Tag: brittish boxing

Whyte vs Browne – Preview + Prediction

Whyte vs Browne – Preview + Prediction

The heavyweight division at this moment in time is very fragmented . We have at the very top of the division Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder , the next tier is guys like Joseph Parker and Luis Ortiz who have it in there locker to pressure the top two but will just fall short . Then we have the best of the rest and that is what’s on show this weekend in London’s O2 Arena when Dillon Whyte takes on Australian Lucas Browne . This fight has the potential to go either way and could be a modern day classic , well i am using the term classic very loosely , but this fight also has the potential to be a stinker but I’m sure i speak for everyone when i say i am very intrigued by this one .

Dillan Whyte 22-1-0 16Ko’s

Dillian Whyte is one of the best characters in UK boxing due to his lack of media training , what you see with Dillian is what you get and the British public love that . When Whyte signed to fight Joshua it was widely regarded as another easy fight for AJ and even tho the build up brought us some fantastic TV moments , most expected a walkover for the Olympian , but that wasn’t the case . Whyte regrouped after poor start to rock AJ to his core for the first in his career but Whyte just didn’t have enough in his tank to take advantage and went on to be KO’d by Joshua , but i wonder if that missed opportunity still keeps Whyte awake at night . Since then Dillian Whyte has got a lot of TV coverage , i guess being the first man to land a punch on Joshua has it’s benefits . Dillian Whyte is a hard boxer to asses as he is not great at any one thing , he isn’t mobile , he doesn’t have a great jab , he doesn’t have quick hands , his feet look heavy at times , his power is decent but not game changing , but yet he would give most of the heavyweight division problems . Whyte is a big man and that is one thing he uses to his advantage when inside , he will lean , pull , push and grapple which doesn’t always make for the best viewing but can be effective . Whyte has proved he is very tough after taking some massive shots in a gruelling twelve rounds against Derek Chisora which Whyte just edged on the judges cards , not on mine though i thought he lost . Whyte is at his most dangerous when he is inside looping in hooks and is something Lucas Browne will need to be weary of .

Lucas Browne 25-0-0 22Ko’s

Lucas Browne is coming into this fight having only fought twice since 2015 and no matter which way you dress that up it isn’t great . Back in 2016 Browne put in a career best performance against Ruslan Chagaev where he Ko’d the Russian in the tenth round in what really was a great performance by Browne . Since then he has only fought journeyman Mathew Greer which isn’t the best preparations coming into this massive fight in London , that could lead to a world title shot for the winner , which in itself is ludicrous in Browne’s case . Back when Browne beat Chagaev i was very impressed with the big Australian’s footwork for a man his size . Browne also has a very good jab which he likes to work off but he is prone to throwing it from the waist which can leave him wide open . That performance in Russia will mean Browne know’s exactly what he is walking into at the O2 and more importantly that performance show he’s capable of handling it .

Prediction

This is such a hard fight to call as on one hand Lucas Browne has far better fundamentals than Whyte but then on the other hand now at 38 years old and being inactive Browne has got to have lost something , and that something maybe all Whyte needs to put the odds in his favour . If Browne can the bring a performance similar to that of the one in Russia he will wear Whyte down over the distance . If Whyte wants to win this he has to do what he does best and pressure Browne , keep on the inside and don’t give him a second If he can do that he should get the win .

So who am i picking for this one then ? ……… Well although i think Browne is the better boxer of the two i think his time has been and went . I don’t think he will be as mobile as he was back in 2016 when defeating Chagaev and for that reason i am going to pick Dillian Whyte to win by late stoppage .

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

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

Has British Boxing Ever Been So Strong ?

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

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

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

Dino