Last Saturday, Ireland’s top-rated middleweight contender and world title challenger Matthew “Mack the Knife” Macklin (30-5, 20KO’s) once again put himself back into the title picture with an impressive 10-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated highly regarded prospect Lamar Russ. The bout against Russ came on HBO, the fourth consecutive bout for Macklin on their airwaves.
With the bout and some much needed rounds behind him, Macklin now has his sites set on once again challenging for a piece of the middleweight crown, and finally having the chance to exact his revenge on former foe Felix Sturm. Sturm, who earlier on Saturday stopped IBF middleweight champion Darren Barker in two rounds, won a highly, if not outright robbery decision over Macklin back in 2011.
“I punched Felix around the ring for 12 rounds in our fight in 2011, only to be robbed in what was described by many, including Lennox Lewis, Al Bernstein, and Andre Ward, as one of the worst, if not THE worst decisions they have ever seen.
James Kirkland entered the ring on Saturday against undefeated Glen Tapia after a 20-month layoff full of injuries, drama, musical trainers, and another visit to jail. Nevertheless, it was business as usual as Kirkland didn’t seem to miss a beat. Kirkland, now 32-1 (28 KOs) stopped Glen Tapia (20-1, 12 KOs) in the sixth round of a brutal slugfest that saw both guys exchange shots that drew oohs and ahhs from the crowd. 
Like an avalanche, the possibility of a Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight in the near future is starting to swallow people whole.
It was in January of 2013 that I first met the Fury family. I’d just beaten the snow out of the UK by twelve hours and was sitting in a freezing Dutch ferry terminal waiting for a lift from Peter Fury – a man I’d never met – to spend a week in the famous Fury training camp in Belgium. The Ferry ride had been tortuous; high seas and an even higher crew had meant a sleepless night and much paranoia. I was the first writer or journalist to ever set foot in the remote Fury HQ. It was a land few had even considered. Rumours of the harshness of the camp had reached my ears, but there was little in the way of facts. I had to see for myself, for good or ill. Two and a half months later, Tyson Fury would bamboozle the American press, beat Steve Cunningham without Peter in his corner, and sing to a bemused Madison Square Garden crowd. I wasn’t to blame.
After impressively knocking out formerly undefeated Junior Middleweight Glen Tapia this past Saturday night on HBO’s Boxing After Dark, could James Kirkland (32-1, 28 KOs) be looking at an immediate title opportunity in 2014?
In the aftermath of his controversial 9th round victory over unbeaten George Groves, Carl Froch is left with an array of options. The manner of the stoppage win left many fans with more questions than answers after referee Howard Foster appeared to stop the fight prematurely. Groves protested that he was not that badly hurt and could have recovered, while the Froch camp argues that the referee stole a convincing knockout victory from them. Either way, the ending robbed both fighters of a satisfactory conclusion to the bout.
Anand G. (San Antonio, TX): Manny Pacquiao is now the mandatory challenger for Floyd Mayweather’s WBC strap. How do you see this set of negotiations going between the two camps now that there’s a governing body both men respect at the center of it?
When Bernard Hopkins suggested that he is the only fighter out there that can step inside the ring with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and come out a winner, most boxing fans as well as journalists believed that Hopkins was simply creating waves in front of the microphones and the cameras.
The World Series of Boxing (“WSB”), which is run by the International Boxing Association, is in its fourth season of bringing together some of the best up and coming amateur pugilists in the world who look to gain additional experience and skills while at the same time, earn money and still maintain their Olympic eligibility, before they begin their professional careers. More importantly, the WSB gives boxing an opportunity to develop a well-organized and highly competitive farm system that the sport desperately needs, allowing it to obtain better fighters and more entertaining matchups for its fans at the professional level.