Don't have box nation so must admit I'm not too familiar with Liam Smith, from what I've read it was as expected an easy win. I have always wondered though why he's not part of matchroom like his brothers. On a side note, congrats to Michael Bisping last night in becoming Britains first UFC champ. Also good to hear a rematch between McGregor and Diaz has been confirmed and Brock Lesner scheduled for next PPV
I've been reading some interesting stuff about two rugby league games here last year that were possibly rigged. It's suspected that maybe a million dollars was won when Manly lost two games. It looks as though the bets went through a Carribean company that redirects the bets to other companies. A British based outfit called Sportradar keeps tabs on global betting and tips off powers if it comes across something that looks a bit dodgy. They've alerted Australian police on the matter. It seems that all the large global betting sites take their lead from this Carribean company when a plunge of any type occurs. Just as a sidelight, the Fury - Klitschko fight opens up some interesting stuff. According to Oddschecker, Fury is 5-4 while Klitschko is 1-1. But on this other site, Fury is 2.070 and Klitschko is 1.833. I wonder if the money for Klitschko is a true indicator of the fight outcome?
Ive seen him win all his 56kg fights hes looked invincable...can take a shot never looks hurt...always in control...time will tell..
When Muhammad Ali is laid to rest in Louisville on Friday, Lennox Lewis will be among the pallbearers. He said: "I am humbled, and honoured, beyond words to help see my hero, Muhammad Ali, off to his final resting place. "Ali has always been an enormous inspiration to me, not only in my boxing career, but also in life. His journey began 74 years ago, and in that time, he not only transformed the world of sport, he used sport to transform the world." "It's my extreme pleasure, and complete honour, to be asked to help him complete the final steps of his life life journey." From Sky Sports.
And another fighter passes away. Not in the same street as Ali, but a life is a life, and the death causes the same pain to those who loved them. Kimbo Slice has just passed away aged just 42. He was admitted to hospital four days ago and told he had a liver mass and congestive heart failure and was placed on a ventilator in intensive care. They planned to take him to Cleveland where he would be placed on an organ donor's list. Sadly, he passed away before he could be moved. His sudden death has come as a shock to family, friends and fans. RIP Kevin Ferguson.
This weekend, a man considered as one of the all time amateur greats steps into the professional ring for just the seventh time, and in doing so, he'll be all out to win his second world, professional title. The 28 year old Ukrainian WBO Featherweight Champion Vasyl Lomachenko climbs into the ring in the Theater at Madison Square Garden, where he'll be all out to wrest the WBO Super Featherweight belt from the three time champion, Puerto Rican warhorse Roman Martinez. Bookmakers don't give Martinez much of a chance at all. They have him at about 12-1 against the hot prospect Lomachenko who's a screaming hot favourite at 1-10. Coming off the back of an outstanding amateur record where he lost just the one bout from his 396 starts, which included Amateur World titles in 2009 and 2011 and Olympic Gold Medals in 2008 and 2012, Lomachenko won his first pro world belt at only his third bout when he beat Garry Russell Jr. for the vacant WBO Featherweight title in 2014. With just the six fights under his belt Vasyl Lomachenko is already rated the premier Featherweight on the planet. The extremely fast hands of the southpaw should give the Ukrainian a commanding win.
SPOILER ALERT. Below is the replay of today's WBO Super Featherweight Title fight between the three time World Champion and defending titalist Roman "Rocky" Martimez and the reigning WBO Featherweight Champion Vasyl Lomachenko, who was looking to win his second belt in just seven fights, a feat never before achieved. Too bad the commentary is in Russian.
Alex Arthur BBC Radio Josh Taylor [Carl Frampton’s stablemate pictured above, also managed by Barry McGuigan] – how good is he? He’s fantastic. He can be a top, top champion. There’s another young lad called Lee McGregor [amateur bantamweight out of Meadowbank ABC] who is absolutely brilliant too. Only 19 years old. He’s an Edinburgh boy as well and a tremendous young boxer, unbelievable. They can both fight at world level, I have no doubt in my mind about that. They have all the tools. If they do everything right, listen to their team and stay focused and disciplined they’ll be really successful.
Only three weeks until Fury - Klitschko 11. Below is a face off between the two men. Love or hate Fury, he knows the fight game, he showed that before the first bout. Here he's quite open and honest about who he is and the end of the interview is filled with good will, tinged I think, with a touch of hidden sadness.
It's definitely an intriguing contest. You've gotta believe Klitschko massively underperformed in the first fight and even possibly carried an injury into (there have been murmurings of such). I don't think Klitschko would have taken the rematch, especially agreeing to it being over in England if he didn't honestly believe he could win it. If he loses the rematch that's it he's done and Fury proves it wasn't a fluke. Fury on the other hand seems to me to be almost expecting to lose and has the excuses lined up already. All the talk of his heart not been in it and that he's retiring win lose or draw after the fight. There was also talk of him falling out with his trainer and uncle because he wasn't interested in training. As much as I don't like Fury, both as a man and a boxer if he pulls off the win again I'll (begrudgingly) have to give him his due. He's ignited the heavyweight division again, one could argue even more than Joshua has so at the very least he deserves credit for that. So climbing off the fence I think, although I might change my mind multiple times in the build up, that Klitschko will get the win this time. He just has to show more than he did last time and I don't think Fury can confuse him again so I'm hoping for a more exciting fight preferably with a Klitschko win by Ko but may the best man win
Well it looks like the Kovalev - Ward clash is to get off the ground. The two camps have asked the Nevada State Athletic Commission to sanction the fight. If both fighters can get through their next fights, they'll climb into the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on November 19. Will Andre be able to keep Sergey at bay? Oddschecker have quotes of Ward at 10-11 and Kovalev at 11-10.
Everyone loves a heavyweight punch up, even if it's just between a couple of well used journeymen. I don't mind paying a few bucks to see a couple of slow moving, badly over weight plodders, trying to smash one another into oblivion. Most of the hay makers might not find the target too often, but the fans sitting ringside know that the bout could come to a thunderous stop at any moment. Boom, and it can be lights out for one of them. Nothing like seeing and hearing the ring heave and creak as a giant lump of shuddering flesh crashes to the canvas. This Saturday, 250 odd pounds of prime California beef who fights under the name of Dom Breazeale, should be the next in line to hit the deck at the hands of Anthony Joshua. Big Ant should have no problem sending Dom off to the land of nod. As much as I'm looking forward to seeing the young champ smash his way to another emphatic victory, the fight for all intents and purposes, is just another blooding for Joshua. Eddie is just feeding him another easy kill. And fair enough, Ant is still a bit rough around the edges. If we're going to chat about a serious world title fight though, maybe we should give mention to the WBA Welterweight Title fight between the defending champion Keith "One Time" Thurman and the former IBF Welterweight title holder Shawn "Showtime" Porter. This is the fight of the weekend. Due to his heavy punching, Thurman goes into the fight as the slight favourite, but Porter has serious speed and is better skilled. It will come down to power v adroitness. Thurman will probably get the job done, but a lot of people will be hoping that Porter can steal a points win. Two fights back, he lost his belt in a bloody bout against Kell Brook, but last time out he took three time champion Adrien Broner to the cleaners. It'll be hard for him, but I'm hoping like crazy that Porter can pull off the upset.
