While Britain's Ricky Hatton makes big headlines on both sides of the Atlantic, Bradford's Junior Witter moves on with a potentially tricky defence of his WBC Light Welter title against Vivian Harris on Friday, September 7.
Home advantage will be once again be in Witter's favour as the Doncaster Dome plays host to the fight between Ring Magazine's top two 140 pounders.
Witter, 33, has won every title available to him in the pro boxing game and has only one defeat in 38 fights. That one defeat came back in June 2000 when, as a late substitute, he took American Zab Judah the full 12 rounds distance in an IBF title bid. Who knows what would have happened had he the full time to prepare?
Witter would spend a further six years undefeated before he eventually gained an opportunity to fight for the WBC version of the 140 lb title, vacated by Floyd Mayweather Jr. September 15, 2006 would be the date when "The Hitter" finally got his hands on that elusive title.
Veteran Demarcus Corley was the opponent and was deemed to be a tricky one. However, Witter was on fire, producing an almost faultless performance and winning on points.
Now after one defence, he faces another potentially awkward night.
Opposing him on the 7th is Vivian Harris, a former WBA title holder. At age 29, Harris is a ten year veteran of the squared circle. After a two year reign as world champion, in which he was being touted as a future opponent for Ricky Hatton, Harris dropped the belt in a truly dismal performance against rugged Carlos Maussa in June 2005. Ironically for Harris, Maussa would go onto face Hatton in his next bout. More...
In a fight that I still find difficult to believe is taking place, Floyd Mayweather Jr and Ricky Hatton put their unbeaten records on the line in December.
Call me a skeptic or even a pessimist, but I still won't believe it will happen until both men are in the ring.
This is a fight that we've been talking about for the last two years, ever since Mayweather ripped the WBC 140 pound title from an overmatched Arturo Gatti in June 2005.
Just three weeks earlier, Hatton himself became a title holder, defeating long serving champion Kostya Tszyu.
Much has happened since that night to both men. Hatton has changed promoters while Mayweather's threatened retirement.
To be honest, I never really took Mayweather's promise to retire after defeating De La Hoya in May, seriously. If anything, I thought he would be fighting the Golden Boy in a rematch.
Certainly, the fight in Las Vegas in which Mayweather won his fifth title was much more entertaining than I thought it would be. Surely, financial sense would had been to make a rematch. However, it wasn't to be. More...
In another big Sports Network card, three title fights take place tonight at London's O2 Arena.
Topping the bill will be Dagenham's undefeated featherweight star Nicky Cook, who finally gets his shot at the WBO Featherweight title.
Undefeated in 27 fights, Cook has won all available titles at British, European and Commonwealth level. A pro since 1998, Cook has passed all tests given to him so far with impressive victories over the likes of Gary Thornhill and former world title challenger Jackie Gunguluza.
Cook was originally due to get his shot last December against Scotland's Scott Harrison, who withdrew due to personal difficulties. Now he faces a different opponent for the vacated title.
American Steve Luevano will be in the opposite corner tonight, and like Cook, the Californian has an excellent professional record of 32 wins in 33 bouts. Although of Hispanic descent, Luevano is a slickster rather than a brawler. Of his 32 wins, only 14 have come inside the distance. He also has an extensive amateur background. More...
In rematch of their title bout three years ago, Wladimir Klitschko makes the third defence of his IBF heavyweight title against American Lamon Brewster in Koln, Germany tonight.
In the days of Lennox Lewis, Wladimir Klitschko was being billed as the next dominant heavyweight champion to replace Lewis when he retired.
After an early hiccup in 1998 against Ross Purity, Klitschko went on to win the WBO title with a wide points victory over American Chris Byrd in late 2000.
Everything seem to be going fine for the giant Ukrainian as he compiled five more defences of his crown. Then in March 2003, in a seemingly routine defence against veteran Corrie Sanders, Klitschko's world fell apart around his ears. Two crushing rounds later he was an ex-champion.
To his credit after a crushing defeat, Klitschko soldiered on, scoring two wins before being matched with Lamon Brewster for the vacant title one year later. Again, Klitschko would fall apart. After a bright start, Klitschko faded, losing in five. More...
Hatton's biggest fight for two years? Most certainly. Hattons' toughest fight in two years? Very possibly.
Both are valid questions as Ricky Hatton, 42-0 (30), defends his newly won IBO 140 pound title against veteran Jose Luis Castillo, 55-7-1 (47), at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada tonight, 23 June.
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This is Hatton's biggest name opponent since that memorable night in Manchester two years ago when he ripped the 140 pound world crown from Australian legend Kostya Tszyu in 11 brutal rounds.
Since then, the Hitman from Manchester has fought three times and has yet to hit the peak he showed on that barmy June night. In November, 2005 in a unification bout, he stopped Carlos Maussa in nine rounds.
The following May, he travelled to Boston to capture the WBA Welterweight crown with a points win over Luis Collazo. After a bright start in which he knocked Collazo down in round one, Hatton laboured to a points decision win. In his last outing five months ago, Hatton once again won on points to win his old IBF 140 pound title against Juan Urango.
In Castillo, he meets a teak tough Mexican with bags of experience. Amazingly, Castillo is still only 33, although he seems to have been around forever. A professional since 1990, the Mexican has twice won the world lightweight title. More...
Well after a good first half of the year, what can we expect from the summer in world boxing?
After a good start to June with wins for Miguel Cotto and Paulie Malignaggi, our attention moves to Las Vegas, Nevada this Saturday with Ricky Hatton's biggest fight stateside against Mexican hardman Jose Luis Castillo. It should be a battle.
The summer also features an intriguing rematch on July 7. Three years ago, Wladimir Klitschko was a heavy favourite to regain the WBO title against American Lamon Brewster. Dramatically, Klitschko fell apart losing in the fifth. To his credit, Wlad has dusted himself off with wins over the likes of Samuel Peter and Chris Byrd. Despite the loss, he will probably start as the favourite against Brewster.
Arturo Gatti still keeps rolling on. He continues the comeback against Alfonso Gomez, who has a modest 16 wins in 21 fights.
The welterweight division seems to be back where it belongs as one of the hottest in boxing. On July 14 in a fight I cant wait for, dangerman Antonio Margarito defends his WBO title against undefeated American Paul Williams. This could very well be a dark horse as one of the fights of 2007. I for one cannot wait and I am glad British TV will air this live.
Another big 147 pound fight takes place on the same night when big punching Kermit Cintron defends his IBF title. More...
The year was 1990 and the heavyweight division had been blown open.
In February, the seemingly invincible Mike Tyson was a massive 42-1 favourite when he travelled to Tokyo, Japan to make the 10th defence of his heavyweight crown. Tyson's opponent that night, James Buster Douglas, was seen as little threat on Tyson's road to a megafight with undefeated Evander Holyfield, who had recently moved up to heavyweight after dominating the cruiserweight ranks.
10 rounds later Tyson was an ex-champion after an inspired performance from Douglas. The sight of a battered and dazed Tyson groping for his gumshield is something I will never forget.
At the same time, an unlikely comeback was in progress. After 10 years away from the ring, George Foreman was three years into his ring return. After being ridiculed at the start, Foreman would continue to rack win after win and in January, he scored the biggest win by knocking out former contender Gerry Gooney in two rounds. Foreman was ready for his first top 10 opponent.
On June 16 1990, these two former champions would fight on the same bill aptly titled "The Road Back". Tyson's comeback opponent was chosen to ease him back to winning ways. Henry Tillman had defeated Tyson twice in the amateur ranks but as a proefessional had never fulfilled his full potential. In his one world title challenge at cruiserweight, he was despatched by Evander Holyfield in 1987. More...
It's another big fight night at New York's Madison Square Garden tonight when Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto defends his WBA Welterweight title against American Zab Judah.
It's an interesting bout and I think Cotto's toughest test in the pro ranks. A pro since 1996, Judah has won titles at two different weights.
Strangely enough, he is most remembered for controversy. In November 2001, in a 140 pound unification bout against Kostya Tszyu, Judah was stopped in two rounds. In protesting the decision, he physically threatened referee Jay Nady, sparking crowd trouble.
That blip aside, which Judah has duly been punished for, the American is a crafty southpaw with enough power I think to make this an intersting evening. More...
In a fascinating trade fight, world middleweight number one Jermain Taylor defends his WBC and WBO titles against former welterweight and light middleweight champion Cory Spinks tonight at the Fed-ex Forum, Memphis.
Spinks, the challenger from St Louis,Missouri has only three defeats in 39 bouts. His first world title fight was at welterweight in April 2002 when he was pitched in against Italian Michele Piccirillo in a bout for the IBF crown vacated by Vernon Forrest. Spinks lost a disputed verdict that night in Italy but gained his revenge 11 months later back in the lions den to claim the IBF crown.
Next up was a rare unification bout against Nicaraguan wildman Ricardo Mayorga in December 2003. Mayorga at that time was hot property and also a hot pick to defeat Spinks, who many felt was biting off more than he could chew. However, Cory upset the applecart to win a majority decision to become the first undisputed 147 pound champion in over 15 years.
Spinks was on a roll and the big fights kept on coming. A successful title defence followed in April 2004 against former light welterweight champion Zab Judah but Spinks suffered a set back 10 months later, losing in nine rounds in the rematch in front of a 22,000 strong hometown St Louis crowd. More...
In a battle of the veterans, former champions at light heavyweight clash when Montell Griffin and Glen Johnson meet in a title eliminator at the Hard Rock Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida tonight.
Both men have victories over the great Roy Jones Jr to boast about.
As a massive underdog against Jones in 1997, Griffin came into the bout with victories over the likes of James Toney and former title challenger David Vedder. On 21 March of that year, Griffin frustrated the undefeated Jones for nine rounds before being hit whilst on the deck to force a disqualification.
Griffin wasn't too fortunate in the rematch five months later, being starched in the first round to lose his newly acquired title.
That was 10 years ago. Since then Griffin has endured mixed fortunes, although he was won more than he lost. However, at top level he has just fallen short. More...
In an intriguing matchup, youth meets experience when Ulsterman Eamonn Magee attempts to annex the British Welterweight title from Scot Kevin Anderson tonight on a Matchroom promotion at the Concert hall in Motherwell, Scotland.
Anderson has a professional record of 18 wins and only one defeat and as well as being the British champion, has also held the Commonwealth 147 pound title. In fact, his only defeat was in a Commonwealth title defence against Namimbian Ali Nuumbembe in his last fight in February, on a close split decision verdict.
Although relatively inexperienced at a professional level, the 24 year old Anderson has proved he is a tenacious fighter, shown most notably in his British title defence last June against Young Mutley. In that bout, Anderson rose from a second round knockdown before wearing down his foe in the tenth.
In Magee, Anderson meets the most experienced fighter he has ever faced. He is best remembered for being the first man to floor Ricky Hatton before losing on points in a world title bid at light welterweight in 2002.
Since then, the 35 year old Magee has defied the odds after surviving a brutal beating outside the ring in 2004 which looked to have ended his boxing career. Remarkably, he has continued his boxing career, winning 2 out of 3 comeback bouts. The defeat came in May last year in a lacklustre bout with fellow veteran Takaloo. More...
In an absorbing, if not classic, bout, Floyd Mayweather Jr won a world title in a fifth weight division by a split decision over fellow American Oscar De La Hoya.
For me, it was a better fight than I expected but what happens next in the career and lives of the two combatants?
Immediately after the bout, Mayweather said two things that completely surprised me. The first thing he said was that he thought it was an easy fight and he was having fun. A split decision win in a fight that I had him losing up until the last three rounds makes a mockery of that statement.
The second statement was that he still planned to retire and that he had nothing left to prove. For Mayweather, there's still many big name opponents out there for him.
After a successful leap into the light middleweight division and the fact that he was four pounds under the 154 pound limit suggests that he could easily switch between welter and super welterweight. Names such as Paul Williams, Shane Mosley and Antonio Margarito could easily be accommodated. More...
Well, its fast approaching. The richest non heavyweight fight in boxing history will take place tonight.
In one corner we have brash challenger Floyd Mayweather Jnr, 1996 US Olympian, world champion in four weight divisions and unbeaten in 37 professional fights spanning 10 and a half years.
Opposing him, fellow American and boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya, 1992 Olympian, world champion in six weight divisions and beaten only four times in a glittering 14 and a half year career.
It's a fight that could have only have one venue and city. The MGM Grand Garden Hotel in Las Vegas will host this megabucks battle and Mayweather Jnr will bid to join the likes of Hearns and Leonard as one of the select few to win world titles in five different divisions. But can he? More...
Britain's Howard Eastman attempts to continue his winning ways when he fights this Friday in Dudley, England.
The bout is for the vacant Commonwealth Middleweight championship and is a must win fight for the Battesea Bomber if he wishes to get back in the World Championship fold and have a third title challenge.
Opposing him is a man well known to fight fans in the UK. Evans Ashira from Kenya but based in Denmark gave Super Middleweight number 1 Joe Calzaghe a decent argument back in September 2005 before losing on points. He has also only lost 2 bouts in 28.
Eastman is an enigma. Brilliant against Robert McCracken in April 2001 he lost a golden opportunity to win the vacant WBA Middleweight Championship aganist William Joppy in a fight that all the way through he seemed capable of winning. On that night in November 2001 he lost a close points decision.
After winning 8 more bouts he was pitched in against outstanding middleweight king Bernard Hopkins for the Undisputed Title. In Hopkins 20th defence Eastman made a valiant showing before losing a unanimous decision to the cagey champion in February 2005. More...
Tonight at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, two men who have had the combined experience of 118 bouts do battle for the WBC Super Featherweight Championship.
In what could be one of the bouts of the year, Mexican legend
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Marco Antonio Barrera risks his title against compatriot Juan Manuel Marquez.
It's a fascinating battle; Barrera has won titles in three divisions while Marquez has won three versions of the featherweight crown.
Barrera's record speaks for itself. He won his first world championship back in 1995 at super bantamweight, had one of the fights of 1996 against American boxer Kennedy McKinney, handed Naseem Hamed his first defeat and also won a great trilogy against great Mexican rival Erik Morales. To cap it off, he's won titles spanning three weight divisions. More...
Following Shane Mosley's welterweight win over Luis Collazo this past weekend, it brought to my mind another welterweight battle that took place this month in 1989. The 147 pound division at that time was one of the strongest of all weight classes. Lloyd Honeyghan of Bermondsey, London was perceived as the strongest of the title holders.
Born in 1960, Honeyghan had won the British, European and Commonwealth Welterweight championships in his first five years as a professional. Notable scalps such as Harold Brazier, Gianfranco Rosi, Sylvester Mittee and Horace Shufford were taken.
Although undefeated, Honeyghan was a massive underdog when in September 1986 he travelled to Atlantic City to face world number one, Donald Curry. No one gave the Bermondsey man a chance, but in six amazing rounds, Honeyghan pummelled "The Cobra", ripping away from Curry the Undisputed World Welterweight Championship in the process. More...
This Saturday night, Manchester's Ricky Hatton makes his Las Vegas debut when he tries to annex his old IBF Junior Welterweight Championship from unbeaten Colombian, Juan Urango. Come fight night, Hatton will be stepping into the ring following eight months of inactivity, the longest of his professional career.
Unbeaten in 41 bouts, Hatton's greatest night came in June 2005 when in a compelling bout, he ripped the 140 pound title from Australian great Kostya Tszyu in 11 brutal rounds. Since then, Hatton has picked up the WBA 140 pound title with a ninth round knockout of Colombian toughman Carlos Maussa and the WBA 147 pound title with a points verdict over American Luis Collazo last May.
Once again, Hatton finds himself in the challenger's role and I've a feeling that he won't have things his own way against Urango. Also unbeaten, with 17 wins and 1 draw, Urango is generally unknown to the casual fan. After early bouts in Spain and Columbia, the champion based himself in Florida and after winning the Latin American version of the 140 pound crown, he found himself pitched into a fight for Hatton's old title against the crafty Australian, Ben Rabah. More...
A year on from Audley Harrison's first professional defeat against Danny Williams, the 2000 Olympic Super Heavyweight Gold Medallist returns to London's Excel Arena to battle toughman Matt Skelton for the Commonwealth Heavyweight Championship.
Many people, myself included, are surprised that this matchup is taking place. On December 10, 2005 Harrison was humbled in a lacklustre matchup against fellow Londoner Danny Williams, losing on points and also suffering his first knockdown as a professional.
Since that defeat, things haven't gone better for "A Force". Another defeat followed against Dominick Guinn after 10 poor rounds in April. Harrison has since chalked up his first win of the year against journeyman Andrew Greely, who he dispatched in three rounds in June. Now comes another major test.
At 6 foot 5, Audley is a perfectly proportioned heavyweight. He has fast hands, a good boxing brain and for opponents, an awkward southpaw style. More...
This Saturday night, the Thomas and Mack Centre in Las Vegas hosts the third showdown between warriors Manny Pacquiao and Erik Morales at super featherweight.
The big unknown coming into this fight is how much does Morales actually have left? During his last contest against Pacquiao this past January, "El Terrible" boxed well enough before getting broken down by the relentless Filipino and losing in the tenth round. What can Morales do differently this time?
In 52 fights, the Mexican has lost just four times to three men. A world champion at three weight divisions, he has been fighting professionally since 1993. Amazingly, he is still only 30 years of age.
In Pacquiao, Morales meets a man coming into his prime. Unknown by the casual fan, Pacquiao made his first steps towards super stardom in November 2003 when he outfought and defeated Mexican great Marco Antonio Barrera over 11 rounds in San Antonio. More...
The legendary Madison Square Garden in New York City will play host to the first title defence of IBF Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko this Saturday night on HBO. Klitschko is coming off a masterful performance in Germany against the difficult Chris Byrd back in April to annex the IBF crown. In that fight, Wlad controlled the action with his pole-like jab and totally outclassed the former champion, who had held the belt for 3 years.
Opposing the giant Ukrainian will be undefeated American Calvin Brock. A 2000 Olympian, Brock has had 29 professional fights, scoring 22 knockouts. But the only names of note though on his record are Jameel McCline, who Brock outscored over 10 rounds and Clifford Etienne, who was on a mini comeback after his swift defeat to Mike Tyson. Brock ended that bout in the third round. More...
