Fighter of The Week - Raymundo Beltran

This week we have chosen Raymundo Beltran as our 

fighter of the week...

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97 - @BoxingOpinions1

Well, boxing came back with a bang this weekend as the new season begun. We were given upsets, knockouts and more impressive performances. There are a few fighters that could have been given this award this week, and I'll give them a mention later, but for me, one man deserves it more than the rest. Especially after he didn't get what he deserved in the ring.

Continue reading...

Can Burns impress?

By Andrew Graves @andrewgravess

On the 7th of September Scotland's own Ricky 'Rickster' Burns will defend his WBO Lightweight title for the 4th time against mandatory challenger 32 year old Mexican Raymundo Beltran at the SECC Arena Glasgow. Can The champion send the hometown crowd home happy with a victory?

Ricky Burns Vs Raymundo Beltran - Fight Preview

By @boxingrob1990

07/09/2013

Scottish Exhibition Centre

Glasgow

Scotland

United kingdom

Saturday the 7^th of September we have the return of the WBO Lightweight champion and the pride of Scottish boxing Ricky Burns (30) with a record of 36-2-0 11ko’s VS rugged Mexican born challenger Raymundo Beltran (32) with a record of 28-6 17ko’s at the Scottish Exhibition Centre in Glasgow, Scotland. The champion (Burns) is coming of a very tough win VS than unbeaten Puerto Rican challenger Jose Gonzalez in a fight which was extremely competitive and hard fought, Ricky Burns won a come from behind 9^th round technical stoppage (Gonzalez failed to come out for the 10^th round) of his unknown but talented opponent in Gonzalez.

Gavin Rees Vs Anthony Crolla - Post-Fight Report

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

The Fans Have Voted - Will Gonzalez be back?

After 6 or 7 rounds of the WBO lightweight title bout between Ricky Burns and Jose Gonzalez in Scotland last night, we all thought we were about to witness the birth of a new superstar when Gonzalez seemed to be cruising to victory against the champion. However, after a big 7th round for the Puerto Rican the momentum switched and Burns took the fight to the clearly-gassed Gonzalez. The same followed in round 9 and a massive shock came at the end of the round when Gonzalez retired on his stool and threw away what could be the biggest opportunity of his life.

It's now the day after the fight and Gonzalez is still the main talking point for most of the boxing community on Twitter. People are wondering if we will see him back bigger and better or is he going to end up as a wasted talent? So we decided to ask our Twitter followers (@BoxingOpinions1) what they believe the future holds for Jose Gonzalez:

Ricky Burns Vs Jose Gonzalez - Post-Fight Report (Pricey Boxing)

PriceysBoxinThoughts

Ricky Burns Vs Jose Gonzalez - Fight Preview

By James McKnight @JamesMcKnight83

BURNS AIMING TO EXTINGUISH GONZALEZ THREAT! 

Ricky Burns is aiming to make a third successive defense of the WBO lightweight title on May 11. The Coatbridge fighter comes up against Puerta Rican mandatory challenger, Jose Gonzalez, at the Emirates arena, Glasgow. 

Burns (35-2-0, 10 KO's), split from promoter, Frank Warren, in March and signed with Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport. This was down to Burns' unification title bout with Mexican IBF 135lb titlist, Miguel Vazquez, being called off for a second time. Burns, 30, claimed the interim WBO belt in November 2011 when he defeated Australian, Michael Katsidis, at Wembley arena, London. 'Rickster' then defended the belt in March 2012 beating Namibian, Paulus Moses, in Glasgow. Both of those victories were won by unanimous decision after 12 rounds. Burns then returned to Glasgow in September. He put on one of his most impressive performances to date by stopping England's, Kevin Mitchell, in just four rounds. 

Ricky Burns Signs For Matchroom! Full Press Conference

@IFILMLONDON

The fans have voted!

Who are the Top 10 fighters in Britain today?

@BoxingOpinions1

The fans have voted, we received over 200 votes when we asked the question "Who do you believe are the top British fighters around today?" It was a close poll with most of the same names mentioned over and over again, but there were actually 24 different British fighters mentioned at one point, showing just how competitive the British boxing scene is right now. The votes have been added up and you can now see who the fans rank as the top British fighters around at this current time:

1. Carl Froch (30-2) - 89 pts
2. Ricky Burns (35-2) - 59 pts
3. Kell Brook (29-0) - 51 pts
4. Amir Khan (27-3) - 45 pts
5. David Haye (26-2) - 41 pts
6. Nathan Cleverly (25-0) - 36 pts
7. David Price (15-0) - 32 pts
8. Tony Bellew (19-1) - 29 pts
9. Tyson Fury (20-0) - 23 pts
10. Scott Quigg (25-0) - 20 pts

Ricky Burns talks about facing Miguel Vasquez!

@iFILMLONDON

WBO lightweight world champion Ricky Burns discusses his upcoming unification bout with the IBF's Miguel Vasquez on March 16th. He also discusses the situation with Adrien Broner and his plans for the future. 

Burns, Cleverly, Groves, Chisora & 'The Queen' at Rule Brittania Press Conference

@iFILMLONDON

Exclusive footage from Frank Warren's 'Rule Brittania' press conference. Four of Britain's biggest stars pose for the camera with a Her Majesty lookalike and Mr. Warren's dog. 

Ricky Burns Vs Jose Ocampo - Fight Preview

By James McKnight (@mckjimbo).

WBO World lightweight champion Ricky Burns, was due to face commonwealth junior lightweight champion Liam Walsh on December 15 at the ExCel arena in London. Walsh though was involved in a car accident last month and consequently hurt his back forcing him to withdraw his challenge. Burns, 29, is now set to face late Filipino replacement, Jose Ocampo. 

Ocampo, 23, has a record of 17-5-1, 12 KO's and is rated at 14 in the World by the WBO. ''The bomber'' which is his alias, is relishing his meeting with Burns in the ring and believes he has what it takes to cause an upset. 

''I'll be coming to London with only one thing on my mind and that is to win the title.'' said the Filipino boxer. He added, "It's disrespectful that Burns is looking ahead of me next Saturday when i'll give him the hardest fight of his life,'' 

George Groves faces Glen Johnson on December 15th!

Undefeated prospect George Groves.

 During a press conference on Wednesday 17th October it was confirmed that British super-middleweight contender George Groves will face former light-heavyweight world champ Glen Johnson at the Excel Arena on December 15th.

Johnson will actually be coming out of retirement to take this fight. The 43-year old announced his retirement in the summer after a points loss to Andzrej Fonfara. He has also lost five of his last seven contests. Although he will only be in the ring with a man who is a shadow of the fighter he used to be, Groves still claims that he will be preparing for the most dangerous opponent possible.

"It will be my toughest opponent. No one has an easy fight with Glen Johnson," said Groves. "I'm buzzing for the fight and am preparing for twelve hard rounds because he will give anyone a hard night's work. I'll be ready."

The bout will only be Groves' second of this year due to numerous injury setbacks. He was twice scheduled to fight fellow Brit Kenny Anderson in a rematch but was forced to pull out both times due to injury. This also caused him to be stripped of his regional title.
However, Groves shook off the ring rust in July when he stopped Francisco Sierra in seven rounds in the United States.

If Groves can get back to tip-top physical and mental condition for this fight, I have no doubt in my mind that he will retain his undefeated record on December 15th. Johnson is still a little higher in class than the fighters Groves has faced so far, maybe barring James DeGale, and it is a great name to have on your record when you're working your way up.

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97.

Warren Vs Hearn continues...

The forever ongoing and growing rivalry between Britain's 'Top 2' boxing promoters continued this week when Eddie Hearn reacted to some things that Frank Warren said in a previous interview. And now Warren has fired back to what Hearn said in an interview this week. This is what Warren said in his article for boxingscene.com:

Eddie,

It’s the ‘Dinosaur’ Old School Promoter here. 

Just seen your recent interview with IFilm London.  Once again you felt compelled to reference me, several of my fighters and BoxNation.  You stalking me? 

What’s with this ‘New Age Promoting’? I’m not quite sure what is meant by this term, but I do know what Promoting is, delivering great fights for the fans and putting bums on seats.   

Recently FWP have given the fans proper quality showdowns including Groves v DeGale, Mitchell v Murray, Cleverly v Bellew, Burns v Katsidis, Helenius v Chisora,  Klitschko v Chisora, Burns v Mitchell and of course, Haye v Chisora – all virtual sell outs.  How does that compare with your shows over the same period? 

I think even in your hearts of hearts, however ‘New Age’ you may be and even with your BIG Sky budget, you would have to admit that other than Froch v Bute, you have not delivered anywhere near as many big live audiences or fights of that calibre over the same period and I’ve not included the small hall classics such as Walsh v Appleby amongst others. 

I’d like to know what was so awful with my “Horrendous offer” for Gavin Rees to face Ricky Burns for his WBO World Title the ExCel in December? 

The offer we made to Gavin for the fight was £50,000 with three options, which had been improved with a final offer of £60,000.  You said Gavin will be earning more for his next European title defence – I’m sure he will be pleased to hear that he will be getting more than £60,000 for his next European title fight.   

He was promised a shot by you at the WBA title, but despite being number 2 in their rankings it didn’t happen and he is now missing out on a huge opportunity to fight Ricky Burns.  My offer is clearly anything but a ‘Horrendous offer’, something your Director of Boxing, an honest man, with years of experience, said was a “Great offer”.   

Gavin previously won the WBA World Title with me and you have turned down a chance for him to become a 2-Weight World Champion and again, you have deprived the fans of a good old domestic battle.  

Let’s also touch on the ‘options and allsorts’ section of your statement. Everybody knows in boxing that other than a mandatory defence, it is normal that options are given to the promoter of the Champion, just like the options you signed when Froch, the mandatory challenger, fought Bute.  I would like to ask you this question – have you taken any options on Yusef Mack for his IBF World Title challenge against Carl Froch next month?  And indeed, have you taken options out on any previous fighters?  I think we both know the answer to that. 

The fact remains that you preach that it’s the fighters’ interests at heart that you have,  and that may be, but I suspect this pattern of rejecting big purse offers and big opportunities has more to do with you worrying that you will have no fighters left to run with on Sky.  Perhaps the ‘exclusive’ dates you have secured are more of a hindrance to fill than you expected? 

An offer for Brook to face Timothy Bradley, again for a career best purse.  Why so many eliminators Eddie? He was WBO number one two years ago? Is ‘New Age’ promoting about turning down World Title fights for your boxers in favour of servicing a TV deal?  

As for Carl Froch, my offer was genuine and as I have said on record many times, I fancy Nathan to beat him.  The fact remains that it was another huge fight and a big payday for Carl that you rejected and not as you are suggesting now for a fight to take place before the Bute fight but after.  £1million – I know he hasn’t made that money in any fight with you and again what of the fans?  I am sure they would much rather see Cleverly v Froch rather than Froch v Mack and Nathan fighting Uzelkov. 

You’ve now rejected three big World Title fights for three of your fighters (Brook, Froch and now Rees). This rejection pattern you’re developing, in my opinion, is not good for the sport. TV deals are important but not as important as delivering for your fighters and for the fans that want to see the big events. You seem to talk so often about doing things for the fans but from where I am sitting, you stopped them from seeing three big fights. Is that the New-Age agenda?  

New Age?  Us old guys, especially the Hall of Fame Promoters like to keep it simple – make the big fights and put bums on seats. 

Regards, 

‘Dinosaur’

Ricky Burns Vs Kevin Mitchell - Fighters & Fans Reaction

Leading up to the highly anticipated fight between Ricky Burns and Kevin Mitchell this weekend (September 22nd) many boxing experts, fans and even fighters themselves thought that it was going to be a highly competitive fight that was destined for a close decision.

When I asked for people's predictions on Twitter, this is what I got:

@BillWHU: Mitchell knock out! Come on Super Kev!

@IJSmith86: And STILL, the WBO lightweight champion of the world. Ricky Burns on pts. UD. 
                       #TeamBurns

@Mutchiebluenose: I think Mitchell will win tonight points or a late stoppage.

@Dale1984s: 50-50 fight but think Burns might push it with home support.

@VerityB90: Close call but I think Mitchell will do it, late stoppage.

@adam_canavan: Ricky Burns wide UD, I don't even think it'll be close. I may be proved wrong
                               later but I don't think so.

@boxingviper: Ricky Burns by late stoppage or UD tonight. #ComeOnRickyLad

Here is what some of boxing's well-known personalities thought:

Undefeated Commonwealth welterweight champion Denton Vassell (@DentonVassell) said: "To be honest I say to the guy who's trained the hardest and who wants it more. The best to both of them and good luck!!"

British heavyweight prospect Dillian Whyte (@DillianWhyte) kept it short and sweet: "I think it's a 50-50 fight."

Former British cruiserweight champion Shane McPhilbin (@ShaneMcPhilbin) said: "Mitchell by split decision."

Newly turned pro Scott Moonan (@Scott_Moonan) also thought Mitchell would be the victor: "Mitchell round 10 KO."

Undefeated light-heavyweight prospect Callum Johnson (@CallumTheOne) could not pick a winner: "To be honest mate I really don't know. It's a true 50/50 fight, I think they're both capable of winning the fight."

Quickly rising British promoter David Coldwell was the same: "Mate, I really can't seperate them! Can make a case for both of them winning & just can't be confident in picking one way or the other! Can't wait for it tho!

Tyson Fury's trainer and uncle Peter Fury (@PeterFury) said: "Burns. By airs breath very close can go either way but Burns for me."

So as you can see from the completely slit predictions above, it came as a big shock when Burns stopped Mitchell after just four rounds. Here is what people thought after the fight:

@bferguson4: Great performance from Ricky and thoroughly deserved victory. That left hook was
                         beautiful.

@joemac2a: Burns elevated himself to an elite level. Stadiums, big fights in Vegas. Sky's the limit
                      #BO_Debates.

@DrUppercut: Ricky Burns looked great and proved he is ready for a big time money making 
                          fight!

@bluejon71: Credit where it's due, shocked me there, fan of Mitchell but Burns has improved so
                      much, World Class!

@Mutchiebluenose: Fair played Burns on that performance, he is up there with the best, never 
                                   thought of him as a puncher, proved me wrong.

Fighters, experts and other boxing personalities were also very impressed with Burns' performance:

BoxNation pundit and journalist Steve Lillils (@SteveLillis) said: "Burns was just brilliant. Nothing Mitchell could do."

British heavyweight contender Tyson Fury (@Tyson_Fury) was happy with how the fight turned out: "Just like to say I told u so. Burns just KO'd Mitchell! Up the Celts!"

Ricky Hatton did not see the fight but found out exactly what happened from the #boxingheads on Twitter: "Not seen the Mitchell/Burns fight but I believe it was great.. 4th round stoppage for Burns. So much respect for the champion Ricky has become."

Former world champion and boxing manager Barry McGuigan (@ClonesCyclone) was ecstatic with Burns' performance: "Amazing result for Ricky Burns winning by TKO against Kevin Mitchell. Congrats to Ricky and commiserations to Kevin" 

Kevin Mitchell (@KevinMitchell6) was upset with the result but was gracious in defeat: "Sorry 2 all my fans I wasn't myself in there and me camp went perfect!! I will be bk."

The champion himself, Ricky Burns (@ricksterko) was just thankful for everything that happened that night: "Thank you's all so much for the messages, was a great nite! Well done to all boxers n teams that put the show together! What a nite!!

Burns proves he is a class above!

Burns sends Mitchell crashing to the canvas.

Last night (September 22nd), WBO lightweight world champion Ricky Burns stopped the No.1 ranked contender and domestic rival Kevin Mitchell in just 4 rounds.

Burns was the slight favourite going into this fight but almost every boxing fan out there thought this was going to be a very, very close fight. How wrong we were... Burns proved to us and all of his doubters (if he actually had any) that he can not only box at the highest level of the sport, he can bang as well. Mitchell was considered as the dangerous puncher going into this fight, but it was him that ended up in the referee's arms at the end of the fight.

In the first three rounds it looked like it was going to be an action-packed 12-round slugfest as both men started strong and did not ease off. Mitchell did just enough to win the first round but then Burns came on stronger and nicked the second and third. Nobody expected what happened in the fourth, I don't even think Burns did. He threw a left-hook as Mitchell was coming in and it landed so sweetly that it was almost inevitable that Mitchell was going to hit the canvas. The 27-year old rose to his feet bravely but opted to fight back instead of doing the sensible thing which was to hold on. Ten seconds later he was down again and it was clear at this point that the fight was going to be over in this round. The referee did let Mitchell continue but Burns put the pressure on again and the ref was forced to step in with just a few seconds left of round 4.

Both men showed true sportsmanship after the fight and embraced each other almost straight away. Burns showed respect to Mitchell's bravery and Mitchell realised that he had been beaten by the better man. It was a great moment for British boxing.

It is onwards and upwards now for Ricky Burns. Personally, I would love to see him in with Adrien Broner and I think it would be between the two best lightweights in the world. If it was a few weeks ago I would have picked Broner to win without a doubt but after witnessing what happened tonight I would have to think long and hard before I made a prediction for that fight. Burns is up there with the best without a doubt.

For Mitchell, I think its back to the drawing board. There was nothing he could have done tonight, he was just beaten by the better man. A fight with Gavin Rees for the British title would be a good comeback fight for him and it would be a huge ticket seller for a domestic fight.

 

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97.

DeMarco blasts through Molina!

WBC lightweight champion Antonio DeMarco (28-2,21KO's) pulled off a fantastic first-round victory against the highly rated John Molina (24-2,19KO's) last night in Oakland, California.

DeMarco was expected to win the fight but not in such fashion. The 45-second victory came as a shock to everyone in the crowd and every boxing fan watching at home, as everyone that knew these two guys were expecting an all-out war that lasted at least of couple of rounds. But this was far from the case. DeMarco's first meaningful punch of the fight landed right on Molina's chin and sent him stumbling backwards. At this point, it's fair to say that Molina should have taken a knee to get a few seconds to recover. However, he tried to stand his ground and fight back but this backfired massively and the referee was forced to step in and stop the contest.

I've been wondering who's next for DeMarco and I can still can't find anyone that would make a fight that fans would scream for but I did consider DeMarco Vs Ricky Burns (providing Burns beats Mitchell on September 22nd). I still don't think DeMarco is ready to face Broner, so Burns would be a good test for him. It would also be a good chance for both men to prove themselves as champions.

I also think we will see John Molina back on the world scene sometime in the future as I think tonight was just a little mistake that he will learn from and come back stronger.

Broner could face Mitchell-Burns winner!

Broner celebrates after his fifth round stoppage over Vincente Escobedo.

Former super-featherweight king Adrien Broner has revealed that he is now leaving the 130lb division and moving up to lightweight. The 22-year old American will no doubt become the No.1 contender for Ricky Burns' WBO lightweight title which means that things could get really interesting.

Burns (left), Mitchell  (right).

Burns takes on Kevin Mitchell on September 22nd in one of the most highly anticipated domestic fights of the year. However, the winner of the clash may not stay champion for long. If Broner is made the No.1 contender, the winner will likely be forced to defend the title against him at the end of the year.

The only way out for the Brit pair would be if 'The Problem' turned his attention to the WBA lightweight title which was vacated by Brandon Rios earlier this year. But, it is looking likely that Richard Abril and Gavin Rees will be fighting for that title.

It's not a certainty that Broner would beat either Burns or Mitchell but from what we've see from the three fighters so far, Broner has looked by far the best. He is regarded by many as the next superstar in boxing and he certainly lived up to his reputation last night (July 21st) against Vincente Escobedo. Broner put on a boxing masterclass and stopped Escobedo in just five rounds.

Ricky Burns, 29, was set to face Broner last year but instead chose to move up to lightweight, leading many people to believe that he was ducking the young superstar. It has always seemed like these two are destined to face each other. So later this year we could be seeing a fight that we have all wanted to see for a very long time.

Burns Vs Mitchell may be a done deal!

Ricky Burns                                            Kevin Mitchell

According to promoter Frank Warren, there will be a big announcement on Tuesday (May 8th) about a big fight coming up in Britain. Many people think that this announcement will be a July showdown between WBO lightweight champion Ricky Burns and Kevin Mitchell that will take place at Upton Park.

I really hope this is true as it is one of the main domestic fights that everybody wants to see. The fighters have been talking about it for a long time but until now there hasn't been much chance of it happening. Negotiations apparently fell through as Mitchell was demanding too much money, but this seems to have changed.

Burns (34-2, 9 KO's) was originally meant to fight on July 1st but that has been called off. The Scotsman has really proved himself over the last few years. He has been in there with some of the best and came out on top. It all started when he upset the odds to beat Roman Martinez to win the WBO super-featherweight title in 2010. This fight was followed with a few easy defences against the likes of Nicky Cook but he then moved up to 135lb.

'Rickster' has already reached more success as a lightweight. In November of last year he won the WBO interim title against Michael Katsidis and then defended it this year against very durable Paulus Moses.

Mitchell (33-1,24 KO's) seems untouchable in the domestic fights but he is yet to prove himself at world level. He was stopped in just three rounds against Katsidis in 2010. After this fight he went few a problems outside of the ring but I won't go into that too much. However, recently he has turned his life around and got himself back on track for another world title shot.

If this fight does happen it will no doubt be the biggest domestic fight to happen this year and Upton Park will be a fantastic venue for it. The bout has not been confirmed yet but after such massive demand, the fighters and their promoters can't surely say no.

Glasgow delivers a great night of boxing!

It was set to be a good night of boxing but the fans were the people who made the show exciting and great! They showed so much support for the local fighters and it paid off as Stephen Simmons, Paul Appleby, Callum Johnson and Ricky Burns all won.

The main event staged a great performance by Burns who dominated Paulus Moses for most fight. Although Moses showed a few energized and exciting spurts it was nowhere near enough to trouble the flawless performance from the 'Rickster' Ricky Burns.

However it was the under-card fights that made the show in our opinion. Stephen Simmons became the first person to stop Hastings Rasani in 10 fights and Callun Johnson pulled off an amazing stoppage after just 96 seconds against journeyman Tommy Tolan, but it was Paul Appleby Vs Stephen Ormond that got the crowd off their feet and made it a night to remember! Ormond looked to be clearly ahead after the first few rounds but then the warrior Paul Appleby brought it back with true grit and determination. This wasn't the first time that Appleby has given us a fight to remember. You all must remember his fight last year against Liam Walsh that won fight of the year.

The show was great but really it is now the future for Ricky Burns that most people care about... It's been announced that there could be a summer showdown between Burns and Mitchell which has been talked about by the fans for a very long time. Kevin Mitchell isn't the only option that Burns has got that would produce a sell-out crowd, Gavin Rees and Anthony Crolla have also showed that are looking to fight Burns. Ricky hasn't really had much media exposure during his successful career but this fight will surely gain him a few more fans.

So for now we can all look back on a great night of boxing for Scotland and especially Ricky Burns!