American box-puncher Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley could never be accused of lacking confidence. The 24 year old light-welterweight from Palm Springs, California, may never have fought outside of his home state, let alone his home country, but he is confident that he will take possession of the WBC title in Nottingham, England, this weekend when he tackles champion Junior “The Hitter” Witter at the Trent FM Arena.
Bradley, 21 – 0 (11), has certainly been talking a good game in the run up to this fight, stating his intentions are to unify the division after beating Witter and going onto say he intends to become a ring legend like Ali, Leonard and Robinson but, the truth is, on the evidence of the names on their resumes, this Saturday’s combatants are worlds apart.
Before winning his title, Junior Witter had been a British, Commonwealth and European champion. Add that detail to the fact that the Bradford trickster has defeated four world titlists and you have a very accomplished 140 pounder.
Bradley, on the other hand, has not really fought anyone of note, with almost 50% of his victories coming against pugs with losing records and the rest made up of lowly rated fighters floating around the southern California club scene, so a win on away turf and in a clash of this magnitude looks an extremely tall order.
Despite this, Bradley should not be taken lightly. He has decent speed and can dig, eight of his eleven knockout victims not making it past the fifth, and Witter is not a fighter known for keeping his chin well guarded.
If the Bradford native comes into this bout looking at it as merely a stepping stone in this quest for a battle with Ricky Hatton, then he could be made to pay.
One similarity between the two combatants is that they are both returning to the squared circle on the back of lengthy lay offs (8 months for Witter and 10 for Bradley) and it will be interesting to see how they shake off the proverbial rust. More…
If prizes were handed out for being humble and keeping your feet on the ground, then Leicester ’s European Super Bantamweight Champion Rendall “Two Tone” Munroe would have a trophy cabinet larger than Manchester United’s.
Just eight weeks ago, the stylish southpaw outlclassed Kiko Martinez to take the hard hitting Spaniard’s prized EBU strap and he hasn’t allowed the success to go to his head. Every morning, come rain or shine, Munroe gets out of bed and goes to his day job as a bin man and the only treat he’s allowed himself since his career best victory is the purchase of a second hand motorbike.
“I’m a humble type of person,” he told the BBC recently. “I keep myself to myself, and don’t go around thinking I’m anything special.
“A lot of people say the binman is a down and out person’s job, but I think more people are realising now that any job that you do can be just as respectable as the top job.”
This Friday evening, Munroe, 14-1 (6), returns to the scene of his title winning tilt when he takes on the tough Frenchman Salem Bouaita at the Harvey Hadden Leisure Centre in Nottingham, England.
The victory over Martinez in early March was seen as something of shock at the time. The Spanish puncher was undefeated, ranked number eight in the world by Ring Magazine, and was riding high after stopping the highly touted Irishman Bernard Dunne in 86 one sided seconds last August. More…
Some fighters like to tell the world of their ring prowess and professional achievements, while others prefer to stay quiet and carefully build their reputation with solid performances. This weekendʼs IBF/IBO Light Heavyweight unification clash in Tampa, Florida features two boxers who perfectly epitomise those two very different moulds of men.
Sheffieldʼs IBF champion Clinton Woods is the quiet, unassuming type who would rather holiday in his caravan in Skegness than lavish himself with the finer things in life. He is the type of champion that is respectful and only shows his more frightful side in the ring.
Antonio “Iʼm prettier than a girl” Tarver is Woodʼs exact antithesis. Bold, brass and mouthy, listening to Tarver speak, you could easily be fooled into thinking that this man was the greatest to ever don trunks and gloves.
“If anyone has any doubt whoʼs the best light heavyweight, I will show them once again on Saturday nigh,” Tarver said at this week’s press conference. “I am delighted that Woods is here and sounds ready to fight, but like so many that fought me before him, his dreams and hopes will be dashed. There is only one true light heavyweight champion and thatʼs me.” More…
Norwich switch-hitter Jon “Jono” Thaxton makes a long overdue step up to European class tonight at Bethnal Greenʼs York Hall in London when he challenges Belarusian champion Yuri Romanov on a Hennessy Sports promotion.
While Thaxton, 33-7 (18), may only have won his prized Lonsdale belt in late 2006, the Norwich buzzsaw had been on periphery of genuine title class for over a decade and many people may not realise that he was once regarded Britainʼs top fighter at light-welterweight.
Back in February 1996, Thaxton, coming in as a late substitute, took just 138 seconds to knock cold the previously undefeated British and Commonwealth supremo Paul “Scrap Iron” Ryan. It made him the country’s top man but, because the fight was made four pounds over the ten stone limit, it was a non-title affair and Thaxton never acquired the spoils such a victory deserved.
Almost four years after the Ryan victory, Thaxton eventually got his long awaited shot at the British crown but was stopped by Jason Rowlands in the fifth round. When Rowlands vacated a year later, Thaxton was handed a second domestic title tilt, this time against a young prospect from Manchester called Ricky Hatton.
Despite opening a serious cut above Hattonʼs left eye early in the opening round, Thaxton found “The Hitman” too much that night and conceded a wide verdict on the card of referee Paul Thomas.
It seemed that “Jono” was going to just miss out on being British Champion and in 2002, his career was over after a shoulder injury sustained in a car accident forced him to hang up his gloves. More…
Tonight at the Barnsley Metrodome in Barnsley, England, super flyweight Andy Bell aims to succeed where fellow Doncaster native Jamie McDonnell failed by beating Chris Edwards to become the first British champion to hail from the South Yorkshire town since Jon Jo Irwin was the domestic featherweight ruler back in the late 1990s.
The bill has dubbed “Northern Rock” by promoter Frank Maloney and is televised live by Sky Sports.
31 year old Edwards, from Stoke, won the inaugural 115 Ib Lonsdale belt last December by narrowly squeezing past McDonnell and it was a result that greatly astounded Andy Bell.
He told local press: “To be honest I thought that Jamie would beat Edwards and I was surprised that he didn’t. I went to Wigan on the night and I felt Jamie boxed the wrong fight. Apart from experience, Jamie looked to have everything in his favour. But Edwards was in the great shape and he kept going for the full 12 rounds.”
Edwards, a pro fighter for almost ten years, didn’t have the greatest of starts in the paid ranks. After winning by second round knockout out on his debut, the little man from the Potteries didn’t taste victory again for over two and a half years.
A lot fighters would have turned in the game but, in the mould of Steve Robinson and Johnny Nelson, he’s shown great determination and achieved things that many people thought would be simply beyond him. He’s going to have to give his all tonight if he wants to hang on to the position he has worked so hard to acquire. More…
The arctic temperatures and early evening snowstorm did not dampen the mood at the Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield on Saturday evening as Bradfordʼs Femi “Fire” Fehintola won an all Yorkshire clash by soundly outpointing the very game and durable Jon Baguley over six rounds.
There was a fantastic atmosphere and Fehintola, returning to the ring for the first time since he won the English super featherweight title by squeezing past Ashton Under Lyneʼs Hollyoaks and Emmadale star Steven Bell last October, was eager to please the crowd with a good performance as he willed the flame haired Baguley forward and then looked to get off his hard counter shots.
20 year old Baguley fell into Fehintolaʼs trap from the opening bell as he, urged on by his legendary trainer Brendan Ingle and one particularly over enthusiastic security guard, surged ahead looking to find Fehintola with neat one-twos, but, for every shot that found its target, a much better one came firing straight back.
Undeterred, Baguley let his hands go again in the second but little got past Fehintolaʼs well kept guard and it was the Bradford man who again had the most success as he manoeuvred his opponent onto the ropes and shoeshined when in close. More…
American literary great Mark Twain once said “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog”. Well, that sentence perfectly sums up the performance Newbridge’s Gavin “The Rock” Rees gave when he ripped the WBA light-welterweight title from tough Frenchman Souleymane M’Baye last summer.
Despite conceding 6.5 inches in height, “Little” Gavin put on a boxing masterclass at the Cardiff International Arena last July, as he dazed and confused the French champion with in and out movement and lots of aggressive flurries to the head and body. So in control was the Newbridge native that he often dropped his hands and did Joe Calzagheesque showboats.
For Gavin, the victory was extra sweet as it didn’t just make him the first Welshman to ever hold a WBA strap, it also proved the doubters, that had written him off only a couple of years earlier, wrong.
Back in late 2004, the pint-sized puncher’s career appeared to be in tatters as he was given 100 hours community service and banned from boxing for one year, due to his involvement in a punch up at a funeral. Things could have been worse as there was talk that the British Boxing Board of Control were going to hand him a lifetime ban, thankfully the board didn’t see their threats through.
Even when the rejuvenated and refocused Rees returned to the ring in early 2006, it seemed highly unlikely that he would ever reach the lofty heights of the world title class. But, after some solid six round performances at lightweight against seasoned journeymen, his promoter Frank Warren handed him an unexpected chance and he seized it with both hands.
This Saturday evening the undefeated 27 year old returns to the scene of his greatest boxing moment when he makes the first defence of his crown against the tough, Hamburg based Ukranian Andreas Kotelnik. More…
Birmingham middleweight Matthew Macklin looks to start a new chapter in his life at the National Stadium in Dublin, Ireland tonight when he tackles the battle tested, but now considerably past his best, former IBF Light Middleweight king “Yory Boy” Campas.
For Macklin, 20-2 (16), the bout will be his first with new trainer Buddy McGirt in his corner, after a split from long time mentor Billy “The Preacher” Graham at the end of 2007.
“Iʼve really enjoyed working with Buddy and being out in Florida was a great experience,” Macklin said via press release this week. “It was just what I needed for this fight. I learned a lot from my time with Billy but felt it was the right time to move on. I need to get back to using my boxing skills a bit more and I think Buddy is the perfect trainer for that.”
25 year old Macklin, who despite being a Brummie, fights for the Emerald Isle due to his Irish parentage, is best known to most boxing fans as the man who engaged in a thrilling toe to toe war when challenging for the British 154 pound crown against Jamie Moore in September 2006.
That night, at the George Carnall Leisure Centre in Manchester, both men gave their all as they continually rained blows on each other for ten rounds until Salford southpaw Moore landed two cracking rights, punctuated by a flush left that dropped Macklin face first to the canvas.
It was one of the greatest British fights in recent memory and deserves to be remembered in the way that Benn vs. Eubank and Lewis vs. Bruno will be. Unfortunately, due to it being aired only to hardcore boxing fans on a subscription network (Sky Sports), that seems unlikely. More…
After nearly three years in the boxing wilderness, Manchesterʼs stylish southpaw David Barnes looks to reassert himself on the pugilistic map this Friday evening when he takes on Brixtonʼs Ted “Dangerous” Bami for the vacant British light-welterweight strap.
Not so long ago, Barnes was regarded as one of the countryʼs brightest stars. He won the vacant British Welterweight title when he was just 22 years old by, some what luckily, squeezing past blonde bearded veteran Jimmy Vincent in July 2003 before defending three times against quality opposition in Glenn McClarnon, former Commonwealth Welter king James Hare and current British Welter Champion Kevin McIntyre.
Things were looking good for the former paratrooper from Partington, but signs that the wheels were about to drop of the Barnes battle cruiser came in April 2005 as he was held to a draw by another ex-military man, Glossop based Namibian Ali Nuumbembe. More…
After a rocky road to winning a world title, Quebec based Romanian Lucian Bute now is now going to kick his feet back and engage in an easy money fight. This Friday evening, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, the unbeaten southpaw takes on America veteran William Joppy in what is an awful first defence of his IBF super-middleweight crown.
But, will the 14,000 or so Canadian fans that will cram into the arena on Friday night care, or even realise, that Bute’s opponent, despite being a three time WBA middleweight champion, is over half a decade past his best and not beaten anyone of note since he picked up a much disputed decision over Howard Eastman in 2001?
It’s doubtful.
Despite hailing from Galati, Romania, Bute has possibly the biggest and most passionate fan base in the whole of Canada and, as they have proved in the past, they will turn out in their droves to see their man perform no matter what level of opposition he’s in against. Bute has been attracting over 10,000 fans to his fights since he was he was fighting third tier super-middleweights such as Lolenga Mock and James Obede Toney.
Bute, 21-0 (17), is only 27 years old and, although he now holds an alphabet title and has a large fan base to please, he is the first to admit that he is still developing as a fighter and is not quite ready for the Calzaghe’s and Kessler’s of this world. That said, he is widely regarded as the man who will take over the 168 Ib reigns if and when Messrs. Calzaghe and Kessler move north to light-heavyweight. More…
A sell out crowd of around 2000 are expected to turn out to see Kevin McIntyre and Kevin Anderson, the two best welterweights in Scotland, get reacquainted at Glasgowʼs Kelvin Hall this evening. As with their previous clash, the British title is on the line and Sky Sports will televise.
Last November, the pair met at the Magnum Centre in Irvine and 29 year old McIntyre, 25-5 (8), walked away with Andersonʼs prized Lonsdale belt, in what was possibly the biggest domestic upset of 2007.
Most fans and pundits before their first meeting expected to see a routine nightʼs work for Buckhavenʼs hard punching Kevin Anderson but McIntyre hadnʼt read the script and fought the fight of his career to rip the title way from a man who, had he won, would have had the historic belt for keeps.
McIntyre, a postman by day, had success from the off that night as a thudding right hook dumped Anderson on the canvas in the opening stanza. In the second round, McIntyre found the target again as another right hand forced Anderson down.
Anderson did weather the storm and land some decent shots of his own later in the fight but, on the most part, McIntyre dominated and was duly rewarded with a decision. The three judges scoring the fight 118-107, 119-108 and 118-110.
Southpaw McIntyre, attributes his performance to the help given to him by sports psychologist Dr. Alan Curley before the match up. Apparently, he was hypnotised and instilled with a winner’s mentality. Cynics, however, would say that McIntyre just fought well because Anderson was feeling the effects of having four tough fights in 12 months and was far from fighting fit. More…
Would you believe that the last time there was a world title unification in the heavyweight division the date was November 11, 1999?
In a rematch of their earlier controversial melee, Lennox Lewis soundly outpointed Evander Holyfield at the Thomas and Mack Centre in Las Vegas and walked away with the WBC, WBA and IBF straps. Over eight years have passed since then and in some ways, it seems like yesterday but, with the heavyweight talent pool more arid than the Sahara desert, in another way it also feels like a lifetime ago.
Well, this evening at New Yorkʼs famous Madison Square Garden, the waiting is over as a meeting of champions in what was once boxingʼs most glamorous weight class finally comes around. “Dr. Steelhammer”, Wladimir Klitschko puts his IBF title on the line again Russiaʼs unbeaten WBO titlist Sultan Ibragimov with a win for either man will opening the door to a potential further joining of the world heavyweight crown against WBA supremo Ruslan Chagaev
31 year old Klitschko, 49-3 (44), comes into the contest on the back of a seven fight winning streak and now, under the tutelage of Manny Steward, is exuding more confidence in the ring than Hugh Hefner does in a bedroom full of Playboy bunnies. He feels that he is at the peak of his career and believes he will prove that he is the worldʼs best big man.
“I have to prove that I am the heavyweight champ and do it as impressively as possible.” The likable Ukrainian said early this week. “That is my determination and goal - to clean up the heavyweight division with each fighter I face. More…
Itʼs often the case that when a fighter goes through the most traumatic period of his life he comes back stronger and better than ever. Barnetʼs likable “Dazzling” Darren Barker is another fighter in that mold.
After taking some time away from the sport to grieve the tragic death of his younger brother Gary, himself a promising young boxer who was killed in a car accident in December 2006, the 25 year old middleweight stylist has returned with more determination than ever before and his performances show it.
This past November, at Bethnal Greenʼs historic York Hall, Barker put in a faultless display against Australiaʼs tough and undefeated Ben “Bazooka” Crampton to claim the vacant 160 pound Commonwealth crown. Crampton had built his resume by taking fourth tier journeymen on Australian club shows but it was still a tough test for the Barnet man and he came through it with flying colours.
Barker had been equally impressive on his previous bout in October (the first since his brotherʼs death) when he showed excellent body punching skills against Greg Barton, dropping the Southend based four round fighter with digging shots to the torso in both the first and second rounds before referee Mark Green stepped in and halted the punishment in the third frame.
Live on Sky Sports tonight, Barker returns to York Hall, the scene of his greatest fighting moment, to make the maiden defence of his title against Coventryʼs former British and European challenger Steve Bendall. The winner will look to face the victor of the upcoming match up between Wayne Elcock and Darren McDermott in what would be an old style British and Commonwealth unification. More…
In Germany this evening, two former world heavyweight champions, looking to put themselves back into title contention, collide.
Russian giant Nikolay Valuev, the former WBA Champion, takes on former WBO kingpin Sergei Liakhovich at Nuremberg Arena in a fascinating contest that neither man can afford to lose.
The clash will be the first time that the Scottsdale, Arizona based Belarusian Liakhovich has been in action since losing his title to muscle bound but lethargic American underachiever Shannon Briggs 15 months ago.
That night Liakhovich, 23-2 (14), was in control of what had been a relatively poor title match up until, in the final stanza, when both men were seemingly out of gas, Briggs got off a clubbing right hand that wobbled the Belarusian before another put him down in the corner of the ring. Liakhovich did get back up but was shaky and Briggs ended proceedings by knocking him through the ropes. There was only around 10 seconds left on the clock.
Will 15 months of inactivity play a part? Probably not. Liakhovich, who has switched trainers from Kenny Weldon to Tommy Brooks since the Briggs defeat, was out of the ring for a similar amount of time before he won the WBO strap by beating Lamon Brewster in a thrilling battle back in April 2006. His biggest problem is not the rust that may have built up but the goliath standing in the opposite corner of the ring.
Standing at over seven feet and weighing nearly 23 stone (322 lb), Nikolay “The Beast from the East” Valuev is the proverbial man mountain and he uses his size to his advantage by manhandling his opponents and leaning on them until the tire. That said, the 34 year old Russian is not as bad a boxer as some would have you believe. More…
Finchley’s unbeaten “Nigerian Nightmare” Ajose Olusegun is sick of being boxing’s most overlooked fighter. He has run up a record of 21 consecutive victories with eleven knockouts and climbed to number eight in the WBC’s light-welterweight rankings but he’s still a man who could walk into pretty much any shop in the country and not be recognised.
This Friday evening, the hard hitting southpaw intends to raise his profile that bit further when he makes the first defence of his Commonwealth strap against Hartlepool’s Nigel Wright at the Leisure Centre in Peterlee, England, on a show that Sky Sports will televise.
Despite a the lack of notoriety, Olusegun, who represented Nigeria at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, could never be described as lacking in confidence. He feels he can hold his own with the division’s high rollers and is ready to step up to the plate, given the chance. “I am desperate to fight the best, but the best don’t want to fight me.” He said, after outclassing Gary Reid to take the title he now defends, “I need big fights to satisfy my hunger and I would love to fight Junior Witter.”
Olusegun’s best career win came in Newport, South Wales, back in September 2004 when he finished Bradley Pryce with a blistering combination in the fourth round. Pryce is, of course, now the Commonwealth Champion up at light-middleweight and is being talked about as a man who may challenge for world honours in the near future.
Ajose added another notable name to his résumé in the summer of 2006 when he outgunned tough Glossop based Namibian Ali Nuumbembe in six one sided rounds. That night, at Bethnal Green’s historic York Hall, Nuumbemebe came into the ring with a five pound weight advantage but Ajose was too accurate and fast for him and, after unhinging his fellow African with a pulverising right hook, Olusegun sealed proceedings with another right hook that left dropped the Namibian heavily in the centre of the ring.
While holding aspirations to reach boxing’s pinnacle, Olusegun would be foolish to overlook fellow southpaw Nigel Wright. More…
The Amir Khan world title quest moves up another notch tonight, February 2, when the Bolton boy wonder makes the third and potentially toughest defence of his Commonwealth Lightweight title against Gairy St .Clair at the Excel Arena in London.
“This is a serious test for Amir,” Promoter Frank Warren told this week’s press conference, “It’s going to test all his abilities. He’s in with somebody who is a former world champion and has never been stopped.”
Australian based Guyanan Gairy St. Clair, 39-5-2 (17), certainly appears to be a worthy adversary to the 2004 Athens Olympian. As stated by Warren, the challenger, who celebrates his 33rd birthday today, has never been halted in a long and successful career despite being in with top level opposition such as Leonard Dorin, Vivian Harris and the late Diego Corrales.
Seven years ago, St. Clair was hired as a sparring partner to Aussie/Russian legend Kostya Tsyzu and has been based down under ever since, forming a solid relationship with veteran trainer Johnny Lewis. After putting a defeat to future WBA lightweight champion Dorin behind him, St. Clair embarked on a 22 fight unbeaten run that culminated in him outpointing South Africa’s Cassius Baloyi for the IBF super-featherweight crown in July 2006.
He lost the trinket to Malcolm Klassen in his first defence and his since lost again in a repeat match up with Baloyi. His last victory was in December when he beat limited journeyman Robert Oyan on points over six rounds.
Despite dropping two of his last three, Gairy comes into the contest full of confidence and believes he has the tools to cap his birthday celebrations off with a stoppage victory. He said, “I’ve seen a few of Amir’s fights and he likes sticking his chin out. I hope he does that against me because it will be the perfect birthday present. I’ll clock him one so quick he’ll be on the floor before he knows it.” More…
“Fast” Eddie Chambers doesn’t just carry his own hopes of world glory in to ring tonight, Saturday, January 26, he carries on his broad shoulders the expectancy of an entire nation.
As we all know, the American’s once dominated a division that was seen as the glamour weight class and it’s top prize, the undisputed heavyweight title, was the most sought after and lucrative accolade in the whole of sport. Needless to say, as the interest in the sweet science has waned in recent years, the waters in the US heavyweight talent pool has become extremely shallow.
25 year old Chambers, 30-0 (16), aims to take a step closer to putting his nation back on the heavyweight boxing map when he takes on Russia’s Germany based Alexander Povetkin in an IBF final eliminator at the Tempodrom Arena in Kreuzberg, Berlin this evening. He is confident he is up to the task and is not fazed by travelling to the proverbial lion’s den- or in this case the “White Lion’s” den. More…
The resurgent Colin Lynes embarks on the maiden defence of his European light welterweight crown this Friday evening when he faces late substitute Juho Tolppola of Finland at the Goresbrook Leisure Centre in Dagenham, England on a Matchroom promotion.
Lynes, 30-3 (12), was expecting two time world title challenger and former European king Gianluca Branco to be coming out of the opposing corner at fight time but the Italian withdrew earlier this week, not that it will really bother the 30 year old former printer from Hornchurch. After two journeys on the road to hostile venues, Lynes will just be happy to have his first defence in front of his adoring East London fans.
To say that Lynes has had a mixed career so far would be an understatement. As an amateur, he was a three time National junior champion. After turning pro in 1998, he racked up 21 straights wins and claimed the IBO Intercontinental title, but in the first defence of his new crown he was overworked by South Africa’s Samuel Malinga in 2003 and forced to quit on his stool with two badly swollen eyes after eight punishing rounds.
After three routine comeback fights, Lynes won the IBO title proper when he edged a split decision over Argentina’s Pablo Daniel Sarmiento in 2004. Things were looking up again and, after successfully defending his trinket against Juaquin Gallardo, he got the opportunity to challenge the then British, Commonwealth and European ruler, Junior “The Hitter” Witter in October, 2005.
Lynes was a major underdog but made a good account of himself as he extended an off key Witter but still dropped a close points but unanimous verdict.
He returned two months later but again tasted defeat as he was literally sick in his corner against the undefeated Lenny Daws and after nine rounds of action, was forced to quit. He now attributes this loss to a viral infection. More…
Canada may not be a country famed for it’s fighting prowess but the scene there is in it’s fledgling years. You may think that the world’s second largest country has nothing to boast about other than ice hockey and the CN tower. I strongly recommend that you change your views pretty quickly because, although the winter offers sub zero temperatures, in the world of boxing at least, the place is scorching hot.
At the Casino Rama, in Rama, Ontario tonight Steve Molitor, one of the leading lights of this Canadian revolution, looks to add another name to his impressive and unblemished résumé when he takes on Mexico’s Ricardo Castillo, younger brother of future first ballot hall of famer Jose Luis, on a Allan Tremblay/Orion Sports Management promotion.
The contest will be Molitor’s third defence of the 122 pound IBF title he acquired by dismantling the previously undefeated Michael Hunter in front of a very hostile English crowd in late 2006.
On that glorious night in Hartlepool, “The Canadian Kid” proved that, despite only having a knock out record of 40 percent, he can land hurtful punches and put his opponent away when the opportunity presents itself.
He followed that stunning win up with another stoppage victory, his fourth in a row, this time over South African former IBO titlist Takalani Ndlovu – a man who holds a win over this weekend’s challenger Castillo.
Last time out the 27 year old champion had a much tougher time than expected as he was taken the full twelve round distance by former Manny Pacquiao victim Fahsan 3K Battery. Molitor had predicted that he would take care of business in six rounds or less and, as a result, he disposed of his usual classy style, resorting to headhunting and loading up his shots. More…
When Michael Sprott scored a stunning knockout victory over 2000 Sydney Olympic Gold Medallist Audley Harrison last February, British promoter Frank Warren declared that the winner of a rematch with Bedford’s Matt Skelton would get a shot at a world title.
I have to admit, I was sceptical. We’d heard talk about world crowns and big match ups from Mr Warren before without seeing anything materialise and monsieurs Skelton and Sprott were hardly the most marketable big men around.
Well, at the O2 Arena in London last summer the evergreen Matt Skelton won a somewhat unspectacular contest by majority decision and, to my surprise at least, Warren has delivered his promise.
In Düsseldorf, Germany, this weekend Skelton, at the ripe old age of 40, gets his first shot at world honours when he tackles fellow Sprott conqueror and current WBA heavyweight supremo Ruslan Chagaev AKA “The White Tyson”.
You may be thinking that someone who is now living in his fourth decade is way too old to be challenging for top honours in the world’s toughest and most dangerous sport, and in most cases you would be correct, but where this Englishman is concerned then think again.
A former world champion kickboxer, Skelton is still pretty much a newcomer to the world of fistic arts. His first contest, a two round blow out of Gifford Shillingford, was only five and a half years ago, but in the short time since he has increased his professional slate to 21 – 1 (18) while collecting the British, Commonwealth and WBU crowns along the way. More…
