Author: Steven Donnell

Views on upcoming fights in UK and world scene

Saul Canelo Alvarez vs Amir Khan Big Fight Build Up (Dino/Jay)

Dino’s Reviw 

What is mexicos greatest gift to the world? Well some would say there food,packed with meat and spice you can’t go wrong, others would say there holiday destinations,having visited Cancun a couple of times this would be a good shout, with its thriving nightlife and awesome beaches it’s perfection but if you said any of the above you are wrong it is Cinco De Mayo weekend when the boxing world goes all out for the Big Fight Night and this year we have another cracker with Amir “King” Khan (31-3-0 KO 19) vs Saul “Canelo” Alverez (46-1-1 KO 32) .

 Let’s start with the challenger and underdog Amir Khan. Amir shot onto the scene as an ameature at the 2004 Athens Olympics and anyone who watched this 17 year old from Bolten knew way back then he was destined for big things ,bringing home a silver medal was a fantastic achivement and the first step on a fantastic journey. Now Amir has went on to become a really accomplished boxer and widely regarded as “the man with he fastest hands in boxing” and that is what this fight is going to boil down to speed vs power. Khan is coming up from welterweight where he is the WBC silver welterweight champion to take on Canelo at 155lbs which puts him at quite a big disadvantage and apart from a miricle will rule out him having the power to knock out the Mexican ,also carrying an extra 8lbs this could effect the lightening speed of Khan although reports coming from his camp say he is as fast as ever it has yet to be seen. Khan himself has said he’s not bulking up to keep his speed up he knows that is the key to a victory and with Virgil Hunter drilling it into Khan not to go toe to toe with Canelo but get in and out, use quick feet and lateral movement as Canelo struggles to cut off his openents this could be a closer fight than most experts are predicting infact everyone said Ali couldn’t take Foreman in a speed vs power fight and we all know how that finished .

Now for the new superstar in boxing,the Mexican wonder kid Saul Canelo Alavrez.At just 25 years old this kid is the WBC Middleweight Champion superstar with his only loss coming to Floyd Mayweather,not to bad for a kid with 48 fights. Let’s not beat about the bush everything in this fight tilts toward Canelo,he’s fighting an opponent who can’t take punch ,who’s also moving up two weights to fight him and with Canelo being a fantastic power puncher who can find holes in the tightest guards,at first look you can only see the Mexican coming away with a big win,but if you scratch away at the surface it might not be as simple as that. For all his big attributes he still finds it hard to close down slippery fighters as we saw in his fight against Lara and Mayweather and Amir Khan is a hard man to hit,yeah if they stop and trade blows there is only one winner but Kahn has no intention of doing that,he is gong to use all his wits to try and make Canelo miss and miss bad and get the decision. Canelo has to close Khan down if he can corner him ,he will win but that is easier said than done.For me this is another case of do I think with my heart of with head. My heart if screaming it wants an Amir Khan win,not only is he from this side of the pond (Atlantic)but he’s an ambitious young man who’s went over to the States to carve out a legacy and after some shakey fights he’s starting to find his feet over there and build a bit of a fanbase in America. He knows to become a boxing superstar you have to go track down the biggest fights and they are in America and there isn’t many fights bigger than this and that takes balls. The head is going the other way saying there is no way Canelo can lose,as good as Khan is this is a massive uphill battle for him to not get caught for 12 rounds and that’s all Canelo need is one big punch.

 Dino Prediction : This fight will probably go to the middle rounds,personally I think round 7 Khan will tire and maybe more likey to be drawn into a battle he can’t win ….Canelo KO round 7 12/1 in the bookies .

Jays Review 

Fight night is almost here. Amir Khan headlining the MGM Grand in Vegas fighting Mexican Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. The WBC 160lb title on the line at a 155lb catchweight agreed by both fighters, we could do a full blog talking about the ridiculous catchweight but that’s for another day, just now it’s time to talk about the fight itself.

Personally I have always rated Khan as a fighter(suspect chin and all) they say speed kills and Amir has it in barrel loads. His quick hands and boxing skills could cause anybody trouble on his day. But after chasing super fights with Floyd and Manny after moving up to the 147lb divison his career stalled, cherry picked non – punchers have been his opponents for almost the last 3 years after missing out on the fights he craved. But now he takes a leap of faith jumping 2 weight classes to fight ‘Canelo’ a big punching Mexican and one of the top P4P fighters active today. Virgil Hunter will have a game plan for Amir and if he sticks to it and stays away from the power of Canelo who knows what can happen.


Jay Prediction : If the fight goes 12 rounds Amir Khan has stuck to the game plan, stayed disciplined and not got involved in any toe to toe fighting which is usually his downfall and wins on points…. But for me Khan starts fast, enjoys the early rounds maybe even wins the majority of them, but by rounds 7/8 Canelo will be catching him more and more and will stop him by round 9. But don’t bet the house on it!!
@Djayboxingblog (Twitter) 

 

DeGale vs Medina Preview 

From the off Iam just gonna to tell you the IBF have done James DeGale “a turn” as they say in Britain . This fight was supposed to be DeGale 22-1, 14 KOs) vs Jose Uzcategui (24-1, 20 KO) But Uzcategui couldn’t make the fight due to illness so Medina (36-6, 30 kos) has been named as the IBFs next manditory challenger. Now I hear you say “36 wins 30kos this guys good what ya talking about ” well don’t buy into that when ya scratch the surface of that record you see wins against guys  with 22 losses 0 wins aswell as nobody’s probably fought in a bar in Mexico all apart from J’Leon Love (21-1, 11 KOs) this victory is why he is IBF #3 ,none of these fights against anyone anywhere near James DeGales level tho.

 James DeGale I don’t think will be happy with this favour he’s been threw from the  IBF . DeGale is a boxer who wants to build a reputation in the US and a lasting legacy and this fight won’t add anything to it .DeGale is one of the hungriest boxers out there,he openly boasts about wanting to be a two weight world champion once he’s had his unification fight with Badu Jack (all going well and to plan on Saturday for DeGale and Jack) he wants to go up to 175lbs to take on Adonis Stevenson and take that title aswell ,there’s also the possibility of a massive domestic fight with Callum Smith the fight I want to see,while the rest of boxing is avoiding Gennady Golovkin,James DeGale has challenged him to come up to super middleweight and fight him so when you put all that in the equation you can feel DeGales frustration with this fight .

My view on this fight, it is where it belongs ,on an undercard the IBF have made a complete arse of this but definitely watch this space,this could be a massive 2,3 years for DeGale and British boxing 

Dino

dodge duck dip dive and dodge – The Boxing Effect 

Who would have thought the guru of dodgeball Patches O’Hulihan passed on these words of wisdom in the movie “dodgeball” it would be adopted by boxing champions all over. More and more we boxing fans are seeing the fights we are being fed rather than the fights we want to see, to many champion boxers worry about there belt rather than being the  best in there division.Let’s not beat about the bush here every boxing fan watches fights to see the next Ali vs Fraiser ,Ward vs Gotti or Hagler vs Hearns , these fights are sketched in every fight fans of all ages memory,but in modern boxing these big title battles of two world class fighters going toe to toe to see who is truly the best are fading out of the game. Let’s look at WBA Super and IBF Middleweight champion  Gennady Golovkin vs Canelo Alverez the WBC World Champion,this fight is becoming something of a “batman vs superman who would win?” Sort of thing.It feels like forever this fight has been talked about and is no further forward which just seems scandalas to any self respecting boxing fan .

 Alverez is the Mexican poster boy for the WBC, a PPV superstar, so much so Golden Boy who he fights for are pretty much kept afloat by the sums of money Alverez brings in and that right there is a big stumbling block,Golden boy and Canelo would demand a massive percentage to make this fight happen probably around 75% because of how big a draw Alverez is,but listening to Golovkin’s camp the chances are he would agree to this so I actually don’t think Golden Boy are confident there man could beat Golovkin.

 Even if Golden Boy would go to the table with a ridiculous offer does Canelo Alverez want the fight ? ….I have serious doubts if he does,Alverez has built a reputation of being a middleweight champ who doesn’t want to fight at middleweight he has opponents drop to a catchweight of 155lbs and wants Golovkin to do the same,this seems to get to Golovkin who says 

“He is a champion at middleweight, at 160lbs, but at 154lbs? 155lbs or 167lbs? It’s terrible. 

“I am ready to fight anybody but Canelo isn’t ready. I’ll bring my belt – that’s my style.”

But there is signs Golovkin is starting to drop weight to get himself ready before his most recent fight against Dominic Wade he came in at 164lbs in the 30 day weigh in  when you think that Wade came in at 174lbs , that is a massive sign that Triple G is ready to take himself down to the catchweight.

 Let’s be honest we have been waiting over 2 years for Canelo Alverez to take on Gennady Golovkin in this super fight and in my opinion this is going to be another Mayweather vs Pacquiao where we seen about 8 years of stalling with crazy demands on drug tests etc until some hard fights and age took Pacman down a peg or two, I can see Canelo Alverez using these tactics holding back until 34 year old Golovkin starts going down hill before taking on this fight all designed to give the impression of wanting to be the best but actually trying to cheat there way to that title buy putting there oponenets to a disadvantage .Boxing is really suffering from this we are seeing guys like Dominoc Wade being manditory  challenger to Golovkin,come on man this fight should never be taking place total mismatch. Gennady Golovkin is being cheated out of being P for P legend and a stunning middleweight legacy because holding a belt seems to more important to potential opponents than giving the boxing fans the fight they want we have seen other examples in Carl Frampton ducking a fight with Rigo , Quigg ducked Rigo before him .

Where next for triple G ? …well maybe Billy Joe Saunders will give him a unification fight I see he had tweeted about it but if I’m truly honest I don’t see it happening although it would be amazing to get Golovkin to the UK for a fight . I think a fight he should look at is is James DeGale at supper middleweight, DeGale won’t run from a fight infact DeGale’s work ethic as a fighter is brilliant and wants the same as Golovkin , the big fights and to build up a reputation in the US this could be a good option if the super fight with Canelo Alverez doesn’t move forward .

Dino

Kahn Kell Get the Big Fights

  I have watched kell Brook work his way from domestic superstar to IBF Welterweight Champion of the world after that convincing show against shawn Porter in LA, at the time I remember thinking “oh god we could have the real deal British Superstar here” but since then for one reason or another that momentum has gone and I can only feel for Kell who would have thought to have been in some of the biggest fights in the world by now . After two successful title defences  Brooks was stabbed in the leg while on holiday in Tenerife in an unprovoked attack which seemed to come   At the worst possible time for Brook.  

  Now like any sports fans,boxing fans are thickle,we have short memories and when Brook made his comeback in a very unappealing mandatory defence against Canadian Kevin Bizier ( 25-3-0 17kos),talk about a fight that didn’t capture the imagination, granted it was good for Kell to get back in ring but even a Brook who could have been shaking off some ring rust got him out of there in two rounds. Before and after the fight you got the feeling from Brook he was embarrassed by this fight and was just wanting it out the road to line up bigger fights.Before the fight Kell made a big statement saying he wanted Amir Kahn,personally I don’t know if he’s at Kahns level of stature or ability yet but I think this was a cry from Kell to his management team as to the kind of fights he wants. Amir Khan shot some insults at Kell calling him “king of the mediatorys” and calling on him to show some ambition and take the fight with Miguel Cotto. Although I think this would be a massive risk for Brook to move up to Cottos weight , I think he could do it and keep his speed and power ,this is the kind of fight Kell needs to build world class reputation and he knows it. He has said “il walk to the US for the Cotto fight”,I find it to often when we have a good champ we don’t like pushing them onto the next level and I don’t think Kell Brook wants to be one of these champs whithout  a lasting legacy .  
If Amir Khan loses to Conelo Alverez will it bring him close to taking a fight with Brook ? Honestly….I doubt it I think Amir has had the big fights under his belt,built a transatlantic fanbase and has a PPV appeal , in two years time I’m sure if Brook gets his way and gets Eddie Hearn working FOR HIM putting up an offer Garcia or Vargas can’t refuse and let Kell do his job,  he will be right up there with Amir , but one thing is for sure if these big fights don’t come Brook will be on AJ undercard in a couple years time wondering what the hell happend . 

Tyson Fury vs The British Public 

 What can I say about Tyson Fury, he’s a guy we have watched turn from a clumsy bear who came close to knocking himself out, into slick giant of a man who can sing,dance and move like someone half his size….oh and he is the Heavyweight Champion of the world, so why does the British public find it so hard to back him ?

Well for some folk it’s the stunts and comments he comes away with like “A boxer like me comes around once every 1000 years ” or the time he came running into a press conference dressed as Batman then had a fight with a Joker infront of the worlds press https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6Tz-JZ6MQu0.Boxing is a serous business where millions of £ are at stake and should be taken seriously which I can understand, but if you have ever listened to Fury talk he says repeatedly “boxing is just fight” to him the build up to fight means nothing,if anything it can unsettle opponents, to him the fight is in ring the rest is a game

  .

 Fury has done himself no favours with the British public.I remember watching sky sports news when he made sexist and homophobic comments, he compared Gays and people who’ve had aborotians equal to pedophiles and using the bible to justify this, also his comments about woman’s place being in the kitchen are all views that belong 50s .For me or any right minded person this was to far,talking up a fight or making a fool of opinents is part of boxing but to be attacking innocent people from a platform in media because of there life style choices,in this day in age with these comments you can see why sponsers don’t want to put Furys face on everything like say, the Golden boy Anthony Joshua .

There is another reason Fury doesn’t get the coverage and support that maybe his talents and achievements deserves. As most people know Tyson Fury comes from the traveling community, a community that is proud and quite inciler aswell as self supporting .No one outside the traveling community really knows to much about them and this leads to a lot of stereotypes,misconceptions and derogatory views. These views are widespread through society, I think everybody reading this will at some point heard these stereotypes flaunted about .Fury might be a controversial figure but boxing has had countless guys like him for years and usally the more controversial the more airtime but let’s be honest for the best heavyweight in the world he’s hardly seen, no big newspaper spreads , no sky sports specials or even boxing mags compared to Joshua or Haye and I can’t help but think there are wheels turning against Fury behind the scenes and I don’t know if its as Billy Joe Saunders says “prejudice against travelers” or not .

 I have to admit Iam a massive Tyson Fury fan. As I said before I was quite angry about his comments about gays etc but that’s his opinions and he’s entitled to them but as a boxer I find the man especially entertaining, life is never to serious  when Tyson is about,even in the ring he’s not just there to do a job but entertain aswell,I would love it if he started getting the recognition he deserves.

Dino

Stephen Smith vs Jose Pedrasa Preview

Well after a bit of the old “boxing business” stuff this one is finally here and ready to go.The fight taking place in Cincinnati on Saturday night has been described by promoter Eddie Hearn as “a 50/50 fight” and could be one to watch. 

 Let’s have a look Stephen “swifty” Smith (23-1-0 13kos), with his only defeat to date coming from Lee Selby feeling a lifetime ago Smith has done well to get himself back on track and taking some quality boxers like Medina,Barrington Brown to earn this World Title shot in which Iam confident he can bring home another title to the UK and one more for the Smith family  dynasty. This is going to be a really hard fight, especially over in the US where judges are not renowned for there open mindedness so Smith is going to have to pull out all the stops to beat a very capable fighter in Pedrasa.  

 Now let’s look at Jose Pedrasa undefeated in 21 fights with 12kos, now I’m not gonna lie I don’t know much about this guy at all but over the past few days I’ve been watching YouTube videos and fight reports to get a feel for the guy and what I’ve seen and read this guy is quality.The Purto Rican likes a scrap,covers well and counters fast and in bunches but there is definitely flaws there to exploit . In his fight with Martinez he over powered and out paced the Mexican but Pedrasa is caught with numerous big hits after letting his hands drop in exchanges  and can’t help but think that’s how Smith could win this fight and in style. Have a look . https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HRPD1HYaBrU

Who do I think will win this one ? Well as I said in my preview Iam really impressed by Pedrasa in the little I have seen of him but I also think Smith might bring something different for him to think about and would not be surprised if the UK has it 13th current world champion. I think the smart man backs the Purto Rican but me …. Ive be backed Smith,here’s hoping  history is made .
Dino 

Has British Boxing Ever Been So Strong ?

   With Anthony Joshua breezing past American Charles Martin on Saturday and becoming britains 12th current World Champion and with Stephen Smith,Amir Kahn,Ricky Burns ,Tony Bellew all fighting for world titles in the coming months and Callum Smith now no1 contender and could have a title shot by the end of year it could be about to get a whole lot better .If Tyson Fury can see off Klitschko he has already called out Deyonty Wilder in what would be a big money unification bout and a great chance to bring back another belt to the UK . 

 Not only is Britain currently setting the pace on the world scene but with fighters like Chris Eubank jnr,Luke Cambell,George Groves teetering on the fringes of being world level boxers ,we also have Carl Frampton who was stripped of his World Title last week and guys like the Yafai brothers look like they could in time make the step up to that level the future is looking rather bright indeed .  

   
 Iam 30 years old and seen some fantastic brittish boxers at various times over the years but at no time can I remember so much talent at one time.So what’s been the main driving force ? Well for me It’s came down to money.In the build up to the London Olympics and the Glasgow Comonwhealth Games, local authorities and  UK Government pumped a lot of cash into grass roots facilities and training centres aswell as coaching to ensure our Olympic and commonwealth athletes where a success. Also in recent years the glamour of boxing in this country is up there with the best in the world .companies like Eddie Hearns matchroom and Frank Warren’s box nation see’s big domestic and world title fights become “Special Events” selling out big arenas all over Britain aswell as be shown on TV or PPV making it more appealing for sponsors again bringing in bigger purses and more money which can keep our best and brightest in the gym for longer ,better fighters are also willing to come here for the big payday and generating more interest with the brittish public .We have seen boxing in the UK took to a level that might not match the US financially but gives our boxers a more even field in which they can be a 365 days of the year pro fighter .

Dino

Rose vs Macklin preview and prediction 

  Both Brian “the Lion” Rose and Mathew  Macklin have had trouble in recent years with consistency, but if both men bring there A game this will be a must see . 

In 2011 Macklin (36-6-0 22kos) had his best chance of WBA World Title. The fight in Cologne,Germany  against Feix Strum went to the score cards and saw Strum  controversially named the winner . Although he went on to headline Madison Square Garden fighting Sergio Martinez and also took on pound for pound beast Gennady Golovkin he has never came as close to a world title again . Now at 33 and 6 losses under his belt (one of them a shock defeat to Argentine Jorge Heiland in 10 rounds) Macklin has stated if he loses to Brian Rose he will hang up his gloves. To me Macklin sounds very reluctant to retire and could see him going to the O2 with a point to prove not only to himself but to the full country. 

 Now onto Brian “the Lion” Rose (28-3-1 8kos) who is slight Fav with the bookies had his big moment back in 2014 with a world title fight with then WBO champion Demetrius Andrade which was stopped in 7th with Rose being outclassed. Rose coming  off 2 victories, one of which was his rematch against Carson Jones which he battled through and won convincingly the other against Ruslans Pojonisevs ,an Austrian fighting well out his depth this fight should certainly be a better test of his ability. 

 This fight isn’t about two friends outside the ring going toe to toe in it, there is a real shot at glory here with the IBF intercontinental championship on the line with a ranking and a road to Gennady Golovkin. For me if Macklin can bring the form of his best years he would win and win easily but does he still have that level in him ? We will have to wait and see . Along with the bookies I’m gonna go with Rose ,although Macklin maybe the better boxer time has taken more of toll on him in recent years and might be to big an ask to raise it on Saturday night 
Dino

 Manny Pacquiao vs Tim Bradley pre fight review 

 Let’s get the negativity out the way first, this fight could be an anticlimax end of one of the best loved boxers in a genarations career . When the fight was announced in December I think the general concencus was “what the f**k” and has gathered little to no momentum in the build up here in the UK and what I’ve picked up its a similar story in the states , but hey it’s happening so why worry about it now.

First up Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao with 57-6-2 (with 38kos) The little man from the Philippines is a boxing superstar loved for his entertaining  speed and power that has become a trademark . battles against Marquez and his brutal knock out of Ricky Hatton are modern day classics ,but now at 37 years old and coming off a loss to Mayweather,shoulder surgery and never ending questions about actually still wanting to be in the ring this could be a tuff one for Pacman  . In the first fight with these two everyone in the world saw the Pacman outclass and win easily , well everyone except two judges who gave Bardley the win and in the second fight we saw Pacman even things up with a win setting up this decider. 

  

  Now on to Tim Bradley 33-1-1(13) , a very capable boxer who is coming off his most impressive performance to date , a 9th round knockout of Brandon Rios only his 13th knockout to date. Bradley still only 31 looks to be hitting his best at the right age. Although Bradley is not renowned as a big hitter he is a very smart,duriable fighter who has teamed up with new trainer Teddy Atlas and looks to be evolving his game . I have no doubt that after struggling with his tactics in the last two fights , Bradley will come in with a new game plan which could set us up for a cracker .  

 To sum up ,this one is to tricky to call, Iam a massive Pacquiao fan but the more I let my head over rule my heart I can see a different fight from the previous two and really think Bradley could do it and with his odds at 11/4 to win on points could be worth a punt . There is no doubt with this set to be Pacmans last fight he will be gunning to go out with a bang and with Bradley aiming to prove himself against Pacquiao this could be a cracker and worth staying up for . 

Dino