In what is great news for fight fans, it looks extremely likely super-flyweight champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai will meet Roman Gonzalez, the man he dethroned in a big upset in March, in a return bout this September 9. According to Tom Loeffler, who spoke with RingTV.com, the venue is still to be confirmed but Sep 9 is the likely date.
Fight Bites: Ward & Kovalev on Training
Andre Ward – You are a family man and a very private person. How does that help you to prepare for a fight? Do you go away from your family to train? How do you deal with the distance and being away from family?
“I’ve been going away for training camp since 2002. It’s a concept that Virgil [Hunter] brought to me way back then. At the time, I didn’t understand what it was about. We had two young children. If I was working hard why did I need to be isolated? Virgil explained to me that every little thing outside of the ring pulls away from your energy inside it. Today, I can see why it’s a benefit. It gets me in the right frame of mind for what I’m trying to accomplish. It prepares me to go to war.”
Tyson rates Tyson, wants to see Fury fight Joshua
Mike Tyson’s many fans know the former heavyweight ruler is a knowledgable boxing historian, so when Tyson rates a fighter he knows what he’s talking about. And the soon to be 51 year old rates Tyson Fury very highly.
“Iron Mike” was speaking on BBC Radio recently, talking quite a bit about new heavyweight star Anthony Joshua. Tyson, who knows first hand about all the potential pitfalls awaiting any star athlete, warned how Joshua “must focus on fighting only,” and “not get the big head.” If Joshua can do this, Tyson said, then he can reign for a long time.
Joshua-Klitschko II “is happening” says Hearn
Promoter Eddie Hearn says he feels a return fight between Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko will happen, next. Speaking today with Sky Sports News, Hearn said that as far as he is concerned the rematch “is happening unless we are told otherwise by Bernd Boente and Wladimir Klitschko.”
Fans are eager to see a return fight between the two giants, as fight one was so great. Klitschko, who put on a fine performance despite losing the thrilling fight, is expected to speak with manager Boente this week. Right now, Hearn is looking at potential venues for the sequel.
Golovkin says Canelo was “terrible” in Chavez Jr. fight; “Why couldn’t he knock him out!”
Middleweight king Gennady Golovkin wasn’t at all impressed with his upcoming rival, Canelo Alvarez, in the Mexican’s disappointing fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Junior. As fans know, Canelo pitched a shutout over an extremely reluctant Chavez, but Triple-G, in speaking with TMZ Sports, was still critical over Canelo’s inability to get the stoppage.
“He looks terrible. It was very interesting for me – why couldn’t he stop him, knock him out? He must [get the KO],” GGG said. “Please, if he has so much energy (having opted to stand between rounds) then show me in the next round! That was fake, him trying to show big muscles for the women (laughs).”
Canelo, Golovkin at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
The biggest fight in boxing today will come to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, Sept. 16 when two-division world champion Canelo Alvarez (49-1-1, 34 KOs) squares off against IBF/WBA/WBC Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (37-0, 33 KOs) over 12 rounds during Mexican Independence Day weekend. The event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View.
Spence Jr vs. Thurman: “The Truth” says he can knock Thurman out
It’s the biggest and best welterweight fight that can take place today, and it would be one of the biggest in the division’s history for quite some time: a three belt unification showdown between unbeaten champions/stars Errol Spence Junior and Keith Thurman.
Spence, the new IBF champ, instantly called out Thurman, the unified WBA/WBC champ, after he had stopped a battered Kell Brook in Sheffield. So we know the talented southpaw wants it; but does Thurman? Thurman is currently injured and is unlikely to fight again until the end of the year, maybe in November or December. We may, then, have to wait until next year for this, an absolutely mouth-watering fight. It will be worth waiting for.
Garcia vs Broner: Is this the fight where Broner gets KO’d?
Adrien Broner, seemingly every fight fans’s favourite bad boy, is a pretty heavy underdog going into his July fight with unbeaten Mikey Garcia; if not on the boards then perception-wise. Ask a fan, and around eight or nine out of ten of them will tell you Broner gets beaten on July 29.
Broner knows he’s not the fan favourite to win but he says he will be “100-percent” and that he wanted this, a tough fight. To his credit, Broner, a multi-weight champ, has never been stopped in his career, where he has suffered two defeats – to Marcos Maidana, who for many people “exposed” Broner and burst his bubble, and to Shawn Porter. But will Broner get stopped by Garcia next month? Is this the fight that ends Broner’s time as an elite fighter?
Eubank Jr vs Abraham IBO title fight on for July, will go out on ITV pay-per-view in UK
Reports in Germany say the Chris Eubank Jr-Arthur Abraham fight, which was making the rounds a few days ago, is on for July 15 at The SSE Arena. Further reports (thanks, World Boxing) say a big presser will take place soon to officially announce the fight; which is set to go out on the ITV pay-per-view platform Eubank signed on to back in February of this year.
A good fight, an interesting fight, this one will mark a step up for the former British middleweight champ who, in his last fight in February moved up to capture the lightly regarded IBO strap at 168. Eubank Jr. will defend this belt against the seasoned Abraham.
The ascension of the Saint
In his fourth attempt to capture a world title, Saint George Groves claimed the vacant WBA Super-middleweight belt following a bruising encounter with Fedor Chudinov, in the chief support to Kell Brook’s similarly bruising liaison with Errol Spence Jnr. under the arc lights of Bramall Lane and 27,000 fight fans.
George Groves earned it the hard way. And he really did earn it, fighting through a broken jaw from the 3rd round onwards, against the icy strength and come-forward aggression of his Russian opponent, finally stopping him on his feet in the middle of a brutal 6th round.