Analysis, features, news plus more – on European football and sports galore!
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA — There’s nothing quite like the night before a big fight, or in this case, a supercharged bill stacked with world championship bouts galore and stakes aplenty. Continue reading “After a boisterous weigh-in day, Bakole’s late arrival keeps intrigue hanging”
Continue reading “Joseph Parker stays cool in the chaos as Last Crescendo show must go on”
Now-former English heavyweight champion Solomon Dacres was left dazed on the canvas, his unbeaten record erased and an excellent training camp all for naught by a motivated challenger in David Adeleye during their long-awaited December duel. A first pro loss won’t define his rebuild, the 31-year-old insists. Continue reading “Dubois’ sparring partner Dacres optimistic after Adeleye loss, eyeing April return”
It feels like just yesterday, Zhilei Zhang was ripping up the script with a pair of emphatic stoppage victories in the English capital as the divisional landscape dramatically shifted again. Now, he faces another younger, ambitious and unbeaten heavyweight looking to announce himself among the super elite at his expense. So, I spoke to his trainer Shaun George for the inside track. Continue reading “Exclusive: Zhang’s trainer Shaun George talks lessons learned as Kabayel awaits”
BOXXER chief Ben Shalom was optimistic when previewing the 2025 calendar, providing updates across various weight divisions with activity and momentum in mind during the Azim-Lipinets media day before their first show this year in Sheffield, headlined by Callum Simpson on Saturday night. Continue reading “Ben Shalom: Riakporhe, Clarke and Whittaker all set to return in April”
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?”
13 months ago, Daniel Dubois was downtrodden and downbeat on his way back from Wroclaw after suffering a second career defeat – this time with contentious circumstances preceding it – against Oleksandr Usyk. Who would’ve thought, little over a year later, that he’d have knocked out the country’s superstar at a record Wembley crowd and become a legitimate world titleholder himself? Continue reading “Dubois: My time and redemption story, after R5 KO world title win vs. Joshua”
Having inflicted Filip Hrgovic’s first pro loss on the Matchroom vs. Queensberry 5v5 card in Riyadh on June 1, Daniel Dubois has now been upgraded to become the full IBF heavyweight world champion after undisputed king Oleksandr Usyk had an extension request rejected and vacated – allowing Dubois vs. Anthony Joshua – two former foes – to box for world honours in three months’ time. Continue reading “Usyk vacates IBF heavyweight title, Dubois upgraded to full champion before Joshua bout on Sept. 21 at Wembley”
Jack Massey boxed well to produce a UD12 upset over former British cruiserweight champion Isaac Chamberlain on the CBS-Riakporhe 2 undercard last Saturday, becoming the new European and Commonwealth titlist at 200lbs. Yet if you read what the 31-year-old said after getting this short-notice opportunity, you wouldn’t have been surprised with the eventual outcome. Continue reading “Jack Massey’s upset prediction aged perfectly vs. Isaac Chamberlain, but why?”
Almost a year to the day since he was dethroned as WBO cruiserweight world champion, Lawrence Okolie ended Lukasz Rozanski’s unbeaten 15-0 record with a destructive first-round knockout win on enemy soil in Rzeszow, Poland. Now, he’s keeping his options open as a heavyweight move has again been teased – but has he done enough to settle at world-level against tougher opposition? Continue reading “After icing Rozanski in a round, Okolie’s second chapter begins at bridgerweight”
Although he got tagged more than many expected from his latest step-up in opposition, New Zealand’s unbeaten cruiserweight talent David Nyika improved to 9-0 and passed the latest test with a fourth-round stoppage win over Germany’s Michael Seitz. Afterwards we spoke about what’s next, things to take from his showing and being inspired by a former world champion compatriot.
Continue reading “Exclusive: David Nyika wants activity, spot on Joseph Parker undercard in Q3 of 2024”
Former unified world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua scored another stoppage win, this time making quick work of former UFC champion-turned-boxer Francis Ngannou in their 10-round main event on a night where his former foe Joseph Parker snatched the WBO interim heavyweight title – despite conceding two knockdowns against Joe Joyce’s conqueror Zhilei Zhang. Continue reading “Knockout Chaos: Joshua drops, stops Ngannou in R2 with destructive display”
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