Within the past week it has been announced that the five weight world champion and boxing’s undefeated and undisputed pound for pound king Floyd Mayweather, will step back up to Light-Middleweight to defend his World Boxing Association “Super” world title against the 22 year old Mexican starlet and World Boxing Council title holder Saul Alavrez at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas this coming September.

The fight, which will take place at a catch-weight of 10stone 12 lbs (152 lb), will only be Mayweather’s third fight above Welterweight in his Hall of Fame bound career having been victorious against Alavrez’s current promoter Oscar De La Hoya back in 2007, at the same venue in the biggest grossing contest in boxing taking $136million dollars in pay per view buys in 2.4million homes around the United States in which Mayweather earned $25 million dollars with De La Hoya who was promoting that match up earning a staggering $52 million.

With the large followings that both Mayweather and Alavrez in their respective ethnic groups etc it will attract it is highly likely that this record will be matched if not surpassed come September.

Mayweather steps back to Light-Middle after defending his WBC’ Welterweight title in a near virtuoso performance against Mexican-American and two weight world champion Robert Guerrero in May of this year who was his mandatory challenger after defeating former title holder Andre Berto in November. More...

In a interview in March of this year, former World and European Heavyweight title challenger Dereck Chisora had proclaimed that “boxing is dead because it needs characters”.

But if Finchley based Chisora had taken the Northern and the Jubilee Lines on the London Underground to North Greenwich, the location of the O2 Arena that played host to this great rematch between two of the finest 12 stone fighters on the European continent, Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler, he would have realised that his proclamation was grossly flawed.

When this match up was announced by the promoters, in the shape of Eddie Hearn and Kelle Sauerland, of these two great gentleman warriors, who are engaged in this beautifully violently sport that we all follow and adore, showed that you did not need to be the enfant terrible of the boxing world to sell a fight.

The fight had sold itself not because of bad-mouthing and disrespecting each other’s manhood and anything else that you can name, but rather simply through a number of factors. More...

This week it has been announced that Birmingham’s former British and European Middleweight champion Matthew Macklin will be looking at his third world title shot in New York City on the 29th of June if he faces the unbeaten WBA and IBO Middleweight knockout king Gennady Golovkin of Kazakhstan.

The 30 year old Macklin had his first title back shot back in June 2011 when he travelled to Germany where he lost a controversial split decision against the then “Super champion” of the aforementioned sanction body, Felix Sturm, in Cologne prior to an 11th round stoppage loss to Sergio Martinez, who is widely regarded as the best fighter in the talent rich 11 stone 6lbs division.

Sturm, who would later lose his WBA “Super” title to Australian Daniel Geale after benefiting from more generous home judging against another British Middleweight in the shape of Manchester’s Martin Murray, who coincidentally travels to Buenos Aires to face the 37 year old Argentine star Martinez.

Golovkin, who is also 30 years old, will be engaging in what will be the eighth defence of his WBA title, which he won back in 2010 after destroying the Colombian Nilson Tapia in just three rounds.

Golovkin will be making the third defence of his title in this calendar year after slicing up the durable Gabriel Rosado in seven rounds at Madison Square Garden, and more recently stopping Japanese fighter Nobuhiro Ishida in just three rounds with an powerful and extremely accurate right hand.

Ishida, who had never been stopped in his previous eight defeats, was left like a discarded doll on the bottom rung of the ropes in Monte Carlo.

If Macklin does get to challenge for Golovkin’s aforementioned titles, it will take place on HBO to help further expose Golovkin to American audiences with his well schooled big punching style that has produced a string of knockout reel victories. It should remind American fight fans of the likes of Middleweight knockout kings in the shape of Julian Jackson and Gerald McClellan from the 1990's.

Should Golovkin be victorious against a world level challenger in the shape of Macklin, he could potentially enjoy a breakout year in a talent rich division and it would certainly him propel into the mythical pound for pound list. More...

Recently, it has been announced that Adrien Broner, the current WBC Lightweight Champion, will jump up two divisions to face off against current WBA Welterweight titleholder Paulie Malignaggi on the 22nd June at a venue yet to be announced in the United States.

The announcement of this title fight will have sprung a considerable surprise to fight fans around the world with Broner’s constant calling out of Britain’s WBO Lightweight fighter Ricky Burns on various social media platforms.

This new development will have stopped a clash with Broner happening unless the 29 year old Burns ends up going up the weights as well.

But also it springs a surprise that Broner has never weighed more than 10 stone [140 pounds] for a fight in his 26 fight unbeaten career and has yet to fight beyond the 10th round in his career to date, in a questionable decision against the Mexican legend Daniel Ponce de Leon.

These two things makes this match up a very risky contest in the eyes of many a knowledgeable observer of this sport.

The 32 year old Malignaggi is a brash New York stylist with excellent footwork, and hand speed but possesses very little knockout power having only scored seven stoppages in a 36 fight career that has seen him become a two-weight world champion and has scored wins against the likes of former Lightweight champion Juan Diaz, Lovemore N’Dou and most recently the Ukrainian Vyachslav Senchenko.

However, the New Yorker has four defeats on his resume which included one against Diaz in their first fight and against Puerto Rican icon Miguel Cotto, plus he has also been stopped by British stars Amir Khan and Ricky Hatton, both in the 11th round. More...

After much speculation both on internet forums and within the trade press, the identity of Matchroom Sport’s latest signing has been revealed, and it comes in the shape of the unbeaten Super-Middleweight prospect George Groves, who joins the burgeoning Matchroom Sport, headed by Eddie Hearn.

The 24 year old Hammersmith Super Middleweight, who is a former British and current Commonwealth and European Champion is unbeaten in 16 fights with 12 knockouts since turning professional back in 2008 and is ranked in the top 10 by three of the alphabets organizations.

Groves becomes the latest in a string of high profile signings for Matchroom Sport, joining the likes of British Light-Middleweight champion Brian Rose and popular Liverpudlian Light-Heavyweight Tony Bellew.

The status of Hearn has grown since becoming the sole promoter to deliver live boxing on Sky Television through his stable of fighters and the ever popular PrizeFighter series.

Groves will, at four days notice, feature on Hearn’s forthcoming “London’s Finest” Bill tonight as a 10 round special attraction against Argentine Dario Balmaceda.

Should Groves come through his Matchroom debut intact, he will then appear as potentially chief support to Carl Froch’s WBA and IBF unification grudge match against Mikkel Kessler at the O2 Arena on the 25th May .

Groves has world title ambitions and wishes to be kept active, which will certainly happen under Hearn if he remains injury free and has eyes on a world shot with a potential crack at the winner between Robert Stieglitz and Arthur Abraham for the WBO version of the 12 stone title in his sights.

However, Groves must first show that he is one of 'London’s Finest'.

Recently, it has been announced that current Southern Area Champion and three time British Heavyweight title challenger John McDermott will face off in a rematch against former British, Commonwealth and European title challenger Matt Skelton for the currently vacant English Heavyweight title at the historic York Hall on the 15th March.

This English title bout will be a rematch of a British title fight seven years ago in which the 45 year old Bedford born Skelton succeeded in bombing McDermott in just 79 seconds at the Excel Arena in London.

The 32 year old Essex Heavyweight returns to the ring one year after defeating Lativan journeyman Pavels Dolgovs with a fourth round technical knockout which came a month after getting bombed out in just 82 seconds by David Price in a British Heavyweight title final eliminator.

While Skelton’s return to the ring is a lot quicker after also suffering at the hands of the current British and Commonwealth champ, which lasted a round longer than McDermott’s appointment with the giant Scouser before a left hook to the body ended Skelton’s challenge for his old titles at the Aintree Equestrian Centre in Liverpool.

While McDermott is the younger man at 32 in comparison to Skelton, who has recently turned 46 years old, it is important to recognise that Skelton only turned professional at 35 years of age after a lucrative career in mixed martial arts.

During his 11 year professional career, in which he has been engaged in the same number of professional bouts as the previously conquered McDermott, Skelton has boxed as far the much higher level having unsuccessfully challenged Ruslan Chagaev for the WBA Heavyweight title back January 2008.

Skelton has been victorious with a European title, picking up a 9th round retirement stoppage over the Italian Paolo Vidoz over in Lombardia Italy. More...

Hennessy Sports have announced that undefeated British heavyweight hope Tyson Fury will make his stateside debut against the former two time IBF Cruiserweight Champion and Philly native Steve “USS” Cunningham at the Madison Square Gardens Theatre on the 20th April in an event that will be co-promoted by Duva Entertainment.

In a contest that is officially billed as an IBF eliminator for the number 2 spot with the Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev the immediate target for the winner of this elimination contest.

24 year old Mancunian giant Fury, who is 20 fights unbeaten with 14 knockouts and has already held the English, Commonwealth, Irish, British Heavyweight titles and is the current WBO Inter-Continental Heavyweight champ, faces his sixth American opponent having defeated Nicolai Firtha and then Vinny Maddalone, the tough come forward brawler to clinch the aforementioned trinket.

Both of these wins for Fury were by stoppage. In his last contest in December, Fury then defeated former World title challenger Kevin “Kingpin” Johnson at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast in a WBC eliminator bout in front of the Channel 5 cameras.

Earlier in his career, Fury scored a points win over durable American journeyman Zack Page in Quebec and also Rich Power, which were both eight round fights.

The bout against the brash American heavyweight Johnson. who went 12 rounds with Vitali Klitschko, was a mature and extremely measured performance against the shorter, more experienced American.

Standing tall, Fury was working off his ever improving left jab and switching effectively between Johnson’s head and body to keep his opponent at long range and backing Johnson up against the ropes. Many fans in attendance were disappointed that Fury’s dominant performance was not completed with a knockout. More...

Tonight at the Echo Arena, Liverpool’s undefeated British and Commonwealth Heavyweight champion David Price returns to the ring in his toughest test in his four year professional career against the 41 year old American veteran and two time world title challenger Tony “The Tiger “ Thompson.

The 29 year old Price, who is currently 15-0 with 13 knockouts since turning professional back in 2009 after winning bronze medal in the Super-Heavyweight division at the Beijing Olympics, has a crafted a reputation as a powerful knockout artist and a future world champion in a post Klitschko era.

Or maybe even a potential challenger to the Klitschko dominance of which it would most likely Price would ended up facing Wladimir in a football stadium somewhere in Germany.

Wladimir’s elder brother Vitali, who holds the WBC belt at 41 years of age, has been slowly forging his political career in their native Ukraine on a anti-Corruption pro European Union manifesto which became the third biggest party there in their recent elections, and is a result considering his future within the sport.

However for Price, there is a giant obstacle that could potentially derail his and his promoter Frank Maloney’s plans for a world title shot in 2014. That obstacle comes in the shape of Thompson, a 41 year old southpaw who brings a record of 36 wins and 3 defeats, of which 2 of them where against the younger Klitschko, both of which ended in knockouts.

The first defeat came back in 2008 in Hamburg with an 11th round knockout, and second knockout loss came in just six rounds. However, Thompson has scored wins against former world title challengers Owen Beck and Vaughan Bean along with former two time European champion Luan Krasniqi.

These wins are above the best accomplishments of Price, who's top victories were against former world title challengers Matt Skelton and Audley Harrison, who were both former European champions and Sam Sexton, the former Commonwealth champion.

All three of them were knocked out by Price as he continued his climb to a world title challenge. Thompson, like Harrison, is a tall southpaw standing at 6ft 5, which means Price would have to bide his time to get his jab going before landing the straight right hand, which is often an extremely effective weapon against a southpaw. More...

With the 2013 boxing year taking it’s first steps into the bright winter sunshine, fight fans not just within the United Kingdom but around the world are drawing up their wish lists for what exciting match ups that would like to see take place in this new year.

SaddoBoxing’s British contributor Iain Langmaid is no different as he brings his annual wish list for your consideration.

1: David Price vs. Tyson Fury

What is not to like about this all British match up in the Heavyweight division? There are two giant heavyweights who are unbeaten in 35 fights combined and have scored 27 knockouts between them and both stand over 6ft 8in and weigh in around 17 and a half stone [245 pounds] and bring a lot to the table in their own distinctive ways.

This potential fight is not only the best match up in Britain, but one of the very best in Europe if not the world in the heavyweight division, outside of either man fighting the Klitschko brothers.

In his most recent four or five fights, the younger, charismatic Fury has shown considerable improvement, in terms of conditioning and boxing ability, since switching to his uncle Peter Fury as trainer and has shown that he can box to plan and use his physical advantages to great effect.

Fury still remains a quick-handed puncher who can switch effectively between the head and body and can score body shot knockouts as demonstrated earlier in his career against Scott Belshaw and, more recently, against Martin Rogan, the former Prizefighter and Commonwealth Champion.

Fury has stepped up effectively against Vinny Maddalone and, more recently, against the American Kevin Johnson during a WBC eliminator that was a measured but not crowd pleasing performance in Belfast. More...

Last week saw the announcement of a much anticipated match up at Super Bantamweight between unbeaten Cuban WBA boss Guillermo Rigondeaux agnd WBO Super-Bantam king and four weight world champion Nonito Donaire.

The match up, which pits the two best Super-Bantamweight fighters in the world after former WBC king Abner Mares decided he would step up to Featherweight, will take place at Radio City Music Hall in New York on the 13th April, generating considerable interest as it is great match up between two contrasting fighters.

The 32 year old Rigondeaux, who has had just 11 professional bouts, is widely regarded by many boxing figures as not only one of the greatest amateur fighters of all time, but he clinched the WBA title in just his 9th contest by defeating Rico Ramos.

But in the other corner we have one of the paid ranks greatest talents active today, Nonito Donaire, who, since turning professional, has displayed an exceptionally high level of ring intelligence in terms of judging the distance between himself and his opponent and pacing the fight.

This has left Donaire open to criticism of not being fan friendly but he is a powerful and fast puncher with a tendency not to waste his shots, which has seen him score powerful body shot knockouts.

Against challenger Teon Kennedy, Rigondeaux scored five knockdowns with his left cross to dominate in the maiden defence of his title. It was a resounding stamp of authority for Rigondeaux, who's amateur pedigree stretches to over 400 bouts, winning seven national titles and two Olympic Gold medals.

For Donaire, the gold has come in the belts he has won in the paid ranks in the four weights he has won world titles, from Flyweight to Super-Bantamweight and has taken on some of the greatest little men in the sport of his generation. More...

It has now been more than a week since a short right hand from Belfast’s undefeated Commonwealth champion Carl Frampton found it’s mark on the Spainiard Kiko Martinez.

The shot scrambling the senses of the 26 year old Alicantian to the extent it forced Finnish referee Ansii Perajoki to a halt to Martinez’s second defence of his European Super Bantamweight title in front of a partisan crowd at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast.

This defeat was the third time that Martinez has lost in his 30 fight professional career, all of which have been against British fighters. His first two losses were both against Leicester’s boxing binman, Rendall Monroe, in 2008 and 2009.

However, this loss for "La Sensacion" was most devastating for the Spainard, while further raising the stock of 25 year old Belfast resident Frampton, who is managed by former World Featherweight champion Barry McGuigan and trained by McGuigan's son Shane as one of the brightest talents coming out of these shores today.

This victory for Frampton stoked further public interest for an all-British showdown against Manchester’s Scott Quigg. who currently holds the Lonsdale belt in the 8 stone 10 lbs division and was an interested spectator ringside. Quigg, like Frampton, would like a face off between the two best super bantams in the UK.

But Frampton’s promoter Eddie Hearn has other ideas and is targeting a world title shot for Frampton as a mandatory challenger for the winner of Mexico's Alejandro Lopez and the Colombian, Jonathan Romero, who meet for the IBF crown in Tijuana, the fight capital of Mexican boxing.

Hearn has plans to lobby the IBF, Frampton currently holds their Intercontinental trinket, for a final eliminator to take place on or around the 11th May.

Frampton’s victory helps get British boxing off to a great start for the 2013 calendar year but also comes at a time when the Super-Bantamweight class, as a whole, is starting to heat up. More...

On Saturday night at the Boardwalk Hall, the house that Arturo Gatti built in Atlantic City, flashy Cincinnati native Adrien Broner displayed why he is widely regarded as one of the brightest young talents in the sport today with a fifth round stoppage over a tough and durable Gavin Rees in the maiden defence of the WBC Lightweight crown .

The 32 year old Rees, from Newbridge, Wales, a former World Champion at Light-Welterweight and a former British and European champion at lightweight, came into this fight a considerable betting underdog at 18-1 to derail Broner’s approach to the top.

In the opening stanzas of the bout, Rees started fast, knowing as the underdog he had very little if anything to lose in comparison to Broner, who many regard as the successor to Floyd Mayweather as the next big American star.

Rees displayed speed and tenacity, however his shots seemed to have little to effect on Broner as the self proclaimed "Problem" covered up effectively and evaluated what Rees had to offer rather than attempt to slug it with the game Welshman, who took the opening two rounds on this writer’s card.

In the third round, having seen what he needed to see, Broner started to open up, displaying the blinding hand speed and power which has made him a two weight world champion in 25 fights at the tender age of 23 years old.

Broner countered effectively against the more aggressive Rees before eventually knocking down the challenger in the fourth round from which Rees rose quickly, showing no ill effects.

In the corner of Rees, his trainer, former World Middleweight title challenger Gary Lockett, thought of pulling Rees out, but the tenacious Welshman convinced his trainer otherwise.

In the fifth and what proved to be final round, Broner continued to display his superior technical abilities and strength as he started to increase the tempo of the fight as he looked for the knockout. More...

2013 looms most promising for British boxing, following on the heels of 2012, which saw Britain clinch three Gold medals in the first home Olympics since 1948 and the greatest medal haul with Bantamweight Luke Campbell, Super Heavyweight Anthony Joshua and flyweight Nicola Adams all clinching gold medals.

The 29 year old Adams made history as the first female boxer to clinch gold at an Olympic Games, with medals also for Welshman Freddie Evans and Lowestoft's Anthony Ogogo, which helped Great Britain top the medals table for Boxing, even ahead of the much vaunted Cuban amateur system.

This success has also seen a British team christened the Lionhearts to enter the World Series of Boxing to capitalise on the success of the London games and to continue the excellent work that Performance Director Robert McCracken has achieved since taking the post.

And this writer, like many a boxing fan, thought that McCracken, like his cycling counterpart David Brailsford, would also be awarded on the New Year Honours List, it was disappointing that the experienced and likable trainer was not given an award of some description, as he has achieved even more since Beijing and has received considerable increase in funding to build on the success that was produced in London.

Meanwhile in the professional ranks, British boxing is in very good health with three world champions. At Lightweight, in the shape of Scotland’s tall and stylish Ricky Burns, who served up a domestic barnburner with friend and former sparring partner Kevin Mitchell, defeating the Londoner in five rounds in front of a partisan crowd at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in Glasgow.

Prior to this, Burns also defeated former WBA title holder Paulus Moses of Namibia on points. For Burns, the Lightweight division in 2013 is up for grabs with talk of WBC champion Adrien Broner being a potential dance partner for the Scottish stylist.

However, former British and European Champion Gavin Rees has beaten Burns to this opportunity with the flashy Cincinnati native, who could still be a future opponent for Burns in a exciting match up.

Other options in the future for both Burns and Rees could be the winner of Richard Abril vs. Sharif Bogere for the WBA’s trinket or WBA title holder Miguel Vazquez could also be a potential target in early 2013 in an mouth watering match up.

Burn’s stablemate Nathan Cleverly retained his WBO Light-Heavyweight title, scoring solid wins against little known American Tommy Karpency in a dominant performance before making his US debut against Native American Shawn Hawk, whom Cleverly stopped in eight rounds to impress the Stateside audience. More...

Following his spectacular 82 second, potentially career ending demolition of perennial underachiever Audley Harrison at the Echo Arena in the maiden defence of his titles on Saturday night, Liverpool’s unbeaten and exciting heavyweight giant David Price will make a rapid second defence of his Commonwealth and British titles against former British, Commonwealth and European Champion Matt Skelton on the 8th December at a venue yet to be decided.

Skelton turned professional back in 2002 at the age of 32 following a career in kick boxing in which he fought 71 times, scoring 63 wins, of which 57 came by knockout.

After he swapped kick boxing for the Queensberry rules, Skelton had a 34 fight professional career in which his big hitting, slugging style initially did not appeal to the purist of the noble art, but won them over when he was delivering the knockouts.

Skelton has faced some of the best European heavyweights of the 2000's, which included a creditable WBA title challenge against Ruslan Chagaev, dropping a 12 round decision in 2008.

Previously, Skelton clinched the British and Commonwealth titles with a 12th round knockout over the durable Michael Sprott in Sprott’s hometown of Reading in 2004 and then dispatched Keith Long with an 11th round knockout seven month later.

Skelton then went onto post a seventh round stoppage against Mark Krence and a 79 second blowout of perennial challenger John McDermott before vacating the Lonsdale belt.

However, in 2006 he lost and regained the Commonwealth title against Danny Williams in two bouts and in the second fight, won despite conceding 33 lb to Williams in one of the heaviest title fights in a British ring before scoring yet another victory over Sprott prior to the world title challenge against Chagaev.

Despite this loss, Skelton was given an opportunity to challenge for the then vacant European title against the Italian, Paolo Vidoz. However, in 2009, Skelton lost his Commonwealth title in the 11th round to popular Belfast brawler Martin Rogan in a domestic classic. More...

This week it has been announced that Frank Maloney’s big hitting heavyweight prospect Dillian Whyte will be challenging for the vacant English Heavyweight title in his 10th professional fight against Horndon’s John McDermott in a interesting crossroads fight on December 8th.

This will be at venue yet to be decided on the bill of David Price’s defence of his British and Commonwealth titles against former British, Commonwealth and European Champion Matt Skelton.

David Price vacated the English title so he could challenge for the Commonwealth and British Heavyweight belts, which were vacated by Tyson Fury when Price became mandatory challenger after his 73 second demolition of McDermott, which sent shockwaves around the domestic scene.

The 32 year old McDermott, who brings into this fight a 27-8 with 18 knockouts record, is looking to rebuild his career with potentially one last crack at the prestigious Lonsdale belt for which he has challenged for three times.

McDermott was twice on the receiving end of questionable points decisions against Brixton’s Danny Williams in a 10 month period between July 2008 and May 2009 and previously was bombed in 79 seconds by a then unbeaten Matt Skelton in December 2005.

'Big Bad John' holds points wins against former British champion Scott Gammer in a British title eliminator in 2008 and British title challenger Pele Reid but has suffered two losses against Tyson Fury, when Fury was working his way up the ladder.

Whyte, in his nine bout professional career, has had a diet of good durable trial horses of which he has stopped six. In his professional career, he has displayed powerful, fast, accurate punching and terrific finishing ability when he has had his opponent in trouble. More...