For a very brief period, Liverpool's Echo Arena was alive last night with the reverberations of heavyweight David Price's gloved right hand connecting to the head of opponent Audley Harrison.

Undefeated British and Commonwealth champion Price made a mockery of ex-world title challenger Harrison's challenge in all of 82 seconds, in which Harrison quite possibly didn't connect with a single punch.

Price actually didn't do much better, landing about three but they were all very heavy rights that separated Harrison from his senses, the third and final shot appeared to have the challenger out on his feet before he was bundled over, ending the contest in the very first round.

It wasn't much of a fight up until that point. Both men pawing with their forward hands, looking to set up a power shot. The surprising thing was that Harrison actually was attempting to pressure Price, who at 6'8 tall, dwarfed the normally towering 6'5 Audley.

Price was patient, waiting for the moment when his southpaw opponent would go off balance and Harrison did just that when missing a big left but the champion waited still.

At just over a minute in, Price lashed out and struck an off-balance Harrison with a thundering right, staggering the 2000 Olympic Gold Medallist but Harrison showed heart to keep his feet. More...

On Saturday night, the Scottish Exhibition Centre in Glasgow played host to the culmination of one of the UK's longest brewing domestic clashes as local hero and WBO lightweight champion Ricky Burns engaged in a barnburner against popular Dagenham based opponent Kevin Mitchell.

Former amateur star Mitchell was now finally getting a world title shot after a nine-year career, being groomed during numerous IBF and WBO Intercontinental title bouts amid a brief reign as Commonwealth super feather beltholder before getting stopped by Michael Katsidis for the Interim WBO lightweight strap two years ago.

Burns had a harder road along the way, dropping European, Commonwealth and British super feather title opportunities to the likes of Alex Arthur and Carl Johanneson early on before hitting paydirt against reigning WBO super feather king Rocky Martinez in 2010.

After three title defenses, Burns stepped up to lightweight and outboxed Katsidis for the Interim WBO trophy before winning full WBO honors against Paulus Moses in March.

It's remarkable that Burns and Mitchell had not faced each other prior to Saturday night and the pairing had been one of the most anticipated domestic contests of the year since its announcement.

Once the bell rang in Glasgow, Burns came out aggressive, looking to put Mitchell on notice that this was his town, his ring and his title. The champion backed up the Londoner with the jab and was soon throwing hard right hands.

The unexpected tactics from Burns the boxer had the desired effect as Mitchell appeared a bit taken aback but soon the challenger was finding a home for a nice lead left hook.

Burns kept up the pressure and began to score with the lethal looking straight right. Mitchell dug in a hard left to the body before Burns returned the favor. Mitchell started his jab, following up with crisp rights. More...

Scotland's top boxer on the world scene, Ricky Burns, will place his WBO lightweight crown at risk this Saturday night against popular London icon Kevin Mitchell at the Scottish Exhibition Centre in Glasgow, Scotland.

27 year old Dagenham resident Mitchell, 33-1 (24), hasn't boxed north of the border since 2005 and this will be his sternest test since losing a three round brawl for the Interim WBO belt to Aussie slugger Michael Katsidis on home ground two years ago.

While this is a massive domestic clash and the biggest fight of Mitchell's career, 29 year old Coatsbridge man Burns, 34-2 (9), will be seeing his sixth world title bout, in which he has gone 6-0.

Two years ago Burns stunned the Boxing world when he pulled off a massive upset of WBO super feather king Roman Martinez and "The Rickster" also holds wins over Katsidis and most recently outpointed former WBA champ Paulus Moses to capture the WBO lightweight strap.

Mitchell holds an excellent win over John Murray since the Katsidis loss but he will see a very different type of opponent in Burns, a slippery boxer who can get in and get gritty if the occasion calls for it.

Expect Mitchell to pressure the champion and try to wear down Burns but the Scotsman is unlikely to get drawn into a brawl. If Mitchell can't cut off the ring and force Burns into a war, he will likely return home to London without the WBO title.

On the undercard, John Simpson, 23-9 (10), and Dai Davies, 9-18-2 (1), face off for the Celtic super feather strap and former longtime WBO featherweight king Scott Harrison, 26-2-2 (15), continues his comeback after a seven year absence, meeting Miguel Aquilar, 10-4 (5), at lightweight.

Despite having to run a gauntlet of obstacles, a matchup between the two top British heavyweights last night attracted 30,000 spectators to Upton Park in London's West Ham with David Haye belting out iron-chinned Dereck Chisora in five rounds.

The pairing came off of a much-publicized, scandalous press conference brawl between Haye and Chisora in Munich, Germany following Chisora's failed bid to unseat WBC king Vitali Klitschko this past February.

At that point, the die was cast for an in-ring clash between Haye and Chisora despite the protestations and actions of several high level Boxing organizations, who maintained that the behavior of both boxers in Germany had brought disrepute onto the sport and was not to be rewarded with a profitable fight.

At the weigh-in for last night's bout, a fence-like barrier was in place to separate Haye and in particular, Chisora, who has a history of unconventional actions at these occasions.

Once the contest got underway, it was clear that Haye had returned to the excellent form that won him world titles at both cruiser and heavyweight, following his very inactive and disappointing showing against multi-belt champion Wladimir Klitschko a year ago. More...

It was a big night of action in the UK on Saturday evening with important bouts taking place on two good fight cards in Sheffield and Clevedon.

It was the Kell Brook show at Sheffield's Motorpoint Arena but the much-hyped welter starlet had to come through a very difficult fight against American spoiler Carson Jones, who very nearly clipped the wings of perhaps England's best bet to capture another world title.

Brook started well against the visitor, outboxing Jones early but the Ingle camp stylist was forced to expend a great deal of energy by the oncoming American.

The pressure strategy of Jones began to pay dividends by the middle frames as Brook could no longer stick and move, but was forced to fight.

Jones made the most of his new found proximity to Brook by driving hurtful shots into the Englishman's midsection and a few upstairs while shaking off anything Brook managed to land in return.

Jones hit paydirt in the eighth by nailing Brook with a flush right hand, afflicting Brook with a bloody and likely broken nose

Brook regained his earlier form in the ninth but the control was short-lived as Jones shook the local icon in the tenth. The eleventh was a pitched battle before Jones nearly broke the bout wide open in the 12th, clearly hurting Brook in the contest's final seconds.

When the scores were read, Brook escaped with a 114-114, 115-113, 116-113 majority decision, retaining his undefeated record at 28-0 (18), while Jones sees an eight bout win streak evaporate, dropping to 34-9-2 (24). More...

The much anticipated WBA Interim super bantam title clash between Scott Quigg and Rendall Munroe ended in a technical draw last night at the Velodrome in Manchester, England.

Former European Champ and WBC title challenger Munroe used his edge in experience to take the fight to his rival in the first frame, pressuring British Champion Quigg with success.

But the younger local man made an adjustment in the second, gaining distance and using a height advantage to reign in the aggression of his southpaw antagonist while countering with speed.

The third frame saw the boxers settling in for what looked to be a promising scrap before an accidental head clash produced a severe laceration above the right eye of Munroe, ending the bout at 0:43 of the round.

The resulting technical draw ensures a rematch between Quigg, 24-0-1 (17), and Munroe 24-2-1 (10), later in the year.

The undercard saw what was perhaps the last stand of former British and European light middle kingpin Ryan Rhodes, 46-6 (31), who was gunned down in the seventh by 26 year old Belarus slugger Sergey Rabchenko, 21-0 (16). More...

Carl Froch threw the playbook aside last night in front of an adoring crowd in his hometown of Nottingham, England, putting the first loss on the record of IBF super middle titlist Lucian Bute.

Romanian born Bute had surprisingly left the cozy confines of his adopted province of Quebec to face Froch in the lion's den of Nottingham Arena, which would soon prove to be a costly decision.

Initially it was an ugly, awkward affair once combat commenced with Froch and southpaw Bute both finding absolutely no rhythm and very little success.

By the second round, Bute had begun to uncharacteristically push Froch onto the backfoot and was trading sporadic hard shots with the local hero.

The third seemed to herald Bute's taking control of the contest with his right hand jab and counter lefts until Froch discovered that the Montreal resident couldn't take a flush shot. More...

Towering Manchester area heavyweight Tyson Fury went into Odyssey Arena in opponent Martin Rogan's hometown of Belfast on Saturday night and came away as the new owner of the Irish title.

Fury remained undefeated at 18-0 (13), after starting out slowly behind a previously unseen southpaw stance.

Rather than hinder Rogan, Fury's surprise tactic allowed the 40 year old Belfast cab driver to drive the 6'9 tall Englishman back as the local hero took the first two rounds, much to the delight of the fiercely partisan audience.

But Rogan's success was short lived as soon as Fury began to employ his heavy artillery, belting Rogan to the canvas with a left hook in the third. Rogan beat the count and by the fourth was even mounting a resurgence.

Fury used body blows to put a stop to Rogan's ambitions, landing rib-crunching shots that put the Irishman back on the floor in the fifth. Although the big-hearted Rogan beat the count, his corner threw in the towel at 3:00 of the fifth frame.

Rogan drops to 14-3 (7), having lost three of his last five after a bruising Commonwealth title win over Matt Skelton in in 2009. More...

Coatsbridge's Ricky Burns continued his campaign at lightweight last evening, posting a hard fought points verdict over Paulus Moses at Braehead Arena in Glasgow, Scotland.

At stake was Burns' Interim WBO belt, which the gritty 28 year old won by outfighting big-hitting Aussie Michael Katisids last November in London.

Former WBA king Moses had retooled his career following a world title loss to Miguel Acosta two years ago, stringing together three straight victories in his native Windhoek, Namibia.

Moses looked to establish right away that he had come to Glasgow intent on nothing less than ripping the WBO belt from Burns as the African stalked the local man but could not pin down the champion as Burns showed fast hands and quick feet to deliver an early boxing lesson.

But the hard as nails Namibian wasn't impressed and started to push his way forward, forcing the champion on the back foot with a two-handed assault.

Burns regained momentum by using angles to blunt the efforts of his rival and lashing Moses with sweet combinations that were interrupted on occasion by jolting single shots from the challenger. More...

WBO light heavyweight boss Nathan Cleverly enjoyed a successful homecoming last night, posting a wide points verdict over challenger Tommy Karpency at Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales.

Karpency came into the bout as the clear underdog and was engaging in his first world title defense after a career to date that had included facing only one opponent at world level, losing to ex-European super middle champ Karo Murat in 2010.

Cleverly was looking to impress his hometown fans following his very difficult defense against British Champion Tony Bellew in Liverpool this past October and the Cefn Fforest man did not disappoint.

From the opening bell, southpaw Karpency drew on his long experience as a sparring partner to some of the division's biggest names, using angles in an attempt to throw the champion off balance.

But Cleverly immediately put the challenger on the defensive, establishing a very active offense that forced Karpency into a guessing game of which punch was coming next.

After the first few rounds, in which the challenger displayed his ability to take a punch, Cleverly began to work in a very effective left to the ribs that reddened the side of his rival and it looked as if Karpency might start to fold.

But the American refused to buckle, instead using the rare breaks in Cleverly's offensive flow to mount brief attacks that were successful at times but far too infrequent. More...

In a big British heavyweight clash last evening, former Olympic hero David Price captured the vacant English crown with a devastating performance against former title holder John McDermott at the Olympia in Liverpool, England.

The towering 6'8 tall Price, who was fighting at this hometown venue for the third straight time, had finished off his last five opponents inside the distance but had yet to meet someone as experienced as McDermott, who held the English belt in 2008 and was coming off a first round Southern Area title win against Larry Olubamiwo in February.

Despite the long layoff, McDermott showed no ringrust as he came out using the jab and although being much shorter, had little trouble connecting with the punch.

However, the Essex man was not so accurate with two over hand rights he threw in short order. On his third attempt, McDermott nailed Price full but immediately caught a big right uppercut and a short counter left hook on the side of the head which sent McDermott to the canvas.

McDermott easily beat the count, and Price came after him with all guns blazing but McDermott connected with a jab and right hand. Price was undeterred and kept swinging wildly, catching his rival with a clubbing right to the ear. More...

Last night at Atlantic City's famed Boardwalk Hall, WBA super middleweight king Andre Ward won the Super Six Tournament final with a hard fought win over WBC champ Carl Froch.

The bout commenced with both fighters testing the other, each landing jabs.. Froch, of Nottingham, England, misses with a couple of big shots while Ward, of Oakland, California, connects with a short hook or two. One thing that is very clear from the start is that Froch is unable to get a bead on the fleet-footed Ward.

During the second, the fight immediately goes to the inside where it is apparent that Ward has the much quicker hands but by mixing it up with Froch inside, Ward puts himself at a disadvantage as the Englishman connects with some good uppercuts and hard body shots along with a few jabs. Ward gets in a few good counters, hooks and jabs but is outworked.

Ward comes off second best in the opening exchange on the inside during the third and spends the rest of the round from the outside, where he tries to solve the awkward style of Froch. There are several good exchanges as Froch lands a few hard shots upstairs and down with Ward getting in some good left hands and the occasional right. More...

Last night at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland, WBA heavyweight ruler Alexander Povetkin successfully retained his title for the first time with a eighth round KO of 42 year old American challenger Cedric Boswell.

The champion stalked Boswell from the start but the challenger used good footwork to keep his younger rival on the outside, which made it difficult for Russia's Povetkin to get his offense going.

Once Povetkin managed to cut the distance down between the two, the former Olympic Gold Medalist's skill advantage became apparent as he started to find the range with his jab and left hook while Boswell managed to pick off Povetkin at times.

Povetkin opened up a wide points lead as the rounds wore on, forcing Boswell into the kind of exchanges the challenger was hoping to avoid. More...

Making his maiden defense of the WBA heavyweight title, Russia's Alexander Povetkin will face American veteran Cedric Boswell this evening at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland.

The long matriculation of 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist Povetkin, 22-0 (15), finally came to an end this past August when the 32 year old Chekhov based stylist outpointed former WBA belt holder Ruslan Chagaev to capture the vacant WBA crown.

42 year old challenger Boswell, 35-1 (26), brings an eight year unbeaten streak into Helsinki and will be fighting in his first world title bout.

While Boswell's won-loss record looks very impressive and the Atlanta man comes into the contest with the NABA and WBC Latino belts around his waist, his resume of opponents doesn't contain many recognizable names. More...

Scottish spoiler Ricky Burns upset the apple cart against last night at Wembley Arena in London, overcoming the odds to outpoint certified Brit brutalizer Michael Katsidis over 12 rounds to capture the Interim WBO lightweight title.

31 year old Aussie hardman Katsidis had already crushed the hopes of Graham Earl and Kevin Mitchell on previous UK trips and the two-time former world title challenger held a big edge in experience over Burns, having previously faced the likes of Juan Manuel Marquez, Juan Diaz, Joel Casamayor and Robert Guerrero.

In contrast, the 28 year old Scot Burns had toiled on a much lower level as Commonwealth super feather titlist before shocking previously undefeated WBO super feather champion Roman Martinez last year and making three low risk title defenses.

Making the move up to the lightweight ranks, Burns was definitely the underdog against Katsidis, a career 135 pounder who had previously only come up short against world champions.

But once the bell rang, Burns proved his ability to handle the aggression of Katsidis far better than Mitchell or Earl.

Katsidis went right after Burns but the lanky Scotsman maintained distance most of the time with an effective jab. When the visitor did gain position on the inside, Burns showed a good chin to take the punches but also a good defense to take the sting out of Katsidis' efforts. More...