David Price - What Next?

David Price - What Next?

David Price - Some decisions to make..

Having seen his attempt at trying to avenge a defeat to Tony Thompson turn to dust it must seem like a very lonely world to David Price at the moment. Even 3 weeks after he was stopped in the 5th, the future will very likely seem uncertain and he'll view it with a lot of trepidation.

So what next? What can he do to turn those 2 Thompson defeats into "glitches" on his path to world glory? Lets not forget he is still the British and Commonwealth Champion..

A lot of people are questioning his chin. This is a myth. He wasn't hit flush on the chin in the first fight, but just under the ear. Anybody who has been hit in this area will know the effect it has on your balance and the equilibrium of the body. Tyson Fury was put on his backside by a blown up cruiserweight, does he have a suspect chin?

Others are questioning his heart. Again this is a myth. To want, demand in fact, a rematch with Thompson to try to avenge that first defeat showed a lot of heart and a lot of courage. You can however, have all the heart in the world but if you have no gas in the tank then it means absolutely nothing and that is the first thing he needs to do.

Before any talk of possible opponents, Price must sort out his conditioning. He must ensure he is able to fight beyond 6 rounds without being gassed. He has power and precision but a lack of stamina will mean he may as well not bother. 

He also needs to sort out "his" team. Is it Maloney and Smith or Lewis and TeamLennox? I don't think there can be a mixture of the two. Different aims and techniques will result in Price being totally confused going into his next fight just as he was coming out for the 5th against Thompson - his corner telling him one thing, Lewis hollering something else from ringside. Some tough decisions need to be made.

Possible opponents need to be looked at carefully. I've seen talk of fighting Lucas Browne or Manuel Charr when he returns to the ring. These fights would be far too risky as a "return" fight. On a couple of undercards Vs Lewison or the like away from Liverpool would be a good starting point. It will take a lot of hard work mentally to get himself back to where he was confidence wise 3 fights ago.

I wish him well...

Tyson Fury - Keeping Himself In The Public's Eye.

Love or Loathe him everyone has an opinion on Tyson Fury.

Fury - The king of twitter

Tyson Fury has a habit of dividing opinion in the boxing world. Last night he perhaps went a little too far tweeting - @Tyson_Fury: I'd would of loved to smash Lenox Lewis if he was around now!!

This caused a lot of reaction within twitter with some calling Fury very stupid and that he should have some respect for one the best heavyweights of all time, others were not so polite.

Never one to duck out of a twitter row, Tyson came back with this - @Tyson_Fury: Lennox could not recover after he was hurt. That why all his losses were by KO!

A further barage of abuse was sent Fury's way, each response being batted away by Fury.

Lewis's response was quite short and to the point - @LennoxLewis ☑Gold Medal ☑British ☑European ☑Commonwealth ☑WBC ☑Lineal ☑WBA ☑IBF ☑IBO ☑Ring ☑Undisputed ☑Boxing Hall of Fame

The record of Lennox Lewis speaks for itself and Fury was "clever" choosing Lewis to have a pop at, having previously used MMA fighters, David Haye, Deontay Wilder and others to keep himself in the headlines. 

With a quarter of a million people following Lewis, Fury has guaranteed a lot of exposure, even if it is just on twitter, all publicity is good publicity and has resulted in people such as myself in writing about him!

Haye's brush with the Fury charm wagon on twitter was a few days ago - @Tyson_Fury If David haye takes this fight ill make him f**k his self! 100% getting it ill make him quit like the bitch he is! 

Some people give haye a punchers chance I give him no chance he has a haymaker I have the pay master & play maker! Haye is getting smashed

Fury is hoping to fight David Haye in September this year and whilst some of his episodes on twitter may be frowned on, he will keep himself and subsequently, Haye in the media and this will make money.

Money is, after all, what makes the world go around.

I wish Tyson well...

Audley Harrison – Inspirational or Delusional?

Audley Harrison – Inspirational or Delusional?

Harrison

Harrison is the fighter who never seems to know when to give up. After his defeat to David Price 99% of people said he should retire. The only person who said no was Audley himself. He believes in himself and in his ability, he believes it is his destiny to be world champion.

He saw the latest heavyweight prizefighter show as a stepping stone back onto the road he has tried to follow many times before. Whilst others laughed, sighed and pointed at him his single minded determination resulted in him actually winning the event for the second time. 

He is now lined up to fight Deontay Wilder on Amir Khan’s undercard on 27^th April in Sheffield. Wilder is the great hope from the USA with a record of 27 fight, 27 wins, 27 KOs!!

Wilder

During his pro career whenever it looked like he might have found some belief to go with his undoubted ability he would fall again and would then have to face a torrent of questioning whether he really was any good. For example beating Danny Williams in Sept 2006, but then being beaten by Michael Sprott in his next fight by TKO.

He tried to scale many hills and mountains but always slipped, stumbled and fell before he got to the summit, yet he keeps getting up and trying again…

23 KOs from 31 wins shows that Audley had the power and skill to beat any opponent in front of him on his day, BUT,  6 losses, 4 of which were to Sprott, Williams, Rogan and Guinn show that he lacked the mental ability to go with his boxing skill. At times it looked like he was a rabbit caught in headlights. The 3rd round against David Haye was a classic example of this.

 

Along with prizefighter the highlight of his pro career was winning the European heavyweight title at his second attempt against Michael Sprott.

But he never wrapped a belt around his waist again and may never again – Yet he still believes...

His defeat at the hands of the commonwealth heavyweight, David Price, after 82 seconds should be his last and should also make it clear to Audley himself that he does not have the tools any longer to succeed at the top of the game domestically, never mind European or world level.

Yet Audley still believes.

We should not forget the good that Audley did boxing and the abuse he received before and after the Price fight was, in my opinion scandalous. Had Audley not won Gold at the 2000 Olympics, boxing GB would have scaled back its programme even more and would also have received a lot less  funding, possibly meaning the end of Olympic boxing in the country. 

He always believed he'd win gold.

With no TeamGB there would have been no Khan, Degale, Joshua, Adams, Price, etc, etc learning their trades in the amateurs winning medals at Olympic games. I think people should remember that.

Harrison will go into the fight with Wilder as a big underdog with the bookies, however there are those who think he may beat Wilder. Wilder after all is yet to face anybody in the top 30 in the world even after 27 fights and although he has a great KO record is still not a “name” in America and isn’t showcased on US TV the way Fury and Price are in the UK.

A win for Harrison won’t get him a shot at one of the Klitschkos for a title, but it will put him back in the reckoning. Harrison is an enigma that sells tickets and makes money, whether if it’s from people supporting him or people wanting to see him knocked out his opponents won’t mind. His PR machine will go into overdrive calling for a fight with a genuine top 5 contender, nobody will give him a chance – yet he'll still believe.

I asked the question is Audley Inspirational or Delusional at the beginning. 


Whatever you, I or anybody else thinks, I know what Audley believes…


I wish him well…
 

Edit- Wilder stopped Harrison in 70 seconds of the first round.

 

Lucas Browne - The Dark Horse Of Heavyweight Boxing.

Lucas Browne - The Big Daddy..

Lucas Browne

Lucas Browne was part of a blog I wrote in April 2012 under another name, he is also mentioned in my picks of 2013 - Click here for that blog. I have written a blog about him when he was due to fight Richard Towers in an eliminator for David Price's Commonwealth Belt and I have been a big cheerleader of his on various fans forums, twitter and facebook.

Suffice to say I am a huge fan of "BigDaddy".

Why am I a big fan? Why am I a big fan of a fighter who is based on the other side of the world from where I live? Ask yourself why is Ricky Hatton Lucas' promoter...

Lucas has had 15 fights winning all of those 15, 14 of which he has won by KO. He has a style that I like with a huge punch. Once he connects correctly then there will only be one outcome. His last fight was against the Japanese heavyweight Masataka Takehara who was dispatched by KO in the first round. Takehara had previously fought Alex Leapai, (Australian No1 by some), and had gained a draw over 6 rounds. Lucas' KO of Takehara in the first round should not be swept aside as many are trying to do. 

Alex Leapai

Lucas' manager Matt Clark and promoter Hatton Promotions obviously think he is heading upwards and onwards as his next fight is against James "Lights Out" Toney. Toney is a legend of the ring and although his best years are far behind him this is a big test for Lucas, he has a lot of experience (74 fights), and has never been stopped, (7 defeats). 

"Lights Out" Toney

This is the "name" that Lucas needs to propel him into the same breath as Charr, Wilder, Boytsov & Helenius, who are all seen as potential world title challengers. In my very honest opinion Browne beats Wilder, Boytsov and Helenius now. Charr will come with a few fights more to gain experience.

I see Browne being the first boxer to KO Toney and then he will have to relocate to Europe to further his career. To have a 16-0 record with 15 stoppages will alert a lot of people in and around the myriad of belts and titles, I could see a shot at the commonwealth title next and then 2 more fights before a title shot, perhaps against Fury...

Time will tell. First he needs to dispatch Toney and then perhaps look at a fight with the like of Ruslan Chagaev or similar in the UK to futher enhance his profile.

Heading for the top...

What I can say without doubt is that Lucas is quite clearly a ferocious talent with TNT in his fists, who will have a shot at the title.

I wish him well... 

Edit - Browne easily defeated Toney with a unanimous points decision, winning every round of the fight.

Browne Vs Toney - Full Fight, CLICK HERE.

With thanks to Hattonboxing.com  for the video..

Edit - Lucas will fight Richard Towers on 25th July in an eliminator for the commonwealth title.
 

 

Manuel Charr - Could He Be The Real Deal?

Can he back up his comments and claims?

Manuel Charr

Manuel Charr ranked 8th in the world by the WBC has a record of 22 fights, winning 21 of which 12 were by KO. His only loss was to Vitali Klitschko when he was stopped in the 4th round from a cut after being put on the canvas in 2nd round. That was 2 fights ago. He won his comeback fight Vs Konstantin Airich by a first round KO. A great way to bounce back from a loss by stoppage.

Charr stopping Airich

In recent weeks Charr has taken to twitter to "call out" some names including Fury and Haye for elimination fights so he can get another shot at Vitali. The loss to Vitali is something that clearly eats away at Charr and one which he truly belives he can avenge. 

There was mention of a possible fight with Chisora, but Charr has declined that offer saying he would only consider Haye. There was also a spat on twitter against "contender" (I use that description in it's loosest sense) Deontay Wilder, with Charr quite rightly dismissing Wilder's claims for a shot. 

Charr said about Wilder “I don’t even know who that guy is. I didn’t know he is a fighter. Nobody in Europe has ever heard about him. I checked his record and now I know why nobody knows or cares about Wilder. He should start fighting people with a pulse before calling me out. I want a rematch with Vitali Klitschko. I don’t think beating up a guy like Wilder will bring me any closer to that goal. But if he wants to come to Europe I might even give him a shot at my title. I am not ducking anybody and not running away.” Charr is right, Wilder has fought nobody and will get found out at some point this year I believe."

Wilder - Still some way to go.

Charr's next fight is against Yakup Saglam for Charr's WBC International Silver Heavyweight Title in Romania on Feb 22nd. How Charr believes this will take him nearer to another shot at Vitali I have no idea however, it is more than likely a case of keeping himself busy against a fighter with a good record as he tries to get a fight with one of the top 10 boxers. The problem for Charr and for many of the top heavyweights in the world at the moment is that they can sense the fall and/or possible retirement of Vitali and want to be in the best possible position to be able to claim his title, which means the big fights won't happen for a while sadly.

This may hinder Charr's chances of a rematch which is, as I've already said, really eating Manuel up. 

Charr Vs Vitali Klitschko

He said “Vitali knows how it feels when you are stopped by a cut in a world title fight. He also knows how it feels if the guy you want to beat retires and doesn’t give you a second chance. I hope that he doesn’t make the same mistake Lennox Lewis made some years ago. I really hope that he gives me another shot so I can prove to him, the world and myself that I am his legitimate successor. I want to be the best and I want to beat the best to get there.”

Could Charr be the real deal? In a word - YES. 

Very much so, he has power and can hit hard to the body. He needs to perhaps work on his combination shots in order to get some guys with better defences out quicker, but his body work is among the best in the division. I don't think he'll get his shot at Vitali anytime soon. There are others such as Haye and Fury already infront of him, but should the Heavyweight division splinter then he is more than capable of picking up a belt.

I wish Manuel well....

(EDIT:- Charr beat Saglam in the second round of their fight)

(Further Edit:- On 28th April it was confirmed that Manuel Charr will fight David Haye on 29th June at the MEN)

(Even further EDIT:- David Haye pulled out through "Injury")

David Haye - Fighter or Celebrity?

The question Haye must answer...

David Haye - Boxer

David Haye the charismatic, brash, hugely talented boxer has in recent months/weeks/days been calling out Vitali Klitschko for a shot at Vitali's WBC belt, but the question that needs to be asked is Haye still a fighter or is he some C list celebrity that used to be a boxer? 

In the last 18 months Haye has had 2 fights in a ring, a brawl outside it, has spent some time in a jungle reality show but has continued to call out Vitali for a fight.

Let's go into more detail. In July 2011 Haye fought Wladimir Klitschko for his world title belts (WBA, WBO, IBF), but lost a unanimous points after an extremely poor performance (considering the grandstanding before the fight), which he blamed on his toe being broken. Some months later in Feb 2012 Haye turns up at a post fight press conference between Derek Chisora and Vitali Klitschko. He ends up brawling with Chisora (after the initial pre-planed stunt went wrong), and the 2 men start a build up to a domestic fight. In July 2012 a full year after his last fight Haye beats Chisora by TKO in the 5th after a great display of boxing power and precision. Nov 2012 he enters the reality show I'm a Celebrity get me out of here, eventually coming 3rd.

This week Haye has said Vitali has until the end of the summer to agree to fight him or it's all off. What makes him think 2 fights (1 win, 1 loss) in 18 months make him able to call the shots?

Vitali Klitschko

Granted Haye is big business and his stint in the jungle has shown a different side to him and made him known to a much bigger audience, in much the same way Audley Harrison did when appearing on Come Dancing. Haye is also able to put "bums on seats" and could probably sell the fight on PPV himself, however a fighter needs to be active in order to gain a shot doesn't he? Manuel Charr has been busy calling Haye out to fight him with the winner getting a shot at Vitali. Charr has fought Vitali before when he was outclassed and battered by him before being stopped in the 4th round. In order to get a rematch Charr has to fight a "contender" and Haye is currently classed as not only a contender but also big business.

Charr after his 4th rd loss to Vitali

A fight against Charr is the way to go for Haye in my opinion if he is seriuos about his own legacy. Vitali (45-2, 41 KOs), has never been floored and is the owner of the second-highest heavyweight knockout percentage in history (87.76%), so no matter how good he thinks he is, Haye will need a warm up fight, Charr presents such an opportunity. The only other option is to fight Tyson Fury, but I doubt if either fighter would risk a shot at the belt knowing they could quite easily get KO'd by the other.

David Haye - Celebrity

Haye the supremely self confident man that he is will probably keep on calling out Vitali whilst passing judgements on Price, Fury and the rest of the division and also ignoring Charr's challenge.

I asked at the beginning - Is Haye still a fighter or is he some C list celebrity that used to be a boxer? We will see in the coming weeks/months but at the time of writing he was appearing on lunchtime housewives show Loose Women.

Whatever he decides to do, I wish him well...

(EDIT:- David Haye has now signed to fight Tyson Fury on 28th Sept in Manchester - Edit:- he has pulled out of fighting Fury through injury twice)

(Haye's last fight was 12th July 2012.).