The Ali Trophy semi-final bout in the cruiserweight edition of the World Boxing Super Series between IBF World Champion Murat Gassiev (25-0, 18 KOs) and WBA World Champion Yunier Dorticos (22-0, 21 KOs) takes place at the Bolshoy Ice Dome in Sochi, Russia on February 3, 2018.
“The consistent growth of our tournament concept keeps attracting major sports investors. Comosa is very proud to bring the Ali Trophy semi-final to Sochi,” said Comosa’s CEO, Roberto Dalmiglio.
Might we see an Anthony Joshua-Alexander Povetkin fight next year some time? This particular match-up, one that seemed to have virtually no chance of happening a while back, in light of the Russian star’s failed drugs test, could be closer than you may think.
As Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn explained to Sky Sports, he will be having a meeting with WBA president Gilberto Mendoza soon, and one of the topics for conversation will be AJ’s new WBA mandatory challenger. Luis Ortiz may be back in business with the WBC, but he is still no longer the WBA mandatory. Hearn is waiting to see who will take “King Kong’s” place:
70 years ago today, legendary heavyweight king Joe Louis, “The Brown Bomber” was edging towards what he hoped would be a happy, content and thoroughly satisfactory retirement from boxing. Louis was no ego-driven talent, forever in search of ‘one more win.’ Instead, his world title defended well over twenty times, Joe wished to call it a career and spend his time playing golf.
But, as history tells us, this is not how things transpired.
Unbeaten Cuban heavyweight Luis Ortiz, who was recently cleared to fight by the WBC – the governing body agreeing how “King Kong” was guilty of taking medication for high blood pressure and nothing more and that this was the reason he failed a drugs test ahead of his aborted November fight with Deontay Wilder – will return this Friday night in Florida.
Boxing legend Roy Jones Junior is still not anywhere close to calling it a day it seems. The former pound-for-pound king turns 49 in January, yet he is still on the lookout for big fights; one in particular. For years now, the once untouchable middleweight/super-middleweight/light-heavyweight has been talking about, and trying to get done, a crossover fight between himself and former UFC king Anderson Silva.
As fans know, the sport of boxing is absolutely littered with great fighters who, despite announcing their retirement, were simply unable to walk away and stay away for good without making a comeback. Right now, 37 year old future Hall of Famer Miguel Cotto sounds about as convincing as is imaginable when he insists that, yes, his comeback WILL stick; that he will fight no more.
With the (apparent) retirement of superstar Floyd Mayweather Junior – “apparent” because there are still some suggestions that say the 40 year old will indeed box again – Floyd himself denying any such notions; for now at least – who is the current biggest star in US boxing? The probable answer is Canelo Alvarez; the Mexican hero being hugely popular in many countries other than his own, America included.
Lee Selby insists that re-aligning with Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren is the final cog in his quest to secure universal recognition as the world’s leading featherweight.
‘The Welsh Mayweather’ from Barry makes a fourth defence of the IBF strap – that he captured in May 2015- at London’s Copper Box Arena this Saturday, knowing that a sizzling show will propel him into the big fights for big coin that he has long coveted, in 2018.
Sadam Ali (26-1, 14 KOs) says it would have been a different story if Jessie Vargas was inside the ring with him last Saturday night instead of Miguel Cotto at Madison Square Garden in New York. Ali beat Cotto (41-6, 33 KOs) by an impressive 12 round unanimous decision to win his WBO junior middleweight title.
Sadam ‘World Kid’ Ali (26-1, 14 KOs) had WBO junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto (41-6, 33 KOs) badly hurt last night on 3 occasions in their fight, but he didn’t go after him to try and finish him off much to the disappointment to a lot of the boxing fans at Madison Square Garden in New York.