WBA (interim) middleweight champion, Chris Eubank Jr makes his Sky Sports TV and Matchroom Sport promotional debut tonight in Sheffield, England, against 39 year old American, Tony Jeter, assuming top-billing in Kell Brook’s absence and promising an ‘explosive performance.’
The British legends’ son has promised he isn’t overlooking the fringe contender and WBA #13, even though his next fight – a December outing against Irishman, Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan is already announced.
Brandon Rios claims he is ready for anything ahead of his clash with WBO welterweight champion Tim Bradley next month, insisting he is confident he can draw Bradley in and make him fight ‘his fight.’
Rios goes into the clash having not boxed since way back in January when he destroyed an out-of-sorts Mike Alvarado in their rubber match, and knows that Bradley – under the guidance of new trainer Teddy Atlas – is looking to box a smart fight and not get caught in a war as he has been prone to unnecessarily in the past.
It’s not exactly of ‘did aliens land at Roswell?’ or ‘who shot JFK?’ proportions, yet a persistent conspiracy theory has surrounded IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook’s rib ‘injury,’ an injury that postponed tonight’s scheduled clash with Argentina’s Diego Chaves.
Many quarters on social media have questioned the legitimacy of the ailment, with reasons given for it including Eddie Hearn wishing to move the fight to his December PPV show, as well as Brook struggling to make 147 in time; rumours that Hearn recently called ‘absolute rubbish.’
Should he win his upcoming WBC middleweight title fight with Miguel Cotto, then Mexican starlet ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, has dampened the enthusiasm of those seeking a unification fight with Gennady Golovkin by insisting if it’s done, it’s at 155 lbs.
‘Canelo’ and Cotto contest the latter’s WBC trinket at a catch-weight of 155, with the winner mandated to face the big-hitting WBA/IBF champion, who stopped David Lemieux last weekend in some style in New York. However, the latest comments from Canelo regarding triple-G are pushing the potential fight further away given Golovkin [rightly] refuses to contest 160 lb titles at a lesser catch-weight.
When he squares off against WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto next month in Las Vegas, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez claims that he will be the man prepared to do ‘whatever it takes’ to win.
The Mexican star’s comments come in the same week that Cotto’s esteemed trainer Freddie Roach, claimed that the Golden Boy promoted fighter ‘wasn’t the most dedicated’ and that Cotto would be the man more prepared to dig deep on the night to pull out the win, especially if the two get dragged into some classic trench warfare.
America’s former world title challenger, Bryant Jennings (19-1, 10ko), will square off against undefeated Cuban, Luis Ortiz (23-0, 20ko) on December 19 in New York, in what is set to be an intriguing clash of heavyweight contenders.
Ortiz’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya continues his quest to provide fan-friendly fights, matching the 6′ 4″ southpaw and WBA [interim] champion with the Gary Shaw promoted Jennings, who fans last saw in April, giving a good account of himself in defeat against long-time champion, Wladimir Klitschko.
WBO light welterweight champion, Terence Crawford (28-0, 18ko) has insisted he isn’t looking past Dierry Jean (29-1) this Saturday night in Omaha, but is looking forward to victory propelling him towards the big fights regardless; Manny Pacquiao chief among them.
The maiden defence of the title Crawford won against Thomas Dulorme last time out in April is expected to be a relatively routine piece of business for the man voted 2014’s ‘Fighter of the Year,’ and talk has already begun about him moving up in weight once again, this time to 147 lbs.
Former WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne (24-2-1, 21ko) is finally set to return to the ring, squaring off against American journeyman Derric Rossy (30-10, 14ko) on November 14 in Las Vegas.
The fight will act as the chief support to WBC featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr’s title defence against Oscar Escandon, and is the first outing for the Haitian-Canadian since dropping his WBC trinket back in January to current holder, Deontay Wilder.
Jeter comes in sporting a modest (20-4-1, 14ko) record that includes a good deal of limited opposition [his last two opponents have 30 losses between them], yet says he has been in a similar position to this fight before; in 2012 when he was brought in as the ‘opponent’ for countryman Jimmy Lange (then 38-4-2); who, like Eubank, had already announced his next fight.
7x trainer of the year, Freddie Roach, has claimed that WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto will be in the shape of his life for his Nov. 21 fight with ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, not only questioning their Mexican opponents dedication but also predicting that the Puerto Rican star has enough in the tank to stop the younger Alvarez late on.
Roach, who claims he has reinvigorated the 34 year old veteran, was in confident mood ahead of the fight, insisting he has the correct game plan already set and that after they win the mega-clash they would happily fight Gennady Golovkin next, even though politics may dictate otherwise.