23rd title defence Parker will make against Hughie Fury.
According to Arum, who promotes New Zealand’s Parker, The British Boxing Board of Control has “completely disregarded WBO protocol and their contract with Parker to appoint neutral officials.” Referee Terry O’Connor has been given the job of third man in the ring, while an English judge who will score the bout along with two other officials has also been assigned.
Exclusive Interview with Eddie Gregg: “The heavyweights from the 1980s would blow everyone away today”
Tall, athletic and possessing fast hands and above average punching power, New Yorker Eddie Gregg should perhaps have gone further than he did. The 1980s contender, most famous for his 1986 KO loss to Gerry Cooney, became a favourite at The Felt Forum, and it was whilst fighting at this venue that Gregg won his only pro title – stopping an unbeaten Carlos Hernandez to collect the New York State heavyweight title in February of 1985.
Deontay Wilder vs Luis Ortiz reportedly a done deal for November 4 in Brooklyn
Deontay Wilder Vs Luis Ortiz: it’s a potentially explosive heavyweight match-up that has been listed as a possibility for some months, and now, according to numerous news sources, the fight has been nailed down for November 4 in Brooklyn. According to a piece on Yahoo! Sports, promoter Lou DiBella has neither confirmed nor denied the fight, saying to writer Kevin Iole, “Wait until you see what Deontay is up to.”
Can Golovkin – Canelo top even the epic Hagler-Hearns war!
It remains the benchmark all big fights are measured by: it is the epic, never to be forgotten three-round war between all-time greats Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Thomas “Hitman” Hearns. And with expectations mighty high going into Saturday night’s huge middleweight showdown between Gennady Golovkin and Saul Canelo Alvarez – both warriors very possibly being all-time greats of the future – some people are even suggesting the 1985 classic could be topped in terms of mesmerising two-way action.
Four Fallacies Floating Around Boxing Circles Going Into Saturday
Fallacy #1: In simply having shared the ring with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a losing effort, Saul Alvarez has, through some form of osmosis or telepathy, imbibed and absorbed all of Mayweather’s boxing acumen and ability.
This notion is blasphemy. All fights, all sparring sessions, every day of training, and virtually every day of life entails a myriad learning experiences. Undoubtedly, Alvarez has been incrementally improving as a fighter since he emerged onto the world class stage. But, to attribute the quantum leaps that he’s made solely to his thirty-six minutes of glorified sparring spent with Mayweather Jr. is appalling.
Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Chocolatito’s P4P Legacy, Who Has More to Lose Between Canelo/Golovkin, & Adrien Broner’s Legal Troubles!
Sergio H. (Boca Raton, FL): Whose legacy takes a bigger hit in defeat between Canelo and Golovkin?
Vito W. (ESB): In the case of Canelo, the one wildcard for him is the fact that he’s the one going up in weight and taking the risk. He’s facing a feared puncher who enters the ring as the favorite based on that crushing power. It’s the punchers natural weight class. Everything about this bout points to a Golovkin victory. A loss for Canelo, coming on the heels of victories over men like Mosley, Chavez Jr., Cotto, Lara, and others would simply mean he loss to the better man in the ring that night. At his age, he’s still young enough to get himself back on the right track and land in a few more mega-fights and end his career as an eventual Hall of Famer.
Smith vs Skoglund on Saturday in Liverpool
Skoglund invites Zlatan to be ringside for World Boxing Super Series clash
Erik Skoglund (26-0, 12 KOs) has invited countryman Zlatan Ibrahimovic to be ringside for his World Boxing Super Series quarter-final clash with Callum Smith (22-0, 17 KOs) on Saturday night at the Echo Arena in Liverpool.
Canelo – GGG Final Presser Videos, Quotes, Photos
Lineal and Ring Magazine Middleweight Champion Canelo Alvarez (49-1-1, 34 KOs) and WBC/WBA/IBF/IBO Middleweight Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (37-0, 33 KOs) hosted the final press conference ahead of their showdown on Saturday, Sept. 16 presented live on HBO Pay-Per-View® at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT. The live stream of the press conference can be viewed here.
The Dillian Whyte conundrum – who will fight him?
British heavyweight Dillian Whyte is far from the best heavyweight in the world; he has been brutally KO’d by current WBA/IBF champ Anthony Joshua and he has laboured, at least a bit, during some of his winning fights. But what Whyte is, or what he appears to be, is a fighter willing to take on all comers, to fight the best.
Of course Whyte wants the most lucrative fights out there and of course he says a world title shot, should one come up, would take precedent over any other fight. But Whyte believes in himself and in his talents.