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Frank Warren was left a nasty surprise ringside upon hearing the scorecards for Usyk-Fury 2, as the Queensberry chief has again had to console his man after Tyson Fury suffered a second consecutive defeat – this time a 12-round unanimous decision, compared to a split loss by the Ukrainian on May 18. Continue reading “Usyk-Fury 2: Warren anger at judges’ second-half scoring, Fury again falls short”
Oleksandr Usyk weighed in at a career-highest 221lbs on Friday – 55 pounds lighter than Tyson Fury – though while plenty was said in the build-up, whether it be judging replacements, rules meeting disputes and more drama besides, the Ukrainian did as he always does: win. Fury’s flashes of vigour and encouragement ultimately weren’t enough during their immediate rematch. Continue reading “Usyk weaves his magic to leave Fury flat, retains unified world heavyweight titles”
Press conference delays and an 11-minute staredown wasn’t exactly on the bingo card for Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2, deep into the depths of an eagerly-anticipated fight week, but at this stage nothing should come as a surprise. Jostling for heavyweight gold this weekend, it was advantage Usyk. Continue reading “Usyk-Fury 2: Tyson blinks first in 11-minute staring contest to finish presser”
Nine months on from a defiant display on the Fabio Wardley vs. Frazer Clarke undercard, skilfully outpointing then-unbeaten contender Florian Marku, career welterweight Chris Kongo (17-2, 7 KOs) has returned on two Riyadh Season midweek shows against unheralded opposition and failed to kick on from a career-best win. 2025 must feature better matchmaking than this. Continue reading “Usyk-Fury 2: Chris Kongo leaves you wanting more to close midweek show”
Much has been said about the inclusion of a rematch clause if, in the event of a disastrous outcome, they want to run it back. Frank Warren is hopeful that they aren’t making a mistake, thrusting his prodigious teenage heavyweight into the evening’s co-feature against a world-level operator who boxed in an IBF final eliminator for world championship honours last August. Time will tell… Continue reading “Usyk-Fury 2: Warren hopeful they haven’t pulled the trigger too early with Itauma”
Having seen Tyson Fury narrowly miss out on undisputed heavyweight gold seven months ago today, Queensberry chief Frank Warren believes his man doesn’t have to make as many adjustments as some might think before his immediate rematch with Oleksandr Usyk this weekend. Instead, he told me, the outcome of their second Saudi showdown will come down to two factors. Continue reading “Usyk-Fury 2: Warren believes rematch is about attrition, who lost more in May?”
Denzel Bentley will get a second crack at world championship gold in 2025 after outboxing Brad Pauls to defend his #1 WBO world ranking, snatching the British middleweight strap – as well as two other titles – after a tense 12-round affair, headlining a busy night’s action as Queensberry took their fruitful Magnificent Seven concept down to the nation’s capital three weeks before Christmas. Continue reading “Three-time! Bentley drops Pauls in UD12 win, reclaims British middleweight gold”
In a duel between two unbeaten British super-bantamweights, Shabaz Masoud’s discipline saw him silence critics with a skilful 12-round split decision win over the much-fancied Liam Davies during their Birmingham headliner – history repeating itself between local foes dating back to their amateur days. Continue reading “Masoud tames Davies in Birmingham during repeat of their amateur rivalry”
Brad Pauls will make the first defence of his British middleweight championship against former two-time titleholder Denzel Bentley on Dec. 7 as Frank Warren’s Queensberry showcases more talent in the run-up to Christmas with significant stakes for many set to feature – including Solomon Dacres vs. David Adeleye for English heavyweight honours and cruiserweight talent Aloys Junior’s return. Continue reading “Magnificent Seven London: Pauls-Bentley headlines Dec. 7 show at Wembley Arena”
Olympic bronze medallist Frazer Clarke saw his career-best night end rather disastrously on Saudi shores earlier this month and after the initial shock — surgery, well-wishes as well as accepting a lengthy rehabilitation process — had dissipated, the 33-year-old insisted he’s mentally up for the challenge once more after a R1 KO defeat by Fabio Wardley. Will his body follow suit? Continue reading “Frazer Clarke counting on experience as challenging recovery from KO continues”
They did battle in Riyadh five months ago to widespread acclaim and rightly so, as an undisputed world heavyweight champion was crowned for the first time since Lennox Lewis 25 years prior. While a strict sanctioning body means not all the marbles – just unified titles – will be on the line a second time, that doesn’t detract from another compelling clash. Will we get a definitive ending here? Continue reading “Usyk-Fury 2 presser: A tantalising heavyweight rematch needing few words”
Against a short-notice challenger, Sam Gilley retained Commonwealth light-middleweight honours with a fourth-round stoppage win over Jack McGann in their York Hall headliner to cap a night featuring contrasting displays from Royston Barney-Smith and Tommy Fletcher on an eventful undercard.
Continue reading “Gilley drops, stops McGann in four to keep Commonwealth light-middleweight title”
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