For Pryor, the man who for so long has complained ”there’s a cloud over my head,” this was a victory that stamped him among the best in the ring today. He had said before he would not consider himself a ”great” fighter ”until I beat a great fighter.” Tonight, he did. READ MORE
Incredible Articles From Boxing’s Rich History
Gene Tunney, Ernest Hemmingway and Jack Dempsey
People have been writing about boxing in earnest since the newspaper hacks of their day from both sides of the Atlantic covered the fight between Tom Sayers and John C. Heenan. For me, one of the great tragedies of this sport is that so many great articles by fantastic writers from decades gone by are lost to generations of readers that follow.
That’s why on The Boxing Post you will see many examples of great articles from previous boxing eras that will hopefully give the reader an insight – even a window – into what it was like being there when Ali fought Frazier in 1971, or when Duran beat Leonard in 1980, or when a teenager named Mike Tyson had just turned pro in 1985.
You will see articles from Red Smith, Bud Schulberg, Thomas Hauser, Hugh McIlvanney, Burt Randolph Sugar and Brin Jonathan Butler, to name just a few. Enjoy!
As someone who has had a healthy obsession with the sweet science since discovering Jack Dempsey as a 13-year old schoolboy in the North East of England back in the late 1970s, I know a thing or two about boxing. From competing as a teenage amateur, to being paid to write about it decades later, I’ve learned just two things:
1) Never dismiss the fighters doing great things today, because chances are, they’ll be rated as genuine greats a few years from now.
2) Likewise, don’t judge the greats of yesteryear disparagingly and mock your perceived view that they may lack technique, or have no defense etc. Boxers have had technique since the days of Gentleman Jim Corbett, Jack Johnson and George Dixon. Just watch the Jack Dempsey vs Gene Tunney rematch to see the skills both man showed in abundance in attack and defense respectively, and how little they’ve changed to this day.
The great fighter from the 60s or 70s you mock because they “lack technique” and are poor defensively have likely chosen to fight the way they do because:
A) They do what they know works for them and
B) that so-called poor defense is inviting opponents to try their luck.
Just remember, all of the fighters from the dawn of the 20th century to present day that have been judged to be great by the sports scribes, trainers and boxing experts of their era were indeed just that – great.
They paid $2,658,600 for the privilege of being there, the richest gate in boxing history (it would remain so until television revised the economy of the sport). READ MORE
Incredible Articles From Boxing’s Rich History
Gene Tunney, Ernest Hemmingway and Jack Dempsey
People have been writing about boxing in earnest since the newspaper hacks of their day from both sides of the Atlantic covered the fight between Tom Sayers and John C. Heenan. For me, one of the great tragedies of this sport is that so many great articles by fantastic writers from decades gone by are lost to generations of readers that follow.
That’s why on The Boxing Post you will see many examples of great articles from previous boxing eras that will hopefully give the reader an insight – even a window – into what it was like being there when Ali fought Frazier in 1971, or when Duran beat Leonard in 1980, or when a teenager named Mike Tyson had just turned pro in 1985.
You will see articles from Red Smith, Bud Schulberg, Thomas Hauser, Hugh McIlvanney, Burt Randolph Sugar and Brin Jonathan Butler, to name just a few. Enjoy!
As someone who has had a healthy obsession with the sweet science since discovering Jack Dempsey as a 13-year old schoolboy in the North East of England back in the late 1970s, I know a thing or two about boxing. From competing as a teenage amateur, to being paid to write about it decades later, I’ve learned just two things:
1) Never dismiss the fighters doing great things today, because chances are, they’ll be rated as genuine greats a few years from now.
2) Likewise, don’t judge the greats of yesteryear disparagingly and mock your perceived view that they may lack technique, or have no defense etc. Boxers have had technique since the days of Gentleman Jim Corbett, Jack Johnson and George Dixon. Just watch the Jack Dempsey vs Gene Tunney rematch to see the skills both man showed in abundance in attack and defense respectively, and how little they’ve changed to this day.
The great fighter from the 60s or 70s you mock because they “lack technique” and are poor defensively have likely chosen to fight the way they do because:
A) They do what they know works for them and
B) that so-called poor defense is inviting opponents to try their luck.
Just remember, all of the fighters from the dawn of the 20th century to present day that have been judged to be great by the sports scribes, trainers and boxing experts of their era were indeed just that – great.
Once again The Boxing Post brings its readers classic articles from the vaults. This time it’s one of the earliest stories on record about two-time heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, first published in Sports Illustrated in 1985. READ MORE
Incredible Articles From Boxing’s Rich History
Gene Tunney, Ernest Hemmingway and Jack Dempsey
People have been writing about boxing in earnest since the newspaper hacks of their day from both sides of the Atlantic covered the fight between Tom Sayers and John C. Heenan. For me, one of the great tragedies of this sport is that so many great articles by fantastic writers from decades gone by are lost to generations of readers that follow.
That’s why on The Boxing Post you will see many examples of great articles from previous boxing eras that will hopefully give the reader an insight – even a window – into what it was like being there when Ali fought Frazier in 1971, or when Duran beat Leonard in 1980, or when a teenager named Mike Tyson had just turned pro in 1985.
You will see articles from Red Smith, Bud Schulberg, Thomas Hauser, Hugh McIlvanney, Burt Randolph Sugar and Brin Jonathan Butler, to name just a few. Enjoy!
As someone who has had a healthy obsession with the sweet science since discovering Jack Dempsey as a 13-year old schoolboy in the North East of England back in the late 1970s, I know a thing or two about boxing. From competing as a teenage amateur, to being paid to write about it decades later, I’ve learned just two things:
1) Never dismiss the fighters doing great things today, because chances are, they’ll be rated as genuine greats a few years from now.
2) Likewise, don’t judge the greats of yesteryear disparagingly and mock your perceived view that they may lack technique, or have no defense etc. Boxers have had technique since the days of Gentleman Jim Corbett, Jack Johnson and George Dixon. Just watch the Jack Dempsey vs Gene Tunney rematch to see the skills both man showed in abundance in attack and defense respectively, and how little they’ve changed to this day.
The great fighter from the 60s or 70s you mock because they “lack technique” and are poor defensively have likely chosen to fight the way they do because:
A) They do what they know works for them and
B) that so-called poor defense is inviting opponents to try their luck.
Just remember, all of the fighters from the dawn of the 20th century to present day that have been judged to be great by the sports scribes, trainers and boxing experts of their era were indeed just that – great.
Legendary sports journalist Hugh McIlvanney, who wrote for British broadsheet The Observer for more than 30 years was granted an audience with the champ at his villa in Zaire. Here’s what happened: READ ON
Incredible Articles From Boxing’s Rich History
Gene Tunney, Ernest Hemmingway and Jack Dempsey
People have been writing about boxing in earnest since the newspaper hacks of their day from both sides of the Atlantic covered the fight between Tom Sayers and John C. Heenan. For me, one of the great tragedies of this sport is that so many great articles by fantastic writers from decades gone by are lost to generations of readers that follow.
That’s why on The Boxing Post you will see many examples of great articles from previous boxing eras that will hopefully give the reader an insight – even a window – into what it was like being there when Ali fought Frazier in 1971, or when Duran beat Leonard in 1980, or when a teenager named Mike Tyson had just turned pro in 1985.
You will see articles from Red Smith, Bud Schulberg, Thomas Hauser, Hugh McIlvanney, Burt Randolph Sugar and Brin Jonathan Butler, to name just a few. Enjoy!
As someone who has had a healthy obsession with the sweet science since discovering Jack Dempsey as a 13-year old schoolboy in the North East of England back in the late 1970s, I know a thing or two about boxing. From competing as a teenage amateur, to being paid to write about it decades later, I’ve learned just two things:
1) Never dismiss the fighters doing great things today, because chances are, they’ll be rated as genuine greats a few years from now.
2) Likewise, don’t judge the greats of yesteryear disparagingly and mock your perceived view that they may lack technique, or have no defense etc. Boxers have had technique since the days of Gentleman Jim Corbett, Jack Johnson and George Dixon. Just watch the Jack Dempsey vs Gene Tunney rematch to see the skills both man showed in abundance in attack and defense respectively, and how little they’ve changed to this day.
The great fighter from the 60s or 70s you mock because they “lack technique” and are poor defensively have likely chosen to fight the way they do because:
A) They do what they know works for them and
B) that so-called poor defense is inviting opponents to try their luck.
Just remember, all of the fighters from the dawn of the 20th century to present day that have been judged to be great by the sports scribes, trainers and boxing experts of their era were indeed just that – great.
What’s more, in an era when today’s modern boxing fan is quick to pour scorn on fighters of the 70s and 80s with claims that “they weren’t so great”, virtually everybody had to agree that didn’t (couldn’t) apply to Hagler. Marvin’s own unique combination of boxing skills, aggression, superhuman fitness, power punching and perpetual motion, all invariably done from a southpaw stance would’ve been a match for any great middleweight, past or present, from Ketchel and Greb to LaMotta and Robinson, from Monzon and Hopkins to Golovkin and Canelo.
Discovering Marvin Hagler
As a schoolboy in the late 1970s, I was an avid reader of The Ring magazine. Long before I saw Marvin Hagler fight I was well aware of what he looked like and how good he was, because The Ring were calling him “the uncrowned middleweight champion” years before he had his first title challenge.
It was an era when boxing on TV in the UK was limited to mainly UK fighters taking part in British, European and Commonwealth title fights shown midweek on the BBC. Muhammad Ali’s fights were shown a couple of days later on the BBC, and after Ali retired, ITV would show the best heavyweight bouts of that time featuring Ken Norton, Larry Holmes and Earnie Shavers on their weekend afternoon sports program World of Sport.
It wasn’t until Sugar Ray Leonard came along that the lighter weight classes were given a look in. Two of the greatest fighters in history – Carlos Monzon and Roberto Duran in his prime at lightweight – were given no UK TV exposure.
The Losses To “Boogaloo” & “The Worm”
Hagler had been a professional for three years and was 25-0-1 when he lost for the first time. Determined to test himself against the best fighters available, he instructed his management to make bouts with the best 160-pounders fighting out of Philadelphia at that time.
The result was Hagler suffered his first defeat, dropping a 10 round majority decision to Philly prospect Bobby “Boogaloo” Watts in January 1976 at the legendary venue of the Spectrum in Philadelphia. Two months later, following a two round KO over Matt Donovan in February, Hagler lost for the second time, dropping a unanimous decision to another Philly star in Willie “The Worm” Monroe, again at the Spectrum.
Marvin returned to the Spectrum a third time in September 1976, forcing another talented local fighter in Eugene “Cyclone” Hart to quit on his stool after eight rounds. Both Watts and Monroe were excellent fighters in their own right, and like other black middleweights of that era including “Cyclone” Hart, David love, Mike Colbert, Sugar Ray Seales (who Hagler fought 3 times) and Edgar “Bad News” Wallace, were part of a 1970s version of “Murderers Row” that included Hagler himself. Apart from Hagler, none of this group would get a world title shot.
In 1977 Hagler would avenge his loss to Willie Monroe with a 12th round TKO in Boston. The rubber match took place at the Spectrum that August, and Hagler was at his brutal best, demolishing Monroe in two rounds.
First TV Sighting
Part of the appeal of Hagler for myself was that he was like a middleweight version of one of my favorite fighters at that time, the late heavyweight champion Sonny Liston. Like Liston, Hagler appeared to be physically intimidating, and also like Liston was in the late 50s and early 60s, Hagler was being avoided like the plague. Many including myself believed then – and now – that Liston was the best heavyweight in the world for at least four years before actually winning the title.
By the time I first saw Hagler on TV, he had avenged both of his defeats and was first being spoken of as the best middleweight in the world. Hagler was fighting tough Argentinian journeyman Norberto Cabrera in France. The year was 1979, and it was Hagler’s final bout before he challenged Vito Antuofermo the following year for the world middleweight title.
Sometimes, when you first see someone or something that’s been given a ton of hype, it’s somewhat anti-climatic. Not so with seeing Marvin Hagler the first time. He was even more physically impressive than the grainy black and white photographs in The Ring magazine showed. The most physically impressive fighters I’d seen up till then were Ken Norton and Mike Weaver, but Hagler blew both of those clean out of the water.
This guy literally had muscles on top of his muscles. These days we are used to seeing extremely muscular individuals like Schwarzenegger, Stallone and the Rock on TV and film, but back then we’d seen nothing like it. What’s more, Hagler blew away the myth that being muscular drained a fighter’s energy; the guy was perpetual motion, all relentless punching and feinting, and all accomplished with bouncing footwork. Hagler may have suffered a flash knockdown at the start, but he subsequently dominated a very game opponent and took out Cabrera in the eighth round with a barrage of punches.
Hagler v Antuofermo I
Whether or not Marvin Hagler was robbed in his world title challenge against Vito Antuofermo is irrelevant; the truth was that to hard-core boxing fans, the fact that Hagler had been the taken the distance and given all he could handle by a short, cut prone, limited fighter with mediocre power like the lovable Vito was the same as a defeat.
Without doubt, from the eighth round onward the Italian-born Antuofermo slowly began to outwork Hagler, who seemed to be tiring by the 11th round. Even legendary fight commentator Howard Cosell can be heard to say the fight was becoming “suspiciously close.”
Even when Hagler stunned Antuofermo in the 14th round with a straight left, Vito went on the attack. And what the Italian proved highly adept at was fighting “in the pocket”, neutralizing Hagler’s long reach by staying in close and ripping off combinations to the head and body.
If years later, the first round of Hagler’s “War” with Tommy Hearns would be unanimously decreed as the greatest of all time, spare a thought for what should be a contender for the greatest 15th round of all time. Antuofermo doesn’t stop punching, even when Hagler drills him repeatedly with straight lefts that rock his head backward. The action is frenetic, as the previous 14 rounds had largely been.
Both fighters and their corners are convinced they’ve won. Cosell speculates that it could be a draw, and he’s spot on. In truth, the draw seemed about right. Antuofermo had fought like a tiger, and he was never the same again.
Later that night, Sugar Ray Leonard TKO’d Wilfredo Benitez to win the WBC welterweight title.
For a while at least, Marvin Hagler had become human. Not for long.
31-year old Mikey Garcia (39-0, 30 KOs), a former featherweight, junior lightweight and light welterweight champion and currently the WBC lightweight title holder is considered one of the modern greats of the game and a guaranteed first-ballot hall-of-famer. Errol Spence (24-0, 21 KOs) is a 29 year old undefeated Texan, regarded by many as the most fearsome fighter in the welterweight division. Without doubt, Spence will have all of the physical advantages over Garcia; at almost 5’10” he is the taller man by four inches, with a reach advantage of the same amount. He is two years younger and will outweigh his opponent by as much as 20 lb on the night.
So does Garcia have a chance, and if so how can he pull it off? Mikey Garcia comes from a family steeped in boxing tradition. His father and former trainer was himself a boxer, and his current trainer is his brother Robert Garcia, a former world champion. However, Mikey is truly the pride of the Garcia family, an exceptional talent, yet a man who has had to wait until now to get the attention and respect he deserves.
Garcia gained his first world title back in 2013 when he won a technical decision over Orlando Salido. That was for the WBO featherweight title, but by the end of that year, he had claimed his second world title, knocking out Rocky Martinez in eight rounds for the WBO junior lightweight title.
Garcia looked on track to become one of the biggest stars in boxing, but at that point he basically quit the ring for more than two years so that he could get out of the contract he had with Bob Arum. He returned to action as a free agent in 2016, and the following year he was world champion again, knocking out Dejan Zlaticanin in three rounds for the WBC lightweight title. In 2018 he stepped up to junior welterweight, and claimed the IBF title with a unanimous decision over Sergey Lipinets.
For Mikey, stepping up to fight Errol Spence will simply be a question of selecting the best tactics and enforcing those tactics in the ring. He will likely choose to fight on the inside and stay close to Spence, taking away the champion’s reach advantage, and utilizing his own shorter reach to maximum effect, ripping in fast hooks to Spence’s head and body.
It is a style of fighting that was used by Roberto Duran during his later career at light middleweight and above. Duran was at his best as a 5-foot 8-inch lightweight, but he was big for the weight, and competed all the way up to super middleweight. What made Duran special was his ability to use his boxing skill and ring IQ to perform against far bigger opponents and usually emerge victorious.
There’s much of Duran in Mikey Garcia in terms of fighting ability and style. Could Roberto Duran have beaten Errol Spence? Of course he could. Therefore if Duran could do it, Garcia also has a chance.
So Chris Eubank Jr finally got the win he needed to legitimize his boxing career. No matter what anyone says about him, or how history may ultimately judge him, on paper at least he was good enough to defeat a two-time world champion, a man who was a reigning world titlist until he vacated his belt three months ago.
His win over James DeGale was hardly a traditional boxing coming-of-age type of victory. Few pay-per-view fights in history would have delivered less action or more ugly clinches, missed haymakers, sloppy boxing and bad technique than DeGale vs Eubank Jr. Even the two knockdowns suffered by DeGale weren’t knockdowns in the classical sense, and at neither time did DeGale look on the verge being stopped.
DeGale fought as if he wanted it – his career in boxing – to be all over, while Eubank fought as he always does – like a super fit and feircly competive rank amatuer – which is what he basically is. Even with the employment of a full time trainer – Eubank Jr claiming it to be his first ever – his boxing was as basic as ever. What’s more, at 5′ 11″ he looked physically small next to the 33.year old DeGale (now 25-3, 15 KOs) , who isn’t a big super middleweight, and Chris will surely find himself dwarfed by the likes of Callum Smith, David Benavidez and Zurdo Ramirez, all of whom stands around 6 ft 3 in tall.
Time To Drop Back Down To 160
Realistically, he’s gone about as far as he can at 168 lbs, so let’s hope he has the right people informing him just that. Eubank Jr’s biggest problem may turn out to be his own bravery and his determination to prove that despite his “silver-spoon” privileged upbringing, he’s as tough and hungry as someone who began knife as an impoverished street urchin.
Against George Groves and now DeGale, Eubank (now 28-2, 21 KOs) was significantly the smaller man in the ring. It is therefore surely beneficial to drop back down to 160 lbs and be a good sized middleweight than stay at 168 lbs and be a small super-middleweight. Eubank Jr will be 30 next birthday, and doesn’t have huge amounts of time left to experiment.
A logical move would be to drop back down to middleweight to seek out a return fight with the man who handed him his first professional defeat, Billy Joe Saunders. Should he win that, the Holy Grail of a Canelo bout might be the reward, but we are getting way ahead of ourselves!
This Juggernaut Needs To Turn Off Cruise-Control
On the undercard, 33-year old Joe “The Juggernaut” Joyce went to 8-0 (all KOs) with a 6th round stoppage over former WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne. 2016 Rio Olympics super heavyweight silver medalist Joyce stands 6’6″ and carries his 265 lbs easily, he throws lots of punches and appears to have great stamina and a solid chin.
The downside is Joyce throws his punches as if he were at the bottom of a saltwater pool, i.e, in slow motion. Aso, all his shots carry the same amount of power- as in not much. He doesn’t seem to able to either ramp up the juice or add more weight to his shots, even when he has an opponent prone.
Big Joe clearly takes a good shot, but he needs to stop proving it. Stiverne actually landed the heavier punches during their fight, and while Joyce absorbed them comfortably, if he tries that with AJ or – heaven help us – Wilder, he will be suffering from a concussion and headaches for days after getting violently knocked out.
Big Joe seems like a lovely guy, but he needs to be matched with a mixture of caution and affection. He looks certainly capable of winning the British and European titles and a big fight against somebody like Tyson Fury would be the preferred, logical goal. He would lose every round, but would probably leave the ring with his health intact.
Let’s face it, with a few more learning bouts under his belt, Joyce will have the beating of 80% the world’s heavyweights. The concern is that fighters with serious power, plus speed and timing have the capacity to take advantage of Joe’s limitations and defeat him very badly, Therefore, while the likes of Big Baby Miller, Andy Ruiz and Joe Parker are fair game, the likes of Joshua, Wilder, Whyte, Ortiz and even rising KO artist Oscar Rivas should be avoided at all costs.
Is Floyd Mayweather broke? Is he living in a fool’s paradise, spending huge sums of money that he doesn’t have? Is Mayweather set to join the likes of Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, fighters who earned hundreds of millions of dollars yet ended up bankrupt?
This week, stories have again emerged that Mayweather lost $50 million in sports bets, depending on the source, either since 2017 or during 2017. Either way, it’s not a great look for the man who loves to post snapshots on twitter and Instagram of his winning betting tickets for hundreds of thousands of dollars, but as a rule never posts his losing stubs. Now it would seem that his losses far outweigh his wins, an ironic reversal of his boxing record, which thus far stands at 50-0.
This story first emerged last September, with an at-the-time explosive article on Maxim.com. It was followed soon after by Mayweather announcing he had purchased a $16 million “Billionaires watch” (even though he no-where near billionaire status) that resulted in major ridicule from ex-pal-turned-antagonist 50 cent which included the classic line:
“Man they found the 1 nig*a in the world, dumb enough to buy that watch!”
And then, as if Leonard Ellerbe had a had a word in Mayweather’s ear that his funds were on empty, he released a video of himself and Manny Pacquiao, announcing the two would fight in late 2018.
When Did Mayweather Last Compete In An Recognised Boxing Match?
41-year-old Mayweather last “boxed” in 2017, when he took on UFC superstar Connor McGregor who was making his boxing debut, in a financial blockbuster that proved to be the second biggest grossing boxing match in history, behind only Mayweather’s 2015 fight with Manny Pacquiao. Once again, depending on sources, Mayweather made between $200-$300 million for the fight against McGregor, which he won via a tenth round TKO, and after which he vowed never to box again.
He broke
that promise on New Year’s Eve 2018 when he travelled to Tokyo to take part in
a so-called exhibition match. Mayweather was paid a paltry (by his standards)
$9 million to take on tiny 21-year-old kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa. The 5’4”,
125 lb youngster, who had to abide by boxing rules and couldn’t use any of his
kicking techniques, was flawed three times in the first round for an automatic
TKO. Mayweather was roundly criticized for taking part in such a sordid event, and
it was certainly a career lowpoint.
Where Has Mayweather’s Money Gone?
So why is
Mayweather fighting for chump change? After all, here is a fighter who has been
making big money for a long time. Surely he couldn’t be on the verge of blowing
it all, could he?
Mayweather has been making eight figure paychecks ever since he won a highly controversial split decision over a 35-year old Oscar De La Hoya in 2007. Prior to that, he had still been making several million dollars per fight against the likes of Arturo Gatti, Zab Judah and Carlos Baldomir. However, after the De La Hoya victory, Mayweather became the fighter fans loved to hate – and wanted to see lose – which made him a huge box-office draw, and as a result, his asking price jumped to $20 million plus, a figure that would be boosted significantly by his cut of PPV revenue.
Mayweather’s fights against carefully chosen opposition like former WBO featherweight and lightweight champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero, faded stars Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto, and former junior welterweight champion Victor Ortiz earned him between $30 and $40 million each.
A Billion Dollars Blown?
Of course, all that looked like so much loose change in comparison with the astronomical figure he earned by finally fighting Manny Pacquiao in 2015. Two years later, and he earned a similarly colossal paycheck against Connor McGregor. All told, Mayweather may have earned as much as $800 million in his lifetime thus far. If one minuses half of that for Uncle Sam, that still leaves $400 million.
But while it would seem like a vast sum of money to most sane people, in the hands of somebody of limited education and moderate intelligence who likes to spend as if he were a billionaire, that money will evaporate rapidly. Mayweather owns two executive jets, multiple mansions, a strip club in Las Vegas, and via Mayweather Promotions he puts on boxing cards and pays the purses for fighters under contract to him like Gervonta Davis and Badou Jack.
Mayweather
frequently tells interviewers that he has no financial worries because he is a
“smart businessman” and as he has made “smart investments” which bring him in
“seven figures every month”, although that would seem to be little more than
rehearsed soundbites. Mayweather is a boastful individual, and if he genuinely
had investments that were netting him millions of dollars each month, he would
surely be crowing about them. More likely his investments run no further than his
property purchases, his fleet of multimillion dollar automobiles, and his strip
club, Girl Collection.
The reality is, with the army of staff that he employs, in positions ranging from his own pilots permanently on standby to the hairdresser who he employs to shave his bald head, and everybody in between, chances are he is losing seven figures a month rather than making it. What’s worse is that due to Mayweather’s history of unsavoury behaviour which includes doing three months in prison for spousal abuse and making blatantly racist remarks toward Filipinos, Mayweather has no sponsorship deals.
Top
golfers, footballers, tennis players and basketball players earn tens of
millions of dollars annually well into their retirement years due to lucrative
endorsement deals with blue-chip companies such as sporting-goods companies,
watchmakers, and car manufacturers. However, Mayweather has none of these, so when
he is not fighting, there’s lots of money going out, but zero coming in.
All this
would be bad enough, and surely lead to eventual financial disaster, but if the
stories about his huge gambling losses are true, his financial demise will be
accelerated significantly. If he did indeed lose $50 million in 2017, how much
did he lose in 2018? And what about his famed in ability to pay his tax bills?
When he fought McGregor, he owed $30 million in taxes. How much does he owe
this time?
Worse
still, if he does fight Manny Pacquiao in a rematch in 2019, based off his last
two displays compared to Pacquiao’s last two fights – a KO win over Lucas
Matthysse and a one-sided decision over Adrien Broner – Mayweather will surely
lose the only thing that keeps him relevant – his precious “O.” Should that
happen, expect Mayweather to carry on fighting – and losing – for years to
come.
This week, Manchester’s Tyson Fury, the former WBA/WBO/and IBF heavyweight champion, announced an exclusive promotional deal in the US with ESPN, America’s premier sports cable network. The deal is worth a reputed $80 million, making it the third most lucrative of such a deal, behind Canelo Alvarez’s current $360 million deal with DAZN, and Floyd Mayweather’s 6-fight, 30 month $240 million deal with Showtime back in 2013.
30-year-old
Fury (27-0-1, 19 KOs) could ultimately make more money than either of those two
fighters, as his ESPN deal just covers the US. Fury is free to negotiate a separate
deal with the likes of Sky or BT Sports for the hugely lucrative UK market. Some
critics have suggested that Fury’s ESPN deal means he will be less likely to
fight either Deontay Wilder in a rematch car, or fellow UK heavyweight star
Anthony Joshua, the current WBA/WBO and IBF champion. Wilder has an exclusive
deal with US cable giants Showtime, while Joshua is signed to Matchroom in the
UK, and DAZN worldwide.
Epic Encounter With Deontay Wilder
Last
November, Fury left fans and experts dumbfounded by his brilliant display of
boxing, not to mention incredible recuperative powers, in his epic split
decision draw with WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder in Los Angeles.
Despite being knocked down twice by the devastatingly powerful Wilder, the
second seemingly for keeps in the 12th round, Fury dominated the rest of the
fight and looked to have won a clear decision, only for the judges to see
things differently.
His
performance was even more astonishing considering Fury had spent the best part
of two years out of the ring following a bout of acute clinical depression that
saw him vacate his world titles and slip into a world of drug and alcohol
abuse. During that time, Fury ballooned up to 400 pounds in weight, and
contemplated suicide. During his comeback, Fury has stressed that he is
fighting as much for the recognition of depression and mental health issues as
for success in the ring.
A rematch
between Fury and Wilder is the hottest ticket in boxing, but one which now
looks in jeopardy. Fury however begs to differ:
“They have
to come to Tyson Fury now because I’ve got my own platform in America and in
the UK, so now they’re going to have to come through me. ESPN’s the biggest
sporting network in the world.”
Regarding
his potential rematch with Wilder, Fury said:
“If I
didn’t want to fight him I wouldn’t have done it in the first place. As far as
I’m concerned it’s more makeable now than ever, because we’ve the biggest boys
in the game behind us. I want Joshua, Wilder, and everyone else out there too.
If you’re watching Deontay, I’m coming for you, baby!”
Fury’s
manager Frank Warren revealed that Tyson is likely to fight more regularly in
the US, and regardless of opponent, that is where his next fight will be.
“Tyson
wants the Wilder rematch” said Warren. “We all want it and will make it happen.
It’s a different situation now. Showtime’s not the only game in town. It’s
changed dramatically, so it’s up to us now to sit down and get it over the
line. I want him out as soon as possible. Talks are continuing but he’s not
going to sit around waiting. We’ll get him out. He wants to be active and
become a big star. The name of the game’s get out there, get busy, and get
those belts. ESPN will be Tyson’s exclusive broadcaster in the States and have
a platform of nearly three million. It gives Tyson the chance to become the guy
to fight – unlike when he had to go to Germany to fight Wladimir Klitschko or
on Showtime for Wilder.”
UK fight fans know that historical bad-blood between two combatants often results in a thrilling fight when the two finally get it on in the ring. That will certainly be the hope when after almost a decade of chastising him, Chris Eubank Jr gets his long-awaited shot at two-time super middleweight world champion James DeGale on February 23 at London’s O2 Arena.
For eight years Eubank Jr has been claiming he got the better of DeGale in a sparring session when he was a fledgling pro, and he has always boasted that should the two ever meet, he would handle DeGale easily.
Clearly the story has rankled DeGale, who claims that if anything, it was the other way round. There is certainly no love lost between the two fighters, and last year when Eubank Jr was beaten by George Groves, DeGale led the chorus of criticism as to the amateurishness of his performance.
but while the Gail is clearly a fighter with a greater pedigree and vastly more experience, those strengths will be counted by Eubank Jrñs youth, physicality and sheer will to win. So, who’s going to win the Pet Food Punch Up?
Who Is Chris Eubank Jr?
29-year old Chris Eubank Jr (27-2, 21 KOs) is the son of the original Chris Eubank, one of Britain’s best ever boxers. During the late 80s and early 90s, when he won both the WBO middleweight and super middleweight titles, Eubank Sr engaged in a series of thrilling and memorable battles with the likes of Michael Watson, Nigel Benn and Steve Collins.
Eubank Sr was equally well known for his eccentric persona, encompassing a clipped, upper-class English accent, the accompanying jodhpurs and monocle, and an audacious taste in automobiles, including one of the first Hummers seen in the UK, and a seven-ton lorry.
Young Chris is nowhere near as extravagant as his father, but he has proved almost as divisive because of his habit of talking disparagingly about fellow fighters, a practice that makes him disliked by boxers and fans alike.
Chris Eubank Jr turned pro in 2011 after posting a 24-2 amateur record, and because of his lack of ring experience, for the first three years of his professional career he fought regularly against the most limited of journeymen. It wasn’t long before the press and the public became interested in his fistic exploits, and UK terrestrial TV giant ITV signed him to an exclusive promotional deal.
Fan Favourite
Handsome, articulate, powerfully built and possessor of an exciting, all-action ring style, plus a ready-made backstory, Eubank Jr quickly became a hit with fight fans. After winning his first 18 bouts he suffered his first defeat, a split decision loss to future world champ Billy Joe Saunders for the European middleweight title in 2014. It was a massive step up in class for Eubank Jr, and one he almost won, throwing away the first six rounds while he posed and postured, but winning the final six on sheer volume of punches.
ITV’s boxing pay-per-view option was set up initially for Chris Eubank Jr’s 2017 “world title fight” for the lowly regarded IBO super middleweight belt, which he won by TKO’ing Aussie Renold Quinlan in ten. He defended this title against faded former two-weight world champ Arthur Abraham (PTS 12), and then KO’d the highly regarded Turk Avni Yildirim in three rounds in what remains his career-best performance. That bout was also his first in the prestigious and lucrative super middleweight WBSS (World Boxing Super Series).
The George Groves Fight
In February 2018 Eubank Jr faced WBA super champ George Groves in the WBSS semifinals. Groves was far and away the most accomplished fighter Eubank Jr had yet faced. He had only been beaten at the highest level; a pair of KO losses to Carl Froch, and a hard-fought split-decision defeat to Badou Jack – and was rated by many as the best 168-pounder in the world at that time.
An overconfident Eubank Jr claimed that he could “smell fear” whenever he came face to face with Groves, and that it would be an easy win for him. Groves was unusually quiet in the buildup, which led many fans to believe Eubank Jr was the favorite. However, on the night it was a case of “Man against Boy”, as Groves – by far the bigger man – was clearly the better fighter. He boxed beautifully and dominated the action from the opening bell.
By the second half of the fight Eubank Jr had abandoned any semblance of a game-plan, instead electing to “bum-rush” his opponent against the ropes, launch haymakers from the back of the hall and smother most of his own work by staying to close to his opponent. Groves dislocated his shoulder in the 12th round, yet even with one arm he easily kept Eubank Jr at bay and won a unanimous decision.
It was a humiliating loss for Chris Eubank Jr, and thanks to his pre-fight bragging, he received a vicious roasting across social media. In his comeback fight last September, Eubank Jr TKO’d the tough, awkward Irishman JJ McDonagh in three scrappy rounds.
Who Is James DeGale?
33-year old Londoner James “Chunky” DeGale (25-2-1, 15 KOs) will always be known as the first Brit to turn Olympic gold into a professional world title. The affable DeGale who won his Olympic gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, and turned pro the following year. A strongly built six-footer, DeGale’s excellent jab, slick, powerful counter punching and overall boxing ability made him a formidable prospect. DeGale was “fast-tracked”, facing Paul Smith for the British super middleweight title in 2010 in only his ninth fight. Smith had lost just once in 30 fights and was highly ranked by the WBO, yet DeGale dominated the fight, stopping Smith in the ninth round.
Grudge Match vs Groves
The following year DeGale was matched with unbeaten amateur nemesis George Groves. The historical rivalry between the two was enough to sell-out London’s 20,000 capacity O2 Arena, and the fight didnt disappoint. Groves won a razor-thin split decision, but was forced to box off the back foot all night, and finished the fight looking like the loser.
Despite the loss, DeGale emerged a better fighter. He won the European title in his next bout and maintained a high level of competition, and was soon ranked above Groves in the world rankings. He signed with US promoter Al Haymon and based himself in North America.
World Champion
In 2015 DeGale won the vacant IBF title by outpointing one-time Carl Froch opponent Andre Dirrell, flooring the feet-footed US stylist twice in the first round. He then defended it in tough fights vs former champ Lucian Bute in Canada and roughhouse Mexican Rogelio “Porky” Medina in Washington. He then fought a draw in a unification bout with WBC champion Badou Jack, a brutal affair that saw both men hit the deck, and DeGale finish the bout with a concussion, a burst eardrum and two front teeth missing.
In his next bout DeGale suffered a shock defeat to a perceived “soft touch” in US veteran Caleb Truax in Las Vegas in December 2017, ironically in his first UK appearance in three years. He regained the title four months later with a close decision over Truax, but chose to vacate the belt rather than face the high-risk low-reward challenge of top-contender Jose Uzcategui, preferring to look for “massive fights” instead. The first of those so-called massive fights occurs on February 23 against Chris Eubank Jr.
So Who Wins?
If both fighters are in their best shape, a 33-year-old DeGale should still have too much for a 29-year-old Eubank Jr. Chris has a great engine and will throw punches all night long, but he will also become sloppy and wild if he feels the fight is slipping away from him, and DeGale is an even better counter-puncher than Groves.
Eubank Jr has shown a great chin and bags of stamina, so a stoppage win for Chunky would seem unlikely. By the same token, Eubank Jr doesn’t hit that hard at super middleweight, and DeGale is very durable and has an excellent chin and is as brave as they come, so a stoppage win for either side would seem unlikely.
DeGale versus Eubank Jr looks certain to be a very competitive and highly exciting affair, and Eubank Jr will surely win his share of rounds off brute strength and endeavour, but DeGale’s pedigree and class will ensure that he will do enough to edge-out a close but unanimous decision, close enough and exciting enough to warrant a rematch.
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Whether or not Marvin Hagler was robbed in his world title challenge against Vito Antuofermo is irrelevant; the truth was that to hard-core boxing fans, the fact that Hagler had been the taken the distance and given all he could handle by a short, cut prone, limited fighter with mediocre power like the lovable Vito was the same as a defeat.
