Tony Bellew is supremely confident heading into tonight’s WBC cruiserweight battle with fellow puncher Ilunga Makabu in his native Liverpool. Bellew, who will go to war at the home ground of his beloved Everton football club, insists nothing Makabu, 19-1(18) can do will prevent him from realising his dream and capturing the vacant green belt. Bellew is sure his moment of destiny has arrived and he is even talking about who he would like to fight after he’s beaten Makabu: none other than former undisputed cruiserweight champ and former WBA heavyweight ruler David Haye.
Surely the end for Sugar Shane Mosley; thanks for the great fights
We surely saw the final ring appearance of the once great Sugar Shane Mosley last night. Beaten to the punch by the thankfully not too murderous-punching David Avanesyan in an interim WBA welterweight showdown, the 44-year-old looked nothing like the sizzling lightweight sensation he once was. Those people who said all along that Mosley should not come back were proven right; even if Mosley proved he still has heart and the stomach for a fight.
Miguel Vazquez beats Erick Bone
(Photo credit: Ryan Greene/Premier Boxing Champions) SAN ANTONIO (May 29, 2016) – Former world champion Miguel “Titere” Vazquez (36-5, 13 KOs) defeated Ecuador’s Erick Bone (16-4, 8 KOs) in a 10-round battle that headlined Premier Boxing Champions on FS1 and FOX Deportes Saturday night from the Dancehall in San Antonio.
The former champion from Mexico worked behind a strong jab and brought the fight to Bone throughout the main event. Bone was able to return fire and was effective at times when countering.
Avanesyan defeats Shane Mosley
#3 WBA “Sugar” Shane Mosley (49-10-1, 41 KOs) saw his dreams of a big fight wash away before his eyes tonight with him losing a 12 round unanimous decision to interim WBA welterweight champion David Avanesyan (22-1-1, 11 KOs) at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona. The fight was a competitive one from start to finish.
The telling factor in the contest was the two or three head-snapping shots the 27-year-old Avanesyan landed in each round. Mosley wasn’t landing with enough regularity to get the victory. The judges’ scores were 114-113, 117-110 and 117-110. The 117-110 scores seemed a tad bit wide to me.
Burns stops Di Rocco, wins WBA 140lb title
Former two division world champion Ricky Burns (40-5-1, 14 KOs) successfully resurrected his career tonight with his 8th round knockout win over the highly rated No.1 WBA Michele Di Rocco (40-2-1, 18 KOs) to claim the vacant World Boxing Association light welterweight title at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland.
The stoppage for the 33-year-old Burns makes him a thee division world champion. Burns flattened Di Rocco with some nice shots in the 8th. When Di Rocco got back to his feet, his equilibrium appeared to be off, which led to referee Terry O’Connor stopping the fight.
Conor Benn makes it 2-0 as a pro with points win over Luke Keleher
Tonight on the Ricky Burns-Michelle Di Rocco card in Glasgow, Scotland, 19-year-old super-lightweight Conor Benn won his second pro bout with a four-round points win over Luke Keleher. Benn was unable to get the KO he seemed desperate to get, but he won the exciting if scrappy affair with his sheer, sometimes quite reckless aggression. 29-year-old Keleher, who did well not to be overwhelmed and indeed gave as good as he got in a couple of the all-action rounds, falls to 2-5-1(1), he has not yet been stopped as a pro. Benn won by the sole scoring official’s card of 40-36 but Keleher may feel aggrieved not to have been awarded at least one even round.
Evander Holyfield says Anthony Joshua has “a great chance” at breaking Marciano’s legendary 49-0 record
It’s one of the most famous and revered set of numbers in the sport of boxing: heavyweight immortal Rocky Marciano’s 49-0 record. Ever since “The Rock” said goodbye to the ring with his perfect ledger, have heavyweights tried to break the record the hugely popular fighter (hugely popular in both life and in death) left behind. Larry Holmes came closest, in 1985, when he defeated Carl Williams to extends his record to 48-0. A controversial and very bitter (for Holmes) loss to Michael Spinks in a heavily hyped fight that same year ruined Larry’s aims to tie with Marciano’s magical numbers.
Lou DiBella says no opponent yet picked for Wilder’s upcoming voluntary, confirms it will not be David Haye
Though Mexican/American contender and former two-time world heavyweight title challenger Chris Arreola is, according to a number of sources, the current frontrunner to face WBC champ Deontay Wilder in his upcoming voluntary defence, promoter Lou DiBella has said that so far no choice of opponent has been decided. DiBella, speaking with Sky Sports, discussed the fact that the available opponents for the fight, targeted for July, consist of “slim pickings.”
Chris Arreola the frontrunner to face Deontay Wilder next, sources say
According to a number of publications – The LA Times and RingTV.com to name just two – Mexican/American heavyweight Chris Arreola is very much in the frame to challenge WBC king Deontay Wilder in Wilder’s next fight, his fourth voluntary title defence. In fact, Lance Pugmire of The LA Times, in revealing info he has received from “two officials close to the situation but unauthorised to speak publicly about the talk,” writes how Arreola is Wilder’s choice as far as his next challenger.
Eubank Junior on how he would beat GGG: “I see slowness, I see a weak defence”
British middleweight champ Chris Eubank Junior keeps talking about world middleweight king Gennady Golovkin and a potential fight between the two. And Eubank Jr, not at all lacking in confidence and self belief, insists he can beat the feared puncher known as Triple G. In fact, take away Golovkin’s power, Eubank says, and GGG becomes a “slow” fighter with “a weak defence.”
Speaking with Voice Of Sport, 26-year-old Eubank Jr, said the only way Golovkin beats him is by knocking him out; something he insists would not happen if the two fought.