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Boxing: Tyson Fury will topple a Klitschko first – BoxingWriter Reader’s Vote

In Boxing, British Boxing, Fight Previews, Heavyweight, Mike Tyson, Shop, Sports on March 29, 2012 at 7:57 pm

The audience of BoxingWriter.co.uk plumped for young Tyson Fury in a poll which asked the question; Who will one of the Klitschko’s lose to first? It will surprise many I’m sure that the 6-9 giant has emerged as the most likely to dethrone either brother. Naturally, Tony Thompson and likely Alexander Povetkin are the two with most immediate opportunity and that should shorten their odds and improve their support in this poll. In part it did, but Fury finished with more than 52% of the votes. An astonishing result. And yes, it was a relatively modest sample. But still….

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Boxing: March of Time for Light-Welter and Welterweight veterans

In Boxing, Fight Previews, Shop, Sports on March 22, 2012 at 9:51 pm

It strikes me as strangely poetic that three of the most significant fighters of their generation should all be pursuing relevance and redemption this weekend. Erik Morales, Jose Luis Castillo and Zab Judah all hope to eek one last hurrah from their respective careers. Most notable is Morales’ attempt to defend the WBC’s Light-Welterweight belt, followed by Judah’s eliminator bout with Vernon Paris and lastly Castillo, who looked jaded 5 years ago against Ricky Hatton, mixing it up with Jose Miguel Cotto. The oldest among them, Castillo, will be furthest from the top of the bill. Read the rest of this entry »

Ian Bailey, Prizefighter’s cruelest loser, looks to upset Carl Frampton

In Boxing, British Boxing, Fight Previews, Shop, Sports on June 7, 2010 at 2:03 pm

Despite his diminutive stature and win some lose some record, 26 year old professional fighter Ian Bailey  is a handy little battler and deserves a degree of good fortune and good will this Friday as he travels to Belfast to tackle touted prospect Carl Frampton on the under card of Paul McCloskey’s attempt to encourage veteran Italian Giuseppe Lauri to retire. For international readers or those with a more headline orientated interest in boxing Ian Bailey is Berkshire born, 5-4 (0) thus far, and missed out on a big Prizefighter pay-day on the spin of a coin last month.

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Old? Check. Fat? Check. Unambitious? Check. Brian Nielsen next for Vitaly?

In Boxing, Fight Reports, Mike Tyson, Shop on June 1, 2010 at 12:48 pm

Did you hear the one about Vitaly Klitschko and the hungry, young contender? No, nor did I. Admittedly, Vitaly Klitschko hasn’t fought during a particularly glowing period for heavyweights. His tenure, interrupted by a now mysteriously cured knee problem, as the leading heavyweight began when Lennox Lewis retired and has continued through soporific contests with Danny Williams, Kirk Johnson, Corrie Sanders, Sam Peter, Juan Carlos Gomez, Chris Arreola and latterly Albert Sosnowski. So maybe, the revelation Danish pastry Brian Nielsen is making a comeback aged 45 will be welcome news in the Klitschko castle if nowhere else. Read the rest of this entry »

David Haye, boxing’s new Barnum, continues to sell

In Boxing, British Boxing, Fight Previews, Mike Tyson, Shop, Sports on November 4, 2009 at 4:50 pm

valuev9If promoting a fight is craft, then David Haye has used every tool in the box to generate interest in this Saturday’s fight with Nicolay Valuev. He is an effervescent self-promoter who has used eye-catching gimmicks, distasteful commentary about Valuev’s personal hygiene, appeared on every talk-show, press event and personal appearance in order to force this fight to transcend the confines of the boxing audience. And, glory be, its working. Read the rest of this entry »

No electricity like Tyson electricity

In Boxing, British Boxing, Mike Tyson, Shop, Sports on November 4, 2009 at 11:52 am

miketysonblackandwhite2During the dim days of his post Buster Douglas career, I would maintain in the face of often fervent opposition that Mike Tyson was over-rated. That he succeeded in a weak era and through the many attempts to recycle the myth he tip toed around any of the risk-laden contenders of the 1990′s. Fighters like Ray Mercer, George Foreman, Shannon Briggs, David Tua were all punchers and held a shot** – Tyson wasn’t allowed near them. Evander Holyfield and latterly, Lennox Lewis further undermined the theory in emphatic triumphs over the ageing former champion. Read the rest of this entry »

Look beyond the smiles; the Haye v Valuev build up begins

In Boxing, British Boxing, Fight Previews, Mike Tyson, Shop, Sports on October 26, 2009 at 5:07 pm

ValuevvHayeI wrote yesterday of Frankie ‘El Gato’ Figueroa’s unique ability to self-promote through the multitude of outlets the modern world of communication affords a fighter, contemporary David Haye is another advert for the power of a fresh approach to promotion. He was conspicuous in his use of the MySpace platform a year or two ago, collecting a rich bounty of busty twenty-somethings as friends on the premise of recruiting ring card girls, and blessed with good looks and an exciting, hard punching style his refreshingly candid manner in front of camera and his willingness to challenge giants on the top of elevators has rushed him into the consciousness of fight fans around the globe. But boy has he talked himself into a fight now. Read the rest of this entry »

You know the game is up when you’re dressed as Captain Hook

In Boxing, British Boxing, Fight Previews, Shop, Sports on July 17, 2009 at 3:17 pm

captain-hook-disney1I don’t wish to demean Roy Jones Jnr, one of the finest fighters of his, or any, generation, but the publicity shots circulated today showing the once pound for pound king of the sport dressed as Captain Hook, the infamous pirate from the Peter Pan stories made me laugh out loud.  I have to wonder whether the Light-Heavyweight great had a moment of self-awareness either before, during or after the shots were taken. Here is a man who  whipped McCallum, Hill, Hopkins, Toney and more – who was arguably the purest athlete the sport has seen reduced to wigs, props and gimmicks, surely he caught a glance of his reflection and posed the question to himself; “what the f*** am I doing?”. Read the rest of this entry »

The brainwash is almost complete, I’m hooked on Tyson Fury

In Boxing, British Boxing, Fight Previews, Mike Tyson, Shop, Sports on July 17, 2009 at 10:23 am

ARC_0229064.jpgYou have to concede it has worked. Firstly, the day in June 1988 when former heavyweight battler John Fury decided his son would be called Tyson, a reflection of Fury senior’s love of the then unbeaten Heavyweight champion Iron Mike, and secondly the day now 6ft 9inch Tyson Fury became Hennessy Sports’ most promising signing. Those two events have led the 6-0 (6ko) heavyweight prospect to become one of the most talked about fighters in the modern game. Read the rest of this entry »

Irish eyes are smiling; McCullough fights on

In Boxing, Fight Previews, Olympic Boxing, Shop, Sports on March 4, 2009 at 12:04 am

WaynePrecious few combatants evoke the same swell of good will that will greet Wayne McCullough when he strides to the ring for the 35th time in a fortnight’s time. The former Super-Bantamweight world title-holder has had a frustrating Autumn to his career, with the shadow of an overturned suspension for irregular brain scans thwarting his attempts to regain momentum in his ebbing trajectory. A retirement six rounds in to a fight he appeared to be winning last June, on the back of a doctor’s intervention during the rematch with Oscar Larios, remain his only meaningful action of the past 40 months.

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Tarver granted stay of execution; Dawson injured

In Boxing, Fight Previews, Shop on February 18, 2009 at 1:14 pm

ChadIt would be remiss of me to overlook the timeless performances of Bernard Hopkins and Shane Mosley in recent months before deploring the matchmakers and executives who compiled and approved the Chad Dawson v Antonio Tarver sequel. Perhaps Tarver’s sojourn to the Rocky Balboa film set has infected the romantics among the powerbrokers, who refuse to give up on Tarver despite Dawson’s complete domination of the ageing former champion last year. A Dawson hand injury postpones Tarver’s second portrayal of a man with a white chalk line around his youth. Read the rest of this entry »

EverGel Glove Wraps and me

In Boxing, British Boxing, Shop, Sports on January 31, 2008 at 10:42 am

EverGel Glove WrapsAs a 3-month novice in the boxing gym I may not be the most punishing barometer for the EverGel Glove Wraps but nevertheless, the good people at Everlast were eager to know what I thought about them.

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Is it ever Tua late?

In Boxing, Fight Previews, Mike Tyson, Shop on September 11, 2007 at 10:19 am

TuaEasy to forget just how popular and formidable heavyweight David Tua was a decade ago and how eager fans were for the trunk-like Samoan to tackle the leading fighters in the division; to oust the ageing trinity of Tyson, Holyfield and Lewis. In truth, to replace the menace and thrills Mike Tyson had ceased to deliver.

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Boxing: Bottom of the 9th, One Last Swing for Morales

In Boxing, Shop, Sports on August 3, 2007 at 11:39 am

NostalgiaSaturday’s bout between weary veteran Erik Morales and Lightweight belt-holder David Diaz has failed to cause much of a stir on either side of the pond. Lost in the post fight fog of the Hopkins victory and the hubbub of the Hatton v Mayweather announcement, the fight pitches chunky champion Diaz versus the world’s oldest 30 year old. Setanta are airing the fight free to subscribers in the UK. To paraphrase Victoria Beckham; “That’s Major!” Read the rest of this entry »

BoxingWriter.co.uk Tribute Wear

In Boxing, British Boxing, Contender Series, Mike Tyson, Shop, Sports on July 4, 2007 at 11:25 pm

Hatton THatton TBegun on an idle whim, the BoxingWriter .co.uk Tribute Wear has proved tremendously popular and exceeded expectation. Sales of t-shirts featuring the likes of Marciano, Hearns and Tapia have been well received and dispatched to satisfied customers within 2-3 days of order receipt and the feedback on quality has been favourable too. Check them out… Read the rest of this entry »

Boxing: Mikkel Kessler is Taylor made for Calzaghe

In Boxing, British Boxing, Fight Previews, Shop, Sports on June 6, 2007 at 8:21 am

KesslerI fear this story line could become a theme of the next few weeks as experienced promoters Mogens Palle (Kessler) and Frank Warren (Calzaghe) carefully manoeuvre their ‘pieces’ in a bid to gain the upper hand in negotiations, both privately and in the public’s perception,  for the proposed clash between the two belt holders. Joe Calzaghe has changed his tune on his most desirable opponent once more following Jermaine Taylor’s soporific defence versus Cory Spinks last month, suddenly Mikkel Kessler is “the man”. Read the rest of this entry »

Exclusive: Boxing Writer T-Shirt Shop

In Boxing, British Boxing, Mike Tyson, Shop, Sports on June 1, 2007 at 3:45 pm

BoxingWriterShopIt may prove to be the most under-used facility since the Baghdad Tourism Office but I’ve developed a range of simple, classic t-shirts featuring the professional win-loss records of a host of boxing legends. Made to order, to high quality specification the shirts present good value with prices starting around £12. Fighters from the recently lost Diego Corrales to Mike Tyson are featured with a few lesser known gems in between. Click the t-shirt link on the right to be directed to the site or click here.

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Is Zab You Judah?

In Boxing, Mike Tyson, Shop, Sports on May 29, 2007 at 11:11 am

YoelIn one of the most bizarre stories I’ve heard in a while and for a sport which, to paraphrase Dennis Norden, doesn’t lack stories you’d have to file under strange but true, a recent conference call held between the media and Welterweight contender Zab Judah proved to be a meaningless and misleading endeavour for the hacks who dialled in. Why? Because the classless Judah had his father Yoel sit in and pretend to be him. Cheap. Read the rest of this entry »

Tyson To Work Sultan’s Corner

In Boxing, Mike Tyson, Shop, Sports on May 29, 2007 at 10:44 am

tyson2Boxingtalk.com report Mike Tyson will be a fully fledged member of Sultan Ibragimov’s corner for his challenge to breathless WBO champion Shannon Briggs this weekend. Hopefully, it represents more than a cheap publicity stunt because a place for Mike Tyson’s knowledge of the sport should really be found. Articulate and a once keen student of the sport it would be shame if he doesn’t grasp the olive branch, it would certainly be more dignified to see Tyson passing on his wisdom to young fighters than see him feature in the glorified boxing booth he did late least year. Read the rest of this entry »

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