Sergey Kovalev v Saul Canelo Alvarez 2/11/19 Sky Sports/DAZN

Buddy McGirt, Sergey Kovalev's secret weapon, is more than just a trainer

Buddy McGirt was elected to the International Hall of Fame as a boxer, but he probably has a better résumé as a trainer.

He’s made a specialty of rehabilitating fighters who had lost their way, most notably with the late Arturo Gatti. With McGirt in his corner, Gatti remained one of the sport’s most entertaining fighters, but he didn’t fight as if defense would get him committed to 40 years of hard labor in a penitentiary somewhere.

His latest project is Sergey Kovalev, the mercurial WBO light heavyweight champion who is notoriously difficult on trainers and who has largely called the shots himself throughout his career.

Kovalev, 36, is on the backstretch of his career. He had a brutally difficult fight in August which, to his credit, he won despite nearly being stopped by Anthony Yarde, and a little more than two months later, he’s back in the ring.

And he’s not in the ring against just anybody. On Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden (9 p.m. ET, DAZN), he’ll defend his title against Canelo Alvarez, who is bidding to win a championship in a fourth different weight class.

A prime Kovalev would have made for a great match with this prime version of Alvarez. But the 36-year-old Kovalev with miles on him is about a 4-1 underdog at the MGM Grand sports book. Alvarez is -500 while Kovalev is +350.

Kovalev, though, has a secret weapon in McGirt, who has that Svengali-like ability to get fighters, experienced ones in particular, to raise their games yet again.

“I think Buddy should be in the Hall of Fame as a trainer, too,” said former middleweight and light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins, who lost to Kovalev in a 2014 title fight. “There are trainers and there are guys who get you in shape and ready to fight. Buddy is a teacher. Buddy is one of the few guys who can come in at this late stage and make a difference.”

https://s.yimg.com/it/api/res/1.2/h9...d-82c0b89d8330

Kovalev lost back-to-back fights to Andre Ward in 2016 and 2017 and seemed about done. He took a pair of tune-up fights in which he scored unimpressive TKO victories over Vyacheslav Shabranskyy and Igor Mihalkin. He then lost his belt when he got knocked out on Aug. 4, 2018, by Eleider Alvarez.

“After [the second Ward fight], he had a few fights and won back the title and was knocking everybody out again,” McGirt said to Yahoo Sports. “He got comfortable doing the same old thing again. What you have to understand is, when a lot of fighters get to a certain age, they can’t pull the trigger as quick as they used to. That’s when you have to use this more.”

He tapped his head with his index finger as he said that. And McGirt was one of the savviest fighters of his time, but his understanding of the fighter’s psyche is up there with the best who ever worked a corner. He knows what makes a fighter tick and how to get the best out of him.

He knows when to push a veteran in training and when it’s time to have a few easier days. It’s all about fight night and McGirt is a master at getting veterans there healthy, hungry and motivated.

It’s all about interpreting body language and those often subtle signs. It gets back to teaching, and it’s not always about explaining the best way to throw a jab. Sometimes, it’s teaching them to stay within themselves and that the 36-year-old version of you can’t do the same things physically that the 26-year-old version could.

“Anybody can train, but if you teach … ” McGirt said. “If you train your dog, you’ve got a good dog, but if you teach your dog as well, you’ve got a better dog.”

McGirt has a difficult challenge. Alvarez is at the top of his game and is arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. He may get some argument from fighters like Terence Crawford, Vasiliy Lomachenko and Naoya Inoue, but Alvarez is a well-trained, intelligent fighter at the peak of his profession.

Alvarez also figures to be highly motivated to chase the fourth title, which is an area reserved for the sport’s legends.

Only 19 fighters have accomplished that feat, and of those eligible, only two are not yet in the Hall of Fame.

Kathy Duva, Kovalev’s promoter, believes McGirt gives Kovalev the best chance to pull this upset.

“I can amplify [Kovalev’s] comments only to say that I had a conversation with a Russian reporter the other day who has known Sergey and he mentioned that Sergey, since this past summer, has changed,” Duva said. “He’s different. What’s changed? What’s different? I don’t understand it. It’s clearly the introduction of this fantastic team, Buddy McGirt being, if not the best, one of the best trainers in the sport, and Teddy Cruz, his physical trainer. Both made a huge impact.”

If Kovalev pulls the upset, don’t be shocked because so many McGirt-led fighters have done this before. Just don’t expect to hear him tout his game plan or the strategy he devised.

Guys fight for him because he respects them and treats them as intelligent adults. He goes well above and beyond to try to help a fighter to win, and he engenders a great deal of loyalty.

And when it’s over, he’ll throw 100 percent of the credit on the guy who did it in the ring.

Just remember, while most of the credit rightfully belong to the fight, if there is an upset, McGirt’s role in this can’t be overlooked.

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/bud...193616791.html

Canelo will breeze this by a massive points win.

Kovalev is a 4-1 underdog? That is pretty wide IMO. Kovalev definitely isn’t who he once was, but he isn’t that far gone to be that massive of an underdog.

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Originally Posted by powerpuncher

Kovalev is a 4-1 underdog? That is pretty wide IMO. Kovalev definitely isn’t who he once was, but he isn’t that far gone to be that massive of an underdog.

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4-1 is pretty wide, but I like that it's like that. It's an acknowledgment that Kovalev is ripe for the picking. The guy was knocked out to the body by that fearsome puncher, Andre Ward.
He (Kov) may as well come into the ring with a bullseye painted on his torso.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=AM0yZc5hPs4

"Reynoso: Canelo READY for Beterbiev; Kovalev is better"



Vintage shit right there. Talk up Kovalev, claiming he's better than Beterbiev........ "call out" (in a way) Beterbiev without having the slightest intention of ever facing him.

Meanwhile, Canelo admits his plans of running back to 160 at some point.

Life is good right now if you're Canelo Alvarez. Franchise Champion, with all the protections afforded to that bogus title....... and free rein to hop and skip between weight divisions, pretty much like the lioness scouring the Serengeti in search of weakened water buffalo. Boxing old-timers must be turning over in their graves at all this.

It's actually 7/2 (3 and half to 1) in the article not 4/1 (sorry to be so anal).

Kovalev is seriously being overlooked here, little Canelo has to get to his body first. Kovalev doesn't just have big power but a great jab and skill. His revenge over Alvarez was superb. He's folded twice against an all-time great and a world-class 175-er, in neither did he have such physical advantages.

Having said that I fancy Canelo to win, he's in his absolute pomp and looking better and better with each fight.

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Originally Posted by Fenster

It's actually 7/2 (3 and half to 1) in the article not 4/1 (sorry to be so anal).

Kovalev is seriously being overlooked here, little Canelo has to get to his body first. Kovalev doesn't just have big power but a great jab and skill. His revenge over Alvarez was superb. He's folded twice against an all-time great and a world-class 175-er, in neither did he have such physical advantages.

Having said that I fancy Canelo to win, he's in his absolute pomp and looking better and better with each fight.

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Odds are 4.33 on paddy power

Kovalev is slightly over the hill, but he has skills, power and experience. If he can fight smart preserving his energy while exploding when need be he can put Canelo down and take it. But we know how Canelo fights go. He nicks 4 rounds and the fight is his.

One of the few times we agree on anything (Canelo's chances), including boxing. But rather than thinking Kovalev's being overlooked, I tend to agree with what this guy says in the article.


"Just the fact that Kovalev hast lost almost half of his last seven fights suggests that he’s NOT as good as Beterbiev. Kovalev was almost knocked out in his last fight by Anthony Yarde as well. The 36-year-old Kovalev (34-3-1, 29 KOs) is looking really shaky right now, and he might not even be the fourth best fighter at 175. If Kovalev is better than Beterbiev, then why is almost getting knocked out by a limited fighter like Yarde?

It’s obvious that Reynoso has to say something on Kovalev’s behalf to validate him as Canelo’s opponent for Saturday. If Reynoso brought up the undeniable fact that Kovalev isn’t as good as Beterbiev, he would be discrediting Canelo in doing so. Reynoso kind of has to build Kovalev up in the eyes of the boxing public.

If he told the fans that Beterbiev is the far superior fighter than Kovalev, then people would see Canelo as a cherry picker. Unfortunately for Canelo, that’s how a lot of boxing fans see him. He did well in choosing to fight Gennadiy Golovkin, but he also didn’t face him until he was 35-years-old. It took Canelo three years to finally face GGG. He didn’t fight him when he was at his best at 32 and younger."


Nothing but raw truths in that excerpt. Reynoso is just playing the part, as it to be expected. Were Canelo facing Beterbiev (fat chance) instead of Kovalev, Reynoso would dismiss Kovalev as dog meat. The dominant Kovalev is long gone. Yes.... he fought admirably in his revenge fight vs. Alvarez. But the fact of the matter is that powder-puff punching Ward exposed his Achilles heel..... and that fact is not lost on Team Canelo, but rather became the determining factor in seeking the fight. Lightly regarded Yarde had Kovalev on queer street, further adding to speculation that the Krusher is now "used-to-be" Krusher.

Also....... good to see someone besides myself point out the painful facts about the GGG fights.

It's refreshing to see someone knowledgeable validating your own accurate, albeit unpopular opinions.

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Originally Posted by Batman

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Originally Posted by Fenster

It's actually 7/2 (3 and half to 1) in the article not 4/1 (sorry to be so anal).

Kovalev is seriously being overlooked here, little Canelo has to get to his body first. Kovalev doesn't just have big power but a great jab and skill. His revenge over Alvarez was superb. He's folded twice against an all-time great and a world-class 175-er, in neither did he have such physical advantages.

Having said that I fancy Canelo to win, he's in his absolute pomp and looking better and better with each fight.

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Odds are 4.33 on paddy power

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10/3 - yeah little bit shorter here than Vegas.

kov should have this

I don’t bet, but if I did, I would for sure put some money on Kovalev. As I’ve said before, if he stays sharp and disciplined, he should be able to use his jab and win the fight pretty easily. Canelo wears out just like Kovalev does. Also, Canelo is probably bulking up which will be even worse for his stamina.

It is a fascinating fight but I can see Canelo being disciplined enough to win on points and outbox an ageing Kovalev.

Kovalev will be paid a very good retirement purse to lose.

Really convinced this all boils down to Kovs current mental preparedness. He is going to have to push through with the same focus he had the other Alvarez and we all know those two are worlds apart. I have no doubt he'll get seriously hurt in the body at some point but if he can revert a bit and fight with a nasty but smart two fisted attack behind the jab and those subtle half steps to get the shorter guy walking on he's as live as anyone and wouldn't be shocked to see Canelos nose and forehead implode. Both of these guys can throw plans out the window and fight thickheaded. Head says Canelo via stoppage late, heart says Kovalev fights with surprising discipline and gets crooked on the cards.

I know everyone hates Alvarez and that I'm the only member of the canelo fan club here :S but if I take my bias out of this I think it's a good fight, kovalev is obviously older now, he got tired and a bit lazy v black Alvarez and got ko'd for it but I think he was winning that fight until he lazed around with his hands and then he came back well and won over 12 rounds, which isn't bad for a guy who's stamina is apparently buggered. And v yardie he won that by outlasting a younger git who is quite clearly a very good athlete...

Anyway I sort of forgot what I was rambling about.... But in the end I think kovalev isn't totally finished, Cleary not at his best anymore but also clearly quite a bit bigger than saul alvarez, Which will make this closer than some fellows would have you bo-lieve.

I also suspect Alvarez managers who are far smarter than I are very confident of winning this, so if my mate saul wins I wouldn't rank it as his best win, which in my opinion is the fight v golovkin, where I had him winning by one!

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Originally Posted by palmerq

I know everyone hates Alvarez and that I'm the only member of the canelo fan club here :S but if I take my bias out of this I think it's a good fight, kovalev is obviously older now, he got tired and a bit lazy v black Alvarez and got ko'd for it but I think he was winning that fight until he lazed around with his hands and then he came back well and won over 12 rounds, which isn't bad for a guy who's stamina is apparently buggered. And v yardie he won that by outlasting a younger git who is quite clearly a very good athlete...

Anyway I sort of forgot what I was rambling about.... But in the end I think kovalev isn't totally finished, Cleary not at his best anymore but also clearly quite a bit bigger than saul alvarez, Which will make this closer than some fellows would have you bo-lieve.

I also suspect Alvarez managers who are far smarter than I are very confident of winning this, so if my mate saul wins I wouldn't rank it as his best win, which in my opinion is the fight v golovkin, where I had him winning by one!

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Kovalev does get tired, but you are right in that he can weather storms and finish fights pretty well. Everyone looks to the second Ward fight, but I think Kovalev would have been fine had it continued and it really was a ball attack. He was on the retreat, but he has shown that it doesn't mean he is done in a fight. It is just very surprising to ever see him in that mode so it probably looks more significant than it is.

Kovalev is a big man and I am not sure Canelo is going to be able to get close enough to the body or even hit hard enough to cause damage. He tends to go 12 in all of his big fights and always loses a significant number of rounds.

If Kov gets that jab pumping and it is a power shot really, then Canelo will find it tough. It is not a Trout jab which was good, but a bang on the money nose busting jab.

Kovalev hopes to cash in on Alvarez weight jump

Canelo Alvarez is taking a big chance in his latest fight, moving up to light heavyweight Saturday night to challenge Sergey Kovalev for a piece of the 175-pound crown.

It's dangerous territory against a dangerous puncher. But Kovalev believes he has more at stake in the crossroads bout than does his red-haired Mexican opponent.

''I should defend my title, I will defend my title,'' Kovalev said. ''If I lose, I lose more than Canelo loses. Canelo, he is trying to make his history, but I'm here. I'm in my position.''

That position would be on top of the light heavyweight division - at least according to one of the ranking organizations that stake claims to legitimacy in the convoluted world of boxing. Kovalev rebounded from two losses to Andre Ward to regain a title belt and then stopped Anthony Yarde just two months ago in his native Russia to move into position for a lucrative fight with Alvarez.

There are questions about his age (36) and the wear and tear the fights with Ward took out of him. But Kovalev can still punch and, armed with new trainer Buddy McGirt, believes he still has some good days in the ring ahead of him - beginning with his scheduled 12-round fight with Alvarez.

''This is the biggest fight of my career,'' Kovalev said. ''I've never been in this situation, where someone is coming from middleweight. I'm not going to make a prediction, but I am going to go in there and defend my title.''

For Alvarez, the fight is later in the year than his normal Mexican Independence weekend bout in September, and against an opponent who wasn't the first choice of boxing fans or his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya. They wanted him to fight a third bout against Gennadiy Golovkin but Alvarez refused, believing his business with GGG has already been settled.

Faced with having to find a name opponent to satisfy his 10-fight, $350 million deal with the streaming service DAZN, Alvarez turned to Kovalev instead.

''Obviously I wanted to fight in September but couldn't,'' Alvarez said. ''Things just happen.''

Alvarez, whose only loss was to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2013, is a 4-1 favorite to beat Kovalev and stake his claim to the mythical pound-for-pound title that boxing fans love to argue about. Should he win he would also add a title belt in a fourth weight class in a pro career that began as a 15-year-old in Mexico in 2005.

But Kovalev has some pedigree of his own, even if his stature was tarnished when he lost a close decision to Ward and was then stopped in their rematch. Kovalev was also stopped last year by Eleider Alvarez before beating him by decision in a rematch, and he was in trouble against Yarde before coming back to stop him.

Now he is back in the ring for a huge fight just 10 weeks after traveling to Russia to beat Yarde.

https://s.yimg.com/it/api/res/1.2/p2...91531558784740

''I had a short rest since my last fight. But I think that's better,'' Kovalev said. ''My body feels really good, and I'm ready for this fight. This fight will be very interesting. It has a worldwide intrigue.''

Kovalev is confident that he will continue his improvement under McGirt, whom he turned to after his losses to resurrect his career and refine his style. McGirt said Kovalev got too comfortable while knocking almost everyone out and trying to live up to his nickname of ''Krusher.''

McGirt said his fighter is rediscovering some of the boxing skills he let lapse in previous fights.

''People underestimate his boxing IQ because he's always knocked everybody out,'' McGirt said. ''He's smarter than people give him credit for.''

Smart enough to make a multimillion-dollar payday, and possibly smart enough to win the fight. Kovalev will have the advantage of being the bigger man and being comfortable at 175 pounds, but McGirt said Alvarez has an advantage in not having to lose weight just before the fight.

''He's very dangerous now because he's younger and he's not losing the weight now, so he's not losing the energy,'' McGirt said. ''I just think that they picked the wrong veteran to mess with when they picked Sergey. They should have found somebody else.''

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/kovalev-...9092--box.html

There's something different about Canelo Alvarez ahead of Sergey Kovalev clash

uperficially, everything was so familiar, yet to those who know, they were actually so different. The car pulled up to the entrance of the MGM Grand and Canelo Alvarez slipped out and headed toward a ring in the hotel lobby where several hundred fans chanted his name.

A phalanx of television cameras awaited him. In a room off the lobby, a small knot of reporters waited to question him about his challenge of Sergey Kovalev for the WBO light heavyweight title on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden.

He’s made this walk, heard these roars, done these interviews for years now. It’s old hat to the 29-year-old superstar.

A win over Kovalev would give him a championship in a fourth weight class, making him one of only 20 men in boxing history to pull that off.

“It means a lot to me,” Alvarez said via interpreter Vivien Nichols. “… It’s a huge accomplishment that not a lot of people have done.”

If he wins, he’ll join three Hall of Famers — Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns and Mike McCallum — as the only one-time super welterweight champions to go on to capture a light heavyweight title.

Given that the next division up (cruiserweight) is 25 pounds north of light heavyweight, there will be no fifth championship no matter how he fares against Kovalev.

“Probably not,” he said, chuckling.

Nichols’ presence was part of what is so different about Alvarez. In the past, he’s primarily used Golden Boy matchmaker Roberto Diaz to interpret for him. Sometimes he used Golden Boy publicists Ramiro Gonzalez or Gabriel Rivas, and at other times it was handled by Golden Boy president Eric Gomez or CEO Oscar De La Hoya.

But it’s no secret within boxing circles that Alvarez and De La Hoya are at odds. De La Hoya did not show Tuesday, and it was no coincidence. The Athletic’s Mike Coppinger broke down the news in an excellent deep dive on Wednesday, but the essence of the story is that Alvarez is firmly wresting control of his career.

No one at Golden Boy speaks for him any more. No one at Golden Boy makes decisions on his behalf. Alvarez is the captain of the ship and he’ll sink or swim with his decisions. What he finally decided he won’t do is fail by doing what someone else told him to do.

https://s.yimg.com/it/api/res/1.2/GW...f-fa6b7a5f7748

Fourteen years to the day earlier, Alvarez was 15 years old and made his pro debut in Tonala, Mexico, when he stopped Abraham Gonzalez in the fourth round of a super lightweight bout for which Alvarez weighed 139 pounds.

Never did he dream that he’d be the biggest star in the sport or that he’d make generational wealth from his boxing career. His only goal that day was to somehow get the same respect that was shown toward Oscar Larios, a world champion at the time who trained in his gym.

“I saw how everyone was with him and that’s what I wanted for myself one day,” Alvarez said.

He’s now grossed over $500 million in his career and could get to the billion-dollar mark someday if he fights long enough.

He’s a winner not because he’s 52-1-2 with 35 knockouts and wins over a slew of elite opponents. He’s beaten Gennadiy Golovkin, Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto, each of whom is likely to be elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame one day, as well as top-tier fighters like Austin Trout, Daniel Jacobs, Liam Smith, Amir Khan, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Erislandy Lara.

He’s a winner regardless of the outcome of the Kovalev fight because he’s won the game. Boxing is a like a lottery ticket for a lot of poor kids from the wrong side of the tracks who have little hope of succeeding otherwise. They can put in and put in and put in and wind up with nothing to show for it. Every now and then, though, there’s someone like Alvarez, who works the system to his advantage and cashes that winning PowerBall check.

Just earning the money in the first place is hard enough, but boxing history documents so well how difficult it is for them to keep it. Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson burned through $300 million before going bankrupt; with Evander Holyfield, it was a bit more than $200 million.

Alvarez has kept his money and has set his children’s grandchildren up for future success. That is beating the system.

https://s.yimg.com/it/api/res/1.2/9D...5-f8aaa70bd752

Beating Kovalev is another matter. Kovalev is 36 and perceived to be on the back side of his career. Though Alvarez is smaller, he’s a huge minus-500 favorite to win at the MGM Grand Sports Book.

Kovalev, though, is on something of a career resurgence after a shocking 2018 loss to Eleider Alvarez (no relation). Kovalev blamed many of his problems as a pro on a lack of good training, and dismissed his ex-trainer, John David Jackson, as a man who did nothing for him other than hold the mitts.

Kovalev has a video on his phone of an amateur fight in which he was a stylistic boxer, and he’s attempting to go back to that to prepare for Saturday’s bout.

“If he does what I know he can do, he’s going to surprise a lot of people,” trainer Buddy McGirt said of Kovalev. “Not me. He’s not going to surprise me because I know he’s going to win the fight. But I know in my heart if he does what I know he can do and he puts it all together Saturday, which I know he will do, everybody is going to be in for a shock.”

Count on this, though: Fans may be shocked. Media may be shocked. People at Golden Boy, or within the boxing industry at large, may be shocked by what Kovalev can do.

The three people, though, who guaranteed they won’t be shocked if Kovalev looks and boxes great are Alvarez and his trainers, Eddy and Chepo Reynoso.

“The thing Canelo does is he covers all the details,” Eddy Reynoso said. “He thinks of everything and we prepare him for that. He’s never surprised.”

And so it really wasn’t much of a surprise that Alvarez showed up Tuesday without the Golden Boy brass getting into the picture frames and fawning all over him.

He long ago vowed he would be the one to make the decisions and when he felt things weren’t going the way he envisioned them, he stepped up.

Golden Boy’s existence is tied directly to Alvarez; without him, it’s largely insignificant in the wider boxing landscape.

Alvarez is a winner, but he’s one of the rare fighters who doesn’t score all of his wins inside the ropes. He’s gotten plenty of them outside, as well.

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/the...202726669.html

I have to give credit to Canelo for making this fight. Say what you want about Kovalev, but he is still one of the best at 175. If Kovalev can keep it at range, I can see him outboxing Canelo. Thing is if it goes to the cards, Kovalev runs the risk of the decision going against him.

Kov needed a couple of goes to make 175. Canelo looks awesome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObS-axt0els

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Originally Posted by Alpha

I have to give credit to Canelo for making this fight. Say what you want about Kovalev, but he is still one of the best at 175. If Kovalev can keep it at range, I can see him outboxing Canelo. Thing is if it goes to the cards, Kovalev runs the risk of the decision going against him.

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9/1 Kovalev PTS. I too think Kovalev will outbox him, whether he makes it to the line though is another matter.

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Originally Posted by Fenster

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Originally Posted by Alpha

I have to give credit to Canelo for making this fight. Say what you want about Kovalev, but he is still one of the best at 175. If Kovalev can keep it at range, I can see him outboxing Canelo. Thing is if it goes to the cards, Kovalev runs the risk of the decision going against him.

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9/1 Kovalev PTS. I too think Kovalev will outbox him, whether he makes it to the line though is another matter.

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Yeah I think it will go the distance with Kovalev getting the better of it but the decision will go to Canelo

The Mexicans head movement will be key early on if he wants to of avoid the fate of Ward and Hopkins who tasted the canvas early. After that as the action settles I think Canelo may surprise a few people by looking the puncher in the fight. Kovalev will be jabbing away keeping distance but the big meaty shots will be dug in by Canelo. Even though he's the shorter man and needs to close the gap I think he will be at his most effective when counter punching.

kovalev perhaps hasn't had long enough to let his body recover from the Yarde fight and at 36 is slowing down, but rehydration clause may be the biggest factor going against him. If he is compromised entering the ring expect to see a weaker Krusher than we are use to. That said I still expect a competitive, good fight

Bakole v Hernandez on now on the Crolla card.

Hernandez started fast in the 1st round and pushing Bakole back. Give it to the underdog.

Bakole chopping up Hernandez in the 2nd round with uppercuts and hooks to stop him. That was brutal punching.

Cullen v Cash on now for commonwealth middleweight title.

Cullen is very tall and started well but Cash sharp and quick right hand knocks down Cullen in the 1st round.

Excellent fight!

Both standing toe to toe in an all action 2nd round.

Cullen pushing Cash back, this is a frantic pace to win the round!

Cash boxed smarter in the 3rd round, moving his head and landed bigger punches to knock Cullen's head back too win the round.

Cash pacing himself better and landing hard and accurate punches to win 4th round.

Very hard fight for both.

Cash landing brutal hard punches but Cullen is taking them flush. Cash winning round 5.

4-1 up

Cash still landing big shots but Cullen busier in round 6 to win it. Cullen has a good chin.

4-2

Cullen was winning in the 7th round with Cash tiring but the fight turns around with huge punch from Cash to knock down Cullen again!!!

5-2 Cash

Cash stops the fight in the 8th with brutal barrage that ref stopped Cullen taking further punishment.

Excellent domestic fight!

Katie Taylor v Linardatou on now.

Linardatou the aggressor looking very dangerous.

Taylor boxing using her feet to move out of the way and fast hands but not enough to win the round.

1 nil Linardatou

Taylor boxed smart in round 2 to outbox Linardatou who looked wild.

1 all

Taylor boxed well in round 3 and making it look easy but Linardatou is very dangerous.

2-1

Taylor wins round 4 with beautiful boxing and moving. Good tactics.

3-1

Linardatou blowing hard now looking very tired with all the swinging and missing.

Taylor catching her clean now as she comes in the 5th.

4-1

Taylor comprehensively outboxing Linardatou now. These 2 minute rounds go quick.

5-1

Linardatou did better in the 7th and got in closer to Taylor who has a swollen left eye.

5-2