Lennox Lewis Comeback - Is it worth it?

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97

Surely just a joke?

Twitter has blown up this morning with the news that British heavyweight legend Lennox Lewis could potentially make a comeback to fight current heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko for the IBF, WBA, WBO & IBO world titles.

Can Pulev become world champ?

By Andrew Graves @andrewgravess

In his latest bout Kubrat Pulev defeated Tony "The Tiger" Thompson in one of the most boring fights I have ever watched in my entire life. Pulev had so much hype surrounding him coming up to this fight especially after his performance against unbeaten Belarusian Alexander Ustinov finishing him in a superb display in the 11th round defending his IBF International Heavyweight Title for the 3rd time becoming ranked number 1 with the International Boxing Federation.

New Video Idea #1: Do the WBC have double standards? (Pricey Boxing)

http://www.youtube.com/user/PriceysBoxinThoughts

Vitali Klitschko: Haye missed his opportunity.

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97.

WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (45-2, 41 KO's) has stated that British former two-weight world champion David Haye (26-2, 24 KO's) has missed his opportunity to face the 41-year old Ukrainian.

Vitali and his team offered the fight to Haye for September 10th 2012 but the Brit apparently turned it down.

"David Haye had an opportunity to face meon September 10th in Moscow. All of the necessary documents were sent to him, he just needed to sign the contract," Vitali told BoxingBet.pl. "Unfortunately David refused. It means that his train drove away."

Manuel Charr - Could he be the real deal?

By John Hoolan @JohnHoolan.

http://murmuringsofaboxingmad-man.blogspot.co.uk/

Can he back up his comments and claims?

Manuel Charr ranked 8th in the world by the WBC has a record of 22 fights, winning 21 of which 12 were by KO. His only loss was to Vitali Klitschko when he was stopped in the 4th round from a cut after being put on the canvas in 2nd round. That was 2 fights ago. He won his comeback fight Vs Konstantin Airich by a first round KO. A great way to bounce back from a loss by stoppage.

In recent weeks Charr has taken to twitter to "call out" some names including Fury and Haye for elimination fights so he can get another shot at Vitali. The loss to Vitali is something that clearly eats away at Charr and one which he truly belives he can avenge. 

There was mention of a possible fight with Chisora, but Charr has declined that offer saying he would only consider Haye. There was also a spat on twitter against "contender" (I use that description in it's loosest sense) Deontay Wilder, with Charr quite rightly dismissing Wilder's claims for a shot. 

Price looks to have two more fights before world title shot.

By Jack Price @PriceJ97.

British heavyweight giant David Price believes that himself along with the other up-and-coming heavyweights will bring excitement back to the heavyweight division in coming years. The fast-rising 3-year old believes he is only a couple of fights away from being able to mix it with the world heavyweight champions.

"I don't agree that this is the worst time in history for the division," Price told Nick Parkinson of The Daily Star. "The fact that no one can compete with the Klitschko's has put a lot of people off. But that's a credit to them. They have an effective game plan."

"Once Vitali has retired, and that might be very soon, the division will open up. It will be an exciting time and a generation of young fighters like myself are coming through."

Mike Tyson talks Haye and the Klitschkos...

David Haye (right) with Wladimir Klitschko (left.

Former undisputed world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson believes there is still more to come from British heavyweight David Haye.

Haye retired after losing his WBA world title to Wladimir Klitschko in July of last year but returned in July of this year for a grudge match with Dereck Chisora, who he knocked out in just five rounds. 'The Hayemaker' is now looking to land a fight with Wladimir's older brother Vitali.

Tyson believes that even if he doesn't land a fight with Vitali he should continue with his boxing career.

"David should continue to fight because he's a young guy," said Tyson. "I thought David fought very well against Klitschko and I have a lot of respect for him because I expected him to be obliterated."

"Unless he has something else to do and plenty of money he should definitely keep fighting because he can get better and better."

"Fighting is our profession and its what we do. I fought 15 times one year."

Tyson was also praised the Klitschko brothers who some people believe are ruining the heavyweight scene because of their dominance of the division.

"They should dominate. They have learnt their craft and overcome adversity... People want to see very exciting guys, talking smack and knocking guys out. People want barbarism and blood... But I love waht the Klitschkos are doing. They beat people, they inspire people and they're erudite, they show you don't have to be brainless to be a boxer."

When asked if he would have defeated the brothers if they were around in his era, he replied: "I'd like to think so, my ego mates me think so! But these guys would have been hard to beat in any era, they're changing the face of boxing."

 

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97.

Haye hoping for new British boxing license...

British heavyweight contender David Haye claims that if he does get a fight with WBC heavyweight world champion Vitali Klitschko, he will first attempt to get his British boxing license back.

Haye lost fought on July 14th against Dereck Chisora and he did so with a license under the Luxembourg Boxing Federation (LBF). Haye put on a career-best performance and knocked Chisora out in just 5 rounds, but it didn't seem to actually increase his chances of landing a fight with Vitali Klitschko. Vitali is the type of guy that likes to "play by the rules" and do things the right way, so I'm sure that at the moment, whilst Haye is still boxing under the LBF, there is not much chance of the fight happening. There is also the situation involving the WBC... Basically, Haye and the WBC are now "friends" again after a long dispute regarding 'The Hayemaker's' controversial fight with Chisora. I'm sure that the WBC, who are the organisation that Vitali is champion, would much rather the fight happen if Haye was with the BBBofC.

Haye says he will attempt to get his British boxing license back and hopefully as soon as possible.

"It's been well-publicised already, but the reason I applied for a license from the Luxembourg Boxing Federation was because my opponent, Dereck Chisora, had seen his British license withdrawn. The only way we were able to deliver the fight the public wanted, when they wanted it, was to both apply for foreign licenses, as arranged by Chisora's promoter," explained Haye.

"In an ideal world, though, I'd now like to box on with a British license. I'm a British boxer, I have never had any issues with the board and, should a fight with Vitali Klitschko happen, I'd be keen to have the British Boxing Board of Control in my corner, simply because they are so experienced and are the best at what they do."

 

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97.

Charr demands rematch with Klitschko...

Charr protests when the fight is stopped.

German heavyweight Manuel Charr is demanding a rematch with WBC world champion Vitali Klitschko after losing by a fourth round TKO on Saturday night (September 8th). The fight was stopped after Charr suffered a bad cut early in the fourth round and the doctor stopped the fight. Charr was furious with decision and believes the fight should have never been stopped.

"I came to Moscow to fight. I wanted to continue to fight. I was very motivated to fight with Vitali and to win the title. Anyone who knows me can attest to that. I never would have backed down. Vitali is a great champion, I really respect him but this battle was not win by Vitali. It was won by a doctor. The decision to stop the fight was not my decision. From the moment I started boxing. I became very familiar with the rules of the sport, and I cannot figure out how the doctor came out of Klitscko's corner to inspect my eye. I'm positive that he would at least tried to stop the bleeding but the fight was stopped almost immediately," said Charr.

I half agree with what Charr is saying... He would have fought on and maybe the cut wasn't as bad as it seemed but he must realise that no matter how hard he tries, he is never going to beat Vitali. Charr is actually a pretty decent fighter, and shouldn't have really taken the fight with Vitali at such an early stage in his career. If he goes about it in the right way and fights the right fights he could become a pretty decent fighter. Maybe never world champion but a world contender at least.

By Jack Price (@PriceyJ97)

What next for David "The Hayemaker" Haye?

By @Danemicus

Now that the dust has settled and beef has been resolved, if indeed there really was any,  speculation is rife as to what’s next for David “The Hayemaker” Haye [26-2 - 24 KOs] following his emphatic stoppage of a very game Derek Chisora [15-4 - 9 KOs]. With the revival of verbal jousting between the Haye and Klitschko camps in the media, it’s difficult to gauge the probability of Haye meeting Vitali Klitschko [44-2 - 40 KOs], despite the fact it would represent by far the most lucrative fight for both boxers. With due consideration of Vitali’s political ambitions, it has been suggested that fighting Haye will suddenly be much more likely to happen if Vitali underperforms in election cycle polls later this year. Considering how great an ambassador he has been for the sport, there are few boxing fans who wouldn’t wish Vitali well in his political career.

If a fight with Vitali doesn’t materialise, there is little else that would motivate Haye. A rematch with Wladimir Klitschko [58-3 - 53 KOs] undoubtedly would, but enthusiasm for such a fight would be significantly reduced, while Haye’s chances of victory would be no better than the first time round. On that night, Haye was extremely wary of Wlad’s one-punch KO power, as well as subordinate to a very underrated jab. Neither factors would be negated even if Haye didn’t have a toe complaint. Wladimir was able to cut-off the ring effectively enough to win a comfortable decision and would have no issues doing so again. After all, Haye’s tactics would almost certainly be very similar in a rematch. Of course, Haye would once again make bold claims about how he’d jump on Wlad from the opening bell, even though he didn’t even do that against Audley Harrison!

So what about a hypothetical match between Haye and Vitali? At a glance, the older Klitschko could be a more winnable fight for Haye. In comparison to Wladimir, Vitali has less one-punch KO power, less snap in his jab, inferior lateral movement, and prone to cuts. IVitali’s exceptional work rate, size and solid power with both hands has made him an insurmountable proposition for contenders and pretenders alike in today’s division, but how would he fare against an elusive opponent who is content to remain on the outside for large periods of a fight? To that, many may be of the view that Vitali’s performance against Chris “Rapid Fire” Byrd over a decade ago is evidence that he would fair well under such circumstances, but Haye is much bigger, hits harder and arguably has a higher work rate than what Byrd ever had. In addition, considering how much Vitali has slowed down at the grand old age of 41, it’s certainly not far fetched to suggest that Haye could outpoint him. For this reason, Haye vs Vitali would be a much more interesting and competitive fight than Have vs Wladimir II.

If Haye wanted a tune-up, he could respond to the challenge of Tyson Fury [19-0 - 14 KOs). Fury is looking for an opponent in November and Haye's physical dimensions would help Haye prepare for Vitali, but the modest payday may be too discouraging for Haye. It would be a tough fight to sell in terms of PPV due to the fact that Fury is still largely unproven and yet to appeal to a wide audience. Furthermore, if Fury's recent development is anything to go by, it would certainly not be a fight without its risks.

With talk of Haye going back into retirement if he is unable to fight Vitali, it's a possibility that we might not even get to see David Haye in action again, despite the fact he's aged just 31. Haye has always talked of his desire to retire early from the sport whilst his faculties are still intact. If he does bow out, the heavyweight division will certainly be worse off for it. On the financial side of things, Haye has a massive fanbase in the U.K. and is a large PPV draw. As for what he brings to the table in terms of ability, Haye is a very good heavyweight in today's era. Ever stepping up a weight class in pursuit of new challenges, Haye has maintained his cruiserweight speed and harnessed genuine heavyweight power. Just ask Mr. Chisora, who was stopped for the first time against Haye inside 5 rounds, yet was able to withstand 12 rounds of punishment against Vitali earlier in the year. Not to say Haye has more power than Vitali, but it's impressive nonetheless considering Chisora's excellent durability. It confirms that Haye, despite not being a natural heavyweight, is capable of KOing anyone in the division. Love him or hate him, Haye is a top #3 heavyweight for as long as he chooses to stick around.

Haye comes back with a bang!

Last night (July 14th), the highly anticipated grudge match between David Haye and Dereck Chisora took place at Upton Park. 


When the fighters were making the way to the ring, for each fighter, it was the complete opposite reaction. Chisora was first to face the crowd and was welcomed with loud boo's from a very hostile crowd. There were a few cheers for the 28-year old but I think he relished being the villain. When Haye entered the arena, the crowd came alive and loud roar circulated the whole place. All that was left now was for Michael Buffer to send chills down the spine of every fan watching in the stadium and at home by saying those trademark words... "LET'S GET READY TO RRRRUUUUUMMMMMBBBBBLLLLEEEEEEEE!!!"

And that was it, all the trash-talking, hyping showing off was behind them. All that was left to do now was the two men to have it out in the ring and prove that they were the one who was correct in their pre-fight predictions.

When the first bell rang, both fighters came out fast and just tried to work each other out. Haye got the better of the first few minutes and probably did enough to take the first round. From the start of the second to around halfway through the fourth round, Chisora started to bring himself back into the fight and looked as though he was tiring Haye out. He repeatedly pinned him to the ropes and just pummelled away at his body with his clubbing hooks. At first, this was looking to be effective and Haye looked a little wobbly at the end of the third round. But, at the start of the fifth round, the momentum switched again. Haye started landing some solid shots and they actually were affecting Chisora's usually "solid" chin. About two minutes into the round, Chisora went down from a quick barrage of punches. He managed to rise to his feet but he still looked a little wobbly, and there was still quite a bit of time left in the round. Haye came forward very strong once again and Chisora was sent crashing to the canvas for a second time. He still managed to climb back to his feet but this time the referee decided that he was not fit to continue.

That was it! David Haye had stopped Dereck Chisora and proved that he was back with a vengeance. 'The Hayemaker had done something that Robert Helenius and even Vitali Klitschko could not do.

The amount of screams and cheers that came from the crowd at this point were unreal! Nearly everyone in the crowd was there to support Haye and they had just witnessed exactly what they wanted to see. David Haye knocking Dereck Chisora out.

Both fighters were very respectful after the fight. Chisora was graceful in defeat, and Haye was graceful in his victory. Despite everything that has happened between the two fighters, they still hugged and shook hand after the fight. I actually think that even though he lost, this fight gained Chisora a lot of respect from quite a lot of fans.

The big question is now... What next for the two fighters?

Personally, I think that Haye will go back into retirement for a short period of time. If he doesn't get a fight with a Klitschko, and it's likely that he won't... Then there's not really anyone else out there for him. A rematch with Chisora would be good, but I think it would be much better in a few years time, when Chisora has had a bit more experience, which is the main thing he needs, and when Haye is maybe at the twilight of his career.

Despite losing three fights in a row, Chisora still has a lot of big fights ahead of him. First, he needs to take a few fights against European and domestic level fighters, just so that he can rack up a few victories and build up his confidence. People seem to overlook the fact that Chisora is actually a pretty decent fighter. He has only had 17 fights as an amateur and has only had 19 as a pro. He may have lost four, but they have all been against world class opponents, and the Helenius loss was a robbery in my opinion. He needs to fight some opponents of his level and class so he can show his full potential and then he will definitely be ready for world level. Haye said it himself... "Chisora is a definite future heavyweight world champion."

No matter what the critics say, this was a fantastic night for British boxing and boxing all around the world. It got people talking about the sport once again. It was great to see boxing back in the news and on the papers, and also to see casual boxing fans talking about boxing more than football, rugby or tennis. In my opinion, boxing has been brought back to life!

Haye gives up on the Klitschko's...

Haye in his fight with Wladimir Klitschko.

British heavyweight David Haye has admitted that he has almost given up on the Klitschko's as he feels like they will never give him a fight. This means that his bout with Dereck Chisora on July 14th could be the last fight we will ever see the 'Hayemaker' in.

His main target was the older brother, Vitali, but the 40-year old Ukranian will be retiring very soon. He is having his last fight against Syrian Manuel Charr on September 8th. After this he is leaving the sport to continue with his career in politics.

Haye has also stated many times that he would be more than willing to have a rematch with the younger brother Wladimir. In their first fight, Haye was widely outpointed and looked helpless against the Ukranian giant. However, Wladimir feels that the Brit has nothing else to offer him as he has already added his WBA and IBF world titles to his collection.

"The Klitschko's manager Bernd Boente said to fight Chisora and the winner fights Vitali," said Haye. "Now it seems like he is fighting someone I've never heard of called Jimmy Carr, or something... There's a reason for him choosing this opponent because they know Vitali will knock him out, look good and get a nice win before going into politics."

"Wladimir has said he doesn't want to fight me again, which is fair enough, so I don't think a rematch is realistic. That fight would have only happened if I would have fought Vitali and won.

Haye also revealed that, although he is not looking past his fight with Chisora, if a fight with either of the Klitschko's doesn't happen in the next year or so, it will be just a one-fight comeback.

"I've not thought beyond this fight but if there's no Klitschko fight, it's going to be back for one fight only," explained Haye. "My last fight was a loss and if I had stayed retired it's not ideal to go out on a loss. But I can put that right against Chisora."

Vitali Klitschko close to retiring...

WBC world heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko has told his fans that he does not have very long left in his boxing career. The 41-year old has had 44 fights with just 2 losses and along with his brother holds every major title at the weight.

"My sports career is nearing completion, but sports have always had a place in my heart and they always will have," said the Ukrainian.

Once he has retired from the sport, he will be dedicating most of his life to politics. He is the current leader of the UDAR political party in Kiev and is a well-known member of the Kiev City council. 'Dr Ironfist' has already run twice for the mayor of Kiev but has not yet been successful. He believes that once his full attention can be given to politics his political career will be a lot more successful.

Vitali is considering at least two more fights before retiring but it will be tough to find even that many opponents that will give the world champion a challenge as him and his brother have beaten just about every decent fighter in then division. His last fight was one of the hardest of his career, but it is highly unlikely that he will ever meet British heavyweight Dereck Chisora in the ring again after all of the chaos in February.

Lennox Lewis to return to the ring?

''For 100 million I'd come back'' were the words of former World Heavyweight Champion Lennox Lewis speaking to a German reporter.

Lennox Lewis in fight with Vitali Klitschko back in 2003.

Although it's hard to believe that he will ever return to the ring as he is now 46 and had his last professional fight back in 2003, but boxing fans can still hope that 'The Lion' will make a comeback and end the boredom of the heavyweight division. 

This is actually the reason that Lewis is slightly contemplating returning. He believes that right now heavyweight boxing is at it's worst as the Kiltschko's are dominating and their fights are insanely boring.

''Right now, the heavyweight division is dead. The Klitschko brothers and their opponents are just filling their bags. Their opponents will not improve, they wouldn't have even made sparring partners with me,'' said Lewis to German paper Stern.

''At some point, the referee steps in and stops the fight'' he said. ''They are boring. If you are looking to decide the best boxer in the world it must be decided by an epic fight. Not this circus.''

To be fair to the Klitschko's, there is not really anybody capable of giving them an epic fight at this moment in time. Maybe the likes of David Price or Seth Mitchell in a few years time when the brothers are older and weaker but apart from that there is absolutely nobody. The last man that gave either brother an epic and memorable fight was Lennox Lewis himself when he clashed with older brother Vitali in his final fight.

Lewis then went on to talk about a possible return to the ring. ''For 100 million, I'd come back... For that I would take my pyjamas off and go to the gym.''

He has said many times before that he is too smart to come back, but has he changed his mind. Could this be the long awaited move that will add much more drama and excitement to the heavyweight division?

Man Killed At Herbie Hide's House Party

Former heavyweight champ Herbie Hide.

A man in his 20's has been stabbed to death during a party at former world champion Herbie Hide's house this weekend. Police officers were called to the house in Norwich just after midnight on Sunday. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

It is believed that Hide and his family have relocated whilst police carry out investigations at the scene. Detective superintendent Julian Gregory said: ''we are in the early stages of our investigation and working to establish the sequence of events that led to this man's death... we are also in the process of confirming the victim's identity and police family liaison officers have been assigned to work with next-of-kin.''

Over 100 people were believed to be at Hide's house Saturday night so it is going to be difficult for police to find the suspect. As of yet they have no idea who it could be. ''A large number of people are known to have been present at the time and... we continue our efforts to identify and speak to all party goers.'' 

Herbie Hide had a successful career in the 1990's winning the WBO heavyweight title in 1994 against Michael Bent. He then lost it in 1995, regained it in 1997 but again lost it to current WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko in 1999 when he was knocked out in the second round.

Hide retired in 2010 at the age of 38 with a record of 49-4-0 (43).

Malik Scott calls out Vitali Klitschko!

EsNewsreporting.com