Former boxer, Emmanuel Adotei Addo’s Night of the Best’ amateur boxing show and talent hunt received a massive boost when the legend himself, Azumah Nelson showed up to lend first hand support at Bukom on Friday evening.
Rising star, Isaac ‘Royal Storm’ Dogboe as well former 2-time IBF female featherweight title challenger, Helen Joseph were among the active boxers who were also present to witness a total of twelve fights including two female exhibitions thrill fight fans to a huge success.
In a surprising, even shocking development regarding the British super-fight between Amir Khan and Kell Brook, it seems the fight is NOT going to happen. At least this is what Khan said today whilst being interviewed on British TV channel ITV’s “This Morning” show.
Khan, speaking with Phillip Schofield via live satellite interview from San Francisco, was primarily talking, along with his wife, about his recent personal problems, but he was also briefly asked about the Brook fight.
Most fight fans agree the upcoming April clash between young champ Anthony Joshua and “old” ex-champ Wladimir Klitschko is pretty much a 50-50 fight; certainly a tough one to pick a winner from. Fans also hope the Wembley mega-event that has smashed all previous ticket sales in the UK is a great fight.
One man who believes it will be “explosive” and “will not last too long,” is Klitschko’s co-trainer James Ali Bashir. Bashir in speaking with BaylorIC TV, said that “someone is getting knocked out” on April 29.
Last week when speaking with ESPN Deportes, Oscar De La Hoya warned us that the planned September mega-fight between Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez could be at risk – at least for that month – because the May 6 fight between Canelo and Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr could be “a war,” maybe even “a draw.”
If this scenario unfolded, De La Hoya posited, Canelo would perhaps not be able to fight GGG in September, as a return bout, or even a trilogy with Chavez would perhaps have to be fought. And now, in also speaking with ESPN Deportes, Abel Sanchez, trainer of course of GGG, has also warned how, with GGG and Canelo both facing very live and dangerous opponents in their upcoming fights (GGG will as we know face Danny Jacobs in March) nothing should be taken for granted.
Former champ and one-time pound-for-pound star Zab Judah returned to the ring last night in Trenton, New Jersey, when he fought for the first time since his 12-round decision loss to Paulie Malignaggi in December of 2013. Closing in on his 40th birthday, Judah still has something to offer.
At least he looked good last night in taking care of journeyman Jorge Luis Munguia of Honduras. Judah was way too fast, powerful and accurate for the 28-year-old, hurting him in the opening session and then dropping and stopping him at 1: 27 of the second-round. Southpaw Judah’s left hand got the job done. Now 43-9(30), Judah will certainly continue his comeback. Mungui, in being stopped for the third time in his career, falls to 12-8(4).
Will proven heavyweight David Haye take out cruiserweight moving up Tony Bellew in double-quick time on March 4, or will “The Hayemaker” dish out a prologued beating? If you are a Bellew supporter and feel “Bomber” will get the win in his heavyweight debut, then it’s perhaps best you read no further.
For Haye, in speaking with IBTimes UK, warned how the “brutal beating” he will give Bellew in just under six week’s time will be so severe that people will “call into question why this fight actually happened.” Haye says that at no point did he go looking for Bellew as an opponent and that the one-sided nature of the fight, along with the brutal nature of the damage he inflicts on Bellew, will make the decision to allow this fight to happen appear “irresponsible.”
According to various reports, along with Artur Beterbiev’s twitter page, Beterbiev and Sullivan Barrera will clash in an IBF light-heavyweight eliminator – the winner to challenge Andre Ward (if Ward doesn’t retire, as he has suggested might be the case).
There is no date or venue yet and the fight has not been officially announced, but Barrera has tweeted how he wants the fight – even stating how he cannot understand why other fighters have swerved the unbeaten Russian banger – and Beterbiev has tweeted that Barrera has agreed to face him.
Is the upcoming May 6 Battle of Mexico between stars Canelo Alvarez-Julio Cesar Chavez Junior capable of pulling in a massive 100,000 live audience? We might find out. According to a news piece in The Los Angeles Times, Oscar De La Hoya and Jerry Jones engaged in a “very productive” talk yesterday about the fight taking place at Jones’ AT&T Stadium in Texas.
The frontrunner to hold the fight might now be the 100,000 capacity stadium, but the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas remains a strong possibility. Canelo has of course got one huge following – see his perceived “easy” fight with Britain’s Liam Smith last September, which drew a hefty 50,000 paying fans – while Chavez Jnr is also a big draw in Texas.
Ghana’s WBA number 3 rated super featherweight, Rafael Mensah whose only previous fight outside Ghana was when claiming a TKO victory over Sunday Ajayi in Coutonou, Benin in December 2011, will have the chance to fight outside Africa for the first time when he faces Fatiou Fassinou of Benin in the UK on March 18.
The undefeated Mensah (28-0, 22 KOs) will square up to Fassinou (26-4-3, 13 KOs) on the Dennis Hobson Promotions bill at the Olympia in London come March 18.
Kelly Swanson
Thanks everybody for joining us. What an exciting conference call we have today. We’re talking about Carl Frampton versus Leo Santa Cruz, the rematch, as well as Dejan Zlaticanin versus Mikey Garcia.
I just want to mention that SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is Saturday, January 28 live on SHOWTIME. It’s a doubleheader presented in association with Premier Boxing Champions and live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.