If that body shot was thrown on a Friday night in York Hall, it would be called as fair. We have seen those shots allowed and we have seen them penalised. that is where the controversy comes from. This probably should have been called as fair, but the rules are the rules.
In a week where everyone in boxing had their say about everything, Terence Crawford goes on Joe Rogan to really speak his mind and in doing so, gave guidance to all the young boxers out there. We need more guys to speak out, like Carl Froch is, about the boxing Deep State.
We give Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn a hard time, but they really are swimming in shallow waters when it comes to talent. That isn't their fault. The reality is that our system isn't set up for success and if anything, the obsession with Team GB has set our boxing back twenty years.
It was a holiday snap shared on Insta. It was the body hair patterns in that picture that made me suspicious. Now, it's a failed drug test that has proved me right. I didn't want to be right though. Alycia Baumgardner was born genetically gifted, hat her confidence wasn't high enough to see that is the tragedy here. There is a chance she would have been good enough anyway. Now, her career has a blemish on it, which we didn't need.
It is tricky to be balanced about AJ. On one hand, he gives us a great KO and worthy of highlight reel status. On the other hand... it is Robert Helenius. The reality is somewhere in the middle. We have a good heavyweight, but one that is some way off greatness. But, we should enjoy him while we can because what comes after is worse.
We need more detail before we can comment fully on Dillian Whyte. What we can say is that boxing is a mess right now. However you slice it, Dillian needs better people, processes and systems around him so he can prepare for fights like an elite athlete. Overall, the sport needs to deal with the doping crisis before boxing become a niche sport like bodybuilding and powerlifting.
Thanks to Greg Hackett for the intro - https://www.youtube.com/@ghbtv.9586 In a week where boxing delivered, we crowned two kings in Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue. they stand atop the sport now as the leaders of this era. Having said that, nothing should be taken away from their dance partners. In a sport where we demand the best fight the best, we cannot disrespect those that gave their all and came up short. This is a week where our sport showed it best side.
This is the week boxing gives us a genuine superfight. One man has risen through the weights to challenge for Welterweight supremacy against a man who has been unstoppable at the weight. Who will win?
This is the week where boxing will show what makes it the best spectacle and sport on the planet. Two fights that will dictate the order of the P4P list happen this week. Both fights are impossible to call, but this is what we crave as fans. This is the start for a good 8 weeks for boxing fans, so let us enjoy it while we have it.
We can be too down as boxing fans sometimes. 2023 has given us some epic events and good fights that we were struggling to get before. It is up to us to appreciate them and appreciate the sport we love so much because we are entering a busy and hopefully, entertaining period for boxing.
We get 4 heavyweight fights, and maybe a fifth, involving all the main actors in this saga. Yet, between all ten, we don’t get one fifth that we really wanted. If we waited this long, maybe we are destined to never get them, or get them too late. But, we all hope Daniel Dubois can pull off the upset because that might change the dynamics.
Massive get well soon to Boxing King Media. We are all animals in the same ecosystem and we need each other to thrive. Best wishes and a speedy recovery.
Conor Benn's journey through UK Anti-Doping has been done in reverse. He started off with the least plausible defence and then ended up at the the most plausible defence - But a defence he already rejected as impossible. How he digs himself out of this hole will be interesting.
We really need a clear view on what the Sky Boxing strategy is. Apart from the Cruiserweights, where they have full control, they seem to be all at sea everywhere else.
Boxing loves a comeback and it has been a feel'good moment to have Teofimo Lopez back in form, with a career best performance. However, we should also cautious in writing off Josh Taylor. While he didn't win his performance was enough to have beaten any of his previous opponents.
Bit of a wind-down week in boxing this week as people prepare for holidays and bigger fights later in the years, but still some interesting stories developing.
The non-Bournemouth cards did a lot for the fans, but they could have done better. It is time to admit that Adam Booth is yesterday's man when it comes to boxing. It is also time we ask why Ireland cannot produce real champion boxers in the professional ranks.
The journey Chris Billam-Smith has been on, in and out the ring, is remarkable. It is also testament t the man's character that he has kept going in the face of adversity. It is hard to find a bad word to say about the man and the fact that he brought a world title to Bournemouth is incredible. There has to be a movie in that somewhere.
I do not think Lomachenko was robbed, but it was definitely a close fight and a reminder that, at that level, every round counts and you cannot afford to start slow. Huge praise to Katie Taylor and Chantelle Cameron for risking it all against each other can delivering for the fans. the men could learn from that.
The fact that Frazer Clarke and his team have pulled out of the purse bids to face Fabio Wardley is disappointing for the sport and its fans. One of two things must be true: 1. 258 MGT know Sky have little faith in Frazer so had to show that with this whole episode or 2. After spending heavily on fighter acquisitions, there is no budget for Frazer Clarke Either way, these look like stormy times for Sky and BOXXER. Someone from that camp needs to come out and reassure fans about..everything
Nothing makes me happier than reuniting with my brothers. As a three, we opened up a lane of podcasting where fans got to see beyond the spin and the subterfuge. So, today, we reunite, 7 years after we came together, like Voltron, and hopefully we are still that barometer of where the fans when it comes to boxing. We always wanted to be more than a podcast and hopefully, our enduring friendship demonstrates that.
Conor Benn is having a conversion on the road to Damascus. He is now open to fighting in the UK again, after being steadfastly against it. Maybe the reality of his options has dawned on him, and hopefully, the reality of a ban will also dawn on him too. For the credibility for the sport, he must be punished, no matter how much he is loved by the public.
It is a crazy and maybe sad situation that the biggest star of the summer will be Chris Eubank Jr. With no AJ, and increasingly, no Fury, this might be as good as it gets. Does this fight end any different than the last one? It's hard to see how.
It is always good when we get a superfight with box boxers in their prime. We got that with Davis v Garcia. Boxing is the winner here and as much as we may want to criticise the ending, we need to remember that it's not us taking those shots. There will be a lot of ex boxers with an opinion, but never got to this level. Don't be like them. Let u rejoice that we got a fight when we were promised. It is so rare.
In some ways i feel for Eddie Hearn. He gets wheeled out to talk about a lot of things he doesn't understand, and often gets it wrong. Then again, he brings it on himself. This Conor Benn issue is a mess, and it is on his watch. No idea if it is him or his dad that are calling the shots, but everything backfired.
Instead of seeing this as a loss and demotion for Joyce, see it as Zhang adding himself into the heavyweight mix and making it interesting again. We want to see Zhang tested now, which add spice to the division
Why are the Americans so much better at producing stars than the Brits are? Why is it that, every three years they unleash a new wave of talent, while we mine out veterans to within an inch of their lives? How do we fix British Boxing?
Amir Khan is not innocent, but he did show how you handle a doping violation. Conor Benn should learn from this.
Anthony Joshua was rightly criticised for his performance against Jermaine Franklin, who ended up enhancing his own name in the process, but are we being fair? It depends on how you want to frame AJ's career. Tune in and see where this episode lands on this topic.
When Dave Coldwell loses faith in you, and he is Matchroom through and through, you know it is bad. The performance was not a disaster, but it wasn’t the spectacular statement we were promised. Is that because Anthony Joshua is on the downside of his career? The demands of his style on is body are massive and the demands on his mind and spirit from the public are even greater. Is it all catching up to Anthony Joshua now?
