27/04/12 Ringside

Tonights episode of Ringside was a special, focusing on Amir Khan's lifestyle and the training he is putting himself through in order to get in shape for the biggest fight of his career against Lamont Peterson. Johnny Nelson took the trip over to the phillipines to meet with Khan and along the way found himself in the ring sparring wtih world renouned trainer Freddie Roach and P4P king Manny Pacquiao. Khan showed Nelson around the place he was staying, a small 1 bedroom place amoungst the locals that left Khan feeling sometimes isolated, but Khan did admit that it was the isolation that he seeks when he is focusing on the task ahead of him. 5 mile runs in the morning, and regular workouts at the gym are just a small peek at what the English Welterweight challenger gets up to everyday as he moves closer to his rematch.

When showing us around the local area of the phillipines it was very clear that the residents were familier with the sport of Boxing and very familier with the face of thier sporting king Pacquiao, with his face on every street corner it showed the impact he has on all the local familes. Im sure every household, school and playground will be aware of Pacquiao's upcoming bout with Timothy Bradley, and due to Khan being his occasional sparring partner and being based in the same training camp it would seem all phillapinos were aware of the challnge Khan faces.
Whilst Nelson found himself sparring with Roach he was showed a few moves that we can expect to see Khan to execute in the ring, Sparring with Pacqiuao seemed more of a reason for the Pacman to show of his lightning fast hand speed as he danced around Nelson for fun.

Overall a great show that gave us just enough of a preview to see what we can expect in a few weeks time in Khans much anticipated rematch. It left Jim Watt questioning Khans tactics to go out and become so isolated but conceded we will have to wait and see if it was worth while.
Ringside also offered a quick look into the gym of James Degale but not for his Boxing training. Infact it was a boyhood dream that had come true as he met his all time Boxing idol Roberto Duran, who also showed Degale a few moves in the ring.

24/04/12 Dawson v Hopkins

Is this one step to far for Bernard Hopkins who this weekend is set to take on Chad Dawson in their long awaited rematch? It must have been eating away at Dawson over the last 6 months with how their last encounter ended, and revenge would be an under statement when best describing how Dawson must be feeling going into this fight. It was last October when in a very brief encounter fight fans were left watching an over the top theatrical Hopkins rolling around on the floor like he had been shot. The official ruling given was a no decision made by the WBC and the Californian Commission instead of the initial TKO win to Dawson. Either way and what ever the official outcome it was a huge let down and tarnished the records of both men, but ultimately it was another Hopkins charade that stole the show, claiming that he had injured his shoulder and there for leaving him unable to continue. Dawson blames the fact that Hopkins climbed on his back and that’s why he threw him off. This weekend on the 28^th April, Hopkins has the chance to prove critics wrong and set the record straight and produce a performance reminiscent of that against Jean Pascal a year ago when he outpointed and outworked Pascal over 12 rounds. For Dawson this is a chance to prove his status as an elite Light heavyweight Champion and prove that he can beat Hopkins with pure Boxing ability. No matter what happens I am sure this will yet again be a stand out fight, weather its because of controversy, bad decisions or just great Boxing action, lets face it wins against Winky Wright, Felix Trinidad, Antonio Tarver and Kelly Pavlik prove that a 47yr old Hopkins can win, but for me Dawson will be too quick and strong.

22/04/12 Degale cruises to victory

James Degale last night retained his European Super-Middleweight crown after a very one sided affair with Cristian Sanavia. Degale never really looked troubled by the 44-5 Italian and cruised his way through to round 4 where he caused most damage. With a height and reach advantage Deagle stood strong and picked his opponant apart, knocking Savania down 4 times in round 4 leaving the referee no choice but to stop the contest. Degale who is now 12-1 willl most likely be chasing a rematch with George Groves after he dropped out of his recent Match up with Champion Robert Stieglitz. Degale has been looking to avenge this defeat since thier classic encounter and is in no better position but now. Its a rematch that everyone wants to see now that Degale has lost some of that Naive Cockyness and started focusing purely on his Boxing ability.

22/04/12 Anthony Crolla v Derry Matthews (British Lightweight Championship)

Last night Liverpudlian Derry Mathews did what many thought impossible and finally won the British Lightweight title from Anthony Crolla. It is now Crolla's third loss of his 26 fight career but this one hurt most, and not just mentally but physically as well. Crolla started the bout brilliant, working his jab and keeping Mathews at distance but by round 3 Mathews found his feet and started to open up some great shots. It was a thrilling round that saw both Boxers fall, Crolla came off worse though as he was left with a very deep cut over his left eye. His corner done a great job of closing up the cut and Crolla came out in round 5 and seemed to be taking control of the fight again, he landed a great body shot on Mathews that left me thinking there wasn't long left before Crolla finishes him. It would serve me right to write off the Veteran Mathews as in the back end of round 6 he rocked Crolla into the ropes, as Crolla tried to steady himself and with Mathews ready to strike the referee stopped the fight with seconds left of the round. Initially i was upset at the desicion to stop the fight but i feel this was down to it being so close to the bell, if it had been half way through the round it would have probably been more accepted, especially as Crolla was dazed and for a moment defenseless. Gutted for Crolla as he has shown such promise over the last couple of years but take nothing away from a brilliant performance by the new Lightweight Champion Derry Mathews.

19/04/12 News Roundup, Pacquiao, Groves v Degale, Rios to step up, plus more

Pacquiao will not retire yet

According to Welterweight king Manny Pacquiao he has no plans to retire yet, well not until he has crossed Mayweather off his checklist first. It has been reported that one of Pacquiao’s children had said that they wanted their dad to retire but not until he has stepped in the ring with the current P4P Champion. It is a fight that has been circulating the Boxing World for a few years now and nothing has materialised apart from some exchanging of words between camps and a few tweets from both men. Im sure both me will not be thinking of this right now as they both face tough opposition in their upcoming bouts, Pacquiao will be trying to silence the noise coming from Timothy Bradley’s camp, and Mayweather has the task of stopping a certain Puerto Rican, that is making his way back into the mix of the Welterweight elite.

Rios to take next step

After a very close win at the weekend Brandon Rios has declared he will be looking to step up a weight to chase matches like Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao. This decision comes after Rios scored a Split decision win over Richard Abril, an event which also saw Marquez pick up a 12rd UD against Sergy Fedchenko. Im sure Rios was watching in the back analyzing every move Marquez made in the ring questioning if he has what it takes to get in with the Mexican. It’s a match I would love to see and I think Marquez would certainly have his work cut out, but I think the 54-6 Marquez would offer to much, as for Rios v Pacquiao I think we have a while before we were to witness this as the Pacman currently has bigger paydays elsewhere.

A positive for British fight fans is that if Rios does step up it is likely to free up a title for the likes of Burns, Mitchell or Murray.

Groves could face Degale again

George Groves announced this week that it was a no go for his matchup with Robert Stieglitz in May. It was very disappointing to hear and I really hope he can pull through the back injuries and find himself another title shot in the future. Arther Abraham now becomes the mandatory challenger for Stieglitz leaving Groves pushed back and may even have to face a rematch with James Degale.  Degale himself reportedly turned down a match with Stieglitz and opted to defend his European crown against Italian Cristian Sanavia, if he wins this then many would say he is worthy of a chance to avenge his loss to Groves.

Cleverly Pulls out

Welsh Boxing Star Nathan Cleverly has been forced to pull out of his WBO Light Heavyweight bout with Robin Krasniqi due to illness. The current Champion has stated that he has not been able to train for this match and therefore left him no choice but to pull out, it leaves Cleverly in the position where he may have to defend his crown against the WBO’s mandatory challenger Dmitry Sukhotsky. My personal opinion is that he will await the Hopkins v Dawson fight and then whatever the outcome, chase Hopkins.

Klitschko v Thompson…….again……..Really?

It has now been confirmed that Vladimir Klitschko will face a rematch in July against Tony Thompson, a man that he had out boxed and KO’d in the 11^th round of their previous encounter. I understand that there is very little out there for Klitschko right now and with no chance of taking on Povetkin due to the Boxing Boards not allowing it due to conflicting titles being up for grabs. So he has been forced to look around, but frustratingly has landed a shot against a man that he has proven he can beat, it simply piles more frustration through the Boxing world with this struggling Heavyweight Division……hurry up Seth Mitchell.

14/04/12 Tyson Fury v Martin Rogan

From the opening bell it looked as if we may have been wrong to write of Rogan so quickly, i know i certainly had jumped to the conclusion of a Fury win. Rogan came out the blocks with the intent to get at Fury and land some big right handed shots, but what Rogan and the rest of the Boxing world didn't realise was that Fury was coming into this fight with a Southpaw stance. They had told us to watch out for a new Tyson Fury and that we did as the fight unfolded, Fury managed to ride combinations and block most that Rogan had to offer with his new stance and made it look quite comfortable at times. It was in round 4 that after Fury realised it was time to stop touching mits with Rogan and actually start Boxing, that he had the Irishman on the floor with a great straight left shot. After showing the world that he had developed a great defensive technique in training it was time for Fury to unload punches and really come alive in the contest, and the defining shot came right at the end of round 5, a terrific left hand to the body that left Rogan no choice but to retire from the fight. Overall a great contest and another title to add to the record for Fury, Promoter Hennessy has now confirmed he will be looking for the next big fight for Fury as he firmly believes he is behind the Klitchsko brothers as one of the best Heavyweights around, Povetkin might be a good measure if they could land a deal with him, i personally think that an all British fight with David Price should now seriously be considered before he gets in the ring with any of the top Heavyweights.

10/04/12 Fury needs convincing win

British Heavyweight Tyson Fury aims to add another title to his record this weekend when he takes on 40 year old Irishman Martin Rogan. Half Rogans age, 6inches taller and boasting an unbeaten 17-0 record, Fury goes into this fight the favorite, but concern has recently been raised over Fury's ability to stay in shape. a dramatic increase in weight, 70 pounds to be exact is what Fury had piled on over the winter and then had to shift again to get in shape for this match. Fury has already given himself a reputation for making rookie errors and being rather clumsy in the ring, the last thing he wants is to carry this reputation outside the ring with him. Fury claims that due to illness in his family he had reached a low point that caused the weight to go on, and has worked hard since to make sure he is in the shape of his life to become the Irish Heavyweight Champion. Due to being televised from early on in his professional career Fury has gained a large British following, many whom believe he is ready to step up to take on the Klitschko brothers. To put it simply Fury is no way in the class of the Klitchsko brothers and still has a lot to learn in the ring before he can challenge for a world title.

I don't want to be negative about a Boxer than shows promise to one day bring home a world title to Britain, but when making a comparison to fellow Heavyweight David Price, i just feel that Fury has to tighten up his movement around the ring and use his size to his advantage when throwing punches. He had proved against Derrek Chisora that he is capable of producing a performance worthy of being the British Champion but this is the only fight where he has looked fully convincing. I really hope that Fury can put together a top class performance against Rogan and not leave me feeling slightly fustrated. There is no doubt that Fury has all the attributes to become a World Champion, its just time that we started seeing it. I have Fury winning this weekend and making a statement with a KO later in the bout.