Who can match Floyd Mayweather for speed? Ricky Hatton says Amir Khan can!

10/19/2013 James Slater

002KhanvsMolinaIMG_5847 British boxing legend and former light-welterweight king Ricky Hatton is one of a few experts who likes the idea of superstar Floyd Mayweather making his next defence against Amir Khan. Hatton, writing in his debut column for The Manchester Evening News, says he feels Khan is one of just a handful of fighters who can match Mayweather for speed.

“Amir deserves his shot against Floyd,” Hatton wrote. “It is a career-defining fight and would be his biggest payday, so he’s definitely got to go for it. Amir lost to Lamont Peterson and then Danny Garcia, but he’d reached the top. He doesn’t need money, he needs a challenge – and you cannot get bigger than Floyd. The one thing that comes to mind with Floyd is his defence. He can attack, but he prefers to defend, sit on the ropes. I can’t remember too many fights where he’s had to go on the front foot and attack.

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Kell Brook says he will avenge Ricky Hatton’s loss, is ready for Senchenko

10/17/201310/16/2013 James Slater

brook2 brook2 Unbeaten welterweight contender Kell Brook had an open workout in his native Sheffield earlier today, training in front of enthusiastic fans at a big shopping mall. Brook said afterwards that he is “counting down the days” to his October 26th bout with Ukraine’s Vyacheslav Senchenko and that he is relishing the idea of the Ricky Hatton conqueror giving him a stern test.

Brook, 30-0(20) said he aims to avenge the 9th-round KO Senchenko scored over Hatton last November.

“I’m feeling great. It really gets me up when I come to Meadowhall, seeing all the fans come out,” Brook said to Sky Sports. “Training’s gone really well and I’m ready. I’ve a lot of respect for Senchenko, he’s a proven champion and ex-world champion. He’s come over here and he’s got a point to prove like he had last time with Ricky Hatton. I now want to get revenge for the fans and also for myself. I want to go out there and show why I’m talked about at the elite level.”

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David Price picks Adam Booth as new trainer

10/14/201310/14/2013 James Slater

price46 price46 After speaking and meeting with a number of world class boxing trainers, David Price has made up his mind on who will train him from here on in. Price, the British and Commonwealth champion, recently split with Franny Smith and he will now work with Adam Booth.

Boxing News Magazine’s web site has reported this news and Price, who must come back after back-to-back losses to Tony Thompson, told B N how he feels Booth is the man to bring out his true potential.

“It’s a fresh start,” Price said. “I can leave behind what has happened but know that I’ve learnt from it. I’ve got the passion back now and am looking forward to getting on shape and putting a few things right. I asked Adam if I could have a chat and perhaps get some advice. We did a few sessions together just to see how it would work, and then he agreed to train me. I’ve got a good feeling about this move, and truly believe Adam is the man to bring out my true potential.”

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It’s been a bad spell for Mexican fight fans, Juan Manuel Marquez the latest Mexican warrior to fall

10/13/2013 James Slater

Let’s not even start about the latest slice of poor officiating witnessed last night in Las Vegas. Tim Bradley, a worthy and clear winner over an always-game but suddenly old-looking Juan Manuel Marquez, had to listen to how one judge had somehow scored the fight against him. Still, the right man won via split decision and Bradley – a fighter I learnt never to bet against some time ago – can now go on to even bigger fights (maybe even one with Floyd Mayweather Junior?)

As for Marquez, it’s tough to see where he goes from here, although he may well demand a return with Bradley, feeling as he does that he deserved the win. But whatever happens next for both great fighters, it must be agreed how it’s been a tough time for Mexican fighters and their fans just lately.

We’ve seen Rafael Marquez, Juan Manuel’s brother, lose by stoppage and decide the hang ’em up, we’ve seen new superstar in the making Saul Canelo Alvarez comprehensively schooled by Mayweather, we’ve seen Julio Cesar Chavez Junior receive an undeserving win over Bryan Vera and now we may have seen the last of “Dinamita.”

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Thrill-a-Minute slugger James Kirkland close to ring return, likely to face unbeaten Glen Tapia on Dec. 7th on HBO

10/12/2013 James Slater

PIC_2409 Fight fans who love a slugfest are likely to be in luck. According to Bob Arum, who spoke to Ring Magazine’s website, once-beaten southpaw slugger James Kirkland is thisclose to getting the all clear to return to the ring. The word is Kirkland – inactive since March of 2012 and having been fighting a number of legal issues with his former promoters – will face unbeaten contender Glen Tapia on December 7th, probably on the Gulliermo Rigondeaux-Joseph Agbeko super-bantamweight clash set for Atlantic City.

Some fans have been turned off by classy Cuban Rigondeaux, even to the point of being bored when the former amateur superstar does his stuff. Rest assured, even if Rigondeaux-Agbeko is somewhat dull to those fans who love a barnburner, the planned co-main event will make up for it. His lacklustre (shoulder injury) showing against Carlos Molina side, Kirkland has never been in a dull fight. Wickedly powerful, naturally aggressive and also vulnerable, Kirkland is the ultimate ‘don’t blink’ fighter.

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Lennox Lewis having fun again, says he’d come back ………….for $100million!

10/10/2013 James Slater

It seems as though, every now and then, the mischievous side of heavyweight great Lennox Lewis rears its fun loving head. A while ago, Lennox saw to it that a date was released on his official website for his ring return, set as it was for him to dust himself off from the comfort of retirement and fight Wladimir (or it may have been Vitali) Klitschko.

Of course the whole thing came to nothing but the web sites and even the broadsheets went into a mini-frenzy, writing about the then 46-year-old and his chances of pulling off a George Foreman-like comeback. Now, just yesterday, the 48-year-old all-time great and last undisputed heavyweight king made more comeback talk.

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Bruised, beaten, frustrated – but not broken: Alexander Povetkin wants a rematch with Wladimir Klitschko

10/09/201310/09/2013 James Slater

wlad793 wlad793 Russia’s Alexander Povetkin had a lot to deal with when he was in the ring challenging for Wladimir Klitschko’s collection of heavyweight titles. The Olympic gold medallist had to cope with Wladimir’s significant advantages in height, reach, weight and physical strength, and Povetkin also had to do his best to come to terms with “Dr. Steel Hammer’s” punching power. To add to these problems, Povetkin had to deal with the champ’s excessive holding, grappling and pushing – these three elements of Klitschko’s game prompting some people to feel the king should have been removed from his throne via disqualification.

But despite all this, Povetkin has called for a rematch with Klitschko. Speaking to The Moscow News today, Povetkin, 26-1(18) said he feels he can improve on last Saturday’s ultimately bruising and frustrating performance.

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Miguel Cotto: Back with a bang and ready, willing and able for some more sizzling super-fights!

10/07/201310/06/2013 James Slater

cotto552 Puerto Rican legend and future Hall of Famer Miguel Cotto put two successive points losses behind him last night in blitzing a usually sturdy Delvin Rodriguez, in the process setting himself up for further massive fights. Cotto, now working with the great Freddie Roach, looked like a beast last night: strong, fast, powerful and full of energy, Cotto absolutely ruined a good fighter.

Okay, some critics have commented how Rodriguez is and never has been on Cotto’s level and that Cotto’s win was expected. But that is doing both fighters a disservice. Cotto showed he still has the stuff to intimidate and overwhelm a fighter who has hung tough in a number of wars in the past and not too many experts were predicting as quick a victory as the one Cotto emerged with.

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Earnie Shavers: Pure Power, Pure Punching, Pure Passion

10/04/201310/02/2013 James Slater

shavers643277 Having just read another article on heavyweight punching legend Earnie Shavers (this fascinating piece on Ringtv.com), I wanted to put up my own piece on “The Acorn,” a man who was once dubbed “The Puncher of The Century.”

I’ve had the privilege of speaking with the 1970’s and early ’80’s heavyweight terror a number of times and here he kindly lists for me his top-three all-time heavyweight punchers; as well as telling me how he feels he would have done – in his pure-punching, zinging prime – against fellow legends, Tyson, Foreman, Liston and today’s kings, the Klitschkos.

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Wilder vs. Firtha on Hopkins-Murat card next month

09/27/2013 James Slater

003WildervictoryIMG_3358 Unbeaten KO artist Deontay Wilder will face experienced big guy Nicolai Firtha in his next pro outing, on the Bernard Hopkins-Karo Murat under-card at The Barclays Centre New York on October 26th.

Wilder, 29-0(29) is coming off that scary 1st-round destruction of former WBO heavyweight titlist Serhai Liakhovich and it will be interesting to see if he can keep his KO streak going against the 34-year-old who is both big and game.

Firtha, 21-10-1(8) is not a top-rated contender and his record is somewhat patchy, yet he has been in with some big names and acquitted himself well. Since being stopped (arguably prematurely) in the 5th-round by Tyson Fury in what was a sizzling slugfest while it lasted, Firtha has dropped a 12-round decision to Johnathon Banks (who went on to ruin Seth Mitchell via 2nd-round stoppage, before Banks lost the return via forgettable 12-round snoozer) and won a stay-busy six-rounder against Robert Hawkins.

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