Tag: All Boxing

Sweet and Sour ….GGG vs Canelo Review

So what a weekend of action and  controversy , yet again it was things outside the ring that stole the show in Las Vegas .

GGG vs Canelo at T-Mobile Arena ,LV

This was the fight that all boxing fans have been dreaming about for the past 2 years and my god it delivered . From the very get go in this fight you could see that these two had styles that would put together and make a fight . Early doors you could feel the tension, and for the first couple of rounds at least the underdog Canelo just looked to be that bit quicker on his feet and to the punch but without landing anything to significant . Canelo definitely looked the more fluent of the two but in the third round that changed , GGG started upping the pace and although i thought Canelo won the round he wasn’t getting a break between exchanges , GGG was certainly making Canelo throw more and testing that gas tank . Into the fourth i had it 2-1 Canelo (scoring on my fourth time watching it due to excessive alcohol consumption) but GGG really started to get the jab going, he also cut the ring off very well stopping Canelo moving ,trapping him on the ropes but instead of opening up , GGG was patient , not giving Canelo a chance to counter any big shots, instead choosing to keep Canelo on the of his jab .

The story was pretty much the same for the next couple of rounds . Now anybody that follows me twitter will see i have a go at Abel Sanchez quite lot , but on Saturday night Sanchez was fantastic, When he was telling GGG to fight for  the full 3 min of a round and to stop letting Canelo have a break on the ropes, his advice was to get Canelo on the ropes and keep him there making him work every second . Going into the seventh round i had it all square, Canelo showing superb work and skill off the ropes in the Sixth but it really was a hard round to score and GGG’s work rate was really starting to have an affect on Canelo . For the next two rounds GGG’s jab just took him to another level , what a weapon to have your disposal and it was making the Mexican have to think constantly .As Canelo was starting to slow down , GGG was finding the mark a lot  more regular with his jab. Canelo on the other hand was looking to load up in rounds seven and eight and apart from a lovely uppercut ,he just didnt have an answer to that GGG jab .

Now the Ninth for me was the most interesting round ,it was like Canelo could see the fight getting away from him and decided to try and turn up it . Coming out at the start Canelo was doing a lot of shoe shinning but again that GGG jab was grinding him down, that was until Canelo timed GGG coming in and caught him with a monster of a overhand right, and to GGG credit he didn’t even blink before charging forward again . This round for me stopped the rot for Canelo but it was very close as GGG jab was a constant factor, so i can see an argument for both winning this round . The tenth was more of the same, Canelo maybe landing flashier shots but that GGG jab was constant throughout the fight .

In the eleventh round Canelo really surprised everyone, he came out like a guy knowing he needed these last two rounds to keep it close, and for the first time in 5 rounds he was outworking GGG , maybe not catching clean but definetly catching the eye . The twelth round was pretty much the same with Canelo knowing he needed the round he came out to take it . What we must say is that Canelo was throwing what he had left at the older GGG , yet GGG looked like he could do another twelve rounds , this man is a machine .

As the fight ends i have GGG winning 7-5 (canelo rounds 2,3,5(sr),11,12)(GGG rounds 1(sr),4,6,7,8,9,10(sr) , this fight was superb, the skill on show was unreal , both showed they are made of something special but GGG’s work rate was Canelos undoing and the diffrence between the two …….So then comes the first scorecard “Byrd scores it 118-110 Canelo” ……Oh my fucking god , the biggest fight in years by two warriors and this happens AGAIN . The other two judges cards (Moretti 115-113 and Trella 114-114 )i don’t really have a problem with , but that Byrd card is down right corruption , there is no other word for it , its an embressment to the sport .

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Due to the way this battle ended the fight itself has been forgotten , i think Canelo proved a lot of people wrong as did GGG . I thought maybe age would have caught up with GGG , and in some ways it has but anybody who can fight with that intensity and have that jab can still do great things in this sport . As for Canelo his defence and counter punching was a thing of beauty, also he managed his gas tank well to have enough left for a late flurry , we just didn’t see enough over the twelve rounds for me to give Canelo the win . That 118-110 score card has robbed Canelo of any credit in this fight, it has also robbed the fans who’s paid a lot of money out of any legitmacy in this result . This result will damage Canelo’s reputation and if he doesn’t get back in the ring soon for the rematch i don’t think it will ever recover .

Steven Donnell

“The World Boxing Super Series” Is Fantastic For Boxing

We are now a month away from the start of one of the most eagerly anticipated sporting events in recent memory, I am of course talking about The World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) .On the face of it this tournament has everything fight fans want to see spread across two weight divisions. The cruiserweight division has the best of the best including Olecsander Usyk and Mairis Bredis willing to put it all on the line, whilst the Super Middle Weight division might be missing some of the division’s champions but still throws together guys like George Groves and Callum Smith, among other top Brits,which must be exciting for fans in the UK with the potential of massive domestic match ups to see  who will take the Mohammed Ali Trophy home .

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This tournament comes at a time when boxing is on a high, but whilst fights like Floyd Mayweather vs Conner McGregor are looking to cash in on the sport ,the WBSS Is looking to promote boxing and take it to another level .I have big hopes for this tournament, this is a chance for us boxing fans to see the best fight the best ,and hopefully throw up a few battles in the process .The WBSS has the chance to raise the bar and expectations of boxing fans so no more will we just sit back and accept the fights that some promoters want to spoon feed us ,and with fights taking place all across Europe it will open more fans eyes to the world of boxing and not just events in our own backyard.

Even though the WBSS hasn’t kicked off yet it has already showed its trying to be different . At its launch event in Monte Carlo, it had the feel of an Oscar’s ceremony until the seeded contenders appeared on stage one at a time to select an unseeded contender then have a face off , it was superb TV ,especially when George Groves selected Jamie Cox ……I loved it

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So roll on September 9th when we can get this tournament started when Usyk takes on Huck in Berlin, a fight I will be attending . It is early days yet but I am predicting the WBSS to be a massive success .
Steven Donnell (@DJayBoxingblog)

Follow The World Boxing Super Series @WBSuperSeries

Kovalev vs Ward II :Preview and Prediction

With 2017 being one of the best years for boxing in a long time we are about to be treated to another fantastic matchup , no I’m not talking about Paul Smith vs Tyron Zeuge, I’m talking about Andre Ward vs Sergy Kovalev II .

Since Andre Ward’s  contriversial points win in November to take the Russians titles  , Kovalev and his team have been on the offensive in the build up to this one. When i first seen some of the comments Kovalev was making i thought “He’s trying psych Ward out” but now i genuinely believe he is out to really hurt Ward .

Sergey Kovalev “I don’t have a prediction. I just have one goal to beat Andre Ward and beat all the s— from him because he doesn’t deserve the belt and the status of a champion. I want to put him back in his place.”

Now to a mere man like myself, I would be fucking shitting myself to go in the ring with Kovalev after seeing this , but Andre Ward is no normal man. Ever since the first fight Kovalev vigorously disputed the cards, and for me he has let that turn to hate , there have even been allegations of racist comments toward Ward which i won’t go into . This hatred can go one of two ways for Kovalev, the hate might bring out a performance like Frazier/Ali I, if that hate can be focussed there is every chance he could become a killing machine when doubled with his frightening power , or we could see the hate manifest like it did when Tyson took on Holyfeild and result in Ward picking him off and humiliating the big Russian.

Andre Ward is the superstar that never was , a man who gets nowhere near the credit he is due . Ward’s life has everything a great story needs, from a very hard upbringing with drug addict parents, to Olympian ,to now one of the best P4P fighters in the world ,so why isn’t he a household name ? . Well to be fair Ward looks like a difficult person to deal with,he is also very paranoid about the media ,with good cause . This makes Ward a bit of a hit or a miss with fans . Ward again as he did in the first fight has done very little to promote this grudge match ,which leaves all the soundbites for Sergy Kovalev to fill , which in turn wins the Russian more fans but leaves Ward like a forgotten man, well until fight night at least . All Wards personality comes out in the ring, he really is a master at taking your strength away from you , for him to just pick you off . Watching Andre Ward in the ring isn’t like watching any ordinery boxer. Ward turns the fight into a game chess, where every move must be thought out well in advance .

Andre Ward on fight “I think the first fight was a great fight. I think there was a lot of drama in the first fight, more drama than I wanted,” said Ward. “I think it was a tremendous fight and I believe, round two is going to be a tremendous fight.”

Prediction :

This fight boils down to Aggression/Power vs Skill/Ringcraft , Can Kovalev set out to hurt Ward without being exploited ? , I really don’t think so . Nobody has ever solved the equation of how beat Ward but i doubt its with brute force and anger , chances are Ward will take Kovalev’s aggression and ill temper and use it against him . Kovalev has fantastic power which sent Ward to the canvas in the first fight, he has that one punch power and a fantastic jab, so he has every chance of beating Ward. Who’s my pick ? ….i will say Andre Ward on points, i just feel Ward knows what to expect this time and will look to nullify Kovalev early , i also still have doubts about Kovalev’s gas tank .

Steven Donnell

It Might Be Harsh, But It’s A Quit

Since i was a young lad I’ve always looked at the top boxers in the world as superhumans , watching guys like Evander Holyfield fight Riddick Bowe in amazement, wondering to myself  “How can these guys still be standing” ,also  every boxing fan who’s worth there salt loves Ward/Gatti , Barrera/Morales and more recently Salido/Vargas . These guys put everything on the line, for them quitting was not an option, sorry , it is an option but its not one they would consider . Now as harsh as it sounds ,i think you have to say Kell Brook quit ,to say otherwise disrespects what what these other warriors stand for .

It was not worth “Risk v Reward” ,which i will not have a go at him for.

Now I’m not going to sit here and say “I would have fought on” infact the opposite is true , a soon as i suspected there was a serious problem, i would have stopped . Brook fought on , but with the fight getting away from him due to Spence’s energy sapping shots and Brooks eye swelling up , Brook decided with a suspected broken orbital bone , that it was not worth “Risk v Reward” which is fine, infact  i thought Bellew’s comments after the fight where a bit much as every man has his limits .

Am i saying Brook is like Nick Walters, no chance.

Since the fight has ended i do have a problem with the lack of respect from some fans for the guys who would put there life on the line rather than quit . If you think this way ask yourself this , If Brook thought he was well ahead of Spence , would he have quit ? …would he fuck . These other people, like Brooks trainer calling it an injury and trying to devalue Spence’s performance  , sorry i don’t accept that, Brook did not twist his ankle or pull a hamstring , sustained punishement from Spence broke the bone then made Brooks mind up that he could not continue . As i have said i grew up looking at boxers as superhumans ,we all love guys like Smoking Joe Frazier, who fought some of the all time great heavyweight whilst being blind in one eye, we have seen boxers fight with dislocated shoulders ,broken hands ,we have even seen Ricky Burns fight 10 rounds with a broken jaw . Am i saying Brook is like Nick Walters ,not a chance but by calling this a “quit” it really emphisises what the true warriors of the sport are willing to give in the ring .

Steven Donnell

Canelo vs Chavez :Preview and Prediction 

Saturday night will see this years all Mexican, Cinco De Mayo Big Fight night in Las Vegas  when Saul Canelo Alverez takes on fellow Mexican poster boy Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr ,as they battle it out to see who is the “King of Mexico” . For me this years Cinco De Mayo Fight night is special because for the first time in a long time we will have two Mexicans topping the bill and that only seems right for its the Mexicans fans that make this event different from every other big boxing event through the year .Having been in Mexico duruing a gold cup final (Football/Soccer) where they beat the USA,i can honestly say no one does passion for sport like the Mexicans .

“When this fight was first announced , i have to admit i was a little shocked and a bit disappointed”

 

 Chavez Jnr has been all but retired living the celebrity lifestyle he has always struggled to keep away from . Being the son Mexican Legend Chavez Snr, Jnr has always lacked work ethic and although most fans outside Mexico do realise he has skill most of us feel he‘s got an easy ride from people at the top, such as Mauricio Sauliaman the President of the WBC . Well all the above is true , well that is until Jnr’s last fight against Dominok Britch where he won a convicing points victory. That victory in itself was not really a game changer, as Chavez as per usual struggled with the weight, but what has made me sit up and notice is that Chavez has not came out of training camp since that fight ,to make sure he makes Canelos crazy 164lbs catchweight . If Chavez can make the weight this could be an interesting fight .

“no none knows how Canelo will handle being the smaller man”

 

Canelo is the other end of the spectrum, the son of an ice cream vendor, Canelo is one of the most dedicated boxers in the game. Canelo also replaced Chavez Jnr as the poster boy in Mexico. When this fight was announced i thought this would be a pushover for Canelo , but after seeing how Jnr is preparing for this fight  , then considering  the size diffrence between the two ,this could end up closer than i had originally thought. No one knows how Canelo will handle being the smaller man, will his power come up with him . In the build up to this fight one thing has become clear, the Mexican people  are divided in there loyalties , also the hatred between these two men makes the build up to Haye/Bellew look like a kids show so we should be set for fireworks .

Predication;

I see this starting off a bit cagey, with both men weary of each others power . Also Chavez must be feeling some effects from dropping so much weight , so a high tempo will not suit him . Chavez will probably take some of the middle rounds , but never really hurting Canelo. The second part of the fight Canelo will force the pace and punish any mistake Chavez makes , with Chavez getting weaker and weaker . One thing we can say about Chavez tho is that he has always had a grant chin and that might just see him take it to the cards. Personally i will be going for a Canelo stoppage from rounds 9-10 .

Fight night Addition ,Please note  : Chavez has made weight  looking drawn in but has said he will be entering at 185lbd , Chavez jnr could be worth a couple of £ 

Crolla vs Linares Review + My Thoughts on Joe Gallagher

Well folks on Saturday night we got to see something special, we got to see Jorge Linares get back to his absolute best as he took Anthony Crolla to peices over the 12 rounds . Most people expected a Linares win but the way in which he went about this victory sent a message out to the rest of the division .

From the off Linares looked sharper,quicker and more accurate than Crolla and although  there was not a lot to cheer it was obvious that Crolla had a mountain to climb if he was to win back his world title . As the early rounds crept on past Jorge Linares quickly worked his way thru the gears , catching Crolla out with his wide variation of punches to which Crolla had little to no reply . Crolla was taking a massive amount of punishment  trying to get inside and force Linares backwards , but the few times he did get inside he done something that was ludicras , he covered up, stood static and tried to throw single shots , i really couldn’t believe what i was watching . The first time these two had met Crolla was on a bit of a good run and although he was clearly outclassed in that fight he was a threat and did give Linares problems , this time Linares was even better but Crolla looked like a shadow of his former self, he looked as if he lacked belief and by half way i had Linares up by six rounds and really on cruise control . In the seventh Linares was really opening up on Crolla and even sent him to the canvas with a lovely upper cut Crolla didn’t even see coming , and it did for a bit look as tho the end was near but Anthony Crolla showing some great heart seen out the round . The trip to the canvas seemed to wake Crolla up because he took the eighth, but still only landing single shots and never really putting Linares in trouble, but it did look for a while that Linares might have gassed but that wasn’t to be for Crolla , Linares was just having a round off . In the closing rounds Linares went back up the gears the ,Crolla was struggling and there was very little coming back but Crolla having the heart of a lion would not stop coming forward . At the end of the eleventh as Crolla made his way back to his corner, Crolla and his trainer Joe Gallagher seemed to have a confrontation , Gallagher was trying to stop the fight going into the last round but after some pleading Crolla came out and stuck on in until the end to take some pride  in taking  it to the cards, but it was only a formality as all judges had scored it 118-109 , this really was a masterclass from Linares setting him up nice for Mikey Garcia to see who’s the No1 in the division .

So what next for Crolla ?

I think there is only one logical route for Crolla and thats to finally demand Eddie Hearn give the fans the fight they want, Crolla v Flanigan ,two lads from the same city who went to the same school fighting for a world title , that fight sells big , if nothing else it could be a massive check out fight for Anthony Crolla ,but already Hearn has put road blocks infant of this fight demanding Crolla gets £1m purse for the fight which is insane for a guy coming off two losses and holds no belts .

Now onto Joe Gallagher, Saturday night was a disaster for Gallagher and any fighter worth there weight will leave or stay well clear of this outdated dinosaur. I said in my preview to this fight Gallagher must leave his ego at the door but very early on in the night we seen that could never happen . Youngster Marcus Morrison was left in the ring by Gallagher to be savagely beaten from pillar to post for ten rounds , a fight that shouldn’t have went past the sixth, and really did become painful to watch to the point Tony Bellew on commentary was pleading for Gallagher to stop it to no avail . Then in the main event Crolla was sent out with the same boring domestic level tactics of high guard ,no head movement and just to walk forward onto severe punishment from a world class operator in Linares , bizarrely Gallagher had seen enough after eleven rounds and tried to stop it , Crolla is an experienced boxer who had 3 mins left to fight for pride and Gallagher tried to pull him out , yet let a youngster fight be humiliated for most of the ten rounds earlier in the evening ………madness .

Steven Donnell

Impressive Debut By Conlan

I don’t think i have ever seen a pro debut so eagerly anticipated as that of Michael Conlan as he took on Tim Ibarra over Six Rounds on this St Patricks Day bout  . Over 2000 Irish fans and press had made the trip across the pond to take in this spectacle , and Conlan did not disappoint.

From the first bell you could see Ibarra was an awkward costumer who had a slight reach advantage and was planning on using every inch of it to keep Conlan away , and for the first round, at least  it looked to be a decent game plan as Conlan was finding it hard to get in range . That being said Conlan took the first round easy as Ibarra didn’t throw anything worth talking about and as the round went on the irishman looked to be settling down .

There are not many boxers out there with a better amateur pedigree than Michael Conlan but the big question was, Can he bring it to the pros ?…. Well in the second round we got that answer . Conlan came out the second round with a lot more intent , you could see he was getting closer to Iberra and about half way through the round he he got his reward with a viscous bodyshot landing which seemed to take wind out Iberra. From this point Iberra looked well out his depth only throwing back in desperation rather than intent, and the pro Conlan fans who where packed into the Theatre at Madison Square Garden where loving it , they knew this fight didn’t have long left.

Conlan picked up where he left off in third ,really catching the wounded Iberra at will , and after two minutes of intense punishment to the body the referee had seen enough . You’ve got to give it to Micheal Conlan for this performance, with all the hype from fans,press and promoters the pressure was on and Conlan handled it with style …….impressive

Steven Donnell

@DJayBoxingBlog @Dinobhoy86

Haye vs Bellew Preview

So its here, the latest sky sports box office hype job of David Haye vs Tony Bellew will take place later tonight , and i have to admit the bombardment from the sky propaganda machine has even worked on me . Since this fight was announced I’ve viewed it no more than a exhibition fight, how can you not , Bellew is a average size cruiserweight coming up to  heavyweight to face a Haye, who is still at this ripe old age is top 5  in the division , but that won’t put me off watching .

David Haye has been one of the UKs best heavyweights for years and will be going into this fight the faster, bigger, stronger of the two if he is 100% fit, and thats what this fight boils down to , Is Haye injury free ? . I have tried to take no interest in the WWE style trash talk and try to focus on how Haye looks in training, but the videos that are available are short and sweet so we don’t really have any real indication of how Hayes training . Also Haye did admit to going to Germany to get checked out to make sure he was fit to fight but i wouldn’t read to much into this . A more worrying thing for any Haye fans is that this will be Hayes first real competitve fight since he beat Chisora in 2012, this is where Tony Bellew does have a slight edge on Haye.

Tony Bellew will be coming into this fight a massive underdog in most peoples eyes . At yesterdays weigh in he looked quite flabby next to the well sculptured body of Haye . But Bellew is confident he can drag Haye into a dog fight and he belives this is where he can beat him , and I’ve got to give Bomber Bellew credit here, since starting to train with Dave Caldwell he has improved dramatically in every aspect, now even living up to the name “Bomber”but does he have the power to trouble Haye ? ….i doubt it . I also believe the Bellew camp are putting to much stock in Haye’s fitness as a David Haye fighting at 50% should still be to much for Bellew . For me i think Bellew should run for the first five rounds and come on strong the second half of the fight, a risky tactic but one that could use Hayes inactivity against him.

Prediction; Well this a case of choosing with the heart or the mind, The mind says Haye is a far to much for Bellew, the power and speed of Haye will see him KO Bellew inside 5 rounds . The heart well that beats a hatred for Haye , Haye is the embodiment of everything thats wrong with boxing . The guy is little more than a whore who will milk his fans without thinking twice ,and even tho i might have a betting slip with his name on it ,there will be nobody happier than me if Bomber Bellew can pull it off .

Steven Donnell