CANELO KHAN WHEN & COLLIDE PEOPLE WILL TALK ABOUT ME, A GREAT LEGEND CANELO ALVAREZ I HAVE NEVER BEEN THIS FOCUSED BEFORE AMIR KHAN

Transcription

1 CANELO-KHAN SOUVENIR SPECIAL WHEN & COLLIDE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS WITH BOTH FIGHTERS + EXPERT ANALYSIS & IN-DEPTH PREVIEW MAY Every week THE WORLD S BEST FIGHT MAGAZINE PEOPLE WILL TALK ABOUT ME, A GREAT LEGEND CANELO ALVAREZ CANELO KHAN Las Vegas readies itself for a mouth-watering megafight 3.49 VOL. 72 NO. 18 I HAVE NEVER BEEN THIS FOCUSED BEFORE AMIR KHAN

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3 Contents May 5, ONE GIANT LEAP We preview Amir Khan s challenge to Canelo Alvarez HIGHLIGHTS >> 12 BETTER CALL SAUL Canelo reveals to us how he will crush his English rival s dreams >> 14 KHANQUEST? Amir tells us exclusively why he is the man to unseat a Mexican hero >> 20 CROLLA-BARROSO Ace prognosticator Paul Wheeler picks a winner in a dangerous defence >> 28 DeGALE-MEDINA Chunky continues his overseas tour with a win, while Jack and Bute draw DOWNLOAD OUR APP TODAY For more details visit Photos: HOGAN PHOTOS/GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS & ACTION IMAGES/LEE SMITH 20 HIGHLIGHTS >> 4 EDITOR S LETTER Khan is to be admired, not slated >> 5 GUEST COLUMN Tyson Fury on his plan to emigrate >> 10 GUESS WHO S BACK Scott Quigg looks likely to return in September across The Pond >> 22 PULEV-CHISORA Their vacant European title clash with so much more at stake analysed >> 32 WALSHES RUN RIOT While Hughie gets a frustrating end >> 40 STARS ARE BORN The final stages of the Elite National tournament, from ringside >> SECOND INTERVIEW I MAY BE 32 YEARS OLD, BUT I M AT A HIGH SCHOOL GRADE THREE LEVEL Katsunari Takayama MAY 5, 2016 l BOXING NEWS l 3

4 EDITOR S LETTER Photo: ACTION IMAGES/ANDREW COULDRIDGE LONG TIME COMING: Khan has finally nailed down a marquee fight Cover photography GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS Coming next week WE report from ringside in Las Vegas as Amir Khan jumps up two weight classes to challenge Canelo Alvarez in the year's biggest fight so far. THE GAMBLER Khan is rolling the dice against Alvarez and deserves nothing but respect for doing so E Matt Editor VERY time I write anything remotely positive about Amir Khan I get a creepy and venomous letter through the post. It s always handwritten, and it s always anonymous. Various words are underlined with such force it would not be a surprise to learn that the writer has a pen in one hand, and a gun in the other. The hatred towards Khan and myself for the presumed support is obvious in every sentence. Quite what possesses people to do this kind of thing is probably best left unknown, but this mystery person s latest correspondence centred on the notion that Khan accepting the Saul Alvarez fight was further evidence that he s running scared of Kell Brook that Khan knew a loss to Brook would ruin his reputation, whereas a loss to the Mexican would not. Frankly, such a notion isn t worth the paper it s written on. Khan doesn t think about losing. He believes that he can beat anyone including Alvarez, and Brook in and around his weight class. Whether or not you agree is another matter entirely, and for what it s worth I don t, but when a fighter has that level of confidence, they should be taken seriously. He can write off each of his defeats as flukes, and move on. Few boxers emerge from a loss with the bloody-mindedness that Khan exhibited after each of his. KHAN BELIEVES HE CAN BEAT ANYONE AROUND HIS WEIGHT Khan has waited all his life for Saturday night s showdown. He wants to go down in history as an all-time great, and has craved a contest of this magnitude since he turned professional on the back of his 2004 Olympic silver medal. Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao toyed with Amir s overt desperation to face them before they retired. Khan wanted those two because they were widely recognised as the best of his generation. Sure, the money involved in fighting either would have been motivation too, but ultimately he wanted and still wants the chance to prove he belongs at the very top. That desire manifests itself in almost every bout. When he s tagged he ll fire back, when he feels a round is slipping away, he ll take unnecessary risks to claw back the deficit. A gambler both in the ring and on the negotiating table, Khan neglected to include a rematch clause in the contract prior to his 2011 loss to Lamont Peterson hosted in Washington, D.C, where Peterson was born because he was so certain he d win. And against Alvarez, there is no rehydration clause in place, meaning the naturally bigger Mexican could be at least 15lbs heavier on the night. Khan does not care. He is convinced he will be stronger, and he s adamant that he s about to hit the jackpot. Whatever happens on Saturday night, Khan, while chasing his dream, has always had the balls to stand up and be counted unlike the sender of the handwritten letter I ll receive next week. Follow us and keep up to BoxingNewsOnline TYSON FURY S astonishing performance at the Manchester press conference for his sequel with Wladimir Klitschko is the only time I can remember a champion being so open about their poor condition. It seems certain he ll be in markedly better shape come July 9, but the Englishman unleashing his gut has made many believe that he is on course to lose the rematch, when not so long ago most were united in their belief Tyson would win again. Fury thrived as the underdog first time round, and hasn t always appeared comfortable in his new role as leader. Just hours after the presser, one major bookmaker replaced Fury with Klitschko as the favourite to win their return. Fury is no fool, and his latest antics might well have been a tactic to spur himself into action, as much as an attempt to kid Klitschko into thinking it will be easier second time round. Only time will tell of course, but Fury s bloated stomach has somehow made the return even more interesting. THERE will also be an extensive report from Manchester as Anthony Crolla puts his WBA lightweight belt on the line against dangerous Ismael Barroso. ANTHONY JOSHUA S first IBF heavyweight title challenger, Dominic Breazeale, talks to us about the imposing task ahead of him on June 25. WE preview the big show in Cardiff as Lee Haskins defends his world belt, and Andrew Selby steps up. AVAILABLE to download via itunes and Google Play from May 10, and the print edition is in stores on May BOXING NEWS MAY 5,

5 GUEST COLUMN THIS IS GOODBYE I ll leave the UK for America after the Wladimir Klitschko rematch Photo: ACTION IMAGES/REUTERS/WOLFGANG RATTAY BOXINGNEWSONLINE.NET WHAT S HOT ON OUR WEBSITE... CANELO-KHAN HUB All the latest from the Canelo-Khan fight week, plus the live blog of their super showdown AMIR FORMALITY? Ahead of his big night, Khan talks about his burgeoning power and the challenge ahead I Tyson Fury World heavyweight king VE no interest in anything anybody says, sticks and stones isn t it? Words can t hurt me, can they? Whether I m fit to be champion or not is irrelevant because I beat Wladimir Klitschko on the night, didn t I? He must have been a mouse if I was a rat. I ve no idea if I ve beaten him psychologically and it s none of my concern to be honest. The delay in making the rematch has given me more time to have more fun and put more weight on, get more drunk and that s it really enjoy myself, which I work to do. He can try and knock me out this time. We ll find out on July 9. If I m fit, I m fit and if I m not, I m not. There we are. Hopefully he ll do me a favour and put my lights out, if he s any good. Because clearly I m not that good. That s why I m the unified champion of the world and beat the champion who d reigned for 11 years. Pretty bad, aren t I? All that matters is when we get in there and execute the game plan. Whoever s got the best game plan wins the fight, if you re good enough. I ve still got the IBF title because I never lost it. Whichever one s floating around is a replica. I own the original. So enough said on that subject. THE RETURN: Fury [right] promotes his rematch with Klitschko I m not accepted in this country because I m a Gypsy and that s it. And I ll always be a Gypsy, I ll never change. I ll always be fat, I ll always be white and that s it. This country s been waiting for me for 120 years. I finally arrived and I m a bum. I m moving out the country anyway, I m moving to America where champions are properly thought of and people have a better life anyway. I m going to move to Los Angeles, where people admire success, the big talk and all the bulls*** that I do. So what s the point of staying somewhere where they don t like what you re doing? So why not go to somewhere where they embrace it and love it? I was made for America. This will be my last fight in the UK I think, the Klitschko fight, get past him and I m away over there. I m going to probably be based in California and fight in Las Vegas or New York. I find a lot more love over there than I do here. We know America s notorious for adopting foreign sons and every Brit that ever wants to make it in life has to go to America. The day I beat Steve Cunningham in New York that was the day I knew I was going to be the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world because if I can make it there, I can make it anywhere. I m the Gypsy King, the Gypsy warrior, I ll always be that person and the British public don t like that. I m not your average Joe, yes man, I m a real person. God knows me and my wife knows me and my family knows me and that s it. The rest, I m not interested. I m going to go where millionaires are welcome and let s face it people, I m a millionaire now so that s where I m going. MAYWEATHER Legendary Floyd talks about what it would take to bring him back to boxing DeGALE REACTION How does Chunky feel about the Porky Medina victory? He tells our man in Washington SUBSCRIBE today and get 5ISSUES FOR FREE call quote BN5IM114 or visit BOXINGNEWSONLINE.NET I BEAT THE CHAMPION WHO D REIGNED FOR 11 YEARS. PRETTY BAD, AREN T I? MAY 5, 2016 BOXING NEWS 5

6 OPINION Fans, fighters and pundits all have their say ON ON FACEBOOK Bank Holiday Sunday! May 29th WBC World v Makabu. Be a part of history. Trainer DAVE COLDWELL confirms the news that his charge, Tony Bellew, will get his dream world title fight against Ilunga Makabu at Goodison Great meeting just now - exciting news coming soon in the UK. EDDIE HEARN teases news about a potential team tournament between his and Floyd Mayweather s Where are we doing Vegas or London? IBF supermiddleweight champion JAMES DeGALE proposes two possible locations for his planned unification fight with WBC king Badou Just a few more days... #May7th #CaneloKhan. CANELO ALVAREZ is an excited man ahead of his fascinating clash with Amir Khan in Las I set off today for what promises to be a very hard eight-week training camp, this will be my best fight, then I ll retire, 100 per cent. Heavyweight king TYSON FURY claims he will walk away from the sport after his July 9 rematch with Wladimir Klitschko. LETTER OF THE WEEK SAFETY IN BOXING IT was fantastic seeing pictures of Nick Blackwell up and around and looking in great spirits recently. I was ringside in London back when Michael Watson twice fought Chris Eubank in Just like Nick, the incredible athlete Watson suffered a terribly unfortunate injury in his second fight with Eubank. Yet ever since Michael s plight, the British Boxing Board of Control have sought to improve safety in boxing as much as possible. I remember the impeccable John Morris, Simon Block et al spearheading measures for safety at ringside. I hope Nick makes a full and complete recovery and somehow stays employed in the sport he clearly loves. In conclusion, thank you to everyone involved in British boxing administration for seeking to keep boxers as safe as possible. Mike Hills, Glenwood Springs, Colorado SCORECARDS SHOULD BE PUBLIC IN response to David Hibbert s letter in the April 21 issue about debatable decisions, I ve always believed that the judges scorecards should be made public after every round. This might get the judges to show more sense, and they d certainly be compelled to explain controversial decisions afterwards. I d also like to add to your list of boxing s most notable offspring, featured in the same issue. Jack London and his son Brian London were both British and Commonwealth heavyweight champions. As for the recent spate of positive drug tests in the sport, I reiterate my advice that all boxers should read No Man Photo: AMBER SEARLS/USA TODAY SPORTS WE ASKED... NOT ENOUGH: Bute [right] fights hard but readers feel Jack deserved to win Photo: ACTION IMAGES/ADAM HOLT ON THE MEND: Blackwell s recovery illustrates the safety improvements in the UK Stands Alone: The True Story of Barney Ross. If that doesn t put them off, then nothing will. Mark Taha, London CARDLE-DODD DEBATE UPON reading your news piece in the April 21 issue, entitled Judge the judges, I was disappointed that the British Boxing Board of Control s Robert Smith would make, in my opinion, such inflammatory comments regarding the opinion of Sean Dodd s manager, Steve Wood, on the controversial scoring of the Dodd-Scott Cardle rematch. SEAN PINDER No, I think both champions deserve to progress and Badou Jack can probably feel a bit aggrieved to only get a draw; although Bute did well, even he knew that was the case. James DeGale wasn t at the races and was still by far and away the better fighter. He let Medina look better than he should have, but Medina was punching air most of the time. As the BBBoC General Secretary, I believe Mr Smith should be aiming to take the heat out of the situation and perhaps offer a conciliatory tone on Mr Wood s opinion, not make such statements as I would expect him to say that he s Dodd s manager after all. I feel that this comment from Mr Smith only serves to invite further response from Mr Wood, and he could have chosen his words more carefully. Craig Scott, Four Crosses N.B. Smith did also state in the article that if Mr Wood wants to put in a complaint we ll obviously look at it. AFTER THE QUESTIONABLE JUDGING IN WASHINGTON, DO LUCIAN BUTE AND ROGELIO MEDINA DESERVE REMATCHES? CHRIS SMALLMAN Nope! DeGale won fair and square, showing glimpses of brilliance. He still isn t the finished article and if he can push on and finish a fight when he is on top then he becomes the complete fighter. GARY McLEISH 100 per cent no. Both relatively close fights but I don t think you can make a case for either of them winning. 6 l BOXING NEWS l MAY 5,

7 ON INSTAGRAM boxingnewsonline POST Boxing News Letters, 30 Cannon St, London, EC4M 6YJ HEAD-2-HEAD STEPHEN SMITH vs LIAM WALSH Who wins this exciting clash of superfeatherweights and why? TOMMY SIMMONS I d favour Walsh to gain a stoppage after eight rounds. Can t see it ever happening though, with them being with rival promoters. ADAM JENNINGS Smith, but it would be a dead close fight. DAVID SHIELDS Would be a great fight, feel Walsh would get the decision. WILL BROWN Smith on points. GREG BULMAN Walsh is criminally underrated. Smith would not be able to cope with the power. LOUIS HYLANDS Class fight this would be, too close to call I think. Draw. LUKE PATTERSON Close fight. I think Walsh by decision. ALAN BRIGHTWELL Smith on points. DAMIAN KNOWLES Liam would take him out in the later rounds. CALLUM RUDGE Walsh. Too fresh, varied and rangy for Smith, who is straight up and down, no special effects. THE PANEL Lewis Pettitt British featherweight Have unbelievable speed and not get caught for 12 rounds. He has the speed but I don t think he can keep away from Canelo for 12 rounds. WHAT MUST AMIR KHAN DO TO BEAT CANELO ALVAREZ? KUBRAT PULEV VS DERECK CHISORA: WHO WINS AND WHY? Lewis Pettitt British featherweight Pulev. Chisora s above domestic level but I don t think he s a worldlevel fighter, whereas Pulev is certainly at that world level. Paul McCloskey Former Khan opponent He needs to try and outbox him, not get involved at all. Keep it long. But Canelo is an excellent fighter, and a good boxer, and I see him winning. Paul McCloskey Former Khan opponent Chisora s got a lot of miles on the clock, he s been in some tought fights. Pulev s got that amateur background and with his style, I just think it ll be a really tough night for Dereck. Pulev wins. Bradley Skeete British & C wealth champ His speed is the key for him, he has to have fast hands and fast feet and make sure he sticks to the game plan. But I don t think he can do it. Bradley Skeete British & C wealth champ Chisora s fought a bit like a journeyman in his past few fights. If he s on his game it could be good, but I don t see him winning. Ryan Rhodes Former Canelo opponent He has to not get hit for 12 rounds! He has to use his head movement and speed but I can t see him winning. Canelo is very, very fast himself. Ryan Rhodes Former Canelo opponent Pulev s been operating at that level for a while now and Chisora s not been as active. I think Pulev will win on points. CHISORA S GOT A LOT OF MILES ON THE CLOCK, BEEN IN TOUGH FIGHTS 10 COUNT FIRST UP George Gigney lists some notable maiden heavyweight title defences 1. MUHAMMAD ALI V SONNY LISTON After shocking the world against Liston, Ali defended his title in an immediate rematch, uncorking the infamous Phantom punch to knock Liston out in the first round. 2. MAX BAER V JIM BRADDOCK Baer was a heavy favourite against Braddock, but fought listlessly and dropped a 15-round decision. 3. TONY TUCKER V MIKE TYSON Tucker elected to face then-wba and WBC champion Tyson straight after winning the IBF strap from James Buster Douglas. Tyson won a 12-round decision to become the undisputed champion. 4. LENNOX LEWIS V FRANK BRUNO Lewis made history by defending his WBC title against a fellow British-born fighter, cancelling out Frank s strong start by stopping him in seven. 5. MIKE TYSON V JAMES SMITH After wrenching the WBC title from Trevor Berbick, Tyson added the WBA belt to his haul by outpointing Bonecrusher Smith over FRANK BRUNO V MIKE TYSON After finally winning a world title, Bruno lost it immediately to a rampaging Tyson inside three rounds. 7. ROCKY MARCIANO V JERSEY JOE WALCOTT Marciano won the title from Walcott in one of the greatest fights of all time, then knocked Joe out in a round in their immediate rematch. 8. HERBIE HIDE V RIDDICK BOWE Hide relinquished his WBO title to Bowe in Las Vegas when he was stopped in six rounds. 9. JERSEY JOE WALCOTT V EZZARD CHARLES After taking the title from Charles in a barnburner, Walcott successfully defended in much less dramatic fashion to end their trilogy of fights with a 15-round decision. 10. WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO V DERRICK JEFFERSON Klitschko hammered the grossly overmatched Jefferson in two rounds for the maiden defence of his WBO strap. MAY 5, 2016 l BOXING NEWS l 7

8 THE WEEKWhat s been going on in the boxing world over the last seven days TRENDING #FURYKLITSCHKO2 / #DIRRELLBROTHERS / #FLOYDMAYWEATHER / #LETSGOCHAMP Photo: ACTION IMAGES/JASON CAIRNDUFF BULLISH: Klitschko comes out swinging, verbally WLAD S BELLY-FULL WEDNESDAY April 27, 2016 WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO, usually calmness personified, telling Tyson Fury to f*** off is the most shocking development of the day until the Englishman unveils his swollen gut. It s another memorable press conference between the pair, this time at the Manchester Arena which will host their July 9 sequel. There are many people out there that are looking forward to having a champion that represents the sport in a certain way, in a good way, and also myself, that I can look up to and say, You know what, he did a great job, I m okay with that, Klitschko says. Referring to Fury s outspoken nature, he says, I m not okay with that. What comes out of Fury s mouth and statements that he s done. He s done a lot of statements. For example [Fury said] that all homosexual men and women and paedophiles belong in the same place All women belong in the kitchen or on their back. So that s basically the way he sees Elton John and the Queen. To people that say and think the same way out there, and to you, Fury, I want to say f*** off. And just when we thought we d witnessed it all, Fury the master of the unexpected removes his shirt to reveal a stomach that s been enjoying life, and taunts Wlad for losing to a fat man. Epic. SHOCKER IN TOKYO THURSDAY April 28, 2016 TAKASHI UCHIYAMA is recovering from having his WBA super-featherweight title wrenched from his grasp the day before, as underdog Jezreel Corrales knocks him out in two rounds. Uchiyama met the unfancied Panamanian in Tokyo, Japan to make the 12th straight defence of his WBA crown, only for Corrales to flatten him with a left hand. The southpaw challenger had dropped Uchiyama twice before he uncorked the finishing shot, which prompted referee Robert Photo: ACTION IMAGES/REUTERS/ISSEI KATO Hoyle to end things at 2-59 of round two. The loss ends a six-year reign for Uchiyama, who has long been the world s best at 130lbs beating the likes of Juan Carlos Salgado and Takashi Miura. Corrales, 24, had been written off by most ahead of the fight given his limited level of opposition. He also required several attempts on the scales to get under the limit at the weigh-in. Also on the bill, local Kohei Kono retained his WBA super-flyweight strap with a unanimous decision over Thailand s Inthanon Sithchamuang. POWER SHOW: Corrales drops Uchiyama three times Photo: DAVE NADKARNI/PREMIER BOXING CHAMPIONS DOUBLE DIRRELL DELIGHT IN A HURRY: Former WBC champion Dirrell [right] makes short work of an outgunned Truax in Atlantic City FRIDAY April 29, 2016 SUPER-MIDDLEWEIGHT brothers, Andre and Anthony Dirrell, retain relevancy by scoring victories at the Taj Mahal Casino and Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Andre (169lbs), in his first bout since losing to James DeGale 11 months ago, is sent to the canvas in the second round from Blake Caparello s left hand, and is struggling again in the third. Outweighed by two pounds, the Australian southpaw cannot press his advantage and is undone by the slick, sharp-shooting Dirrell. At the close of the 10-rounder three scores of take the Flint, Michigan fighter to 25-2 (16). I wanted to send the boxing world and this whole division a message, Dirrell says. I m coming for anyone with a belt. I ll take on anyone who s a champion. I know I ll be a world champion. I have to be a champion. I don t slow down for anyone. I m going to keep pushing to get where I m going. Former WBC boss Anthony (168 3/4lbs) gets off to a flyer, decking Minnesota s Caleb Truax (168 1/2lbs) twice in the opening session to persuade the referee to end the thrashing at just Dirrell, (23), who lost his title to Badou Jack one year ago, says: I showed tonight that I work hard in the gym, and it paid off. If I work like I did this time leading up to the fight, then nobody can beat me. Another star of the PBC bill is Dominican super-bantam Jonathan Guzman (122lbs) who cruises to 21-0 (21) when he drops Mexico s Daniel Rosas (121 1/4lbs) twice, before forcing him to retire at the end of the eighth. 8 BOXING NEWS MAY 5,

9 QUOTE OF THE WEEK AS OF RIGHT NOW, SOME CRAZY NUMBERS HAVE BEEN THROWN MY WAY UPWARDS, OF COURSE, OF NINE FIGURES If Floyd Mayweather does decide to return to the ring, he can expect to pocket quite a bit of cash Photo: ACTION IMAGES/JOHN SIBLEY ANOTHER FAILURE LET S GO, CHAMP! MONDAY May 2, 2016 TUESDAY May 3, 2016 WILSON S EARLY WIN SATURDAY April 30, 2016 SUPER-LIGHTWEIGHT Nathaniel Wilson headlines a seven-fight Dove Box Promotions show at York Hall in Bethnal Green. In his second pro outing, Wilson blitzes Plymouth s Ross Roberts in a round, needing just 49 seconds to finish things as he continues to bang the drum for a fight with fellow novice Conor Benn. London heavies Ian Lewison and Dominic Akinlade both score wins, but in polarising fashion. Lewison walks though Czech Tomas Mrazek in the opening round, while Akinlade churns out a six-round points triumph over Pole Kamil Sokolowski as he looks toward a defence of his Southern Area title. Middleweight Ashley Bailey Dumetz makes a disappointing start to his pro career as Maidenhead s Sam Wall edges him out on a close decision after some intense action. Brentwood middle Richie Gray s debut goes much more smoothly as he drops Canning Town s Terry George twice in the first stanza, quickly prompting the referee s intervention. Middleweight John Brennan is taken the distance by Lithuania s Deividas Sajauka, but the Slough man s measured aggression is rewarded on the referee s card. Northolt cruiser Andre Bowen slams punches into Middleton s durable Curtis Gargano, and wins his debut on points. KEEPING BUSY: Akinlade gets six rounds under his belt THE SAGA ROLLS ON SUNDAY May 1, 2016 FOLLOWING Floyd Mayweather s appearance in Washington, D.C supporting charge Badou Jack, who was busy drawing with Lucian Bute (see pages 28-30) the biggest news of the weekend is a potential comeback for the retired superstar. Everyone is asking me, Is Floyd Mayweather coming back? Mayweather says about the question that is unlikely to disappear until he actually comes back which is looking increasingly inevitable or turns 65. Right now, I m happy being on this side, but I ve been talking with CBS and Showtime, and you just never know. Mayweather who won titles from super-featherweight to superwelterweight is then asked what it would take for him to come back. As of right now, some crazy numbers have been thrown my way upwards, of course, of nine figures, he says. But I m truly blessed beyond belief, and I really don t know what we re going to do. But right now, I m really happy being on this side, helping our fighters. And happy, too, to stay away from Gennady Golovkin. I think that it s best that he [Golovkin] go up and fight Andre Ward, Mayweather said. How can Floyd Mayweather fight at 160 [pounds] when I can never even make 154? WBC SUPER-FEATHERWEIGHT champion Francisco Vargas tests positive for a banned substance ahead of his defence against Orlando Salido on June 4. The 31-year-old Mexican tests positive for clenbuterol a steroid which helps with weight loss in the result of the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) testing. Golden Boy Promotions insist that Vargas is a clean athlete: Francisco believes he tested positive due to ingesting contaminated meat in Mexico where clenbuterol is commonly used by ranchers in livestock feed. Francisco has, is and will always be a clean fighter... He will immediately leave Mexico to finish his training camp in the US in order to avoid any possible repeat of this situation and is fully cooperating with the California State Athletic Commission to submit to all required testing ahead of his June 4 title defence. Erik Morales was found to have clenbuterol in his system before he lost to Danny Garcia in their New York 2012 rematch, but was scandalously allowed to fight. As a third party, VADA does not have the power to stop the fight happening or to suspend Vargas; that decision is with the California State Athletic Commission. Photo: JOE CAMPOREALE/USA TODAY SPORTS POSITIVE TEST: Vargas is found to have clenbuterol in his system SHANNON BRIGGS is handed a stiff test for his May 21 appearance on David Haye s undercard at the O2 Arena in Greenwich. It is confirmed that the enigmatic American will face former European heavyweight champion Alexander Dimitrenko, with a win securing him a shot at Haye, who fights Arnold Gjergjaj in the main event. Speaking about the 6ft 7in Dimitrenko, Briggs says: I don t care if this guy is younger than me, taller than me or hits harder than me. I m in the best shape of my life and have the experience to take this guy down. I was beating George Foreman when this guy was still learning to read! Once I ve knocked him out, I ll focus on taking David Haye down in his hometown! Germany-based Russian Dimitrenko, whose two career defeats have come against respected opposition in Kubrat Pulev and Eddie Chambers, responds: Briggs is a loud fool, I will do my talking in the ring and he won t know what s hit him. The fight will see a former world champion lose in epic style to a future world champion. He is now the champ of Instagram, but that s where his reign ends. Briggs is going to learn first-hand what a hard hitter I am! MAY 5, 2016 BOXING NEWS 9

10 NEWS Highlighting the best of the week s stories Photo: ACTION IMAGES/ANDREW COULDRIDGE TAKING A BACKSEAT: Quigg has been out of the picture since breaking his jaw ACROSS THE POND Quigg could come back in America, writes George Gigney FORMER WBA super-bantamweight champion Scott Quigg could have his comeback fight in America this summer after suffering a broken jaw during his loss to Carl Frampton in February. Quigg lost his unbeaten record, and his WBA strap, when the Ulsterman outpointed him in Manchester, but he also had to undergo surgery on his jaw. Quigg was recently in America to support gym-mate Stephen Smith in his fight against Jose Pedraza, and their trainer, Joe Gallagher, revealed that the trip was a fruitful one for Scott. Scott Quigg is training he s always training and we re looking to get him back out in September. It ll most probably be in America, he told us. The talks are ongoing but the jaw s healing well, he ll be back quicker than people expect. THE FARCE CONTINUES HEAVYWEIGHT David Price is demanding action from the IBF. Erkan Teper, who knocked Price out for the EBU title last July in Germany, failed a drug test after the fight, but is still ranked third by the IBF. The IBF told BN that this is because neither the EBU, nor the BDB (who sanctioned the bout) formally notified them of Teper s ban, despite Erkan s two-year suspension being made clear on the EBU s widely available suspension list. When questioned, the EBU revealed that their policy is not to disclose details of doping allegations/suspensions out of a respect for privacy. Indeed, the news of Teper s failed test emerged five months after the fact, when a We were over in America and whilst we were there Scott had a few talks and one of them was with [US broadcaster] Showtime. There s huge possibilities opening up for Scott over there, coming back in a big fight. That s what he wants to do, come back in a big fight. Gallagher alleged that WBA featherweight titlist Leo Santa Cruz was one such option, though it has since been confirmed that Frampton will move up to take on the unbeaten Mexican. Super-bantam kingpin Guillermo Rigondeaux is also supposedly in the mix for Quigg, though the masterful Cuban may elect to fight for the vacant German publication broke the story. The EBU claim only the commission who license the boxer involved in this case the BDB - can release details of doping bans. The EBU also cannot revoke a boxer s licence, nor can they change a result to a No Contest again, that power lies with the independent commission. WE RE LOOKING AT SEPTEMBER. HE WANTS TO COME BACK IN A BIG FIGHT WBA title recently stripped from Frampton, for not facing Guillermo. Nonito Donaire recently defended his WBO super-bantamweight title with a third-round blowout of Zsolt Bedak. A fight between Quigg and the Filipino was mooted before Scott fought Frampton, and the Bury man may pursue that option again. However, his main objective remains securing a rematch with Frampton. For the most part their encounter in February was cagey and tactical, rather than the whirlwind of drama most expected. Gallagher claims Quigg had a lot more to give in the fight, but that Scott won t be handed a return immediately he ll need to earn it. Scott Quigg is thinking, I want Frampton, they won t fight me, so I ll have to force the issue. So he s thinking of going over to America, winning a world title, fighting other fighters and trying to force that fight, he continued. Money-wise, there s no other fights in that division that make more money than Scott Quigg against Carl Frampton. Scott Quigg knows he needs to come back, get a few wins, look good doing it and force the issue. 10 l BOXING NEWS l MAY 5,

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12 CANELO VS KHAN SUPERFIGHT SPECIAL TOP DRAW Canelo s meteoric rise fascinates the masses, writes George Gigney S the biggest attraction in boxing, Saul Canelo A Alvarez has a responsibility to deliver marquee fights. At just 25, the flamehaired, square-jawed Mexican completed his apprenticeship long ago and is now a bona fide superstar, who currently faces the rather daunting task of ushering in the post-floyd Mayweather/Manny Pacquiao era. In November, Canelo outpointed Puerto Rican icon Miguel Cotto to officially claim his position at the top of the marketable pack. As Mayweather had already sauntered out of the sport and Pacquiao had one foot out the door, the boxing world turned to Canelo for the next big announcement. What transpired did not disappoint. He confirmed that he would defend his WBC middleweight title against Amir Khan. Nobody outside of the negotiations had even a whiff of what Canelo s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, had brewing at his Golden Boy headquarters. It s a fight that was made last minute and we are happy, he is a great opponent, difficult and fast that knows how to move, Canelo told Boxing News. It will be challenging and we will be ready. I have to be faster, and we are always 100 per cent prepared sparring with fighters that have a similar style to Khan. We have to work hard to beat his style. A former unified super-lightweight world champion, Khan is devilishly quick, while the thickset champion is known for his brute strength, leading the promotion to bill this fight as Power vs Speed. Obviously, there is a lot more to both men particularly Canelo, whose handspeed and smart counter-punching are regularly undervalued. We have been focusing on speed, Saul said. He is very fast, has great footwork, and a lot of professional experience. Amir is known to come in and out really fast, so I m focusing on being able to counter-punch fast. He is a great fighter one of the best. His most notable asset is his speed. And that is one thing we are focusing on so I can respond with the proper counter-punches. Canelo has looked wondrous against some foes, while others have given him fits. Mayweather outclassed him in 2013, while the wins over Austin Trout and Erislandy Lara which sandwiched the Floyd fight showed Alvarez has trouble with elusive fighters. Khan is by no means a defensive wizard, but the spritely Brit moves in and out of range fast, something Canelo is planning for. That may be his plan [to fight like Mayweather and Lara did] and I have been training for this, but I m going to be prepared for any style, he claimed. During my fight with Mayweather I learned a lot from his speed and defensive tactics. Outside of their opposing styles, the size difference between Canelo and Khan will inevitably play its part. PROUD OF HIS ROOTS: Canelo is an icon in his home nation of Mexico I TRAIN TO MAKE HISTORY, SO PEOPLE CAN TALK ABOUT CANELO, A GREAT LEGEND Much has been made of Canelo defending his middleweight title at a catchweight, and plenty have slammed Saul for it, arguing he is tarnishing the illustrious history his belt holds. In reality, the weight is one that seems to suit both men for this fight, and Canelo remains nonplussed. I always feel good and ready to fight on fight night. The weight difference doesn t make a difference to me. My body is hydrated and feels comfortable, I feel ready on fight night. Though he does not dwell on his global recognition, Canelo is fiercely proud of the vociferous support he receives from his home country. With GQ good looks and a trademark mop of ginger hair that makes him look more a product of Dublin rather than the streets of Guadalajara, Alvarez is Mexico s sporting hero. Down to the mariachi music he trains to, to his now regular appearance on Cinco de Mayo weekend, Alvarez is a walking advert of his roots. I feel very honoured. This is an important fight for me and it comes with great responsibility, so I train hard to represent my country, he said. That is what I train for. To make history so people can talk about Canelo, a great legend who came from Mexico. I have given 100 per cent in the gym since I was a child. I am giving it all my will. I feel very proud to represent my country for the May 5 festivities. It is definitely a fight that is going to go down in history and I am very grateful. Of course, a more significant fight looms should Canelo beat Khan. Kazakh wrecking ball Gennady Golovkin recently mauled Dominic Wade in two rounds to further enhance his already notorious status, and a fight between he and Canelo is the best that can be made in boxing. It is an honour that people want to fight me. It is motivating to make sure I keep winning, Canelo said. I am training double to improve myself because they all want to win against me. It s motivating, but also a big responsibility. However, right now I am 100 per cent focused on Amir. Clearly, Alvarez won t be drawn on the prospect of facing Golovkin yet, but Gennady and his team are eager to force the issue. But the head which sits under Canelo s fiery mane is a cool one he insists he won t be cajoled. No, not pressure at all. It s important to me that the fans enjoy my fights, Saul said. Throughout my career I have worked really hard and achieved numerous titles. When the time comes I will focus on that [WBC] belt. Several issues need to be resolved between the two sides, including a timeframe and what weight they would meet at, before the monster clash can come to fruition. It depends after my fight with Khan. I will sit down with my promoters and we will lay out what is out there for me and I will take what s best for me at that time, Alvarez said. He [Golovkin] is not important to me right now, my full focus is on May 7. After that I will analyse and maybe consider his request to fight me. 12 l BOXING NEWS l MAY 5,

13 Photos: HOGAN PHOTOS/GOLDEN BOY & TROY TAORMINA/USA TODAY SPORTS IMPOSING SPECIMEN: Canelo is a strong and impressive athlete MAY 5, 2016 l BOXING NEWS l 13

14 CANELO VS KHAN SUPERFIGHT SPECIAL LIFE-CHANGER Amir Khan, in his own words, explains what s at stake against Canelo, and why he fully expects to win T S been alright, making the transition to 155lbs. I Obviously I ve been doing a lot of strength and conditioning work, sparring heavier guys and getting to feel that real weight against guys that are in the same weight as Canelo Alvarez. I feel a lot stronger and by not losing that extra bit of muscle, but instead being able to put it on, has given me that extra bit of strength going into this fight. Overall I feel nice and strong. The speed is definitely still there. A lot of people say that s one of the things that could decrease, the speed, when you go up in weight but no, I don t feel like my speed s dropped out or anything. But one thing I do know is that when I throw a shot now there s a lot of power and everything I throw is precise and will hurt my opponent. Size-wise, if you look at Canelo when he makes the 155lb limit he ll probably go up to around 170 by fight night and I ll go to around 163 probably. He ll be around 10lbs heavier than me in the fight but look, I ve been in the ring with guys who have been 10lbs heavier than me and I ve sparred guys who are 20lbs heavier than me. I don t think that should really be a big problem, I think it s the boxing skills that will get me through that part. I think it ll be totally different to Floyd Mayweather and Erislandy Lara, what I do. First off, Lara is a southpaw, which gives problems to any fighter. You look at the Mayweather fight with Canelo, and the Austin Trout fight and you can take things from it but since then I think Canelo s improved as a fighter, he s a better fighter. I think the speed is key in this fight, that s something that ll give him problems, and accuracy and also good movement. I ve been watching videos of him and I see that he takes little breaks here and there, he fights in bursts and sometimes might not throw many punches in a round but then finishes the round off quite strong. These are things we re going to be prepared for, and if he tries them we re not going to give him a chance. If he wants to move around he might not see my shots coming. We re not going to let him dictate anything, I m going to dictate things myself and take control. A lot of people probably don t expect me to do that but we want to catch Canelo by surprise. I can do that with my movement, the shots that we throw and I think I can hurt him at times in the fight. Virgil, a fight like this definitely suits the style of one of his fighters because we re very patient, we ve got to be throwing the right shots at the right time, the accuracy is very high. Also putting the right pressure on, knowing where to be and what position to be in. Defensively and offensively I think Virgil is the best coach to be with for this fight. I think the game plan we ve got is definitely going to work for me. It s hard to say where a win for me would rank in history, there have obviously been a lot of great British wins, but for me to put this fight up there as well would be amazing. STEPPING INTO THE UNKNOWN: Khan has never boxed above welter before IF CANELO THINKS IT LL BE A WALK IN THE PARK, HE LL BE IN FOR A SURPRISE People are saying it would be the best ever win and that s just amazing. It s not me saying it, it s other fighters, and that s such a big confidence boost, giving me great motivation to win this fight. I always said I m going to do something special in boxing and this is my time now. I m going to do it. I was obviously looking at fights with Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao and boxingwise, those fights would have been easier for me because Canelo is a heavier guy and a stronger guy, whereas Mayweather and Pacquiao would have been the same weight and the perfect fights for me stylistically. Who knows, after this fight those fights could happen in the future. But we have to stay focused on this fight because this fight is a life-changer and winning this fight could take me to different heights. Before the Canelo fight came along, being so close to a megafight and to have people like Mayweather and Pacquiao talking about you to be in a big, big fight and that chance never comes it upsets you, it puts you down. It s hard to motivate yourself against guys like Chris Algieri. When you re considered for massive fights, it s difficult to miss out and then fight someone like Algieri who, no disrespect to him, is not the biggest name. This is a fight I needed to keep me lifted but also to bring the best out of me. Training s been tough, it s probably been the hardest camp I ve ever had. I like to push myself and not cheat in any way. I ve done everything I needed to do and it s been great. If I look at myself physically and mentally compared to the last camp, it s like two different fighters. I was never this focused, never this strong, never this ready for a fight. I can see and feel myself being physically and mentally different. It s very difficult to be away from my wife and daughter by my family understand it s the biggest fight of my life and it s something I ve wanted for a long, long time. I want to make sure I grab it with both hands and make sure I don t mess it up because I don t want to be one of those guys who always talks about this one big fight and then doesn t perform when it comes. I ve been asking for a superfight for years and now is my chance to prove to everyone that this is where I belong. It s crazy how even Canelo s team and HBO, the analysts and commentators etc, they re talking about Gennady Golovkin fighting Canelo as if he s won this fight already. It s better for me because I just think that Canelo s eye won t be on the prize and he might be off, thinking it ll be a walk in the park and that s where he ll be in for a surprise. At the moment British boxing is on such a high, having so many world champions and to top it off with a win in a fight like this would be amazing. This is our year, this is a big year for British fighters and I think it s our time to shine and show people that we are one of the best and toughest nations and have the best fighters. It s our time now to do this and winning this fight I think will put us top of that list as the best country in the world for boxing. 14 l BOXING NEWS l MAY 5,

15 Photos: HOGAN PHOTOS/GOLDEN BOY & MARK J REBILAS/USA TODAY SPORTS THE TIME IS NOW: Khan has been building to this moment all his life MAY 5, 2016 l BOXING NEWS l 15

16 the best upcoming fights PREVIEWSPreviewing around the world OUTSTANDING GOOD FAIR DISAPPOINTING RUBBISH The star ratings indicate how well the writer believes the fighters match up, the fight(s) contextual significance, and how good the fight(s) will be WIN OR BUST The careers of Alvarez and Khan are on the line in Las Vegas, writes Matt Christie MAIN EVENT OR a while, 2016 was struggling to F create a showdown of worldwide appeal. And then one came completely out of the blue. With British fans increasingly confused with Amir Khan s apparent reluctance to face Kell Brook, and most of the world frustrated by Saul Canelo Alvarez failing to agree a deal with Gennady Golovkin, everything suddenly became clear. It was announced that Khan, the former IBF and WBA super-lightweight champion, would leap from his thenwelterweight home to challenge WBC middleweight king Alvarez. The most unexpected showdown in many years was set for May 7, at the brand new T-Mobile Las Vegas Arena. Even to insiders those involved in the negotiations withstanding the bout was a huge surprise. And to be clear, when a fight of this magnitude is being discussed, keeping such business a secret is almost impossible. Khan had spoken to Boxing News just days before, to respond to criticism about not fighting Brook and, perhaps scorned from the infamous collapse of potential showdowns with Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, he offered nothing about what was to come. That s right, I stayed quiet, Khan would later explain. I knew I would soon shut everyone up. It had the opposite effect. The boxing world was buzzing with opinion on the fight. Yet it was different from the infectious excitement that accompanied news that Mayweather and Pacquiao would at last collide the previous year. The general feeling early on was one of admiration for Khan s brave mission, and almost universal certainty that it would fail. The reasons for the initial lack of faith remain obvious. Khan turned professional at lightweight on the back of his heroic 2004 Olympic silver medal. He raced through a dozen bouts before being dropped heavily by Willie Limond in his 13th contest. Although he recovered somewhat fortuitously to stop Limond and win the Commonwealth title, seeds of doubt surrounding his durability SAUL ALVAREZ LOOKS BIGGER, STRONGER AND STURDIER THAN AMIR KHAN LARGE AND IN CHARGE: Canelo [pictured] enjoys physical advantages over the naturally smaller Khan Photo: ACTION IMAGES/ REUTERS/MIKE BLAKE 16 BOXING NEWS MAY 5,

17 Photo: MARTIN McNEIL/HOGAN PHOTOS/GOLDEN BOY were sown. Against a war-torn Michael Gomez in 2008 he was dropped again. Months later he was knocked out in just 54 seconds by the unheralded Breidis Prescott and his career was in ruins. The rebuild was impressive. Under the guidance of new coach Freddie Roach, a move to super-lightweight included wins over Marco Antonio Barrera, Andriy Kotelnik, Paul Malignaggi and Zab Judah, winning the IBF and WBA titles along the way. There were flashes of those earlier frailties in Khan s armour, but the Englishman, thanks largely to his 100-miles-perhour firepower, developed a reputation as one of the world s best and most exciting fighters. Not only that, he showed guts by the bucket-load and a jaw strong enough to shatter glass TALKING POINT WHEN pressed on the possibility of Canelo taking on Gennady Golovkin next, promoter Oscar De La Hoya instead to referenced the rematch clause in place for Canelo-Khan. Which, if nothing else, illustrates the level of respect they have for Khan. while surviving a frightening assault from Marcos Maidana to notch another win. But with his ego and gung-ho attitude growing with every victory, he would soon be brought crashing down again. He lost his titles and a split 12-round decision in Washington, D.C to Lamont Peterson to close out 2011, and rather than learn the lessons from a bout he should have won, he angrily steamed straight into Danny Garcia. That contest highlighted Khan s excellence, frailties, and his failure or inability to think clearly amid the red mist. After opening brightly, he yet again opted to prove his machismo when under fire, and was stopped in four rounds. Even today, with Roach replaced by the elegant styling of Virgil Hunter, Khan s desire to go to war is never far from the surface. While edging up to 147lbs, Khan looked superb, almost faultless, while posting lopsided decisions over Luis Collazo and Devon Alexander. Sandwiching those victories were two other 12-round distance wins: a 2013 slugfest with Julio Diaz, and most recently, a tougher-than-expected battle with Chris Algieri. In short, Khan s career to date both to his credit and detriment has not been an easy ride. Enter Canelo Alvarez, who, on paper, on celluloid and in reality, looks bigger, stronger and sturdier than Khan. And while this bout is set for a catchweight of 155lbs (something of an insult to the middleweight division), it is a massive step for Amir to take. However, as the contest draws close, the underdog s real and fierce determination coupled LONDON S BURNING: The tension is evident as Canelo [left] and Khan come face to face THAT S RIGHT, I STAYED QUIET. I KNEW I WOULD SOON SHUT EVERYONE UP UNDER THE GOLDEN GAZE: The fight s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, watches on as Khan shadow-boxes Photo: ALEXIS CUAREZMA/ GETTY IMAGES MAY 5, 2016 BOXING NEWS 17

18 PREVIEWS Photo: RICH KANE/HOGAN PHOTOS/GOLDEN BOY KHAN MUST IGNORE HIS INSTINCT TO GO TO WAR, USE EVERY INCH OF THE RING, AND AVOID TACTICAL MISTAKES TOP OF THE WORLD: But will it be Canelo [left] or Khan who scales the heights? with a rapid style that can trouble the Mexican has swayed some to believe this could be his moment. Like his opponent, Alvarez was a teenage prodigy. Turning professional aged 15 in 2005, his progression was not fuelled by Olympic glory but was swift nonetheless. Within six years, he had won his first world title when he defeated Matthew Hatton to claim the vacant WBC 154lb strap. Ryan Rhodes, Alfonso Gomez, Kermit Cintron, Josesito Lopez and an aged Shane Mosley were all dominated, before the slippery Austin Trout arguably the first live world-class opponent he d faced presented enough problems to prove Alvarez was far from invincible. No matter, victory was his, and the ultimate showdown secured: In September 2013, Alvarez was exposed by Floyd Mayweather in one of the richest fights of all time. Forget the ludicrous score tabled by CJ Ross (who retired in shame in the aftermath), this was a Mayweather masterclass that may go down as his finest ever. Alvarez has matured since. Thrashing Alfredo Angulo and James Kirkland underlined his power, but seeking out southpaw Erislandy Lara in-between was a brave move. He almost came unstuck in a close one but, from this viewpoint, deserved the decision that came his way, and showed further education while defeating the brilliant Miguel Cotto to win the WBC middle belt in November. The Puerto Rican was a joy at times, boxing neatly on the inside and bewitching on occasion, but Alvarez s brute strength, underrated jab, that devilish left hook, and burgeoning allround game carried him to victory. Canelo s naysayers point to these close contests, and the loss to Mayweather, as evidence that he can be outboxed. Without question he can be, and that certainly represents Khan s best chance. But let s tale stock; so far, only Mayweather has managed it. Asking anyone to replicate Floyd - or even Lara for that matter - is impossible, and Khan, as he admits on page 12, knows this only too well. Alvarez should be admired and not criticised for grinding out victories against some elite technicians. Who else would have come away from fights with Floyd, Cotto, Lara and Trout 3-1 up? In truth, Canelo is exceptionally hard to beat. To win, Amir, alongside the excellent Hunter, must create his own blueprint with what he has at his disposal; his speed will be TALKING POINT EACH of Khan s losses were a surprise. In fact, every time he s looked poor it can be attributed to Amir losing concentration, or interest. When he recognises the threat see Barrera, Kotelnik, Judah, Maidana, Collazo, Alexander Khan turns in his finest work. You can be certain he has recognised the threat of Alvarez. vital and pound-for-pound, he might be the better boxer but it s how well he nullifies what is coming back that will determine whether or not he wins the fight, and let s face it, Khan is rarely a magician when punches are coming his way. Mayweather, Lara, Trout and Cotto, all very different fighters, enjoyed varying levels of success against Canelo by doing what they do best Khan, too, must find his own way, ignore his instinct to go to war, use every inch of the ring, and avoid those tactical mistakes he makes too often. If this all sounds harsh on Amir, who has been a credit to British boxing since he first laced up the gloves, it is not the intention. It is merely a reminder about the size of the task ahead; even if Khan were a natural middleweight, and he s far from it, this would still be a tough ask. The Englishman has bulked up considerably in the build-up, putting on masses of weight that only a few weeks ago made his usually chiselled body appear unbecomingly chunky. While we fully expect to see muscles on the night, their making will have been an alien 18 BOXING NEWS MAY 5,

19 Photo: RICH KANE/HOGAN PHOTOS/GOLDEN BOY FURIOUS FISTS: Arguably Khan s best attribute is his blistering handspeed EXPERT VIEW LOVEMORE NDOU OUTPOINTED BY CANELO IN 2010 process for his body. This is all new to Amir, and fighting Alvarez who enters this bout knowing full well he is at his optimum weight will be the ultimate test drive. We will see enough in the early rounds to know if this gamble can possibly pay off, and if he has retained enough of the quickness that made him such a special fighter in the first place. It should also be noted that a transformation of this scale does not bode well for cutting back in the future - a damaging loss here could be difficult to rebound from in any weight catergory. That win or bust mentality could take Khan to places we ve never seen him go before. He might surprise us all, box perfectly for 36 minutes, and secure one of history s great British victories, and ruin Alvarez s reputation in the process. But there seems to be just too much going against him. He hasn t scored a clean stoppage since Judah five years ago, and to prevail he will likely need oneshot power to gain early respect. Khan will be more fired up than he s ever been, though, and expect him to be competitive during the opening stages, but at some point before round five he s going to encounter serious trouble. Whether he chooses to trade or not, and the likelihood is he will, it s hard to see what he can do to prevent disaster. It should be exciting for as long as it lasts, and expect Khan to enhance his warrior reputation in defeat. The pick is for Canelo, after overcoming a taxing opening, to thump a brave and tiring Khan into defeat around the seventh. The undercard lacks a marquee contest but looks fun. Welterweight Frankie Gomez, if motivated, can edge Mauricio Herrera, and up at MATURE BEYOND HIS YEARS: Canelo may be young, but has bags of top-level experience Photo: ACTION IMAGES/ REUTERS/MIKE BLAKE TALE OF THE TAPE CANELO ALVAREZ Jul 18, 1990/25 DOB/AGE Dec 8, 1986/29 Juanacatlán HOMETOWN Bolton Mexican NATIONALITY English 5ft 9ins HEIGHT 5ft 8 1/2ins 70 1/2ins REACH 71ins (32) RECORD 31-3 (19) Orthodox STANCE Orthodox Oct 29, 2005/15 DEBUT/AGE July 16, 2005/19 67 KO PERCENTAGE (4) WORLD TITLE FIGHT RECORD 6-2 (3) 139lbs LOWEST WEIGHT 134 1/4lbs 155lbs HIGHEST WEIGHT 147lbs 160lbs expect wins for David Lemieux, Patrick Teixeira and Jason Quigley over respective war-torn rivals in Glen Tapia, Curtis Stevens and James De la Rosa. bn THE VERDICT A Khan victory would confirm Britain as the premier boxing nation in the world. I THINK Canelo will be too slick for Khan and I wouldn t be surprised if he knocks him out. There s no way Khan has quicker hands than Canelo, who is one of the best counterpunchers I ve ever seen. He can attack but when he chooses to counter-punch he is so good with that. Alvarez will draw him and then hit him with a good right uppercut and left hook, then [finish him with] a right hand. I don t think anyone can beat Canelo at the moment, not even Gennady Golovkin. MAY 5, 2016 BOXING NEWS 19

20 PREVIEWS NEVER BACK DOWN Photos: ACTION IMAGES/CRAIG BROUGH HOLDING IT TIGHTLY: Crolla [left] is determined to keep his WBA title out of the hands of Barroso Local hero Crolla refuses to run from fearsome invader Barroso, writes Paul Wheeler MAIN EVENT UNDERCARD T is impossible to dislike Anthony I Crolla. In December 2014, the affable Mancunian suffered serious injuries after heroically confronting a pair of burglars who were attempting to break into a neighbour s home. Armed with a concrete slab, one of the assailants left Anthony with a fractured skull and a double break in his ankle following a savage attack. No one would have thought any less of Crolla if he had decided to call time on his boxing career after such a damaging assault. Instead, he worked tirelessly for months in order to rehabilitate himself for a return to the ring. In July 2015, Crolla s incredible effort was rewarded with a crack at Darleys Perez s WBA lightweight title. After 36 minutes of action, the vast majority of observers were convinced that Anthony had done enough to dethrone the champion. Nevertheless, two of the three scoring judges did not share the opinion of the masses, and the bout was declared a majority draw. Never one to wallow in self-pity, Crolla remained positive, and four months later he received a rematch with Perez. This time Anthony took the result out of the judges hands by knocking the usually durable Colombian out with a perfectly placed left hook under the ribs in round TALKING POINT WITH limited experience against portsiders during his career, Crolla will have to get to grips with Barroso s southpaw stance as soon as possible. five. The fairy tale was complete. This Saturday (May 7), Crolla, (12), returns to the site of his greatest triumph when he makes the first defence of his WBA crown at Manchester Arena. Opposing Anthony on this Matchroom-promoted show televised live on Sky Sports (UK) and AWE (US) is his mandatory, the dynamite-fisted Venezuelan southpaw Ismael Barroso. The challenger is well known on British shores, having come out of nowhere to force Dagenham s two-time world title contestant Kevin Mitchell into retirement. During their clash in December, Barroso scored three knockdowns en route to an eye-catching fifth-session stoppage. With 18 of his 19 wins coming inside the distance 20 l BOXING NEWS l MAY 5,

21 (against two early-career draws and no defeats), the world s top lightweights have not exactly been queuing up to face the dangerous South American. Nonetheless, Crolla is adamant that steering clear of Barroso was never an option. The suggestion that I d duck him got my back up a bit, Anthony said. When you re champion you fight the best challengers. I know Barroso can bang and that s why everyone avoids him, but he s not taking my belt. Having competed in eight different countries as a pro, the well-travelled visitor is confident of upsetting the locals in Manchester and adding another impressive English scalp to his record. My fight with Mitchell was good, but this will be better, Barroso promised. Crolla is an excellent champion, but I ll be taking his belt. Aside from Mitchell, Barroso s level of opposition has been largely poor. Fans and pundits have been quick to highlight the threat he poses to Crolla and rightly so but when you consider that Mitchell was in the twilight of a long and gruelling career by the time he fought Barroso, it is justifiable to suggest that Anthony represents Ismael s toughest test so far. Since his four losses and one draw on the domestic circuit up until the middle of 2013, Crolla has improved immeasurably, notching solid victories against respected campaigners in Gavin Rees (md 12), Stephen Foster (rtd 6) and John Murray (rsf 10). A former ABA champ as an amateur and British titlist as a pro, Crolla has far more experience than Barroso, despite being four years younger than his 33-year-old opponent. Possessing a sharp jab and smart footwork, Anthony makes up for his lack of concussive power by punching with precision from a variety of angles. Dishing out uppercuts upstairs and hooks to the midsection, Crolla is able to fight on the move, or apply intense forward pressure. Adept at boxing to orders and implementing a specific strategy, his limitless fitness and tenacious workrate allows him to maintain a consistently fast pace. Although he is a destructive hitter with both hands, it would be doing Barroso TALE OF THE TAPE ANTHONY CROLLA ISMAEL n/a Nov 16, 1986/29 DOB/AGE Jan 27, 1983/33 Manchester HOMETOWN El Tigre English NATIONALITY Venezuelan 5ft 8 1/2ins HEIGHT 5ft 8 1/2ins 67ins REACH 69ins (12) RECORD (18) Orthodox STANCE Southpaw Oct 14, 2006/19 DEBUT/AGE Aug 13, 2005/22 32 KO PERCENTAGE 86 Joe Gallagher TRAINER Osmiri Fernandez a disservice to label him simply as a banger. He patiently paws out a range-finding right jab and cocks his lethal left, ready to unload. Sturdy and thickset at the weight, his counter left hooks are hazardous, while his long arms, high output and freshness are other strings to his bow. Both men have been floored in the past, and despite being halted by Barroso, Mitchell showed that Ismael can be tagged, especially to the body. Furthermore, the El Tigre man is sometimes guilty of telegraphing his work, and can become slightly ragged and wild when he is made to miss and frustration creeps into his game. Barroso is the betting favourite, but Crolla s unwavering self-belief and grit, combined with his vociferous home support, makes it difficult to pick against him. He will have to overcome some rocky moments, but he can stick diligently to his game plan suffocating and negating Barroso s reach and power on the inside resulting in a hard-earned points win for the champion. On an undercard that features runouts for notable British names in Martin Murray, Paul Smith, Tommy Coyle and Hosea Burton, there is a 10-round welter contest between Colne s Shayne Singleton, 22-1 (7), and Leeds Adil Anwar, 22-5 (8). Anwar is a mercurial talent, but Singleton s determination can see him home on the scorecards. THE VERDICT Crolla will need to be at his best to keep his world crown against a dangerous challenger. THE SUGGESTION THAT I D DUCK HIM GOT MY BACK UP A BIT SWITCHED-ON: Crolla [pictured] is aware of the power Barroso possesses EXPERT VIEW KEVIN MITCHELL STOPPED BY BARROSO BARROSO is obviously dangerous because he can punch hard, although he can be hit too. I thought he was quite clumsy when I fought him, but he s able to make up ground quickly with his feet. However, just because he stopped me, it doesn t mean he ll stop Crolla. I got hit with silly shots, as I was past my best by then. Crolla s a very fit man. If he fights clever and sticks to his boxing, I think he can win on points. On the other hand, if he gets involved with Barroso, then he ll get knocked out. It all depends on how Crolla approaches the fight. MAY 5, 2016 l BOXING NEWS l 21

22 PREVIEWS AGAINST THE GRAIN Chisora continues to surprise, writes George Gigney MAIN EVENT UNDERCARD ERECK CHISORA has never been D one to conform, and the Londoner bucked the trend again when he took himself out of the running to face Anthony Joshua at the O2 Arena in April to instead fight Kubrat Pulev in Germany on Saturday night (May 7). Del Boy faces the former world title challenger for the vacant European heavyweight crown at the Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg. Sky Sports televise in the UK (AWE in the US) and Team Sauerland promote. The fight is also an IBF eliminator, meaning the victor will move a step closer to challenging for the title Joshua won from Charles Martin last month, and that he defends against Dominic Breazeale in June. Pulev- Chisora should not be confused with the IBF final eliminator which takes place on May 21 between Joseph Parker and Carlos Takam, the winner of which becomes mandatory challenger. I M BACK AND STRONGER THAN EVER Although certainly a top heavyweight, Pulev is not the most sought-after foe, but Chisora insists he has been eyeing the Bulgarian former EBU king for some time. Pulev has been on my radar for a while now, he said. He s a great athlete and he has my respect, but come fight night, I m not messing around. I m coming to mess this guy up. I m going to outwork him and outstrength him. I ll be all over him from the first bell. Kubrat s sole loss came at the hands of a rampant Wladimir Klitschko in l BOXING NEWS l MAY 5,

23 TALE OF THE TAPE KUBRAT PULEV May 4, 1981/35 DOB/AGE Dec 29, 1983/32 Sofia HOMETOWN Finchley Bulgarian NATIONALITY English 6ft 4 1/2ins HEIGHT 6ft 1 1/2ins 22-1 (12) RECORD 25-5 (17) Orthodox STANCE Orthodox Sep 19, 2009/28 DEBUT/AGE Feb 17, 2007/23 52 KO PERCENTAGE 57 Ulli Wegner TRAINER Gary Innes SHOPWORN? Chisora s tough fights may have caught up with him Photo: ACTION IMAGES/ ANDREW COULDRIDGE I LL BE ALL OVER HIM FROM THE FIRST BELL Pulev, only challenging for Klitschko s IBF title as he would not pay the sanctioning fees for the WBA and WBO straps, was knocked out in five rounds. This is a very important fight for me. I learnt a lot from the Klitschko fight, but now I m back and stronger than ever, Pulev said. Dereck is a good boxer, but I m better, and I know I can beat him. I m looking forward to the challenge and the chance THE WANTED: Chisora [right] has been eyeing a clash with Pulev for quite a while Photo: BORISLAV TROSHEV/ SIPA/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK to win back the European title. I m sure the arena in Hamburg will be full of Bulgarians cheering me to victory. Pulev took almost a year out after his loss to Klitschko, outpointing George Arias over eight in his return before blasting out Maurice Harris inside a round two months later. Consecutive 11th-round knockout wins over talented duo Alexander Dimitrenko and Alexander Ustinov back in 2012 came before a decent 12-round points win over Tony Thompson, which marked Pulev out as a cut above most contenders. Chisora meanwhile has five blotches on his record, four of which came in the space of 12 months. In July 2011, Chisora was outpointed over 12 by Tyson Fury for the British and Commonwealth titles. In December of that year Robert Helenius squeaked past the Finchley slugger on a highly questionable split decision, which subsequently earned Dereck a crack at then-wbc champion Vitali Klitschko. Chisora turned in a better-thanexpected effort but lost on the cards. A post-fight fracas with David Haye set up an enticing and irresistible domestic clash between them, in which the ex-wba ruler blitzed Chisora in five rounds. Dereck then picked up a string of wins, including a bizarre sixth-round stoppage of Malik Scott and a measured decision over Kevin Johnson. He ran into Fury again in 2014 and after 10 drab and TALKING POINT CHISORA remains adamant that should he beat Pulev, the Joshua fight will still be an option for him and that he would be able to demand more money than before. With Joshua not required to fulfil his mandatory obligations until January, a summer meeting with the winner of this fight could be on the cards. one-sided rounds, Chisora was pulled out by his corner. He s won five on the bounce since then four inside schedule but has looked fairly cumbersome against the limited opposition. His usual relentless assaults were missing and instead Chisora looked bored at times, rarely taking himself out of second gear. In fairness, that could have been down to the uninspiring challengers in the opposing corner, and the aggressive Chisora of old could return on Saturday. What seems more likely is that his punishing losses and difficult fights have caught up with him. Pulev is certainly the fresher of the two and indeed the classier. A standout amateur, Kubrat fires out a stiff jab to set up his economical and accurate work. His footwork leaves a lot to be desired though, and his defence is not the sternest. The much-wilder Chisora will look to find those defensive holes with his looping shots, however, Dereck s eagerness to inflict damage usually leaves him wide open. If Chisora can catch and hurt Pulev at any point, he has the tools to swarm Kubrat and potentially force a stoppage, but the more likely outcome is for the Bulgarian to grind out a deserved victory on the cards. THE VERDICT Credit to Chisora for taking the path less trodden, but it s unlikely to lead somewhere pleasant. EXPERT VIEW DAVID PRICE SPARRED BOTH MEN THE spars were both tough; Dereck rolling under my jab to work inside with his wide shots. Pulev, the pressure was more with his front foot, threatening with the jab. He s more upright, strong too. Dereck will be on the front foot and, I think, Pulev will box similar to how Wladimir Klitschko boxes smaller opponents; use the jab, throw the odd right hand and, when he gets close, push down Dereck s head. Pulev has a great engine and his cleaner work can earn him a points win. SEPTEMBER MAY 5, , 2012 l BOXING NEWS l 23 17

24 AS THE HURT TURNS INTO HATING Oliver Goldstein recalls a 2007 middleweight classic between two flawed protagonists TORTURED SOULS: Police mugshots of Pavlik [top] and Taylor highlight the duo s troubled existence T was the night Atlantic City discovered life after Arturo Gatti. I On September 29, 2007, Kelly Pavlik and Jermain Taylor played rock em sock em with each other s faces in the most cartoonishly brilliant middleweight title fight in years. A little more than two years after Bernard Hopkins age of austerity was ended, Pavlik and Taylor turned back the clock to produce a fight straight out of the eighties. That was a time when the matches themselves transcended the squalor of the business side of the sport and focused only on the men who fought, as Pete Hamill wrote in the foreword to George Kimball s Four Kings. And given the squalid aftermath of Taylor s wins over Hopkins, when the then-41-year-old Hopkins went from calling his loss a robbery to a rape, Taylor s fight with Pavlik was a necessary balm. Hopkins had taken to calling Taylor the corporate champion before their second fight, but there was nothing corporate about this. Forget the business of boxing: under the electric blue of the Boardwalk Hall s barrel chest ceiling, this had all the gorgeous severity of a bloodsport at its best. Taylor and Pavlik had crossed paths some years before in the trials for the 2000 US Olympic team. Pavlik, then a gangly 17-year-old, lost narrowly, turning professional a short time after on the bottom of a card in California. Taylor went on to claim the bronze in Sydney. When they met again in 2007, Taylor was the middleweight champion with an exclusive deal to fight on HBO, while Pavlik, fresh from savage stoppages of Jose Luis Zertuche and Edison Miranda, was the division s likeliest contender. Expectations were high. And then it started. Taylor came out second, sloping down to the ring while Lil Wayne s Duffle Bag Boy coughed and spluttered from the speakers, but it was Pavlik s entrance to Korn s cacophonous Here to Stay which set the tone brash, aggressive, implacable for the night. This state is elevating, as the hurt turns into hating : though Pavlik and Taylor hardly disliked each other, heavy metal proved an appropriate orchestra. When the bell rang, Taylor immediately made his intentions clear. Long regarded a frontrunner, Bad Intentions moved straight to centre ring, where he sent out a little flirt of a left hand before hurling a huge right. Ten seconds later and he buckled Pavlik with a left hook and shorter right a cue for Taylor to swing for the Youngstown fighter, who dipped into mid-range and [IN THE EIGHTIES], THE MATCHES THEMSELVES TRANSCENDED THE SQUALOR OF THE BUSINESS SIDE OF THE SPORT 24 l BOXING NEWS l MAY 5,

25 THE GLORY IS MINE: Pavlik reflects in the immediate aftermath of a stunning victory over Taylor in their first encounter Photos: ACTION IMAGES/ REUTERS/TEDDY BLACKBURN WHAT A FIGHT: Pavlik and Taylor exchange blows in a thrilling initial meeting [here, above and below], and the former celebrates his triumph [bottom] PAVLIK & TAYLOR SPECIAL FEATURE MAY 5, 2016 l BOXING NEWS l 25

26 started jabbing back. Then Pavlik caught Taylor with a hard right, backing him up against the ropes while the crowd, overwhelmingly in favour of the challenger, roared in approval. With a minute to go in the opener, Pavlik was firmly in gear, throwing out his favourite jab-cross combination. It s a basic f***ing fight to this kid, Kelly s trainer, Jack Loew, barked in the corner. But if the first was basic, the second turned things thoroughly labyrinthine for Pavlik. Fighting frenetic as a kerbside drunk through the opening three minutes, Taylor had collected himself between rounds, and started the second dipping elegantly from a jab to land a hard counter right. Forty seconds later and Taylor dipped away again before jellying Pavlik s legs with another huge right, this time straight on the target and delivered with vicious force. As Pavlik s head struggled to communicate with his limbs, Taylor lashed him with combinations, crumpling his contender to the canvas with a whole minute and 40 seconds to go. That s it! shouted Lennox Lewis on commentary. With his legs practically rubber, Pavlik tried swarming Taylor to the ropes. But once referee Steve Smoger had hauled him off, Taylor had Pavlik stumbling across the ring and trying to keep his balance like a first-time skater on ice. Surviving the next onslaught, Pavlik dragged himself through the round long enough for Taylor to grow frustrated, punches that had been taut with violence seconds earlier looking slack by the end. What an assault, broadcaster Jim Lampley cried, and what a survival! Pavlik was phlegmatic in the corner. It was a good shot, he told Loew, in the most lucid tone of the whole night: I m all right. Biting down on his mouthpiece, Pavlik fought grimly determined through the next, churning out more punches 99 all told in a concerted effort to back Taylor up. This ran the risk of Taylor countering again, but it was also Pavlik s best chance of survival: Pavlik tended to have two Photos: CHRIS FARINA/TOP RANK (3) & ACTION IMAGES/REUTERS/STEVE MARCUS WE GO AGAIN: Pavlik [left] and Taylor ahead of their rematch THIS MUST BE A PRETTY GOOD FIGHT, JIM. I VE ALREADY GOT FIVE DOTS OF BLOOD ON MY SHIRT modes standing and punching and his flat feet and still head gave Taylor plenty of target when he was doing the former. The wild stuff was his best chance, and he knew it. When the sixth round started, commentator Larry Merchant knew he was seeing something special. This must be a pretty good fight, Jim, he said. I ve already got five dots of blood on my shirt. Pavlik had had his nose broken by Taylor sometime in the second. But even though the scorecards hadn t registered it, with Taylor well in front for all judges, and even though Merchant s shirt told its own story of the fight, Pavlik was, by the seventh, coming on strong. And when he suddenly cracked Taylor with a huge right that froze the champion in centre ring, Pavlik s moment arrived. Backed into a corner, arms limp from hurt, Taylor was a sitting duck to Pavlik s onslaught, which arrived swift and booming as a sudden storm. After several blows thundered home, including two massive uppercuts from either hand, Taylor crumpled to the floor in a mess. Like that, it was over. THE AFTERMATH THIS state is elevating, as the hurt turns into hating. After Hopkins first loss to Taylor, the former champion painted his opponent as an establishment fighter. I m the guy in the fields, Thomas Hauser reported Hopkins as saying, and he s the guy who would be in the house. But Taylor came from a darker place than Hopkins dared mention. When he was just 19, Taylor returned home from an amateur tournament to learn that his grandmother had been killed by his uncle, who subsequently took his own life after confessing to the crime. That s a heavy thing, to have two people in your family die within the same week, Taylor told the New York Times in It hits you hard. I didn t know whether I should hate my uncle or I should forgive, or just go on with my life and not even think about it. At that time Taylor still had another uncle in prison. KELLY DOES THE DOUBLE: Pavlik [right] cracks Taylor with a right hand en route to a points win in their return clash 26 l BOXING NEWS l MAY 5,

27 HUGE VICTORY: Taylor [left], pictured during his points win against Hopkins in their first bout In May this year, however, Taylor is due in court charged with nine felonies. If found guilty, he faces up to 54 years in prison. That night with Pavlik seems more distant than ever. I liked Jermain, I always have, Hauser told Boxing News. He always seemed to be a very decent guy who came from a very hard background. My feeling is that his life took a turn for the worse when he left Pat Burns. I think Pat Burns was the ideal trainer for him. He knew how to motivate Jermain, he didn t try to coach him things he couldn t do in the ring. And Pat also kept Jermain on the right course. Pat s a former police officer, he really cared about Jermain, and he was constantly talking with Jermain, about the importance of being a good husband, and a good father, and taking responsibility. When Jermain was lured away from Pat and went up to Detroit, he got into a lot of things that he shouldn t have, and that was the start of his downfall. After losing to Pavlik a second time, Taylor wound up getting stopped in the final few seconds of a scorcher against Carl Froch in 2009, before Arthur Abraham put him in hospital with a brain bleed on the fast track to retirement. He returned in 2011, eventually winning another title belt in a horrible fight against Sam Soliman in October But Taylor was never the same fighter. I don t think Jermain should have fought after Abraham, Hauser said. He had suffered bad knockouts, so what s the point? You re just gonna get beaten up. I don t think his problems are solely the result of moral turpitude. I think that he probably has some sort of chronic brain problem that can lead to behaviour like this. Boxing is a sport that really takes a toll on your brain and body, Hopkins told BN. And maybe making good decisions is not accurate when you take those types of blows. If you talk to doctors they would tell you that it s a possibility because of boxing, injury, years and years of this and that. Everybody s body absorbs punches different. That s a good argument. Am I saying that s an excuse? No, but it s something you have to talk about and understand. BOXING IS UGLY AND VITAL, AND OFTEN ITS VITALITY GROWS IN PROPORTION TO ITS UGLINESS Hopkins beat Pavlik at a catchweight just 13 months after Kelly s first win against Taylor. Though The Ghost would return to defend his middleweight crown twice after, his loss to Sergio Martinez in April 2010 sent his career into a tailspin. A short comeback, without long-term trainer Loew, was ended in 2012, when Pavlik took early retirement. Like Taylor, he s also had numerous run-ins with the law. In January this year, he was charged with assault by pellet gun. Pavlik was there as one of the potential superstars in the division, Hopkins said. But I believe that getting that success early a lot of people cannot take that pressure. Only they can tell you what the reason is, but when you analyse things, I believe you can make a good argument that the early limelight and all the other ingredients, whether it s personal I think it s one of those things where it becomes overwhelming to these guys, and I don t mean in boxing but in life. I think Pavlik got too much, too quick, he continued. And I don t mean money, I mean fame, I mean pressure, I mean all the things that you have to keep in order as every year passes, and you become bigger and bigger. Only very few people in all sports, but especially boxing can keep that focus and discipline, year after year. Fighters come from hard places, said Hauser. Most fighters come to the ring with some form of emotional damage, and eventually that caught up with Kelly. But you know, it s sort of sad when you think that nine years ago they had this extraordinary fight, and then after that they had a substance abuse problem it s very sad to me because I think they re both very decent people. I like both of them. Ultimately for Taylor, if not for Pavlik, and so many others too, boxing provided a refuge that was eventually exhaustible, and which in the process exhausted him. Boxing is ugly and vital, as Bart Barry wrote recently, and often its vitality grows in proportion to its ugliness. But after all the ugliness, sadness, and sheer meaninglessness of their post-fight lives, there is still that one night, deep and vital, etched into the memory, a night to recall long after the lights went down and the crowds went home. bn OUTHUSTLED: Pavlik [left] finds it tough versus Hopkins, against whom he loses on the scorecards MAY 5, 2016 l BOXING NEWS l 27

28 ACTIONReports from the best fights around the world Photos: NAOKI FUKUDA OUTSTANDING GOOD FAIR DISAPPOINTING RUBBISH Reporters star ratings for main events and undercards are based on in-ring entertainment, competitiveness and whether overall expectation was met LIFE S A DRAG: DeGale [right] does enough against Medina, but the win is not emphatic Daniel Herbert RINGSIDE WASHINGTON, DC APRIL 30 MAIN EVENT UNDERCARD ATMOSPHERE HEN the Showtime cable TV network W announced plans for its four-man super-middleweight tournament, it all seemed simple enough: IBF champion James DeGale would retain against unheralded Rogelio Medina and WBC king Badou Jack would do likewise against Lucian Bute, leading to a DeGale-Jack unification in the autumn. Yet things didn t go smoothly at the DC Armory in the US capital. Britain s DeGale did his part, albeit with more difficulty than expected, as he unanimously outpointed Medina over 12 rounds. But then in this Floyd Mayweather promotion s official main event, Jack was shockingly given only a majority draw with Bute in a fight the Las Vegas-based Swede appeared to have won clearly. So did the best-laid plans fall apart? Not so fast. Initial reaction was that DeGale-Jack would go ahead after all, the shared points verdict allowed Badou to keep his WBC belt, without which there could not be the unification needed in a division blessed with several good fighters but no superstar now that Andre Ward has moved up to light-heavy. DeGale seemed sure he would meet Jack next, saying: The only question is, are we doing it in Las Vegas or London? I m easy. I thought Jack nicked it, but Bute s a good fighter. The Harlesden southpaw would know, having beaten the Canada-based Romanian in November. That was his second of three straight world title fights in North America, so no doubt James feels a homecoming is long overdue. DeGale s victory was greeted with booing, although that was surely as much a reflection of the challenger doing better than expected than sincere belief a robbery had occurred. Medina s history of being stopped every time he has stepped up a level led many to expect DeGale would dispatch the Mexican easily, but WE HAVE A SHOWDOWN But Jack draw so nearly scuppers DeGale s unification chance 28 BOXING NEWS MAY 5,

29 Berto- Ortiz II Revenge is sweet for Andre against Victor PAGE 31 Nelson- Conlan Jamie wins a thriller against Anthony PAGE 32 Davies Jnr- Castillo Prospect Robbie continues to improve PAGE 34 the IBF champ instead had to settle for a unanimous decision at for Tony Paolillo, for Steve Gray and for John Madfis. Malik Waleed refereed. My boxing skills were too good, was DeGale s take. But it was a tough fight. Medina s very strong and tough. He took a lot of shots in there. I ve been watching him and he s improved a lot over the last 18 months. No disrespect to him, but I should be taking guys like Porky Medina out. I m a bit disappointed in my performance. My inside work and concentration, these are the things I will have to work on in the gym with my trainer Jim McDonnell, who s very good. Medina, naturally, disagreed: DeGale didn t fight like he said he would he was running all around. He was headbutting me, I got frustrated and that s why I spat at him at the end of round 11. The fans say I won and I thought I won. I agreed with British judge Gray, scoring 8-4 in rounds for DeGale, but this wasn t one of his better displays. The first Briton to follow Olympic gold with a world pro crown alternated good and bad. Too often he lay on the ropes and held his hands low, getting tagged to finish with welts all over his face. But when DeGale got down to work, he was clearly the better boxer, banging in solid body shots and cracking right uppercuts to the head. He also controlled matters just as smoothly from an orthodox stance as from his usual southpaw style. When James lost rounds, it was often because he let his workrate drop, NO DISRESPECT, BUT I SHOULD BE TAKING GUYS LIKE MEDINA OUT rather than Medina threatening to wrest control of the contest. For me the Mexican edged a feeling-out first, won a fourth in which DeGale dallied unwisely on the ropes, and finished strongly to win the last two sessions as the champion backed up, looking to avoid trouble. Otherwise, the Londoner was always producing the classier work, several times playing possum during a round before waking up to swing it his way with some meaty hooks or stinging jabs. And this was against an opponent who showed much better durability than expected; in round nine one huge right uppercut jolted Medina s head back and DeGale followed up with a hurtful combination yet the man from Hermosillo just kept on coming. So DeGale was smart to concentrate on getting the win, something that was only emphasised when odd scoring denied Jack in the very next fight. It seemed pretty obvious that Badou had done enough, yet the score for the Swede from Stephan Rados was overruled by cards of from Omar Mintun Jnr and Glen Crocker. I had it to Jack. This WBC championship battle (refereed by Guadalupe Garcia) was hardfought and well-contested, but without many highlights or spectacular moments. Southpaw Bute, a former IBF champion, came forward throughout but often neglected his jab and waited too long to punch, allowing Jack to pile up HARDER THAN EXPECTED: DeGale [left] swallows a right hand from Medina CONTRASTING FORTUNES: DeGale [left] keeps hold of his IBF title, while Medina is left to rue a missed opportunity MAY 5, 2016 BOXING NEWS 29

30 ACTION RINGSIDE NOTES SITTING ringside was Callum Smith. The Liverpudlian got a close-up look at Jack, for whose WBC super-middleweight title he is the No. 1 contender. BRITISH Boxing Board of Control General Secretary Robert Smith was on hand, along with Board judge Steve Gray (whose spot-on card for DeGale-Medina was wrongly announced as ). WITH the undercard being so uneventful, some ringside journalists preferred to watch live streams of the Andre Berto-Victor Ortiz rematch, which was going on at the same time in California. THIS was the third major show at the DC Armory in two months and the attendance of 4,135 meant it was halffull. A month earlier it had been full for Adrien Broner v Ashley Theophane. points with straight shots from his long arms. A cut right eye from a head clash in round three didn t help the challenger s cause, and when Bute was nailed by a big overhand left two sessions later it showed Jack was the one with power, despite Lucian s reputation as a banger. Of the first nine rounds, I gave Bute only the third and sixth, meaning that Jack was in firm control heading into the bout s final third. Surprisingly, it was the 36-yearold challenger who raised his pace, piling into the champion with combinations to win the 10th and 11th before conceding the last when Badou rallied with some hard right-handers. Jack seemed nonplussed by the drawn verdict, saying tersely: Bulls***. His punches didn t hurt me, except for a body shot in the last round. Bute is a great fighter but I won this fight. I worked my Photos: NAOKI FUKUDA ass off for 12 weeks and I get this. Jack s promoter, Floyd Mayweather, weighed in too, commenting: We need some new judges. All we want is fairness. It was a close fight, reckoned Bute, who wants a rematch. But Jack is the champion so he got the close rounds. The last word goes to Bute, who is in a position to judge DeGale and Jack, having now boxed both. They re both good fighters, he said. If they fight, it s A lacklustre undercard featured some hopefuls promoted by Mayweather, including Christopher Pearson. The middleweight from Dayton, Ohio proved too good for Silver Spring, Maryland-based Ghanaian Joshua Okine in an all-southpaw battle. At the end, the announcement of the unanimous 10-round decision to Pearson on three scores of was greeted with scattered boos, but there didn t seem any doubt he deserved to win. Pearson generally controlled matters with his faster hands and sharper punching, and while Okine plodded in dutifully he rarely threatened to take control. The American peppered him with plenty of right hooks, although in round three one of those went ridiculously low and referee Billy Johnson allowed Okine a lengthy rest. Not surprisingly, Pearson dominated the next few rounds against a subdued opponent, to the point where it seemed he might force a stoppage. But Okine is a tough campaigner and hung in there, even rallying briefly in the last. Las Vegas-based Ugandan Sharif Bogere, a former world lightweight title challenger, continued marking time with a unanimous 10-round decision over Ghana s Samuel Amoako in a bout that never really caught fire. All three judges scored to the shorter Bogere, who took the fight to his opponent throughout. Kenny Chevalier refereed. bn THE VERDICT DeGale under-par, Jack unfortunate. Unification welcome. DECISIONS, DECISIONS: Jack [left] hits Bute with a hook, but doesn t have things all his own way [below, left]. Nevertheless, both Badou [below, inset] and his promoter Mayweather [above, inset] believe Lucian was lucky to draw THE CompuBox stats showed DeGale landed 314 of 612 punches thrown for a success rate of 51 per cent, compared to 265 of 1140 (23 per cent) for Medina. Jack landed 278 of 703 (40 per cent) compared to 179 of 857 (21 per cent) for Bute. FULL RESULTS Badou Jack (167 1/2lbs), (12), d pts 12 Lucian Bute (167lbs), (25); James DeGale (167 1/2lbs), 23-1 (14), w pts 12 Rogelio Medina (167 3/4lbs), 36-7 (30); Christopher Pearson (159lbs), 17-1 (11), w pts 10 Joshua Okine (158 3/4lbs), 22-5 (15); Sharif Bogere (135 1/2lbs), 28-1 (19), w pts 10 Samuel Amoako (136lbs), (14); Carlos Gongora (173lbs), 7-0 (4), w rsf 1 Zacharia Kelly (170 1/4lbs), 5-14 (5); Latondria Jones (153 1/2lbs), 3-0 (2), w rsf 1 Kamika Slade (144 1/2lbs), 0-1; Keegan Grove (133 1/2lbs), 1-0, w pts 4 Antoney Napunyi (128 1/2lbs), (5); Moshea Aleem (153 3/4lbs), 5-0 (2), d pts 4 Martez Jackson (153lbs), (1). 30 BOXING NEWS MAY 5,

31 Photos: suzanne teresa/pbc carson, ca april 30 main event undercard VICTOR ORTIZ S filmography consists of three movies: Southpaw, Going Under and The Expendables 3. On Saturday night at the StubHub Center, Ortiz thrilled an announced crowd of 7,760 by re-enacting all three roles in one night while Andre Berto played the part of the avenger. Berto bounced back from a second-round knockdown to score two of his own in the fourth and induce a stoppage at 1-14 of the same round. Sadly, Ortiz has obtained more success in recent years under the bright lights of Tinseltown than the ones hanging over the squared circle. Since defeating Berto for the WBC welterweight title in their 2011 war, the once promising boxerpuncher has fought only six times, losing four of them inside the distance. Ortiz is still only 29 but it s clear the end is near. Not so for Berto who, with this win, is now in line to meet current WBC titlist Danny Garcia, who sat ringside as a guest analyst for FOX in their latest airing of the Premier Boxing Champions platform. A win over Ortiz at this stage shouldn t guarantee anyone a title shot but the pairing is intriguing and should provide fans an entertaining scrap. For now, Berto can bask in what is likely the most satisfying win of his career. Neither fighter threw a meaningful punch in the first but Berto drew first blood when an accidental clash of heads opened a leaky gash on Ortiz s forehead. The cut never threatened his vision, however. Ortiz opened up the second with a short left that jarred Berto s head back. The Haitian-American refused to take a backward step, eschewing defence for the opportunity to land his own power punches. Another straight left brought the crowd out of their seats and when Ortiz floored him late in the stanza with a third left hand, it looked as if he was headed for an early KO win. BATTLING BACK: Berto [left] clatters into Ortiz after earlier being dropped himself SWEET REVENGE Berto rescues career but Ortiz looks finished at age 29, writes Kenneth Bouhairie TAKE THAT: Williams [right] stunning left hand proves the difference against Rodriguez Berto rose immediately, appearing more frustrated than hurt. He threw more in the third but Ortiz continued to control the action, landing clean jabs and catching his nemesis with that vaunted left. All of that changed seconds into the fourth, when Berto slipped a hook and uncorked a perfect right uppercut on Ortiz s chin. The Mexican-American crumpled to the mat in an instant, managing to get up at four on shaky legs. Berto was relentless, firing away even as Ortiz gamely threw back. Two more chopping rights sent Ortiz sagging to the canvas again. This time, he barely beat the count, rising at 9.5 seconds. Referee Jack Reiss asked Ortiz whether he wanted to continue twice. When the despondent fighter wouldn t answer nor look him in the face the fight was waved off. Fans in the arena weren t so forgiving, throwing an assortment of items into the ring. One fan even accosted Ortiz as he made his way back to the locker room. No word on what role Vicious Victor will play next, but Berto can look forward to his second title shot in as many years. In light-heavy action, Maryland s Thomas Top Dog Williams Jnr absolutely crushed Dominican Edwin Rodriguez, ending a back-and-forth slugfest with a sensational left hand in the second. Official time was Rodriguez carried the edge in experience over his southpaw opponent but fought like an amateur on this night, firing wild bombs in the first without setting them up. Two right hooks forced Rodriguez to clinch, but only briefly, as he immediately resumed throwing haymakers to the delight of onlookers. Rodriguez continued to attack in the second, landing a short right hand that caused Williams knees to dip as he teetered along the ropes. The two continued to throw bomb after bomb but with 10 seconds remaining in the round, Williams detonated a pictureperfect left cross on Rodriguez s jaw. La Bomba rolled around the canvas several times before rising at seven, but referee Wayne Hedgpeth had seen enough. Williams is now in line to meet WBC champion Adonis Stevenson, who sat ringside scouting the two fighters. Mexico s three-division champion Fernando Montiel looked every bit of his 37 years against southpaw countryman Jorge Lara, hitting the canvas four times en route to a firstround KO loss at And it could be the end for Philadelphia s perennial heavyweight contender Eddie Chambers, who was outhustled over eight by California s Gerald Washington two scores of and one of confirmed Chambers fate. the Verdict Berto shows that he wants it more than Ortiz. full results Andre Berto (146 3/4lbs), 31-4 (24), w ko 4 Victor Ortiz (146 3/4lbs), (24); Thomas Williams Jnr (176 3/4lbs), 20-1 (14), w ko 2 Edwin Rodriguez (177 1/4lbs), 28-2 (19); Jorge Lara (124 1/2lbs), (20), w ko 1 Fernando Montiel (125 1/2lbs), (30); Gerald Washington (239 3/4lbs), (11), w pts 8 Eddie Chambers (216 1/4lbs), 42-5 (23). may 5, 2016 l Boxing news l 31

32 ACTION Photos: ACTION IMAGES/PETER CZIBORRA INSTANT CLASSIC: Conlan [left] overcomes Nelson in a terrific tussle CONLAN TAKES TITLE And Walsh brothers keep their crowns Simon Euan-Smith RINGSIDE STRATFORD APRIL 30 MAIN EVENT UNDERCARD ATMOSPHERE OWN in the seventh, D and with swellings under both eyes, Belfast s Jamie Conlan unleashed a terrific left to the body to knock out defending champion Anthony Nelson in the eighth round and claim the Commonwealth super-flyweight belt at The Copper Box. A sensational opener saw Nelson (South Shields) floored by a combination to the head, but rally to raise a nastylooking swelling under Conlan s left eye, and from then on it never let up. Conlan was floored for seven by a right to the head in the third, and backed off as Nelson attacked. Nelson pursued, but Conlan countered effectively, and in the fifth a right sent Nelson into the ropes. Conlan followed up, but Nelson was quickly back on the attack. The champion looked stronger in the sixth, and in the seventh Conlan was floored by a low left. He was given time to recover, but a hard left-right to the head dropped him for eight. The challenger tried to cover up on the ropes as Nelson attacked, and Nelson was on top at the bell. Nelson came out aggressively for the eighth, but Conlan ripped in that single devastating counter, and referee Marcus McDonnell completed the count after 40 seconds, as Nelson regained his feet. It was scheduled for 12. Ryan Walsh (Cromer) retained his British featherweight title, halting Belfast s brave James Tennyson in the fifth of a scheduled 12. Tennyson was down twice in the fifth, from body-shots, and referee Mike Alexander stopped it after Tennyson was floored for seven in the second by three rights to the head, and after that Walsh s extra strength always looked crucial. A right dropped Tennyson for eight in the fifth, and although he bravely tried to attack he was caught by a left hook and went down again. He just beat the count, but Mr Alexander had seen enough. Ryan s twin brother, Liam Walsh, kept his British and Commonwealth super-featherweight belts, stopping game Troy James (Coventry) in the eighth of another 12. Swollen under the left eye, James was taking stick in his own corner the towel came in, and referee Phil Edwards waved it off after Southpaw Walsh looked far bigger, and James looked unlucky to be counted over in the third when he appeared to have tripped over his feet. 32 l BOXING NEWS l MAY 5,

33 The fourth 12-rounder on this Frank Warren promotion saw Manchester s unbeaten Hughie Fury win the vacant WBO Inter-Continental heavyweight crown with a seven-round technical decision over Cameroonian Fred Kassi. Little happened up to the end, and the crowd started booing from the fifth. Fury at least was coming forward, but Kassi seemed intent on staying out of trouble. Fury s effort was reflected in the scores (Edwards), (Lee Cook) and (McDonnell). Fury was cut under the left eye in the sixth, prompting Kassi to come forward, and a head clash opened another gash above the same eye. The wound quickly reopened in the seventh, causing referee Terry O Connor to call a halt after 46 seconds of the session. Lewis Pettitt (Erith) stopped Hungarian Tibor Nadori in the second of a scheduled eight, dropping his man once in the first and twice in the second. The final punch, a right to the side of the head, sent Nadori to his knees in his own corner, and referee Cook waved it off at Nadori needed attention before leaving the ring unaided. Joe Pigford (Southampton) stopped Warwick s Mike Byles at 2-41 of a scheduled eight, referee Edwards stepping in after Byles had been wobbled by a left hook. Byles had some damage to the right eye. Indian star Vijender Singh made it five straight, all inside-schedule, halting Frenchman Matiouze Royer in the fifth of a scheduled six. Royer bled from the nose and left eye. He went down in the fourth, from a low blow, and was given time to recover then a right put him down in the fifth, and Singh opened up. Royer indicated his eye was troubling him, and after a doctor s examination referee Cook waved it off after Ilford s Anthony Yarde had Bulgarian Tzvetozar Iliev under pressure on the ropes in the second of their scheduled six, and a huge right dropped Iliev on his EMULATING HIS TWIN: Liam Walsh [right] also wins early, versus James back. Referee McDonnell promptly called it off, giving Yarde a technical countout win after 2-40 Iliev received attention and left the ring unaided. First-timer Sanjeev Sahota (Hornchurch) took one minute of a scheduled four-rounder to halt Latvian Nikita Gultjajevs, flooring his man CALLED OFF EARLY: Fury [left] jabs Kassi en route to a technical decision victory STOPPAGE SUCCESS: Ryan Walsh [right] is too strong for brave Tennyson twice. The second time, referee Edwards completed the eight-count and signalled the finish. West Ham s Ben Smith outscored Newark s Fonz Alexander over four, referee Edwards scoring 40-36, and official Cook tallied likewise for Sidcup s D.P Carr over Sheffield s Qasim Hussain. In a scheduled four, Nathan Gorman (Nantwich) dropped Croatia s Hrvoje Kisicek three times, prompting referee Cook to call a halt after Nottingham s Dean Gillen upset Enfield s Barney Joe Jones over four, referee McDonnell scoring Tony Bange (Staines-upon-Thames) mentored by Prince Naseem Hamed had a tough four-round debut against Bulgarian Teodor Stefanov, but two point deductions for Stefanov in the last (for holding) secured Bange a win from referee Cook. FULL RESULTS Jamie Conlan (114lbs 12oz), 16-0 (10), w ko 8 Anthony Nelson (114lbs 8oz), 11-1 (2); Ryan Walsh (125lbs 8oz), 21-1 (10), w rsf 5 James Tennyson (125lbs 15oz), 16-2 (13); Liam Walsh (129lbs 4oz), 20-0 (14), w rsf 8 Troy James (129lbs 4oz), (5); Hughie Fury (231lbs 8oz), 20-0 (10), w td 7 Fred Kassi (233lbs 4oz), (10); Lewis Pettitt (127lbs 10oz), 19-2 (9), w rsf 2 Tibor Nadori (120lbs 1oz), (3); Joe Pigford (155lbs 12oz), 10-0 (9), w rsf 1 Mike Byles (157lbs), 8-5 (2); Vijender Singh (167lbs 4oz), 5-0 (5), w rsf 5 Matiouze Royer (167lbs 8oz), (3); Anthony Yarde (176lbs 9oz), w tco 2 Tzvetozar Iliev (174lbs 4oz), ; Boy Jones Jnr (132lbs 12oz), (5), w rsf 4 Aron Szilagyi (131lbs 1oz), (1); D.P Carr (136lbs), 4-0 (3), w pts 4 Qasim Hussain (138lbs 8oz), ; Ben Smith (143lbs 4oz), 3-0, w pts 4 Fonz Alexander (141lbs 4oz), 3-32 (1); Nathan Gorman (255lbs), 3-0 (2), w rsf 1 Hrvoje Kisicek (249lbs), (4); Sanjeev Sahota (140lbs 12oz), 1-0 (1), w rsf 1 Nikita Gultjajevs (137lbs 4oz), 1-2 (1); Dean Gillen (170lbs), 3-2, w pts 4 Barney Joe Jones (169lbs), 1-1; Tony Bange (150lbs), 1-0 (1), w pts 4 Teodor Stefanov (149lbs), 4-17 (1). THE VERDICT Conlan v Nelson is a candidate for Britain s Fight of the Year. MAY 5, 2016 l BOXING NEWS l 33

34 ACTION Davies goes 12 for the first time, while Galahad returns Gary Shaw RINGSIDE Photo: ANDY BALL MOVING ON UP: Davies [left] shows his variety against Castillo WIGAN APRIL 30 MAIN EVENT UNDERCARD ATMOSPHERE WITH nine early wins from 12 since turning over in 2013, fans of unbeaten Liverpool super-lightweight Robbie Davies Jnr could have been forgiven for thinking their man would similarly blow away Argentina s Xavier Luques Castillo in Neil Marsh and Carl Greaves main event indoors at Wigan FC s DW Stadium. Instead, in the exciting Scouser s first defence of the WBA Continental belt he won impressively in March, they had to settle for a hard-won, though ultimately unanimous 12-round points decision. While Finnish hardman Jaarko Putkonen s come-forward approach was seemingly made for Davies slick counter-punching style two months ago, the Argentine champion was made of sterner and subtler stuff here. Despite losing pretty much every round, and a point for the bemusing lack of bite he showed with an inability to ensure his gumshield remained in its rightful place in the ninth, the talented Castillo proved a tough nut to crack. Davies, recently given a No. 8 world ranking by the WBA just one place behind Ricky Burns caught Castillo early in the first with a number of his by-nowtrademark counter-backhands. Although he took these well, the visitor, in a sign of what was to come in the early part of the contest, cleverly tied his opponent up whenever they came close. Although referee Howard Foster told both to tidy the fight up at the start of the fifth, any similar frustrations Davies may have felt weren t shown and, as the fight wore on and his opponent tired, his controlled aggression began to pay off. Castillo withstood a solid right hand in the fourth, heavy pressure in the seventh and eighth, and the point deduction in the ninth, but he eventually succumbed in the 12th and last round when a left to the body saw him sink to the canvas. Up at five complaining of a low blow, he became the focus of sustained assaults as Davies searched for stoppage number 10, but the visitor hung on to hear the final bell and scores of twice ( Jahcen Oumghar and Dave Parris) and ( Jean Robert Laine) in the holder s favour. JUNIOR COMING OF AGE Earlier in the evening, Preston heavyweight Big Bill Hodgson gained his third win in three courtesy of another early stoppage, this time against outgunned Latvian Eriks Kalasnikovs. Down for eight halfway through the round following a flurry of shots, Kalasnikovs simply couldn t cope with Hodgson s heavy hands and, barely a minute later, he was down again in his corner via a sweeping right to the head. Referee Darren Sarginson rightly stopped the carnage at 2-48 (scheduled for four). Liverpool welter Joe Wood gained his second win as a pro when, after a lively first round, he dropped Croatia s Silvije Kebet for the full count just 1-06 into the second session. For a time it seemed the Croat, content to soak up pressure in the opener before having a go himself, would try the same, but a solid jab to the stomach changed matters and he took the full count from ref Sarginson while taking a knee. It had been set for four. In the third contest of the evening, Sheffield s former British, Commonwealth and European super-bantamweight TALKING POINT WITH Tyrone Nurse defending his British super-lightweight title against Willie Limond later this month, Davies will likely be an interested observer. champion Kid Galahad returned to the ring after an 18-month doping ban. If the manner of his absence was sensational news at the time however, his low-key return here looked to be the perfect response when, looking calm, focused and relaxed, he dismantled Latvia s Simas Volosinas inside 11 minutes. Galahad looked in supreme condition and wasted little time in peppering the beleaguered visitor with every shot in the book. His face reddened halfway through the first, the Latvian had no answer to Galahad s precision and power and, after shipping one shot too many, Mr Sarginson stepped in to wave it over with 2-06 of the fourth round gone. It had been due to last six. Kirkham s Adam Little gained a fifth-round stoppage win over Poland s Jacek Wylezol in a six-rounder. Little s focus on body shots was eventually rewarded when he felled the Pole with a sickening left hook. He was up at eight, more pressure from Little forced Sarginson to halt proceedings at THE VERDICT Talented Davies gets some much-needed rounds in the bag. FULL RESULTS Robbie Davies Jnr (139 1/2lbs), 13-0 (9), w pts 12 Xavier Luques Castillo (138 1/2lbs), 15-6 (5); Adam Little (146 1/4lbs), 16-1 (4), w rsf 5 Jacek Wylezol (145 1/4lbs), (8); Kid Galahad (132 1/4lbs), 19-0 (10), w rsf 4 Simas Volosinas (133 1/4lbs), 6-46 (1) (6); Joe Wood (152lbs), 2-0 (2), w ko 2 Silvije Kebet (143 1/4lbs), 2-9 (1); Bill Hodgson (236lbs), 3-0 (3), w rsf 1 Eriks Kalasnikovs (222 1/4lbs), (7). 34 l BOXING NEWS l MAY 5,

35 action HOME SWEET HOME A good night for the house fighters as Coyle extends unbeaten run full results Johnny Coyle (152lbs), (2), w pts 8 Casey Blair (152lbs), 3-9; Idris Hill (138lbs), 4-0, w pts 6 Youssef Al Hamidi (140lbs), (1); Louis Adolphe (148lbs), 5-0 (1), w pts 6 James Gorman (145lbs), (3); Kirk Garvey (178lbs), 4-0, w pts 4 Elvis Dube (190lbs), (5); Tey Lynn- Jones (162lbs), 2-0, w pts 4 Scott Hillman (165lbs), 0-6; George Hennon (145lbs), 3-0, w pts 4 Danny Donchev (150lbs), (1); Craig Whyatt (143lbs), 8-3 (3), w pts 4 Lukas Leskovic (144lbs), Simon Euan-Smith ringside Bethnal green april 29 whole show atmosphere SEVEN distance fights, with the losers managing just a share of two of the 36 sessions but the fans still enjoyed the Dennis Hobson/Danny Maclaren promotion at York Hall. Topping the bill, Johnny Coyle (Stanford-le-Hope) took his unbeaten run to 14 (one draw) by beating Belfast s willing Casey Blair over eight, referee Lee Cook s scoreline reflecting a point deduction for Coyle in the seventh for repeatedly pulling his opponent s head down. Mr Cook spoke to both several times during the bout, though it was generally clean as well as hard-fought. Southpaw Coyle started aggressively, shrugging off a decent right counter as he came forward. Blair tried to seize control, but he too was caught on the way in. Coyle continued to outwork his man, though Blair contributed plenty and raised a bump in the corner of Coyle s left eye in the third. A right to the body had Blair backing off in the fourth, and by the fifth the Northern Irishman was grazed above the right eye. Coyle picked his shots effectively at long range in the sixth, and by the seventh things were getting messy, with Coyle being warned for pulling Blair s head down, and then losing a point when he did it again. But Coyle won the last, keeping it long and beating his man to the punch. Switch-hitting Idris Hill (Southend) hunted down Dewsbury s Youssef Al- Hamidi for six rounds, taking a verdict from referee Kieran McCann. With over 100 fights behind him, Al-Hamidi proved slippery and hard to tag cleanly he was bundled over in the second, but it was correctly ruled no knockdown. Al-Hamidi threw the occasional counter, but nothing he landed bothered Hill. Al-Hamidi did score with some counters in the fifth (possibly the session he shared), but Hill was back on top in the last, and Al-Hamidi was marked by the side of the left eye. Wimbledon s Louis Adolphe dominated Belfast s game James Gorman, referee Cook scoring their six-rounder Gorman took the fight to his rival but Adolphe had too much of everything, scoring with jabs at long range and working solidly to the body. In both the fourth and fifth Adolphe opened up to have Gorman under pressure. The one knock against Adolphe was a tendency to use the forearm, for which he was warned more than once but never had a point deducted. The rest of the bill consisted of fourrounders, all scored Kirk Garvey (Clapham) gave away weight but well beat Derby s experienced Elvis Dube. Garvey had height and reach advantages and made use of them, dominating at long range and working well to head and body. McCann refereed. Thurrock s popular Tey Lynn-Jones delighted his fans with a comprehensive win over Eastbourne s Scott Hillman, refereed by Cook. Lynn-Jones took control from the outset. Hillman lost his gumshield in the second and was caught on the ropes frequently. The third ended with Lynn-Jones well on top, and although Hillman came out aggressively for the last, Lynn-Jones was quickly back in control. George Hennon (Snodland) had his hands full with Rosehill veteran Danny Donchev, whose survival tactics made for a rather messy contest. When Hennon could stand off and score at range, he looked good, but too often Donchev got close, tied him up and held on. McCann refereed Out since December 2014, Morden s Craig Whyatt came back with a win over Croatian Lukas Leskovic. The visitor tried, landed some counters, and raised a long diagonal graze from Whyatt s hairline to the top of his right ear. But Whyatt stayed on top, outworking his rival in every round. the Verdict One-sided bouts, but still entertaining. BRAVO, JOHNNY: Coyle is unbeaten in 14 pro outings Photo: action images/ adam holt may 5, 2016 l Boxing news l 35

36 ACTION Photo: JANE WARBURTON CAPITAL PUNISHMENT Cardiff s Saunders needs less than a round to snap Kerry s unbeaten record Andy Whittle RINGSIDE MAIN EVENT UNDERCARD ATMOSPHERE TWENTY seconds of the first round of a scheduled eight between Welsh rivals Rhys Saunders (Cardiff) and Kerry Evans (Wrexham) remained at the ornate Kings Hall when official Kevin Parker brought an end to proceedings. Evans, who boasted a 100 per cent record going in, had twice been sent to the canvas and was once more under fire against the ropes. It took only a matter of seconds for the two combatants to signal their FULL RESULTS STOKE APRIL 30 Rhys Saunders (138lbs 14oz), (1), w rsf 1 Kerry Evans (138 1/2lbs), 6-1 (5); Ben Eland (162lbs 7oz), 1-0-1, w pts 4 Liam Wright (151lbs 9oz), 0-7; Josh McLaren (156lbs 5oz), (2), d pts 4 William Warburton (152lbs), (3); Chris Nixon (177 1/2lbs), 6-5 (1), w pts 4 Lee Lewis (179lbs 5oz), 1-1; Luke Jones (134lbs 1oz), 1-0, w pts 6 Joe Beeden (137lbs 5oz), (1); Josh Groombridge (159 1/2lbs), 1-0, w pts 4 James Conroy (169lbs 6oz), 1-12; Mike Jones (147lbs 5oz) 2-2, w pts 4 Paul O Brien (154lbs 5oz), SCRAMBLED: Evans hits the deck for the first time intent, Saunders advancing to score with a chopping right followed quickly by a left uppercut, while the heavily tattooed Evans, looking to hold centre ring, replied with a weighty right upstairs which prompted a shake of the head from the Cardiff man. Neither fighter, judging by the early pace, appeared to entertain ideas of a distance win. Kerry had first been floored, in centre ring, just seconds after finding himself on the receiving end of a right downstairs and a flurry to the head, and while it was a case of bombs away from both on the resumption, he was dropped again, this time in a neutral corner, by a clubbing right. Again Evans hauled himself upright and continued, but with the bit firmly between Saunders teeth and with an early victory looking a distinct possibility, he swarmed forward. A pair of lefts forced Kerry to the ropes, where, with the top half of his body out between the uppermost two strands, he remained as the third man intervened. Ben Eland, who hails from the former mining village of Ollerton in the heart of Sherwood Forest, but who boxes out of Stoke, notched a win at the second attempt, taking the verdict of Mr Parker at the conclusion of his fourrounder against Sheffield s still-winless Liam Wright. The level round was doubtless the second, which Wright began at quite a pace but for the most part, Eland, busier behind the jab, was in the ascendancy. Referee Parker was also the man in the middle for the four-threes between well-supported Uttoxeter first-timer Josh Groombridge and Dunstable s bearded, and heavier by quite a margin, James Conroy. The debutant, previously active on the unlicensed circuit, bossed proceedings and mixed it up well en route to a shut-out victory. A further quartet of four-rounders, all overseen by Shaun Messer, formed the rest of the bill and resulted in three wins and a draw for the home boxers involved. The draw, scored 39-39, came in the bout between Stoke s Josh McLaren and Atherton s William Warburton who, despite being a veteran of over 120 contests, is still more than capable of causing an upset here and there. McLaren was hampered by two separate cuts to the right eyebrow, both the result of head clashes. The first and worst of the two, suffered as the midway point approached, needed to survive a doctor s inspection. Josh had been the busier early doors but William saved his best work for the closing session and thus earned a share. Opinion at ringside was evenly split as to who might just have edged it, so there were no complaints with the verdict. Wrexham did boast one winner, as Mike Jones restored parity to his record by edging past a still-winless operator in Hull s Paul O Brien. I had this one a point wider than Mr Messer, who scored 39-38, giving Jones the first two sessions along with the last, during which he responded well to a talking-to from his corner after allowing O Brien to outwork him in the third. Local Chris Nixon registered his sixth paid victory in shutting out Newport s Lee Lewis who, with just a single bout to his credit was back in the ring for the first time since registering a debut victory back in November The Welshman was allowed to recover from a low blow in the third but by that point was starting to tire. Dropping his hands increasingly regularly, Lewis replies proved somewhat less frequent in the fourth. Another dipping his toe in the pro waters for the first time was Luke Jones, from Chasetown in Staffordshire. The debutant banked a win in the evening s curtain-raiser by seeing off Swindon s experienced Joe Beeden with a score of THE VERDICT Stoppage merchant Evans is handed a dose of his own medicine by Saunders. 36 l BOXING NEWS l MAY 5,

37 ACTION BELL TOLLS Teenager Tom outpoints Najib in a close contest Ashley Ball RINGSIDE SHEFFIELD APRIL 30 MAIN EVENT UNDERCARD ATMOSPHERE TWO vastly different six-rounders entertained a raucous crowd on this Dennis Hobson promotion. Boxing returned to Sheffield s City Hall for the first time in six years, and those who attended were not disappointed by the action. TEENAGE KICKS: Bell, still only 19 years old, is now 3-0 Leading the way were unbeaten duo Tom Bell and Razaq Najib, who fought out a tough battle which referee-forthe-night Mark Lyson saw the way of Doncaster s Bell, Bell, 19, the more inexperienced and younger of the two, shrugged off the pressures of being the away man and handled everything Sheffield s Najib threw at him, and landed regularly himself. The teenager threw the more cultured shots, with Najib always piling on the pressure but sometimes walking into trouble. Razaq had his successes in a very even fight which could have gone either way depending on one s tastes. Kyle Yousaf cruised through his sixrounder, winning every round against Nicaraguan Jose Aguilar. The unbeaten hometown man casually went up through the gears during the contest and could have taken the visitor out had he had more time. Yousaf slipped through Aguilar s guard with ease as the fight wore on, but was guilty of being too relaxed in the early stages. Sheffield pair Ramzy Nassa and debutant Mujahid Najib claimed fourround wins in contests that were not walkovers. Nassa defeated Hull s Luke Fash Fash had been unbeaten in his last three away trips, but Nassa nullified his attacks with greater volume, movement and by using his considerable reach advantage. Najib, a cousin of Razaq s, beat fellow Sheffielder Ryan Hanson Both men threw caution to the wind in an engaging contest but Hanson took far the heavier blows, with Najib landing at will with the overhand right. THE VERDICT It is refreshing to see someone as young as Bell beating game fighters like Najib. FULL RESULTS Kyle Yousaf (117lbs 12oz), 7-0 (2), w pts 6 Jose Aguilar (113lbs 4oz), (6); Tom Bell (126lbs 1/2oz), 3-0, w pts 6 Razaq Najib (128lbs 10oz) 5-1 (1); Muhajid Najib (138lbs 1oz), 1-0, w pts 4 Ryan Hanson (133lbs 2oz), (1); Ramzy Nassa (121lbs 9oz), 7-0-1, w pts 4 Luke Fash (124lbs), MAY 5, 2016 l BOXING NEWS l 37

38 DIARY MAY SATURDAY 7 Manchester Arena (Sky Sports & AWE) Anthony Crolla (holder) v Ismael Barroso (WBA lightweight title); Shayne Singleton v Adil Anwar; Hosea Burton v s/o; Martin Murray v Cedric Spera; Tommy Coyle v Reynaldo Mora; Paul Smith v Daniel Regi; Marcus Morrison v Jefferson Luiz De Sousa; Jono Carroll v Jordan Ellison; Callum Johnson v Richard Horton; Ben Sheedy v Sonny Whiting; Sean Ben Mulligan v Ian Henry; Warren Baister v s/o. (Promoter: Matchroom). Meadowbank Sports Centre, Edinburgh Thomas Essomba (holder) v Iain Butcher (Commonwealth flyweight title); Marc Kerr v Lewis van Poetsch; Lewis Benson v Nathan Hardy; Tommy Philbin v Krzysztof Golec; Thomas Dickson v Youssef Al Hamidi; Brian Forsyth v Bryn Wain; Stephen Tiffney v Joe Beeden; John Thain v William Warburton; Jason Easton v Fonz Alexander. (Promoter: MGM Promotions Scotland). York Hall, Bethnal Green Johnny Garton v Ryan Fields (vacant English welterweight title); Nathan Weise v s/o; Remel Scott v Attila Tibor Nagy; Ryan Crawford v s/o; Luke Watkins v Tony Cruise; Charlie Duffield v Merdjidin Yuseinov; Jack Raines v Qasim Hussain; Sam Barron v Joseph Obeslo; David Birmingham v Kristian Laight; Shaquille Day v Paul O Brien; Noureddine Meddoun v s/o. (Promoter: Goodwin Main Events). T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada (BoxNation & HBO) Saul Alvarez (holder) v Amir Khan; David Lemieux v Glen Tapia; Frankie Gomez v Mauricio Herrera; Patrick Teixeira v Curtis Stevens; Diego De La Hoya v Rocco Santomauro; Jason Quigley v James De la Rosa (Promoter: Golden Boy Promotions). Barclaycard Arena, Hamburg, Germany (Sky Sports & AWE) Kubrat Pulev v Dereck Chisora (vacant European heavyweight title). (Promoter: SPAG). BOXING ON THE BOX THURSDAY pm BoxNation Bunce s Boxing Hour FRIDAY pm BoxNation Cassius & Helder SATURDAY pm Sky Sports 2 LIVE Anthony Crolla v Ismael Barroso & Kubrat Pulev v Dereck Chisora SUNDAY 8 Ariake Colosseum, Tokyo, Japan Naoya Inoue (holder) v David Carmona (WBO super-flyweight title); Akira Yaegashi (holder) v Martin Tecuapetla (IBF light-flyweight title). (Promoter: Ohashi Promotions). FRIDAY 13 Macron Stadium, Bolton (BoxNation) Jack Catterall v Joe Hughes; Luke Blackledge (holder) v s/o (Commonwealth super-middleweight title); Jimmy Kelly v s/o; Steven Lewis v s/o; Joe Costello v s/o; Jack Flatley v s/o; Macaulay McGowan v s/o; Zelfa Barrett v s/o; Ciaran McVarnock v s/o; Vijender Singh v s/o. (Promoter: Queensberry Promotions). Dolphin Centre, Darlington Peter Cope v Brad Botham; Jeff Saunders v s/o; Neil Hepper v Ibrar Riyaz; Steve Cooper v s/o. (Promoter: Relentless Promotions). SATURDAY 14 Ice Arena, Cardiff (Channel 5) Lee Haskins (holder) v Ivan Morales (IBF bantamweight title); Craig Kennedy v Joel Tambwe Djeko; Andrew Selby v Louis Norman (vacant British flyweight title); Tony Dixon v Paddy Gallagher (vacant Celtic welterweight title); Josh Taylor v s/o; Conrad Cummings v Frankie Borg; Nathan Thorley v s/o; Mitch Buckland v s/o; Morgan Jones v s/o. (Promoter: Sanigar Events & Cyclone Promotions). Doncaster Dome Lee Appleyard v Chris Conwell (vacant Central Area super-featherweight title); Robbie Barrett v Adam Kettleborough; Shaun Ireland v Mick Leach; Josh Wale v Dmitrijs Gutmans; Daniel Slaney v Andy Neylon; Matthew Wigglesworth v s/o; Jayce Dixon v Paul O'Brien. (Promoter: Stefy Bull Promotions). Holte Suite, Villa Park, Birmingham Dan Breeze v Natty Howell; Carl Dickens v Sam Wall; Harry Fiaz v James Conroy; Kelcie Ball v Lewis van Poetsch; Tion Gibbs v Matt Seawright; Cori Gibbs v s/o; Tony Jones v s/o; Lee Jones v Shayne Dragonslayer. (Promoter: Tommy Owens Promotions). SUNDAY am BoxNation LIVE Saul Alvarez v Amir Khan WEDNESDAY am Channel 4 KOTV Boxing Weekly Grand Pier, Weston-super-Mare Kane Stewart v Lee Gibbons; Liam Hunt v Robert Strudsinski; Faheem Khan v Danny Donchev; Jacob Lucas v Kevin McCauley; Jamie Evans v Viktors Drizlionoks; Henry Smith v s/o; Gary Boulter v Richard Harrison. (Promoter: Dynamite Pro Boxing Promotions). York Hall, Bethnal Green Matt McCarthy v Danny Brown; Jordan Joseph v Bryn Wain; Adam Dingsdale v s/o; Karl Wheeler v Jindrich Velecky; Duke Micah v s/o; Danny Connor v s/o; Duane Sinclair v Curtis Gargano; Max Lovell v Liam Griffiths; Adrian Martin v Harjinder Gill; Dean Richardson v s/o; Mark Little v Darren Snow; Josh Nelson v Jack Green; Osse Jervier v s/o; Jummane Camero v Teodor Boyadjiev; Bradley Smith v Andy Harris; Dalton Miller v Jesse Goodhand Tait; Joe McCory v Radoslav Mitev. (Promoter: Campion Promotions). Braintree Billy Bird v s/o; Alan Ratibb v s/o; Nathan Dale v James Gorman; Zaiphan Morris v Luke Fash; Joe Hurn v Casey Blair; Ryan Frost v Danny Backhouse; John Wheatley v s/o. (Promoter: Shamrock Promotions). Stadium Suite, Banks Stadium, Walsall Nathan Gorman v Kamil Sokolowski Sam Evans v s/o; Chad Sugden v Vaidas Balciauskas; Martin Gethin v Fonz Alexander; Jason Welborn v William Warburton; Keiran Mclaren v s/o. (Promoter: Hatton Promotions & Black Country Boxing). FRIDAY 20 Leeds United FC Banqueting Suite, Elland Road Adil Anwar v s/o; Sean Hare v s/o; Damon Jones v s/o; Russ Midgley v s/o; Scott Aitken v s/o; Chris Harding v s/o; Hamed Ghaz v s/o; Daniel Ruddock v s/o; Lee McGhie v s/o; Lee Powell v s/o; Jack Jones v s/o; Paul Gordon v s/o; Jack Sellars v s/o; Josh Sandland v s/o. (Promoter: Bateson Promotions). SATURDAY 21 O2 Arena, Greenwich David Haye v Arnold Gjergjaj; Shannon Briggs v Alexander Dimitrenko; Joe Mullender v Lee Markham (vacant English middleweight title); Floyd Moore v Yordan Vasilev; Daniel Keenan v s/o; Kay Prospere v s/o; Ollie Pattison v Bryn Wain; Nick Webb v s/o; Joe Hournier v s/o; Fahad Al Thani v s/o. (Promoter: Hayemaker Promotions). Town Hall, Dudley Craig Cunningham (holder) v Ryan Aston (Midlands Area middleweight title); Brad Foster v Jordan Turner; Tyler Denny v s/o; Les Byfield v Joe Beeden; Matt Windle v Gary Reeve. (Promoter: P.J. Rowson). Bramall Lane, Sheffield Sam O maison v s/o; Chris Dutton v s/o; Joel Palmer v s/o; Kash Ali v s/o; Loua Nassa v s/o. (Promoter: Dennis Hobson Promotions). Grangemouth Sports Complex Derek Skinner v s/o; Darin Reid v s/o; Brian Forsyth v s/o; Rhys Pagan v s/o; Martin Buchanan v s/o; Martin Taylor v s/o; Arturs Selivanovs v s/o; Shaun McShane v s/o; Connor Law v s/o. (Promoter: Prospect Boxing). Sports Centre, Oldham Alex Rutter v s/o; Adam Machaj v s/o. (Promoter: VIP Promotions). Khodynka Ice Palace, Moscow, Russia (BoxNation) Deontay Wilder (holder) v Alexander Povetkin (WBC heavyweight title); Denis Lebedev v Victor Emilio Ramirez (for Lebedev s WBA & Ramirez s IBF cruiserweight titles); Felix Valera v Dmitry Bivol; Umar Salamov v Bob Ajisafe; Dilmurod Satybaldiev v s/o; Dmitry Kudryashov v Julio Cesar Dos Santos; Rakhim Chakhkiev v s/o; Stanislav Kashtanov v s/o. (Promoter: World Boxing). The Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas, Nevada Jermall Charlo (holder) v Austin Trout (IBF super-welterweight title); Erislandy Lara (holder) v Vanes Martirosyan (WBA super-welterweight title); Jermell Charlo v John Jackson (vacant WBC superwelterweight title). (Promoter: TGB Promotions & Mayweather Promotions). Vodafone Events Centre, Manukau City, New Zealand Joseph Parker v Carlos Takam. (Promoter: Duco Events Ltd). WEDNESDAY 25 Beijing, China Amnat Ruenroeng (holder) v John Riel Casimero (IBF flyweight title). THURSDAY 26 Park Lane Hotel, Mayfair Ian Bailey v s/o; Robin Dupre v s/o; Siar Ozgul v s/o; Danny Parsons v s/o. (Promoter: Mayfair Sporting Club). SATURDAY 28 The SSE Hydro, Glasgow (Sky Sports) Ricky Burns v Michele Di Rocco (vacant WBA 'world' super-lightweight title); Tyrone Nurse (holder) v Willie Limond (British super-lightweight title); Tommy McCarthy v John Lewis Dickinson; Charlie Flynn v s/o; Joe Ham v s/o; Josh Taylor v s/o; Conor Benn v Luke Keleher. (Promoter: Matchroom Boxing). 38 l BOXING NEWS l MAY 5,

39 RANKINGS HEAVYWEIGHT over 200lbs/14st 4lbs 1 TYSON FURY (25-0) 2. WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO (64-4) 3. ALEXANDER POVETKIN (30-1) 4. DEONTAY WILDER (36-0) 5. KUBRAT PULEV (22-1) 6. LUIS ORTIZ (25-0) 7. ANTHONY JOSHUA (16-0) 8. BERMANE STIVERNE (25-2-1) 9. CARLOS TAKAM (33-2-1) 10. LUCAS BROWNE (24-0) MIDDLEWEIGHT 160lbs/11st 6lbs 1. SAUL ALVAREZ (46-1-1) 2. MIGUEL COTTO (40-5) 3. GENNADY GOLOVKIN (35-0) 4. DANIEL JACOBS (31-1) 5. BILLY JOE SAUNDERS (23-0) 6. PETER QUILLIN (32-1-1) 7. ANDY LEE (34-3-1) 8. DAVID LEMIEUX (34-3) 9. DANIEL GEALE (31-4) 10. HASSAN N DAM N JIKAM (32-2) LIGHTWEIGHT 135lbs/9st 9lbs 1. JORGE LINARES (40-3) 2. TERRY FLANAGAN (30-0) 3. ISMAEL BARROSO (19-0-2) 4. DEJAN ZLATICANIN (21-0) 5. YURIORKIS GAMBOA (25-1) 6. ANTHONY CROLLA (30-4-3) 7. RANCES BARTHELEMY (24-0) 8. ROBERT EASTER JNR (17-0) 9. ALGENIS MENDEZ (23-4-1) 10. MIGUEL VAZQUEZ (35-5) SUPER-FLYWEIGHT 115lbs/8st 3lbs 1. NAOYA INOUE (9-0) 2. CARLOS CUADRAS (35-0-1) 3. SRISAKET SOR RUNGVISAI (39-4-1) 4. KOHEI KONO (32-8-1) 5. NORBERTO JIMENEZ (23-8-4) 6. LUIS CONCEPCION (34-4) 7. McJOE ARROYO (17-0) 8. DAVID SANCHEZ (29-3-2) 9. ARTHUR VILLANUEVA (28-1) 10. OLEYDONG SITHSAMERCHAI (60-1-1) CRUISERWEIGHT 200lbs/14st 4lbs 1. KRZYSZTOF GLOWACKI (26-0) 2. MARCO HUCK (39-3-1) 3. GRIGORY DROZD (40-1) 4. DENIS LEBEDEV (28-2) 5. VICTOR EMILIO RAMIREZ (22-2-1) 6. KRZYSZTOF WLODARCZYK (50-3-1) 7. FIRAT ARSLAN (36-8-2) 8. ILUNGA MAKABU (19-1) 9. TONY BELLEW (26-2-1) 10. OVILL McKENZIE ( ) SUPER-WELTERWEIGHT 154lbs/11st 1. ERISLANDY LARA (22-2-2) 2. AUSTIN TROUT (30-2) 3. JERMALL CHARLO (23-0) 4. JERMELL CHARLO (27-0) 5. DEMETRIUS ANDRADE (22-0) 6. VANES MARTIROSYAN (36-2-1) 7. CORNELIUS BUNDRAGE (34-6) 8. ISHE SMITH (28-8) 9. LIAM SMITH (22-0-1) 10. WILLIE NELSON (25-2-1) SUPER-FEATHERWEIGHT 130lbs/9st 4lbs 1. JEZREEL CORRALES (20-1) 2. TAKASHI UCHIYAMA (24-1-1) 3. FRANCISCO VARGAS (23-0-1) 4. TAKASHI MIURA (29-3-2) 5. JAVIER FORTUNA (29-0-1) 6. BRYAN VASQUEZ (34-2) 7. ROMAN MARTINEZ (29-2-3) 8. ORLANDO SALIDO ( ) 9. JOSE PEDRAZA (22-0) 10. EDEN SONSONA (34-6-2) FLYWEIGHT 112lbs/8st 1. ROMAN GONZALEZ (45-0) 2. JUAN FRANCISCO ESTRADA (33-2) [above] 3. AMNAT RUENROENG (17-0) 4. BRIAN VILORIA (36-5) 5. KAZUTO IOKA (19-1) 6. JUAN CARLOS REVECO (36-3) 7. MORUTI MTHALANE (32-2) 8. EDGAR SOSA (52-9) 9. McWILLIAMS ARROYO (16-3) 10. MOISES FUENTES (24-2-1) LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT 175lbs/12st 7lbs 1. SERGEY KOVALEV (29-0-1) 2. ADONIS STEVENSON (27-1) 3. JUERGEN BRAEHMER (48-2) 4. ANDRZEJ FONFARA (28-3) 5. ARTUR BETERBIEV (9-0) 6. ELEIDER ALVAREZ (19-0) 7. ANDRE WARD (29-0) 8. JEAN PASCAL (30-4-1) 9. ISAAC CHILEMBA (24-3-2) [above] 10. VYACHESLAV SHABRANSKYY (16-0) WELTERWEIGHT 147lbs/10st 7lbs 1. TIMOTHY BRADLEY (33-2-1) 2. KELL BROOK (36-0) 3. AMIR KHAN (31-3) 4. SHAWN PORTER (26-1-1) 5. KEITH THURMAN (26-0) 6. DANNY GARCIA (32-0) 7. LAMONT PETERSON (34-3-1) 8. JESSIE VARGAS (27-1) 9. ROBERT GUERRERO (33-4-1) 10. ERROL SPENCE (20-0) FEATHERWEIGHT 126lbs/9st 1. VASYL LOMACHENKO (5-1) 2. GARY RUSSELL JNR (27-1) 3. LEO SANTA CRUZ (32-0-1) 4. SIMPIWE VETYEKA (29-3) 5. ABNER MARES (29-2-1) 6. LEE SELBY (23-1) 7. JESUS CUELLAR (28-1) 8. OSCAR VALDEZ (19-0) 9. EVGENY GRADOVICH (21-2-1) 10. RONNY RIOS (25-1) LIGHT-FLYWEIGHT 108lbs/7st 10lbs 1. DONNIE NIETES (37-1-4) 2. GANIGAN LOPEZ (27-6) 3. YU KIMURA (18-3-1) 4. RYOICHI TAGUCHI (24-2-1) 5. ALBERTO ROSSEL (34-9) 6. AKIRA YAEGASHI (23-5) 7. JAVIER MENDOZA (24-3-1) 8. REY LORETO (22-13) 9. OMARI KIMWERI (16-3) 10. JESSE ESPINAS (13-2) SUPER-MIDDLEWEIGHT 168lbs/12st 1. JAMES DeGALE (23-1) 2. GILBERTO RAMIREZ (34-0) 3. ARTHUR ABRAHAM (44-5) 4. BADOU JACK (20-1-2) 5. LUCIAN BUTE (32-3-1) 6. GEORGE GROVES (23-3) 7. ANTHONY DIRRELL (29-1-1) 8. FELIX STURM (40-5-3) 9. FEDOR CHUDINOV (14-1) 10. ANDRE DIRRELL (25-2) SUPER-LIGHTWEIGHT 140lbs/10st 1. VIKTOR POSTOL (28-0) 2. LUCAS MATTHYSSE (37-4) 3. TERENCE CRAWFORD (28-0) 4. ADRIEN BRONER (32-2) 5. JOSE BENAVIDEZ (24-0) 6. KHABIB ALLAKHVERDIEV (19-2) [above] 7. MAURICIO HERRERA (22-5) 8. EDUARD TROYANOVSKY (24-0) 9. CESAR RENE CUENCA (48-2) 10. ANTONIO OROZCO (24-0) SUPER-BANTAMWEIGHT 122lbs/8st 10lbs 1. GUILLERMO RIGONDEAUX (16-0) 2. CARL FRAMPTON (22-0) 3. SCOTT QUIGG (31-1-2) 4. NONITO DONAIRE (37-3) 5. GENESIS SERVANIA (27-0) 6. ALBERT PAGARA (26-0) 7. REY VARGAS (26-0) 8. HUGO RUIZ (36-3) 9. MOISES FLORES (24-0) 10. EDIVALDO ORTEGA (24-0-1) STRAWWEIGHT 105lbs/7st 7lbs 1. BYRON ROJAS (17-2-3) 2. HEKKIE BUDLER (29-2) 3. WANHENG MENAYOTHIN (41-0) 4. JOSE ARGUMEDO (17-3-1) 5. KATSUNARI TAKAYAMA (30-8) 6. KNOCKOUT CP FRESHMART (12-0) 7. CARLOS BUITRAGO (28-2-1) 8. XIONG ZHAO ZHONG (26-6-1) 9. KOSEI TANAKA (6-0) 10. DENVER CUELLO (36-5-6) If a fighter has been inactive for over a year, he will not be included in the rankings, unless he has a fight officially scheduled. Each fighter is ranked on the results they have achieved in their own specific weight division (excluding the pound-for-pound list). A fighter cannot be ranked in a specific weight division until he has competed in that division. BANTAMWEIGHT 118lbs/8st 6lbs 1. SHINSUKE YAMANAKA (25-0-2) 2. JUAN CARLOS PAYANO (17-0) 3. ANSELMO MORENO (36-4-1) 4. JAMIE McDONNELL (28-2-1) 5. TOMOKI KAMEDA (31-2) 6. LEE HASKINS (32-3) [above] 7. PUNGLUANG SOR SINGYU (52-3) 8. RAU SHEE WARREN (13-1) 9. ZHANAT ZHAKIYANOV (26-1) 10. STUART HALL (20-4-2) POUND-FOR-POUND The best of the best 1. ROMAN GONZALEZ (45-0) 2. ANDRE WARD (29-0) 3. SERGEY KOVALEV (29-0-1) 4. TIMOTHY BRADLEY (33-2-1) 5. GUILLERMO RIGONDEAUX (16-0) 6. SAUL ALVAREZ (46-1-1) 7. MIGUEL COTTO (40-5) 8. GENNADY GOLOVKIN (35-0) 9. TERENCE CRAWFORD (28-0) 10. TYSON FURY (25-0) MAY 5, 2016 BOXING NEWS 39

40 AMATEURS AMATEURSCENE The very best action, previews and news from Olympic-style boxing With JOHN SEND us your club's news, results or upcoming events to or Photos: CHRIS BEVAN/ENGLAND BOXING HEAVYWEIGHT STRIKE: Clarke [right] lands his powerful right hand on Billam-Smith SHOCK AND WAR Surprises and thrilling contests in the finals of the England Boxing Elite championships at Liverpool s Echo Arena John Dennen RINGSIDE LIVERPOOL APRIL 30-MAY 1 THE England Boxing Elite championships, the tournament formerly known as the ABAs, is never short of surprises and the 2016 edition was no exception. Sunderland s Kiaran MacDonald sprang the first shock of the final day, outpointing Sheffield City s Sunny Edwards, the defending light-flyweight national champion. Edwards had looked masterful in his semi-final, dropping his gloves, shuffling his feet while still remaining too elusive for Shepshed s Benn Norman to catch as he scored with his shots. But MacDonald, who d beaten Windmill s Faluk Hussain in their semi-final, used his size to bore in on Sunny. Edwards burst off the backfoot with clusters of shots but against MacDonald couldn t move as freely as he had before. Sunny scampered out of trouble though Kiaran caught him with a long cross and ultimately won a split decision. It was always going to be a close one. He s the number-one seed. In the region I beat Joe Maphosa so I wasn t expected to come through, MacDonald said. I just turned 19 yesterday It s my first year in the senior ABAs so I can t really complain about this. He was a very, very slippery opponent, so I m over the moon. Obviously he s a top, top lad. I d love to share the ring with him again. It was a pleasure. Centurians light-welter Danny Wright had a magnificent tournament. He went to war with number-one seed Dalton Smith (Sheffield City) in an outstanding semi-final that Wright won on a split decision. Mason Smith (Finchley) had just edged out Martin McDonagh 40 BOXING NEWS MAY 5,

41 JUST CHAMPION: Ryan [above left, on right] makes sure of her latest title against Orton, while Nihell [above right, on left] has a head-on war with Dickinson at super-heavy IN DEEP: Fail [below left, on left] is a shock winner against aggressive Essuman, while Gale [below right, on right] slugs it out with Repton s Paksi (Eastern), who counter-punched cleverly throughout, on a split decision too in the other 64kgs semi. Wright maintained his furious intensity in the final. Heavy right hands bombed through and in the first round Smith traded with gusto, coming off the ropes to clip Danny with a left hook. But Wright stayed in the pocket, grinding Smith down, maintaining a ferocious workrate and hammering in uppercuts. Mason took his punches well but Wright was a unanimous victor. Islington 64kgs Cherelle Brown stood out in the women s event. Paige Murney (Leicester Unity) lanced in a right. Brown put her slick skills to work, finding openings for wide, sweeping punches and landing a lovely double hook to the body then the head. She danced away on her toes, though Murney finished the bout with a good last round. The decision was split but went fairly to Brown. World silver medallist Lisa Whiteside was too much for Chesterfield s Jade Ashmore. Whiteside threw salvos of punches, finishing with a hard, straight shot. Lisa hammered her right over Ashmore s jab and always had Jade under pressure, winning a unanimous decision. St. Mary s Louis Orton was competitive in the women s 60kgs final, returning fire at Sandy Ryan, One Nation. But Sandy jolted Orton back with jabs. Ryan swept in good combinations and won a unanimous decision. Ryan and Whiteside will step up in weight to go to the World championships later this month. Bilborough s Ekow Essuman went to war with Far Cotton s Carl Fail, pressing forward. In the first round talented youngster Fail threaded accurate punches through Ekow s guard but Essuman handed him a standing count in the second with a hefty right hook. Fail stood up to the examination, driving a right through and swinging back with Ekow. Essuman was the aggressor but Fail took a unanimous decision win. Both had won their semi-finals by stoppage. Carl dropped Charlie Stevens (March) with a crunching body shot while Essuman halted Birch Green s Colin Day. It s amazing, Fail, only 19 and in his first senior championship, said after the final. What a tough fight, I really dug deep. It was my accuracy, my jab, I tried to keep it as long as I can at all times but I dug really deep and I felt like I pulled through. This is only the beginning. I ve got dreams of 2020 [Olympics], Commonwealths, the lot. I want to push for it as much as I can. New 52kgs national Elite champion William Cawley (Oldham), a developing prospect, is one to watch. He had to handle a slippery and patient Ismail Khan (KBW) but with effective punching on the inside made sure of a unanimous decision. After stepping up to lightweight Birtley s Calum French became a two-weight ABA champion. Against fellow southpaw Cory O Regan (Bradford), French lined up strong backhand shots. But O Regan grew in confidence, moving nimbly MAY 5, 2016 l BOXING NEWS l 41

42 AMATEURS around the ring, his gloves low. French had to push forward in the last round to make sure of a split decision win. It was everything this year. With us just getting on [the] GB [squad] I needed to prove I m up there with the best in England even at this new weight, French said. I know he s a tricky kid, it s a clash of styles really because we both box exactly the same. I knew I had to pressure him with feints before I led because I know he s a good counter-puncher. Peter McGrail was determined to rectify last year s decision defeat in the 56kgs final. He did, but not in the manner he hoped. The Everton Red Triangle boxer took a walkover win in the final at the Echo Arena. Donnington s Liam Davies had finished his semi-final against Hoddesdon s power-punching Charlie Kenny with significant bruising around his eyes, though Davies won a split decision there. The men s middleweight final was a tremendous clash. As soon as the first bell chimed, Jordan Reynolds flew out of his corner, moving quickly to deny Ben Whittaker space. But the Wodensbrough boxer eventually swerved out of exchanges and timed his counter- Photos: CHRIS BEVAN/ENGLAND BOXING punches, little left hooks as Jordan stepped in and chopping his rights over the top. The third round became scrappier and, despite a quality performance from Reynolds, Whittaker won unanimously. Heavyweight Cheavon Clarke oozed confidence as he danced to the ring. He rushed Chris Billam- Smith, hacking at this trunk with tight hooks. The Gravesham boxer didn t dissuade Billam-Smith, who applied repeated jabs. Chris unleashed his right, fighting back. Clarke managed to rock him with a cross flush to the chin but Billam- Smith rode the punches, although lost a unanimous decision. NEW STAR: Wright [right, catching Smith] is a tremendously exciting prospect Clarke had been impressive in the 91kgs semi-final as well, when, with a huge right, he dropped and stopped tough soldier Natty Ngwenya. We don t have one style, we can switch it up. I can come as [Mike] Tyson one day, [Muhammad] Ali the next day, whatever you want, he affirmed immediately afterwards. [Chris] came out and he battled. He did himself proud. You have to give the guy credit. Rotunda s Tom Whittaker- Hart met Lynden Arthur in the 81kgs final. They started cautiously, unwilling to make a mistake. But slowly the momentum built in the contest and by the last round they were trading fiercely in the centre of the ring. Whittaker-Hart outfoxed his rival, bombing heavy punches in to win a unanimous decision. Natasha Gale ( Jubilee) came through a raw 75kgs final planting her feet and relying on her strength to out-slug Repton s Nicoletta Paksi. The Army have a national 69kgs Elite champion in Stephanie Wroe, who won a unanimous decision over Laura Stevens (Far Cotton). At 48kgs Demi-Jade Resztan halted the Army s Kerry- Anne Aaron and then scored a good unanimous win over Tanya Dady (Earlsfield) in the final. In the 54kgs final Rachael Mackenzie (H Hour) lost a unanimous decision to Ramla Ali (London Community Boxing) and in the 57kgs decider Raven Chapman outscored Hatty Nylon with a split decision. In the super-heavyweight final Alex Dickinson and the Army s Chez Nihell met each other headon, furiously exchanging shots, neither really bringing footwork into play. Nihell rocked the Kirkby man with a meaty left hook in the third but Chez wandered onto a final left hook. The decision was split but went Dickinson s way. bn CLASH OF STYLES: Whittaker [left] has to fend off pressure-fighter Reynolds 42 l BOXING NEWS l MAY 5,

43 LOCAL HERO: Whittaker-Hart [right] wins for the Rotunda MAKE THEM PAY: Brown [above, on right] lands a pinpoint right cross on Murney UPSETTER: MacDonald [below, on left] catches up with Edwards OTHER SEMI-FINAL RESULTS: 48: Tanya Dady (Earlsfield) outpd Adrianna Finch (Boston) unan. 51: Beccy McMullin (Intense) outpd by Jade Ashmore (Chesterfield) unan. 52: Muzzy Fuyana (Middlesbrough) outpd by William Cawley (Oldham) unan, Ismail Khan (KBW) outpd Niall Farrell (Kingstanding) unan. 54: Ellis Booth (St Gerrard s) outpd by Rachael Mackenzie (H Hour) unan, Ramla Ali (London Community Boxing) outpd Kim Shannon (Second City) unan. 56: Peter McGrail (Everton Red Triangle) outpd Jack Hillier (Southampton) unan. 57: Raven Chapman (Arena) outpd Shelby Brazell (Hartlepool) split, Hatty Nylon (Hebden Bridge) outpd Kirsty Hill (Grimsby) unan. 60: Calum French (Birtley) outpd Jake Clarke (Golden Ring) unan, Cory O Regan (Bradford) outpd Jack Brooker (Northolt) unan, Sandy Ryan (One Nation) outpd Shanice James (Army) unan, Louise Orton (St Mary s) outpd Sarah Dunne (Bury) split. 64: Cherelle Brown (Islington) outpd Nina Bradley (Boston) unan, Paige Murney (Leicester Unity) outpd Alanna Murphy (Army) split. 69: Stephanie Wroe (Army) outpd Hannah Shield (North Shields) unan, Jem Campbell (Academy Luton) outpd by Laura Stevens (Far Cotton) split. 75: Jordan Reynolds (Hoddesdon) outpd Lee Jenkins (Eastbourne) unan, Ryszard Lewicki (Sheffield City) outpd by Ben Whittaker (Wodensbrough) unan, Nikoletta Paksi (Repton) stpd Lauren Johnson (Wodensorough). 81: Tom Whittaker- Hart (Rotunda) outpd Dean Laing (Birtley) unan, Lynden Arthur (Collyhurst & Moston) outpd George Crotty (Royal Navy) unan. 91: Chris Billam-Smith (Poole) outpd Ryan Hatton (Tamworth) unan. 91&: Chez Nihell (Army) outpd Courtney Giled (Balham) split, Alex Dickinson (Kirkby) outpd Soloman Dacres (Warley) split. QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS: 48: Finch outpd Molly Perkins (Eastside) split. 49: Benn Norman (Shepshed) outpd Scott Rankin (Knowsley Vale) unan. 52: Blane Hyland (Salisbury) outpd by Fuyana unan, Shamim Khan (Army) stpd by Cawley, Khan outpd Ryan Briscoe (Wirral) unan, Farrell outpd Louie Lynn (Lynn) unan. 54: Chloe-Jane Stansfield (Army) outpd by Mackenzie unan, Ramla Ali outpd Jade Pearce (Wellington) unan, Lauren Parker (Stevenage) outpd by Shannon unan. 56: Connor Coghill (Hull Boxing Centre) outpd by Hillier split, Connor Marsden (Earlsfield) outpd by Liam Davies (Donnington) unan, Jeff Nesham (High Fell) lost to Charlie Kenny (Hoddesdon) unan. 57: Tori Willets (Eastside) outpd by Brazell split, Nylon outpd Kim Rowe (Paddy John s) unan. 60: French outpd Rory Lavery (Salisbury) unan, Ryan Fillingham (Army) stpd by Clarke, O Regan outpd Yousif Saeed (Bridgewater Salford) unan, Brooker outpd Adam Cope (Gus Robinson) split, Chelsey Arnell (St Paul s) outpd by James unan. 64: Dalton Smith (Steel City) outpd Connor Parker (Orme) unan, Tom McGuinness (Kirkdale) outpd by Danny Wright (Centurians) unan, Martin McDonagh (Eastern) outpd Stephen Rolfe (Retford) unan, Fateh Benkorichi (Hoddesdon) outpd by Mason Smith (Finchley) split, Kate Flynn (No Limits) outpd by Bradley unan. 69: Ekow Essuman (Bilborough) outpd Abdul Ibrahim (Hoddesdon) unan, Colin Day (Birch Green) outpd Ryan Stevenson (Doncaster BA) unan, Joe Laws (Birtley) outpd by Charlie Stevens (March) unan, Billy Le Poullain (Amalgamated) outpd by Carl Fail (Far Cotton) unan. 75: Zak Chelli (Fitzroy Lodge) outpd by Jenkins unan, Harry Scarf (Salisbury) outpd by Lewicki unan, Lewis Richardson (Centurian) outpd by Whittaker unan. 81: Whittaker-Hart outpd Harry Wood (Kirkby) unan, Andre Sterling (Fitzroy Lodge) outpd by Laing unan, Bryce Goodridge (Basingstoke) outpd by Arthur unan, Crotty outpd Ashley Vanzie (Platinum) unan. 91: Natty Ngwenya (Army) outpd Michael Webster (Empire SOB) unan, Peterjack Stubbs (Henry s) outpd by Cheavon Clarke (Gravesham) unan, Billam-Smith outpd Nathan Quarless (Salisbury) unan, Anees Taj (St Albans) outpd by Hatton unan. 91&: Danny Williamson (Manor) outpd by Dickinson unan, Naylor Ball (Guildford City) outpd by Giled unan. ON THE BUTTON: Flyweight talent Cawley [above left, on right] shoots in a left on Khan, while O Reagan [above right, on left] wages a tense tactical battle with Birtley s two-weight titlist Calum French, and the Army have a national champion in welterweight Wroe, who consoles Stevens [inset] MAY 5, 2016 l BOXING NEWS l 43

44 FLASHBACK Photo: ACTION IMAGES/REUTERS/ETHAN MILLER UNBELIEVABLE: Corrales [right] rebounds from disaster to stop Castillo UNFORGETTABLE Corrales and Castillo go beyond the call of duty, writes George Gigney ONE of the greatest fights of the modern era took place at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas when Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo collided at lightweight. That Corrales added Castillo s WBC title to his WBO strap when he stopped the Mexican at 2-06 of the 10th round became a footnote, such was the drama that unfolded. The first three rounds saw both men in trouble. They traded furious blows in the fourth and fifth, and Castillo s merciless assault in the sixth noticeably tired Diego. In rounds seven to nine, Corrales continuously shipped serious punishment, before wobbling Castillo with meaty left hooks. The 10th round was one of the most spectacular in living memory. Down heavily twice, Corrales bought B o x T H himself precious time by spitting out his gumshield. After the second flooring, the Californian rose at nine and somehow found the energy to wade into Castillo. The Mexican sagged into the ropes, where Diego unloaded like a man possessed, forcing referee Tony Weeks to step in and hand him the most extraordinary of victories. I S 2005 i n g W E E K H I N i s t o r y NO AVERAGE JOE PICK EM JOE CALZAGHE quashed speculation over a decline in form when he stopped mandatory challenger Mario Veit in six rounds to defend his WBO supermiddleweight crown in Germany. In October of 2004, Calzaghe had laboured to a 12-round decision over Kabary Salem. However, he dazzled against Veit, a man he had beaten back in 2001 in Wales. After a fairly quiet first, Calzaghe began to work the German s body, though the challenger built some confidence with his jab. However, when Veit dropped his hands momentarily at the end of the fifth, Calzaghe pounced with a vicious left to drop him. He survived the round, but came out for the sixth with the air of a man ready to meet his fate. Calzaghe obliged, dropping Veit again and forcing referee Geno Rodriguez to end proceedings. LAS VEGAS was to be the setting for another potential barnburner just seven days after Corrales- Castillo, as Felix Trinidad and Ronald Winky Wright were set for a WBC middle title eliminator to face Bernard Hopkins. Puerto Rican hero Trinidad was out for revenge against Hopkins, who had beaten him in Wright who we felt was the better technician of the two had predominantly boxed at superwelter and, given his style, was likely to stand in front of the hardhitting Trinidad. In the past, Winky had found himself in trouble in fights only when he had elected to fight rather than box. We struggled to pick a winner, eventually going for Trinidad to win on the cards. What transpired was far from our prediction, as a brilliant Wright dominated Trinidad with intelligent boxing to earn a unanimous decision. 44 l BOXING NEWS l MAY 5,

45 YESTERDAY S HEROES MEMORIES OF A FAIRGROUND LEGEND B Alex Historian & author OOTH owners are among the unsung heroes of British boxing. World champions such as Jimmy Wilde, Benny Lynch, Freddie Mills, Randolph Turpin and Rinty Monaghan plied their trade on the fairground circuit. Yet little has been written of the people who ran the booths: the men and women who gave championsin-the-making their chance to shine. One name forever entwined with booth fighting is that of Exeter s Sam McKeowen, who was born Samuel Eli McKeowen in In 1956, when Sam was in his fiftieth year with the booths, Boxing News tracked him down for a rare interview. McKeowen told our reporter how he d learnt to box as a boy fairground attendant, spending every spare minute outside the booth, catching the gloves the fighters threw to their challengers. It was a tough education, but Sam soon learnt enough for the proprietor to ask him to join his troupe of touring fighters. In July 1910, he unexpectedly got the chance to box as a bona fide pro when the booth visited Plymouth. He was offered a substitute job versus local featherweight Young Kennedy at the city s Cosmopolitan gym. I was scared to death at finding myself in front of 4,000 people, said Sam. I had never fought in a hall before but only on the floor in the booth. Despite conceding experience, McKeowen knocked Kennedy out in the fourth of a scheduled 15-rounder. He followed this with a string of West Country bouts, losing occasionally but gaining valuable experience. Sam learnt a lot from world-class American welterweight Dixie Kid, who boxed in Britain between 1911 and 1916, including some crafty tricks. One was to yell to an opponent nearing a corner, Mind the bucket!, and as his rival looked round, Sam would nail him. Another was to look past his opponent towards the referee and shout, It isn t me, sir! If the other boxer looked round, Sam would clobber him with a right. In sharing these ploys, McKeowen told our reporter: The rules say a boxer must protect himself at all times. If he falls for wiles like these he must pay the penalty ALL THE FUN OF THE FAIR: Future world champion Freddie Mills [far left] on the booth of Sam McKeowen [inset] in the 1930s The McKeowen boxing booth was a familiar sight on British fairgrounds for over 70 years of a thump on the whiskers. Although he forged a successful career as a regular pro, Sam kept up his booth association, eventually meeting his future wife, Esther, through the fairgrounds. Ultimately, Sam bought a booth of his own from Esther s father, which the couple ran together. McKeowen s booth became famous throughout the West Country and was a familiar sight at fairs and shows for over 70 years. Numerous leading pros, including world champions Freddie Mills and Rinty Monaghan, boxed on the McKeowen booth. In his autobiography, Mills described McKeowen as a wonderful chap, with an equally fine wife. EX-BOXER ASSOCIATION NEWS Bob s charity run A BIG well done to Home Counties EBA chairman, Bob Williams, the referee and former lightweight, who completed the 2016 London Marathon in aid of the children s charity Box Cleva ( Bob who has raised almost 3,000 said: I beat a man dressed as Jesus, a fire crew in a cardboard fire engine, a canoe full of Red Indians and a pantomime horse. But to my dismay, I was When BN s reporter caught up with Sam, the booth veteran was 67. Today Sammy has a torso as rugged as an oak tree and ears from which all the corrugations were hammered out by boxing gloves in the days of his malleable youth, observed our writer. After half-a-century of watching Britain s and some of the world s best fighters, Sam told our reporter that the legendary Welshman Jim Driscoll a master with the left hand was the finest boxer he d ever seen. Sam Langford, he said, was the greatest nonworld champion. After Sam s death in 1964, Esther kept the booth running until she was 93. overtaken at 23 miles by a pair of rhinoceros and a hairy-chested man in a fairy outfit! I d like to thank everyone that supported me. Box Cleva runs sporting and educational youth initiatives centred around amateur boxing. Its president is the great John Conteh. To pledge a late donation, please visit bt.com/charities/boxcleva. exboxers@gmail.com with your ex-boxer association news. MAY 5, 2016 l BOXING NEWS l 45

46 SIXTY SECONDS KATSUNARI TAKAYAMA Paul Wheeler talks to a man who has gone back to school When and why you started boxing: I was 14 years old when my friend asked me to join the boxing gym with him. Favourite all-time fighter: Orlando Canizales, Sugar Ray Leonard, Yoko Gushiken and Muhammad Ali. They all operated in different weight classes, but they each established great records. Best fight you ve seen: Sugar Ray Leonard versus Thomas Hearns from September 1981 [a 14th-round stoppage victory for Leonard]. Personal career highlight: Winning the IBF strawweight title against Mario Rodriguez in Mexico in March 2013 [via unanimous 12-round decision]. Toughest opponent: I d probably say either my first bout with Nkosinathi Joyi [No Contest January 2011] or my fight against Roman Gonzalez [l ud 12 July 2009]. However, I wasn t in 100 per cent condition for either fight, so it s hard to judge accurately. Before the fight with Joyi, I d broken a bone in my right hand, and before the Gonzalez fight, I d injured my left eye during sparring. Best and worst attributes as a boxer: I can perform repetitive but fundamental training drills without allowing my motivation to drop. As for weaknesses, I have a lot. Training tip: When you shadow-box, use your imagination. Favourite meal/restaurant: My favourite type of food is Japanese noodles, called udon. My favourite restaurant is Komaichi in Osaka. Photo: SUMIO YAMADA FAST FACTS Best friends in boxing: The members of my team. Other sportsman you would like to be: Sorry, I ve got no idea. Last film/tv show you saw: [Boxing drama film] Creed. Who would play you in a film of your life: I d welcome any actor who is curious about my life. Have you ever been starstruck: When I met one of my favourite fighters, Orlando Canizales. Last time you cried: Following my victory over Mario Rodriguez, which I mentioned previously. It was a mixture of joy and relief. Best advice received: When I was boxing as a teenager, someone said to me, Do your best right here, right now, as it ll have an effect on your future. Worst rumour about yourself: When I abandoned my Japanese boxing licence in order to fight for the WBO and IBF titles at that time in Japan, fighters were not permitted to contest the titles of the WBO and IBF some people said I must be crazy. Something not many people know about you: Whenever my schedule allows, I like to study in school. I may be 32 years old, but I m at a high school grade three level. Age: 32 Twitter: n/a Nickname: n/a Height: 5ft 2ins Nationality: Japanese From: Osaka Stance: Orthodox Record: 30-8 (12) 1NC Division: Strawweight Titles: IBF, WBO, WBC, Interim WBA & Japanese Next fight: After losing his IBF strawweight title to Jose Argumedo in December, Takayama is aiming to move back into contention for world honours. [ NEXT ISSUE ON SALE MAY 10, 2016 (DIGITAL) AND MAY 12, 2016 (PRINT) ] ESTABLISHED 1909 BOXING NEWS 30 Cannon St, London, EC4M 6YJ TEL +44(0) extension firstname.surname@boxingnewsonline.net FAX SUBSCRIPTIONS boxingnews@escosubs.co.uk PUBLISHING MANAGER Danny Flexen 3098 EDITOR Matt Christie 3069 ART EDITOR & SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Nick Bond 3071 ONLINE EDITOR John Dennen 3478 ASSISTANT EDITOR Paul Wheeler 3401 DIGITAL EDITORIAL ASSISTANT George Gigney 3072 BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Zoltan Nagy 3471 BN SHOP Patricia Applewhaite 3411 CREATIVE ARTWORKER Jason Swift DIGITAL MARKETING ASSISTANT Tanika Callum 3472 PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Alex McLachlan 3077 MANAGING DIRECTOR Tim Whitehouse PRINTING Warners Midlands Plc Regd. at the Post Office as a newspaper Published by Newsquest Specialist Media Ltd a Gannett Company Newsquest Media Group, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP10 9TY Distributed by Seymour Distribution Ltd, 86 Newman St, London, W1T 3EX T On Find us on Facebook Incorporating 46 l BOXING NEWS l MAY 5,

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48 PARIS WILLIAMS Started boxing when she was 7 years old, through the GB Boxing Awards, now national champion and a GB Boxing Tutor.