Tag Archives: england

Jack Catterall with a Decision Win Over Joe Hughes in Bolton

Posted on 05/13/2016

Jack Catterall with a Decision Win Over Joe Hughes in Bolton
By: Stewart J. Lawrence

With a tough fight going the full 12 rounds, Joe Catterall wins easily, but has to work hard throughout the entire time.

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Jack Catterall retained his WBO European & Intercontinental title, by defeating Joe Hughes in a fight that failed to live up to the hype that it was billed at. As is often the case with a southpaw vs. orthodox fighter, fighters fail to ‘gel’ and this was definitely the case. Catterall was technically the better fighter, but failed to find his range and rhythm, resulting in a messy fight.

The pace started slow, with Catterall putting together the better shots and doing enough to take the early rounds. Joe Hughes was trying to push the pace, having some success and taking the second round, but Catterall showing he is technically the better boxer and used that with his ring craft to frustrate Hughes and start a commanding lead on the judge’s cards. As the rounds grew, Catterall started to show why people (in the UK) are tipping the 22 year old to be future world champion. During the 10th Catterall looked tired with Hughes still fresh, and the man from Wiltshire tried putting it on Catterall, but he couldn’t make it count, and again in the 11th and 12th Catterall’s class shown through and he easily seen the rest of the fight out. Never being in any trouble.

Catterall took the fight on the judge’s scorecards 111-117, but this flattered Joe Hughes a little, but you can’t take anything away from the Wiltshire man. He pushed Catterall all the way, but Catterall was levels above.

A solid display, and a good win against a tough opponent.

Catterall is rank No4 by the WBO, but he is far from ready to face the likes of Crawford or anyone of that caliber. After the fight, Catterall praised his opponent stating; ‘He’s a tough fighter and doesn’t stop coming forward, but I was never in trouble in there, and I knew I had to just keep working and getting my shots off’. His promoter stated that they would be looking for the British title next and targeting Tyrone Nurse. When asked (Catterall) what he would like next, he said: ‘I’d like to cancel the holiday I have, and fight on 9th July card (Fury vs. Klitschko). Keeping myself busy’.

Tyrone Nurse is facing Willie Limond on the undercard of Ricky Burns. Either of then fighters would be a huge step up for Catterall and show the fighting community whether the hype about this young man is justified.

Which way the Nurse/Limond fight goes, either would be a tough fight and the Chorley man will have to show us he has what it takes to become the next best Super lightweight of British boxing.

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Showtime Paves Way For Anthony Joshua’s American Invasion

Posted on 05/06/2016

Showtime Paves Way For Anthony Joshua’s American Invasion

Rising star – and IBF heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua is about to be a regular on American television. Indeed, the British knockout artist, who boasts an impressive 16-0 record (all 16 wins by KO), has signed a multi-bout deal with Showtime television. Joshua’s premiere will be in June when he faces 17-0 Dominic Breazeale (all but two wins by KO) from London in a title fight. Although not a major bout, it will serve to showcase the domineering Brit before a larger audience. Showtime announced the deal earlier this week, to some fanfare.

Heavyweight Weigh In: Anthony Joshua 236, Denis Bahktov 228

A gold medal winner in the 2012 Olympics, Joshua has been on the radar of serious American fight fans for a while now. Thanks to his impressive resume and ring finishes, Showtime now clearly feels it’s time to try to bring out a new heavyweight star in the form of the Hertfordshire native. Indeed, American fans haven’t followed a heavyweight with genuine interest in close to a generation. Sure enough, America hasn’t been keen on the heavyweight division since the Tyson-Holyfied-Lewis era. Longtime champion Wladimir Klitschko, though dominant, proved to be a bit dull for North American tastes. A new heavyweight era, however, seems to be dawning.

For Klitschko was bested by Joshua’s countryman, Tyson Fury, last year, which led to a breakup of the title scene in the big man’s division. What’s more, the rise of fighters like Deontay Wilder, Luis Ortiz and Joshua himself has generated heat within the heavyweight ranks. Although all of these new breed heavies have some question marks hovering over their individual abilities, Joshua has started being regarded by analysts as the best of the bunch. And now Showtime clearly wants in on the Anthony Joshua business. It may well prove to be the right move at the right time.

Showtime, after all, appeared to be all but out of the boxing business not so long ago. It’s returned to being a significant force in boxing in recent months, however, and the signing of Joshua may be a sign as to just how seriously invested Showtime now is in the sweet science. Meanwhile, HBO, under rumors of serious budget cuts, has been showing less than thrilling matchups recently. What’s more, it appears to be relying more heavily on pay per view cards, as is evidenced by the recent announcement of the upcoming Bud Crawford – Viktor Postol junior welterweight matchup on pay per view.

Showtime appears ready to fill at least some of the void. For Joshua can only be seen as a long term investment for the network. He also may prove to be a very lucrative investment if he has a showdown with fellow Showtime heavyweight titlist Wilder. Indeed, that match at first blush has the makings of one that might generate considerable interest among fans. Both fighters are thunderous punchers with bodybuilder physiques and unique backstories. Add in Wilder’s charismatic personality and there’s the makings of fairly big deal. Would the fight determine who the best heavyweight in the world, was, though?

The answer, sadly, is no. As good as it will be for American fans to have easier access to Joshua fights, the fact remains that a deal with Showtime might lessen the chances of Joshua facing the likes of Ortiz or the winner of the impending Fury-Klitschko rematch any time soon. Yet the operative word here is “might.” Boxing politics have certainly damaged the sport, but it may be reasonable to suspect that even boxing’s stubborn fiefdoms will eventually realize there’s more money to be found in unity than there is in Balkanization.

Let’s hope the powers that be come to their senses sooner rather than later now that things have become interesting in the heavyweight division for what is essentially the first time in years.

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British Boxers Leading the Way

Posted on 04/25/2016

British Boxers Leading the Way
By: Jordan Seward

Is boxing under British rule? British boxing is soaring in the professional and the amateur game. 12 World champions and Nine boxers qualified for Rio 2016 so far, with more places up for grabs.

Nicola Adams, Galal Yafai, Muhammad Ali – fortunate name, Joshua Buatsi, Lawrence Okolie and Joe Joyce all booked their place by winning gold medals at the European Continental Qualification Event in Samsun, Turkey. Qais Ashfag and Joe Cordina qualified with silver medals and Antony Fowler picked up a bronze medal.

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The largest GB boxing team at the Olympics was back in 2012, when ten boxers (seven men, three women) qualified for the home Games. The women have a chance to add to the nine already qualified at the World Championships in Kazakhstan in May – four places are available in each weight class. The men will have two more opportunities to make it to Rio at qualification events in June (Baku, Azerbaijan) and July (location to be confirmed) when eight more places at both light-welterweight and welterweight are up for grabs. With nine qualified already and several places still available, there’s every chance Team GB will have its largest team ever at an Olympics this year in Rio.

By law of probability, the more competitors there are, the greater the opportunity is to win more medals. At the London Games, Team GB’s boxing team won five medals – Nicola Adams, Anthony Joshua and Luke Campbell all picked up gold medals while Fred Evans won a silver and Anthony Ogogo took home the bronze. Despite the ludicrous inclusion of professionals in Olympic boxing – which undermines the hard work put in by amateurs, Team GB are hopeful of surpassing the medal tally from 2012. Historically, Cuba have produced the best amateurs, but Britain has taken over the baton in recent years. Team GB won the most medals in 2012 which is confirmation of that. Over the last ten years or so, Britain have produced some wonderful amateurs, some of who have gone on to prosper in the professional game.

One of the latest to do so is Anthony Joshua (16-0). He made a seamless transition from the amateurs to the professional ranks, and the fact he is the current IBF World heavyweight champion after just 16 fights, is testament to that. Another hero from 2012, Luke Campbell (13-1), is thriving in the professionals and is currently the Commonwealth lightweight champion. Campbell did come unstuck two fights ago, losing his WBC International lightweight belt to Yvan Mendy. But he remains a great prospect who is tipped for future success.

There has been no point in history where Britain have boasted so many world champions. 2007 was the last time Britain had an even comparable amount of world champions, then there were six, which indicates how far British boxing has come. Featherweight Stephen Smith missed out on the opportunity to become Britain’s 13th world champion when he lost his world title fight with Jose Pedraza. But Silver medallist at the 2004 Beijing Games, Amir Khan, fights for the WBC middleweight title on May 7 and Tony Bellew fights for the vacant WBC cruiserweight title on the 29 May, so the number of British world champions may well rise to greater heights.

In the early 1900s America dominated the sport, after English colonists bought boxing to the shores of America. The achievements of Jack Dempsey in 1919-26 resulted in personal financial prosperity. He was the first person to produce $1 million and $2 million gates in the sports history. This made him an icon and encouraged working-class youths around the nation to take up the sport in hope they would earn vast amounts of money. This made boxing one of the few sports that actually flourished during the Great Depression. Since the 1950s boxing in the states has been dominated by Puerto Rican, Mexican American and African American fighters. This is evident in the sport today with fighters like Leo Santa Cruz and Miguel Cotto. But there has been a slight change in the balance with the huge improvement of British fighters.

The history of British champions is not a rich one. Instead of having several champions at once, great boxing talent was few and far between. Although there were some great British world champions, such as; Terry Downes; John H Stracey; Charlie Magri; Terry Marsh; Nigel Benn; Chris Eubank; Frank Bruno and Lennox Lewis.

Boxers from certain nations and continents have a certain representation and view. The South American and Mexican fighters are well known for their durability, the American fighters are well known for their swagger and slick technical skills. What are British fighters known for, what is a stereo-typically British fighter? Now’s the time to start thinking about that because Britain are on the rise and have boxers at amateur and professional level that posses a lot of talent. America currently have eight world champions, the closest amount to Britain, so is boxing under the reign of the British?

For a British boxer, this is the prime-time, with four world sanctioning bodies and 17 weight divisions there is more chance than ever to accomplish the dream and capture a world title. A plethora of money has been invested into British boxing and there are more television channels showing boxing, more fans are attending and watching fights and more boxers are joining the professional game.

Boxing is in a good place as a whole. The major thing for the sport that has helped increase the popularity is the renaissance of the heavyweight division. Boxing has another Brit to thank for that. The heavyweight division was in a deep, dark abyss before Tyson Fury dethroned Wladimir Klitschko. The win not only exploded the division into life, but it got people talking about heavyweight boxing again. The convention that the heavyweight world title is the greatest prize in sport was well gone, with the likes of Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Rocky Marciano as a distant memory. But dare I say it is on route back to re-establishing this common viewpoint once again.

This is a golden age for boxing. No doubt. Audiences in the US have doubled over the last decade and there is more boxing on now than ever before. With strong broadcasting rivalries between Matchroom and Sky and Box Nation, it’s never hard to find a great fight on the box. With plenty of amazing upcoming fighters and fights to be seen it should continue this way. From a patriotic stance, why not enjoy it when you’re at the top, the sport is great again and British fighters sit at the top of the pile, long may it continue.

Britain’s Amateur pedigree

Joe Joyce

The 30-year-old will certainly be aiming for a medal in Brazil after qualifying. The Londoner outpointed Magomedrasul Majidov – the last person to beat Anthony Joshua to confirm his spot at Rio 2016. After the victory, he performed a trademark back-flip and this could become a familiar sight.

Galal Yafai

If the caliber of his brothers are anything to go by, we can expect big things from Galal. The southpaw’s selection was somewhat of a surprise due to his inexperience but he proved his worth by qualifying. Both his brothers, Khalid and Gamal have both turned professional and are undefeated in their careers so far – (18-0) and (9-0).

Nicola Adams

The MBE is the first women to win an Olympic boxing title and she will be eager to retain her crown at the Rio Olympics. The 33-year-old is a national hero and is one of the most decorated amateurs in the sport.

British world champions

Kell Brook

(36-0) The undefeated IBF welterweight champion of the world is a special fighter. After defeating Shawn Porter to capture the world title the special one has won three easy mandatories and is on the prowl for a huge fight. His next fight will tell us all we need to know about Kell Brook and with Eddie Hearn as his promoter and some huge names in the division, we can expect an explosive fight next.

Carl Frampton

One of Britain’s best. The Jackal is undefeated (22-0) and holds the IBF super-bantamweight title. The titlist took the WBA world title of rival Scott Quigg in their domestic showdown back in in February, but has been subsequently stripped of it after refusing to face their mandatory. The Northern Irishman has a massive following and his next fight against Leo Santa Cruz up at featherweight will show the world if he really is one of the best in the business.

Tyson Fury

He needed to be mentioned. The Rings fighter of the year will be fighting Wladimir Klitschko in a rematch on July 9. After a long break Fury is back and has said he still has the motivation to go on and become one of the greats. Time will tell if that last statement becomes true but right now he is one of Britain’s many great world champions.

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Fury – Joshua | The Great and the Glorious

Posted on 04/20/2016

Fury – Joshua | The Great and the Glorious
By: Courtney Riley

Fighters work their whole lives, shedding gallons upon gallons of bodily fluids, to make their ascension to the summit of the sport by becoming the champ – the man who sits above the pile of hungry contenders who are steadily vying for their own chance at glory. Glory, however, comes from a victory in a title fight whereas greatness is attained from the actions that are taken thereafter. For instance, will the likes of Charles Martin (23-1, 21 KOs) be remembered as a ‘great’ after being dethroned in only his first title-defence to Anthony Joshua (16-0, 16 KOs)?

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Tyson Fury (25-0, 18 KOs) is the lineal world heavyweight champion. In short, he is ‘the man’ in the sport’s ‘glamour division’. He was crowned king after traveling to the champion’s backyard in Germany to claim three of the four major belts. However, it is the new titlist, Anthony Joshua, who is basking in the adoration of the public. History has shown us that winning the belt alone does not automatically win over the hearts of the public. In fact, many losing fighters have transcended to become the ‘people’s champ’. Look at Frank Bruno (40-5, 38 KOs) for example, he lost three world title challenges to Tim Witherspoon, Mike Tyson, then Lennox Lewis before finally winning the coveted WBC belt from Oliver McCall in 1995; only to lose it in his very first defence to a post-incarcerated Mike Tyson in a rematch 6 months later. Frank Bruno was (and still is) one of Britain’s favourite ever boxers – the people’s champ. So what’s the trick? Is there a secret to unlocking hearts?

Tyson Fury is the fighter who took the hard road. He claimed the English, the British, the Commonwealth, then the European titles before taking on the undisputed world heavyweight champion in Wladimir Klitschko (64-4, 53 KOs) to challenge for the World WBA, WBO, and IBF titles. He dared to be great but his glory was somewhat dampened when the IBF placed an order for him to fight their mandatory challenger in Vyacheslav Glazkov (21-1, 13 Kos). Fury was contractually bound to fight Klitschko in a rematch so could not fulfil his mandatory obligation to defend of the IBF belt. He was stripped of the title as a result. The IBF then mandated that their mandatory and their next-ranked challenger would fight each other for their vacant belt. Thus ‘Prince’ Charles Martin was born. He claimed the belt after Glazkov was forced to retire because of a twisted knee. Martin will receive no plaudit in this article for that victory.

Martin then proceeded to ‘call out’ the sweetheart of British boxing in Anthony Joshua for his first title defence. We all saw how that ended; the paper-champ flew into London and was torn to shreds inside two rounds by the same counter right hand that had floored him a few seconds earlier. He failed to beat the count after sitting down on what he proved himself to be – a bum. No credit is being taken away from Joshua though. The lad is immensely talented and has all the attributes to go on and dominate the division like a Lennox Lewis or a Wladimir Klitschko before him. He won the title in only his 16th fight after destroying all previous challengers via knock-out. The boy is a beast and is a specimen of a man. His good looks has wooed the women and his humility has resonated with the public. His events are always a sell-out and soon enough, even your momma will know his name, I can bet that your sister already does. The boy is fast becoming a household name under promoter Eddie Hearn’s guidance, but no one can justifiable call him a hype-job. It is true that he has yet to fight anyone of note, and even his world title victory was against what is quite possibly the worst heavyweight world champion that I have ever seen. But the 2012 Olympic Gold medallist can fight. He is still a learning his trade in the professional game and he has already claimed a world title after only 16 fights. That is a noteworthy achievement. Tyson Fury is a veteran in comparison even though he is only a year older than Joshua. Fury has fought much better opposition and has claimed the right to be called the legitimate world champion after his victory over Klitschko. He has a chance to banish any idea that the public may harbour about his victory in Germany being a fluke when he meets Klitschko in a rematch in July. This should pave the way for a massive unification bout for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world against the winner of the WBC title fight between Deontay Wilder (36-0, 35 KOs) and Alexander Povetkin (30-1, 22 KOs). Those big high-profile fights would generate more than enough coin to line the pockets of generations of Furys, as well as solidifying his credentials as a great among the pantheon of boxing legends. He could then go out by having an all-British showdown against Anthony Joshua to win over the hearts and minds of the British public. Joshua on the other hand, should he continue his winning ways, will have the chance to claim all the belts and turn all of is glory into greatness.

It is a fantastic new era to be a boxing fan. And I, for one, I am loving it.

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