Tag Archives: united

Posted on 03/07/2017

Breaking News: Pacquiao-Khan Fight A No Go
By: Sean Crose

It ain’t happening, folks. Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan are not going to be meeting in the boxing ring, at least not anytime soon. Talk was that the phantom superfight would go down in the Middle East this spring. What’s more, both Pacquiao and Khan announced over Twitter that they would, in fact, be facing one another. As Boxing Insider reported earlier this week, however, there was a potential air of unreality about the entire affair.

And now word arrives that the fight simply won’t be happening. ESPNs Dan Rafael writes that Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum informed ESPN “that the UAE deal for Pacquiao-Khan was dead.” UAE, which stands for United Arab Emirates, was said to be the proposed location of the hoped for megabout. What Pacquiao will do now is anyone’s guess, never mind Khan.

Pacquiao was originally supposed to face the widely unknown Jeff Horn, possibly in Horn’s homeland of Australia. That idea was clearly not in keeping with what Pacquiao wanted, however. Now that the potential of a big money dream match with Khan has morphed into a dream deferred, it will be interesting to see where things go from here.

Posted on 03/05/2017

Could Pacquiao and Khan Have Been Catfished?
By: William Holmes

Catfish Defined:

Noun: A freshwater or marine fish with whiskerlike barbels around the mouth, typically bottom-dwelling.
Verb: Lure (someone) into a relationship by means of a fictional online persona

MTV’s popular catfish television show has been on air for six years and is extremely popular and shows no signs of slowing down.

This show highlights unsuspecting and naïve romantics falling in love with an online persona that’s often being controlled by someone that is not who the victim thinks they are. The popularity of the show lies in the drama and heartbreak that is shown when the lie is ultimately revealed to the heartbroken Romeo.

The naivety of these victims is hard to believe, and the desperation of these victims makes it hard for them to see past the smoke and mirrors of an obvious con.

Which leads us to the latest talk of Manny Pacquiao facing Amir Khan in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Khan was expressed his desire to fight a big fight in the UAE since the mega fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather in 2015, and has established financial connections to that area as evident by a recent MMA gym he opened in Dubai.

When Pacquiao and Khan originally announced their fight on social media it was scheduled to take place on April 23rd, with no pay per view partner or network partnership announced.

If Pacquiao and Khan, as well as Pacquiao’s long time advisor Michael Koncz, are announcing that the parties have come to an agreement, surely an official announcement will soon follow.

But there’s one man who hasn’t confirmed the fight is official, and he’s the only man that can make it a reality.

That man is Bob Arum.

He’s gone as far as to call the reports of the fight “total and complete bu****t”. The short time to the date of an April fight would make it nearly impossible to make it with the proper promotional muscle. Reports have been put out there that the fight has since been moved back to May 20th.

But even that seems questionable. A fight in May would require Pacquiao to go back on his promise to not miss any sessions in the Filipino senate due to boxing, and Ramadan the Muslim holy month, begins on May 26th.
So why hasn’t Bob Arum given his blessing for a fight in the UAE? The likely answer is money, or the lack of guaranteed money.

When Pacquiao fought Mayweather he made an estimated career high of $120 million. But his purses since then have been decreasing in size. His third fight with Timothy Bradley netted him an estimated $20 million, and his fight with Jesse Vargas only earned him a guarantee of $4 million, with a percentage of Pay Per View Sales added on top of it. He made more than $4 million for his fight with Vargas, but nowhere near the money he made with Mayweather and still likely less than what he made for Bradley.

Pacquiao was rumored to face Jeff Horn before the talks of a fight with Khan emerged, but his purse was only reported to be a guaranteed $7 million, with an unrealistic shot at high Pay Per View sales.
Amir Khan’s value is also no longer what it used to be. It was rumored that Khan made upwards of $13 million when he fought Canelo Alvarez; but he was brutally knocked out for the third time in his career.

Many consider Khan to be damaged goods.

Khan’s financial prospects in the sport of boxing have decreased even further when his longtime rival Kell Brook officially signed to fight Errol Spence Jr.

Pacquiao’s declining value must be of great concern to him and his team, and to Arum. But Bob Arum has been one of boxing’s most successful promoters for decades for good reason: he knows how to make money, and knows the difference between a good deal and a bad one.

Much like the hopeless romantic that gets so easily suckered by a fake online profile, Khan and Pacquiao appear to be desperate in their search for another big payday.

The question remains as to who is putting up the money for this big time fight to be made in the UAE? The logistics alone of putting a major title fight in the Middle East would be extremely difficult, and the time zone difference would have a negative effect on pay per view sales.

Bob Arum is a businessman, and he knows a good deal when he sees it and is willing to jump on it if it presents itself. The guaranteed money must be missing from this deal for Arum to refute reports of the fight not being made. It’s hard to imagine Arum turning down this fight if there was real money to be made for all parties involved.

Where’s the money coming from?

Does Khan have a Middle Eastern Prince in his back pocket that’s willing to finance the fight regardless of the financial risks involved? A third party has to be involved for Khan and Pacquiao to get the guaranteed money $30 million they think they’ll receive.

Pacquiao and Khan appear to believe that this group is willing and able to guarantee the purses they seek, but until Arum announces the fight as being official…

Pacquiao and Khan might have been catfished.

Posted on 02/28/2017

Questions and Answers for Manny Pacquiao vs. Amir Khan
By: Kirk Jackson

Manny Pacquiao 59-6-2 (38 KO’s) pulled off the ultimate feint.

For months many believed the current WBO welterweight champion would square off against the relatively unknown Jeffrey Horn 16-0-1 (11 KO’s) at some point in March or April. This was set to be the first of fights in the proposed world tour Pacquiao will be conducting to finish his boxing career.
After an enormous amount of backlash – mainly from fans of boxing, the proposed showdown between Horn and Pacquiao appears to be a no-go in light of the recent announcements from both Pacquiao and Amir Khan31-4 (19 KO’s).

My team an I have agreed terms with Manny Pacquiao and his team for a super fight #pacquiaokhan#April23rd

— Amir Khan (@amirkingkhan) February 26, 2017

Horn’s promoterDean Lonergan of Duco Events, still believes the fight between his fighter and Pacquiao is a possibility amid the announcements from Pacquiao and Khan.

“I won’t believe that Jeff is not Pacquiao’s next fight until Bob Arum tells me the deal if officially off,’’ Lonergan said to Fox Sports.

Lonergan continued, “We had already moved on from April 23 in Brisbane because with Manny talking to Amir Khan there was not enough time to get a promotion done in Brisbane.”

“We’re now hopeful we can put the fight together in June or July. The whole situation is incredibly bizarre. It’s one thing for two fighters to announce that they have reached an agreement but another thing for the promotion to take place.”

Many questions loom after the announcement of this fight.

If the announcements from Pacquiao and Khan hold weight and the much anticipated bout transpires at the proposed date of April 23rd, at a location yet to be determined, one of the questions is how did this happen?

What inspired the change of heart? Was fan backlash or lack of financial retribution the reason for the collapse of the initially proposed match for Pacquiao’s entry into 2017?

Financially speaking, a bout featuring Pacquiao and Khan stands to generate more money than a fight featuring Horn from the television spectrum.

Dave Meltzer from the Wrestling Observerreported the Pay-Per-View numbers from Pacquiao’s last fight against Jessie Vargas were approximately 215,000 buys. Pacquiao’s lowest PPV numbers since he fought David Diaz back in 2008.

There wasn’t much demand for a fight with Vargas (no disrespect intended) and because of the lack of partnership with HBO for thatfight, Top Rank was left to promote the fight on their own.

Fighting Amir Khan instead of Jeffrey Horn eliminates some of the viewership problems.

Khan is a known commodity. He is coming off a PPV event with arguably boxing’s biggest star (Canelo Alvarez), and has international appeal.

Khan’s fight with Alvarez was on HBO PPV; it’s likely a fight featuring Khan and Pacquiao will broadcast on HBO PPV, the very least on HBO Championship Boxing. Although time is limited regarding promotion.

While Horn competed in the Olympic Games, Khan competed and won a silver medal. Horn is a current world title contender and multiple regional-title winner; Khan is a two-division, three time world champion.

It’s highly unlikely even the most dedicated Pacquiao and Horn fans will pay for a $60 plus PPV, especially with the lack of promotion or distribution across a major network.

On paper Pacquiao vs. Khan appears to be the better match-up; what transpires in the ring is another story in which we will not know until it unfolds.

Another question to pose, if the fight is to take place April 23rd, which is a Sunday, odd for traditional, high profile boxing bouts, where will this fight take place?

Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum, along with his financial advisor Michael Koncz mentioned fighting in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is this a real possibility?

This would make sense, with Khan as the opponent. Khan spent time in UAE in years past andhas international appeal.

It’s rumored a group in the Middle East has offered a huge sum varying from $30 million to $38 million to bring Pacquiao-Khan to UAE.

If these reports are true, there is a substantial purse, a market for the fight and it makes sense from a television/broadcast standpoint if we connect the dots.

Makes sense from a fan’s perspective as well.

Who do you want me to fight next in the UAE?

— Manny Pacquiao (@mannypacquiao) February 12, 2017

It’s a wonderful thing Pacquiao is listening to the request of his fans; fightingKhanas opposed to fighting Horn.

It could be argued Pacquiao should be commended for taking on a greater challenge and not going the safe route and facing Horn.

However, it is unfortunate we may never see the Filipino slugger/politician against arguably boxing’s best fighter, Terence Crawford 30-0 (21 KO’s).

Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, has made it no secret how dangerous he views a fight with Crawford.
“It’s not an easy fight,” said Roach. “It’s a tough fight, yes, but it’s one that we have to say yes to if that’s the only thing out there because we don’t wanna just be fighting nobodies and so forth to stay in the game.”

Crawford has a fight date towards the end of May. Maybe we’ll see the winner of Crawford’s match-up against the winner of Pacquiao-Khan, especially as it’s highly unlikely we’ll see the winner of Pacquiao-Khan against the winner of the WBC, WBA welterweight unification bout between Danny Garcia vs. Keith Thurman – due to promotional politics.

Is this the fight Khan should be making? Is this his best option?

Yes and no.

The last time we saw Khan in action, he was literally put to sleep after receiving a tremendous right hand from Alvarez in May of last of year.

Coming back to face a boxer who can still crack – albeit his power at the higher weights classes is diminished and exaggerated to an extent, still is not the wisest thing to do. Especially when coming off an 11 month layoff.

However, this is a fight Khan has begged for his entire career and this is an opportunity too grand to pass up.

Will this world tour truly signify the last run for Pacquiao? Will this world tour be comprised of a last attempt at huge financial grabsbefore Pacquiao descends completely into politics?

A series of high profile fights as opposed to the greatest challenges available? With nothing left to prove and his place in history already cemented, that may be the case.

Posted on 02/23/2017

Pacquiao Tweets He’s Negotiating With Khan
By: Sean Crose

“My team and I are in negotiations with Amir Khan for our next fight. Further announcement coming soon. #TeamPacquiao”

So tweeted Manny Pacquiao this evening , adding intrigue to what has already been a series of statements from a variety of people regarding a Pacquiao-Khan bout over the past several days. If there’s one certainty, however, is that Pacquiao-Khan would be a good match. And yeah, people would probably tune in. No, it wouldn’t bring in anything close to a million pay per view buys, but it would certainly generate some genuine interest.

Both men, after all, are fast. Exceedingly so. There’s something else at play here, though. Should they meet at the 147 pound limit, the winner of a Manny-Amir bout might help decide who the king of the welterweight division is. Seriously. It’s hard for me to see any of today’s top crop of welterweights besting Pacquiao, except maybe for Kell Brook, Errol Spence Jr…or perhaps Khan himself. Sure, Khan lost to Garcia a while back, but I think he could take Garcia in a rematch. What’s more, I feel Pacquiao would take Garcia to school. Same with Keith Thurman (except perhaps to a lesser extent than Garcia).

What people tend to forget is that Khan is an exceedingly good fighter. Yes, he has a devastatingly poor chin. We know that. You have to hit the guy, though, in order to best him. Let’s keep in mind what he was doing to Canelo Alvarez before the far bigger Canelo dusted him last year. Allow me to take things a step further: I feel Floyd Mayweather may well have avoided Khan. Believe it. It’s hard for me to see how facing Marcos Maidana made Floyd more money a few years back than a throwdown with Khan would have.

I digress, however. The truth remains that an aging Pacquiao is still a dominant Pacquiao. The man needs quality opponents, however. And Khan is certainly that. The problem, of course, is that people feel Khan is arrogant and delusional, that he truly believes he’s on par with Manny and Floyd when it comes to prestige. He’s not, and the image he’s presenting – intentionally or not – is hurting his brand in the eyes of fans. There’s something else at play here, too, though, and that’s the fact that most might want to see Manny face the likes of Bud Crawford rather than Khan. People think Manny is cherry picking at this point and Khan’s less than stellar resume these past few years may keep people from altering that opinion.

Still, this would be some kind of match, between two lightning fast, exciting pros. Indeed, I’ll go right out and say Pacquiao-Khan would make for a top level, regular broadcast HBO fight. Unfortunately, however, it would most likely appear on PPV.

Posted on 02/20/2017

Haye Haye, My My (into the Comeback)
By G.E. Simons

David Haye’s return to competitive boxing continues on 4th March with a ‘Heavyweight Feature Attraction’ against the WBC Cruiserweight world champion Tony Bellew, which will be broadcast live from London’s O2 Arena via SKY Box Office in the UK.

Haye informally retired from boxing back in November 2013 following a second withdrawal from planned fights with Tyson Fury due to a serious shoulder problem which required surgery.

In the same November, Tony Bellew suffered his second career defeat at the heavy hands of the defending Light-heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson, before a successful and still undefeated reinvention at Cruiserweight.

Mixing in solid company at the new weight Bellew has excelled with good wins over Valery Brudov, a score settler with Nathan Cleverly and Mateusz Masternak, followed by a fairy-tale knockout victory over the feared Ilunga Makabu to claim the WBC word title.

Less than a month after Bellew’s unlikely ascension to the very top of the Cruiserweight division, David Haye announced his own return to the ring, with a new trainer in Shane McGuigan and a new opponent in the shape of Croatia-based Aussie, Mark de Mori.

A quick knockout of De Mori in January 2016 was followed by a slightly more time consuming KO of second comeback opponent and Swiss import Arnold Gjergjaj who fulfilled the roll of victim with the accuracy for which Switzerland is famed.

So, from an athletic point-of-view the coming together of Haye and Bellew in 2017 has no more credibility or relevance than Conor McGregor buying Gucci silks on Rodeo Drive.

SKY is of course doing it’s best to fan the flames of the dissent that the two protagonists seem to have manufactured from somewhere, as copywriters feverishly mine the ‘war of words’, ‘bitter battle’ and ‘fierce rivalry’ seams of content provision, but with the PPV priced at £16.95 a pop they need to.

The real problem with this fight is that it means absolutely nothing from a boxing point of view and really doesn’t move the needle of either fighter’s career no matter what the outcome.

If Haye wins by KO early, late or in the middle, so what. He’s a Heavyweight with freakish power against a Cruiserweight who was knocked out at Light-heavyweight.

Of course if Haye wins, the comeback and the paydays continue and in a still splintered division he may also reclaim a portion of the Heavyweight title spoils.
If Bellew wins via any outcome, so what. Haye hasn’t had a meaningful fight since his loss to Wladimir Klitschko in Hamburg nearly six years ago, is 36 years old and has a bad shoulder.

Of course if Bellew wins, his legacy swells and he returns to Cruiserweight with a Royal Flush of options or stays amongst the big boys for the well earned payday of his life.

And there you have it, the needle that this fight does move is a fiscal one. It’s really a Catchweight, PPV opportunity for one of boxing’s recent underachievers in David Haye and one of boxing’s recent overachievers in Tony Bellew to cash in now, and for the winner especially, afterwards as well.

No one involved has shied away from the financial motivation of this scrap either and why should they.

Interestingly, at the official launch press conference back in November Haye lost his cool somewhat as he ranted in clear frustration about promotional hierarchy with Eddie Hearn who asserted, “You are working with Matchroom because you need the dough. You need the dough that’s why you’re here.”

“You’re fighting me because you’re skint.” Bellew later told Haye as the former WBA heavyweight champion continued to wind himself up and threaten his opponent with stretchers and hospital beds in-between mentions of $2m offers to Lucas Brown and Shannon Briggs copping out.

Later and looking out at them, Bellew told the Press, “This idiot has blown the lot and this is the only reason he’s fighting me. He could have fought for the Heavyweight championship of the world but he chose the money. He chose the money because he’s skint. David is broke.”

This is one Pay-per-View event that will split the fans of boxing and the fans of fighting straight down the middle, with the latter group much more likely to reach for their PIN numbers and credit cards on this occasion.

Both fighters have peaked athletically, both are British Hall of Fame worthy, both have earned the right to meet and share a PPV pot whipped up by talk of a bitter rivalry, and so it really is up to if you want to help fill the pot that these two good old warriors are going to share.

Posted on 02/13/2017

Kell Brook to defend title against Errol Spence Jr.
By: Matthew N. Becher

​While Manny Pacquiao was telling the world that he would no longer be fighting in Australia and was going to take his talents to Dubai, as well as letting twitter fans vote on the actual opponent for that fight, Kell Brook let it be known that he was ready to accept the challenge for his IBF welterweight title against the Undefeated Errol Spence Jr.

​Negotiations for the Brook v. Spence Jr. fight have been going on for quite some time now. Spence became the number one contender almost six months ago, after defeating Leonard Bundu in Coney Island, NY. Unfortunately, the fight was pushed aside, since Brook decided to take on Gennady Golovkin for the Middleweight championship in England. This wasn’t just unfortunate for Spence, who would have to wait on his shot at the IBF title, but also unfortunate for Brook, who ended up getting his orbital bone broken in the 4th round, by the champion Golovkin.

​After surgery to repair his broken face, Brook went in to negotiations with longtime rival, and fellow countryman, Amir Khan. The two should have fought already, but they still have not been able to come to an agreement on the monetary split. It seemed very close to final this time around, and again looked like Spence would be put on the back burner. Until Brook made an announcement on his Social Media page last night.

“All that work just to give it up? Never ducked a challenge in my life. Here to give the fans what they want. Errol Spence Jr. you are next”

​To be honest, this is great news for the sport. With Danny Garcia and Keith Thurman fighting to unify the division on March 4th, the second best fight to be made in the weight class would be Spence v. Brook and just like that, it will also happen this year.

​Brook should be commended for taking the challenge of a young undefeated Spence, right after coming back from facial surgery and right after fighting one of the top pound for pound fighters at a higher weight. This is definitely one that fight fans are not going to want to miss.

Posted on 02/12/2017

Breaking: Pacquiao Announces United Arab Emirates As Location For Next Fight
By: Sean Crose

“See you in UAE for my next fight. #TeamPacquiao”

So Tweeted Manny Pacquiao Saturday evening. Assuming the letters UAE stand for United Arab Emirates, rumors that the PacMan would throw down in Dubai apparently are true. For Dubai is the biggest city in UAE, and it would be nothing if not a unique location for a boxing match of note. Previously, talk around the campfire was that Pacquiao would be fighting little known Jeff Horn in Horn’s home country of Australia. If Pacquiao’s words hold true, however, the land Down Under looks to have been pushed aside.

There have, of course, been whispers that promoter Bob Arum is “cashing Pacquiao out” by giving the man less than menacing challenges and planning to have him fight in unusual locations for the attention it would bring. If Pacquiao does fight Horn in UAE, it will be hard to dismiss those whispers as mere rumors. Perhaps Pacquiao can’t find a bigger opponent than someone like Horn or previous foe Jessie Vargas, but people will be well within their rights to wonder. With that in mind, the Filipino legend has won what seem to be countless titles, essentially taken on all comers for years on end, and clearly made himself a first banner Hall of Fame inductee.

Greatness has its privileges.

Posted on 01/26/2017

Hoped For Brook-Kahn Matchup Ain’t Happening
By: Sean Crose

The truth is that many American fight fans would love to see British welterweights Kell Brook and Amir Khan throw down. In their homeland, however, a Brook-Khan bout could prove to be positively explosive (in a very good way). Unfortunately, those hoping to see the two talented Brits trading shots may be left disappointed. For, according to team Brook, the Khan camp is simply making negotiations too difficult to continue along with. Apparently, Khan feels he’s deserving of a significantly larger amount of money than Brook is. At least that’s how things are if Brook promoter Eddie Hearn is reporting the situation in a fair manner.

Truth be told, aside from a throwdown with Mayweather or Pacquiao, the biggest fight for each man is clearly against the other. Considering Brook is the IBF welterweight champion, it’s a bit silly for Khan to want a huge difference in purses. Khan, however, is Khan, and has always been aloof when it comes to Brook…or at least that’s how it’s seemed. Perhaps Khan sees himself as a top level pay per view fighter now. Or perhaps he simply wants no part of Brook. Or perhaps there’s things in play here that the public just isn’t aware of. Either way, a Khan-Brook match is now on the back burner, if not off the stove entirely.

Both Khan and Brook have recently earned fan’s high regard by truly challenging themselves against fearsome competition. Brook faced Gennady Golovkin for middleweight supremacy while Kell Brook stepped up to throw down with nominal middleweight kingpin Canelo Alvarez. Both men lost in exceedingly violent fashion, but handled themselves with enough courage and skill to earn universal nods of approval from the fight world. If the high demands Khan has reportedly made are true, however, the former Olympian’s reputation may take a trip a few rungs down the ladder.

As for Brook, he might now have to decide whether or not he wants to face his IBF mandatory, American Errol Spence Jr. To be sure, Spence may be more talented than Khan and may also end up being favored to best Brook – at least in the eyes of many observers. Indeed, Spence has appeared to be that promising. The Texan is knocking at the door and, with Khan off the table, Brook will have to ponder whether or not Spence is worth the risk/reward scenario the up and comer now represents.

Posted on 01/09/2017

Selby Defends IBF Crown Against Jon Barros With One Eye on a Unification Fight
By: Phil Oscarson

Former WBA World featherweight champion Jonathon Victor Barros (http://boxrec.com/boxer/244423) fought his way to a split decision over Satoshi Hosono in early October. Barros` 41st professional victory laid the path for a mandatory title shot against Lee Selby (http://www.premierboxingchampions.com/lee-selby) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 28th.

This will only be the third fight in the last year and half for Selby since he took ownership of the IBF belt. Selby has made good on each of his two previous title defenses – both by unanimous decision – since he snatched the IBF World featherweight belt away from Evgeny Gradovich in May of 2015. Barros seems to be all that stands in Selby’s way of big payday unification battle at some point in 2017.

Appeal of a Selby-Gradovich Rematch TKO’d
Sports book review (http://www.sportsbookreview.com/betting-sites/) was primed to set odds on a potential Selby – Gradovich rematch, but Mexico’s unbeaten Oscar Valdez erased that notion in April of last year. The undefeated Valdez hammered the Russian featherweight, winning by TKO at the 2:14 mark in the 4th round.

Boxing enthusiasts are salivating at the idea of a Valdez vs. Selby unifying title fight, but Selby must first handle the experienced Barros. The main event at the MGM in just over three weeks will throw a third belt holder in the unification conversation.

The Argentinian Has Experience
While Selby would appear to be the odds-on favorite to continue as the IBF titleholder, the Argentinean veteran has the ability to drag the fight out, maintaining a punchers chance at an upset. Selby’s only loss came nearly 8 years ago to Samir Mouneimne a high stamina fighter with a knack for taking fights the distance.

Barros built an esteemed record, undefeated with a single draw during the first 8 years of his career. With 28 victories on his card, Barros was given a shot at the WBA featherweight title in early 2010. Cuban Yuriokis Gamboa would hand Barros his first professional loss, but later that same year he would take advantage of another title opportunity, knocking out Panamanian Irving Berry in the 7th round.

Selby Criticized

Lee Selby has fought only twice in the last year and a half, albeit both were defenses of his IBF crown. Selby has weathered a barrage of criticism from the boxing world for stepping into the ring one single time in 2016.

All the critical comments from boxing experts aside, Selby might need to worry about shaking off a little rust against a seasoned fighter like Barros. While most predictions give little chance for an upset by the 32-year-old former champion, Barros has 46 fights to draw from, almost double the professional fight count of Selby.

Selby’s United Kingdom based promoter Eddie Hearn has even voiced his criticism of his fighter for only taking to the canvas twice since earning the IBF belt. Hearn’s in all honesty has a valid point since Selby has taken an extended vacation since the Welshman defended his title the second time against the Outlaw – American Eric Hunter.

Selby Eyes Frampton Unification Bout
Also looming on the featherweight horizon is another promising unification fight between the winner of January 28th main event Carl Frampton vs. Leo Santa Cruz. Selby has already voiced an interest in stepping into the ring against Frampton, but the undefeated “Jackal” must first defeat Santa Cruz a second time in less than a year. Cruz will be looking to avenge his only professional loss courtesy of Frampton in their July title fight at the Barclays Center in New York.

All indications point to the question of how decisively Lee Selby can defeat Barros, not whether Barros has much of a chance to hoist another belt. Selby should be able to win by a wide decision, laying the groundwork for some intriguing future title matchups. But, he better keep both eyes on Barros and not one on a big payday future fight, or he might end up with the second blemish on his professional fighting record.

Posted on 12/29/2016

Why Carl Frampton Is Not My Fighter Of The Year
By: Sean Crose

Okay, first things first – there’s something a bit misleading about the title of this article. The truth is that I don’t have a FIGHTER OF THE YEAR, per se. Indeed, you won’t find me listing the greatest fights, fighters, knockouts, and whatever else here at Boxing Insider. Not that I mind writers bestowing such honors. To the contrary, I often find the whole exercise fascinating. Again, though, you won’t see me engaging in it here – at least not this year. Still, I don’t feel Carl Frampton is worthy of the honor anywhere – even though I like the guy.

There’s no doubt the Irishman has had a hell of a year for himself. First, he defeated Scott Quigg for various superbantmweight titles last winter. Then , in a terrific display, the 22-0 slugger went on to defeat fellow undefeated pugilist – and WBA super world featherweight champion – Leo Santa Cruz under the bright lights of Brooklyn. Furthermore, Frampton is now set to face off against Santa Cruz again, this time in Vegas, next month. And, as a cherry to place atop the sundae, Frampton also comes across as a polite and likeable guy. To be sure, there isn’t much not to like.

Still, I can’t think of Frampton without the name of one Guillermo Rigondeaux popping into my head. To be sure, Frampton and superbantamweight Rigondeaux now operate at different weight classes. That wasn’t always the case, though. Indeed, there has been interest in having the two men meet over the years. Sadly, however, team Frampton clearly wants nothing to do with the Cuban stylist. Indeed, Sky Sports quoted Frampton’s manager, Barry McGuigan, last March referring to Guillermo as “negative.” Uh-huh. “What do we gain by fighting him?” McGuigan asked.

Perhaps not much more than a loss, Barry. Rigondeaux is exceedingly skilled, after all. Still, ducking one of the world’s top talents shouldn’t be taken lightly. Yes, Rigondeaux can be boring and no he hasn’t endeared himself to a strong fan base. What’s more, Rigondeaux may cause Frampton to lose out on future pay days, should he make Frampton look bad. Make no mistake about it, avoiding Rigondeaux is understandable, especially when one is repeatedly willing to face the likes of Santa Cruz, as Frampton is. Yet there are consequences for such actions, as well. At least there should be.

There’s no doubt that Frampton is an impressive talent. It should not be forgotten, however, that he has avoided a perhaps even greater talent on his way to earning accolades.

Posted on 12/16/2016

Chisora vs Whyte – My Fight Of The Year
By: Oz Ozkaya

Well, well, well. It has been just over 5 months since I wrote a devastatingly harsh piece on the status quo of world level heavyweight boxing, and I am saddened to say that this notion was proven once again in Saturday’s underwhelming clash between IBF world champion Anthony Joshua and challenger Eric Molina. Prior to this, the recent fight between Luis Ortiz and Malik Scott in Monaco last month had a similar effect, in addition to the dire showing between Dereck Chisora and Kubrat Pulev that we witnessed back in May. Maybe I am being a little cynical with my criticism of Joshua, after all, it’s not his fault he’s easily able to knockout the mediocre opponents that are always put in front of him!

Yet, as you recall from my last heavyweight-boxing piece, I am here to say that there may yet be some brighter days ahead. Chisora and Dillian Whyte made me very aware of this during their undercard performance on the Joshua vs Molina show. They proved me and my anti-heavyweight division rhetoric wrong in such gladiatorial fashion that the main event that followed had a near impossible task of living up to it. I can’t remember the last time such a scenario occurred in boxing.

Chisora (26-7), a now 32-year-old veteran of the sport, behaved like a human rhino in the build up to the fight – puffing a lot of steam and making a lot of noises. One scene, in particular, resulted in a table being thrown in the middle of a press conference, this resulted in Chisora being slapped with a £30,000 fine and being handed a two-year ban (suspended) by the boxing authorities. Whyte, on the contrary, was in such a chipper mood during Chisora’s meltdown that he decided to goad and excite ‘Del Boy’ further, which accumulated in bottles being thrown from all corners and trainers and coaches alike looking for a piece of the action too.

Weeks before this, unsurprisingly, Chisora and Whyte had engaged in a near “fisty cuffs” affair at a Sky presser before being separated by a rather speedy army of security. Chisora, again, the culprit on that occasion that sparked the fire by exploding a bottle of water on Whyte (excuse the reverse pun) before motioning towards him in a “ready for battle” manner. This scene only fuelled public interest for the fight; I, however, still wasn’t convinced. After all, we have been here many times before with this overly scripted WWE styled melodrama, right?

For Chisora, many (myself included) had dubbed this fight as an almost ‘last chance saloon’ at the time of its announcement. Having previously fought and lost to Wladimir Klitschko, David Haye, Tyson Fury (twice) and Kubrat Pulev at world level, it would be easy to think that there aren’t many corners left for Chisora to turn to if he were to lose this one. But, lose he did. However, this is where the story gets interesting as I believe that Chisora did just about enough to take the victory on the night. Chisora was in the best shape and form of his career. It was a big change to the overweight and out of touch character that we had seen a few times in the past.

Dillian Whyte, on the other hand, will be overjoyed to have nicked the victory on Saturday. Only a year after his spectacular matchup with Anthony Joshua at the 02 Arena in London, Whyte looks more focused and better than ever. The one thing does remain from that loss to Joshua is that Whyte is still one hard-headed machine. A number of crushing haymakers and steely uppercuts Chisora landed on him were getting beyond countable towards the end. His resilience and determination were two factors that may have earned him the victory from those two judges. The split decision really did say a lot.

After the sluggish affair that followed this firework like frenzy, you may have wished that Joshua had been billed to fight one of these two instead. There was energy, determination, resilience and desire on both sides. And although it was originally only billed as a British title fight (which the boxing board subsequently aborted following the antics of Chisora) the fight actually lived up to world title level, which is fitting considering Whyte will now be one step closer in the eliminator contest for Deontay Wilder’s WBC crown.

On the night it was during the 5th round where I believe the show really took off between Chisora and Whyte. Chisora seemed more charged up at the start bell before he wobbled Whyte with a thunderous overhead right – a punch that may well have ended another opponent.

The following round it was clear to see that the adrenaline rush had slowed Del Boy down, and it was in this period where Whyte came back with some lethal combinations of his own.

In the 8th and 9th, both Men offered some sublime boxing virtuosity, Whyte, in particular, using some great jab for jab combinations and scoring intelligently against the now deflated Chisora. However, Chisora would go on to land another huge left hook that would have led you to believe it was the beginning of the end. Whyte was again resilient and somehow hung on in.

In the 10th Chisora excelled again by appearing to have landed the punches with greater effect, and I for one was stunned at how Whyte was able to sustain such power. At this point, I had a flashback to last year when Whyte so admirably gave Joshua his longest and most difficult fight.

As the 12th came around you wondered if either fighter had any energy left in the tank, but as their determination kicked in at the start of the bell you knew that it was going to end in an appropriate style. Both men extremely sluggish, but still had enough encouragement to try for the knockdown. It wasn’t to be, and Whyte nicked it 115-113. 115-114 to the one judge who scored it 115-114 to Chisora.

The aftermath reaction of the fight just goes to show the profound effect that this match has had, with many in the boxing business and outside calling for a second fight on its own headline. I don’t usually rant and rave about a heavyweight contest in the way that I am about this one, especially as I was adamant that it was going to be a lousy fight with two over deflated heavyweight’s looking for a fast payday, it just wasn’t to be.

I do feel slightly sorry for Chisora after this one though as his record now has another unnecessary blemish following his previous loss – another split decision to the fridge sized Bulgarian, Kubrat Pulev. Whyte should be in no rush for his heavyweight title chance if and when that comes against Wilder. He and his promoter should be thinking of getting in the ring with Chisora again, using the experience gained from the win and training that little bit harder to try and beat Chisora just that little bit more convincingly.

Hopefully, this match will invigorate the rest of the heavyweight division as more fights like this are most definitely needed to keep up public interest. Far too many pointless and unappetising showdowns have left many of us looking elsewhere for that quality boxing entertainment.

Dereck and Dillian, I tip my hat to you both!

Posted on 12/13/2016

Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko Set To Meet In Heavyweight Superbout
By: Sean Crose

This April, for the first time in what seems to be a long time, a truly big heavyweight title fight will be going down. For that’s when, on the 29th of that month, IBF champ Anthony Joshua will face off against the division’s former longtime kingpin, Wladimir Klitschko. Make no mistake about it, Klitschko was nothing if not a dominant force at heavyweight for years on end. Now, though, he’s in his forties. What’s more, he lost his last bout, as well as his heavyweight crown, to the bombastic yet under-rated Tyson Fury over a year ago. Is the Ukrainian still the fighter he was? That may well be the biggest question heading into this throwdown.

For Josuha is undefeated. And, as if that weren’t enough, the man’s won each of his eighteen fights by knockout. In short, the Englishman is seen as the future of the division. Not only does he appear to have an impressive skill set, he has a statuesque physique and carries himself like a gentleman. In other words, he presents himself as the nice guy who can lay the bad boy out cold. There’s a lot of green to be found at the end of that kind of rainbow.

Yet there’s questions regarding Joshua, as well…as is can he stand the pressure of a major bout, can he deal with Klitschko’s power, and can he overcome Klitschko’s vast ring experience? To be sure, it’s the questions involved with this bout that make it so intriguing. It might be easy to write Klitschko off at this point, but that might be a mistake. Sure, Fury made him look second rate, but Fury’s bullying also got in Kltischko’s head. Joshua, on the other hand, let’s his fists do the talking for him, so mind games shouldn’t be an issue.

Promoter Eddie Hearn knows what a big deal this fight is going to be. That’s why word is already out that the match is going to sell out Wembley Stadium in London. To be sure, it’s hard to imagine a crowd showing up in April of less than 80 thousand souls. On top of all that, Dan Rafael of ESPN has tweeted that HBO and Showtime might be in a bidding war for the American television rights to the bout. When’s the last time you heard of anything like that happening?

Although Joshua-Klitschko is a thoroughly European affair between two European fighters in one of the continent’s great cities, this is a fight that should resonate here in America. For here are two of the best men in boxing’s big division, battling for dominance. Sure, there may be other heavyweight champions now, but everyone knows that the winner of this one will reign supreme over the division. Speaking of which, the former premiere weight class of the sport is looking very exciting lately, thanks very much.

This weekend alone showed terrific bouts between the likes of Dillian White and Dereck Chisora, as well as the likes of Joseph Parker and Andy Ruiz. It’s also good to keep in mind that American Deontay Wilder is swimming close to shore like a shark and that his countryman Shannon Briggs may be far from the joke some may wish he was. And then there’s Mr. Fury. Who knows what the former champ may bring to the table in the future, should he successfully slay his demons?

Things have gotten interesting.

Posted on 10/18/2016

David Haye vs Tony Bellew? There Is Only One Winner I’m Afraid
By: Oz Ozkaya

Hats off to Tony Bellew. No, really. His camp has been extremely smart and effective in the way that they’ve redefined him as a fighter, and then subsequently by moving him up to Cruiserweight after the humiliating defeat he suffered at the hands of Adonis Stevenson in Quebec, Canada, back in November 2013. Almost 3 years later, and after avenging his only other loss to Nathan Cleverly before going on to win the WBC Cruiserweight title (his first), Bellew is now in a position to make a serious name for himself, as well as some serious cash with a potential match up against David ‘Haymaker’ Haye now in the pipeline.

At present, Bellew is on an 8 fight undefeated streak where 6 of those victories have come by a way of knockout. Credit to Bellew, his career record at (28-2-1) and his recent stunning defence against BJ Flores make him look like an extremely solid bet going forward. At 33 though, he, like David Haye (36), is coming to the latter stages of his career. Still, that isn’t to say that neither of them could defy the laws of physics, reinvent their styles and become a Bernard Hopkins or an Evander Holyfield.

“I’m not going to go back down to a less-glamorous division than the one I’m in now for a loud-mouthed guy like him,” said Haye when asked about the possibility of fighting Bellew in the future. However, Bellew would much rather face Haye at cruiserweight, despite his promoter Eddie Hearn believing that if the right money is on the table then Bellew would step up no doubt. It doesn’t surprise me to here Hearn talk in such a way, particularly as both of these men have been longing for a big pay day for quite some time. Bellew did, however, manage to sell out Goodison Park in Liverpool earlier on this year when he emphatically knocked out Illungu Makabu after 3 rounds for his current WBC world title.

Regardless of the weight issue, the fight is still undoubtedly going to happen. Firstly, Haye is yet to name an opponent for his next match and with Shannon Briggs chasing him halfway across the country, to no great avail it must be said, it would appear obvious that he has been waiting for an opportunity like Bellew to come along. After his last two mediocre showdowns, where he fought opponents that nobody had ever even heard of, it would be fair to assume Haye’s loyal fans are long overdue a decent fight with a credible opponent. “A proper David Haye comeback,” some would be quick to add.

Secondly, can either of them realistically make better money anywhere else at this current moment in time? For David Haye, possibly. For Tony Bellew, no. In short, neither Cruiserweight champions Lebedev (WBA & IBF champion) and Usyk (WBO champion) hold big a enough name to be thrown into a paper view fight with Bellew. Well, maybe to a certain extent they do but not quite to the numbers that a fight with Haye would garner. We love an all-British affair over here!

For Haye, there are evidently bigger fights out there, but it seems apparent that he doesn’t believe he is ready for them just quite yet. In Haye’s mind, he knows that one more loss to a good opponent is going to be curtains for him. If he fights and beats Bellew, that sustains his career for another 6 months and keeps people guessing about his ability. This may not do him much in the divisional rankings, but in terms of stock, absolutely. Haye could have fought Wilder, Joshua, Ortiz, Browne or even the up and coming undefeated New Zealander, Joseph Parker by now if he had sought after those opportunities. However, he has been very steady. Maybe he shouldn’t be fighting, after all, he did say the Dr’s told him his shoulder was too bad to fight with after he bailed on, what were, two eagerly anticipated Tyson Fury fights.

Thirdly, and most crucially, the panache and intuition of Match Room promoter Eddie Hearn mean that he especially is definitely not going to be the one to pass up on such an opportunity. So much so, in fact, that he has already “opportunistically” booked March 4th, 2017 as a Sky Box Office date and claims Bellew-Haye would be a huge fight. Talking to the mirror.co.uk Hearn said: “Haye will be driving home [after the Bellew fight]maybe thinking ‘that’s a big fight’ as he looks on Twitter after what happened tonight, but he may want a belt instead. It would do monster business on pay-per-view. I think Tony would do it at heavyweight. I think he would look at fighting Haye rather than ‘I’ll move up and be a two-weight world champion’.” From this perspective it looks like Eddie has got all his angles covered, it will just be down to Haye’s team getting together, agreeing on figures and signing the deal that’s put in front of them.

The one thing that does throw the potential fight into doubt though is the discarded Tyson Fury’s belts after he was taken ill last week, and subsequently suspended following his cocaine shame. With Haye ranking rather highly on one of those divisional charts, there is a likelihood he may be placed in an eliminator for a future match up regarding one of the world title belts.

Back to last Saturday night, just before he got slightly over-excited in his victorious mode and started haranguing Haye who was stood at Ringside, Bellew actually produced a pretty good performance that many thought he wasn’t actually capable of. He wanted to make sure that a lot of critics and myself alike knew that he meant business. With almost a stone the difference between himself and Haye, the onus is going to be on Bellew to get into the better physical shape, as Haye will undoubtedly be the heaviest and hardest opponent he has ever before thought. With Bellew undeniably being slower and slightly less powerful than Haye, it may be up to him to find a way of bulking efficiently. Haye has much more class, experience and technique so will easily pick him off for 12 rounds if needs be.

The best way for Bellew to approach the fight with Haye will most likely have to start on the investment in camp and sparring partners. It’s an old cliché that ‘figths are won and lost in camps’ so on that advice if Bellew can get the right men in, then this will most definitely play to his advantage come that assumed fight night which is now well and truly looking likely. “I could probably beat Bellew with one punch,” said Haye, who had at first praised Bellew’s performance in the post-fight Sky interview. “I’m a heavyweight and when I hit him he will stay hit. He has no idea and he thinks that being a proper heavyweight is just about putting on a few pounds.” Haye would not be able to safely lose enough weight to fight for his old title at under 200 pounds, and that would mean Bellew coming up in weight, which only adds to Haye’s natural advantages. Only time will tell of course.

So, until that date, we shall have to wait to see what the stipulations are, where the fight is going to be and in what kind of shape they are both in come fight night. I think Haye would most likely punish him in the middle to later rounds, before going on to claim a TKO or Knockout in the closing rounds. Bellew will be most dangerous early on, as he has proved in his last two fights. It won’t be a repeat of the Chisora fight for Haye, though, and that is because largely Bellew is much more defiant, has similar height and a similar reach to that of Haye. He should be able to jab effectively and make Haye work for the victory. Nevertheless, with Haye not having really fought a “competitive” fight for (what will be) over 4 years at the time of this assumed fight, I think it is safe to say Bellew has at least some chance.

Posted on 09/26/2016

Fury Withdraws, but What Next?
By: Eric Lunger

Last year in late November, Tyson Fury shocked the boxing world by out pointing the long-reigning heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko at the Esprit Arena in Dusseldorf, Germany. It was a strange fight, with Fury taunting the champion, bobbing and jerking with his giant 6’ 9’’ frame, dropping his left had to his waist, doing everything he could to baffle Klitschko. And he did. It was a bizarre fight, not exactly a pretty one, but in its own strange way, a brilliant performance. I don’t think anyone doubted that Tyson had won.

Saturday, Tyson Fury shocked the boxing world again, this time by withdrawing from the rematch against Klitschko for a second time. In a press release, notable for its vagueness and passive voice, his camp stated that Fury “has been declared medically unfit to fight” and that unspecified “medical specialists advised that the condition is too severe to allow him to participate in the rematch.” There is no mention of what “the condition” might be. Some British media outlets began at once to speculate that the condition was a mental health issue, more specifically depression. Some have, without attribution, already alleged that Fury checked himself into a clinic, despite the fact that Fury was ringside for the Crolla vs. Linares fight on Saturday evening.

Fury has been a bizarre champion and is difficult to like. He presents an odd combination of bluster and confidence mixed with self-pity and resentment. He wears his Irish Traveller heritage with pride, but also as a source of perceived hatred and persecution. He has embarrassed himself with some homophobic, racist and anti-Semitic comments. But most baffling for American boxing fans is the Traveller aspect of Fury’s identity. Travellers are “gypsies,” or more properly Roma. The Roma originate from continental Europe while Irish Travellers arose as a separate community in Ireland. Roma and Travellers face widespread and pervasive discrimination in most of Europe, where they are stereotyped as thieves and petty criminals. Added to this mix in the person of Tyson Fury is a Pentecostal Christianity which fuels some of his more reactionary statements, about the place of women in society, for example.

All of this is not to disparage Tyson Fury or to claim to know what is going on in his mind. But it does illustrate the fact that he is not a marketable kind of champion, certainly not for the jewel of the boxing crown, the heavyweight division, and certainly not for the current climate where boxing struggles to compete with other combat sports. This brings us back to the withdrawal from the Klitschko rematch. If the fight is truly off, the next question is this: will Fury be stripped of the two belts he still holds? Then things get interesting. Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sports (who promotes Anthony Joshua, the IBF champion) told SkySports on Saturday that his team wanted the winner of the rematch, and more specifically wanted to fight Tyson Fury. Why? Pretty obvious that a unification bout between two British fighters — the odd and controversial Fury from Manchester vs. the charismatic and popular Anthony Joshua — would be a incredible fight, especially in the UK and especially for British fans.
But Hearn also tweeted on Saturday that he had already contacted the Klitschko camp on the possibility of a Klitschko vs. Joshua fight on Joshua’s open November 26th date. Wouldn’t that be interesting? Complicating matters further is that fact that the IBF mandatory opponent for Joshua is Joseph Parker (20-0, 17 KO’s) from New Zealand. Would Eddie Hearn really want to put Joshua in the ring against Klitschko, at this point in AJ’s career? He is only 26 years old, and his last two fights against an unimpressive Charles Martin (1st round TKO) and an overmatched Dominic Breazeale (7th round TKO) were certainly not world-class level.

Other questions abound. Where is Luis Ortiz? The slick and powerful Cuban southpaw may lack the visibility of the British heavyweights, but he is a dangerous opponent with 22 KO’s in 25 professional fights, has a brilliant skill set, and is fun to watch. Though Ortiz is 37 years old, he currently sits 4th on The Ring Magazine’s heavyweight ratings, one ahead of Anthony Joshua, for what that’s worth. He dismantled Bryant Jennings (19-1) in December of last year, but has had nothing but a stay-busy fight since then.

And finally, what about Deontay Wilder (37-0, 36 KO’s) who currently holds the WBC belt? The Bronze Bomber, an Olympic Bronze medalist from 2008, has only boxed twelve rounds once in his professional career, beating Bermane Stiverne in a unanimous decision in January of 2015. Wilder is powerful and athletic, but one wonders what kind of defense he has. Has he really been tested? Hailing from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Deontay would be a favorite with American fans, and his backstory is as inspirational (and genuine) as they come.

But if the center of gravity of the heavyweight division remains in the UK, American fight fans, as well as Luis Ortiz supporters, may be facing a long wait to see their men in the mix. But one thing is for sure, Tyson Fury has roiled the boxing waters once again.

Posted on 09/22/2016

Anthony Crolla vs. Jorge Linares Lightweight Title Fight Preview
By: William Holmes

On Saturday night, Anthony “Million Dollar” Crolla will face Jorge “El Nino de Oro” Linares at the Manchester Arena live at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. This bout will be televised live on AWE, A Wealth of Entertainment, and will also be shown live on the internet at www.klowedtv.com.

Photo Credit: Lawrence Lustig/Matchroom Boxing

This bout will be a unification bout in the lightweight division and will be for the WBA, WBC Diamond, and the vacant Ring Magazine Lightweight Championship.

The light heavyweight commonwealth title will be on the line on the undercard and will be between Callum Johnson and Willbeforce Shihepo. Additionally, Isaac Lowe will defend his commonwealth featherweight title against Tshifhiwa Munyai.

The following is a preview of the main event of the night.

Anthony Crolla (31-4-3) vs. Jorge Linares (40-3); WBA Lightweight Title

This is a matchup between the two top rated boxers in the lightweight division, a division that is quite frankly lacking in big time names.

Linares was once considered a future pound for pound star, but three losses by stoppage have since hurt his value. However, he’s still considered to be the best boxer by many in the lightweight division and is a three division champion.

Linares is thirty one years old and is two years older than Crolla. Linares will be giving up a half inch in height to Crolla, but has a two inch reach advantage. Linares has traveled the world to fight and has fought in locations such as Japan, Venezuela, Mexico, the United States, and England. Crolla has only fought once in the United States and has spent most of his career fighting in England.

Crolla will be fighting in front of a friendly crowd in Manchester, and this is a fact that does not escape Linares.

“I love fighting in my opponent’s back yard with all the noise that comes with it from their fans,” said Linares. “The supporters cannot get in the ring with their fighter, it’s just me and him.”

Linares won several tournaments as an amateur on the national level in Venezuela, but did not win any medals in any major international tournaments such as the world amateur championships or the Olympics. Crolla doesn’t have the amateur success of Linares, and he seems to recognize the technical prowess of Linares.

Crolla stated, “I rate Linares very highly, he’s technically brilliant. Everyone in the gym loves to watch him fight, and he’s the kind of fighter young kids should watch.” He went on further to state, “He likes to fight at his pace and I can’t allow that. I don’t want to give too much away, but I’ve got to take advantage of some weaknesses that I think I’ve seen there. I’m confident I can do that.”

Linares’ one glaring weakness is his chin. He has three losses and they have all come by KO or TKO. His losses were to Sergio Thompson, Antonio DeMarco, and an upset of the year loss to Juan Carlos Salgado. He has notable victories over the likes of Kevin Mitchell, Nihito Arakawa, Francisco Contreras, and Rocky Juarez. However, Linares has won six fights in a row and four of his past five victories have come by way of stoppage.

Crolla has four losses on his record but only one knockout loss. His losses were to Gary Sykes (twice), Derry Matthews, and Youssef Al Hamidi. He holds victories over Ismael Barroso, Darleys Perez, John Murray, and Gavin Rees.

Crolla doesn’t have the stoppage power that Linares has. Linares has stopped twenty seven of his opponents while Crolla has only stopped thirteen. Both boxers have been very active recently. Crolla fought three times in 2014, twice in 2015, and once in 2016. Linares fought twice in 2015 and three times in 2014.

If Crolla was known for his power he’d have a good chance at pulling off the upset victory. However, he is not known for stopping his opponents and he will be in the ring with a very skilled, technical boxer. If Linares’ chin can hold up, he should win a wide decision victory. But he may want to go for the stoppage since he’s fighting in Crolla’s backyard.