Off Topic Boxing

The hopes of boxing fans that the "name" heavyweights will finally clash in 2017 now looks promising. The WBA & IBF, Joshua - Klitschko clash in late April now looks as though it'll open up a challenge from Luis Ortiz. WBA president Gilberto Mendoza has ordered the winner to fight Ortiz for their "Super" title. This fight can of course be put on the back burner if the winner of the Joshua - Klitschko bout chooses to unify a title.

 

As IBF Champion Anthony Joshua looks to step up against his first serious opponent in Klitschko, his WBC counterpart Deontay Wilder, seems to looking for another soft touch. There's chat about him meeting the lowly ranked, Polish fighter Andrzej Wawrzyk, in Alabama on Feb. 25. Wawrzyk has only had the one defeat, against Povetkin, two and a half years ago, but hasn't faced anyone of note since. I don't know if these rankings are up to date, but the WBA & IBF don't rate him in the top 15, while the WBC has him at 13 and the WBO 15. Wilder talks the talk, but doesn't seem to want to walk the walk.

 

Bob Arum has stated that the newly crowned WBO champion Joe Parker will make his first defence against either David Price or Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller. Looks like April 8 will be the date. I hope it's Miller, he's a lump of a bloke.

 

I think, although Wilder was a fearsome winner in the end, he was completely exposed by Molina. It has probably made him think about meeting someone who hits harder than Molina.

 

Yeah you could be right Ron. Maybe I'm selling him a bit short though. He's had surgery on a broken hand and torn bicep so it's possible that he's easing his way back in, but surely he wouldn't fight unless he was 100% mended? I think I'll stick with him taking the soft option. Like Joshua, he keeps saying he wants to fight the best, but only one of them is doing it ... and it ain't the Seppo.

 

An Interesting TWEET from the Kubrat Pulev promoters, the Sauerland Brothers.

CONFIRMED: Winner of Joshua-Klitschko must face IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev in the next fight. (no fights in between permitted.)

The problem with this is that the WBA have also stated that the winner of the Joshua-Klitschko fight must face Luis Ortiz. As both the WBA and the IBF are pretty quick off the mark when it comes to stripping belts, things could become quite ugly. These bodies don't like unified belts, especially among the heavyweights as it eats into their lucrative sanctioning fees. Joshua will probably want to keep his IBF belt, so could be stripped of the WBA within weeks if he wins. Klitschko I think favours the WBA so might lose the IBF. If the tweet is right, the only way out would be if the WBA allowed the Ortiz fight to take place after the IBF Pulev bout. Are they willing to play second fiddle?

 

Looks like the great Manny Pacquiao's bout with reigning WBO Junior Welterweight champ Terence Crawford might be toast. Bob Arum has said that neither camp could agree on money, so the Philippino WBO Welterweight champ will probably line up against the WBA Junior Welterweight champ Ricky Burns or the Australian Jeff Horn, ranked No 2 to both Pacquiano and Brooks' Welterweight belts.

 

Pacman v Burns

That would actually be a frightening mismatch.

 

Same with the Pac v Horn bout Toppy. Although Horn is a taller man with better reach.

 

I didn't even see that bit of the post- blimey!

Pacman either needs to top fights or should hang them up IMO.

 

Anyone remember Charles Martin? Yep that's him .... the bloke Antony Joshua fought last April. The man who surrendered his IBF title in a rather meek manner can be seen in the clip below. At first I wasn't sure it was him, but sure enough, it's our Charlie. I hope they don't allow him out into the streets too often, somebody might throw a net over the poor lad. Stop the clip at 1:10 and check out his feet.

 

DeGale v Jack ready to kick off soon. I've been really looking forward to this fight, I hope it lives up to all the hype.

 

Two champions in the ring, ready to go. Hell yeah. Can't wait.

 

Wonderful fight that ended in a majority draw. Each kept their belt. Mayweather was furious that his charge, Jack, didn't get the win. Stiff biscuits.

 

Wow, what a great boxing card to start the year. That first fight (Aleem v Khytrov) was a cracker. In the main event, I thought Jack just edged it. Just goes to show how important a mouth guard is, also the ref had a good chin

Roll on the jackal in two weeks

 

Really looking forward to Framptons rematch. I think he will win convincingly. He's going to be 10x better at his new weight- he looked so fit and strong having moved up a few pounds as I expected.

Yes McGuigan annoys the daylights out of me but it's not Framptons fault.

Hoping we see him in a few spectacular fights going forward, particularly unification-wise.

 

Here's a nice piece of film featuring the great man.

 

Goodnight Irene.

 

Everyone loves the big banging heavyweights. For those who like the sport, the sight of someone like Anthony Joshua starching some poor soul is somewhat akin to the joy of passing a brick after a week of terrible torment. Utter bliss. Not that this has happened to me, I've only heard it whispered by the desperate among us. But moving on, an interesting fight takes place in Phitsanulok Thailand tomorrow. That part of the world doesn't throw up heavyweights, it's the men at the other end of the scale who do the business at the pointy end of the sport. One such gent is Chayaphon Moonsri, better know to his fans as Wanheng Menayothin. (no need to try pronouncing it out loud.) Moonsri is the WBC Minimumweight Champion. He won the title late in 2014 when pounded the Mexican Oswaldo Novoa into submission. I've never seen him fight, but will try to take a look before he fights tomorrow. But he must be half decent as he's unbeaten in 44 bouts.

One of the interesting things about Moonsri is that in just his third bout, he took the WBC Youth World Title at this weight. He successfully defended it 8 times before stepping into the ring to challenge for the Interim WBC International belt which of course he won. 3 fights later it was the WBC Silver belt. # defences then he retook the International. He defended that strap 5 times before taking the full belt ... the WBC Minimumweight Title. Tomorrow he makes his sixth defence and is a 1-4 shot. I hope I can find a link. He must know his business.

 

WBC Champion Deontay Wilder's latest easy touch, Poland's Andrzej Awwrzyk, won't be climbing into the ring for the title fight in Alabama on Feb 25. He's tested positive to a yet undisclosed substance. This is the second time in the last eight months that one of The Bronze Bomber's opponents has been caught juicing. The WBC No.1 ranked fighter, Alexander Povetkin had the rug pulled from under him last May when about to do the business last May in Russia. He tested positive to meldomium. Promoter Lou DiBella is now on the hunt for a new challenger. Most of the top WBC ranked fighters have already been penciled in for other bouts, so who knows what calibre of opponent Willder will have to face. I doubt it will happen, but it would be nice to see the No.9 ranked Dillian Whyte get the shot. Maybe the DiBella camp would think him an easy target. Whyte would be a lot shorter and would have to give up 5 inches in reach. But he would have a 20 pound weight advantage ... and he bangs a bit. Wilder would still probably be too good for the Body Snatcher, but I think he deserves a chance at a title.

P.S. Latest news says that Andrzej Awwrzyk has tested positive to the anabolic steroid, stanozolol.