Matthew Hatton

“Magic” Matthew Hatton 41-42 (16) tonight retained his European welterweight belt with a third round knockout over previously unbeaten Roberto Belge 25-1-1 (4) in Bolton.

If truth be told, the fight was a scrappy affair with Hatton as predicted being more aggressive than he has been recently and Belge looking to throw the shots back whilst being on the move. The styles did not gel but it was Hatton who was looking to bully his man whenever he had the chance.

Hatton was getting into his stride in the third but the end still came as a surprise. Hatton threw a left hook to the head which Belge half blocked before throwing another left hook, this time to the body which dropped Belge to his knees. Belge spat out his gumshield and although he started to rise, he was in considerable pain and sank back to the canvas where he was counted out.

 Read more...

Hasegawa now a two weight World champion

Long term former WBC bantamweight champion Hozumi Hasegawa 29-3 (12)  lost his title to Fernando Montiel back in April. Hasegawa decided to jump two weight divisions and today the risk was rewarded with a twelve round win over Juan Carlos Burgos 25-1 (18) to capture the vacant WBC featherweight title.

The rounds were tough but Hasegawa thoroughly deserved the decision. Hasegawa fought quite aggressively and was just that bit better in most departments bar punching power. Burgos fought well but was just not quite ready for someone of Hasegawa’s experience.

The judges scored the bout 117-110 (twice) and 116-111. Hasegawa now has to face Mexican Jhonny Gonzalez in a mandatory defence.
———-     ———-

 Read more...

Andre Berto- One fight away from Pacquiao?

The Juan Manuel Marquez-Michael Katsidis bill has a very good undercard.The pick of these is Andre Berto 26-0 (20) making the fifth defence of his WBC welterweight belt against Freddy Hernandez 29-1 (20).

Berto was heavily televised on big undercards when he was a prospect but he has so far not managed to get anywhere near the superstar level he was hoping to get to. It was unfortunate that his big fight with Shane Mosley was called off after Berto lost family members in the Haiti earthquake.

 Read more...

Juan Manuel Marquez (left) and Michael Katsidis (right)

Every now and again a fight is scheduled that seemingly cannot end up as anything else but a terrific fight and a potential fight of the year candidate. Forget Froch against Abraham and Ward against Bika, the best action this weekend (in my opinion) will come when Juan Manuel Marquez 51-5-1 (37) defends his WBA and WBO lightweight titles against Australian hard man Michael Katsidis 27-2 (22).

Marquez is now thirty seven years old but is finally getting the credit he deserves for an excellent career. Marquez is probably best known for drawing with and losing a very close split decision (which could have gone either way) against Manny Pacquiao.

 Read more...

Matthew Hatton

Matthew Hatton 40-4-2 (15)  makes the second defence of his European welterweight title tomorrow night when he takes on the unbeaten Swiss fighter Roberto Belge 25-0-1 (4) at Bolton football clubs Reebok stadium.

I find it hard not to like the younger Hatton. When he turned professional he was just fighting like a very inferior version of his brother Ricky. However after a few defeats along the road, Matthew joined forces with trainer Bob Shannon and in fairness the change in him has been remarkable.

While Matthew Hatton will never be accused of boxing like Sugar Ray Leonard, he now can box as well as brawl. He makes use of clever angles and is prepared to throw the jab often. While he is probably still short of World class, his improvement has been dramatic.

 Read more...

Carl Froch (left) and Arthur Abraham (right)- picture courtesy Adam Monaghan

The tension continues to build in the run up to the battle between Carl Froch 26-1 (20) and Arthur Abraham 31-1 (25) which takes place in Finland on Saturday. The bout means so much to both men. Both are coming off the first defeats of their careers and a loss could be devastating for either man. Add in to this the WBC super middleweight title belt and super six tournament bragging rights are up for grabs and it is obvious why both men have been tetchy.

Abraham has hinted that he believes Froch has mental problems (not considering his loss to Kessler being a loss) and Froch has derided Abraham as a midget. Surprisingly todays final press conference found both men in more jovial moods. Froch even addressed the media in Finnish before repeating his words in English.

 Read more...

A prime Christy Martin

Former top World women’s boxer Christy Martin has reportedly been stabbed and shot by her husband in Florida.

Martin who retired with a 49-5-3 (31) record suffered the injuries but managed to escape and flag down a passing motorist near her home in Orlando. This motorist took her to the hospital where doctors found out that she had been shot and stabbed in the torso and left leg. The Orlando Sentinel reported that the injuries do not appear to be life threatening.

Martin has named her attacker as her sixty six year old husband James Martin. Police were dispatched to the Martin’s home and although there were signs of a struggle, James Martin was not found and at time of this publication is still at large.

 Read more...

Fans may see more of this from Manny Pacquiao

Many people in the boxing World including trainer Freddie Roach thought that Manny Pacquiao’s 52-3-2 (38)  recent fight against Antonio Margarito would be his last in the professional ring, scuppering the fight that everyone wants to see against Floyd Mayweather.

Well this does not seem to be the case as Pacquiao today said that he will retire from boxing within three years as he does not envisage himself fighting beyond the age of thirty five. Pacquiao was speaking in the Philippine House of Representatives where he received a medal of distinction from his countries government where he is a congressman.

Pacquiao also seemed to rule out a fight in his home country due to the sheer costs involved and the fact that it would not look good when the country is so impoverished.

 Read more...

Marco Antonio Barrera- A modern great

Multi -weight former World champion and all time great Marco Antonio Barrera 66-7 (43) returns to the ring in his native Mexico on 11th December.

Barrera last fought in June when he outpointed the Brazilian Adailton De Jesus over ten rounds. This was Barrera’s first fight since losing by fifth round stoppage (on cuts) to Amir Khan.

Barrera’s opponent has yet to be named but it must thought unlikely that his opponent will be World class. Barrera is now thirty six years of age and well past his best and although many fans will surely be calling for his retirement, he is still better than most fighters outside of the top ten and as long as he keeps the opponents at a sensible level, then he can add to his bank account without subjecting himself to ruining his legacy or his health.

 Read more...

Like it or hate it, Prizefighter is here to stay. After the success of previous winners, it is a good tournament to get into as it can open doors. Tomorrow night is the turn of the super featherweights and talent wise, this is probably the best tournament so far.

Let us have a look at the draw and look at the high quality on show.

Quarter Final 1- Gary McArthur 15-1 (2) vs Derry Matthews 23-4 (11)

 McArthur’s camp have issued a press release this week stating that their man is an avoided fighter in the super featherweight division. While this may be stretching it a little, McArthur is undoubtedly talented. His one defeat came up at lightweight when he was stopped in a round in the Prizefighter tournament in a high division.

 Read more...

Will Paul Appleby's career be looking up again?

Paul Appleby 16-1 (11) seemed like one of the best prospects in Britain and the best young prospect  from Scotland a couple of years ago. At only 21 years of age he was the British featherweight champion seemingly heading towards World honours.

However Appleby’s management took the opportunity to earn a large purse against unbeaten Martin Lindsay in Lindsay hometown of Belfast, Northern Ireland in April 2009 and Appleby was stopped in six rounds. Since then Appleby has come back with two wins but did not seem close to even a British shot.

Since Ricky Burns shock WBO World title win in the same division, things have turned for Appleby. Two very good Scottish fighters in the same weight division and already wheels are in motion for the countries first ever World title fight between two Scotsmen.

 Read more...

Danny Green still IBO cruiserweight champion

Danny Green 31-3 (27) today retained his minor IBO cruiserweight title with a unanimous but hard fought points victory over BJ Flores 24-1-1 (15) in Western Australia.

Green is known for his aggressive style but today mixed the brawling with some good boxing. However it was Flores who started well in the early rounds, using his height and reach advantages and having considerable success with his quick jab. Green did not let Flores have his own way and caught the taller man with good shots of his own.

At the midway point it seemed pretty level but it was the veteran Green who took over in the second half using his experience and surprisingly a little guile. The punch output from both men did decrease in the second half but the champion did both more and the better quality work.

 Read more...

You would think the fallout from the David Haye-Audley Harrison debacle would be enough to convince most promoters to be a little sensitive about match making potentially damaging fights at the moment. However this seems far from the case and three match ups have been discussed in the boxing news world recently that will be big business but could end up becoming farcical.

 Read more...

Danny “The Green Machine” Green 30-3 (27) is big business in his home country of Australia. Green is a big punching, come forward fighter with plenty of heart and at thirty seven years old is in the form of his career. However after two easy wins, he is facing a real test in the form of unbeaten BJ Flores 24-0-1 (15) tomorrow in Western Australia. Green’s IBO cruiserweight title is on the line.

Green has been an interim WBC super middleweight champion (2003) and it was a big surprise when he walked away from the sport in 2007 after outpointing Stipe Drews to win the WBA light heavyweight title. However within sixteen months, Green was back and has certainly enhanced his ring earnings and his legacy within his homeland.

 Read more...

Vitali Klitschko

After David Haye’s 25-1 (23) easy demolition of former Olympic champion Audley Harrison at the weekend, there was more talk from team Haye of making a fight with one of the Klitschko brothers. In fact Adam Booth, Haye’s confidant, trainer and manager said that they wanted Wladimir 55-3 (49) in the summer followed by Vitali 41-2 (38) next autumn.

However Vitali has today once again offered his services for a  fight with Haye and has this time promised both the complete 50-50% purse split that team Haye are after and has also indicated a willingness to take on Haye at any venue, even if that means England.

Vitali was talking to the British radio station BBC Five live today and had the following to say;

 Read more...