On September 19th at Thomond Park, Limerick, a massive fight for British and Irish boxing will go down, when WBO middleweight champion ‘Irish’ Andy Lee defends his title against mandatory challenger, Hatfield’s Billy Joe Saunders.
The bout will be historic in that it will be the first time two men of traveller origins have contested a version of a world title, and talking to iFLtv this week, Saunders gave an insight into the significance of the fight within their communities;
WBA (reg) super bantamweight champion Scott Quigg knows he will be in for the fight of his life on Saturday night against former IBF 122 lb boss Kiko Martinez in Manchester, topping the Matchroom Sport double world title “High Stakes” card alongside stablemate Anthony Crolla, who challenges for the WBA 135 lb title against Colombian Darleys Perez.
The Joe Gallagher trained Quigg is under no illusions that he will need a career best performance in front of the partisan Manchester crowd, as Spaniard Martinez is a seasoned road warrior, more than used to boxing – and winning – away from home.
This Saturday in El Paso, Texas, Belfast’s IBF super bantamweight champion Carl Frampton makes his debut on American soil, defending his title for the 2nd time against Mexican Alejandro Gonzalez Jr as part of Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions on CBS/ITV in the UK.
The fight represents the first step in bolstering Frampton’s international reputation, and “The Jackal” said at yesterday’s media workout that he is relishing the opportunity to showcase his skills in front of a new, larger audience.
Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev, WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion
On coming off big fights against Pascal and Hopkins but now facing a lesser known fighter:
“For me, any fight means a lot because it is the next step. Who I am and how I do my job means a lot. He is the #1 IBF contender. He deserves this fight. I very excited that I have three titles and I have the opportunity to defend it against Mohammedi. He deserves this fight. He is #1. He is very motivated. When a boxer is motivated or any man is motivated it makes him very dangerous.”
Crolla’s fighting career was in serious danger of ending last December, when he was attacked after foiling a burglary attempt at a neighbour’s home – an incident that left him with a fractured skull, a broken ankle, and a whole lot of uncertainty as to whether he would ever even box again.
While often enough rumors are only that, speculation, this time around it seems s that Floyd Mayweather Jr. actually meant what he said when the champion stated that his next fight will be either against Andre Berto or Karim Mayfield.
According to the SweetScience, sources have suggested that Andre Berto will be the lucky one crossing the ropes to face Mayweather Jr. on CBS in September.
Marc N. (Raleigh, NC): When Mayweather walks away, I think Keith Thurman has a very good chance at carrying to torch for the new era. Would you agree based on what we’ve seen from him so far?
Vivek W. (ESB): Not to be taken personally, as this comment isn’t directed towards you personally, but I’ve grown tired of the endless search by media and fans looking for “the next”. Time and time again, we continue to see young fighters put in situations far earlier than they’re actually ready. We saw it with Broner, I think we’ve seen it with “Swift” Garcia (although he hasn’t taken an “L” yet), and a countless amount of others. As it relates to Keith Thurman, I really think he has pretty good talent, and he has shown a certain amount of evolution; but anyone ready to say – at this early stage – that he is the heir apparent to Floyd Mayweather is not looking at things the way they should.
California’s WBA (super) 168 lb champion Andre Ward, who comprehensively outclassed Carl Froch in December 2011 as part of ‘The Super Six’ final, has spoken out to wish his old foe all the best in his retirement, telling Sky Sports that “The Cobra” has left the game at the right time.
The classy American, who demolished Britain’s Paul Smith last month, had some respectful words for his old rival – wishing him all the best for the future;
“You have to respect the way he went about it, and the fact he not only stepped up but beat just about all the guys he fought at the top level” said Ward.
There is still hope for Amir Khan landing the fight he’s been chasing for the better part of 2 1/2 years against Floyd Mayweather – at least in his own mind.
In the wake of the news that Florida’s Andre Berto looks to be the man gloving up to face Mayweather in September, Khan has spoken out yet again to insist it’s not over until the fat lady sings, and until Berto is “officially” announced as Floyd’s opponent, he refuses to give up hope of getting that career-high payday.
Once again insisting the boxing world wants him to face Floyd, Khan said to Sky Sports in his classic, self indulgent, 3rd person style;
Spain’s former IBF super bantamweight champion Kiko Martinez fights WBA (reg) 122 lb champion Scott Quigg in Manchester on Saturday night, headlining Matchroom’s ‘High Stakes’ card, and ‘La Sensacion’ is feeling in a confident mood, telling Sky Sports that not only does he have the beating of Quigg, he believes Northern Ireland’s Carl Frampton has his number too.
Quigg and Frampton are on an eventual collision course, with negotiations between them having broken down recently, and Martinez, who lost to Frampton twice, thinks that’s probably a good thing for Quigg, who he cannot see beating the Irishman.