Tony Bellew says he is “much closer” to a fight with Andre Ward in comparison to a return bout with David Haye. Bellew shocked Haye back in March, beating him via 11th round stoppage (assisted by Haye’s Achilles injury) and he says he is now ready to cause another, even bigger shock by beating pound-for-pound king Ward.
Bob Arum wants Joseph Parker-Bryant Jennings next spring; if Jennings can come through his next two bouts
Former top contender and world title challenger Bryant Jennings was recently signed up by Bob Arum’s Top Rank group, and Arum has big plans for the twice-beaten Philly heavyweight. Speaking with ESPN.com, Arum said the big plan is to get Jennings another shot at a world title, and Arum is eyeing Joseph Parker for Jennings next spring.
But 32 year old Jennings, 19-2(10) must come through his next two scheduled fights first. Jennings, beaten only by Wladimir Klitschko (pts) and by Luis Ortiz (KO by7) will return from a near two-year layoff on the August 19 bill topped by the Terence Crawford-Julius Indongo 140 pound unification clash – Jennings will face little-known Daniel Martz, 15-4-1(12).
David Price to give it one more go, the heavyweight assembles new team ahead of September return
David Price refuses to give in. The former Olympian and former British and Commonwealth heavyweight champ has been written off more times than he cares to remember, yet he is set to give it one final push next month.
According to a news piece in The Liverpool Echo, the 34 year old one-time “sure thing” has parted with trainer Dave Coldwell – the man who attempted to pick up the pieces and salvage Price’s career after his stoppage loss to Erkan Teper – and is now working with George Vaughan, along with former champ Derry Matthews and Joe McNally. Price, 21-4(18) will face a TBA on the September 16 card at The Echo Arena in Liverpool topped by Callum Smith against Erik Skoglund in The WBSS 168 pound tournament.
Team Shields Congratulates Boxing’s Newest Superstar, Claressa Shields
Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Claressa “T-Rex” Shields became the unified WBC and IBF World Super Middleweight Champion last Friday night with a dominant fifth-round TKO of now former champion Nikki Adler.
Fighting in front of her home state fans at MGM Grand Detroit and in the main event of a nationally televised ShoBox: The New Generation, Shields put on a display of skills and power seldom seen by a first-time world-title challenger. Without any answers to the level of talent in front of her, Adler was forced to cover up and withstand the blazing speed of Shields’ fists for five one-sided rounds.
Jimmy Burchfield Sr. on Mayweather-McGregor fight
By Classic Entertainment & Sports CEO Jimmy Burchfield Sr.: Everywhere I go, people ask me what I think about the big fight on Aug. 26th between Floyd Mayweather Jr., the pound-for-pound greatest boxer of our generation, and Conor McGregor, MMA’s “notorious” bad boy and No. 1 draw worldwide.
From the week-long press tour, to the verbal sparring from both sides, and the social media frenzy over the past few weeks, there’s no doubt Mayweather-McGregor will set records as one of the most hyped and highly-anticipated fights in decades.
Twenty Years ago today: A peak Roy Jones Junior brutally avenges his controversial loss to Montell Griffin!
Twenty years ago today, all-time great Roy Jones Junior had a point to prove, and, boy, did an angered Jones prove it in ferocious fashion! The 28 year old star and pound-for-pound king had controversially lost both his light-heavyweight title and his unbeaten record in March of 1997, when big underdog (who wasn’t a big underdog when facing this, the peak Jones!) Montell Griffin scored the most controversial win of the year.
Who would YOU rather see Lomachenko fight next: Rigondeaux, Salido, Berchelt, someone else?
One of the hottest fighters on the scene today, reigning WBO super featherweight king and pound-for-pound star Vasyl Lomachenko is looking at his next fight in December, and it is promoter Bob Arum’s job to get “Hi Tech” a suitable challenger and challenge.
There can be no more Miguel Marriagas, that’s for sure – both from Lomachenko’s standpoint and from that of the fans. A move up to lightweight is being considered, and there has been plenty of talk regarding a possible Lomachenko-Mikey Garcia fight, but that move, and that fight, looks more likely for next year. Guillermo Rigondeaux appears to be very much in the frame as far as December is concerned, and who wouldn’t want to see Lomachenko face the brilliant Cuban stylist, maybe in a catch-weight bout?
Dillian Whyte now set to face Malcolm Tann on Crawford-Indongo bill
British heavyweight Dillian Whte was all set to face veteran former contender Michael Grant in his US debut set for August 19 on the under-card of the big 140 pound unification showdown between Terence Crawford and Julius indongo. But that terrible match-up was scratched because, well, it was terrible – Grant being largely inactive and not having won a meaningful fight in years.
Gamboa Makes a Quiet Comeback on August 12th
Former WBA and IBF featherweight world champion, Yuriorkis Gamboa, sneaks back into the boxing landscape on August 12th, when he takes on 15(7)-2(0)-1 Alexis Reyes, in the Oasis Arena, Cancun, Mexico. Far removed from his exalted position as one of the most highly regarded fighters in the game, the 35 year old Cuban is attempting to reignite his claim for a title shot against the rugged Mexican. His hopes were earlier extinguished by an upset defeat to the highly experienced and unjustly unheralded Robinson Castellanos, who stopped Gamboa in May of this year.
Paulie Malignaggi lays into former spar-mate Conor McGregor: He whimpers like a girl when ripped to the body
Former heavyweight king Mike Tyson caused something of a stir when he said, after beating up Tyrell Biggs almost 30 years ago, how his hated (at the time) rival “made woman-type gestures when I hit him to the body.” Well, Paulie Malignaggi, via twitter, has fired similar shots at MMA star/soon to become a boxer, Conor McGregor.