by James Slater – Boxing-wise, it’s a pretty slow weekend this week, with not too much going on. However, there are a few newsworthy items to be found on the net, such as:
James “Lights Out” Toney, now less than two months away from his MMA debut of a fight with 47-year-old Randy “The Natural” Couture, gave a recent video interview with MMAmania.com, and as usual the 41-year-old great had plenty to say. Asked primarily about tonight’s big MMA match between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin, Toney said neither guy impressed him too much..
What was interesting, however, was Toney’s physical appearance and what he had to say about his training for the August 28th bout Vs. Couture. Looking much slimmed down compared to how he’s looked in recent months Toney, wearing a loose-fitting shirt, has clearly been doing his gym work. Appearing toned, facially, “Lights Out” looked as good as I’ve seen him in a long time. Toney said he will be at tonight’s Brock-Carwin clash, but that he “can’t wait for it to be over with so I can get back to my training camp.” When was the last time you heard Toney sound so enthusiastic about training?
It seems the former multi-weight boxing champion IS taking the Couture fight seriously after all; and this is good news. We don’t want to see Toney out of shape and embarrassed, and if he is as fit as I think he looked, this might not be the case. Why do I have a feeling Toney is going to cause something of a shock in late August!?
“Sugar” Shane Mosley will face former “Contender” and WBC 154-pound champ Sergio Mora at The Staples Centre in LA on September 18th. ESPN.com have an interview with Golden Boy’s Richard Schaefer, and Schaefer confirms that the light-middleweight clash will go ahead. Both men are hoping a win will lead them into another world title fight, and both guys badly need a victory.
Mosley, soon to turn 39, is coming off that bad night against Floyd Mayweather Junior, and Mora, a mere spring chicken at age 29, has not had a really meaningful win since his June 2008, title-winning effort against the late Vernon Forrest.
Schaefer says both Victor Ortiz and Saul Alvarez will be in action on the card, with each exciting young fighter taking on as yet unannounced opponents.
Frank Warren’s Birmingham show, set for that same September evening in the U.K – a show that will feature seven big and attractive fights – WILL be available on Sky Box Office. The show, dubbed “The Magnificent Seven,” will feature top British talent such as Nathan Cleverly (in a interim “world” title clash), Darren Barker, Matthew Macklin, Enzo Macarinelli, James DeGale, Frankie Gavin and Derek Chisora, and the value for money is sure to be good.
However, as feared, the T.V viewers will have to fork out their £15.00 (approx $30.00) for the privilege of tuning in. Despite this, Sky’s numbers are almost sure to be impressive ones. In short, one of the most stacked fight cards of the year