Groves with tough task in facing Anthony Dirrell, says Froch

IBF/WBA super middleweight champ Carl Froch sees a tough road for his recent knockout victim George Groves (21-2, 16 KOs) if and when he faces WBC super middleweight champion Anthony Dirrell (27-0-1, 22 KOs) in the United States. Froch thinks that the 26-year-old Groves could have problems if he fights Dirrell in the U.S, although it’s hard to see why it would be any different than it would be if the fight were to take place elsewhere.

Groves doesn’t have to fight Dirrell in order to get a title shot. He can wait until Froch gives up his IBF title, and then face James DeGale for the vacant strap or look to fight the winner of DeGale vs. Andre Dirrell for the title.

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Deontay Wilder can beat Stiverne in 3 or 4 rounds, says Foreman

Former heavyweight champion George Foreman believes that American Deontay Wilder (32-0, 32 KOs) has what it takes to unseat WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne (24-1-1, 21 KOs) this Saturday night in their fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Foreman thinks that the 6’7” Deontay has to fight the way that brought him this far by him being aggressive and not letting up on the shorter 36-year-old Stiverne.

Foreman thinks that Deontay needs to be smart but aggressive at all times. He can’t play it safe against Stiverne and expect to win.

“If he stays aggressive, Deontay Wilder wins but he’s got to fight downhill and stay aggressive against Bermane Stiverne. As long as Wilder remains aggressive, then I think I could have [Stiverne] out of there in three or four rounds,” Foreman said via RingTV.com.

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Anthony Joshua injured, fight with Kevin Johnson off

British heavyweight Anthony Joshua (10-0, 10 KOs) will need to take some time off to heal a back injury he sustained in his last fight against Michael Sprott. The injury to the 25-year-old Joshua’s back means that his fight against American Kevin Johnson will be canceled for January 31st.

Joshua has a stress fracture in his back from his 1st round stoppage win over the 39-year-old Sprott two months ago on November 22nd. Joshua did something during the fight that tweaked his back, and he’s been slow healing ever since then. It goes without saying that Joshua should have taken some time off from the gym rather than getting back into training recently.

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Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Mayweather vs Pacquiao, Roc-Nation, Andre Ward, Broner, & More!

Jason H. (Brooklyn, NYC): I was very shocked to see your post last week about Mayweather and Pacquiao and the fact that the fight is nearly signed. Considering all that has happened since this fight was first discussed, can you give your thoughts on the road to get here and what you think it will be like once they actually fight?

Vivek W.: The road to get here…..all the drama between the two camps, the lies, the lawsuits, the subsequent bouts…..it’s been a hell of a ride, but truthfully, I don’t know if I’d change any of it. The buildup we’ve just experienced is unlike any we’ll ever experience again. Some say the fight is years too late. I say there’s never a bad time to see a good fight. When you examine things closely, both men have appeared to slow down a bit. That being said, they both remain head and shoulders above practically all of their contemporaries! Styles make fights, and this showdown is no different.

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Joseph Parker fights Jason Pettaway in March, confirmed to join Wladimir Klitschko’s camp in April

Rising heavyweight contender Joseph Parker’s (12-0, 10 KO’s) next fight has been announced for March 5th at Auckland’s Vodafone Events Centre, where he will face American, Jason Pettaway (17-1, 10 KO’s.)

Pettaway has been pegged by Coach Kevin Barry as something of a mover in the ring and someone who won’t remain stationary in front of his powerful protégé. Learning to effectively cut off his opponent’s space is definitely a work-on for Parker and in Pettaway they hope to have found an adversary who will test these abilities.

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Khan giving Mayweather 5 days deadline to agree to fight him

Amir Khan (30-3, 19 KOs) is drawing a line in the sand with unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr (47-0, 26 KOs) by giving him a hard 5-day deadline for him to make up his mind whether he wants to fight him next or not. If Mayweather doesn’t choose to fight Khan in the next five days, Khan will move on presumably.

Khan didn’t say whether he would change his mind after the 5-day limit, but you can assume that the so-called limit wouldn’t keep Khan from still taking the fight.

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Deontay Wilder has a choreographed career, says Stiverne’s manager

Camille Estephan, the manager for WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne (24-1-1, 21 KOs), sees #1 WBC challenger Deontay Wilder (32-0, 32 KOs) as a fighter who has been carefully managed to get him to the point where he’s unbeaten and challenging for the title this Saturday night on January 17th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

There’s no denying that the 6’7” Deontay has a record that is filled with weaker opponents. He’s not really faced a solid B level opponent as of yet unless you count Malik Scott, a fighter who crumbled after getting hit with a glancing blow in the 1st round of their fight last year in April.

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Khan: Many experts think Mayweather is scared of me

It appears that Amir Khan hasn’t given up on steady pursuit of a career payday fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr despite the signs not looking good that he’ll be getting a fight against the superstar in 2015, if ever. Khan is now saying that he’s hearing from boxing experts that Mayweather is afraid of him.

Whether this is true or not impossible to tell, because it’s nothing more than speculation and guesswork from the so-called experts. What we do know is Mayweather feels that Khan doesn’t bring enough to a fight in terms of his popularity in the U.S, and for that reason he’s dismissing him as a potential opponent for him.

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Pacquiao expects Mayweather fight to happen, says announcement coming before end of month

In what has to be seen as a positive sign that the negotiations are going well, Manny Pacquiao is saying that he expects to make an announcement about his mega-fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr taking place before the end of January. Pacquiao says he thinks the fight will be taking place.
A lot can still happen between now and before the end of the month, but it’s very good news that Pacquiao is saying that he sees the Mayweather fight taking place.

“We will make an announcement before the end of the month” and added “I think it (the fight” will happen,” Pacquiao said via Philboxing.com.

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Mayweather v Pacquiao: Prepare For Disappointment

The ongoing saga (or soap opera, depending on who you speak to) of the “will they, won’t they” couple; boxing’s top two 147lbers who have kept the fans and public guessing for way too long now, leaving many completely indifferent to whether the fight will actually happen or not; Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao have led us all on a merry dance, and now are allegedly close to confirming a showdown sometime in the first half of 2015.

With the relevance of this fight significantly reduced since its first incarnation was discussed way back in 2009 (hard to believe it’s gone on that long now), most people I speak to now are totally uninterested and pretty much say the same thing: “I’ll believe it when the bell rings”.

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