Boxing News

© Mike Cleary

As the title of this article states, this piece is about what would have happened if Ricky Hatton had had to face greats from the welterweight division from years gone by. I think the probability of what would have happened had Ricky been born at a time when it would have made it necessary for

him to have fought men named Hearns, Leonard and Duran, goes to show how he is no welterweight - this was proven even by Luis Collazo who, while a good fighter, is no legend. Clearly, Ricky must drop back down to light welter, if he wishes to regain his former dominance. But since he IS a world champion at 147, let’s compare him against three all-time greats who fought in the division in which “The Hitman” currently reigns. Boxers Ricky grew up watching and who he now idolises - especially in the case of Roberto Duran.

Ironically, I feel the man who he so admires in Roberto Duran is the one fighter of the three who Hatton would have had the best chance against. Duran, like Ricky, came up in weight to box as a welterweight. He actually won his first world title at lightweight, therefore his achievement of winning belts at both welterweight AND middleweight (with light middle thrown in for good measure) is quite remarkable. But then Roberto Duran was an exceptional fighting man. What then of Ricky’s chances against the man he rates as his number one boxing hero? More...

Click for larger image © James Slater / Saddo Boxing

Just outside the centre of Manchester stands a no-frills, old-school boxing gym. Its title has a rather quaint ring to it, and inside the well equipped building, veteran trainer Brian Hughes is hard at work with his stable of fighters, fighters who prefer the old fashioned and
traditional boxing gyms, as apposed to the high-tech alternatives that are more and more prolific these days. Former super middleweight world champion Robin Reid trains here, as does current welterweight contender Michael Jennings. These men wouldn’t change gyms for anything.

The feel of the place is gritty and real, sort of like one would expect a gym to be after having watched one or two legendary boxing movies. And one day last week, a rainy Monday at the tail end of a July heat wave, I had the privilege of experiencing firsthand just how some of Britain’s real life Rockys go about their business. In a gym that is a reminder of how all pro boxers once got ready for a prize fight, the passion and intensity on display from the young fighters and their veteran coach more than live up to my expectations. More...

A Brutal KO Remembered

Hailing from Sheffield, England, Herol "Bomber" Graham turned pro in 1978 with a points win over six rounds. It would be almost ten years before he was to lose a fight. He was able to frustrate every single opponent he fought with his uncommon defensive moves, southpaw stance and speed. Never a big puncher (the Bomber nickname was chosen to deliberately throw off opposition who, if they'd never seen him fight before, would be fooled into thinking Graham was something of a big punching brawler), Herol used his fast hands to throw shots from unusual angles, along with his great ability at making another fighter get tired by missing so frequently, to achieve victory.

And until his fight with Sumbu Kalambay, in 1987, he looked quite unbeatable. Herol rebounded from the points loss to Kalambay and two years later challenged the great Mike McCallum for the world middleweight championship. Beaten on points again, Herol nevertheless gave a fine account of himself - losing by the slimmest of margins. What with all "The Body Snatcher" went on to achieve, this was indeed an excellent performance from
the Sheffield man, giving McCallum one of his hardest ever fights. More...

Strong indications say pound-for-pound king, Floyd Mayweather will box Corey Spinks in his next outing. The fight, already approved, sanctioning wise by the IBF, is being talked about for “Pretty Boy’s” November 4 pay per view commitment. Tentatively scheduled to take place at The MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the bout is a fascinating match-up. It seems Floyd is keen on moving up to light middleweight and challenging Spinks for his belt. The question
is, is 154 too high for Floyd?

Spinks is coming off a very good, albeit controversial win, over the excellent Roman Karmazin. Now a two time world champion, Cory will be no pushover for Mayweather. He has only been stopped once, by Zab Judah, and his fine and silky skills have seen him box his way to many superb victories.

One of them over Judah, in their first meeting. And Zab, in his fight with Floyd, was more than holding his own in the first half of the contest, before Mayweather came on to dominate late. But this was at welterweight; will the undefeated modern great be as effective up a division? More...

Holyfield Fight Still Best Performance At Heavyweight For "Light Out"

James Toney should'nt really be fighting as a heavyweight. This opinion is held by more than a few, both fans and experts. But he is doing so, and until someone comes along and beats him - he is currently 3-0-1, with one no-contest at the weight - James has to be respected as a contender at heavyweight. His next fight, against the huge punching Samuel Peter, just might be the fight where James does lose. But who knows? With his slick skills, "Lights Out" has the ability to outbox many of todays big guys.

To be honest, James has really only looked totally impressive as a heavyweight on one occasion. But I have to admit, that after the way he dismantled his opponent in this very fight, I felt he had certainly made the correct choice in moving up to compete at such a poundage.

However, after this excellent show James went on to gain more weight, and looked sluggish as a result. Still, the display that impressed many is one deserving of respect. The fight in question is James match-up with the legendary Evander Holyfield. I recount the action from this memorable contest in the following text. More...

Photos copyright Jane Warburton Saddo Boxing

Inside a sweltering Altrincham Leisure centre, WBC number one ranked Cruiserweight contender David Haye successfully defended his European Title via a unanimous twelve rounds points decision over Belgium's Ismail Abdoul on a Maloney Promtion last Friday night.The fight was extremely dull and disappointing though, it has to be said. David, never once living up to his explosive nickname of Hayemaker, boxed well within himself as he won every single round. While the durable Abdoul failed to offer much in the way of aggression, content instead to be picked off with left jabs on the way to a lopsided decision loss.

The crowd wanted action, and when it refused to materialise some fans got up and left, mid-fight. The boos steadily cascaded down on the ring from the fourth round on. And , purely on value for money terms, the match was a huge letdown. There was simply nowhere near enough drama. More...

Massive Photo Gallery copyright Jane Warburton Saddo Boxing.com

In the fight of the night on the Maloney Promotions bill at the Altrincham leisure centre last Friday night, British light middleweight champion Jamie Moore tuned up in very impressive fashion for his September bout with Matthew Macklin. Going up against fellow south paw Mike Algoet, from Belgium, Moore was expected to be taken the distance. Algoet is a fighter of proven durability - once taking the excellent Roman Karmazan the distance - yet Jamie managed to get his win inside schedule. The action was good, too.

Jamie's loyal fan base had lots to shout about. Not least the quality of Moore's work. Mike has a reputation as being something of a spoiler, but against Moore he wasnt given the chance. Switching his shots from body to head well, Moore set a fast pace and, despite going up against a full middleweight, was stronger at the inside work. In short, Jamie put not one foot wrong - he boxed like a fine and experienced pro. More...

I recently re-watched the fantastic Champions Forever video - a superb bringing together of five inextricably linked heavyweight greats who fought in the same period. Their rivalry was legendary and sometimes bitter, yet while reunited for the purposes of the unique video all five boxers were both respectful and courteous of one other. The tough, era-defining match ups that these five men - Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Ken Norton and Larry Holmes - fought will never be forgotten and, in a very real way, all five warriors were brought together in an intimacy that few could ever understand because of them. These living legends respect the fact the skills for which they are known - and which gave them their very identity -
were pushed to the limit by the other members of the fabulous five they are sharing memories with as champions forever. Without one, they understand, there could not have been the other. As such, there is a powerful union between them. This bond is evident in the video. More...

Many fans will probably scream a definitive Yes! When reading the question posed in the above title. And I agree, Holyfield most definitely should hang up the gloves for good if he loses the latest comeback fight of his career. In fact, he should have done the sensible thing years ago. At the very least, retirement has been beckoning since the TKO Evander suffered at the hands of James “Lights Out” Toney back in October of 2003. Before this bout, boxing’s warrior promised he’d quit for good if and when someone beat him up sufficiently so as to make the decision to fight no more unavoidable. But despite the painful lesson he received from Toney, Evander failed to keep his word. And now, after yet one more embarrassing loss - this one on points to journeyman Larry Donald - Holyfied is giving it another go. He says the way one ends a career is far more important than how it was begun. And as such believes the final chapter of his storied career should see him capture the heavyweight title one more time. Only then will he retire feeling content.

So, later this summer, in Dallas, Texas, “The Real Deal” faces one Jeremy Bates. A thirty two year old with a modest 21 - 11 - 1 record, who, in his last fight, was TKO’d in two rounds by Ray Austin. Without disrespecting Bates, the answer to the title of this article and its question becomes apparent when one considers the credentials of the guys Evander is fighting these days. Quite simply, he must retire if he loses to such a nondescript opponent as Jeremy Bates. Evander is an all-time great fighter, after all. As a boxer who is winless in his last three fights, and who has had his hand raised in triumph only once in the last six years, Evander is clearly taking the least risk he can in his next ring appearance - he is positively desperate to put a result in his win column. More...

It Was Twenty Years Ago This Year - Tyson v Berbick: “Iron Mike” At his Most Devastating!

Twenty year old Mike Tyson was making his first challenge for the heavyweight title. Defending WBC champ Trevor Berbick may have been the more experienced fighter, but not too many people expected to see him hold on to his belt. Although many people erroneously claimed that Tyson would become the youngest heavyweight champion in history

were he to do as anticipated and win, in fact he would become the youngest ever holder of the WBC heavyweight title - Floyd Patterson’s record for being the youngest ever WORLD champ at heavyweight while aged twenty one would remain intact whatever happened on the night of November 22nd 1986. Maybe Tyson would go on to claim linear honours before reaching the age Floyd had been when he’d done so, but time alone would tell us this. Still, even winning a portion of the heavyweight title while only a few months out of his teen years would be an incredible achievement for “Iron Mike”. The crowd at the Las Vegas Hilton watched with keen anticipation to see if he could do so. More...

All boxing fans love a slugfest. This type of fight is guaranteed to get the pulses racing. Sure, we fans respect and appreciate the fine art of boxing - the superb defensive skills of hitting and not being hit - but deep down every fan hopes to see a violent slugfest in the ring. The excitement of such a spectacle, where both fighters take turns in landing the dominant blows, which often results in a knockdown or two, really lets out the passion and fire that every fight fan has inside his chest - in the form of deafening screams and roars of approval. As much as a chess match style boxing encounter may appeal to a boxing fan on a different level, it will not produce the kind of sore throat inducing fervour that a classic slugfest does.

In this article, I give my choice for the ten greatest ever fights of this kind. Fights that were the word excitement defined. In the fights written about here there was nothing but fan satisfaction, at least in terms of action. In other words - slugfests! More...

The long and always exciting career of “The Flushing Flash”, Kevin Kelley appears to be over. After his crushing four round defeat at the Hands of Bobby Pacquiao two weeks ago it would certainly be a good time for Kevin to Hang “em up. He has nothing left - at least compared to the once formidable fighting talents he once had - and being a smart guy I fully expect the New Yorker to do the right thing. He certainly made his mark in the sport during his largely successful boxing career though, and he was responsible for providing some of the featherweight division’s most thrilling fights.

Bouts with the likes of Naseem Hamed, Goyo Vargas and Troy Dorsey were among the most memorable in the division’s history. But it is the fight that is the subject of this article that I will always think of whenever Kevin Kelley’s name is mentioned. The fight he had with Derrick “Smoke” Gainer is one of my all-time favourites and is, to my mind, the finest exhibition of guts and heart seen in the featherweight division in the last two decades. I will never tire of watching this fight on video.

Kevin Kelley was defending his lightly regarded WBU featherweight belt, but despite the lack of respect this title may have had, there was nothing negative about the quality of his match-up with fellow southpaw Derrick “Smoke” Gainer. This was a fine pairing of featherweights and going in, picking a winner divided many an opinion. If anything, Gainer was a very slight favourite, thanks in large part to his five year youth advantage. The fight took place on the fifteenth of June 1996 at the Coliseum in Jacksonville Florida. The action that unfolded was truly incredible. More...

Why I Don’t Think Angelo Dundee Cheated

Right up to the present day, Sir Henry Cooper claims that Cassius Clay got anywhere from one minute’s extra rest to a minute and a half extra after being felled by “’Enery’s “Ammer” in the first famous bout between the young Muhammad Ali and Henry Cooper. Usually, after Henry has finished making his claims, the T.V station he is on will then show us footage of Clay’s trip to the floor near the end of round four.

However, never do they seem to show film of the very moment Cooper speaks so passionately about. Without exception, at least on the television programmes Henry has been invited to be on in the U.K, as soon as the audience begins to cheer at the left hook and the knockdown it brings the camera switches back to present day and Henry’s beaming face. Why on earth do they never let the film roll and allow us all to see what Cooper claims to have happened with our own eyes? More...

“The Hitman” Slips Into “Motor City Cobra” Mode

After his heartbreaking loss to “Sugar” Ray Leonard, his first ever as a professional, Tommy Hearns regrouped with decent wins over Ernie Singletary, Marcos Geraldo and Jeff McCracken. With revenge over Leonard uppermost in his mind, Tommy set his sights on winning another world title. He moved up seven pounds and challenged the incredibly talented Puerto Rican, Wilfred Benitez, for his WBC light middleweight title.

Winning this would prove that Tommy was still one of the finest fighters in the world and that he had suffered no ill effects as a result of the Leonard defeat. The fight was set for December the 3rd 1982 at the Super Dome in New Orleans. More...

This year marks the twentieth anniversary of one of the most emotionally draining years for British boxing fans. We were subject to both massive highs as well as agonising lows in 1986. We were put through such emotions by some of our most popular and well known boxers - men like Frank Bruno, Lloyd Honeyghan and Dennis Andries. In fact, in at least two of the three fights that are the subject of this article practically the entire nation held its breath when they took place. Our fighting heroes were going at it against the highest level of competition, and doing so on the world stage.

How could anyone - not just hardcore boxing fans but basically anyone with a passing interest in any sport- fail to be thoroughly engrossed by the fights that were unfolding? No one in the U.K, that’s for sure. For us Brits the year 1986, and the feelings the results of the fights I am going to recall in this piece inspired, will never be forgotten. More...

Duran’s Last Great Win!

Roberto “Hands of Stone” Duran was put on the short end of 3-1 odds for his bout with Iran “The Blade” Barkley back in 1989. The fight was set for February 24th at the Convention Centre in Atlantic City and most people were expecting a successful first defence by Barkley, who had just snatched the WBC middleweight title from Thomas Hearns via a shocking third round KO. But in yet another of the upsets that boxing can produce - it is this unpredictability that makes it such a thrilling sport - Duran turned back the clock one more miraculous time and fought a superb fight, capturing his fourth world title in different divisions at the advanced age of thirty seven. This was an incredible result.

It wasn’t just that Duran won but the way in which he did so. Roberto performed with the excellent stamina one would normally associate with a man at least ten years his junior!

On a snowy February evening these two rival gladiators locked horns and they produced what turned out to be an absolutely thrilling fight. Both started at a fast pace, especially Barkley - the punching was truly intense! Could the old man Duran endure in such a furious brawl? At the end of the opener it was Barkley who had to answer this question as he was hurt by a great right hand by his challenger. It was a good start to a good fight, indicative of the superb action to come. More...

Click for larger image © James Slater / Saddo Boxing

Clinton Woods KO’s Jason DeLisle in Sixth Round Of Rematch!

Sheffield’s Clinton Woods had yet another great night in front of his home town fans this evening at the Ponds Forge Arena, as he successfully defended his IBF light heavyweight title for the second time. In a rematch of a 2004 thriller with Australia’s tough Jason “The Nailer” DeLisle, Woods delighted his loyal following with a devastating sixth round knockout on a Fight Academy promotion televised by Sky Sports. Clinton had predicted a win in seven rounds beforehand yet got the job done one round quicker than he’d anticipated. In doing so he paved the way for huge and attractive fights against the likes of Glen Johnson (Woods’ mandatory challenger), Roy Jones Jnr and, perhaps, the winner of the Antonio Tarver and Bernard Hopkins match. More...

Click for larger image © James Slater / Saddo Boxing

Jon Thaxton said at the press conference on Wednesday how he intended tomake his fight, against the undefeated 19-0 Argentinean Jorge Miranda, the fight of the night on the “Meltdown” show in Sheffield. Although that distinction would have to go to the main event, Thaxton and Miranda put on a lively and eventful fight. Jon, fighting as a lightweight for the ninth time since his return to the ring following a car accident, looked in magnificent condition and entered the ring intent on making a statement. His undefeated opponent made his entrance with a cartwheel, giving some indication to his confidence level. More...

Click for larger image © James Slater / Saddo Boxing

Ant Evans, publicist for Fight Academy, the promoters behind "Meltdown", the rematch between IBF Light Heavyweight Champion Clinton Woods and hard as nails Australian challenger Jason DeLisle this Saturday, sat in the middle of the long table of fighters and trainers at the Hilton Hotel in Sheffield this morning. Various members of the boxing press were present at the press conference to see what the fighters on the card had to say about this hotly anticipated fightcard .

Ant Evans: "Good morning everyone. I'd like to thank Sky Box Office for their hospitality. As you know we have a Boston show featuring Ricky Hatton, but first off we have the rematch of the October 2004 war between Clinton Woods and Jason DeLisle, right here. This top of the bill came about because Clinton has a voluntary defence to make before getting it on against the likes of Glenn Johnson, who is the number one contender. We offered this fight to a few others including Prince Badi Ajamu. They turned us down. More...

Jon Thaxton is one of the most exciting fighters in Britain regardless of weight class. The stocky, Norwich based fighter has faced some of the country's best lightweights and light welters but he's probably best known for giving Ricky Hatton perhaps the Mancunian's toughest fight to date. Thaxton will be facing undefeated lightweight Jorge Daniel Miranda on Saturday night

Click for larger image © James Slater Saddo Boxing

on the undercard of Fight Academy's big Woods - DeLisle IBF Light Heavyweight and generously took the time to speak with SaddoBoxing.com

SaddoBoxing: You're on an eight-fight win streak at the moment, aren't you?

Jon Thaxton: "Yeah I’m on a roll, I feel good." More...