By Ian Aldous: On Saturday June 29th, Leon McKenzie will have officially started his second professional sporting venture. After a seventeen-year career as a footballer in England, including a season at the pinnacle of the sport – the FA Premier League with Norwich City, Leon has decided to follow in the footsteps of his father and uncle.
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The Super Six: Is that really it all finished?
By Rusty Nate: Over the last few years we, the boxing fans, were treated to a first in world boxing. The Super Six Tournament!
It was an amazing yet so simple idea to take 6 of the top Super Middleweights put together a schedule and points system and let them climb all over each other to come out on top as the Worlds Best Super Middleweight and win the title of Super Six Champion.
Martin Gethin vs. Ammeth Diaz preview
By Peter Wells (twitter- @boxingpeter): After tests aplenty, Walsall’s Martin Gethin is one fight away from completing a quite amazing turn around in his career. In a once in a lifetime IBF Lightweight title eliminator Gethin will take on experienced Panamanian Ammeth Diaz in front of his home crowd at Walsall Town Hall. For the winner there is a shot at Lightweights Number 1 in the world, Miguel Vazquez – I say number 1 because Adrien Broner for now is fighting for a Welterweight title and I personally rate Vazquez above Ricky Burns. One fighter has knockout power, while the other has a granite chin and the ability to wear his opponents into submission.
Where are the fans when fighters are broke?
By Robert Elmore: I have watched several documentaries and read several articles on boxers that go broke after they retire. It saddens me that these guys laid it on the line, trained hard, sacrificed time and yet have nothing to show for it (financially) when they hang up the gloves.
Gennady Golovkin prepares for challenge of Matthew Macklin
By Ian Aldous: On June 29th, Gennady Golovkin (26-0) puts his WBA and IBO world middleweight championships on the line against tough, perennial contender, Matthew Macklin (29-4) from the MGM Grand at Foxwoods Resort in Mashantucket, Connecticut. The HBO televised fight will see Golovkin face a legitimate challenge in the form of two-time world title challenger, Macklin.
Gennady clearly has the utmost respect for Macklin and his assets as a fighter. He told me over the phone from his training camp at Big Bear, California, “For me, Matthew Macklin is a very good fighter, he is a good boxer, good athlete. He has good speed, he has good power, he’s strong.” It looks to be the toughest test of his undefeated career so far and Golovkin agrees, “Yes, absolutely. This fight is very difficult for us, for me.”
Hearn: Groves is one fight away from a world title shot
By Scott Gilfoid: Matchroom Sport promoter Eddie Hearn believes that his fighter unbeaten super middleweight contender George Groves (19-0, 15 KO’s) is only one fight away from a title shot against one of the world champions.
Groves, 25, says he’d like to fight fellow stable-mate IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch this year, but he’s not having any luck in drawing him into a fight because Froch has been setting his sights on bigger fights with better known opposition.
Hearn said to I Film London “I think George is one big win away from fighting for a world title. He’s top five in every governing body. Definitely that [Groves vs. Froch] is a big fight.”
Lemieux vs. Swierzbinski on June 8th in Montreal, Canada
By Allan Fox: Middleweight David Lemieux (28-2, 27 KO’s) will be fighting next month on June 8th against Poland’s Robert Swierzbinski (11-1, 3 KO’s) in a scheduled 8 round bout on the Chad Dawson vs. Adonis Stevenson undercard at the Bell Centre, in Montreal, Canada.
Lemieux, 24, is trying to get his career back in order after having suffered losses to Marco Antonio Rubio and Joachim Alcine when he attempted to step up a level from the weak opposition he’d been facing. Lemieux has won three straight fights since losing to Alcine in December of 2011.
He’s beaten Albert Ayrapetyan, Alvaro Gaona, and Jaudiel Zepeda and seemingly turned his career around. It’s still too early to tell whether Lemieux can claw his way back to the upper tier of the middleweight division, but he’s been looking very good of late in destroying in his last three opponents in 2 rounds or less.
Ward: Froch struggles when fighting outside of the UK
By Scott Gilfoid: WBA super middleweight champion Andr Ward says he has a pretty good idea why IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch is so determined to fight all of his fights in the UK. It’s because he was beaten twice when he left the UK to fight guys and he doesn’t want to have that happen again.
Ward said to thesun.co.uk “His Froch] record is 4-2 on the road and he’s undefeated in the UK so I know why he wants it here [in the UK]. Let’s talk about it if you’re serious or else just stop ringing my name up.”
Is Ward kidding? I doubt Froch and his promoter Eddie Hearn will stop mentioning Ward’s name.
Rios already training to send Pacquiao into retirement
By Chris Williams: Brandon Rios (31-1-1, 23 KO’s) has got off to an early start for his training in Oxnard, California to get ready for his November 23rd fight against Manny Pacquiao Cotai Arena, Venetian Resort, Macao, Macao S.A.R., China.
Rios, 27, plans on beating the soon to be 35-year-old Pacquiao and sending him into a permanent retirement.
Pacquiao and Rios’ mutual promoter Bob Arum said to tempo.com.ph “He’s [Rios] been reporting to the gym.”
This is pretty surprising because Rios usually doesn’t start working out until training camp starts and that’s been one of his problems with him getting so heavy in between fights.
Hearn: Carl Froch doesn’t need Andre Ward; people want Froch-Kessler 3
By Scott Gilfoid: Eddie Hearn, the promoter for IBA/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch (31-2, 22 KO’s) came out and said it in plain language that he’s not looking to put Froch in with Andre Ward in his next fight. Instead, Hearn is eyeing a third fight between Froch and Mikkel Kessler or possibly a fight against 48-year-old Bernard Hopkins. Of those two, Hearn seems more excited about a Froch-Kessler third fight because of fan interest.
Hearn said to I Film London “I said it before, Andre Ward is a fantastic fighter, but he needs Carl Froch; Carl Froch doesn’t need Andre Ward. He’s [Froch] got two of these little babies [Froch’s WBA & WBC titles].