Until now, Amir Khan, when asked when he will fight British rival Kell Brook (who is constantly calling Khan out) answered that the fight would take place in time, or when Brook has added a big name or two to his resume. This is not what Khan is saying now, however. Coming straight to the point, Khan says he “doesn’t like” Brook, and he insists, “I’m not going to give him the fight.”
Canelo vs. GGG can wait
Welcome to another edition of Boxing’s Devil’s Advocate. Today we examine the case of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs Genady “GGG” Golovkin, and consider the reasons why there really should be no rush to stage this contest. Firstly, I acknowledge that Golden Boy productions, promoter of Saul Alvarez, and K2 productions, promoter of GGG, have a tacit agreement in place to have their respective fighters face off in the fall. That, however, was originally based on a WBC mandatory, a blatant cash grab from a notoriously corrupt sanctioning body who threatened to strip Alvarez of a title he really shouldn’t have, should he not face GGG.
After all, the WBC middleweight title has recently changed hands twice in fights that were not even contested at middleweight. This brings me to the crux of my argument; the main reason Canelo vs GGG can wait is because Saul Alvarez is not yet a middleweight.
No deal reached for Luis Ortiz-Alexander Ustinov; fight to go to purse bids
The intriguing heavyweight match-up of Luis Ortiz-Alexander Ustinov will now go to purse bids, as no deal has been reached by the two parties. Ortiz of Cuba, the WBA interim champion, must fight Russia’s Ustinov next as part of the WBA’s plans to see just one man crowned as their heavyweight king. The purse bids have been called for for May 19th.
VIDEO: Will Canelo do the right thing & finally face Gennady Golovkin?
Canelo Alvarez successfully defended his middleweight crown this weekend when he scored a highlight reel knockout against a ballooned up version of welterweight Amir Khan. This was not a situation like when Ray Leonard challenged Marvin Hagler, or even like when Oscar De La Hoya challenged Bernard Hopkins. This was something different altogether. Not only was Canelo defending the highly coveted middleweight crown below the 160 pound limit, but he was also facing an opponent who had mediocre success at 147 and had never even competed north of that weight class. This has become a sad and growing trend in the middleweight division, where the title hasn’t been defended at the official 160 pound weight limit in years.
Canelo throws the punch before the feint
The stunning one punch ending came as no surprise. Most of the experts felt Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (41-1-1, 33KO) would kayo Amir “King” Khan Saturday night at the new T-Mobile Area, Las Vegas, NV. All the hoopla concerning speed versus power only goes so far, especially with a stronger fighter who can box.
For the first three rounds, Khan circled, and dodged, darted and held, with speedy combinations mixed in for good measure. He landed some good one-two’s, but with little effect. When he fired off multi-punch combinations, his right foot would come off the canvas. He was like a frightened bird in flight.
The better fighter: Khan or Hatton? Magic Man Malignaggi says Khan
Fight fans, perhaps more than fans of any other sport, love a debate – even if there can never, ever be one definitive answer to the argument. And former world champ Paulie Malignaggi has surely started a debate with his stated opinion that, out of Amir Khan and Ricky Hatton, Khan goes down as the better fighter.
Malignaggi – who is matching his ring accomplishments with the talent he is showing for commentary – spoke with Mail Online and the man who fought both Hatton and Khan (losing to both via 11th-round stoppage, the Hatton loss being a corner retirement decision) gave his arguments for ranking Khan above Hatton.
Khan says he’d like to return in December in the UK; talks possible Cotto, Garcia, Pacquiao fights
Amir Khan, thankfully okay after being brought down by one heck of a thudding blow by the much bigger and more powerful Saul Canelo Alvarez, is already plotting his next move; and this certainly does not include retirement. Khan, a fighter who has always gone after the biggest fights on a global scale, has lost none of his ambition, even if his gamble of a weight climb against Alvarez resulted in his fourth career defeat. In fact Khan, as he revealed when speaking with Sky Sports, has maintained his desire to engage in mega-fights.
Tyson Fury gives props to Khan and Crolla then exits Twitter “So I can focus on my job”
Controversial heavyweight ruler Tyson Fury rarely, if ever, gets credit for the classy things he does. The press and media, more motivated to write up stories telling of Fury’s bad side, are less keen to report on his good side. And deep down, Fury is indeed a good man. Out of his own pocket, this past Saturday, he flew to Germany to support once bitter rival Dereck Chisora ahead of his European title fight with Kubrat Pulev (Chisora lost via 12-round split decision) and the two had mutual respect in the dressing room both before and after the fight.
Kanat Islam defeats Jesus De Angel
Undefeated contender Kanat Islam (21-0, 18 KOs) stopped Colombia’s Jesus De Angel (18-4-1, 17 KOs) in the sixth round of Sunday night’s main event on Premier Boxing Champions: The Next Round on Bounce TV from the Lakeland Center in Lakeland, Florida.
The rising 154-pounder from Kazakhstan stopped his ninth straight opponent inside the distance when De Angel fell to the canvas twice in round six prompting referee Telis Assimenios to halt the bout 22 seconds into the round.
The 155 lbs Malarkey
Boxing has seen its fare share of ludicrous and irresponsible match-ups in the past but recently the outrage has become the norm. One mainstream title is being passed around without any regard of rankings, weight limits and boxers’ safety. Money can’t buy health.
The WBC middleweight title has become the black sheep of boxing. It is an illustration of the turmoil and disorder in the industry.