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 ? .

Hit Up @SatPlexUK for TV deals including PPV

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

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

Usyk vs Gassiev – Preview + Prediction

Well it has took a while to get here but finally it is fight week for the World Boxing Super Series Cruiserweight Final in Russia between Oleksandr Usyk and Murat Gassiev . This will be the first time in ten years that the Cruiserweight division has seen a lineal champion . On Saturday night we will be treated to what may be the best fight of this year as there is very little to choose between these two elite level operators . You can take all the talk about splits and money that so often stops fights like this happening , this fight is what boxing is all about .

Oleksandr Usyk

Oleksandr Usyk is one of my favourite fighters to watch . Another product of the Ukrainian Boxing system this guy brings a little bit of Vasyl Lomachenko style to the big boy weights and i for one love it . Like Lomachenko , Usyk has been fast tracked due to his extensive experience as an top level amateur which has seen him have to learn on the job at times but each time he has found a way to win . Usyk’s big most valuable asset is his hi intensity work rate , he doesn’t just come forward but he comes in from the sides , constantly looking to back opponents up waiting for that moment where there concentration lapses and he can pounce . Most of Usyk’s work comes off the jab which disguises where his attack will come from , a technique that does seem to be a work in progress but one that the Ukrainian is close to mastering . Usyk proved in his last fight in the semi final against Mairus Briedis in Latvia that even when things aren’t working he can go to war and win , something that he may need to draw on come Saturday . Up until Usyk fought Briedis we hadn’t really seen him tested , and nobody ever really knows how someone will react when they are dragged into a battle . In that fight i thought Briedis was unlucky , he just fell short of the mark and showed Usyk can be very naive falling for the traps that Briedis had set and time and time agains Usyk walked on to big shots , something Usyk Cannot afford to do this weekend or it will be goodnight .

Murat Gassiev

Gassiev is someone who has benefited massively from the WBSS with his success in the tournament bringing him to front and centre in the division that is stacked with talent . Gassiev has a very fan friendly style as this boy can bang . In his last outing in the WBSS semi final he fought Doriticos , another top level Cruiserweight who gave Gassiev all sorts of problems early in the fight . I honestly thought Doriticos was on his way to a well earned victory after the first four rounds but Gassiev like any true elite level boxer showed what it takes to turn from a valiant loser into a gallant winner . That night Gassiev had every excuse to ditch his original game plan as he was being caught on the way in time and time again but he didn’t , he knew Doriticos would slow down the longer the fight went on . As the early freshness faded from Doriticos , he slowed that of a half second and Gassiev could get to work , landing the harder more punishing shots that gradually breaking Doriticos down . That night I couldn’t help but acknowledge that Gassiev must have the upmost confidence in his corner , to have the confidence to stick with a gameplan that didn’t look to be working the first quarter of the fight and make the slight adjustments shows his class . Gassiev isn’t the kind of technician Usyk is but that’s not to say Gassiev doesn’t have skills . A bit like like Usyk , Gassiev does his best work on the front foot , prodding , punching and breaking opponents down . Gassiev i really good at countering his opponents just as they launch an attack , and with Gassiev’s power that is a danger for anybody .

Prediction

This fight doesn’t just have the potential to be the best fight of this year , it has the potential to be the best fight for years top come , that is how highly i rate both these guys . Across all social media and boxing press everybody seems split as to how this fight will go . I think if Usyk makes the same mistakes he made against Briedis he will be stopped , he must show more patience and maybe not try and iniciante every exchange as that’s is when he will be vulnerable . Gassiev cannot go into this fight thinking Usyk will slow down like Doriticos , as i said before Usyk’s gas tank is his biggest asset . I can see this one going the distance with heart stopping moments for both sets of fans . I can see both guys having to dig deep and survive at points . From the start of the WBSS i have said Usyk will win the tournament and my pick hasn’t changed , but i do think it will be a lot closer than i first anticipated .

Usyk Split Decision

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 .

Tommy Philbin Interview – As Tommy Gets Ready To Fight He Tells Us Just How Brutal The Boxing Business Has Been To Him

In boxing it is imperative that you get yourself noticed as it is vital for fighters to be ticket sellers , so when Tommy Philbin won his Celtic Title against Rhys Pagen in a domestic fight of the year contender last November live on BoxNation he could have been forgiven for thinking that door’s just might be about to open for him , but as so many have found out doors are rarely opened for fighters , they usually have to be smashed in . Since winning the title in October Tommy has yet to defend it and his inactivity has left a sour taste in Philbins mouth .

” I have never felt about boxing how i feel now , i just felt like saying fuck this shit . I put myself through a lot and spend a lot of time away from my family . Twice i have been due to fight on shows and they have been called off , one of them was on the day of the fight . I was offered a fight in Wales fighting a guy who is 12-0-0 i said yes il take it until i found out they were offering £2500 , no chance when i was paid £3000 for winning the title . I want to be out there fighting trying to build a bit of momentum ”

Tommy who delivers fish as a day job talks me through what a usual day is like for him whilst getting ready for a fight .

” I get up at 3am get a shower and I’m out the door at 3.15am and i travel to Perth from Edinburgh and start work at 4am and I don’t get back home until 2pm . I get another shower and food then I’m back out the door for 3pm and off to the gym and that’s me until 7pm I get to see my kids for a wee while before they go to bed then I watch some tv and spend some time with my missus then I’m in bed for 10pm ”

As is so often the case with when talking about any pro boxers they need a strong a family behind them to pick up the slack and hold a family together , as a fight may only last 4,6,10 or 12 rounds but the camps can last 10 weeks and that means you need a strong partner to take on the responsibilities of both parents at times . Tommy has that in his long term partner Lauren who looks after there two children Charlie (6) and Anna Bella (4) . I asked Tommy where his and Laurens story started .

” She was a friend of a friends but she was a few years older than me but we had known each other for years . One day i was coming back from the gym on the bus and she came on the bus . We got talking and it just started from there ”

As is so often is the case in life when you are down the world can throw you a life line from nowhere . Last week Tommy Philbin got a call out of the blue asking home if he would be willing to fight on the Josh Taylor undercard in Glasgow on 11 days notice , an offer he couldn’t say no to .

” This is going to be brilliant and already the ticket enquiries have been going well because of the kind of bill I’m involved with and hopefully i can get a good win and push on from there .”

After a few week’s of confusion and anger being aimed at the Boxnation TV platform due to it’s lack of direction they announced a 12 fight deal with MTK which could be great news for guys like Tommy when the deal kicks off in August at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow’s east end .

” I have been asked to be on it (Glasgow show) provisionally . I am just outside the top 10 in Britain now and have an opportunity to build my profile even more and i need to make sure i get the fire back in my belly , pick up the win and push on ”

Tommy will be part of the biggest boxing card in Scotland recent years , if you want to be part of it get in touch with Tommy via Twitter @TommyPhilbin1 for tickets .

DJay’s Boxing News Picks

Tap Headline To Go To Story’s

Usyk vs Gassiev Date and Venue Hits The Rocks

If there is one mistake that the WBSS made it was selling the rights to the final of the Cruiserweight as they had no intention of hosting it . Now they have sold the right to the Russians and Usyk is refusing to fight in Russia due to his political beliefs

MTK Announce 12 Fight Deal With Boxnation

I think we are finally seeing what Frank Warren is looking to do with the BoxNation TV Channel after leaving consumers very unhappy in recent times

A Look Back At Ricky Burns Career

This man will go down as a legend in Scottish Boxing being our little nations first 3 weight World Champion

Wilder Accepts Low Ball Deal

Deontay Wilder has called Anthony Joshua’s bluff and accepted there lowball deal . I am still not confident this deal gets made anytime soon as AJ and his team have never shown any signs of wanting it .

Terrence Crawford Announces Himself At 147lbs

For me Crawford is the best fighter in the world to watch at the minute , the guy has everything needed to an all time great except the the CV . Let’s hope Top Rank make him the fights he deserves

Parker vs Whyte Made And Could Lead To A AJ Payday For The Winner

A really good fight this but how it has made it onto sky box office is beyond me . If Whyte gets the win here there is a strong argument for AJ/Whyte 2

Canelo Stripped of Ring Mag Crown

Well this is a turn up for the books as Ring looked to have let Canelo off last month but he now not even ranked by the Magazine

Derveyanchenko and Jacobs Ordered To Fight By IBF

This a must fight for Jacobs as it will give him real bargaining power when talking to the Big Boys such as GGG and Canelo not to mention strengthen his hand when dealing with Eddie Hearn on a promotional deal

Rocky Feilding will Fight Zeuge For The WBA “World” Super middleweight Title

I like Rocky Feilding so it’s nice to see a nice guy get the chance to fight for a world title .

Sanchez Slams IBF For stripping GGG

For once i am total agreement with Abel Sanchez here as GGG has ultimately been punished for Canelo failing a drug test

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 .

DJays Top Boxing News Picks

Click Headlines to story

Hearn tells Wilder “accept offer or we move on “

Eddie Hearn looks to be trying his hardest to save face for him and AJ , lets be honest they haven’t dealt with this Wilder fight well at all

Warrington is now a target

Josh Warrington was impressive winning his IBF world title a few week ago but he is now the target in the division .

Horn wants to shut Americans up

No air con in the desert ……..sounds to me like there is some dark arts afoot here but my god it would been funny to see .

Tony Bellew being Tony Bellew and talking pure shit

Tony Bellew is that kid in school who craves constant attention as if he came off his mum’s tit to early .

Billy Joe Saunders could be up next for Canelo

The list of opponents Canelo is chasing down instead of GGG has three impressive names on it ….personally i think BJS gives a clean Canelo fits .

Davis wants to settle differences with Floyd in the ring

This lad should be careful as Floyd is rich enough and petty enough to really damage his career .

Liam Smith agrees to fight the man mountain Munguia in July

All the respect in the world to Liam Smith , i predicted he would duck this fight so i am over the moon he has proved me wrong ……i just hope he has a step ladder .

Prince Naz calls for Brendan Ingle to be inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame

I love this story , everybody knows the history between these two guys but this is an insight into how even the confident and arrogant Prince knows Ingle helped make him the fighter he was .

That’s enough from me guys , il have my pick of the top story’s going up twice a week

Why Are Boxing Fan’s Treated With Utter Discontent

Today i have been sitting reading the news that GGG vs Canelo rematch is all but dead due to negotiations breaking down because a dispute over purse splits , this come’s just a week after AJ vs Wilder broke down in negotiations and now also look’s like it wont be happening anytime soon . After such a promising start to the year the past month has really took the wind right of my sails which has me asking myself ….Does any other sport treat there fans with the utter discontent that boxing does ? .

Time after time we see fight’s that make sense at the elite level fall apart in negotiations , to the point that we see more of these fight’s fall apart more often than they are made . Ever since AJ beat Joseph Parker to pick up his third world title his team have been pushing this narrative that Deontay Wilder did not want to fight AJ . As a war of words kicked off between the two via social media Anthony Joshua told Wilder

“You pay me $50m and il sign the fight tomorrow ”

When Joshua made this statement it was a throwaway comment but to his shock team Wilder came up with the $50m , which would be Joshua’s biggest ever payday so the fight should get made right ? ….Well no as the next demand made was that AJ wanted home advantage , a move that would cap the earning potential of this fight , a demand that the money men behind this offer couldn’t agree to . As of now this fight looks dead in the water which is no big loss to AJ as he could make that kind of money in three easier fights here in the UK keeping his sponsors like StubHub happy as they make millions from ripping fans off to go watch AJ , but why are we as fans willing to accept this just because it’s AJ ? Boxing fans lost all respect for guys like Adonis Stevenson and Danny Garcia for doing something similar .

Over in the the US we have GGG insisting on a 50/50 split when he fights the biggest name in boxing Canelo Alvarez in there long awaited rematch . Now this one is a little bit more complicated due to Canelo failing a drug test in April and his fight with GGG being cancelled . The fight was due to take place in May with all sides agreeing on 65/35 split in favour of Canelo , giving GGG 5% more than he got in the first fight but since the failed drug test GGG and his team feel they should be compensated . Now i am GGG fan but there is no way that he brings 50% to the table, Canelo is by far the main draw here but when we are talking about hundreds of millions of dollars there is more than enough cash on the table to get this fight made and to be honest it makes me feel sick that both sides cant get this fight made when I’ve spoke to guys who can’t even cover there training camp due to there purse being so low .

Could you imagine any other sport where the best don’t test themselves against the best . Imagine for a second that in football Barcelona refused to play Real Madrid or in tennis if Andy Murray refused to take on Djokovic . Why are we so willing to accept being treated like this as fans ? At the end of the day our power lays with the pounds , shilling’s and pence that is in our pockets , I think these so called superstars need to remember it is us the fans that put them where they are and we can bring them back down .

djayboxing

"Boxing At Every Level"

Tag: All Boxing