Fury vs Wilder – Bravery or Folly From Fury

The weekend just past had the boxing world engrossed as Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury came face to face in Belfast . The planned showdown could not have came across anymore choreographed but my god it made for good TV which finished with it being announced that the fight between the two was all but done for later this year . If this fight get’s made it is a fantastic statement of intent from Tyson Fury , but with only two fights against weak opposition since his two year absence from the ring it has to be asked , is this bravery or folly from the Gypsy King ? .

What did we learn on Saturday night about where Fury is on his comeback . We seen a Tyson Fury who has got himself into fantastic shape weighing in only 10lbs heavier than he was when he beat Wladimir Klitschko to become unified world champion three years ago . When you see the change in Fury over the past year it is impressive , but it also tell’s it own story as Fury is putting his soul into bringing his weight down and neglecting the finer points , and his boxing skills are suffering . Tyson Fury has never been a big puncher but in the past weekend he looked very feather fisted , he couldn’t hurt the tough durable Pianeta . Time after time he bent that left hook round Pianeta’s guard which really was a beautiful shot but it had zero effect .

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Tyson Fury of old probably had the best defence in the division due to his long reach , quick reactions and even quicker feet . On Saturday night it was obvious the reactions have slowed as well as the feet . On the very few times Pianeta did show a bit of ambition offensively , Fury looked slow and vulnerable . It wasn’t all bad for Fury though as he managed ten rounds relatively easy and there was moments where the Fury of old was shinning through . There is always the argument that Fury was also fighting down to his opponents level which could be partly to blame for a mediocre performance .

There has been comparisons between Tyson Fury’s comeback and that of the “Greatest” Muhammad Ali who also came back after a long lay off to regain his World Title . For me that is NOT the comparison that should be made with Ali but there is one comparison i can see . When Ali came back into the ring he found out to his horror that his famous feet had slowed , he wasn’t the same fighter that he had been , some have even claimed that we missed the best years of Ali , I am not one of these people . I think it showed how “Great” he was that he was able to take the tools he had left and mould himself into a new fighter , that is where Fury should be drawing inspiration . We are all waiting on the Fury that beat Klitschko to comeback but the truth is i don’t think that Fury exists anymore . Fury should take the skills he does have left and reinvent himself , he does still have the hand speed , very quick feet for a heavyweight and a fantastic boxing brain .

I will never criticise a fighter for daring to be great . I think Fury taking on Wilder in his third fight is a breath of fresh air to the sport and could see him become a modern day great . I also fear that Fury will not admit to himself he is not the same the fighter and if he makes the same mistakes he did on Saturday night when he’s in with Wilder he will be punished .

Steven Donnell

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“Frank Warren Has Signed BoxNations DNR”

So what a slow couple of weeks it has been for boxing fans . Going through the boxing news looking for inspiration to get an opinion piece out has been painful and disheartening and with interviews not booked in until next week things have been slow . So what could i write about ??? I have never really spoken of my devastation of watching Boxnation “The Home of Boxing” die a slow painful death .

BoxNation was launched back in 2011 the brain child of promoter Frank Warren who had the vison of giving the basket case which is boxing a home . Boxing is a sport like no other when it comes to tv deals due to the amount of platforms world wide that like to dabble in the sport . For so many years international fights could only be seen on dodgy streams online or if YouTube would let people upload the fights without infringing there copyright rules , and if you remember the days before the internet international fight were brought to you through Ring Magazine where you could read reports and even build up relationships with fellow readers across the world by answering adverts and exchanging video tapes via post ….. i am stressed just think about that . Warren had the simple but great idea of giving boxing a home , a place where his stable could be on show to a TV audience who would buy into the idea to have a place to watch these fights and some top class fights from around the world which would otherwise go unnoticed . This idea was met with scepticism across the board as this was a pre Anthony Joshua world we lived in and no matter how you dress it up the sport just wasn’t that big in the UK , boxing was a stop off , a gap filler and nobody is going to subscribe to channel dedicated to it was the cry from many across the board , but for a while they were wrong .

I do not like using the phrase ” Casual ” or ” Hardcore ” for two reasons , one is i think to label yourself makes you a wanker and the second reason is a fan through definition is someone that supports the the sport in some way or another and boxing isn’t a big enough sport for fan snobbery . The ” Hardcore ” element bought into the concept right away, enjoying some great small hall shows and even the prestigious amateur team boxing tournament The World Series of Boxing . As Warren started bringing massive international fights , even securing the rights to bring GGG vs Canelo to the UK screens the ” Casuals ” started to buy into the concept as well and BoxNation was must have for boxing fans .

We all knew from the start that this was never going to to be a massive success and take over boxing but BoxNation did hold it’s own and for a while , it even outperformed the super power that is Sky Sports , forcing Sky to try and compete on the International fight stage , something they had never done before unless there was a PPV attached , as time passed even the most avid boxing fan started to wonder how long this could go on as we had it all and in real terms it wasn’t costing to much to have it either .

For months there had been story’s emerging that the BoxNation was struggling but Frank Warren was in talks with BT Sport , another Super Power in UK sports leading to the assumption that BT Sports would take control of BoxNation and the channel would be safe guarded as long as Warren could keep BT Sports happy , but soon after the deal between Warren/BT Sports was agreed things didn’t seem right . In the beginning BT Sport subscribers were told ” Cancel your BoxNation subscription as it is part of your BT subscription now ” which was fine until the same fans were then told that those who get Boxnation through BT will need to fork out for Canelo/GGG what , what was going on ? Was BoxNation a separate entity ? .With the backing of BT Frank could now attract the like of Carl Frampton and Tyson Fury but in the build up to these domestic superstars shows fans didn’t know if the fight would be shown on BoxNation , which you would think can only be right since people are forking out £12 per month for BoxNation ….well no that wasn’t the case . As it turns out guys like Frampton and Fury were not signed on the same deal that included BoxNation having the rights , which in effect cut this small pioneering tv channel loose . So subscribers were left asking ” What am I paying for ?”

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BoxNation has just signed fight deals with MTK and Top Rank after a few month of nobody knowing what was going on and the channel showing nothing but re-runs . This deal has diluted the channel to what the Nay sayers had predicted from the start . I for one love what MTK do for there fighters and if you speak to any of the MTK lads they cannot speak anymore highly of the MTK team and brand but small hall shows are small hall for reason . Small hall shows historically have been used as an apprenticeship to the big time in boxing , in the words of Frank Sinatra ” If you can make it there you’ll make it anywhere ” . These guys go and learn there trade away from the cameras so in three years time you might see a 12-0 prospect who has grafted to be on TV , this deal fly’s in the face of that . Another concern i have is that the biggest pressure on small hall fighters I’ve learned through speaking to them is not what they do in the ring , in the ring they are in control , the feedback i get is the pressure of ticket sales can take it’s toll and even make promising youngsters give up the sport , so i don’t see how putting these show on TV will help these guys in the ticket selling department .

It is obvious that Frank Warren has signed BoxNation’s DNR , the channel which kept his credibility through the hard times of playing second fiddle to Eddie Hearn has been cut adrift and i for one am devastated .The effects are already being felt in the UK with massive international fights like Garcia vs Easter Jnr and Kovalev vs Alvarez going untelevised here in the UK in just the past couple of weeks , a couple of years ago we had it all now it’s back to the same old …from where i am sitting BoxNation is all but dead .

Steven Donnell

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Is Mikey Garcia About To Make The Biggest Mistake Of His Life

Last weekend we had the pleasure of watching one of the best technicians in boxing Mikey Garcia become a unified champion in the 135lbs division when he beat Robert Easter Jnr . I always find the week after a Garcia fight I find myself reeling , replaying some of his actions over in my head , he truly is a joy to watch .

Garcia may be one of the best in the business but surprisingly he is far from the superstar that his his skills deserve . It seems a lot of the usual ever loyal Mexican fanbase just can’t bring themselves to love this man who is proud of his Mexican heritage . I have heard all sorts of reasons for this like the Mexican fanbase lost interest whilst Garcia sat out on two years of boxing trying to get out of deal with with top rank . Another reason I’ve heard is that Garcia doesn’t embrace the Mexican fighting style , he is to much of technician . If there is anybody out there that thinks the latter of these reasons then maybe boxing isn’t the sport for you , but could Garcia be about to make a massive mistake to prove these people wrong ? .

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It has been reported this week that Showtime are planning a Garcia vs Spence PPV in December, a fight that Mikey has been shouting for . This fight could be suicide for Garcia as it would see him have to jump up TWO weight divisions from 135lbs to 147lbs , not to mention that Spence is massive at 147lbs , a crazy fight choice especially when there is a better fight at his own weight waiting to be made .

If you asked any boxing fan to name three fights they would want to see , Garcia vs Lomachenko will be on that list . This is a fight that would bring two styles together with two master craftsmen come together in there prime . Yes there is the full Top Rank issue who promote Loma but I’m confident that both could come to an agreement . This is also a fight that at long last would get Mikey Garcia the recognition from the boxing world he deserves .

Steven Donnell
DjayBoxing

Fury vs Wilder Could Leave AJ Out In The Cold

Just when you thought that boxing was becoming predictable the news broke that Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder are in advanced talks to make a fight for later this year , in a move that would leave the big money man and unified champion Anthony Joshua in the unusual position of being locked out of one of the biggest heavyweight fights in this era . Now right from the start I will say this story has broke from two of the most unreliable sources in boxing , Tyson Fury and Frank Warren but the reports coming out of the US is that this is more than just hot air.

It is no secret that Deontay Wilder was infuriated by how negotiations went when trying to secure a fight with Anthony Joshua for all the titles . I have listened to guys like Lance Pugmire of the LA Times say they would not be surprised if AJ/Wilder never happened and that’s what came to my mind when this news broke , Is this an attempt to cut AJ out altogether ? . There is no doubt that the biggest fight financially in the division is against AJ but the next biggest fight financially is Fury/Wilder, A fight that would provide career high payday’s for both .

This could also be a case of Team Wilder showing AJ they have other options , which might bring Hearn back to the table with the instructions from Joshua to get the fight made , which i have to admit is a real possibility .

But what if this all comes off for Fury/Wilder , where does that leave AJ ? . Well the AJ extremists will have you believe that AJ doesn’t need either , and in a way they are right as he could sell out a stadium if he was fighting me ,but these people don’t understand the sport of boxing . AJ needs competition to create a legacy and this fight would leave him rummaging through the bones of the division looking for a top fight . Chances are that Wilder would insist on a rematch clause so potentially he and Fury could be occupied for the next year .

I will go back to what i said at the start and admit this could be all hot air or a ploy to get Hearn and AJ back to the table . In a way i want this fight to come off , I want boxers to see that if a massive fight is there to be made you don’t mess around with it , you don’t play with your food ,you don’t treat fans with utter contempt and put the fight off until your advisers give you the okay .

Steven Donnell (DJayBoxing)

Delboy Chisora Born Again

On Saturday we all watched a show that had come for so much criticism . Yes we expected Whyte vs Parker to be a well matched fight but the rest of the card was looking a bit weak . Well on Saturday took chief support Derek Chisora vs Carlos Takam took the opportunity to take this event by storm and put on a fantastic fight , which by the end of it made Eddie Hearn look a genius .

Set up as the co-main and some people’s preferred fight of the night was Derek Chisora vs Carlos Takam in what promised to be an all out war , and a war is exactly what we got . This fight caught fire right from the off with Takam going straight to work on Chisora . It was hard to tell from the start if Takam was forcing Chisora to the ropes or Chisora was wanting to fight there , but for nearly two rounds of the fight the both boxers never left that two meter square bit of canvas in the corner . Takam was really unloading and you could tell Chisora was hurt , but by using all his experience never looked like he would go down . As the fight went on we seen Chisora throw in little burst during the rounds catching Takam to the body and the head before waving Takam in , inviting him to throw a large volume of punches . I don’t know if Chisora had noticed Takam slow down but from around the fourth round this fight turned into an absolute war . Every time Takam would land two to three punches Chisora had an answer for them off the ropes , to some it may have looked lazy from the Chisora but I actually think he was managing his gas tank , he knew he couldn’t throw at the same rate as Takam so why try . Takam was outboxing Chisora but at no point was Chisora out of this fight . Both guys seemed to be easy targets to hit as the fight went on , both traded bombs as they seemed to throw any notion of defence out of the ring . You really couldn’t take your eyes off of this , it really was fascinating and it got the ending it deserved when Derek Chisora caught Takam with a big looping right hand over the top after a nice feint to the body which sent Takam to sleep . A bit of an upset in some peoples eyes but this was the night that Derek Chisora showed he still has something to 9offer the heavyweight division .

It’s scary to think that Derek Chisora’s name is once again being linked with some of the big names at the very top of the division . Time after time we all right Chisora off , we say he’s shot or that there is many miles on the clock but this performance proves that when this guy is motivated he has the tools to cause anyone problems . Dillian Whyte also scored an impressive win on Saturday putting him in the conversation for a world title shot ……..to think most people i talk to had Chisora beating Whyte in there epic battle, it could have been Delboy in position for another world title shot .

Steven Donnell (DJayBoxing) @DJayBoxingBlog

“ The People’s Eliminator” : PPV Has Gone Mad

There is a dangerous presedent about to be set this weekend when Sky Box Office show there latest Pay Per View event . Dillian Whyte will take on his biggest challenge to date when he fights Joseph Parker , which in the grand scheme of thing will be a nothing fight , a fight that will have a few trinket belts up for grabs which are designed for guys to climb the rankings and when you consider Whyte pulled out of a Final Eliminator with Pulev which would have led the winner to Anthony Joshua its all a little bizarre . The Dillian Whyte vs Kubrat Pulev fight looked all set to go until Matchroom lost out on the purse bids which seen them do what is now becoming known as a ” Matchroom Special ” and pull Whyte out of the fight to make this one , but on the other side of that Eddie Hearn has already promised sky he will be collecting your PPV money so what else could he do other than take HIS OWN fighter out of a final eliminator for a world title …..well apart from make better bid and secure the rights for Pulev/Whyte ofcourse .

Now don’t get me wrong i really like this fight and both styles should matchup quite well but for this to be a PPV worthy it had to take the 1990’s Don King approach . In the 90’s when PPV was becoming more and more common King would stack his undercards , some events having three or more good close world title fights on the undercard . Now i am not saying this events needs multiple world title fights to make it worthy but it needed to be stacked with good close fights between names of relative importance , what we are being served up with this weekend reminds me of a line in the movie Goodfellas : you want top fights on PPV …..Fuck You Pay Me ……You want stacked undercards ?……Fuck You Pay Me ……whats that ? you think this could have been made on regular Sky Sports ……Fuck You Pay Me .

When it comes to the comercial phenomenon that is Anthony Joshua i can completely understand why he is a box office fighter regardless of opponent or undercard , i get it , but what has either Whyte or Parker done in boxing that makes this a PPV event ? I seen an overweight Andy Ruiz take Parker right to the wire in New Zealand , i seen a shot Derek Chisora beat Dillian Whyte regardless of what the judges said . Are we now in a era of boxing where landing punch on AJ or going the distance is enough to make you PPV ? . People go out and earn there wages so have no place in telling them how and where to spend it but if you want to watch the boxing this weekend but don’t think its value for money drop me a DM on twitter or Facebook and i will put you intouch with someone who will get you a better deal .

Has The World Boxing Super Series SSN1 Been A Success

Firstly I would just like to let people know i am alive and well but thing’s were just a bit hectic the past couple of weeks so i took a wee break . So what’s been happening since i last put my thoughts down on cyber paper ? Well we have seen the full AJ/Wilder thing fall apart which now looks like the fight is now further away than ever , but everyone and there granny has had a say on that and I’m sure we are all sick of the full thing by now . The other massive news that’s been gradually breaking in the boxing world the past few weeks is the announcements of fighters and weight divisions for next season’s WBSS . With the likes of Josh Taylor signed up for Super Lightweight tournament and Zolani Tete and Inoue signing up for the bantamweight which had me excited but then it got me thinking , can we class season one a success ? .

Anybody that follows the DJayBoxing page know’s i am a massive fan of this tournament format . I have travelled across europe following Oleksander Usyk on his journey to the final , on show’s which were called ” The Road To Jeddah ” as the saudi’s had secured the right to the Cruiserweight final . At the time i tweeted out i thought this could spell trouble for the tournament and that turned out to be the case when the Saudi’s sold the rights to the Russians after Gassiev secured his place in the final . This lead to rumours that Usyk would pull out of the fight and these rumours gathered more pace when Usyk pulled out of the fight in May due to ” Injury ” . Thankfully all looks to be going ahead in Russia later this month .

Now on to the more worrying side of the season one tournament , the super middleweight final between Callum Smith and George Groves . This was a fight most boxing fans in Britain were buzzing about , a buzz that has since all but died . Right from the start this fight was in doubt after Groves dislocated his shoulder then it was announced that beaten semi finalist Chris Eubank Jnr was on standby should Groves not be fit on time . I heard that George Groves has started sparring which is great news for the legitimacy and prestige of this tournament and now it has been announced that the final is all set for September , so better late than never right ? ….Well no as it now seems that this all British fight will NOT happen in Britain , and may even take place in Jeddah , talk about throwing up obstacles and killing a buzz .

So has it been a success ? I would say yes for the most part . This tournament has tried to take boxing in a new direction which is built around momentum and the best fighting the best , bringing boxing back to a bygone era , that has to be appreciated and in there debut season I’m sure some valuable lessons have been learned . For us the fans we have seen how money and politics are never far away from boxing , even in this tournament that holds itself in such high regard . Roll on season two .

Hearn vs Wilder/Espinoza – Round by Round

Not one wise man has ever said that the worlds problems will be sorted on social media but it didn’t stop Eddie Hearn , Stephen Espinoza , Deontay Wilder and few others taking to twitter and arguing like little girls about who’s to blame for AJ vs Wilder not happening . I am going to attempt to take you through a tweet by tweet review and we will see who win’s this on the cards .

It all started when the reporter Brendan Schaub claimed that Deontay Wilder had agreed to EVERY demand Hearn and AJ made , to which Hearn refuted .

So all seems amicable so far , but everybody knew it wasn’t going to stay amicable for long as Wilder was tagged in the tweet .

Now the fun begins as Hearn starts talking about Stephen Espinoza and Al Haymon not proving they had the funds to pay $50m for the fight , even though these guys have put on the biggest grossing fights in boxing . Eddie Hearn claims he still wants proof , well that was enough to draw Wilder in and i have to admit i have to agree with Wilder , AJ has came out of this looking awful . Round 1 Wilder .

Hearn then attempts to even things up with his very own trade mark shot from the funny bone .

But WBC World Champion Wilder was having none of it and in typical Wilder fashion he held nothing back . You can feel the rage coming from Wilder .

But because Wilder didn’t bother to even argue with Hearn , Wilder just vented his anger so we will score this a 10/10 .

Now it’s time to bring in a big hitter from the US , Stephen Espinosa who took exception with Hearn’s original tweet and there now there is some brains to back up Wilders anger , Hearn took a big blow against a big hitter here .

Hearn could not and should not give up here and lose face , his gloves were off and he was going to attempt to claw Espinoza’s bastarding eye’s out (“Claw Bastarding eyes ” Is a Scottish term of aggression ) . Round 3 Hearn

Espinoza still had his eyes on the prize , Hearn may have hit below the belt in his last tweet but Espinoza will not be deterred from getting his facts out there . but after a great start to the tweet he very nearly lost it toward the end when talking about “loyalty ” . Round4 Espinoza

Going into the last round i had it all square . Eddie Hearn had managed to manoeuvre himself into a position where he was the one asking the questions , a very smart ploy when it’s obvious to most what side is holding this fight up . Could Hearn keep it up for just one more round ? . Espinoza again dropped a big shot when pointing out how little Hearn is outside of the UK when it come’s to PPV .

Now i was expecting Hearn to come back swinging , his standing in the game had just been challenged but what did we get …well this .

To me Hearn just admitted he’s not sure if could sell a PPV to the biggest market in boxing …..This fight was there for the taking and he fluffed after such a good start . Round 5 Espinoza

The Show Must Go On – Frank Warren is having a laugh

As i sit here writing this article i am watching Matchroom’s Midweek NextGen show at York Hall which will be headlined by Luke Watkins vs Laurence Okolie , a fantastic fight with two young guys who have a great opportunity to to make a big impression on prime time sky sports . Not only is the main event a good fight but Eddie Hearn has made some fantastic match ups on the undercard in a sold out venue on a Wednesday night it really is fantastic promoting , a breath of fresh air after the week Hearn’s rival Frank Warren has had .

Last week I wrote an article called “Why are boxing fans treated with discontent ” which seemed to go down really well with most that read it but little did i know that the best example of this discontent was going to come a few days AFTER i had published . On Sunday the news broke that Billy Joe Saunders vs Martin Murray was cancelled after Saunders pulled out with injury for a second time ……but hey all you people that bought a ticket’s and booked hotels , travel etc to see Saunders vs Murray don’t expect a refund as the show will still be on , just not the main event you paid for .

Rumour has it that this show had only sold around 3000 tickets but it has to asked what was Frank thinking when this fight was made ? It was a fight that nobody was asking for . Since the turn of the year Warren has had nearly as many show’s or fights postponed or cancelled as he has go ahead , it’s actually at the point now were i would advise people not to buy tickets to his shows , and as a boxing fan that really pains me and i would ask what the BBBofC think about this as again fans are being hit in the pocket , not to mention fighters who have paid for full training camps .

I can’t help think that BT Sport have got to be questioning there own decision to partner with Frank Warren to launch boxing on there top class sports platform . Whilst Hearn seem’s to moving on from strength to strength , putting on NextGen shows that could match some of Warren’s card’s , Warren seems to be staggering along like an old dog waiting to be put put his misery .

djayboxing

"Boxing At Every Level"

Category: Opinion