How Long Can 'King' Khan Reign?

Britain’s ‘Golden Boy’ Amir ‘King’ Khan(25(17-1-0) has had his fair share of his critics and still you can’t open a boxing magazine or load up a boxing website without seeing someone over keen to point out the flaws they ‘think’ they see in the young man from Bolton. The one you are going to see most often is Amir’s supposed glass jaw, largely due to the 54 second K.O he suffered to Breidis ‘Khanqueror’ Prescott(24(19)-2-0).

A loss the boxing media just won’t let Khan forget about, a loss Prescott has quite literally made his name off. Now, think of your favourite boxers, past and present, think of the boxers you regard to be the best of all time. With the exception of Joe Calzaghe, Floyd Mayweather Jnr and Rocky Marciano every name you just thought off has eatleast one loss on their record. So why is this built up as such a ‘big deal’ for Amir Khan?

Losses are part and parcel of boxing, what makes great champions is how they respond to their losses and Khan really could not of responded any better. Winning his next 7 fights against some of the best fighters his division had to offer, winning the WBA International lightweight title, WBO Inter-continental lightweight title and the WBA World Light-Welterweight title in the process.

Whereas Prescott, who got the push he earned, went on to lose two of his next three fights against IBF lightweight champ Miguel Valasquez(28(12)-3-0) and to our very own Kevin ‘The Hammer’ Mithcell(31(23)-1-0). The ‘Khanqueror’ has won his last 3 fights but you can’t hardly class his opponents as high class, having 27 losses between them.

Realistically, Khan’s first loss was the best thing that could of happened to him. Now a world champion, training at Wild Card Gym in L.A with one of the best trainers on the planet in Freddie Roach and warming up for a monster unification showdown with the IBF World Light-Welterweight champ ‘Super’ Zab Judah(41(28)-6-0).
However, still Khan get’s criticised. The marmite of the boxing world. Honestly, what more can the guy do?

People complain about fighters ducking fights or cherry-picking as it’s said, Khan seems more than willing to fight anyone anywhere and yet he is dubbed as arrogant. People say Khan is still too chinny, he soaks up the best Marcos Maidana(30(27)-2-0) has to offer yet that seems to make no odds. People demand Khan to test himself against the best, he tries to make a fight with the no.1 in the division and he’s ducking Prescott. And I guarantee you if he did sign up to fight Prescott there would be an uproar of how Khan was taking a step down in competition.
I’m sure Khan v Prescott will happen again, but once Prescott puts himself in a position to be regarded as a World Title challenger.

Amir Khan is a top class fighter, working with a top class trainer in a top class gym. After writing this I will no doubt be seen as a Khan ‘fan boy’, but I simply write it as I see it people and how I see it is people just criticising Khan simply out of habit and failing to see how good he can be for the sport. A good (potentially great) fighter trying to make some great fights, yet so many of us fail to see it because of an off night. Anyone remember the Pac-Man’s loss to Rustico Torrecampo?

If Khan can go on to beat Judah and the potentially go on to beat WBC and WBO light-welterweight champ Tim Bradley(27(11)-0-0) a lot of people could be left with a taste of feet in their mouth. Or, Judah could stop Khan and I could be left looking like another clueless amateur boxing journo. Time will tell.

DeGale Pledge’s Future to Trainer

　
　
　

Former Super Middleweight British champion James DeGale has announced his commitment to long time trainer Jim McDonell. DeGale’s pledge came after some thought and consideration following his first defeat of his professional career at the hands of George Groves.

DeGale has said McDonell has brought him so far and he would not be where he is today if it hadn’t been for Jim. So what next for DeGale?, a change of trainer would have been a bad move for DeGale in my opinion. Sometimes too much can be read into an undefeated fighter losing for the 1^st time but look in the history books, how many boxer’s managed to remain undefeated throughout their entire career?.

Take a look at how many boxer’s still slug it out for world titles with between 4 and 7 losses on their record. No doubt James DeGale needs to bounce back and bounce back he will with Mcdonell and promoter Frank Warren fighting the cause. Warren and DeGale plan a world title by the end of 2012, a reachable goal in anyone’s book.

DeGale seems to be coming to terms with the shock defeat to Groves and admits he made mistakes. In reflection James said he never threw enough punches in the first 6 rounds and allowed Groves to steal the rounds. Still wanting a rematch DeGale is going to have to fight for it and play the catch up game from here on out. Many experts believe DeGale would have the upper hand if the former stable mates (poor choice of words ‘mates’) were to meet again saying the surprise element of Groves’ tactics are no longer.

Regardless of how well Groves fought, some pundits believe George Groves is a one track fighter and will never win a world title on his own, my immediate reaction to that was “I can‘t think of any boxer that won a world title on his own“ what about their trainer, cut man and that guy that just stands on the apron pretending to be busy?. Others believe Groves will struggle on the world stage as all the top fighters have adapted his “Running style” of fighting.

James DeGale amongst others say Groves is scared of a rematch and I say scared of what?. St George beat DeGale as an amateur and again in the Professional ranks so let’s give him some credit and let us stop talking about a rematch. I am certain they will meet again but in the mean time both Groves and DeGale plan world titles in 2012/2013 which is great for British boxing. The ideal scenario would be for both fighters to be putting world titles on the line in their rematch.

Jim McDonell and Adam Booth are world class trainers and both deserve world honours for which ever boxer their in the corner of. I said before the Degale v Groves grudge match it would come down to whoever had the best camp and Adam Booth came out on top on this occasion. I also said a defeat for DeGale would do him the world of good. Now back in the Gym I’m sure it won’t belong before we see ‘Chunky’ DeGale back in the ring with a fire in his belly and a point to prove.

Not a boxer on the planet know what they are capable of until they are until they lose a fight, then they just have to think to themselves “what was all the fuss about?”.

Eddie Hearn “Barker is Ready”

Matchroom chief and one of the most talked about men in British boxing Eddie Hearn believes European Middleweight champion Darren Barker has the abilities to cause the shock of the year. Barker is set to take on Middleweight King Sergio Martinez October 1^st in the U.S.

World Boxer of the year contender Martinez is said to be firm favourite but Barker and promoter Hearn have other ideas. Matchroom Sports are one of the fastest growing promotion outfits in the UK. Pulling off fights like this and with new signings Kell Brook and the world acclaimed Carl Froch it seems Eddie Hearn’s quest to knock the likes of Frank Warren and Frank Maloney off their perch may come sooner than first thought.

29 year old Darren Barker v the Unified Middleweight champion has caused more noise on Twitter and across the internet than I can remember in recent times for a British fighter. I am aware that this site seems to be becoming some what of a Darren Barker fan site but I simply could not ignore this one.
Eddie Hearn has said “This is the fight Darren wanted because he is good against southpaws, He wont freeze and has the style to beat him”. Many would disagree but I’m with Eddie on this one. Sergio Martinez is not a natural Middleweight claimed Hearn and the Barker camp can draw confidence from the Martinez/Williams fight where Paul Williams put Martinez down.

If Darren Barker was to lose like many say he will this of course would not necessarily end Barker’s world title hopes added Hearn and will prove a great pay day for Darren having struck up a deal with HBO to host the fight. I have no doubt that Dazzling Darren will not make the trip across the Atlantic just for his cheque. Barker has a lot of respect for Martinez and has been humble thus far calling on his fans to fully get behind him on what will be the biggest fight of his career. Hall of Fame’s latest addition Julio Cesar Charvez was a name put forward to Eddie Hearn but he dismissed the thought almost immediately quoting “Julio would be too easy for Darren”

Martin Murray who fights Nick Blackwell this Saturday as part of Hatton Promotions Hat-trick weekend feels Darren Barker should become number 1 in Britain before thinking about world titles. Murray who is Ranked 4^th with the WBA says Barker should fight him to find out who is the domestic number 1 Middleweight. Martin’s words were “Never mind the world title for Darren lets find out who’s best in Britain”. Sour grapes possibly by Murray but maybe he’s starting to feel a little hard by. First Matthew Maklin refused to take up the offer to fight Murray on the Khan v McCloskey card now feels he is Britain’s number 1 but is being passed over. ‘Hitman’ Ricky Hatton has said that Martin Murray is ready to take on the world and Hatton would not hesitate to put him in the ring with anyone.

Unsurprisingly Murray backs up Hatton’s statement and says he would be WBA world champion by now but wants to become number 1 in Britain first. I applaud Murray for his commitment to the UK and amateur boxer’s coming through the ranks could pick up a thing or two. I expect an easy night on Saturday and look forward to writing about it. Will we see Barker v Murray in the future? Yes, Would Eddie Hearn turn down a Domestic battle of this stature? NO.

Everybody seems to be forgetting Darren Barker is due back in the ring July 23^rd in Essex to defend his European title. No opponent has been confirmed as of yet and unless it’s a kangaroo with boxing gloves on or a 10ft grizzly I doubt that fight will draw the same attention as the Martinez fight but nevertheless it is always worth tuning in to see Darren Barker fight, a true talent to British Boxing and top Local Boxing prospects join the bill.
For more information:
　
　
　
　www.darrenbarker.co.uk

'Jaffa' Interview on Groves

Tony Jeffries on the possible fight with George Groves, Life in L.A and eye injury. Could George Groves be the 'Mighty Makem's opponent in September?

Move over Balboa, The Real ROCKY is Coming to Town

World Boxing Council chairman Jose Sulaiman has announced that a $250,000 20ft statue of the great Rocky Marciano is to be unveiled in his home town of Brockton Massachusetts September 1^st 2012 on what would be his 89^th birthday. The statue will stand proud outside the city’s sports stadium. Plans for the design did not take much thinking over and will be sculpted around Rocky’s famous knockout punch of ’Jersey’ Joe Walcott from their World title fight in Philly 1952.

Philadelphia of course acts as home of the statue of fictional former Heavyweight champion Rocky Balboa. The Boxing movie icon on which the basis of was squarely based around ‘The Brockton Blockbuster’ and possibly gave us the closest thing we’d ever get to finding out who would win ALI or MARCIANO when Creed and Balboa’s collision set the Movie world alight.

To this day Rocky Marciano is the only Heavyweight to retire undefeated posing a 49-0 record. Jose Sulaiman told The Enterprise of Brockton that the honour is overdue, That must be the understatement of the century. How I’ve never thought about it before but Rocky Balboa gets a statue before Marciano? Surely something went a rye there. Maybe they just built the statue in Philly for the movie then afterwards thought “How are we going to shift this? Let’s just leave it here”.

Along with his perfect record Marciano holds claim to one of the most impressive knockout rates in world Boxing. 11 of his opponents did not finish the first round with six opponents failing to reach the end of round two. Personally Rocky Marciano is my favourite boxer of all time and no-one comes close to emulating what he achieved. Many will argue Ali is the best but there is nothing you could throw at me about Ali that would change my mind.

A fitting tribute to an all time great, I couldn’t write this article quick enough and nor do I want to stop writing about the one and only Rocky Marciano.
Rocky Marciano died in a plane crash on the eve of his 46^th Birthday. September 1^st 1923 - August 31^st 1969

Edwards Plans to Win Lonsdale Strap Out Right

British and Commonwealth Flyweight champion Chris Edwards hopes to set up rematch with Shinny Bayaar, the last man to beat him claiming a split decision win over the current champion. 35 year old Edwards lost his British title to Bayaar back in October 2009 and regained it this past weekend in Liverpool against name sake Paul Edwards in a highly contested domestic battle.

Shinny is a mandatory fight and one Chris can’t wait for and plans to get his revenge when they meet again.

Edwards is now a 3 time British champion at two weights and only one British title away from winning the Lonsdale strap out right

Attaining the Lonsdale for keeps is first and foremost for Chris who says European honours can wait n they will come when they come. Chris Edwards certainly is not wasting any time and a run of rematches may be on the cards after Saturday’s win over Paul Edwards was promptly questioned “Will there be a rematch?”. I’m looking forward to seeing how this turns out for Chris and I would certainly welcome another Edwards v Edwards as I scored the fight a draw.

Maragrito “Miracle” Surgery, Now Bring on Cotto

In the back end of last November experts and doctors all but signed off the career of Antonio Margarito. However 8 months on The former 3 time Welterweight world champion is back in the gym and preparing for war. After undergoing eye surgery to correct the cataract damage caused by the Pound 4 Pound king Manny Pacquiao the doctors have given the ok to Margarito to resume light training.

Miguel Cotto will be in the other corner as the two countdown the days to their highly anticipated rematch on December 3^rd. The first time Cotto met Margarito ended with a stoppage win in the 8^th round for Antonio but later was deemed to be withholding an Illegal substance in his gloves or 2glove packing” in the words of Cotto. To this day Margarito pleads his innocence.
No venue has been confirmed as of yet but Madison Square Garden seems to be front runner to play as host having originally turning down LA as a possibility.

Miguel Cotto 36-7 now fights at Light Middleweight having no competition left at Welterweight and is the current WBA Light Middleweight champion. It has been said that the fight with 38-7 Margarito will be at Light Middleweight.

Since 2008 both fighters have squared up to and suffered defeat to the hands of Pacquiao but since his defeat Miguel Cotto has won and defended his WBA crown whilst Antonio has been recovering from surgery. Antonio Maragrito has failed to win against a credible opponent since his controversial stoppage win against Cotto in July 08 and British contender Ryan Rhodes relishes the thought of a future clash with one or both of these modern day greats.

This surely is going to be war, when I man like Miguel Cotto has a grudge against you you’re in for a tough old time.

Here is some highlights to remind us of what we are in for. Enjoy

Murray Two Fights From World Glory

The UK’s number one promoter Frank Warren has spoke of his desires to take Manchester’s hottest product John Murray to the top of world boxing. Warren also stated his ambitions to do everything in his power to make sure Murray does not make the same mistakes as Amir Khan.

Frank Warren as we all know bleeds champions, when he opens his wallet a champion falls out. Warren made the careers of legendary British champions such as Prince Naseem, Ricky Hatton, future hall of famer Joe Calzaghe, Amir Khan and most recently Nathan Cleverley.

Hoping Murray follows suit and if John Murray can overcome the threat of Kevin Mitchell then Frank Warren plans a world title shot in two fights. The Mitchell v Murray scrap is being held in London as Frank claims it was the only place to sanction the fight due to the heavy demands of British this time of year. Warren wants Murray’s next fight to take place at the MEN Arena in John Murray’s home town of Manchester. Not only an almost guaranteed sell out for John but the MEN holds many a happy memory for Frank Warren, Ricky Hatton and Amir Khan both won their first world titles at the Men Arena whilst under Frank Warren.

The Kevin Mitchell fight will only be the 2^nd fight for John Murray after signing for Warren earlier this year and Warren believes we will really see what John Murray is made of. Not wasting any time Frank Warren is looking for a possible opponent for Murray in Manchester, a decision Warren will not take likely and has no plans to make it easy for Murray.

Warren also spoke of his Past champion Amir Khan and claims that King Khan’s move to America was premature and may be the cause of Khan’s flaking fan basewith many UK fans backing Zab Judah in their battle. Frank Warren tried to set up a bout between Amir Khan and John Murray some years back but according to Frank Warren King Khan would not agree with his purse. Not the first time money became the factor for Amir after refusing to respect Zab Judah’s request of a 50/50 split of TV money and the fight eventually was signed 55/44 in Khan’s favour. Warren blames Khans pursuit of money as his downfall and lead to his sharp exit from the UK.

Frank Warren said “What has Amir achieved by going to America?” “he’s never fought at Maddison Square Garden, only in the basement in front of 2000 people”. Warren has never been shy of a word to say about his former fighters, claiming WBC Super Middleweight Carl Froch will never be world class or that he never wanted to promote Matchroom Sports new boy Kell Brook after he made the switch.

Building a fan base in the UK is high on the priority list for Warren in his quest to make John Murray Manchester’s next world champion. He plans to keep Murray in the UK until he feels the time is right and has hopes of landing a world title fight in the UK for John. this will give the fans a chance to see John Murray in the flesh fighting for world honours on these shores and who knows John Murray v Amir Khan may feature in the future but don’t hold your breath, there is a list as long as my arm of fighters that want to exchange leather with Amir Khan.

Frankie’s ‘Shoot out’ With Former Blade

Unless you’ve been living in a cave or climbing Everest you will be well aware of Frankie Gavin’s up and coming fight with Curtis Woodhouse, or are you?. Back in 2009 British Boxing was Frankie or bust and the sky was the limit for the youngster from Birmingham.

Frankie Gavin was deemed as the next Amir Khan but being compared to King Khan seems to have become somewhat of a curse. Not affecting southpaw Gavin’s pursuit for professional titles but what happened to the media attention and the hype?. Frankie Gavin’s undeniable talent knows no bounds but is his style holding him back from the big time?. The Welterweight division is so promising with talent emerging world wide but is it time to move on and look elsewhere for those eye catching fighters we love so much?.
Is the sweet science changing right under our nose and are we blissfully unaware?. The world is seeming to turn a blind eye to the technically sound fighters like Amir Khan and Frankie Gavin to name but a pair. Media attention or not Frankie Gavin gets on with business as usual and quietly picks up the wins.

With the likes of Carl Froch’s success in America, David Haye’s unmistakable hatred for Wladimir Klitschko, Bernard Hopkins winning world titles at 103 years old and fresh talents in the shape of Kell Brook, Joe and John Murray, Darren barker, David Price and Billy Joe Saunders maybe there simply is not enough time in the day or enough ink in your pen to cover everything.

Next up for Gavin, ex Sheffield United footballer Curtis Woodhouse on July 16^th at Liverpool’s Echo Arena for the WBO Inter-Continental Title. Not to be taken in by Gavin’s woeful performance against Young Mutley, Curtis claims this will be the hardest fight of his life.

Curtis Woodhouse had expressed his respect for Frankie saying “you just have to look at his amateur achievements”, Gavin is Britains only amateur world championship gold medallist (David Haye won silver).
After 3 weeks training Woodhouse said he feels great “I don’t look at Gavin as unbeatable, I’m not just here to make up the numbers”.
Gavin on the other hand claims he is a cut above Curtis and expects a fairly straight forward fight.

In the Words of St George

British and Commonwealth Super Middleweight champion George Groves has had his say on the up and coming Heavyweight extravaganza. St George Groves told Sky Sports of his times spent in Miami with World champion David Haye and his thoughts of Haye‘s chances against Wladimir Klitschko.

Groves started by saying “David enjoys being the under dog and has been abroad and won titles” and fully understands why Klitschko is odds on favourite with the boxing universe stating Wladimir has been at Heavyweight for a lot longer than former Cruiserweight champion of the world Haye. David Haye is only in his 2^nd year at Heavyweight but the likes of David Ruiz and Nikoli Valuev fell to the Haymaker.

Groves briefly commented on the tactics Haye will take into the fight, without giving too much away “this is a different test from Valuev, Klitschko id a different fighter and will ask a lot of different questions but Adam Booth and David Haye put together a fantastic strategy and will be on top form”.

The game plan is always something they will be able to identify strengths and weaknesses and do the same for you opponent added Groves. David Haye sat in George Groves corner when he defeated former British super Middleweight champion James Degale after 3 months out in Miami. World champion Haye took Groves under his wing and the pair lived and trained together. Groves claimed Haye’s presence in miami was invaluable as he sat in Groves’ corner during sparring.

Groves says David Haye is in a much stronger position now then he was when he fought Ruiz, Valuev and Harrison. When asked about what the future holds and Carl Froch’s success in across the Atlantic George said “Carl’s at the top of his game” and “I need to put a lot of work in the Gym”. Hoping to be ready to step up onto the world stage this time next year Groves plan to emulate Carl Froch’s achievements and maybe land a shot at the WBC Super Middleweight champion himself.

Dream Team Dazzle for Darren

Word has it Eddie Hearn is at it again is on the brink of landing another title fight this time for European Middleweight champion Darren Barker. Hoping to land his first world title at the expense of former WBC Champ Argintine Sergio Martinez. Earlier this week Hearn and Martinez promoter Lou DiBella spoke briefly of a possible bout ans earlier this evening DiBella said "I want to beat European champion" and king martinez tweeted "let's do it". Both camps have been at the HBO head quarters since around 8:30pm and within the last few minutes it looks like a date has been penciled for October 1st, Hearn and DiBella are finalising the boring stuff like venues and purses.

This is going to be huge for Darren Barker's career and for british Boxing. certainly the toughest fight for Darren but have faith and he will become the 6th current British world champion. I will follow this up as soon as there's more news from either camp

Eyes on the Prize for Bellew, but First….

The rematch is on Tony Bellew v Ovill McKenzie. Light heavyweight Commonwealth champion Tony Bellew is once again ready for war but it is not Ovill Mckenzie on his mind. After Jurgen Brahmer pulled out of the WBO showdown with Welsh wizard Nathan Cleverley and stripped of his title, the door to the world stage opened for Bellew. It seemed the dream was about to come true for Bellew, however the boxing gods had other ideas. Unable to make the weight despite losing a stone in 24 hours seen Bellews title hopes disappear “the darkest 36 hours of my life“.

The first encounter between Bellew and Mckenzie was certainly eventful. Tony was down in the 2^nd round after a thunderous right from Ovill which on any other night against any other opponent would of seen the fight stopped there and then. Much to Bellew’s credit and fighting spirit he picked himself and recorded an 8^th round stoppage win. Tony will be well aware of McKenzie’s abilities to strike and strike hard but Tony claims he’s taken his best punches and walked through them.

Ovill McKenzie claimed Bellew was on drugs after the first fight simply due to Tony’s endurance. The chance to fight Cleverley still lives large in the memory of Bellew and is still out for Clev’s blood. A good performance against McKenzie would certainly do no harm into putting his name at the top of the pecking order for a shot at Cleverley and after the media attention from their heated press conference this potential fight would surely excite the British Boxing fans.

America Wants More of Carl froch

WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Bernard Hopkins and IBF Super Middleweight Champion Lucian Bute join the growing list of potential future opponents of super Brit WBC Super Middleweight champion Carl Froch. Bernard Hopkins seems to be the front runner should the Super 6 finalist pass the stern test That Andre ward presents. Hoping to use the Cobra’s ever growing fan base stateside B-Hop will try to tempt Froch and Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn into a Vegas show, and I don’t mean Chicago or Calamity Jane.

It’s too early to say whether Hopkins Or Brute will be high on Froch’s agenda with talented and undefeated Andre Ward posing a huge threat in the super 6 final. Many experts home and away, almost every expert in the U.S predict an easy night’s work for Ward. Are they just biased or is Andre Ward simply that good?, Probably the latter. Let’s not forget about Mikel Kessler who can boast the only Pro Boxer on the planet to get one over on Froch and you’d be mistaken if you believe Carl Froch is just going to let Kessler off the hook. Carl wants to rectify it and I think Kessler could very well be next in line no matter what the outcome of the super 6 final.

I watched Ward v Abraham twice just to make sure me eyes didn’t deceive me and quite frankly was a amazed. I immediately contacted my brother after the first time of watching and gave him a round by round run down of what I had just witnessed. Unbeknownst to me, my brother had sky+’d the fight and hadn’t got around to watching it. Just like your friend that insists of telling you the end of a movie you have not quite got around to seeing but always wanted to see.

I believe my words were “Ward fought the perfect fight”. I simply could not fault Ward and to this day I struggle to say anything negative towards him. Carl Froch however has found a loop hole in Andre Wards armour, “he’s not known as a power puncher” thanks for that Carl, now I have an angle. Carl Froch came under some criticism after his win over Glen Johnson concerning his leaky defence mainly due to his low left hand. Johnson tagged Froch with his famous over hand right more times than Cobra Carl would like to remember. However Froch never seemed troubled and came back strong every time.

Speed may be a factor for Carl but I think it’s mainly going down to be Carl’s iron chin and Ward’s lack of power. Both fighters can box 12 rounds without breaking much of a sweat but Froch is a 12 round master and has an impressive knock out record.

As for the future I understand a stadium fight for Froch in his hometown of Nottingham is high on Eddie Hearn’s wish list. Kessler fit’s the bill perfectly and should Froch v Kessler the second coming find it’s way to Nottingham’s City Ground, it will take some serious camping out to land tickets for it.

The Jury is Out on Judging game

Jokers are wild in recent boxing decisions leaving audiences around the world baffled and bemused. Not only the Boxing fans having reason to be disgruntled as the way of scoring bouts these days has raised a few eyebrows and inevitably left promoters and fighters taking another look at the script.
How should a fight be scored?. In most aspects of boxing the right and wrong ways to do things are separated by fine lines and my opinion on what is right in your opinion could be wrong. Let me try to clear things up.

In the red corner you could have a fighter with the game plan of going in to bully his opponent, be the aggressor and claim the centre of the ring. This fighter throws 70 punches in the first round but has only a 12% success rate.
In the blue corner is a fighter who plans to control the pace of the fight behind the jab and pick his openings. Using the ring well at distance but seemingly on the back foot as the aggressor comes onto to him, the guy from the blue corner only throws 56 punches but has a 18% success rate. Who wins the round for you?.
It is all down to preference, which do you prefer? An aggressive swinger and counter puncher or the more technical of fighters?, there’s no right or wrong answer. Unfortunately this is the way boxing is being scored
these days and if your favourite boxer is still standing with seconds left on the 12^th round it can be very twitchy even if you have him up by 4 rounds on your card we never know which way it’s going to go.

Point scoring is fairly simple to get your head around. Clean shots from the main face of the glove score points (knuckle area) not punches with laces also known as rabbit punches or punches around the back of the head. Body shots are scored when punches land in the body’s scoring zone ie, abdomen and ribs, not on the waist line or back. Punches landed rather than punches thrown should be but not always the telling factor. When your guy is pounding away on the other guy’s gloves yes it will get you out of your seat and wake the judges up but in reality means nothing and would not score points.

There is nothing new about questionable scoring in boxing but it seems to raising a few questions again. Carl Froch leads the protest with previously undefeated James Degale not far behind. WBC Super Middleweight champion Carl Froch has made an official complaint to the boxing hierarchy following his split decision win over Road Warrior Glen Johnson. 117-111 and 116-112 on two of the judges cards seemed about right in a closely contested battle but the Cobra’s complaint came about over the controversial 114-114 card of Japans Nobuaki Uratani. I had Froch down as 116-112 winner on my card which begs the question “what fight was Uratani watching?”.

 It is not an easy job for judges but another British boxer was left eating a bitter humble pie courtesy of the judges cards. This time the argument sides with the judges on the James Degale v George Groves grudge match as I had Degale up by two round but again it goes back to me previous statement, it goes down to which you prefer. A lot of close rounds in this classic 12 rounder which made most of the fight almost impossible to score and judges these days feel a little reluctant to score rounds as a draw. 115-115, 115-114, 115-114 was the full time score which seen George Groves come out on top.

If you want to know more about judges scoring blemishes then look no further than future Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya. A unanimous 115-113 decision win over Felix Sturm caused some concern and calculator sales went through the roof. De La Hoya did not always have such luck with the judges when a decision went against him against Sugar Shane Mosley despite having a superior punch success.

Other judges that have been under the proverbial knife for there whacky cards include Pierre Benoist for his blooper in the Sergio Martinez v Paul Williams fight with two judges scoring it 115-113 114-114 and Benoist 119-110. Jermaine Tayor v Bernard Hopkins’ 12 rounder in which Hopkins dominated the last round but judge Duane Ford somehow gave the round to Talyor which resulted in decision win.

It’s not all doom and gloom for boxing officials, sometimes they get it wrong and sometimes they get it really wrong but will it ever change and plus, what would we complain about if the officials got it right all the time?.
　

My Money Was On Edwards

What hurts more for a professional boxer; losing due to being outclassed or losing to someone because they tried harder? Ask Paul Edwards. Now 8(2)-1-0, Paul Edwards lost in his first defence of his British Flyweight Title to the tireless 35 year old Chris Edwards(16(4)-14-3). Chris has developed a ‘Journeyman’ status over the years and has experienced some real hard times throughout his career fighting previously at Super Bantamweight and Super Featherweight. Last night, however, he showed great conditioning, 11 years the senior to the previously unbeaten Paul Edwards, Chris didn’t stop bouncing and remained wide eyed all night long and never eased off for a second. There is no question Paul Edwards looked the better ‘boxer’, but the more experienced man just did more.

Paul Edwards was tipped as big prospect before this fight and the scouse man did show signs of real quality throughout. At times you would see him drop his guard and stand perfectly still, just for a split second, before leaping in with a head-seeking missile of a right uppercut. Everybody knew what was coming, even the challenger, there was just nothing he could do about it. A wonderful punch! He managed to get this off a few times throughout the fight but it just wasn’t enough in the end. Paul wanted to box but his challenger was there for a fight! Don’t get me wrong, the former Super Flyweight British title holder showed some solid fundamentals using his jab really well and cut off the ring brilliantly but the game plan was ultimately to get in his face and apply the pressure.

Paul Edwards downfall throughout the fight was the reluctance to change his approach and he seemed to tire as the later rounds ticked by. The first round went well for him and a lot of rounds were close but as I mentioned earlier the older man just did more. In the last round we seen Paul turn the aggressor and go blow-for-blow and he had the better of it. The term too little too late comes to mind which inevitably lead to people asking themselves why he didn’t try plan b a little sooner.

A great win for Chris Edwards which makes a nice boost to his resume and a disappointing first loss for Paul Edwards. I think we are going to see a lot more from Paul Edwards, I think this loss is going be a valuable lesson for him and he’s only going to come back stronger. Paul took one scorecard at 115-114 but the two read 115-113 the other way.

When September Comes, for Tony Jeffries

It is Boxing season and the best of the best are out to play as they try to make their claims both domestically and on the world stage. Perfect records are being wiped out while in the other corner fighters are notching up the W’s. each week it seems another domestic beauty is inked up and signed with more British and Commonwealth titles than your sky+ can handle. We have to think long and hard over which fights to keep in the archives.

Tony Jeffries is one of those fighters chasing down the British and Commonwealth straps. Now training in LA at the Rock Gym the ‘Mighty Makam’ is said to be in the best shape of his career. Sunderland born Jeffries’ commitment to boxing can never be questioned since he first took to the pads at the age of ten and claimed the BBC north east sports personality of the year in 08 following his Olympic bronze medal representing Great Britain alongside Heavyweight British title contender David Price and former British Super Middleweight champion James Degale.

World renowned trainer Tommy Brooks took up the role of training Jeffries whilst in the states. Brooks is certainly no stranger to Success and is most likely remembered as Evander Holyfield’s trainer. Of course there are other clients you might recognise on Tommy Brooks CV, Mike Tyson, Larry Donald and both the Klitschko’s.

Having been out the ring for some time now you can imagine Tony’s getting itchy gloves seemingly watching the rest of the boxing world slug it out. There was a glimpse of hope when Amir Khan announced his fight with Zab Judah in Vegas this July with Jeffries putting the hours in the Gym and already in America it seemed the perfect opportunity to land a fight himself. Low and behold boxing politics shown it’s ugly head and certain contracts with TV broadcasters it was deemed unreasonable to put Jeffries on the card.

The light at the end of the tunnel. Tony’s promoter Frank Maloney has been given an opening from Sky Sports this September. No date or opponent has been confirmed but surely it is just formality now. I understand a possible showdown with British and Commonwealth Super Middleweight champion George Groves could be on the cards after both camps said they would be interested in the fight. It has all gone a little quiet but I would not doubt Maloney landing a huge fight for Jeffries.

Tony Jeffries has one of the biggest followings in British boxing and also one of the most loyal of Professionals. You can find Tony on twitter and facebook most days replying to his fans. Over 17,500 fans follower his facebook. Tony Jeffries longs for titles and can boast (not that he will) having 18 times more followers than WBO Super Featherweight champion Ricky Burns and 4,000 more followers than WBO Light Heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverley on twitter So, bring on the fights and the fans will follow.

Tony owns the Olympian Gym in his home town of Sunderland with father Phil where North East boxing hopefuls hope to reach the same heights as their local hero. Together with father/Pro Trainer Phil Jeffries the Olympian hold Charity boxing events for Team George. If you have read this then you can do a lot worse than follow team George on twitter. @_TeamGeorge

The future’s bright, the future’s Chunky?

Since losing the controversial British and Commonwealth winner takes all bout against Adam Booth’s grappler George Groves, Super Middleweight contender James Degale has been away collecting his thoughts on a got, got, need basis like that kid at school with the last sticker you need for your sticker book.

Degale’s got the talent, got the athleticism, need to bounce back. George Groves took than the British and Commonwealth titles home with him but possibly more importantly he took ‘Chunky’s 0 on that unforgettable night at the 02 arena.

Despite being on the wrong end of split decision the road does not enf here for Degale. Back from holiday and back in the Gym 10-1 Degale has introduced the Xbox Kinect’s boxing game to his training programme. Not a bad way to relax and take your mind off boxing, playing a boxing game. Frank Warren was told by the boxing council that Degale will not receive a rematch with Groves so must put this disappointment behind him and look to rebuild his career after his first professional defeat. If boxing history has taught us anything it is that your 0 in going to go sooner or later. Think of it like the chicken pox, it’s good to get it out of the way. Draw inspiration from the likes of Carl Froch and Amir khan who claimed world honours after losing their perfect record. In Carl’s case he regained his title in the very next fight, granted it was vacated but I’m trying to stay positive.

Nigel Benn has told SunSport “for me the fight was flat, when people pay that kind of money you can’t dance around and do all that kind of stuff”. the fans for me were very much in Groves’ corner and after a 12 round thriller I’m sure they’d be more than happy to pay to see it all again. Not forgetting of course Nathan Cleverley defending his newly acclaimed WBO Light Heavyweight title in style and the performance of young prospect Billy Joe Saunders proving his broken wrist is a thing of the past. Boxing fans could have asked for a better nights entertainment. In hindsight James Degale can still set his sights on more titles and losing his first fight could be a blessing in disguise for the Olympic gold medalist and a future clash with George Groves could be on the cards, only Chunky is now forced to work for it and work for it he will.

THE HAND OF PRICE

David Price made light work of pal Tom Dallas. After a good paced first round it looked like David Price might be taken the distance for only the 3^rd time since turning Pro. The first round both guys landed good jabs and there was nothing between them until Price landed a good left hand and followed it up with a jab keeping Dallas exactly where he wanted him. Dallas landed some good jabs of his own but a lot of his work never got much further than the gloves of Price. After a tasty first round I thought “this is what I’ve waited for” then before I knew it that famous right hand done it again. Much like the Butler fight David’s right hand sends 6ft 6 Dallas crashing to the canvas and shatters my 8^th round prediction.

The press and disgruntled fans will surely express that Tom could have got up and he just took the fight for a good pay day, I hope the British public will just congratulate Price on another KO win.
Price told sky sports after the fight “It took guts for Tom to take the fight at such short notice” and when asked about that right hand he replied “There’s nothing new about it, it would possibly take out any fighter in the world”. Frank Maloney represents both fighters and said this is not the end of the line for Tom, “Tom will be back”, he also added “it’s a great result for David” and made claims that Pricey is the best Heavyweight in Britain bar David Haye. Tom Dallas briefly Spoke to sky and said he has no regrets about taking the fight and would fight price again tomorrow, “I’ll fight anyone” he stated. I was not too impressed by Dallas when he fought Zak Page and really should not be too impressed from tonight but I respect him a lot more. Every fighter has that patch in their career when things just don’t go their way and it’s good to get it out the way early. John McDermott is Next up for Price (again) for the “real” British and Commonwealth title eliminator should we expect much of the same from Price?

My Scorecard for this Live Saturday Fight Night was 10/9 in favour of Price, anyone have anything different?.