Gilberto Ramirez: Tune Up Date Switched Before 2016 World Title Shot

09/01/201509/01/2015 Olly Campbell

Red hot Mexican super-middleweight contender and WBO mandatory challenger Gilberto Ramirez, is set to have one more tune up bout before the inevitable step up in class next year, when he will be set to challenge German based veteran and current WBO 168 lb champion Arthur Abraham in a fight that will likely take place around February or March.

Ramirez had been scheduled to box on the October 9th Top Rank show in Los Angeles, set to broadcast on truTV, although according to ESPN.com, that is likely to now be switched to November 20th at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, which – given the Cotto/Canelo fight in the City the following day, will ensure plenty of exposure for the highly touted Mexican, due to the boxing media that will descend on Vegas in droves that weekend.

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Kell Brook Opponent to Be Announced This Week / Diego Chaves Still Likely with Klitschko/Fury TV Split

08/31/201508/31/2015 Olly Campbell

For those still waiting on an announcement regarding IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook’s next defence of his title – that is set to take place on October 24th in his Sheffield backyard, then the wait will come to an end this Wednesday, when an announcement is to be made live on Sky Sports News in the UK.

Brook was last seen destroying over-matched countryman Frankie Gavin inside 6 rounds back in May, and was almost set to face American brawler Brandon Rios, until the fight fell apart over contractual minutiae – including money and a rematch clause – yet Rios is now set to fight in November in California and is (sadly) firmly out of the picture.

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Jose Santa Cruz on Vasyl Lomachenko: “That F*****? Give Him to Us!!

08/31/201508/31/2015 Olly Campbell

Jose Santa Cruz, father and trainer of new WBA (sup) featherweight champion Leo, believes there is little point in his son signing on for a rematch with fellow Mexican-American star Abner Mares, especially given the strong showing on Saturday night, and believes that fights with the divisions Eastern European element, including Ukrainian amateur standout and WBO 126 lb champion Vasyl Lomachenko, are the best way forward for his son.

Speaking via fighthype.com, the elder Santa Cruz said of the potential Mares rematch.

“If there are others with more technique, better technique, (we’d like them) to make for a better fight.”

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“Britain’s Worst Boxer” Robin Deakin is Back in the Win Column!

08/31/201508/31/2015 Olly Campbell

“Rockin” Robin Deakin, cruelly branded ‘Britain’s worst boxer’ by the national press in the UK – before using the tag for his own promotional ends – has taken the first crucial step to regaining his British licence by getting a much needed win on Saturday, defeating Latvia’s Deniss Kornilovs by 4 round points decision at London’s famous York Hall, winning every round.

The battle-hardened trier was born severely disabled with a condition called Talipes – an affliction affecting the legs that was so serious his parents were told he may never even walk, let alone fight – a fact the red-tops in Britain repeatedly fail to mention, alongside his more than respectable amateur career that saw 46 wins from 76 contests.

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Paulie Malignaggi: Not Ruling Out a Return / At the Same Time, In No Rush

08/31/201508/31/2015 Olly Campbell

After his recent stoppage loss to Danny Garcia in New York, local favourite and former two-weight world champion Paulie Malignaggi appeared to decide that the time had come to bring the curtain down on his long career, emotionally announcing that his time to retire was nigh, and that he would be seeking to focus on his burgeoning, and successful career, as a ringside analyst for Showtime and Sky Sports in the UK.

“I’m probably not fighting again,” Malignaggi said after the Garcia fight.

“You hate to make an emotional decision. My career started in Brooklyn 14 years ago. If it ends in Brooklyn tonight, then at least I ended it at home, where I’m from, and in front of the greatest fans in the world. I’ve got a really good job commentating and watching great fighters fight ringside. I hope to sit around ringside for a long time.”

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Darleys Perez Returning to Manchester for Anthony Crolla Rematch

08/31/201508/30/2015 Olly Campbell

Colombia’s WBA (reg) lightweight champion Darleys Perez will be returning to Manchester on November 21st to again face local challenger Anthony Crolla, after their first fight back in June ended by way of a controversial majority draw.

The fight, ordered by the WBA after a petition from Crolla’s promoter Eddie Hearn, is in the wake of the heroic shift the British fighter put in first time around, in a fight most right thinking fans felt he was desperately unlucky to lose, especially given a two point deduction from the champion for low blows in the later rounds of the contest.

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Mosley/Mayorga 2: Shane Wins Pointless Battle of Veterans in 6

08/31/201508/30/2015 Olly Campbell

From the moment it was announced that aging veterans Shane Mosley and Ricardo Mayorga were set to meet in a rematch of their 2008 encounter, the unenthusiastic groans from boxing fans the world over were audible, more so when they found out that, in America at least, they would be charged a hard to justify $49.95 for the ‘privilege’ of watching it.

Mosley’s attempt at staging his first independent promotion was seemingly cursed from the get-go, with a series of fake PR stunts in the build up, as well as the Don King lawsuit to try and stop Mayorga fighting, that, with hindsight, probably would have ensured a more entertaining main event.

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Andre Berto: Dedicating Floyd Fight to ‘Those Who Believe in the Underdog’

08/31/201508/30/2015 Olly Campbell

When he steps between the ropes to face P4P star Floyd Mayweather at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on September 12th, Florida’s Andre Berto will most likely be one of the only men on the planet who actually believes he has what it takes to crack the “May-Vinci Code” and win the fight.

A disappointing candidate in the eyes of most right thinking fans for Floyd’s 49th, and ostensibly ‘final’ fight, Berto will enter with some online odds makers as much 1/200 against, but has promised those numbers are misguided, and that he has what it takes to upset those odds, and do what 46 men before him have failed to do.

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Santa Cruz Captures WBA 126 lb Strap / Mares Rematch & Unification Fights on the Horizon?

08/30/201508/30/2015 Olly Campbell

After last night’s highly entertaining and hard fought victory over Abner Mares in Los Angeles, Leo Santa Cruz picked up his first featherweight world title after the (vacant) WBA 126 lb strap was added to the mix at the last minute, and the Mexico born star certainly went some way to shaking off the ‘cherry-picker’ tag that has dogged him over recent times, turning in a classy and measured performance, in what was billed as the “Battle of L.A.”

With judge Max De Luca turning in a score of 114-114, to the other two judges 117-111, a strong enough case for a rematch can be made, especially given the high levels of action that began with the visibly smaller Mares starting strong and fast, before gradually being worn down as Santa Cruz found his range and imposed his strength, tattooing Abner with the better quality shots.

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George Groves Wants to Make a Statement on Mayweather Undercard & Build US Profile

08/29/2015 Olly Campbell

Britain’s George Groves is well aware of the opportunity at hand when he challenges Las Vegas-based Swede Badou Jack on the undercard of the Floyd Mayweather/Andre Berto fight on September 12th, and he plans on seizing his 3rd shot at a world title by snatching the “Ripper’s” WBC 168lb strap in considerable style.

The Hammersmith fighter – currently training at Abel Sanchez’s Summit facility in California in preparation – is looking forward to seeing his star rise as a result, and wishes to rubber stamp his name into the consciousness of the American fight fans with victory.

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