Re: Boxing/MMA
 

The most anticipated fight over the past year will finally come. (Assuming Aldo doesn't find another way to peg it. The most exciting fighter in Conor McGregor will take his thousands of fighting Irish to.. where else but the iconic MGM Grand in Vegas. Champion vs Champion, Fight of the year incoming.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Amir Khan vs Manny Pacquiao April 9th 2016

Set to be announced within the next week. If the deal falls through, Amir Khan will then take on undefeated Danny Garcia in January.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Ronda Rousey exposed and obliterated at UFC 193 by Holly Holm

This was coming. The hype train derails in spectacular fashion as it's quickly proven why fighting a poor division and hyping yourself up as the best in the world is a horrible idea. Ronda Rousey is absolutely steamrolled inside 2 rounds by Holly Holm. A complete inability to defend a punch was a recipe for disaster for when she actually faced someone with punching ability, that was quickly proven today.

I couldn't be more happier this has happened. I was tired of this empty hype and was begging for someone to expose this tiring Rousey trend. Retiring undefeated? Back the drawing board to learn how to defend yourself and stop wagging the chin around in the air begging to be hit.

I don't feel at all sorry for her, gigantic mouth just got put in its place.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

David Haye to announce opponent tomorrow. Expecting it to be a squash fight to get back into the game. If be some miracle it turns out to be Joshua.. I will completely lose faith in British Boxing.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Welcome to clowns of the heavyweight division.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Boxing's been a bad joke for years sadly

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

It's not a joke as such it's just in a dire state and that needs a massive re-understanding of boxing as a sport in the UK.

One of the bigger aspects of it being a farce is the way British boxing trainers literally get it all wrong now. Hatton was thrown to the Piranhas, Khan was mis managed early on, Fury is being allowed to completely spiral out of control. Anthony Joshua is being allowed to talk it up with David Haye? Is he insane, it'll never happen and by god it never should, the thought of seeing the next British heavyweight boxing prospect on his back because his mouth got the better of him is disturbing.

I've seen far too much of what I can only describe as hopelessness around British boxing.

By that I mean people that are allowed by their managers and trainers to rack up 30 fight winning streaks then talk themselves into Vegas showdowns with only one outcome (Hatton) whom was horribly exposed as a boxer by Mayweather then viciously savaged by Manny who were both on a completely different level.. I'm saying this wouldn't be happening if you put a stop to the above.

Fury is in the process of doing exactly this. Kell Brook is doing this. It'll all end in tragedy again. It's a shame because the ultimate loser is us as fans.

I'm glad Haye's back, I still maintain with the right plan he'll floor Klitschko, big ask now though, been out of the game too long.
I've watched that fight over and over, people are too quick to follow the media judging of it. Haye was out boxed overall but there's some pretty dire stuff going on from Wlad in that fight, the constant leaning. Haye got to him, I don't think anyone actually realised this, Haye landed 3 clean power punches in that fight and Klitschko felt every single one of them and grabbed hold as quick as he could. He's the first person I've seen in many years to back Wlad up the way he did.

Just to echo the middle of this wall of text, another thrown to the dogs was George Groves, I've never seen talent mismanaged so poorly.

It's not just us though, Nevada boxing officials have been absolutely disgraceful over the years, I don't even need to go into it. 114-114 for a Mayweather fight, enough said.

Who Haye faces?

If it's Joshua I'm done with British boxing bar Khan. It'll only prove they give a crap about the money and nothing more, feeding Joshua to a man that's absolutely clinical in knocking people out, Joshua being a young completely untested heavyweight that's probably never felt anything close to what someone like Haye could throw just with his left hand.. stupid, just stupid.

Deontay Wilder - Absolutely unlikely but throwing it in here anyway, Wilder is booked to defend the WBC title in January against thus far no one. It's unlikely because Wilder tends to avoid anyone half decent, he's improving but thus far his boxing skills are solely a punch, he's wild, he's sloppy, someone like Haye could easily catch him clean plenty of times. Unfortunately Haye actually did, rocking the cocky and arrogant Wilder numerous times in a sparring session that found the light of day.

People don't like Khan, he's muslim for starters, already lost half of the British public. He's exciting, he's explosive, he's literally an American prizefighter at this point, they love him. He's also dangerous, Mayweather took Berto for a reason. Khan can beat Manny. I don't think there's many boxers in the world that can outpoint Amir Khan. The glass chin argument is too old now, it's boring and it's so one sided and bias I give up with it. Manny has been put down more times in his career than Khan and in more brutal fashion as we seen with Marquez, yet he's never once questioned about his chin despite being dropped multiple times. Klitschko notoriously met this same outcome once and no questions are asked anymore.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Well of those Hayes has always had a big mouth and not much else but well life is about differing opinions and others might think differently.

Knan certainly has talent but whether he uses it properly is another matter and it certainly does not worry me one jot that he is muslim as that makes no difference as we are all humans at the end of the day pure and simple.

Hatton always had a pretty weak chin so it was inevitable that it would come home to roost sooner rather then later.

Groves fought too soon and Joshua well he ain't much cop in my book.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

I think Joshua can be nurtured into Britain's next Lennox Lewis, if he continues to step up in opponents each time anyway. If he follows the same route of Hatton or Brook then he'll inevitably get himself exposed later on down the line. Haye tried to bait him in today. Taking that fight and knocking out Joshua this early in his career would all but destroy it. I can't see any reason why Haye needs a 13-0 prospect fighter when he's already well established... Money naturally. In 5 years Joshua could match Haye if not beat him. Right now it's a case of inexperience. Joshua has never seen speed like Haye never mind the power coming behind it. Joshua wouldn't be exposed, it'd be a horrendous decision to let a rookie fight a veteran.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Fury now threatening to pull out of tonight's fight due to the canvas being too soft... :erm: This guy is making a mockery of British boxing. I'm sure some of us would be happy with a Brit stopping Klitschko, but I assume most would prefer Haye or Joshua. It's no surprise to me that the hometown support that should be with him is in fact divided.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Sadly British boxing is increasingly becoming the laughing stock of the world.:td:

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

People don't see it but this one guy's antics could flatline the British HW division for as long as Klitschko holds the belt. Haye promoted the fight in a way he didn't like but wasn't that extreme, Chisora spitting, I remember that. Now you have Fury being an absolute Arse. Joshua calling out knockout specialist Veterans.

Elsehwhere you have Amir Khan content on waiting for a Superfight that apparently isn't happening thus continues to just jet around the world on Holiday. You have Brook fighting no bodies until he's 40-0, retires and proclaims to be the GOAT. Froch dropping it all after failing to rematch Ward or setting up Golovkin.

The British fans forever being excrement-ed upon.

Made the news now http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/34954253

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Fury more than holding his own. He'll earn a new found respect from the world with this display. Win or lose tonight he's definitely showed a different side. It's wlad that's sloppy here. Fury is composed. Roles reversed. As much as I'd like to see Fury get flattened I can't help but want the underdog to prove myself and so many others wrong.

---------- Post added at 22:53 ---------- Previous post was at 22:51 ----------

Wlad is beaten, he looks beaten. I can't stand Tyson but I'd never see a guy robbed and keep quiet. Debate the rounds away. Klitschko has never really been in this so far.

---------- Post added at 23:19 ---------- Previous post was at 22:53 ----------

He's not robbed. Well done, I don't like him as a person but as a boxer, that was absolutely spectacular. Well done, you've proven me and a half a country wrong tonight.

Fury beats Klitschko, 10 years in the making. Haye exposed Wlad's bollocks in a fight, Fury fell for none of this, the leaning was completely neutralized tonight. Well done Tyson. Someone finally took Wlad to the cleaners with his negative tactics.

Now he's singing, brilliant.

Haye vs Fury in the end, you could just see it coming couldn't you. I think Haye has the power to put anyone down, but Fury's skills tonight were on display and he deserves the respect overall.

You'll take the numbers tonight and think this was a retiring old man vs a bum, this wasn't. Fury didn't go out there just to box, he went out there to completely stop the tactics Wlad has employed for years. He did that perfectly tonight.

Well said David, I hope everyone stands up tonight and congratulates this man and tells it how it is, he proved the doubters wrong (Myself for one) He did it. That's that.

I've said this so many times about British boxers, they go 30/40-0 and go into big fights and get horribly exposed. Tyson Fury is 25-0 and World Champion having beaten the best.. take that in. The man that I can't stand has ultimately delivered my wish.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Well l don't like Fury's mouth but l have to give praise when its due and look a fool into the process although that's nothing new.:)

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

I don't think either of us look like fools, there isn't many that hadn't written him off. I combined his attitude and personality as a person with his boxing skills to create a character and I was wrong. He got everything right last night. He completely neutralized the Wlad leaning. I've said this in Haye's defence too, Wlad has been employing tactics for years to disguise his ailing speed and deteriorating boxing skills. That's where Fury deserves the most credit, he didn't just go in there to box, he went in there to expose what Klitschko had been doing for some years.

Without then going onto taking anything away from Fury, I'll echo Lennox Lewis' comments, it's brilliant for heavyweight boxing, Fury isn't a Klitschko and isn't one dimensional and boring, he can be beaten and the 10 years of the same Ukrainians is over.

I'd also like to point out, you hold a fight in Germany and justice prevails, I have no doubt saying those scorecards may have went in Klitschko's favour in Vegas. It's refreshing to see a completely correct set of cards for a change.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Heavy lies the crown.

Jose Aldo (C) vs. Conor McGregor (IC) For the UFC Featherweight Championship
Chris Weidman (C) vs. Luke Rockhold For the UFC Middleweight Championship

UFC:194 - December 12th 2015
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFC_194

Live on BT sports 2 (3am)
Prelims (1am)

Great Recap of McGregor's route to this megafight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91liSjahuNw

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Tyson is growing on me, he and his dad might be dicks but I admire the traits of loyalty and honour above all and they seem to have both in spades

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

This is what I've called for in boxing for a while now. Decent steps up in an opponents level. I want Joshua to win and I lean towards him to win but it's one of those that could end in tears. We'll see if Joshua has what it takes to make a step up from now on.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Yes it will be interesting to see if Joshua copes.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Anthony Joshua knocks out Dillian Whyte

Questions were asked, they were answered.

Should Joshua have been calling out David Haye? Just no, Haye would obliterate him. Joshua admitted he's far from ready for this.

Joshua coped, he coped well, he was caught for the first time and exposed, every fighter must get this over with as early as possible, he's took his shot, got hurt and moved on.

Can Joshua adapt to a fight? Yes.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Personally he still has to convince me.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Conor McGregor knocks out Jose Aldo in 13 seconds.

Fastest title finish in UFC history.

Unbelievable stuff.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Jose Aldo's corner 13 seconds into UFC 194's main event and the biggest main event in UFC History.

https://media.giphy.com/media/cbRNmXWkQWWty/giphy.gif

UFC was never expected to break a 9 million gate but broke 10.1 gone making it the highest MMA PPV in history as numbers continue to climb.

Fastest rising sport in the world.

Onto Joshua and my absence given the later bouts that night.

Joshua showed me everything I already knew and what british boxing fans are so keen to miss and just avoid completely. He isn't ready. He just isn't. He's not even remotely close to a World Title level fighter yet and he's consistently hyped up as the next Lewis.. that's damaging. He was half a second away from being knocked out in that fight. This is a fighter whom for months on end chased Fury and Haye.

I have no doubt in my mind at all, had he been facing Haye in there he was gone and out within that second round. Haye will utterly dismantle Anthony Joshua in a massively lopsided fight, so for the sake of British Boxing just leave this well alone. Joshua is quiet, Haye isn't it. Joshua should never have opened his mouth and Haye should be thinking about the future of the British Heavyweight division, not his own pocket.

Joshua is exciting but again he needs to keep taking it slow and stepping up. Anyone that tells him he's ready for bigger and better things is completely wrong and should be sacked on the spot. They're talking about Chisora next but I think that's too much of a gamble early on. I'd prefer a middle man between Whyte and then Chisora. Gradually increasing his way to the top level. No fighting bums for 30 fights and no jumping into the ring with the big boys at 15 fights.

Joshua is the best prospect since Lewis granted. It doesn't just come to you though, you need to work for it. Joshua adapted to that fight and coped well in the end. Either way he's nowhere near the top 10 heavyweights in the world.

Haye and Fury could be long gone before Joshua is that level.

Like I said though, Joshua knows and has openly admitted he's nowhere near Haye or Fury and it was a heat of the moment thing. Haye however is gunning for him big time. If Haye has any respect for his fans.. take note that we don't want it.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Joshua appears to have his head screwed on and knows he's not ready yet. I can't see why his management team wouldn't want to nurture this talent because if they go about it the right way he could be a huge money earner for them. Put him up against Haye and he'd lose badly and probably never recover. You're only unbeatable until your beaten after all...

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Because Boxing is as corrupt a sport as they come, they can't help seeing mega money now and failing to realise what could be earned and achieved overall.

Right now though the only person talking about Haye and Joshua is Haye himself, Joshua has now distanced himself from that. Chisora is a decent opponent but I think he's better left till after another challenge.

Camps and promoters have got it all wrong before. They've either sent them up too quick or held their golden boy back until he's horribly exposed in a way they never recover.

Examples

Amir Khan was so poorly mismanaged early on it nearly ruined his career. He survived and got himself into a far better management team and trainer in Roach until he needed to go up another level in which Roach couldn't deliver, specifically defensive work, it still didn't come under Roach and he was knocked out by Garcia and lost to Peterson. Looking now under Virgil you wouldn't think it was the same Amir Khan, so cool, quick and agile. He was the man to beat Mayweather and never got the chance. Khan is finally the complete article now.

Ricky Hatton. A prime example of holding back a potential Golden Boy and then letting him loose with real prizefighters. 30+ Fights against low ranked or middle ranking fighters only to dive straight into the top level against the already flawless Floyd, he was horribly exposed. He was then fed to Manny which was a pretty dire bit of booking by his team and thus ended his career.

David Price: Heavyweight contender whom fought bums for 15 fights and found himself knocked out by a seasoned veteran he had no right to be in the ring with. He was then knocked out again in a rematch thus bringing an abrupt stop to his career.

Kell Brook: Ricky Hatton waiting to happen, I plead it doesn't but everything stinks of Hatton all over again. Constant talk of wanting Khan when he doesn't deserve it in any way possible. He should be out there fighting Alexander, Maidana, Cotto right now to get right up there in Vegas Prize Fighting.

There's plenty of others but these are the recent modern examples.

The more this becomes a super money sport, the worse it gets.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

David Haye vs Mark De Mori will be broadcast Live at 9pm, Saturday on Dave.

A welcome return to FTA for British boxing. Short term only though as no doubt Haye will quickly rise into the IBF contender spot and find himself back on Sky Box office or BoxNation :mad:

I honestly don't mind a Sky Sports sub if they'd keep it one place. Box Office infuriates me and we need more deals for BoxNation

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

David Haye destroys Mark De Mori with a minute left of the first round

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Oh what a waste of time....

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Totally pointless, It's almost like Mark didn't actually know what he was getting into and actually got really hurt in the process. A Pub fighter vs a former two weight world champion, everything was set up for Haye to just cruise a knockout.

That being said, Haye actually looks bigger and he's kept the shape. He's literally ready for anyone, they'll make him climb the ranks but he doesn't need too, he's still the Haye that we've come to expect but weighs more overall.

Deontay Wilder's last three fights have been awful, his latest last night rendered his opponent unconscious but doesn't change the fact he was completely caught like a deer in the headlights once again when facing someone that can actually box back.

It ended with Tyson Fury charging the ring and mouthing off. Fury can beat Wilder with boxing alone, Haye has already put Wilder down in a sparring session :erm: Either one needs to put a lid on Deontay Wilder and make him actually fight someone we've heard of. Fury needs to get past Wlad again.

Haye unfortunately called out Joshua, something that's hopefully clear now on not happening ever. It's like giving up your prize cow to a butcher, Haye will flatten the kid and he'll achieve nothing as Joshua gets nothing but career setback.

Haye should actually just work his way up, shoot the top 10 down until they're forced to defend it against him. There's not a single fighter ahead of Haye at the minute that I believe could actually trouble him, dire division and all. The IBF ladder is there for an easy taking.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Tonight: 9pm

Anderson Silva vs Michael Bisping. BT Sports

http://www.bbc.co.uk/events/edhmbp/live/chq2fx

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Nice to have a bit of boxing which is not PPV for once.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Michael Bisping beats Anderson Silva in 5 round war.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

UFC 196: McGregor vs Diaz Live @ 3am

Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
Main card (PPV):
Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz
Holly Holm vs. Miesha Tate
Gian Villante vs. Ilir Latifi
Corey Anderson vs. Tom Lawlor
Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

So the roid freak that beat Ronda lost in her first defence. You know what they say about karma. It's a b.......

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Why do you call her a roid freak?

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Never been proven to be a roid head, she's a beast though, former boxer and kickboxer and not just some bum either, one of the best P4P boxers in the world.

Rousey got as exposed as you could be in a fight, nothing resembling a defence or a guard and absolutely no plan B when your gameplan fails to work and thus she was truly annihilated by Holly Holm, it was brutal. She started believing her own hype and got overly aggressive and was quickly counter punched into oblivion.

Holm on the other hand is a former World Champion boxer so naturally her ground game is going to be pretty shabby, something Tate jumped on.

Tate can be got at easily standing up but doesn't have better ground skills than Rousey.

Thus you have a triangle. Holm > Rousey > Tate > Holm.

Then you have maybe's, I think Holm beats Tate stood up, she beat Rousey the same way. I think they both beat her on the ground as we've already seen Tate do. Tate gets matched on the ground and beaten stood up against Rousey as already seen.

It's not a bad position to be in but the division is new and naturally it's massively unserstocked with Talent, it's just people believed Rousey was far better than she actually was. It was bound to happen.

McGregor completely threw away his fight with Diaz too, so much talk and hype for him to start obliterating Diaz then for no apparent reason drop his guard and literally asks Diaz to punch him, only to end up on his back and quickly subdued in a submission win for Diaz. Massive screams of Amir Khan way back, another fighter full of hype that dropped his gameplan and got humbled. (See Danny Garcia fight)

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

I've heard holly holm on steroid stories but there is nothing to substantiate the stories other than a supplement she takes was once found to have a band substance in it, name a supplement that isn't true of though at one time or other. Think it's got more to do with sour grapes on many of rouseys supporters part than anything else, a hell of a lot of people lost a lot of cash because of that defeat

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

With McGregor and Rousey, a lot of people are newcomers to the sport and this also applies to boxing. When you've been watching for years now, you just know if someone is having it easy and will eventually get a tough match or even be exposed. Rousey brought in a lot of new fans whom didn't quite grasp the fact she was the leader of a new and naturally poor quality division (It'll be years before there's completely solid fighters in that division)

Before Holm, Rousey had never really taken combos, never really had to defend against power punches and very rarely found herself countered. She made a horrible mistake of trying to trade with a boxer and was quickly exposed as having a horrible defence and the inability to switch it up and recover. Long story short, she's really not as good as made out to be.

McGregor on the other hand is exactly what he says he is, this guy can bang. His problem is what I dub Amir Khan syndrome, he gets such a lead he starts being an absolute arrogant @ and for whatever reason just completely dropped his hands and starting edging his face towards Diaz asking him to punch him and quickly ends up tapped. Anderson Silva, Amir Khan. If you take the eye of the ball to showboat then you deserve everything that comes back. He can have no complaints about it. Defeat will only make him better and more ruthless next time out. People can laugh and act like he got a tough fight but in reality, McGregor beat McGregor. A quick humbling is what he needs, he'll only get more dangerous now. You don't just fade away after one defeat, this is the same guy that ruined 10 years of Aldo with a single counter punch.

Lastly, speaking of substances, if Cyborg cuts to 135 then that entire division is in for a rude awakening.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Bit inactive but I guess I'll get it up to date.

Anthony Joshua - Someone made the absolutely horrendous move of landing him a Title fight against Charles Martin on April 9th. I actually believe he can stop Martin, but again he could indeed lose this fight and be left ruined. Martin is hardly world class. This isn't a step up in fairness, this is far too quick and should he beat Martin and become the World Champion I think they need to reflect on the can of worms they've just opened. There'd be a 16-0 Heavyweight with no credible opponents waiting at the top of a chain of mandatory challengers that include David Haye, Deontay Wilder and so forth. There is no good ending to this. Anthony Joshua will be floored by both Haye and Wilder inside 5 rounds.

Anthony Joshua is nowhere near ready for the power and speed of Wilder and Haye. If Dillian Whyte is rocking his chin then you can rest assured Wilder or Haye will take it clean off his face. Eddie Hearn is a mad man.


Haye has a fight penned in for May, Shannon Briggs keeps making claims Haye keeps knocking him back and if true I can't really blame him, Briggs needs to be gone. Haye is too quick and far too powerful to be fighting a 44 year old man. See the Vitali Klitschko fight against Briggs, it was atrocious it was allowed to go the distance. Briggs shouldn't be anywhere near a boxing ring after that never mind someone even quicker who will land twice as many punches. Great heart but needs to really hang it up. Haye will go the route of mandatory challenger for the IBF title and thus forcing Joshua into vacating or fighting. This is what I mean by stupidity on the Joshua Camp.

Fury still has that rematch with Klitschko penned in at some point, no doubt we'll see postponements and what not. I'm expecting Groves vs Froch II, Fury will come in with the same plan against a man that's studied him relentlessly and then be neutralized. If Fury comes in with something completely different, he'll catch Wlad once again off guard and expose him.

Amir Khan opted for Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and is jumping weight. Great move and hopefully he can settle in or return back to WW. It's also a shining example of why Kell Brook seriously needs to do a lot more before calling out the likes of Khan and Mayweather. The opponent difference is hilarious.

Canelo or Kevin Bizier, not that Kevin Bizier is fighting Brook in the next fight and has 25 wins against unknown fighters with 2 losses coming to none other than Jo Jo Dann. Quite incredible. Brook can lap up the British hype all he wants and lay claim to things that he has no business claiming but the reality is any true boxing fan knows he's currently not worth anything to the boxing world unless he starts putting on actual PPV fights and not scraps with Taxi drivers he found in Canada.

With that in mind.

Expected results and future fights.

Joshua wins a sketchy fight or gets knocked out himself - This one worries me. I hope he does win but there can be nothing great to come of it for the immediate future, I can't see him getting away with ducking Wilder, Haye, Fury or even Klitschko for very long and that's troublesome this early in his career. He has everything needed to be Lewis II but dear lord have some patience. I'm all for moving up in opponents given the status of some of our boxers but hold off throwing him into a shark tank!

Haye wins vs unknown. He'll not be fighting anyone that great, it'll be a knockout early on and another step towards Joshua/Wilder. If it's Briggs then it shows you how deluded these fights can get.

Brook wins vs Bizier, this is daft. just daft, another shining example of sitting in your backyard calling out prime fighters who have no interest in you and then taking on someone 20 levels below you instead. He has no intention of working his way to Khan, Canelo or anyone else on top of the WW food chain. A typical bum fighter. Anyway he'll win, he doesn't have a choice either, if he lost to someone like Bizier, his career would be in tatters.

Amir Khan vs Canelo (Either way) Could Canelo trouble Khan with power? I'm unsure, can he even land a clean punch? that's probably the better question. could go either way but I doubt Canelo is taking Khan on points. If Canelo can't land then Khan schools him for 12 rounds.

Fury vs Wlad, honestly have no idea which way this goes, said above it's completely dependent on game plans and cited Groves vs Froch II of a shining example of trying to repeat the same plan a second time round.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Lucas Browne fails drugs test weeks after declining fight with David Haye. With Haye penned in for may and what I assume will now be a Vacant WBA belt, we could have 3 british champions by June.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Kell Brook beats Kevin Bizier with ease.. what a joke, this is getting ridiculous now.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Anthony Joshua vs Charles Martin (c) for the IBF Heavyweight title. Live on Sky box office tonight (Expected Joshua @22:45)

UFC Fight night 86: Big Ben Rothwell vs Junior Dos Santos - April 10th

The nation hopes for a Joshua win in a fight that could go either way. It was a silly fight to make and even though I give Joshua the edge, this is too soon, He's got Haye banging on the door now, He's got Wilder wanting to unify. Are we going to witness the birth of the new ducker? Is he going to avoid these massive fighters and take on mandatory challengers? I hope he knows Haye is pretty close to mandatory for the IBF title. Joshua can not and will not beat Haye or Wilder at this stage in his career. Dillian Whyte was a step up, another small step would've covered it well and so forth but he's been thrown into a shark tank here, the one decent punch he's taken had him reeling on the ropes. Martin can throw bangers but again if he survives that, Haye and Wilder throw punches that are out of this world and Joshua can be got at easily. This is a boxer falling foul to the living up to someone else's reputation mantra. Forget about Lennox Lewis and make a good career of yourself. Tell Eddie Hearn where to shove it.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

If Joshua gets hit on his glass chin he will go down quite quickly in my opinion.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

From what I've seen Joshua appears to be an exceptionally well grounded and thoughtful individual with a lot of talent but I do think he's being steered too far too fast and that could be catastrophic. That having been said, the quality and depth of talent within the heavyweight division doesn't compare with was it was at its height so there's probably never been a better time to be 'fast-tracked' in this way. If he has been 'pushed' into this think his advisors may have made a big mistake, gambling that he'll make it through, rise to the challenge, feed their egos and generate them more millions. I really do hope it works out for him but something in me says it'd be better for him, in the long term, to lose this fight on points and learn from the experience before taking on another world title shot. He's a very gifted young man and if handled properly could be a great champion as opposed to someone whose career was cut short to suit people who probably aren't all that interested in his long term prospects.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

I backed a fight with Chisora, I felt even though Chisora offers nothing special, he would've had the most reputable chin out of everyone in Joshua's record. I don't really think that much of Charles Martin, He's never really fought anyone worth mentioning. Just hoping there isn't something more about Charles Martin :erm:

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

What about a nice stamina testing fight chasing Audley Harrison around the ring? :D

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Just heard that Conor Benn has won his first pro fight with a one round stoppage. Could Benn Jnr v. Eubank Jnr be on at some future point? Their fights in the days of Watson, Collins and McLellan were awesome.

Great picture of Benn senior and jnr in the ring after the fight here timed at 22.26:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/boxing/35721830

---------- Post added at 23:21 ---------- Previous post was at 22:22 ----------

Joshua wins in round 2 after 2 knock downs. We have a new world heavyweight champion folks. :clap:

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Brilliant stuff but it had to go longer, he's literally taken nothing away from that fight. It's another early stoppage and big questions are still going to exist. He has the power but does he have a chin? does he have the 12 round stamina? Thankfully Charles Martin had absolutely nothing about him. Looked beaten from the first bell.

Massive ceiling, don't waste it on early fights with Haye or Wilder, he doesn't need those fights. I'm sick of seeing tragedy with upcoming British prospects, neither of them are worth the risk. He's going to be around a lot longer after they're gone. Get him a 12 round bash about otherwise that chin will crumble when someone hits it.

So, staying away from big punchers, Fury is my logical choice. I think that could be a knockout win for AJ or a points win for Fury.. He could drag AJ out into uncharted waters. I do think he could knockout anyone including Haye and Wilder but he just could not take the onslaught those fighters would throw back just now. Whyte rocked him and he went through this barely taking a shot again. What happens if Haye or Wilder land right hands? a relatively untested shaky chin can just fall away. Haye and Wilder are two fighters that can knock anyone out if they land. Haye is a bit more dangerous because he's a lot more quicker. Wilder is a terrible boxer, he truly is dire and I think he'll get his at some point but he's a knockout pony, he has that one punch ending in him.

So for me, Fury if they're hell bent on pushing the big money fights. Stay away from Haye, he'll be long gone by the time Joshua can comfortably bang with him. Wilder though, a few more fights away? desperately needs a good slugging bout in him though.

Either way, forget about Lennox Lewis, this guy can be better.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Lennox Lewis would make him look rather slow and one dimensional in my opinion as Lewis fought top class fighters rather then hand picked easy has beens and bums.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Not sure Lewis was taking on too many top class fighters at the start of his pro career to be fair. A lot of the bigger names he fought were well past their primes at the time. That having been said Joshua has become world champion rather too easily and quickly IMHO. He needs to slug out a couple of tough wins against durable and experienced opponents which is what many of the best champions had to do on their way to the top.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Well he was the last undisputed champion of the heavyweight division which in my opinion has now has become a free for all where everybody tries to avoid each other and where they look more like bodybuilders rather then the supremely skilled boxers of yonder.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

I don't disagree with much of that however the various governing bodies were set up many years ago so there was clearly a desire by some to dilute the quality of each title belt even then.

Frank Bruno was not very different from Joshua really - he had 21 wins by KO before his first defeat but had 30 fights before his first heavyweight shot. Unless something changes quite quickly I can't see Joshua having to face fighters of the quality Bruno met during the latter part of his career.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

This is very sad news:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-36027590

Given what's happened recently regarding Nick Blackwell I can't help thinking the world of MMA will need to look at their sport. I love MMA but I do feel that fights are often allowed to go on far too long when one fighter is clearly not defending himself effectively and some of the punishment to the head allowed is excessive IMHO.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

That's horrible for all involved. Poor bloke. There's no winner anymore as you know his opponent is beat up too about it. I agree with the ref opinions you have Osem. It's just hard to find the balance. Some are way too early and others are way too late. There's no real compromise to be had. For example a boxing style count would rectify it but nullify the ground game of MMA. It's a non recovery sport with only clean knockouts and stoppages. Like I've said though I've seen both sides of it. I've seen a guy get dropped and defend himself properly. Then I've seen a guy with a face beyond recognition completely out on his feet taking an absolute battering. I've got a clip somewhere of a fighter stopping it himself because the referee was oblivious to guy literally being asleep.

I then saw an absolute shocker of a fight in Bellator involving Kimbo Slice and another wannabe. Both gassed in round 1 and it proceeded into the following round with both fighters hanging onto each other just to stand. It took the ref to see the bloke literally collapse into a heap to call it off. Should've pulled both fighters out of what was clearly a parcel of excrement. So there is a case of more ref training needed in more than one area. With regards to stoppages though there's just no winning. It's the risk you take when you step into the octagon. But again many changes were made over a period of years to rectify some pretty brutal stuff. Kicks to the head whilst grounded used to be legal :| 28 years old is no age though. Stuff of nightmares. Akin to rabbit punches, I wouldn't disagree with clean undefended hammer fist punches being taken away though. When undefended they just look barbaric and pretty sick.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Yes l quite agree as some fights are going on far longer then they should and the big one that springs to mind quite a few years ago that should have stopped rounds before was when Nigel Benn fought Gerald McClellan and l don't think things have been tightened up that much since in my opinion.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

In boxing. Bum fighting does this kinda stuff no favours. Look at Haye in his comeback. Your cat knew he'd take his head off. Some aussie taxi driver weekend boxer. He had no idea what kind of power was gonna hit that chin. He left the arena on oxygen. Letting massive hitters like Haye and Wilder fight unknown lads that have never seen a clean punch is a recipe for disaster in my opinion.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Massive news reporting Conor McGregor has retired. Unaware if trolling but this could leave UFC in a hole in what what would be the loss of the biggest draw in MMA history.

This will send shock waves through Dana's living room and pocket.

---------- Post added at 01:21 ---------- Previous post was at 01:19 ----------

UFC 200 in tatters after McGregor fight pulled. McGregor has refused to attend press conferences amid retirement speculation.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

they have reported today that if he doesn't confirm whether he has retired they will strip him of his belt.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Saturday 7th May
Amir Khan vs Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez (C)
For the WBC Middleweight championship

Expected start time 2am, UK coverage: BoxNation

Canelo expected to step in at 170lbs on the night with a significant weight advantage on Khan upon his first bout at Middleweight, thus making Canelo the strong favourite.

The fight is an unknown entity. If Khan carries his speed and ducks punches then he can comfortably dispatch Canelo with ease. If Khan can't get it right then he can be put down. Very interesting fight this and could elevate Khan to being 'the guy' around the 145-160 weight. A win for Khan would only solidify the belief that Mayweather wanted absolutely nothing to do with a guy that has talent to burn. A loss for Khan wouldn't be devastating at this weight but there's still an emptying Welter division to be concerned about.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Boxing could be on the verge of absolute meltdown if speculation is to be believed and Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather sign a fight deal which would eclipse all financial records in boxing history.

Absolute madness this but I'd give anything to see it happen. Has to be crap though, there's no way Mayweather would risk that 0 for someone as brutal at standup fighting as McGregor, one clean shot could send Mayweather reeling.

Anyway, 25 hours away from Khan's return.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Frankly sometimes boxing makes itself look so stupid...

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Miracle in Vegas or business as usual. Either way it's time.

---------- Post added at 04:50 ---------- Previous post was at 04:01 ----------

Career over as Khan is downed by Canelo. There's no coming back from this. Why anyone would take a fight like that in the first place is anyone's guess.

Bad decisions, awful defensive training and awful tactics. A career of bad choices after bad choices. So much potential thrown away by arrogance. In an almost mirror image of Danny Garcia with Khan leading the way only to crumble after the tiniest of set backs in a single round. When I first saw this fight announced I had made the assumption it'd be around 145 but to see Khan jump up to fight someone coming in nearer 170 is questionable.

A glass chin didn't lose this fight but I know something that did. Arrogance and false hype. Khan's too busy playing the playboy lifestyle to be a boxer, it's one or the other mate and I think boxing just left him. A year of sitting around doing nothing before announcing a double weight jump? Be serious mate. So much talent draining away in someone all too happy to enjoy the lifestyle perks instead. Floyd mayweather despite being stupidly rich does not let up training yet Amir thinks he has a free pass. Disappointed isn't a strong enough word.

British boxing has once again fell victim to someone that just couldn't be arsed and the evidence was on show for all. The British media have it lopsided claiming without that punch Khan was still getting to Alvarez which is completely wrong as the bias shows, Khan crumbled in the 5th round after taking a few shots and completely throwing whatever game plan he had out of the window and this just continued into the 6th standing around like a tool. Virgil got it completely wrong despite his reputation with this fight. Still what Amir Khan was ever doing at Middleweight is enough to poke at alone. I was wrong to say a loss wouldn't be devastating but now I'm piecing the bigger picture together regarding Khan's lifestyle and it's clear that it's career endgame.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Sadly he never learnt and if boxers don't learn then they go nowhere in the end...

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Khan boxing on the back foot, slower naturally because of an absurd jump in two weights. The media are right, there's no shame but at the same time there's still gaping holes all over this. I get Amir wants to be Mr charity, lavish lifestyle etc. There's a point though where you're either that or a boxer not both. Virgil hunter has a lot to answer for, the gamechanger wasn't the knockdown but rather the 5th round in which Virgil never gave any sort of usable advice. If Canelo is closing that distance and getting in then you quickly need to change it again to keep the guy and his corner guessing, Hunter should be on that in an instant. In Hunter's defence I guess that's hard to employ when you've never seen your boxer for the best part of a year.

Once again though, you didn't see Floyd jump two weights to play silly against Canelo, this was suicide at best. The coming months are crucial for Khan. Does he actually make an attempt to be a boxer or does he have another massive layoff and get himself into a fight he really isn't prepared for.

Golovkin might finally get his chance to take out Canelo though and unify the division. GGG is a phenom, this guy will take out anyone in his path so the thought of Canelo vs GGG is a tasty one.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Freddie Roach approached by Conor McGregor amid speculation he's set to sign a fight deal with Floyd Mayweather.

Still refuse to believe Mayweather would take this. Mayweather could outbox him all night but that isn't the point here, McGregor has a steel chin and Mayweather's power is already minimal with the fact nothing Floyd throws is going to phase him in the slightest. McGregor would look to cut his head off from the get go. He's got the 25 minute cardio and is an absolutely deadly finisher. His boxing is no joke either, he carries above average accuracy and devastating power.

Just isn't happening, I could see McGregor getting DQ'd if Floyd stuck to the ropes the entire fight via McGregor taking him down and pounding him. This is a dangerous fight for boxing nevermind Floyd. Let's just stick to your own sports lads :dunce:

If Floyd would take on McGregor then he'd take on a dropped weight Golovkin, which isn't happening either.

Floyd vs Khan or nothing. If you can't put Khan on the floor you can't beat him to be fair. that's why people want the fight, they want to see Floyd really challenged in boxing, not a scrap. Points vs Points, Mayweather vs Khan.

Carl Froch jumped out saying there was nothing left, that's annoyed me knowing Gennady Golovkin is sitting around as is Andre Ward just above him, some weight jumps here and there would've got the fights off the ground but given the Groves 1 fight it's clear Froch wants nothing to do with either.

Haye is on a path of knocking gob*****'s out, Shannon Briggs is on a suicide mission to headhunt him, I assure Shannon that Haye will find his chin quicker than he thinks, at 44 years old, you're pushing your luck, Lennox Lewis pounded this guy into oblivion at sluggers pace, Haye is no slugger and throws absolute bombs, Briggs is way out of his depth. Getting in the ring with some faster, harder hitting with decent accuracy is asking to be flattened. This leaves Joshua with a clear summer for a title defence against a lower rank.

So onto Joshua and I think we're all still a bit iffy about where they're taking him. We all agree it's better to take steps up than be a Kell Brook your entire career, but an IBF title this early on with the likes of Wilder, Haye and Fury gobbing about unifying is dangerous for Joshua, he's going to be a mile above Lennox Lewis by the end of his career but not if they ruin it early with big money fights against way more experienced hard hitters. Joshua needs to take some more on the chin and get used to taking that odd big shot because at present there's simply no way he takes a right hand from Wilder and Haye and then continues to fight, they'd both sink him for a 10. By the time Joshua is ready for this lot, they should be gone and have cleared the way for the Joshua dominance era.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Just been watching the Overeem and Big Foot Silva fights from a couple of weeks ago.and it seems to me that since the last MMA fatality the referees are intervening a tad quicker than before. It's not a bad thing IMHO, I've seen some shocking examples of fighters being badly beaten when clearly unable to defend themselves.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

It's usually dependant on the ref but I think the recent death has shaken things up a bit. I doubt anyone wants to feel partly responsible. It's a no win situation. We've seen fights stopped absurdly early and then ones where the guys taken a bulldozer over his face. There's no middle ground without introducing a standing count which can't be done without removing ground offence. I've gone off it a bit since the McGregor fallout. It's getting a bit daft now, a major reason UFC built it's way to where it is was because it pushed top fighters against equals and didn't allow cherry picking. Now however it's ridiculous to see the cancellation of each headline event months or weeks beforehand with fighters pulling out at any point. It's becoming more frequent and annoying and Dana needs to sort it out. In fact I stand by Dana White needing to go. From McGregor to the Reebok deal to previously denying fighters opportunities in favour of a money match. (Sonnen vs Silva) the bloke has sold out.

Haye up at the weekend for his mandatory knock out win.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Shannon Briggs is absolutely awful. Gave him a dire fighter and he walked through with visibly awful boxing skills. This guy is so far past it, Haye will bury this bloke.

---------- Post added at 22:13 ---------- Previous post was at 21:30 ----------

Haye sending Shockwave's. Joshua wants none of this at this stage. Briggs needs to take note. Wilder can help himself to some. David Haye is massive and in full flow. He's being made to work his way back up but nothing has gone. The power and speed is still on show. Do British boxing justice and keep Joshua away from fights like this right now. Let Haye go after Wilder.

---------- Post added at 22:29 ---------- Previous post was at 22:13 ----------

Haye calls out Briggs for September, Joshua for next year and Wilder after.

Says if he lands a bomb on any of those three they'll crumble, i doubt anyone will argue with that either. Hell bent in this British show down though and I still don't think Joshua will be ready then either. Joshua vs Fury, Haye vs Wilder please. Joshua needs to be hit on the chin a few times. You can't just jump into a ring with a guy that throws nuclear right hands without taking a decent shot. Again Whyte rocked him which is a sign there's a lot of work to be done. Give Joshua someone that can withstand a few rounds again, get him a slugfest but a year isn't enough fights to ready yourself for the Hayemaker. Anybody Haye hits they crumble which includes Wlad, who felt everyone of Hayes right hands and quickly grabbed hold.

My view, Haye is lazing around, he'll bury Fury, Wilder and Joshua and given a second chance he'll knock Klitschko out too.

I feel for Joshua. In one reality he can be Lewis v2 and in another you're setting up for Amir Khan style career of jumping classes way too early and facing opponent's in a whole different world. In my world as above I think Joshua could trouble Fury and I'd go for Haye and Wilder

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Floyd Mayweather posts promo poster amid fight deal with Conor McGregor.

Just silly now. Is Floyd expecting this bloke to turn up looking for a 12 round boxing match? McGregor will go looking for an absolute scrap. Floyd won't trouble his chin and Conor is definitely not looking for a points win. This is far more dangerous to Floyd than it is to conor. McGregor throws bombs and that's exactly what he'll do.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

The UK have their underdog as Michael Bisping pulls off one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. Bisping knocked out Luke Rockhold in 2 minutes to become the UK's first ever UFC champion after taking the fight on 2 weeks notice and being written off by bookies.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Anthony Joshua up tonight. Box office is back however. For a squash fight I feel robbed...again. I don't mind shilling out for a big name fight but this shouldn't even be on PPV. They did this with all of Khans journeyman fights when he was just a up and comer.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Personally l think its a utter disgrace that for those who pay out for Sky Sports are then being asked to pay out for PPV boxing fights if they want to watch it.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Eubank Jr calls out Golovkin.... Is he mad? I can't see the kid lasting 30 seconds. There's a reason Froch was all too happy to retire. The current pound for pound king. The chin of wolverine and punches as if he was slamming bricks at your face. The guy is a boxing monster. Eubank is full of it. He's never setting this up.

---------- Post added 26-06-2016 at 00:08 ---------- Previous post was 25-06-2016 at 22:14 ----------

Dire. That's probably the best I could give that fight. He fought a broomstick basically. I've only learned negatives from Joshua. The first is he just stands and throws a lot which will leave you standing in the path of a Fury, Hate or Wilder counter. The media have the audacity to call it a masterclass. It wasn't even a contest. The guy was nothing more than a typical bum fighter with a gob that then stood still for 6 and a half rounds with absolutely no defensive skills to show. People had to pay 17 quid to watch a warm up bout. Khan vs Alexander, Pacman vs Bradley III, Ward vs Froch, those were masterclass performances. Stop throwing daft words about at this stage.

The second negative is the power. Why would you rate someone's power so early in his career? Khan, Mayweather and pretty much every boxer starts their career knocking out nobodies in their home town. This is what Joshua is doing like everyone else. I thought he was a one punch wonder but after tonight its clear there's still questions to be answered. Said it before. Chisora is a go to for a good test of where your power is at and for a scrappy fight.

Right now though I'd say Haye, Fury and Wilder could all take AJ out.

I want this lad to be the best in the world but you have to step up opponents. I dubbed it the Hatton effect and you're seeing it now with Kell Brook. The welterweight that avoids anyone with half a reputation. When Brook does finally make that step he will be venturing into unknown waters after 30+ fights, which is ridiculous. We've seen what happens too. Hattin went from his backyard to Floyd and got taught a lesson. Then he was sharply brutalised by the legend Manny. When I look back at both I concede I couldn't see Hatton beating many prizefighters, the guy had no chin because he'd never been tested.

Joshua has only taken one big shot and it sent him reeling. Whens the next one coming? Does he have a chin?

He's getting the Box office attention and Media attention just like a certain Amir Khan did. Give Eddie Hearn a slap, get an American promoter and get this lad some quality opposition and build the next Lewis.

In ring experience is invaluable, but fighting Audley Harrison's won't teach you anything. Take some steady risks and test that chin. Lewis, Ali, Tyson, Klitschko all had something in common. They all lost. In heavyweight boxing a loss doesn't mean that much. The undefeated hype is exactly that, hype.

Peter Fury (Tyson's trainer) Keep Joshua well away from David Haye.

They know it, we know it. Joshua is too motionless at times, and he's just been took to the 6th round with an unknown fighter. Its the same result still, Haye will bury Joshua and the future of British boxing. No reason for a 17-0 to be fighting a known knockout artist. As of typing. David Haye is already the world number three via IBF... If Joshua goes down the mandatory route. He has a New Zealander. Meaning Haye beating Briggs makes him mandatory for Joshua.

"Wilder waited 30 fights" -Joshua

I hope thats a feet planted on the ground moment and him being respectable enough to know he's far from elite just yet. He'd be ready for the dreadful punches of Wilder eventually though. Haye and Fury are too unpredictable. I don't think you're ever truly ready for those fights, same with Klitschko, just how it goes on the night.

Overall I'd rather see 3 British champions for a while. Get Joshua a build up then let them scrap. Let Haye chase Fury instead and leave the future talent alone.

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Sadly like some other boxers its all talk the talk but alas that's where it ends because as soon as they fight someone with any substance then they get exposed for the frauds they are.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Briggs and Haye could be off as Bellew and Haye in talks to fight.

Haye will want it at Heavy rather than Cruiser. Bare in mind a win for Haye will make him Joshua's mandatory. So expect a relinquish from Joshua after his next fight or expect Britain's new golden boy to face a real puncher and as many have it. Find himself face down.

Bellew is insanse. His career was back on track and he's stuck his nose in with a former Unified undisputed Cruiserweight champion of the world whom knocked out every single cruiserweight challenge bar one. Haye didn't leave on a bad note either. He merely jumped weight and became Heavyweight champion. Conclusion is simple, Bellew is absolutely insane. There's no outcome where I can honestly see Bellew still being standing after the 5th round.

Again, Haye won't be cutting now he's finally got a heavyweight look held down.

As for Joshua, there's no way to properly prepare for Haye now so relinquish after the next fight or face a bloke that pundits simply don't have you standing much of a chance against. Isn't just Haye either. Many are now writing Joshua as a body builder with a bit of power rather than a boxer. Can't disagree until we actually see him show a bit of chin and get into a proper scrap. I want this lad to be everything Amir Khan was meant to be but without those ridiculously bad choices along the way. Drop Eddie hearn asap, get to the US and get a big time trainer before you're mixing with the lads that had what you had but failed. Khan, Hatton, likely Brook if he keeps it up.

Bit harsh on Khan given he jumped two weights. But that's exactly what I alluded to when I said bad choices. Khan vs Mayweather still needs to happen. Khan is near unbeatable on points. Couldn't carry any power against Canelo but damn he caught him as you'd expect and honestly, Khan threw punches I never knew he had and I doubt many Welters would take. He'll lose that new found power though and his naturally division is rapidly emptying. Go for Brook. It's boring hype now, Brook hasn't fought anyone in the same league as Khan, Khan wins and Brook is buried. Brook wins and he's finally had a named fighter and can move into the big league.

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UFC 200 card falls apart again.. Jones out amid doping allegations. Anderson Silva jumps to LHW despite being floored twice by New Middleweight champion and fellow veteran, Britain's own Michael Bisping.

Silva has shown he's done with the sport, he's really falling from a mountain and should leave with his name intact.

What started as a huge card has been chopped and cut with stand ins at a weeks notice or less. The same issue that's been plaguing the UFC for a year now. Quickly losing interest in 3 months of hype only to cut the cards at the last minute.

The interesting battle between Lesnar and Hunt has now became the centrepiece.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Not sure if I'll tape the main card or stay up to watch, but I want Lesnar to destroy Hunt. Shame he won't be able to those suplexes in UFC with no fight back.

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Well that was horrific. Lesnar goes dull and grounds Hunt but fair play for exposing a stand up merchant. Leave it at that though. Seen nothing to suggest he can beat the top boys but they can set up publicity bouts. Roy Nelson would be a fun fight. Bar this, the rest of the card was horrific.

Kell Brook is fighting Golovkin though. That's hilarious. Floored in Vegas I think it was I said.. Floored in London

Absolute insanity to take this as your first major fight and Eubank Jr is just as much daft. Take a leaf from Khan on this one. You'll carry your speed and grab the early rounds but he will catch you and you'll feel it. Eddie Hearn once again though, took the money.

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The ever skillful :rolleyes: Deontay Wilder and his windmill punching is on at 1am on Sky sports 3, likely time about 4am of course so doubtful any casual boxing fans will bother to watch his mandatory bum fight after Povetkin pulled out and naturally you can't blame them. Heavyweight title boxing as dull as ever.

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Has now emerged Brock Lesnar failed a doping test BEFORE UFC 200. Dana White and Lesnar dragging the UFC to new lows because 'money'

Doesn't even matter what substance it was, you call it off. Simple. Demands for Lesnar to forfeit his purse to Mark Hunt and for the decision to be overturned to No Contest after Hunt complained. Admitted his ground game is awful but he needs no guard against Lesnar because his punches are like pillows. Chael Sonnen has also hit out at Lesnar as well as Roy Nelson.

Bare in mind Jon Jones was pulled from the card for a similar reason.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Normally hate drugs cheats, but he is just sore because Brock beat him and he's a whiner. Let him keep the purse, keep the decision and everyone butt out.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

If its a clear failure it would cripple the UFC to not support a no contest. Something which is actually out of their hands anyway and will be overturned by the state athletic commission. Much like boxing, promotions don't and can't control decisions. There's so many problems that can arise from this. Naturally Leanar having to forfeit some of the purse on the basis of cheating. The defence by Dana White given numerous fighter suspensions for the same thing.

People can't just butt out though. Dana White.. Who is becoming increasingly shady consistently backed both Jones and Lesnar as clean fighters. Both of whom have failed tests in the past month. For hunt this is the second occasion he's faced a potential doper. In reality the pay off would allow him to quit. He isn't going anywhere. He's a mid rank guy like Lesnar whom also got flattened by those at the top. Notably Junior Dos Santos and Werdum. Lesnars being Overeem and Velasquez.

Plenty of fights to be had at that level though. Struve, Overroid rematch? Rothwell. All comes down to the substance and a potential 2 year ban.

Away from Lesnar though. Its becoming increasingly frustrating now this crap. Jon Jones particularly blowing main events. Can't think of a reason he'd need to cheat but there you go. In all it benefits no one now. If Dana White allows this to just continue (More the likes of Jones) then UFC has peaked and is freefalling. If Lesnar is guilty then they lose a lot of hype in a lopsided division. Lesnar is a draw. Fights like Struve vs Lesnar are entertainment guaranteed.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

Michael Venom Page put on a good display at the Bellator London event over the weekend. That guy is seriously talented and seems able to beat his opponents in any number of ways - this time it was a kick to the liver which did the initial damage and a stunning knee to the forehead, timed to perfection towards the end of a tough 2 rounds. Having said that, he left his opponent Cyborg Santos with a smashed skull and facing major surgery. Given recent events, I'm wondering if MMA will have to bite the bullet and ban some of these potentially lethal strikes. :shrug:

Anyway, it's early days yet but Page looks like the real deal with his highly unorthodox style.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2zsI2xEx8s

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Lesnar failed second drugs test in the 12 hour fight window.

Not looking great for UFC as a whole. Now Lesnar has refused to reveal the substance which naturally leads to many passing down a guilty verdict. However one suspects after it was revealed earlier that Jon Jones tested for Clomid, its entirely possible Lesnar has too and there's a bigger picture.

Take in the facts here, Jon Jones is gone well over a year, Lesnar even more. Jones was rusty in his return and looked way off the ball. Lesnar left the UFC in a poor state. He hasn't got the greatest of chins and has a semi trained stand up game when compared to his all out natural wrestling and ground game.

So two massive draws that are essentially out of UFC shape just happen to fail tests for UFC 200, Jones for clomids. Lesnar probably too.

Clomids are used at the end of a steroid cycle.

The point being is something stinks and its too easy to suggest both did it without the UFC knowing. Wild accusation but something's amiss here.

Would make an absolute embarrassment of WWE's wellness policy though.

Update: Sources leaking that Lesnar did test positive for clomids.

Pretty devastating now because UFC is looking at a loss of both fighters for at least 2 years. Was embarrasing watching Lesnar against the big boys but man he crapped all over Mir's chin and I'd love to see him dismantle stickman struve. Big nog would be epic too. Should do away with divisions to have him break Paul Brooks chin.

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Amir Khan begins MMA training ahead if apparent switch. What a waste. Its hard not to give up on this guy, the amount he's thrown away to holiday all year and take fights two weights above him for pocket money.

Thus the end of Amir Khan. Not the greatest defence, but near unbeatable in a 12 round distance. Never did get the interesting style battle of Khan vs Mayweather but who cares. Let Khan pee it away on his various adventures.

With gob***** 'king of knocking out taxi drivers' Brook jumping weights to fight Golovkin which in all likelihood will end up with Brook being stretchered out. It seems British Welterweight boxing is dead for the moment.

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Quick updates.

- Amir Khan is still Amir Khan. His career is solely around money now and his love for boxing is as good as dead. Expect more ridiculous stunts.

Kell Brook vs Golovkin is still on. Wouldn't be shocked to see Brook pull out at some point. I still see this as an absolute nosedive. I see Brook showing great speed and schooling Golovkin for half a fight before Golovkin absolutely smashes him into a million pieces. Golovkin has the wolverine of chins and hands of steel. Carl Froch but faster, more powerful and never been on the floor. Dangerous guy.

Anthony Joshua is lounging about before expectedly taking on a mandatory amateur and again learning nothing and proving nothing. He really should be lining up Chisora or similar to really get a good slug fight going and really show us where he's actually at in the ladder.

Fury vs Klitschko is still on of course with a new date. Fury has to change up his plan and keep a step ahead of Wlad and he'll probably pull it off assuming he nullifies the lean of death again.

David Haye. Expected to fight Shannon Briggs earlier but that seems to he off. Bellew piped in but he doesn't really want anything to do with Hate at all, just piggybacking the name. The WBA title is now vacant and there's talks of giving Haye a shot at it vs Browne. So could end up with 3 UK champions by the years end.

Eubank Jr is in limbo at the minute much Khan hes trying to talk himself into money rather than improving as a boxer, he really isnt that good, both he and his dad are so beyond arrogant they actually believe the rubbish they come out with. They thought for whatever reason they deserved Golovkin. With Eubanks record I can't see any claim to Golovkin.

Conor McGregor vs Nate Diaz.

Expect McGregor to dominate a stand up fight for the duration. Can't see Diaz being stopped but I can see him facing a much more focused and disciplined McGregor that will leave him looking a state. At the same time I'm worried this will be rigged for a McGregor win if it went to points anyway. He's the cash cow. They don't want his hype to vanish. They want fights like Lawler and Aldo rematch to happen. Wouldn't be the first time a truly dodgy decision unfolded in favour of the bigger money fight.

Michael Bisping, talks of a rematch with Dan Henderson are running around. Would love to see it. Henderson's chin has quickly vanished and Bisping seems to be in some massive form and is by far the best pure striker in the UFC. Both could knock each other out.

Jon Jones and Brock Lesnar. Both are looking at suspensions. Lesnar wasn't getting any further than mid card fighters anyway, at 39 he hasn't got everything to offer in MMA due to a late entry but still.. He did more in less time than Paul Brooks has and is probably the best of the fighters that moved to MMA from WWE. Batista, lashley etc. Both are pretty awful. You just can't teach yourself to have a solid chin. Would've been nice to see Lesnar fight around the mid level though. Struve wouldve been funny. Lesnar would face a maximum 2 years I believe and a forfeit of some of his purse. Jones faces a lot worse given it being a second suspension now and could effectively be dropped by UFC.

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UFC 202: Mcgregor vs Diaz II

Welterweight Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor
Light Heavyweight Anthony Johnson (C) vs. Glover Teixeira
Welterweight Rick Story vs. Donald Cerrone
Welterweight Hyun Gyu Lim vs. Mike Perry
Welterweight Tim Means vs. Sabah Homasi

Bold denotes Main event or title fight, (C) = Current Champion
Fights not in bold last 3x5 minute rounds, 15 minutes total.
Fights in bold last 5x5 minute rounds, 25 minutes total.

UK Start time: 3am, BT Sports 2, Prelims start as early as 1am.

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Bold Denotes Current Champion
Underline Denotes No.1 Contenders match
Italic Denotes UFC Debut
TV Coverage: BT Sports 2

Major boxing events:

September 10th:

Gennady Golovkin vs Kell Brook

TV Coverage: Sky Sports Box Office £14.95*

* I think.

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Only one winner here and that is GGG.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

I don't think Brook has taken a massive shot in his career... He will tonight though and that's my fear. GGG is P4P the best in the world, he's a middleweight phenom. I see Brook being quick around him much like Khan was with Canelo and taking early rounds, just have the feeling that just like Khan, that first power punch will stop him dead in his tracks.

Khan has the American backing and the money fights, he has the name and people expect excitement from him so he could take the Alvarez fight, lose and still make money off someone else next year. Brook hasn't actually fought anyone, not just that but he plain refuses to leave his back yard, he cannot afford to lose tonight.

Can Brook dance him for 12 rounds, that's the plan of course. He's not putting GGG on the floor. Can he avoid big punches?

Realisation has probably set in for Brook fans now, he's the massive underdog here in my opinion and I'd be surprised to see any odds in his favour.

Eddie Hearn: "Golovkin is in good form" erm isn't any undefeated fighter in good form? In fact his 32 KO's from 35 fights spells impeccable form Eddie. Hope the money was worth it.

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Indeed Brook will have to perform a bit like Sugar Ray Leonard when he thought Marvelous Marvin Hagler and beat him all those years ago.

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Just over an hour to go until the expected ring walks.

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Brook loses after 5 round battering by Golovkin

Brook is a mess, as I said, this was stupid. Out on his feet with one eye.

36 fights against nobodies, takes on Golovkin, just stupid. It's not brave and the excitement when Brook landed a punch was way over the top, Golovkin eats punches, that's why he's so popular, he's a bulldozer. This was a dangerous fight from the offset and that label was justified in the 5th round. He was dead on his feet and was a round away from being ran over and ending up even worse than he currently is.

Speculating Golovkin broke Brooks Eye socket.

GGG is a P4P Monster, Chris Eubank Jr can call him out all day, he's not winning.

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UFC 203 main event was great, 2 guys that couldn't take a punch from each other.

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It was a mismatch in every way as one he is not a middleweight and two he has not got the boxing skills of a Sugar Ray Leonard or a Floyd Mayweather so who ever advised him to take this fight is pretty dumb IMO.

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Well we all know who that was, Eddie Hearn of course, the same guy that I feel will mismanage Joshua too.

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Indeed he is more interested in money then the proper management and welfare of his fighters.

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He won't let them out of their back yard. Golovkin and team wanted a Vegas fight, that's irrelevant though, the actual point is, Brook and others aren't getting any sort of proper experience. Brook was hopelessly mismatched despite the commentators efforts of screaming he's hurt him every time Brook landed a shot which was pretty embarrassing commentary from a usually good team, if they'd watched Golovkin before they'd know he's taken far worse than that and just walked through it, that's exactly what he did this time.

Brook's downfall was failing to use Amir's game against Canelo and do better at it. Khan was landing for fun and had Canelo looking like an amateur before getting his counter to the chin. Brook has a stronger chin and whilst not as quick as Khan, he isn't slow at all.

What actually happened is Brook went and stood toe to toe in exchanges with Golovkin, a suicidal move, if that was a gameplan from the offset by trainer and Brook alike then it was a shambles, a horrible idea. He was absolutely smashed to pieces despite landing his own punches, it was a battle he was never going to come out on top of, in doing so he got his eye socket destroyed and was rocked everytime Golovkin detonated. Fans can boo the stoppage and Golovkin but I have absolutely no doubt it would've ended far worse than that if they hadn't, there was no scenario where Brook was still on his feet after the sixth round, if he even made it out of that fifth. I'm fairly confident in saying had the towel not being thrown in, Golovkin would have really ended him, by that I mean Career wise. It was almost like Eubank a few months ago.

The only real positive I can see is there's not many Welterweights that could put him on the floor, Manny, Maidana and a select few, not many. Problem is, he's all too happy to call out names, but he's never too keen to get on the plane.

Brook vs ??
Khan vs Garcia, January I reckon.
Joshua vs ???

They don't know with Joshua, Hearn is trying his best to move away from a mandatory fight because he won't really allow Joshua to fight Haye yet, or anytime soon if he had the sense. Another win for Haye shoots him nearer to the top of a pretty awful ladder. Keeping Joshua away from a Mandatory will ensure he is forced to fight or vacate the title the fight after, by which time Haye might be bored and start chasing that drug cheat, Ortiz. Remains to be seen whether Fury is stripped of his titles and handed a ban along with Klitschko.

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Good points. If Kell moves up in weight I can see him facing someone like Austin Trout. A name most UK boxing fans will know who's on the slide. Never been stopped with his 3 defeats coming from Lara, Canelo and Charlo. His win against Cotto from a few years back should be enough to sell his as a viable opponent. Cheap to get him to the UK to.

As for Joshua he's out again in November. Joseph Parker has a fight coming up in a few weeks so can't see that happening soon. I would not be surprised to see AJ in with Kubrat Pulev who's ranked #2 with the IBF. Well known to boxing fans who watch the German shows. Only 1 KO win in the past 4 years and that was less than a year ago against a total journeyman. Current European champion with a win over Chisora. I'd say he's a step up for AJ but not a massive risk. Easy for Eddie and SKY to hype up.

Re: Boxing/MMA
 

I'd actually like to see him fight Chisora, be a naff decision fans won't get behind but Chisora would be the strongest chin he's come across, having only being stopped by Haye and Fury or Klistchko couldn't floor him. He's not as easy to power punch as one would assume, Haye had to land counter shots to deck him rather than overhand lunges you usually see. It's a style fight and possibly a tuneup, a different tactician, Chisora isn't a great boxer, he's a wild one, something Joshua has yet to cope with, a wild boxer that moves forward from the offset and lunges with Deontay Wilder style awful punching but backed by a steel chin. Joshua won't be able to just pick off shots all night.

Still on the fence, I want the next Lewis as much as the next guy but with Joshua I still get the feeling he's a bodybuilder with a knockout punch and when he ends up facing the skillsets of the Fury's, Klitschko's, Wilder and Haye, he'll quickly come undone. I think both Wilder and Haye could put him down and I think Fury or Klitschko would outwork him for 12 rounds.

Then there's speculation whether the power is real, ''He's a massive puncher'' Yeah he has knockout wins, how many starts didn't under 20 fights? Can't really base punching power from guys with no reputation or chin quality.

The real problem for me is just the hype, I want to see Joshua done the best as possible, safe, built up, prepared and on top of the world. Eddie Hearn however can do one. Get this lad to the US and with a legend trainer and a good promoter.