There Is No Such Thing As Superhuman’s , Only Super-Doping Programmes

This week has been a damming week for sport but not to much of a surprise for a born again pessimist like myself . Earlier this week the UK Government published it’s report into doping and it indicated some of the biggest names in UK sport are suspected of being cheats . The Parliamentary Digital , culture , media and sport select committee came to the damming conclusion that Team Sky (Cycling Team) cynically abused the anti doping system and allowed its athletes to take PED’s , it also claims there is a strong possibility that Sir Bradley Wiggans was also on PED’s in his time with Team Sky . It doesn’t feel to long ago since the fairytale story of Lance Armstrong was proved to be just that …A fairytale .

It was announced this week that superstar boxer Canelo Alvarez test sample came back with trace amounts of clenbuterol , a banned substance . The weirdest thing about this story was that VADA and WBA had verified and accepted Canelo’s story of ” Contaminated Meat ” right away and took the harsh stance of making Canelo finish his training camp in the US (did you sense the sarcasm) . Now i do accept that Canelo may well have ate contaminated meat as it is a confirmed epidemic in Mexico with sportsmen failing tests in every sport including Mexicos U17 football team . Surly if there is a history of contaminated meat in Mexico that makes Canelo and his team more responsible for making sure he is eating the best organic meat around , even import it like Deontay Wilder had done when getting ready to fight Alexander Povetkin in Russia , ironically a fight that was cancelled due to Povetkin failing a drug test . Canelo’s sample came back with 0.8 and 0.6 trace amounts of clenbuterol in his system which doesn’t sound a lot but when you think a cyclist received a two year ban for having 0.5 in his system it really doesn’t look good for boxing .

Also this week we seen Former Olympian Tony Yoka receive a one year suspended ban for missing multiple drug teats . When i read this i have to admit i felt a little dejected , what is the point in that ban . I have yet to see one athlete that has been caught doping that holds there hands up and admits it , there is always some excuse which deflects blame and even makes them the victims . Tony Yoka missing a drug test has to be an admission of guilt the same way that Rio Ferdinand got a lengthy ban from the FA for missing a test whilst playing for Manchester Utd , Yoka needed to get lengthy ban . Another thing that doesn’t sit right with me is on Saturday night we seen Luis Ortiz fight for the WBC Heavyweight title a few months after failing a drug test by testing positive for a drug known to mask doping , of course Ortiz claimed it was medication for high blood pressure that he forgot to declare to testers . This case got even more bizarre when the WBA stripped Ortiz of his title and gave him a ban but the WBC said he didn’t have a case to answer ….very strange .

There are some fans out there who still believe in “Superhumans” people who will take away from the MPs investigation by saying ” who would Trust an MP ” and then there is those who say “clenbuterol isn’t even a steroid ‘ neglecting to acknowledge its on the banned list , those who say ” Ortiz has High Blood Pressure ” and dont care that he never declared he was on medication on the banned list , something all pro athletes MUST DO . If you are one of these people this is something you should take onboard , There is no such thing as a Superhuman there are only Super Doping Programmes .

The Cyclone Promotions Show Review : Taylor vs Campos

This weekend i went to the “Scotlands Finest” card promoted by Cyclone in Glasgow , a card where the main event had been changed as Josh Taylor’s original opponent Humberto Soto pulled out due to a cut picked up in training and was replaced by Winston Campos . From the off I wasn’t to excited by the main event , i thought Soto might have gave Taylor some rounds but there would only be one winner so when Campos stepped in at short notice i was far from excited . There was of course a good strong undercard of Scottish talent which for me was smart promoting from Cyclone and ultimately saved the show .

Jason Easton vs Glenn Foot (Fight Rating 8/10)

Before this fight i had predicted this would be fight of the night and i wasn’t wrong . Right from the off this fight caught fire both men willing to trade . I thought before this fight that with Easton being the bigger of the two he would come in and look to keep Foot at bay with the jab but it became clear that would not be the case . Foot had Easton on the floor in the second as the Edinburgh man struggled to keep Foot off of him . Easton done well to recover and get back in the fight , both men landing big shots but you always felt Foot was just always getting the better of the exchanges . Foot did look to be tiring toward coming up to the stretch but it was also clear to see Jason Easton was feeling the pace . Easton came close to sending Foot to the canvas in the tenth round but Foot done well to survive . Into the Eleventh it was clear to see that both men were feeling the pace , but it was Foot who managed to find that bit extra to finish the fight . All night Foot couldn’t miss when throwing over the top of Easton’s jab and to be honest Easton deserves so much credit for staying in there as long as he did but the straw that broke the camels back came when Foot had Easton got Jason the ropes and started to unload . The Edinburgh man tried in vein to get up only to collapse back to the canvas , which did have me worried watching on as this fight was brutal at times .

This was great fight to watch , all action from start to finish and yes the right man won . Glenn Foot went into the ring as underdog and showed why he must be taken seriously after a career best performance and really impressed as for Jason Easton he has to look at this L as a good thing . Maybe Easton has been pushed on a little to quickly and need’s to step back down a level and perfect his boxing skills . There is no doubt Easton is a talented kid but with mastered fundamentals like a good jab to keep opponents on the outside and a tight guard he will have all the ingredients to come back and beat Foot .

Charlie Flynn vs Ryan Collins (Fight Rating 4/10)

This fight had built up so much excitement in the build up as the last time both men met it went down as a technical draw due to cuts caused by a clash of heads . Both fighters had brought in a decent amount of fans the atmosphere was superb for this one . From the opening bell Flynn looked to have stepped up a level since the last time i seen him , with his quick hands and pressure tactics he was using he was making Collins look out of his depth . That showed when before the first round had ended Collins was down on the floor after Flynn had timers him coming in and landed a beautiful combination square on his chin . Flynn looked in no mood to be messing around which seen Collins looked to hold on whenever he could . This fight looked to be one winner when a cruel twist of fate took victory away from Flynn . In the fourth round Collins was having a little bit more success but all the best work was coming from Flynn then it happened , it was like a De Ja Vu moment when both heads came together opening up cuts on both men , the worst of the cuts being right above Charlie Flynn’s eye . The referee had no choice but to call a halt to proceedings which meant the fight ended n a technical draw , which meant you had to feel sorry for Flynn who was cruising .

This is the second time this fight has needed in this way but after seeing that i dont know if i would like to see part three . Colin’s looked out of his depth at times but you have to give him credit for the way he survived in there for a very tough four rounds for him . This is the fourth time i have seen Charlie Flynn and this was by far the best version of him i have seen . I don’t think there is much point in Flynn hanging around to fight Collins a third time , he is ready to push on a level .

Josh Taylor vs Winston Campos (6/10)

As i said at the start i wasn’t to excited by this fight as i knew it wasn’t going to last long . Josh Taylor is one of the best body punchers in boxing today and from the off Campos found out why . Compose did try to trade but that just played into Taylor’s hands letting the Scotsman go to work on him at will everytime he threw a punch . It was clear from early on that Campos didn’t have an answer anytime Taylor came inside landing big hooks throughout the first round . Taylor really came out and showed his class in the second round landing superb shots to the head and body . Campos can feel aggrieved when Taylor put Campos down it looked to be a punch on the back of the head but there was no question about the second knockdown after Taylor landed a lovely left hand . This fight was all but finished going into the third and after a bit of a bizarre knock down when campos went down due to Taylor’s footwork rather than a punch and that was enough for Victor Laughlin who called the fight off and rightly as Campos was well out of his league .

Josh Taylor really is a pleasure to watch but this guy need to be pushed on , he is at world level so he need to fight world level oponents . This weekend Regis Prograis will fight Indongo for the WBC Intrim title and when i spoke to Prograis he was open to a fight with Taylor , hopefully this will be the level opponent Taylor will be fighting by the end of the year .

Overall show rating (6/10)

First of all i would like to acknowledge the SSE Hydro security who were a match for any airport security in the world ,m even searching wallets for drugs which i thought was superb , also any trouble i did see they had it under control within a minute . There was a strange atmosphere in the arena that felt like it could ignite at any moment . It seems the boozed up , coked up element is here to stay then throw into the mix there was fans from across Scotland which can create “clan mentality” but overall the crowd were well behaved . The SSE Hydro is a fantastic arena for boxing and i would recommend attending a show there to anyone , it is one of my favourite venues .

Great Tragedy Has Been Met With Remarkable Stupidity

The boxing world was rocked to its core this week as 31 year old Scott Westgarth lost his life due to injuries received in the ring , the second boxer to do so in 2 years after Mike Towel passed away in 2016 . At times like this you see the boxing community come together in grief and reflection fighters and fans alike . You see professional boxers who understand the risks they take every time they step in the ring come face to face with there deepest fears , For fans like myself it makes me question how i asses these guys , the words i might use to criticise a performance totally disregarding the risks these guys take every time they step foot in the ring .

Just like two years ago when Mike Towel passed away a great tragedy has been met in some corners with stupidity and utter disrespect . Every time we see something serious happen in the ring out come these main stream press types who don’t follow boxing trying to start campaigns to get other non-Boxing fans to back calls to have the sport banned . These boxers knew the risks before they stepped in the ring on those fateful nights but they done it anyway and as most small hall fighters will tell you its not for big money , its for there love of the sport and to call for boxing to be banned is disrespectful to their memory . Let’s look at this in another way , we have had two tragedies in the past two years here in the UK but before Mike Towel it was over ten years without a fatality . Now going round Boxing Gyms to interview guys you hear and see how many lives it saves . I spoke to Sean Masher Dodd a few months ago who informed me that before he was boxing he was drinking and taking drugs , losing control of his life . When Sean was in his early twenty’s he went to a boxing gym and enjoyed himself , now he is the commonwealth champion and lives a clean life all due to boxing . Boxing clubs are also vital to communities , In one of Edinburgh’s rough areas there is the Craigmillar Boxing Club which boasts Jason Easton , but if you go into the gym on a weeknight you will see the gym packed out with local kids from the area in there learning how to box , keeping them off the street and out of trouble . Boxing is filled with heart warming stories , these people that want to ban the sport know nothing about this side of it . When they see boxing they don’t see the gentlemen’s Sport , they don’t see Supreme Athletes or the sweet science , what they see is thuggery .All of the above has been eclipsed by the actions of Tyan Booth this week . Booth , a fellow professional has seen fit to tweet out about people wanting to see him die in the ring . As he felt the backlash Booth dug his heels in and refused to delete or apologise for his actions . Then on Tuesday night he took it to new depths when Curtis Woodhouse told him what he thought about his disrespectful tweets to which Booth replied The BBBofC has took action and suspended Booth for bringing the sport into disrepute , but there are some fans that want him suspended permanently and although i think that would be very harsh i don’t see any promoters touching Booth , his career will be all but over . Was this a cry for help by Booth ? Who knows but with the situation still being so raw it is hard to find any sort of compassion for him , but i will leave you with this thought ……If this was a cry for help can we afford not to give Booth the benefit of the doubt .

The Scott Westgrath Go Fund Me page Please Donate

Iain Trotter ” I Want To Be The Best “

About seven month’s ago i was waiting to interview Tommy Philiben as he got ready to fight for the celtic title . Before he was ready for the interview he was sparring Iain Trotter ( Middleweight) . As i watched on i was very impressed with Iain’s strength and how he turned Tommy in the ring , which made for a fantastic watch as these two lads put on a good show . After the session had ended i turned to Billy Nelson (Iain’s trainer)and told him i was really impressed with Iain to which he replied ” Next Year you will see Iain make big strides in the sport ” .This weekend Iain Trotter will look to reach the first milestone in his professional career when he takes on Marc Kerr for the Scottish title in only his seventh pro fight at a packed out SSE Hydro . I caught up with Iain as his training camp is coming to an end .

Q. With this being your first title fight is there anything your doing different to prepare ?

Iain . Not really to be honest , the fight is more rounds so thing are more intense in training camp and we are doing more rounds in sparring more regularly .

Q. With this fight being a ten rounder have you been working on pacing your gas tank ?

Iain . Yeah this a step up from four rounds for me but this was to big an opportunity to turn down . From day one in Billy’s (Nelson) Gym Billy told me i am not going to be a four a round fighter , that we were striving to be the best . So from the get go I’ve been working toward this anyway .

Q. This is going to be the second massive show you have been part in , does that bring any added pressure ?

Iain . No if anything its something more to look forward to . The last show in Edinburgh I couldn’t believe it , i was the floater and got on right before Josh ( Taylor ) so the place was packed which has stood me in good stead . Once you get in the ring it’s just you and the other man that’s there .

Q. That must be a skill in itself to be able to block out the crowd .

Iain. Well i had a good amateur career with 50 fights so I’ve done it for long enough to know what to expect and how to shut it out and just focus on getting the win .

Q. This could be your first milestone picking up your first title , are you ready for the added pressure that come with that ?

Iain . This is why i am in the sport . It is going to be my first milestone and one of many . I am always in the Gym and i am always ready I’ve already took fights on short notice in my short pro career .

Q Are you ready to become a target for people ?

Iain . 100% i want to be the best so that means fighting the best .

I would like to thank Iain Trotter for his time and we wish him the best of luck come fight night . Scotlands finest Card in Glasgow will take place this weekend but there is still time to get Tickets , Contact Iain on twitter @IainTrotterBox or Billy Nelson on twitter @BillyNelsonBox .

Full Interview

Regis Prograis Q&A ” I Should Get My Chance At A World Title “

Last year the Super Lightweight Division got something that is becoming so rare in boxing , an Undisputed Champion of the World in Terrance Crawford . Now Terrance Crawford has moved up to Welterweight and that leaves the Governing bodies with a load of vacant or near vacant titles . On the 9th March Regis Prograis will fight Julius Indongo who replaced the injured Victor Postol , for the WBC Interim Title . We caught up with the highly rated Regis Prograis mid camp for a quick Q&A .

Q- Regis how are things going ?

A- Its all good , the camps gone . We’ve had a change of opponent from Viktor Postol to Julius Indongo but everything is the same except sparring partners because its a little different with Indongo being a south paw .

Q- Is it just a change in sparring partners ? Will your game plan stay the same ? .

A- Yeah for me its the same gameplan , i don’t study fighters , i never study fighters so it wasn’t like i was studying Postol . The only difference is Indongo is a southpaw , he is around the same height as Postol so i will go in there and do what i gotta do and that will be enough .

Q- Indongo is a former Unified World Champion , if you could put in a performance against Indongo you really could announce yourself to the world , have you thought about that ?

A- That’s exactly it and a good thing about it is with him being a foreign fighter he will have different countries behind him so if i can go out there and do what i got to do i will walk away with a lot more fans from around the world . I think this switch in fighter is a good thing for me .

Q- Who do you think is the better fighter Indongo or Postol ?

A- I think its a better switch of fighter i mean Indongo is a two time world champion . My promoters came to me and said who do you want brought in and i said i want a name , a former world champion or something , someone that’s been at the top and they came back with Indongo . I don’t wanna fight nobody’s i wanna fight the best now .

Q- Over here in Scotland we have a fantastic Super Lightweight called Josh Taylor are you aware of Josh Taylor ?

A- Yeah i know Josh Taylor I’ve seen him fight and he’s a real good fighter , a very good southpaw .

Q- If you beat Indongo would you consider coming over to Scotland for the Josh Taylor Fight as he’s ranked No5 with the WBC ?

A- Maybe one day yes , that would be a huge fight because he has all the Scottish fans and he’s a former Olympian to . One day I definitely do see that fight happening .

Q- Where do you want to be at the end of this year ?

A- Definitely a World Champion and fighting the big fights . One of the biggest fights at 140lbs is Mikey Garcia and if i do real good against Indongo that could be a potential fight or i could fight the winner of Jose Ramirez vs Amir Imam as they fight the week after me and Indongo. . Hopefully at the end of 2018 I should get my chance at a World Title .

I would just like to thank Regis Prograis for taking the time out during a busy camp to come and talk to us , he was an absolute gentleman and now looking to take his career to the next level we wish him the very best of luck in what should be a great fight against Indongo , and you never know we could see him over here in Scotland taking on Josh Taylor soon .

A Message To Chris Eubank Jnr …..And Some Words Of Wisdom From Kevin Bridges

At some point in everybody’s life they must step up and leave the security of there parents in order to go out and let the world mould you into your own person . As a child it is your parents job to give you the tools to get this ready for this day when you leave the nest and this is the way the world works . Some go out and flourish right away others might need a bit of time to adjust before succeeding whilst many fall short and never really come to terms with responsibility and adulthood , but make no mistake its the choice’s each individual makes that will determine if you succeed or fail .

The Mirror’s Cameraman Capture’s both men landing

On Saturday night we seen Chris Eubank Jnr take on George Groves in the Semi Final of the World Boxing Super Series in Manchester , A fight that seemed difficult to call on the face of it . Before the fight many bookmakers and pundits alike had picked Chris Eubank Jnr despite his inexperience and a CV that doesn’t stand up to scrutiny , whilst some pointed out that George Groves gas tank was a great equaliser in this fight . As it turned out this fight ended up a fairly one sided affair with George Groves using his jab to keep distance between himself and Eubank Jnr and then countering anything Eubank Jnr tried to do , and when Jnr finally managed to close the gap he couldn’t escape the clutch of Groves who would tie him up, rub his head into the already cut eye of Eubank Jnr . Eubank Jnr had came into this fight with the reputation of being tidy and entertaining but for so much of this fight he looked wild and amateurish . It had been said before the fight that George Groves had “To many miles on the clock” and “Groves is an old 29 year old” , well those claims where half right in the way that Groves was far to experienced for Eubank Jnr and despite both men being of a similar age Eubank Jnr was being “Old Manned” . The big worry before the fight for any of us who picked Groves was his gas tank . We thought Eubank Jnr would force a high pace and hope that Groves faded later in the fight . What we got was a Eubank Jnr who couldn’t deal with Groves jab and instead of forcing the pace he settled into a pace that Groves could maintain easily for 12 rounds , which we have to give Shane McGuigan and George Grove credit for , they implemented a style and gameplan that Eubank Jnr had no answer for . From early in the fight Eubank Jnr looked mentally weak , he was up against someone who knew how to beat him and Eubank couldn’t change a thing . Rather than Groves having to grind out the win , he strolled to it and even fought half of the 12th round with a dislocated shoulder but was never in trouble , An easy day at the office for the three judges who all had Groves there winner .

Eubank Jnr face is a bloodied mess after the fight (from the Mirror)

What Next for Eubank Jnr ?

This is the second time Chris Eubank Jnr has stepped up to world level and its the second time he’s lost and in both fights he has really struggled to change things when the fight isn’t going his way . On Saturday night i was shaking my head in disbelief when Chris Eubank Snr (father) was getting in the ring to give instructions between rounds as he is not his son’s trainer . In the build up to this fight Eubank Jnr should have been in the gym with his trainer working on different systems , ways to change a fight if plan A is not working . The arrogance of Chris Snr to disrespect what trainers do and to think he knows better is astounding but even more astounding was Eubank Jnr’s willingness to let his dad hijack hi career . Eubank Jnr is a 28 year old man and has the biggest choice of his life to make , does he continue to be the side show to his dads self promoting antics which is damaging his sons career or does he finally leave the nest ,does he finally embrace adulthood and get himself a team that is there to progress HIS career and make HIM a better boxer . I pray it is the latter as it would be a shame to see a talented lad wake up one day and it’s all over , just then to realise he’s been all used up …….. Maybe Chris Eubank Jnr can take some comfort from the words of Kevin Bridges , Enjoy .

Groves vs Eubank- Preview + Prediction

Every so often boxing throws up a match up that absolutely pickles your brain . You will sway from side to side , change your pick about 20 times and even have sleepless nights arguing with yourself whether you are picking with your heart or your mind . This weekend the Super Middleweight side of the World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) will kick off with the semi final between George Groves and Chris Eubank to see who will book there place in the WBSS final in what promises to be a cracker .

Image result for groves eubank — WBSS Oficial Poster

George Groves 27-3-0 20ko’s

WBA Super World Champion George Groves is one of the most popular boxers the UK . George shot onto the World stage when he fought Carl Froch back in 2013 for the IBF and WBA Middleweight Titles where he came agonisingly close to a shock stoppage against the Cobra before being stopped himself later in the fight . George Groves also fell just short of winning a world title against the very talented Badu Jack back in 2015 in a fight were Groves again had his moments in the fight but just couldn’t capitalise enough which cost him a split decision on the cards . For a while a lot of the boxing world thought that Groves might just be one of those talented fighters who just fall short of winning a world title , well that was until May last year . On Groves fourth attempt at winning a world title he stopped Fedor Chudinov in a career best win to claim the WBA Super World Title and finally get that monkey of his back . Groves biggest asset is his jab which is pretty much a power punch and better still Groves knows how to use it . Since George Groves teamed up with trainer Shane McGuigan he has became a much more complete boxer . George Groves of old was very excitable and boxed with emotion rather than his mind , but now we see Groves be composed and work at his own pace . Like all McGuigan’s fighter he works the body exceptionally well as Jamie Cox found out in his last fight when Groves nearly halved Cox in two with a body shot . There is no getting away from George Groves major flaw ….his gas tank . Every time i watch Groves i always get the feeling he is on the verge of fading and when you see what he has to do to make weight it really is something you must take into consideration when it comes to predicting this fight .

Chris Eubank Jnr 26-1-0 20Ko’s

An accusation often threw at Chris Eubank Jnr is that he lives off daddy Chris Snr’s name , which isn’t strictly true . When Jnr decided he wanted to be a professional boxer he was shipped off to the US with his brother and lived life as a teenager away from his parents and family , going around some top gyms in the states learning his trade , now take what you want from that but i think that deserves a lot of credit . Yes the name Eubank might have opened some doors for Chris Jnr as a rookie bringing in sponsorship etc but Eubank Jnr has exploited those advantages to become one of the most complete athletes in boxing today . Eubank Jnr is also a very fan friendly fighter with his posturing in the ring mixed with his fantastic shot selection which is delivered with expert technique , he really can be a treat to watch . It has to be said that Chris Eubank Jnr is an untested fighter which has its pros and cons , as none of really know how he will handle the step up to to world class level . The one time Eubank Jnr did step up in class he took his first “L” against Billy Joe Saunders , but if i am being truly honest i don’t know how much we can take from that as that was along time ago and Eubank Jnr has improved since that fight . There is a few things that worry me about Chris Eubank Jnr apart from his inexperince , like his size . Eubank Jnr might have the body of a God but he is a very small Super Middleweight who for all his flash doesn’t pack to much bang in his shots . Eubank Jnr also has a tendency to get a bit wild and stand in the pocket looking to trade , leaving himself wide open at times .

Prediction

The reason it has took me so long to get this Preview and Prediction published was i just couldn’t separate the two of them . Even now as i am finally about to hang my hat on one of these guys i am second guessing myself …..and that is what boxing should be like . The way I’ve broke this fight down in my head is that it will be a game of two halves . George Groves has to be the massive favourite in the first half of the fight if there is to be an early stoppage due to his sheer size advantage , and when you factor in Groves really does hit hard there is a chance Eubank Jnr might fall apart early . If this fight is 60-40 in Groves favour in the first six rounds it really has to swing 60-40 in the second half of the fight . With Groves questionable gas tank and Eubank Jnr’s athleticism there is every chance the stoppage could come late for Eubank Jnr . So who’s my pick ? I am going to have to go with the more experienced Groves by Ko in round six . I think Groves would have started to tire by this point and the tide might be turning toward Eubank Jnr , when Eubank Jnr will stay in the pocket to long and get caught by Groves , i honestly think Eubank Jnr could be at most risk in this fight when he has Groves hurt .

This fight has really caught fire this week and has everyone buzzing so lets just enjoy it . For all you lucky people going to Manchester enjoy and stay safe .

Steven Donnell

Zolani Tete Interview – Born in Apartheid to Champion of the World

Let me take you back to South Africa 1948 . This is the year that laws where implemented that would be a stain on humanity for the best part of 50 years , these laws where called Aparthied . Apartheid comes from an Afrikaans (A White south African person who’s decended from Europe , Holland) word meaning Apart-hood . These laws enforced racial segregation in every aspect of life such as education , employment , housing and Government . South Africa had segregation since the turn of the 20th Century but in 1948 these newly passed laws allowed legal enforcement of racism . As time passed political anti-aprthied movements had started with groups like the ANC , but there protests where met with deadly force and even further restrictions where added to the Apartheid laws .

Now lets fast forward 40 years to 1988 . The world has finally started to take notice of the oppression happening in South Africa . Trade embargo’s , political pressure and a campaign to have ANC leader’s such as Nelson Mandela set free from prison had seen to it that this was the beginning of the end for Aparthied . This is also the year that Zolani Tete was born in the Township of Mdantsane on the eastern cape . Born to a pastor father and a Mother who Zolani describes as a gift from God , Tete has nothing but appreciation to his parents for how he was raised .

” My father is still a Pastor to this day and he has grown us so well . My parents taught us to love and respect our elders and went out of there way to make sure we got a good education and a better life “

On 11th February 1990 Nelson Mandela was freed from prison after serving 27 years locked up , and over the next few years Apartheid Crumbled and the “Rainbow Nation” was born with Mandela being elected President in 1994 . I asked Zolani what was life like growing up in post Apartheid South Africa ? .

” It’s been the best feeling for us youngsters because we never wanted to experience what our mothers and fathers experienced in the past , we where all happy about that . ”

“It’s been good to grow up past the Apartheid times , just think i wouldn’t have been fighting all over the world experiencing what i have experienced and getting all the opportunities i have now . I must give thanks to our former President and the late Mr Nelson Mandela and his colleagues . “

Growing up in Post Apartheid South Africa didn’t mean that Zolani was sheltered from the sometimes cruel world that children in schools and communities from every country face . I asked Zolani if he had always dreamed of being a professional boxer

“I only got into boxing as a way of defending myself with my brother . We were bullied at school from a very young age , i never knew that through boxing you could you could support your family and make a good living , so i might say thank you to those guys who used to bully us at school “.

Zolani had a successful amateur career with 400 fights and only 3 losses so and with life at home being difficult on the family financially he decided that it was time to turn professional.

“It was around 2005 when i thought i could stand a chance at being a World Champion and at that time my family was going through a tough time . My parents were struggling to get work at the time , sometimes my mum would get a job and earning so little it barely put food on the table , so i decided to turn pro so i could help “.

In 2014 Zolani Tete finally realised his dream of being World Champion when he won the IBF Super Flyweight Champion after a unanimous decision win against the Japanese fighter Kinoshita in Japan . I asked Zolani how he was received on returning home to South Africa as a World Champion .

” People give me credit and respect as their champion , i walk down the street and people salute me as i pass by . Boxing is a very popular sport in South Africa thanks to people like Vuyani Bungu and Welcome Nita to mention a few , who have brought glory to this country . People love boxing here especially in my home township of Mdantsane is the known as the Mecca of boxing so you could imagine how they received me .”

Zolani Tete is a name that is now growing in the UK and has been on the rise since Knockout win over Paul Butler in Liverpool . Since that night in Liverpool Tete’s talent caught the eye of Frank Warren and since then Tete has teamed up with Warren in what looks like a good partnership.

“Frank Warren is one of the best promoters in the world . I met with Frank after the Butler fight when he spotted my talent and he wanted me to partner him . We saw this as a great opportunity and we grabbed it with both hands . It has been amazing working with Frank , Queeensberry is my only home now .”

In Zolani’s last fight he became a world record holder when he Knocked out Siboniso Gonya in Belfast whilst defending his WBO Bantamweight title In just 11 seconds , a result that surprised even Zolani .

“I have to admit i was shocked , i knew i was going to win that fight by KO by I didn’t expect it to happen that quickly and in that fashion . Today i am a record holder which is music to my ears .”

After Zolani’s impressive performance in Belfast he called out IBF and WBA Champion Ryan Burnett . This a fight that all of boxing would love to see and really had fans buzzing for a bit until Eddie Hearn (Burnett’s promoter) shot down all talk about the fight being made . I asked Zolani what he thought about Burnett turning the fight down .

“It is so disappointing that Mr Hearn and Mr Burnett refuse to fight me , i dont know why ….maybe they doubt Ryan’s ability or something . I am hopeful that the fight will happen this year .”

There is a bit momentum building up behind Zolani Tete . With BT Sport now in partnership with Frank Warren , Tete is now more known to a bigger audience , so i asked Zolani what he wants to do in the coming year .

“My plan is clear . I want to unify the division . I want Luis Nery and Ryan Burnett . Once i have all the belts i will chase down the monster (Nagoya Inoue) and trust me that will be a fantastic fight .”

I would just like to to finish up by saying a massive thank you to Zolani Tete and his team for arranging this fantastic interview for us .

Steven Donnell

“We Were Promised the Champions League of Boxing ….And They Have Delivered”

Last year when the World Boxing Super Series concept was announced it was described as going to be for boxing what the UEFA Champions League is for football (soccer if your one of my American readers) which at the time seemed like a massive claim but my god they have delivered it . Over the past two weekends we have been treated to the Cruiserweight Semi-Final’s , where all of the boxers where undefeated World Champions . In the space of seven days we seen two unifications featuring the four best in the division fight it out in two fantastic fights which see’s both winners go on to battle it out in the final , to see who is the undisputed champion …..this is exactly what boxing has been needing.

Usyk vs Briedis

This was a fight that i had been excited about for months , so much so i made the journey over to Riga , Latvia in the middle of winter . The Riga Arena was a fantastic venue for boxing but when you add in the very distinct set up of the WBSS and the electric atmosphere in the arena , it was like nothing i had ever experienced before at any boxing event . A lot of pundits had predicted a snooze fest of a fight , but they couldn’t have been more wrong if they tried . From the start the local lad Briedis was there prove that Usyk was in for the toughest night of his career . Landing some fantastic shots on the Ukrainian throughout the full fight Mairis Briedis showed why he is an elite level fighter . There is no doubt in my mind Oleksandr Usyk had to dig deep within himself to start answering the questions being asked of him . This fight was a masterclass in technical boxing as we seen two men try to out skill the other whilst keeping the action coming fast . Usyk finally took the fight on the cards which i thought was fair , but the same score for Briedis would have been fine in my book , that is how close this fight was , a fight i would love to see happen again.

.Gassiev vs Dorticos

The dust had hardly settled from the fantastic semi-final in Riga when we had the second semi-final , this time in Adler ,Russia . Murat Gassiev vs Yunier Dorticos had big shoes to fill going into there fight at the Bolshoy Ice Dome and my god did they fill them . Both men were classed as knockout artists so no one really thought this fight was going to go the distance . From the opening bell the Cuban Dorticos was stalking his Russian prey , with Gassiev choosing to back off and go for quality shots rather than quantity . Countless time throughout the fight Gassiev caught the Cuban with beautiful counters which were getting round Dorticos guard , showing exactly how tough this cuban was . The longer the fight went on the more the tide was turning toward the Russian . Time and time again Dorticos was eating shot after shot but all the time hanging in there like a true champion . That all came to an end in the 12th Round when Gassiev timed Dorticos coming in with a beautiful left hook which seen the Cuban go down . Dorticos tried in vain to fight on but the punishment he had took over the 12 rounds had finally caught up with him and as he went down a further twice before the ref stopped the fight .

After the fight in the post match press conference there was a touching moment of humility and sportsmanship . As Dorticos broke down whilst answering a question Murat Gassiev rose from his seat and made his way across to his opponent to embrace him . It was so refreshing to see two warriors keeping boxing a gentleman sport .

On To Jeddah

Now i for one cannot wait for 11th May to see Usyk vs Gassiev fight it out in the final . Two men who have came through very tough matches as Unified Champions of the world go to battle it out in Saudi Arabia . It really does promise to be a fantastic end to and extraordinary tourniment .

djayboxing

"Boxing At Every Level"

Author: Steven Donnell