Serious and dedicated like never before? Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. says he is weighing 178 pounds right now; Canelo in trouble!

03/31/201703/31/2017 James Slater

Though nobody ever, ever expected Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. to become the great – all-time great – fighter his legendary father was, all along the experts knew Chavez Jr. could fight. The problem, as both his fans and critics know, was the 30 year-old’s discipline, or lack of it.

The former WBC middleweight champ got so out of shape and overweight that at one point he fought as a light-heavyweight; being stopped by Andrez Fonfara. But it seems those days of lack of focus and laziness in the gym are behind Chavez (although for many people, it will be a case of, ‘I’ll believe it when I see it in the ring’) – at least if his current weight and physical appearance is anything to go by.

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Vasyl Lomachenko-Mikey Garcia: A genuine Grudge-Match to look forward to!

03/31/2017 James Slater

Who is the better fighter, once-beaten junior-lightweight ruler Vasyl Lomachenko, 7-1(5) or unbeaten lightweight champ Mikey Garcia, 36-0(30)? The two fighters themselves have had some heated verbal exchanges and now the two pound-for-pounders wish to settle it in the only place that matters, the ring, to find out who is superior.

Garcia, who looked sensational in returning to the ring to blitz Dejan Zlaticanin to claim the WBC 135 pound belt in January, told CBS Sports that Lomachenko is “only doing stuff that I did three, four years ago.” Garcia points to his own wins over Orlando Salido and Rocky Martinez, the two men who beat and got KO’d by Lomachenko respectively.

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Can Derric Rossy give Ortiz a fight!? Rossy-Luis Ortiz on for April 22

03/31/2017 James Slater

It has just been officially announced, and it was no big surprise because it’s been no secret that a Luis Ortiz-Derric Rossy heavyweight match-up was soon to be announced for April 22 on the under-card of the interesting welterweight clash between ex-champs Shawn Porter and Andre Berto.

Talk of the heavyweight match-up had done the rounds on the various web sites these past couple of days, but RingTV.com actually spoke with Rossy, 31-12(15) and the 36 year old spoke about the “big opportunity” the fight will grant him. Yet another one.

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Murray vs Rosado: Gabriel Rosado to be “Gatti” in Martin Murray fight

03/30/2017 James Slater

Both the fighters themselves and the fans of both Martin Murray and Gabriel Rosado are expecting something special on April 22 in Liverpool, UK. The two teak-tough middleweights will go to war next month and both aim to use a win as a steppingstone to a bigger fight.

Philly’s Rosado, 23-10(13) and Manchester’s Murray, 34-4-1(16) have both tasted the drama and the painful near-glory of fighting for a world title before – in fact both fighters have shared a ring with world middleweight king Gennady Golovkin – but the desire to win the crown continues to drive both men. To get another shot, Rosado will have to come through Murray, or Murray will have to get past Rosado. Either way, fight fans are in for a great night on April 22.

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Lamon Brewster gives his take on the Joshua-Klitschko fight: “I don’t see anyone beating Joshua”

03/30/201703/30/2017 James Slater

Arguably, and very possibly, the last great American heavyweight champion (begging Deontay Wilder’s pardon) Lamon Brewster will be a very interested viewer when heavyweight giants Anthony Joshua, the IBF king, and Wladimir Klitschko, the former world ruler, clash in London next month.

Brewster, the former WBO king who retired with a fine 35-6(30) record in 2010 (when eye trouble contributed greatly to the Indianapolis warrior’s decision to call it a great career) is the last man to have stopped Wladimir; sensationally – and somewhat disturbingly – scoring a TKO over “Dr. Steel Hammer” in April of 2004 in a wild and shocking slugfest. But Brewster is not worried about losing the distinction of being the last man to have sent Klitschko to the canvas, far from it – Lamon, in kindly giving some of his time to this writer, predicts that AJ will do what he did, and stop Klitschko on April 29.

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“One Last Time?” James Toney to fight again; will face Mike Sheppard for WBF strap in May

03/30/2017 James Slater

James Toney, once a truly great fighter, is not quite ready to call it a day and retire just yet. The 48 year-old (49 in August) will reportedly face journeyman Mike Sheppard for the vacant WBF heavyweight strap on May 13, the scheduled 12-rounder to go down in Ypsilanti, Michigan. So far there is no word of any TV coverage, not even an internet presentation.

Toney, a remarkable 76-10-3(46) – numbers compiled without “Lights Out” ever succumbing to a single stoppage defeat – was last seen in a losing effort. It was back in August of 2015 when Toney was simply out-worked by another heavyweight journeyman in Charles Ellis, Toney dropping a decision in Missouri. Who knows what we can expect from Toney-Sheppard.

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Imagine: Deontay Wilder defends against the best of the ’90’s heavyweight contenders – Ruddock, Tua, Golota, Ibeabuchi

03/30/201703/29/2017 James Slater

It’s universally agreed that reigning WBC heavyweight king Deontay Wilder is a most exciting fighter, a very powerful and dangerous fighter, and a very determined fighter (Deontay could easily have quit in pain having suffered the hand and arm injuries he picked up in his win over Chris Arreola last summer).

But what we don’t know is this: how good is Wilder? The unbeaten KO artist could well be the best big man on the scene today, and Wilder, 38-0(37) has made it clear a number of times that he wants the big, big fights to prove his dominance. These defining fights, against the likes of the Anthony Joshua-Wladimir Klitschko winner, Tyson Fury (if the giant can return as planned) and others may come. But imagine for a second if Wilder was busy defending his green belt against the best contenders the 1990s had to offer; the men who came, oh, so close to becoming champion.

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Amir Khan talks possible Conor McGregor fight: In boxing I beat him quite easily but in MMA I think it might be tough

03/29/2017 James Slater

Amir Khan just cannot seem to get himself a fight. Idle since last May – when he was taken out by the much bigger Canelo Alvarez in a fight that has recently been branded a “foolish” move by Khan’s own trainer, Virgil Hunter – the former 140 pound king has seen both a Manny Pacquiao fight and a Kell Brook fight fail to come off (blame who you want for the latter fight failing to materialise).

Maybe due to his frustrations at not yet being able to test his “new,” surgically repaired right hand, Khan is now even talking about the possibility of fighting Conor McGregor, under either boxing or MMA rules! Speaking with ESNEWS, Khan said he’d “give it a go” if the fight was offered to him.

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Warren on GGG-BJS: “Financial terms have been agreed it’s just whether they want to do it or not

03/29/2017 James Slater

Fight fans may have read how reigning WBO middleweight champ Billy Joe Saunders issued world ruler Gennady Golovkin an ultimatum: sign to fight me by the end of this week or I move on to another fight. Well, Saunders’ promoter Frank Warren, in speaking with ESPN, has extended the deadline to the end of next week.

Like his fighter, though, Warren insists there will be no waiting game employed with this fight.

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Lennox Lewis-Shannon Briggs was a heavyweight rumble to remember!

03/29/201703/28/2017 James Slater

One year short of two full decades ago today, WBC heavyweight king Lennox Lewis met lineal ruler Shannon Briggs in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and a surprisingly fun fight took place. The two men with a big punch and a big personality, Briggs especially when it comes to the latter, slugged it out for five thrilling rounds.

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