May-Pac is just a distant memory and was a night when boxing seemed to get it wrong. That great night of boxing in London last week got it right?
?According to the naysayers, boxing is on its death bed?always has been and always will be, might as well roll itself into a big ball and die. Actually, at least on these shores, it is experiencing a golden age?. British boxing will be flashing, banging and walloping for the foreseeable future. As far as boxing goes, that?s pretty much all you can ask for.??Ben Dirs,BBC Sport, at London?s O2 Arena
?Anthony [Joshua] is going to beat every single heavyweight in the world? We have a chance for a heavyweight to fly the flag for Great Britain and let?s all enjoy the journey.??Eddie Hearn
?It?s gonna be all action from me.??Kell Brook
?It seems like he (Brook) just wants to fight me for the pay day? The only way he is going to make big money is to fight Amir Khan.??Khan
?We are looking at having his (DeGale) homecoming in October in London and Kessler, Bute and Hopkins are all in the mix.??Hearn
?If he (DeGale) fights someone like me, he wouldn?t get past round eight on that performance. He would get absolutely knocked out.??Carl Froch
Following a pack of heavy-handed Argentineans, the Eastern Euros charged onto the boxing landscape and then the Japanese surged. But all of a sudden, it?s Ricky Hatton, Lennox Lewis, Frank Bruno, and Alan Minter all over again; same faces?just different names. And make no mistake, these new lads can fight. In fact, with the addition of James DeGale?s IBF super middleweight and Lee Selby?s IBF featherweight belts, the United Kingdom can now boast six world champions?not even counting Carl Froch, Amir Khan, George Groves, Tony Bellew, and undefeated Tyson Fury (24-0). And Ovill McKenzie is probably the best fighter in the world with a 24-12 record.
James DeGale (21-1)
First off, James ?Chunky? DeGale, 29, just made history when he became the first British Olympic gold medallist to win a world title as a professional with a unanimous decision victory over Andre Dirrell, another Olympic medalist, in Boston. He now has a number of lucrative options open to him.
Kell Brook (35-0)
Then, in a big night of boxing put together by Eddie Hearn at the O2 Arena in Greenwich, London, United Kingdom, IBF welterweight champion and world-class slickster Brook destroyed his awkward opponent Frankie Gavin (22-2, 13 KOs) in six rounds in retaining his IBF 147-pound title. The extremely talented Brook landed a nice right hand that hurt Gavin and then quickly unloaded until Gavin slumped into the ropes.
Lee Selby (21-1)
In a genuine shocker, IBF featherweight champion Evgeny Gradovich (19-1-1, 9 KOs) was beaten by Selby by way of an 8th round technical decision. Gradovich was cut badly over both eyes leading to the stoppage. The cuts resulted from a head-clash. Selby, who made the Russian look like a club fighter at times with brilliant timing and footwork, clearly won by scores of 79-73, 80-72, 79-73, and is the third Welshman to win a featherweight world title, after the great Howard Winstone and Steve Robinson, and the 12th Welsh world champion in all.
Nathan Cleverly (29-2)
Former WBO light heavyweight champion Cleverly got a confidence-building win with an easy 1st round knockout over low- tier fighter Tomas Man (13-9-1, 8 KOs) with a left hook to the body. The fight was over in just 24 seconds. Cleverly was playing it safe because he has a world title shot coming up against WBA champion Juergen Braehmer
Kevin Mitchell (39-3)
?Desperately unlucky not to swell the number of UK world champions to seven was Dagenham?s Kevin Mitchell, whose unsuccessful challenge for Jorge Linares?s WBC lightweight title was the most stirring contest of the night.??Ben Dirs
?He had the three-weight world champion on the deck after a right hand confused and a left through the guard rattled. The count reached eight and Linares could barely coordinate his legs.??Riath Al Samarrai
Jorge ?Golden Boy? Linares (39-3) has rarely been in a non-exciting fight and his flair for late round dramatics makes him one the most fan-friendly fighters in boxing. However, the gritty and gusty Mitchell almost spoiled things for the Venezuelan who resides in Tokyo and is a former training mate of the late Edwin Valero.
Mitchell is unlikely to return to the ring any time soon as he recovers from the brutal and bloody brawl that left him needing multiple stitches around both eyes and his nose. He was ultimately stopped in the 10th round, having knocked down the WBC lightweight champion, Linares, in the fifth. However, Mitchell could not finish him and so Linares was still around in the 10th, the brutal round that broke Mitchell?s challenge but not his heart. Linares kept cutting and bashing Mitchell?s face and body. Then, after one big right, Mitchell smiled at him. Finally, the fight was stopped as the Brit lay crumpled in a corner.
Because of the story behind the story about Mitchell?s recovery from alcoholism, this fight was the most stirring of the night. Already there are talks for a rematch, but having taken such a ferocious beating, he may not have enough left for another go at Linares.
Anthony Joshua (13-0)
?So far so good, but in the back of my mind I know it?s going to get tougher.??Joshua
In the co-feature bout of last Saturdays big fight card, unbeaten heavyweight Anthony Joshua made fast work of the Kingpin by blowing away aging Kevin Johnson (29-7-1, 14 KOs) by a crunching 2nd round knockout. It wasn?t so long ago that 6?9? David Price was Britain?s great heavyweight hope, the same spot that Joshua now occupies. However, either Dillian ?The Villain? Whyte (14-0) or Price would represent new challenges for the rampaging Joshua. Joshua and Whyte have a deep history after facing off in the amateurs with Whyte being the victor. Tony ?The Tiger? Thompson lurks, and while New Zealander Joseph Parker can?t match Joshua physically, he competed at super heavyweight as an amateur and has plenty of pop in his punches. He also boasts an identical 13-0 record. Dereck Chisora and Hughie Fury (15-0) would offer different challenges as well. After all is said and done, a Whyte vs. Joshua fight would be a most compelling one.
It?s an interesting time to be a British heavyweight.
Amir Khan (31-3)
?Amir Khan is a brilliant fighter but he?s scared of getting beat.??Hearn
Most observers feel his win over the game Chris Algieri failed to pass the litmus test for a fight with Floyd Mayweather. In fact, Algieri surprisingly made it a lot closer than what two of the judges had it. Ironically, Chris came out of the fight with more gravitas than did Khan.
?Looking back I suppose I made the weight too early. A lot of people were saying my physique was not as it has been before. I did not feel the same explosiveness, speed or power. I?ve not spoken to Virgil about it yet but I will,? says Khan as the excuses for his less-than-compelling performance come rolling in.
Luke Campbell (11-0)
Olympic champion Campbell scored a 3rd round TKO on Saturday as he beat Aboubeker Bechelaghem. While the jury is still out on Luke, a verdict will likely be rendered when he faces off with Tommy ?Boom Boom? Coyle (21-2) in a much anticipated fight that should happen soon.
May-Pac is just a distant memory now and, in retrospect, was a night when boxing seemed to get it wrong. That great night of boxing in London last week got it right.
