Unbeaten Australian heavyweight contender Lucas Browne, has enlisted the assistance of British super-middleweight legend Nigel Benn as he gears up for his (mandatory) title shot against WBA (reg) champion, Ruslan Chagaev.
The Dark Destroyer, now resident in Australia full-time, will oversee Browne’s training regimen alongside experienced Australian trainer Rodney Williams, as “Big Daddy” makes the switch full-time from previous coach, Jeff Fenech.
It’s been over three years since former WBA heavyweight champion David Haye last stepped between the ropes and knocked out Dereck Chisora in 5 rounds at a rain soaked Upton Park, and ever since that time fans have been more used to seeing ‘The Hayemaker’ popping up on reality television, or proffering himself as the first black James Bond, than duking it out in a boxing ring.
After twice signing, and twice pulling out of fighting Tyson Fury, then retiring citing a shoulder injury, we have been promised numerous times that Haye would be returning at some point, and in true “boy who cried wolf” fashion, it seems the fans grew weary of his empty promises and moved on.
It’s been 30 years since a world championship title fight was fought in Toronto – and the exuberant crowd at Ricoh Coliseum welcomed boxing back with hard-hitting action on the main televised card of the Premier Boxing Champions on Spike.
In a one-sided mismatch, WBC 175lb champion Adonis “Superman” Stevenson (27-1, 22 KOs) obliterated No.9 Tommy “Kryptonite” Karpency (25-5-1, 14 KOs) by a 3rd round knockout tonight at the Ricoh Coliseum, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Stevenson knocked Karpency down twice in the fight. The bout was stopped 21 seconds into the 3rd round after Stevenson dropped a hurt Karpency with a chopping left to the head. Karpency got to his feet, but the referee waived it off.
Fight week buzz on social media is primarily centered on an IV that Floyd took the night before the Manny Pacquiao fight. Even with a juicy Thomas Hauser piece this week, Mayweather’s choice of opponent has the boxing world looking ahead to better matchups on the schedule. Can Andre Berto do the unthinkable and pull an upset for the ages? Or will it be business as usual for Money May in route to another unanimous decision.
SHOWTIME Sports will offer live streams of Floyd Mayweather vs Andre Berto fight week events for their Welterweight World Championship taking place on Saturday, Sept. 12, live on SHOWTIME PPV® (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT) from MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Golden Boy Promotions today announced that Mexican superstar and former WBC and WBA Super Welterweight World Champion Canelo Álvarez (45-1-1, 32 KOs) has re-signed with the company, agreeing to a multi-fight, multi-year contract extension.
“I am loyal, it’s part of my character and that’s why I am extending my contract with Golden Boy Promotions,”said Álvarez. “Golden Boy Promotions knows how to build a fighter and elevate him to a world stage as they have done with me and continue to do with many others. I look forward to working with Golden Boy throughout my career.”
The eagerly anticipated dust-up between the old foes, largely stemming from an old amateur rivalry that saw Whyte beat Joshua in 2009, provided a taster of the bad blood to come at today’s presser to promote Saturday’s card, when Whyte told Joshua, ‘You’re getting hurt in December.”
Ahead of his much-maligned 49th, and ‘final,’ fight this weekend against Andre Berto in Las Vegas, Floyd Mayweather and those around him, like right-hand man, Leonard Ellerbe, continue to insist to all and sundry that he will not be fighting on, despite continued public belief to the contrary.
Much has been made of the fact that the deteriorating health of his Uncle Roger is said to be key in the decision for Floyd to hang them up, and whether he will indeed resist the wealth of lures to make history and attain a perfect 50-0 slate, remains to be seen.
It would seem that many of George Groves’ old foes are wishing him well in Saturday’s WBC title clash with Badou Jack in Las Vegas on Saturday.
First Carl Froch, who defeated the Hammersmith man in back-to-back world title fights, wished him luck for the sake of British boxing, and now IBF 168 lb champion James DeGale, defeated by Groves in their close 2011 encounter, has joined the chorus of well-wishers in hope of getting a big domestic unification rematch signed for the future.