Zak Smith - Next big thing?

By Andrew Graves @andrewgravess

Liverpool boxing is absolutely booming at the moment with such boxers as the 4 Smith brothers, Tony Bellew, Derry Matthews and Joe Selkirk just to name a few, but is there another Smith (no relation) who could possibly be the next break out star from the city?

BoxingOpinions Interview: Mitchell Smith

We chat to highly-rated, up and coming super-featherweight Mitchell Smith. Currently 6-0, he is definitely one to look out for in Britain!

Robert Helenius, the 'Nordic Nightmare?'

By Nathan Orr @orrzboxing.

http://orrzboxing13.blogspot.co.uk/

Before I get started I want to make it clear I’m not a “hater” of Helenius, I respect every fighter that enters the ring but I feel the media, expectations and thoughts about the “Nordic Nightmare” should be adjusted considering his circumstances. 

Robert Helenius (19-0-0) had a promising start to his boxing career with success in the amateurs which included a silver in the amateur boxing championships in 2006 and at a stage in his amateur career featured a points victory over David Price! Since entering the pro ranks Helenius has been hyped as “The next big thing” especially in his homeland of Finland and on the Sauerland card on Saturday in Magdeburg he faced his next test in Michael Sprott(37-20-0).

“Robbe” is an unconventional fighter, lets be honest he doesn’t look like one and his entrance music Sonne by Rammstein says it all! From the first bell the tempo of the fight was set with Helenius controlling the pace with the jab but it was clear on the rare occasions that Sprott threw punches in bunches and moved forward he caused problems.

Interview with Mitchell Smith!

We chat to highly-rated British prospect...

Mitchell Smith!

AKA 'The Baby Faced Assassin'

(5-0, 2 KO's)

You're 5 fights into your professional career... How have you found the pro game so far? Is it what you expected?

I prefer the pro game to the amateur game. My style is a little more designed for the pro's, that's why I didn't get picked for the GB squad as an amateur. So yeah it was what I expected it to be. I like to hurt people when I fight and in the amateur game that's not so much, but in the pro game its a little bit more exciting and the crowd are starting to like me. I was expecting everything to go well and for it to be like this.

How have you seen your fan base grow over the past 8 or 9 months? Are you starting to get noticed more and more?

Yeah, I've started up a Twitter account and I'm surprised how many people are following me which is nice. And yeah I'm quite liked around my area, I've been boxing since I was 6 and everyone knows I've been boxing since I was young so everyone's been sort of following me around my way. I do like 450 tickets every time I fight, and I'm not even that high up in the pro ranks at the moment. Hopefully my fan base keeps growing and we can take a big crowd to Vegas one day.

Some people have called you the next Ricky Hatton... Is that because of the way you fight or how much support you are getting at such an early stage in your career?

To be likened to Ricky Hatton is amazing. He's done what so many fighters haven't. To be called the next Hatton is a big confidence booster for me. Don't get me wrong I'm an exciting fighter, but to be up where Ricky's standards are, there's a lot more learning to do, and you know, if I can get as good as what Ricky was I'll be more than happy. 

Post-Fight Thoughts On Gary Russell Jr - Time To Step Up!

@PriceyJ97.

Gary Russell Jr Vs Luis Franco cancelled!

Russell Jr with referee Joe Cortez.

The IBF featherweight title eliminator between two hot prospects in Gary Russell Jr and Luis Franco has been cancelled due to the fact that Russell has withdrawn from the fight. Many people believe that the reason Russell pulled out is because his management team does not want to take a risk against a fighter that he is relatively unknown. It was reported recently that the American withdrew due to unspecified reasons.

There is a lot of excitement surrounding Russell (19-0, 11 KO's) as he has looke excellent in most of his fights and has an exciting style that impresses the fans. However, it is starting to look as if he is being protected like so many other fighters out there. This basically means that he is going to be given easy fights until he simply has to step up and take a test. This is not beneficial for him as he will not be getting enough experience and feel for how hard some fights can be so when he does step up and face one of the top guys he will be shocked.

Franco (11-0, 7 KO's) is a tough and talented fighter but he is nowhere near as popular as Russell. This is probably due to the fact that he simply hasn't had the media coverage that is available to Russell.

Strangely for a prospect, Russell hasn't yet fought in 2012. His last outing came against Heriberto Ruiz where he got rid of his opponent in just 2 minutes 12 seconds.

If the young man does want to reach his full potential, skill wise and reputation wise, then he is going to have to fight a few more times by the end of the year. I know it's unlikely but, hopefully it's against an opponent that can provide with a good enough test.

Rigondeaux looks fantastic yet again!

Rigondeaux just before landing a devastating blow on Kenndey.

Yesterday (June 9th) we all had the privilege to watch the young Cuban superstar Guillermo Rigondeaux in action on the undercard of Manny Pacquiao Vs Timothy Bradley.

The 31-year old has had just 10 professional fights and he is already good enough to compete with some of the top fighters in the world. He became super-bantamweight world champion after just 9 fights. He has looked untouchable so far in his career and his record as an amateur was one of the best you will ever see. 'The Jackal' won 243 out of 247 fights. Now that shows that the guy can box.

In his fight last night, he had a slight step up in class against Teon Kennedy (18-2). But it was the same old solid performance from Rigondeaux yet again. The WBA champ knocked Kennedy down five times and finally stopped him in the fifth round. If he would have gone in like a mad man he could have probably finished it much earlier but he showed his composure and did not make any mistakes. I don't think Kennedy landed a punch throughout the whole fight.

It's time now for Rigondeaux to step up his level of opposition. I know it's strange to say that for a guy who has only had 10 fights but I am already considering him as a top-class fighter in the world right now.

Personally, I think a great fight would be between him and Anselmo Moreno, if he decides to move up from bantamweight. Whilst Rigondeaux would provide a stern challenge for the pound-for-pound contender Nonito Donaire, he is not yet ready to fight somebody like him.

Whatever happens in the near future... We can no doubt expect a very bright future for Guillermo Rigondeaux.