Category: Opinion

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

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 .

“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 .

Who Was Looking Out For Ohara ?

Boxing can be an unrewarding , cutthroat business where you need to get yourself noticed . For young fighters it is imperative they surround themselves with the right people , that they find a manger/advisor and promoter that know boxing inside out and have the boxers best interests at heart .Image result for ohara davies

Ohara Davies is a man who divides opinion up and down the country by playing the pantomime villain . I have followed his career since he won the English title in 2016 . He has always been someone who’s excited me in the ring but in the past couple of years as his stock has risen inside the ring we have seen him become a personality outside the ring , which has turned me off to him . Now i am not naive , it is very clear to me that Davies has been advised to play the bad man which has been a sales tactic in boxing since the sport began, a tactic that keeps you relevant and can help sell tickets to your fans and haters alike . In today’s ultra connected world where everything is instantly out there and accessible this tactic is ever more risky as its a fine line between cocky and down right offensive and in today’s overly sensitive world that is a very dangerous game to play . A few months ago he had a go at Paddy Barnes Wife which for me is disgusting and immature . Before that he was calling the people of Liverpool minimum wage peasants causing massive uproar , but all the time being rewarded with big pay days and slots on big shows , reportedly earning over £100,000 for the Josh Taylor fight , but now it has all turned a bit sour for Ohara . At the beginning of January Ohara Davies sent out a tweet which got him caught up in the murky waters of Liverpool’s city wide Anti Sun newspaper campaign , which go’s back to the newspaper lies about victims of the Hillsborough Disaster . The backlash was massive and in my opinion well over the top . We seen fellow Matchroom stars like Tony Bellew turn against Ohara, Eddie Hearn released a statement and dropped from the Matchroom “British Beef Card” in London

Image result for ohara davies

Who Was Looking Out For Ohara ?

Let’s not make any excuses for Ohara Davies , he is a grown man and every man must take responsibility for his actions . There are people close to Ohara paid to guide this young mans career who should be having a good look at themselves , people like Ohara’s Manger/Advisor and former TOWIE reality show star Charlie Sims . Whilst Sims (24) was laughing along and no doubt egging Ohara on , the rest of us could see this train wreck coming . He has either advised Ohara to adopt this persona or he has failed to get Ohara to tone it down , which has now cost Ohara the chance to fight on a card in his hometown and seen him barred from Tony Sims gym , not to mention the purse money lost . I think Eddie Hearn has missed opportunities to ask this lad to tone it down . At the press conference before Davie vs Derry Mathews fight in Liverpool you could see the £££ in Eddie Hearns eyes as Ohara insulted a full city , and made the bout a grudge match . This time he’s touched on something that can damage the reputation of Hearn’s brand and that’s why Hearn had to act . Time after time Ohara Davies has been rewarded for playing close to the line of what is acceptable behaviour so to now ostracise the lad when he goes over the line seems convenient for some . Hopefully Ohara will realise he has to get people around him who are there to look after him and his interests . Can he come back from this ? , yeah i think he will but you wont see him on any cards in the North West for a while thats for sure .

Steven Donnell

DJayBoxing Award

It is that time of the year where we look back over what boxing has given to the fans over the past year and we pick our best bits and top performers of 2017 , and i must say what a year we have to choose from .

Fighter of The Year

There have been some outstanding performers this year in the ring . Vasyl Lomachenko has made guys like Nicholas Walters and Rigo quit after taking them apart physically and mentally and ending the year in most peoples P4P top 3 . Terrance Crawford is another who has had an outstanding year becoming the undisputed champion at 140lbs after stopping Julius Indongo , which seen Terrance Crawford finally get the credit he deserves from the boxing world . Another who had a stand out year was Mikey Garcia who started the year with a bang winning the WBC lightweight championship with one of the Knock Outs of the year against Dejan Zlaticanin , made more impressive with the fact that Garcia was coming back from a 2 year lay-off , then in his next fight beat Adrian Broner at light welterweight .

So who is my Fighter of the year ? Well for me it can only be one person and that’s Sor Rungvisai . At the start of of 2017 the man widely regarded as the P4P best fighter in the world was Roman Gonzalez , a four weight world champion who was 48-0 before he met Thailand’s Rungvisai . Many thought Roman would have to much for the challenger but those thoughts where soon dismissed as Rungvisai sent the champion to the canvas early on . Both men battled to the very end but the judges had seen enough to award the Rungvisai the win and give Gonzalez his first ever loss as a pro . Fast forward six months and the pair where at it again in the rematch , again most had picked Roman Gonzalez to get his revenge and again Rungvisai proved the doubters wrong , and this time in emphatic fashion . He didn’t just beat Gonzalez this time , this time he Ko’d the Nicaraguan in emphatic style . Well done Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and i for one cannot wait to see what 2018 brings for him .

Fight of The Year

In 2017 we seen some of the biggest and best fights in years being made , fights like GGG/Canelo Garcia/Thurman even the highly anticipated rematch between Ward/Kovalev but the none of them could hold a candle to my winner .

Back in April we seen Anthony Joshua face his biggest test to date when he took on Former World Champion Wladimir Klitschko infront of a sold out Wembley stadium . The Heavyweight division has not been a division renowned for classic fights in recent memory but that was all about to change . Klitschko now at 42 years old and coming off a 18 month layoff after his shock defeat to Tyson Fury had us all wondering what he had left , well we where not wondering for long . From the off we seen a more mobile Klitschko than in the Fury fight , bouncing on his toes and using the full ring . Joshua was working the jab well in the early rounds but he was being forced to work every minute of every round , something the IBF Champion wasn’t used to . Joshua sent Wlad to the canvas in the fifth as the signs looked to be there that AJ could be on the brink of putting this legend away relatively early but that wasn’t to be the case . Klitschko picked himself up and really started turning the screw on Joshua , who was looking to be feeling the pace . In the Sixth it was more of the same from Klitschko who returned the favour and sent AJ down for the first time in his pro career . The signs looked ominous for AJ who was staggering around the ring and clinging on for the next few rounds , this fight really did look to have swung right round in Wlad’s favour . Joshua did start to stem the flow and as the balance of the fight evened out again it looked as though this one would need to be decided by the judges but that wasn’t to be the case . In the eleventh Joshua had fully recovered , and timed Klitschko coming in with a fantastic upper cut which seen the Wlad go into survival mode , heaven only knows how he stayed up , but he couldn’t survive for much longer as AJ sent him down for the second time , Klitschko did get up but the ref stopped the fight not long after ……what fight …..what a win for AJ .AJ vs Klitschko

Prospect of The Year

For me this is my favourite part , picking a young fighter who has set himself apart from the rest , showing he has the potential to push on to bigger things in 2018 .

There has been one young prospect who has impressed me above all the rest and that is Edinburgh’s Jason Easton . It has been a massive year for Easton (26) with three fights , each harder than the last .The first of the trio was against a Zoltan Szabo and Jason wasted no time in dispatching the Hungarian , stopping him in the second round which is all the more impressive when you think it took Robbie Davies Jnr nine rounds to stop Szabo . Up next was Steve Jamoye for the IBO Intercontinental on the Josh Taylor/Ohara Davies undercard . After a tricky start Jason took control of the fight showing some real grit where other mentally weak boxers might have crumbled , getting his reward by stopping the tough Jamoye in the the ninth round , a win which has seen Cyclone snap up Easton . Jason Defended his IBO Intercontinental title against Josef Zahradnik of the Czech Republic. At a packed Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh the crowd went wild for Jason as he outboxed and outfoxed his opponent whilst protecting a cut above his eye . Jason showed a maturity and that lessons had been learned from the Jamoye fight . When you think of the progression and opponents Easton has took on in 2017 you have to sit back and admire him as there aren’t that many 11-0 prospects taking the kind of fights and learning the kind of lessons he’s learning , i think 2018 could see big things happen for Jason Easton . Easton vs Jamoye MUST WATCH

Trainer of The Year

Trainer of the year is a is a difficult category to judge as there is so many factors to consider across a few subjects . Last year i thought Shane McGuigan had a fantastic year and has also had a very good 2017 but with Carl Frampton losing to Leo Santa Cruz in January , i think that rules him out of this year , had Frampton won then he may well have got the nod from me . This Year a trainer who has impressed me is Derrick James .

Some might think this is a strange choice but when i look at how Errol Spence Jnr and Jarmell Charlo have progressed over the past year i cant see how anyone else comes close . Spence is a superb talent and had been progressing nicely since the olympics but when he got his shot at the IBF Welterweight World Title against Kel Brook in Sheffield , no one really knew what to expect from Spence as this was his biggest test to date but you wouldn’t have known by the way he took the very experienced Kel Brook apart forcing him to quit due a fractured orbital bone late in the fight . Also fighting under Jame’s watchful eye is WBC Light Middleweight Champion Jarmell Charlo who since hooking up with James has looked to assert himself on fights more , and really does look like a killer in the ring with superb KO wins over Charles Hately and Erickson Lubin , both absolutely superb wins .

Rigo vs Loma~ Preview + Prediction

Rigo vs Loma~ Preview + Prediction

Well what a year of boxing we have had , a year packed with massive fights and a year that has made me fall in love with boxing all over again . From watching AJ pull one out the bag and stop Wladimir Klitschko to GGG and Saul Canelo Alvarez finally getting in the ring together in another fantastic fight , then there was Andre Wards controversial yet fantastic win over Sergey Kovalev in there rematch . This weekend we have a fight that has the potential to top all of the above when Guillermo Rigondeaux takes on Vasyl Lomachenko in bout which is a boxing wet dream in New Yory on Saturday night and i for one cannot wait .

Guillermo Rigondeaux or Rigo for short is a fantastic fighter who has been a casualty of his own ability . It is widely suspected that many boxers including Carl Frampton and Scott Quigg have avoided fighting Rigo , and for good reason . When it comes to skill Rigo is one of the best boxers on the planet , a man who will punish any mistakes with devastating power and accuracy helped by his superb footwork which always sees him in position to get big shots off . This counter punching style has drawn criticism from of the boxing media , with detractors like Dan Reafel who will swear flat out that Rigo is overrated and boring , which for me is crazy talk . Dan is the kind of guy who thinks walking forward is skill , he has no appreciation of the science of boxing of which Rigo is a master . If Rigo does have a flaw it could be his temperament as we seen in his last fight against Moises Flores .In that fight Rigo was really turning it on against the Mexican when inexplicably Rigo floored him a few seconds after the bell , which seen the fight result in a no contest . Rigo is also coming into this fight as the older, smaller man which could also have an impact on how this fight plays out but admittedly Rigo looked in fantastic shape at the public workouts .

Vasyl Lomachenko is the most exciting boxer in the world . A man who’s majestic footwork is an absolute pleasure to watch . He doesn’t just beat his opponents , he breaks them psychologically by outworking , outmanoeuvring and outthinking them , showboating the whole time , like we seen against Nicholas Walters which seen Walter just quit like a dog on his stool . A massive advantage Lomachenko has is that his style is so unique i really don’t see how his opponents can prepare for him in sparring . Loma is so much more than a mover tho, due to his fantastic footwork we see Lomachenko get into unusual position and unload with devastating power , which sees him score some photogenic KOs . Lomachenko has not come up against anyone near the class of Rigo before so this unique style will be put to the test which just makes this fight even more intriguing .

Prediction:

This fight has an outrageous amount of skill and boxing smarts so picking a winner is proving very difficult . I can see a positive outcome for each fighter , I wouldn’t be surprised if Rigo walked Lomachenko onto one and KO’d him, i also wouldn’t be surprised if Loma just beats Rigo down . How do I think it will go ?. I think after a quick and frantic start the pace of the fight is more than Rigo i used to . In the later rounds i think Rigo will feel everyone of those 37 years of his age which might see Lomachenko get the KO . Realistically i think Rigo will have enough street smarts to see the fight out , which will see Loma win quite convincingly on the cards , maybe after a shaky start .

Steven Donnell

The Rogue Anthony Joshua

The Rogue Anthony Joshua

I’m sure every man fantasises about being a multi millionaire , I’m sure we would all love to live a life of excess , travel the world , and I’m sure we have all fantasised and dwelled on the illusion that our lives would be trouble free due to our bulging bank accounts . I’m sure that as young boys we all fantasised about being a sports star, for me personally i used to dream of being a footballer , playing in the champions league in front of 60,000 adoring fans , granted i was an average when it came to talent as a young footballer but that’s the great thing about imagination , it doesn’t need any substance and it can defy the rules of reality . Today along with millions of other average Joe’s i go watch all sorts of professional sports and support guys who had the talent and watch them inspire the next generation to dream .

Antony Joshua is all of the above , he is a boxing superstar in the UK , he is a man that has came from humble beginnings to one of highest paid boxers on the planet, a man living all our dreams . A major factor in AJ’s success is the way in which he has been promoted by Eddie Hearn , Hearn has created an image of AJ that everyone can buy into and in doing so he’s created a product that big business will fall over themselves to be associated with , it really is the blueprint on how to make a superstar , but lately is there signs that this facade has started to crack ? .

A couple of weeks ago as Eddie Hearn was in New York seeing the launch of his first Matchroom show in the US when a very a out of character tweet to Tyson Fury from AJ’s verified account said ” @Tyson_Fury get fit you fat fuck” , this tweet flew into the face of the squeaky clean image that Eddie Hearn has tried so hard to project of Joshua , but what ensued next between IFL’s Kugan Cassius and Rogue AJ was actually entertaining and refreshing , have a look .

Then a week or so after this twitter exchange there was something even more bizarre and a bit more sinister to come from Rogue AJ on twitter . Eddie Chambers took to twitter claiming Joshua had sent him a tirade of abuse on twitter , and even a slight undertone of racism , again have a look .

I am the first to admit that this really doesn’t feel like AJ but for me Matchroom and Joshua’s silence has bee deafening . Eddie Hearn went on the defensive and claim it was a fake account , then 5 days later changed his story to he thinks the account has been hacked , but between these tweets Joshua had been active on his twitter posting pictures of his holiday in Dubai . Rouge Joshua has not limited to twitter , this week he took to snapchat and gave his views on Zimbabwean President/Tyrant Robert Mugabe being forced to resign due to pressure from his own people and the international community , a man who has ruled with an iron fist , using torture and greed to force his country into near starvation aswell as promoting Anti White propaganda . Here is what Rogue AJ had to say .

: “Why do they despise Robert Mugabe?” He later posted a selfie along with the caption: “Mugabe… is your view what you’ve been told?

““Or what you have learnt through research? Or what you’ve been programmed to know via media outlets?”

Now i am not one for letting a boxer influence my views on world affairs , especially not one who asked Kugan Cassius if Sri Lanka was in India , but this kind of talk is dangerous and irresponsible and if it is not the real Anthony Joshua , then Joshua and his team should be in the public eye trying to distance themselves from these image damaging comments. There is no doubt that Rogue AJ is far more interesting than the the AJ we have been spoon fed over the years but this race driven undertone doesn’t sit right with me . I do hope this is some hack but as i have eluded to , the reaction of his team does not fill me with confidence .

Steven Donnell

What We Learned About Carl Frampton- Frampton vs Garcia Review

What We Learned About Carl Frampton- Frampton vs Garcia Review

Sometimes as a boxing fan it is hard to see one of your favourites boxers start to suffer at the hands of every boxers nemesis , Father Time . We as fans find ways to justify the slide of our favourite fighters , it becomes difficult to know when your giving an honest opinion or if your just lying to yourself .On Saturday i found myself in such a position when watching Carl Frampton make his long awaited return to the ring in Belfast against Horacio Garcia .

As The Jackel made his way to the ring the atmosphere was electric as the Belfast crowd welcomed home one of there most famous sons . Across from him in the ring was a Mexican kid called Horacio Garcia who had a record of 33-3-1 but was pretty much an unknown and a massive outsider with he bookies . After 10 months out of the ring Frampton was looking for someone to give him rounds but from the off Frampton showed little signs of ring rust and after landing some massive shots in the first couple of rounds it did look like this one could be over early . After a shaky start to the fight it became apparent that Garcia had come into this fight in fantastic shape and just kept plodding away at Frampton .

Frampton had won every round going into the fifth but was starting to look a bit weary , his legs looked a little bit heavier also and with Garcia applying constant pressure there was no chance of getting a rest . As we past the halfway point Frampton had slowed considerably and Garcia was going from strength to , it must be said Garcia was in no way flashy with his work but he was consistent and was having success pulling Frampton into a scrap . The pressure was further still put on Frampton when in the seventh round a slip and well timed shot was enough to send Frampton down . There was glimpses of magic from Frampton , he was landing some fantastic shots but all to often he was getting caught against the ropes and Garcia was working the body which was taking such a toll on Frampton . Carl Frampton finally stopped the rot in the tenth and final round , where he dug deep and stood toe to toe with Garcia and got the better of him , and on my card Frampton needed the final round . Frampton walked out the clear winner on all the cards which didn’t really reflect on just how tough a fight it was…..Framptons swollen face did .

The Verdict:

This was Carl Framptons first fight since January and it did show at times , and it has to be said that the tough Horacio Garcia might not have been the best opponent to come back to depending on which way you want to look at it . The Ring Rust wasn’t what stood out to me , i thought some of Framptons shot selection, especially early on was fantastic he also looked to carry the more power of the two . What stood out to me was that Frampton really looked to be feeling the pace after four rounds and this where my dilemma lays , has time caught up with The Jackal in his extended absence ? . The jury is still out just now and I’m sure we will know better after Framptons next fight but i cant help but think that Leo Santa Cruz or Lee Selby will be licking there lips at the thought of going to Windsor Park in the summer .

Steven Donnell

A Heavyweight Conundrum

A Heavyweight Conundrum

Back in the the early to mid 90’s Heavyweight Boxing was as strong as it had been at any time through history , guys like Evander Holyfield , Riddick Bowie , Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson to name a few filled the top ten , bizarrely there was even a time in 1995 when there was not a Champion in Ring Magazines top 5 . Now those days have past , and to be quite frank I’ve long since accepted that they will never return , heavyweight boxing has lost that glamour , that glitz and most of all that kind of talent .IMG_0023

Fast forward to 2017 and after an optimistic few years the division is again looking very weak and that is causing big problems for British Heavyweight Anthony Joshua . Joshua is nothing short of a marketing phenomenon , from Olympic Hero to Heavyweight Champion of the World and still keeping his media friendly “boy next door” persona intact , has seen Joshua and Eddie Hearn sell out the biggest stadiums the UK has to offer , AJ truly is a once in a generation marketable asset in boxing …..There is just one problem , competition .

As i write this there are two other World Champions in the mix in Joseph Parker and Deontey Wilder , both of whom have nowhere near the status of Joshua but that might not matter when it comes to negotiations . This week we have heard Parkers promoter David Higgins say that Eddie Hearns offer for a unification was “An insult” , reports suggest that the offer was in the region of 10% , which would be Parkers biggest ever pay day but with Higgins suggesting they where looking for closer to 40% both parties seem way off and it’s a similar story with Wilder as he is demanding a 50/50 split which again seems crazy , or is it ?.IMG_0022

It seems to me that Parker and Wilder have realised that the lack of talent at the top of the heavyweight division increases there stock to a more than there talent or popularity deserves to be valued at . It would also seem that Joshua needs Wilder and Parker more than they need him . I have no doubt that Wilder and Parker would happily fight other lower opposition leaving AJ and Hearn in the cold with more and more pressure building on them as each fight passes from there massive fan base to get the unifications made , Hearn will need to pay far more than Wilder and Parker are actually worth to get these fights made , this could bring a whole new meaning to “Earn with Hearn ”

Steven Donnell

All That Was Worth Talking About from Saturday’s PPV

Saturday night showed PPV in the UK can be shameless at times . An already weak card was depleted further by injuries ,pull outs and a world champion’s missing weight but that didn’t deter sky sports box office as they still expected boxing fans to pay £20 for the privelage of watching 1 sided fights and listening to Carl Froch take his aweful commentating  to new depths . the night wasn’t a complete waste though as two massive underdogs showed enough grit and determination kept us entertained .

Anthony Joshua vs Carlos Takam
As both men had made there way to the ring we had heard Adam Smith, Carl Froch and Tony Bellew on commentary all go full casual and predict an early stoppage for AJ , completely disregarding just how good and tough an opponent Takam was .Right from the off you could see with Takams height , or should I say lack of it and his movement it was going to be hard for AJ to put down his power . If AJ didn’t realise he was in for a tough night right away ,he would realise in the second round when Takam looked to have broke AJs nose with an accidental clash of heads ,but to AJ’s credit he seemed to cope pretty well .

Although AJ was finding it hard to hit the gritty Takam he did have him touch down in the fourth and opening up a bad cut above Takam’s eye . The longer the fight went on the more trouble AJ was having hitting his opponent which saw him box more than we are used to seeing and Takam looked really good on the counter countless times . By round 10 Joshua was really feeling the pace and now looked content with keeping Takam on the end of his jab, that was until AJ landed a beautiful uppercut which did rock Takam , followed by a 4 or 5 nice shots but Joshua didn’t look to have his usual power at this stage of the fight. As Takam moved back out of danger he was closed down by AJ , as AJ launched his next attack the referee grabbed Takam in a headlock and called the fight off , which seemed to me and most of the 70K fans in the arena very premature as Takam was protecting himself and was still slipping shots at the stoppage . Both men deserve credit here , Joshua for finding a way to win and Takam who took this fight on 3 weeks notice and came in fit and ready to have a go and ask questions of the champion , not to mention how tough he was .

Katie Taylor vs Anahi Esther Sanchez
What a year it’s been for Ireland’s Katie Taylor and she had a the chance  on Saturday night to top it off as World Champion if she could defeat the tough Argentine Sanchez , who had lost her title on the scales the day before . Right from the off Sanchez made it clear she was there for a scrap , but it was obvious that Taylor was the better more skilled fighter of the two . 

The fight looked to be over in the second when Taylor caught Sanchez with a beautiful bodyshot which took her to the canvas , I’m sure most where thinking like me that this was only goin to be a matter of time, but that bodyshot seemed to waken Sanchez up . For ten rounds Taylor beat Sanchez with everything she had and this girl just kept on coming , landing on Taylor in the exchanges . After 10 rounds Taylor won the fight by a wide margin on the scores cards to become World Champion after only 7 fights as a pro . Sanchez made Katie fight every second of every round , that kept us fans entertained and I am sure there will be more and more woman and girls going to Boxing events and taking up the sport due to Katie Taylor and her efforts which I think is fantastic .

So on a very poor night of boxing their  was some unexpected entertainment on a card that really failed to grab the imagination.

Steven Donnell