Tag Archives: battle

Crolla and Burns set for “Battle of Britain”

Posted on 08/12/2017

By: Thomas B Nicholls

British Lightweight stars Anthony Crolla and Ricky Burns are set to do battle at a packed Manchester Arena on October 7th.

Matchroom chief Eddie Hearn announced the bout earlier this week and Sky Sports will broadcast the crossroads clash.

Both Crolla & Burns have been relieved of their world titles in 2017 and with their careers in jeopardy, it’s a simple “must win” for both men.

48 fight veteran Scot, Ricky Burns was convincingly beaten in his unification fight with Julius Indongo back in April, the Namibian southpaw outclassed Burns with a slick performance and is now set to tackle P4P star Terence Crawford.

Similarly, Mancunian Crolla lost his rematch with Jorge Linares in March as he had no answer for the Venezuelan’s s elite and elusive fighting style. Linares is now set to defend his world honours against British Olympian Luke Campbell at the end of September.

Burns will no doubt be backed by the partisan “Tartan Army” as he bids to find his former glory. Burns is Scotland’s first and only three-weight world champion and at 34, he knows he must win if his career is to get back on track.

Burns said “It’s going to be a great fight, there was a lot of talk in recent weeks, the response we got was unbelievable. People want to see it and now the deal is done I’m looking forward to it.”

“It doesn’t bother me where I fight, there will be a good crowd coming down from Scotland. It’s a fight the fans have been getting up for and I’m sure they will turn up in their numbers.

“When I held world titles at super-featherweight and lightweight, Crolla’s name was always mentioned but it never happened.

“He’s a great guy and a great fighter, I don’t think you’ll get much trash talk in the build-up. The best man will win on the night.”

Bookmakers SkyBet have installed Crolla as the pre-fight favourite, perhaps favouring the youthfulness of the Manchester man. Both fighters will be desperate for the win as a defeat could determine the end of their career.

Speaking of the importance of the fight, Crolla said “All I want to do is be involved in big fights and Ricky Burns is a three-weight world champion. I’ve got a lot of respect for him. He’s a great fighter and only lost to the very best.”

“I’m looking forward to going to battle and putting on a display for the fans. Camp started a few weeks ago and I’m in a good place. “It’s at a good time for both of us. A win puts us back in the mix for titles. I’m not going to say the loser has nowhere to go, but it’s going to be a tough road back. We’re both coming off losing our world titles and the incentive is to win the fight and get back in the frame.”

Despite there being no title on the line, this has the foundations to be a fight for the ages. Both men conduct themselves impeccably outside of the ring and there was little trash talking in the press conference, it’s clear to see that their energy will be channelled in to resurrecting /prolonging their careers.

If I was to give my prediction, for whatever it’s worth, I predict Ricky Burns the victor in a barnstorming 12 round war.

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The Battle of Mexico: Canelo vs. Chavez Jr.

Posted on 05/04/2017

The Battle of Mexico: Canelo v. Chavez Jr.
By: Matthew N. Becher

One of the greatest fan bases in the sport of boxing is, without question, the Mexican people. They have a very rich and deep history associated with the sport and a group of some of the greatest fighters of all time. Most recently the torch bearer was Juan Manuel Marquez, with Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera before him. Pintor, Vargas, De La Hoya, Castillo, the list goes on and on, but the greatest of all time is the indomitable Julio Cesar Chavez.

CaneloChavezArrivals_Hoganphotos5
Photo Credit: Hogan Photos

The Cinco de Mayo weekend has been a very big deal for the past decade in boxing. It is a time to celebrate with a big fight. Oscar De La Hoya had a hold on the first weekend in May for many years, until Floyd Mayweather Jr. defeated him and made the date his own. Now the king of México’s big fight day is Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. Canelo fought his first Cinco de Mayo fight on a PPV undercard (Mayweather v. Cotto), against Shane Mosley and has owned the date for the last 2 years with knockout of the year performances against James Kirkland and Amir Khan.

This year the big date will pit the “A” side Canelo against the son of a legend and a fellow Mexican, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. This fight is a big deal, not only because of the enormity of two Mexicans fighting on a Mexican holiday, but because the two truly hate each other and believe they need to win to become the face of Mexican boxing for the next generation.

Canelo is 26 years old and has already shared the ring with some of the greatest fighters of a generation. He has fought 50 times already and has won 48, losing only once to the Floyd Mayweather Jr. His resume includes, Shane Mosley, Austin Trout, Angulo, Lara, Cotto and Khan. He is a 4x world champion and looks to be moving up to even bigger and better fights.

Chavez Jr. was the first Mexican fighter to ever win a Middleweight title. He is still relatively young at 31, and has been a professional for 14 years. He has beaten the likes of Zbik, Antonio Rubio, Andy Lee, & Vera. His 2012 defense against Sergio Martinez was an extremely brutal affair, which he lost by decision, almost knocking out Sergio in the final round, and in the long run, hurting Martinez’s knee and ending his career.

Canelo is a hard worker, who came from a family of 7 boys, all professional boxers. He is the youngest and does not respect Chávez’s’ work ethic. Doesn’t believe he is even in the same level as himself and thinks that Chavez Jr. has had everything handed to him, because of his father’s name.

Chavez Jr. believes his father’s legacy continues through him and that Canelo is a scared fighter, since he ducked GGG and handed over his belt. Chavez, who has had some personal problems in the past thinks that Canelo has gone over his head taking a fight at 164.5, against a man who is known for being a heavy handed, bigger, brawler.

In the lead up to the fight it is easy to say that the fans are split down the middle. Many love the new blood and face of Canelo, and see him as the future. But, the name Julio Cesar Chavez does hold a lot of clout in the country and has fans travel in droves to cheer for their man from Culiacan.

The winner of this fight is primed for big things later this year and for the time being, they will be the new King of Mexico.

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