Following the uncertain controversy and apparent postponement of the highly anticipated heavyweight showdown between WBC champion Deontay Wilder and Alexander Povetkin, Wilder decided to press forward and look another direction. He will instead be defending his title belt against the once highly regarded Chris Arreola on July 16 in Wilder’s home state of Alabama.
Arthur Abraham (44-5, 29 KOs) says his opponent Tim-Robin Lihaug (15-1, 8 KOs) should expect no sympathy from him when they meet on July 16 for the WBO International Super Middleweight title at the Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin.
The former two-weight World Champion is aiming to launch another World title assault following his defeat to Gilberto Ramirez in April, and as he prepares for his return to the ring, ‘King Arthur’ knows he cannot afford any slip-ups if he is to reclaim his super middleweight crown.
Undefeated Irish star Carl Frampton was officially welcomed to the United States and New York City Thursday by former world champion and Brooklyn-native Paulie Malignaggi before Frampton held a media workout at Gleason’s Gym as he prepares for his matchup with featherweight world champion Leo Santa Cruz taking place Saturday, July 30 live on SHOWTIME from Barclays Center.
Tyson Fury today publicly confirmed the date of October 29th for his rematch with Wladimir Klitschko. Fury – last seen enjoying himself at the Euros, supporting England, as well as buying football fans drinks and no doubt downing a few himself – took to Twitter earlier today to both confirm the rematch date and post a picture of himself, one which appears to show he is in perhaps surprisingly good shape.
IBF heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua would like to have another fight this year, before facing his mandatory challenger Joseph Parker early on next year. Joshua and his team must start negotiations with Team-Parker by November 9, with the fight likely to take place around March time, but Joshua has spoken of wanting to get another voluntary defence in first, in November or December. And Matchroom chairman Barry Hearn told Sky Sports he feels A.J will indeed slot one more fight in before taking on Parker.
In real life they fought twice, in 1994 and 1995. In reel-life, both Roberto Duran and Vinny Pazienza will go head-to-head later this year as both greats get the biopic treatment on the silver screen. Duran’s movie, “Hands of Stone,” hits cinemas first, at the tail end of August, while Pazienza’s movie, “Bleed For This,” comes out in early November. Both films promise to be, at the very least, watchable affairs.
Will a fight between Gennady Golovkin and Chris Eubank Junior – the man who has been calling him out for some time, even recently posting a hugely confident message on social media where he promised to “rip the belts” away from GGG – actually happen? Well, Golovkin appears to be losing patience. Taking to his own Twitter page this afternoon, the middleweight king made it clear: the ball is now firmly in Eubank’s court:
“Everything is agreed from our side. Now waiting for @ChrisEubankJr, who all of a sudden has lost his pen….” GGG wrote a couple of hours ago, more than a touch sarcastically.
Ulli Wegner has hit back at claims questioning Arthur Abraham’s (44-5, 29 KOs) motivation prior to his WBO International Super Middleweight title fight with Tim-Robin Lihaug (15-1, 8 KOs) on July 16 at the Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin.
Lihaug’s trainer Thomas Hansvoll had called into question Abraham’s desire, stating that he believed the former two-weight World Champion ‘had lost his hunger’ and after years at the top of the sport was ‘not so interested anymore’.
Isaac “Golden Boy” Chilemba (24-3-2, 10 KOs) is in for the fight of his life against the world’s fiercest light heavyweight Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (29-0-1, 26 KOs) on July 11 in Ekaterinburg, Russia but the 29-year old from Malawi is no stranger to fighting in enemy territory. The grudge match between Kovalev and Chilemba will be for the WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Titles.
James Perella is a highly successful amateur fighter who has amassed an impressive 120-20 record and is ranked the third best boxer in the U.S. for his weight class (152 pounds). He has won the U.S. Championship and the New England Golden Gloves four times (2012 to 2015) in three different weight classes (123, 141, and 152 pounds). Perella was named the Most Outstanding Boxer of the New England Golden Gloves in 2012, received a silver medal at the National Pal Tournament, and won the Region One Championship in 2014. He came close to qualifying for a spot on the 2016 Olympic Boxing Team until a combination of injuries and a pair of extremely close split decision losses put an end to his dream to represent his country.