Badou Jack: Promising Knockout Performance Against George Groves

Badou Jack: Promising Knockout Performance Against George Groves

For many boxing fans left underwhelmed by September 12th’s Mayweather/Berto fight in Las Vegas, the silver lining comes in the form of the WBC 168lb title fight between the “Money Team’s” champion Badou Jack, and dangerous British challenger George Groves that will appear on the undercard in chief support of the main event.

With the potential to eclipse that headline fight extremely high, Sweden’s Jack, who has made Vegas his adopted hometown, has promised a knockout performance against the big-hitting British challenger, who in the eyes of many – this writer included – will enter the fight a considerable favourite.

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Shane Mosley: I’ll Fight With or Without Mayorga on Saturday / “Back-Up Fighter In Place

Shane Mosley: I'll Fight With or Without Mayorga on Saturday / "Back-Up Fighter In Place

With Saturday’s scheduled catchweight rematch battle against fellow old timer Ricardo Mayorga in serious jeopardy due to a Don King lawsuit, “Sugar” Shane Mosley has insisted that the show will go on in L.A with or without the chain-smoking Nicaraguan in the opposite corner.

King filed emergency injunction papers in Miami recently, claiming he still has Mayorga under contract and hasn’t given his okay for him to compete in the bout, something that is looking increasingly likely to be true after last Thursday’s hearing in Miami, which Mosley attended.

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Abner Mares: “I’m Better Than I Ever Have Been” Ahead of Leo Santa Cruz Fight

Abner Mares: "I'm Better Than I Ever Have Been" Ahead of Leo Santa Cruz Fight

If Don King succeeds in putting the kibosh on next Saturday’s Mosley/Mayorga rematch, then fight fans will only have the PBC on ESPN Leo Santa Cruz/Abner Mares bout – that takes place at the Staples Centre in LA on the same night – for their fistic viewing pleasure.

Not that there will be too many fans disappointed by that mind you, given they were set to pay $49.95 for the “priviledge of watching the ageing veterans go at it, yet one of the protagonists in the latter, free-to-air bout – Abner Mares – has promised he has returned to his form of old and will be looking to stun his fellow California-based Mexican rival in their long awaited, and far more relevant bout.

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Andy Lee: Venue Switch Can Potentially Change the Game / Fight “Closer” Than Before

Andy Lee: Venue Switch Can Potentially Change the Game / Fight "Closer" Than Before

After a venue switch from Thomond Park in his Limerick, Ireland hometown, to the Manchester Arena in England, WBO middleweight champion “Irish” Andy Lee has conceded that the dynamic of his October 10th fight with Hatfield’s Billy Joe Saunders has ostensibly shifted, now that it is the challenger, rather than Lee himself, who will be on “home” soil.

The “party line” is that the champion was suffering from a virus that caused the change of date and location for the contest, although poor ticket sales are still thought to have been a deciding factor – something that will no longer be a problem given the stacked “World War 3” triple-world title bill the fight now headlines.

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Josh Warrington Wants Future Lee Selby Fight

Josh Warrington Wants Future Lee Selby Fight

If he comes through his September 5th Commonwealth title fight with Australia’s Joel Brunker (28-1, 16ko) in Leeds, then unbeaten featherweight Josh Warrington (21-0, 4ko) is eyeing a potential world title clash with new IBF champion Lee Selby in the none too distant future.

While it’s no foregone conclusion that the fanatically supported Yorkshireman will beat Brunker – whose sole blemish came against Selby last October – Warrington is confident he can indeed do the business and disagrees with Selby’s assertion that Brunker will beat him next month.

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Briedis destroys Charr

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In a surprising upset, the well-known heavyweight Manuel Charr (28-4, 16 KOs) was stopped in the 5th round by little known undefeated Mairis Briedis (17-0, 14 KOs) on Saturday night at the Akhmat Arena, in Grozny, Russia. Charr was knocked out cold from a left-right combination from Briedis that deposited Charr face down on the canvas.

It was similar to the way Juan Manuel Marquez knocked Manny Pacquiao out three years ago in 2012. The only difference was Briedis split Charr’s guard with a right uppercut to the chin and followed it up with a parting left hook to the head that sent the 245 pound Charr face down on the canvas. Charr’s arms were to his sides when he hit the canvas and he didn’t even attempt to brace his fall because he was literally knocked unconscious. Referee Irakly Malazonia stopped the fight officially at 2:55 of the round.

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Wladimir Klitschko v Tyson Fury Set for Huge 54,600 Sell-Out says Mick Hennessy

Wladimir Klitschko v Tyson Fury Set for Huge 54,600 Sell-Out says Mick Hennessy

Tyson Fury’s October 24th world heavyweight title challenge to dominant lineal champion Wladimir Klitschko at the 54,600 capacity Espirit Arena in Dusseldorf, Germany is poised for a sell-out according to Fury’s long-time promoter Mick Hennessy.

The fight, which became a done deal at the 11th hour ahead of a scheduled purse bid, has seen a huge demand for tickets from passionate Brits who believe the giant 6ft 9″ challenger may well be able to pull off the upset over the Ukrainian WBO/WBA and IBF champion, especially given the rare size advantages Fury is set to enjoy over “Dr. Steelhammer.”

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Mosley v Mayorga 2 in Serious Jeopardy / Don King Trying to Pull the Plug

Mosley v Mayorga 2 in Serious Jeopardy / Don King Trying to Pull the Plug

After the initial ridicule over veteran Shane Mosley’s August 29th rematch bout with fellow old timer Ricardo Mayorga, there was a feeling eventually among some on social media that maybe it wasn’t actually going to be all that bad after all – at least some of us in the UK who could watch as part of our normal Boxnation subscription, rather than shell out for a PPV like our American cousins, thought that way anyway.

Plus, with all the hard work and promotion Sugar Shane was putting in, especially via his must-read twitter feed, encompassing the dual risks of fighting in AND promoting the event, this writer for one was wishing the former champ the best with the endeavour, regardless of if the catchweight fight between the two was pretty much an irrelevance to most right-thinking fans – me included.

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Carl Frampton Fight No Nearer says Scott Quigg / “Out of My Hands”

Carl Frampton Fight No Nearer says Scott Quigg / "Out of My Hands"

There are a couple of big all-UK world title fights the fans there want to see, and sadly it seems, neither are any closer to fruition.

One is obviously the seemingly dead in the water Kell Brook/Amir Khan fight that I guess we can dream of happening one day if Amir runs out of excuses to avoid it, and the other is the seemingly unlikely fight (at least for now) between IBF 122lb champion and rival divisional belt holder, WBA (reg) champion Scott Quigg.

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