Yeah I agree Ron, he does get hit a bit and who knows if he has a chin? And as you inferred, he hasn't fought anyone of note yet. The man he fought there had a 16-0 record from memory, but he didn't really want any of the pressure supplied by Akhmedov. As for this IBO Title he'll fight for, it's of little note. And I suspect he got the shot at the title because he's close to Golovkin who's been a great supporter of the IBO. His opponent for this vacant title is a bloke named Carlos Gongora who has a record of 18-0 with 13 kos, but the people he's fought have been pitiful. According to BoxRec, Gongora is rated No 66 in the world while Akhmedov is No19. One of the things that impressed my was the way he cuts off the ring. It reminded my of his mate GGG. It's a lesson he learned well. I think Ali Akhmedov should prove too strong for the left handed Gongora. Should he win, I imagine he'll jump a little in the WBC & WBO rankings.
Oh my God, I've just had a peek at the Callum Smith - John Ryder bout. It looks as though Smith is in for a world of hurt against Canelo Alvarez this weekend at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. With Ryder having no problems finding his string bean torso, I can only shudder at what awaits him at the hands of the pound for pound great. Just thinking about the brutal bashing the poor bastard is going to have to endure, is heart breaking. But is it enough to stop me from making a buck on the back of his misery? I have empathy and compassion for Callum, but does my pursuit of filthy lucre override my affinity for my fellow man and present me as some kind of callous prick? Yep, I guess it does! Lump it all on Alvarez at 2-9. It's stealing money.
I love the sport of boxing, but sometimes it's downright cruel. Saturday 19 December at the Alamodome in Texas.
Here's an interesting article on where Anthony Joshua's career may be heading. A stand out quote from the piece that caught my eye was the following. “258 Management [his management company] are reaching out to MTK Global and Frank Warren, Tyson Fury’s management team, so we can start having conversations about the logistics and exactly what it will take to make this fight happen, I want to just get in there and fight. I want to be known as someone who is a true warrior to this sport. How close are we? I promise you conversations are happening. We’re definitely looking at the landscape. But until you hear it from me, don’t buy into anything.” Maybe Joshua is beginning to outgrow Eddie Hearn. https://inews.co.uk/sport/boxing/anthony-joshua-tyson-fury-news-eddie-hearn-806174?ITO=newsnow
As with most pastimes, Covid19 has hit boxing big time. In a recent interview with Barbershop Conversations, Bob Arum has mentioned the PPV numbers of some of the latest fights. They look pretty grim. Long gone are the massive million plus buys of yesteryear. Professional Boxing Champions staged a world title double last September where 154-pound champion Jermell Charlo and his twin brother WBC middleweight titlist Jermall Charlo put there belts on the line. The reported PPV numbers were somewhere around the 100,000 to 120,000 mark. The October 31st clash between Gervonta Davis and Leo Santa Cruz pulled 200,000 to 225,000 buys. Spence v Garcia pulled 250,000.
The news i've woken up to this morning is that Marvin Hagler has passed away at the age 66. What a fighter this man was. Around in an era where the best fought the best. Duran, Hearns, Leonard, Hagler. You can't talk about one without mentioning the others. They are forever connected by their battles in the ring. If people haven't already done so, i'd highly recommend reading Four Kings by George Kimball. The word legend is thrown about so easily but it really does apply to this man and if he isn't on the list when discussing the best ever or greatest champion then its a pretty ****ty list. His last fight was with Sugar Ray Leonard and has divided opinion for the last 30+ years. Hagler himself was so disgusted with the decision he never fought again. Sad sad day for the Boxing world. Rest In Peace Marvellous Marvin.
Very sad news. Easily my favourite MW ever.An absolute wrecking machine in his prime. His training sessions were the the stuff of legend . He was utterley relentless in the ring and to go 12 rounds with him would be your worst ever nightmare. His fight against Tommy was incredible. Would carve through todays middleweights with ease. He always wanted to see one MW undisputed champion before he died. Shame he never got to see it
Its been rumoured that Eddie Hearn and Matchroom have signed a massive deal with DAZN and are leaving Sky. This could be the end of boxing on Sky. Dillian Whyte and Anthony Joshua aren't part of the deal which likely means that they're staying with Matchroom but rights to show their fights will likely be going to the highest bidder. On a side not where the **** is Cyc??
I can't abide SKY boxing and their banal commentators. I watch most fights on DAZN and HBO anyway. Yeh where is the old timer ? I hope he is OK.
Having sailed pretty close to the wind myself in the past 12 months, I've left instructions for my offspring, to log in as me if I'm brown bread, and let you all know. No flowers or statues please
These boxing exhibition fights need to stop. It's just ridiculous. Roy Jones Jr has said he's potentially having one with Glen McCrory or Joe Calzaghe. And Lennox Lewis has confirmed that he's in talks with Tyson over one too.