Watch: Povetkin vs Stiverne: Weigh-In Video

12/17/201612/16/2016 James Slater

Weigh-In Results: Povetkin – 101,5 kg (223,7 lbs), Stiverne – 113,1 kg (249 lbs)

Former WBC heavyweight champ Bermane Stiverne could well be having the last big fight of his career on Saturday night in Ekaterinburg. The 38-year-old faces Russian hero Alexander Povetkin in an attempt at becoming the interim WBC champ and Stiverne says he knows he needs a KO to win.

Speaking with RT Sport just after the official press conference, a smiling and relaxed-looking Stiverne, 25-2-1(21) said there is no way he will get a decision over Povetkin should the fight go the full 12 rounds, and that he has trained for the KO.

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Deontay Wilder wants Klitschko-Joshua winner – winner the best heavyweight on the planet?

12/15/201612/15/2016 James Slater

As reigning WBC heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder says, the heavyweight division is coming alive again. And Wilder, who is itching to get back in the ring, says he wants to keep it that way. Speaking at the WBC convention, Wilder said he wants to fight the winner of the April clash between Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko.

The April 29th fight, set for Wembley, promises to be a huge event – with promoter Eddie Hearn speaking about the possibility of 90,000 tickets shifting – but Wilder against the winner could be even bigger.

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De La Hoya gives us his word GGG-Canelo happens next year; Canelo could face Chavez Junior first

12/15/2016 James Slater

Oscar De La Hoya was a guest on “First Take” last night – and guess what the topic of conversation was? Yes, that still in-the-works super-fight all of boxing wants to see: Gennady Golovkin Vs. Canelo Alvarez. And, in response to being asked if the fight will happen in 2017, the Golden Boy head gave us his word no less that, yes, it will happen in September of next year.

“Canelo truly is a ’54-pounder. I mean, he is,” De La Hoya said. “He can make the weight no problem, and Canelo and I and the team have that for 2017 he will move up to middleweight, full-fledged middleweight, and fight the middleweight champions of the world, and that’s including Triple-G. At 160, that’s it. You have my word, and Canelo is not afraid of Triple-G. September, we’re hoping he signs the contract and it will happen.”

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Bernard Hopkins: One Of A Kind – ranking his finest wins

12/14/2016 James Slater

Like him or not and whether you find his fighting style boring or entertaining, fans everywhere have to admit Bernard Hopkins has had some incredible career – and some eventful life. Hopkins, at almost 52, will see out his long and incredibly successful career this Saturday, against young, ambitious and dangerous punching Joe Smith Junior.

Hopkins promises this will be “The Final 1,” and that he will then exit the sport satisfied – “I’m about to be 52 with more than 60 fights and I can still hold a sentence. I’m most proud of that,” B-Hop, AKA The Alien, AKA The Executioner told The Las Vegas Review Journal this week. Hopkins hopes a movie will be devoted to his life, and let’s face it, there’s plenty of material there.

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“The Big Fight Live” to return to ITV in the UK – on pay-per-view

12/13/2016 James Slater

Slightly older British fight fans will remember “The Big Fight Live.” Back in the day, in the 1980s and ’90s, with the great Reg Gutteridge doing the commentary, the show, going out on terrestrial channel ITV, was THE place to watch the big fights. Now, according to an interesting piece on the ITV website, the boxing show will return to TV screens next year – on pay-per-view.

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Gennady Golovkin goes into the record books: Guinness Book of Records recognise GGG as having the highest KO percentage in middleweight championship history

12/13/2016 James Slater

World middleweight king Gennady Golovkin picked up three awards at the annual WBC convention in Hollywood, the most prestigious possibly being the distinction of being recognised by The Guinness Book of Records as having THE highest KO percentage in the history of middleweight world championship boxing.

GGG, who fought just twice this year, also picked up two WBC awards – one for Event of The Year, for his dominant stoppage victory over Kell Brook in September, the other, a special award, for being Most Dominant Boxer. The place he now occupies in the prestigious Guinness Book of Records arguably made GGG feel most proud though.

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Joseph Parker’s promoter open to doubleheader on April 29: Joshua-Klitschko and Parker-Wilder

12/13/201612/13/2016 James Slater

New WBO heavyweight champ Joseph Parker seems to have plenty of options now that he has made his mark as the first New Zealander to have won heavyweight gold. Parker may have to face Hughie Fury in a mandatory first defence next spring, but the 24-year-old’s promotional outfit Duco Events are looking at all options – some of them massive.

David Higgins of Duco spoke with Sky Sports yesterday and he discussed everything from a Parker-Fury fight, to a Parker-Wilder unification fight, to a Joshua-Parker doubleheader on April 29, when AJ will fight former champ Wladimir Klitschko.

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The UK now has more reigning world champions than any other country in the world!

12/12/2016 James Slater

Amazingly, and proof positive that boxing is flourishing on these shores, the UK can now boast more reigning world champion boxers than any other country in the world. With 13 world rulers – from heavyweight all the way down to super-flyweight – the UK currently has more champs than America (12) and Mexico (8).

The current impressive list of world champions consists of:

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Joseph Parker says he’ll fight Anthony Joshua “any time he wants,” but it could be Hughie Fury next for the new WBO champ

12/12/201612/12/2016 James Slater

Unbeaten Joseph Parker, who captured the vacant WBO heavyweight title at the weekend with a close decision win over Andy Ruiz Jnr, is already looking at his first title defence. Parker and his team want a break first (the 24 year old has had an amazing 15 fights in just three years) but the first defence is being looked at for March or April of next year.

Parker, 22-0(18) was a very interested onlooker as IBF champ Anthony Joshua did the business against challenger Eric Molina and the New Zealander says he will fight AJ “any time he wants or [whenever] I want.” However, it is more likely Parker will defend against Hughie Fury next spring. Parker is confident he can beat either Brit, but the Joshua fight is the big one.

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Moorer-Cooper, Jefferson-Harris, Foreman-Lyle – is the brutal Whyte-Chisora scrap worthy of being ranked alongside these epic slugfests?

12/12/201612/12/2016 James Slater

Praise continues to come in, justifiable praise at that, for the quite incredible twelve-round slugfest British heavyweights Dillian Whyte and Dereck Chisora gave us on Saturday night in Manchester. Promoter Eddie Hearn called the give and take, two-way barnburner one of the best heavyweight fights he has ever seen. And this was not mere hyperbole intended to sell tickets – the fight is in the history books now.

However, there could be a part-two – providing the two rivals who knocked lumps out of each other for the full 36 minutes of blistering action have the energy and the desire to go through such hell again – as victor Whyte said yesterday.

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