ShoBox 30/12/2011 Preview

The headliners in Cabazon tonight

Tonight sees the last decent Boxing event of 2011, live on Showtime as two former Super 6 entrants return to the ring at the Morongo Casino Report & Spa in Cabazon, California.


The first sees one time P4P leader Jermain Taylor return at middleweight, this his first fight a 12th round KO defeat against Arthur Abraham in October 2009, this being the second time he had boxed well, but being stopped in the final round, previously by Carl Froch. He has lost four of his last five fights, but has been defeated just once as a middleweight in his career. The talent is there, but this really is a gimme on return as he faces Baltimore man Jessie Nicklow, who was stopped in four by the best name on his record, Fernando Guerrero, and has just eight stoppage wins in 27 pro fights.


Andre Dirrell is another on the comeback trail and like Taylor his last fight was v Abraham, becoming the first man to beat and stop the German, this in October of last year. He's not the most fan friendly fighter, his fight v Froch was a real dud, but he is a pretty slick boxer, and could have a style to give world #1 Andre Ward some real problems. On paper he has a harder fight than Taylor, against Darryl Cunningham, who has lost twice, but is on a 18 fight win streak. The problem could be he is 37 years old and with this being an all southpaw fight, it could be a bit messy.

Perez needs to impress

Two Irish based Cubans are on the bill as Prizefighter heavyweight champ Mike Perez faces the game and tough Friday Ahunanya, stopped just once in 35 fights by Lance Whittaker and at one time he has been a top 25 fight heavyweight. Perez really didnt impress in his last fight, and has lost a lot of hype since his Prizefighter success, so this is pretty big!


The other Cuban on the bill is Luis Garcia, a light heavyweight, who hasnt been in the ring for 13 months and faces a very dangerous fight against fellow unbeaten fighter Alexander Johnson, who had an excellent MD win in April over then 19-0 Farah Ennis. Garcia has the amateur pedigree, and also the better pro form, but ring rustyness could level it out, which makes this a very interesting contest.

Pedraza at the pre-week weigh in

There's one or two other decent prospects on the bill, including 8-0 (7 KO's) LA based Ukrainian Ivan Redkach, but the more interesting fighter is Puerto Rican Jose Pedraza 5-0 (4 KO's), a very talented 22 year old lightweight. I'm not a 100% sure who he's fighting, I've heard he's facing a Ghanaian kid, but so far no opponent is announced on Boxrec. Pedraza has looked very good so far in his short pro career, and last time out in El Paso stopped Ecuadorian John Wampash in four, something hot prospect Gary Russell Jr couldnt do in his second pro fight.


This bill is live on Premier Sports in the UK at 4am, it is a bit late, but I'm hoping to watch it, and will review the performances shown in the coming days.

2011 Fight of the Year

We've had Fighters of the Year and Trainer of the Year, but to cap it off now, I'm going to pick my 2011 Fight of the Year.

First of all some fights that I really enjoyed, but just didnt make the cut. Liam  Walsh v Paul Appleby was an absolute small hall classic and many people's British fight of the year, both guys showed so much guts and the fight had absolutely everything, however another British fight has beaten it.

Cotto v Margarito II had a great buildup and both guys went to war again, while in the same month Amir Khan v Lamont Peterson was a real rollercoaster, with Peterson winning a controversial bout on a split decision.

A fight that came really close for me was the February bout between Brandon Rios and Miguel Acosta, for Acosta's WBA lightweight title. Bam Bam is never in a bad fight and both guys delivered a great fight for the fans in Vegas here, with Rios winning the all out war in 10.

Mitchell v Murray was a great fight

However like at the British Boxing Board of Control award ceremony, my Fight of the Year is the July bout between Kevin Mitchell and John Murray. I and probably everyone in Boxing knew this was going to be a great fight. Both guys are true warriors and from the first bell both guys went to work in what was a real classic. Being a fan of both fighters, it was great to see such a great showing, and when you consider Murray hadnt even had a great camp, it was testament to both fighters for putting on such a good show at the Echo Arena. Mitchell showed a bit of everything in the fight, some guts, great conditioning, power and most importantly classy skills as he won in eight, with this his first bout since the devestating loss to Katsidis.

Well done to both fighters and I look forward to seeing them both back in action in 2012.

2011 Trainer of the Year

Honourable mentions here have to go to Oxnard's Robert Garcia, who has a brilliant gym in California, Andre Ward's trainer Virgil Hunter, and father/son combo Jimmy and Mark Tibbs have had a great year, shown in their work with British champ Colin Lynes.


However I've gone for a fellow Welshman here (no bias) and my 2011 trainer of the year is Newport's Tony Borg.


Earlier this month Lee Selby made a successful first defence of his British and Commonwealth titles, becoming the first man to stop the very tough John Simpson, doing so with a body shot in the 5th.

Dragon Boxing Trainer of the year 2011, Tony Borg.

In Selby and British super feather champ Gary Buckland, they have two fighters who have come on leaps and bounds this year, and looked very good in winning British belts.


Below these two, they have some awesome amateurs at the gym with Fred Evans, who has qualified for the Olympics, and the hotly tipped Joe Cordina and Sean McGoldrick, who recently won Gold at the Olympic test event in London. These along with Lee's brother Andrew, who is an awesome amateur fighter and sometimes trains at the gym, shows that there's real depth to this gym.


Borg has clearly improved technique of the fighters and also brought a great conditioning program. He has been around for quite some time, but finally he seems to be getting some credit for the great work he does in South Wales.

Fighters of 2011

That time of year to recap on 2011, plenty of good fights and those will come later in the week, but who have been my top five fighters of 2011? These are in no particular order.


1. Saul "Canelo" Alvarez

Saunders is a fighter to watch

Yes he had an easy world title fight against light punching welterweight Matthew Hatton, but has gone on to stop quality challengers Ryan Rhodes, Alfonso Gomez and Kermit Cintron. What I've really liked about this guy is he's been very active and expect his ever increasing stock to rise further in 2012.


2. Anthony Crolla


I'm a big fan of the current British lightweight champion, who has come on in leaps and bounds under Joe Gallagher. Won the title with a dominant performance over John Watson, finishing with a wonderful shot, and recently made a successful first defence, again on away territory against Willie Limond, who he outboxed easily over 12. The rumour mill suggests a big fight with Ricky Burns in March beckons for "Million Dollar".


3. Kell Brook

A huge all British world title fight with Burns awaits Crolla

Another fighter who's remained active and just this past weekend made his US debut on the Ward v Froch undercard. Very mature fighter and definitely needs to be stepped up to world level having beaten former world title challengers Lovemore N'Dou and Rafal Jackiewicz this year, he's the only guy to have stopped the very tough Pole.


4. Billy Joe Saunders


Big fan of this guy, he's such a fantastic fighter in my opinion and has come on well in the last few months of the year, picking up his first title, which was the Southern Area belt in his first full 10 rounder against Gary Boulden. Is in the right camp with Jimmy and Mark Tibbs, and needs some title fights in early 2012 to move on.


5. Andre Ward


Hard not to put this guy in after his very easy win over Carl Froch at the weekend. Froch never gives anyone a comfortable fight, but Ward was quite simply better than him in all areas. He made the very straining Super 6 look like a cake walk and some mega fights will be lined up in 2012.

Super 6 Final should be a classic

Which fighter will hold the belts at the end?

No surprise to see Andre Ward as a big favourite with the bookies, considering he's not lost in years and is a very skilled fighter.

Styles make fights though and I think this is going to be a completely different challenge for Ward.

At the start of this Super 6 tournament he looked very good in beating what was an old looking Kessler. The form of that has been boosted by Kessler winning a world title since and also beating Froch (contentious decision), but for me something was wrong with the Dane that night.

This guy is a very slick and exceptionally fast fighter, but his last three fights has seen him fight no more than decent operators, who became punch bags. Allan Green and Sakio Bika werent even in the competition to start off with, and those are a good couple of levels below Froch, while Arthur Abraham in his last fight, was a shot fighter at this level after Froch demolished him in front of his own crowd on his own show.

What makes Froch such a lively underdog in this fight is that he's such a great away fighters, only one of his last five fights have been in the UK. The judges scored his last fight with Glen Johnson a MD, but many press people had it clear for Froch and he was always the stronger guy in the ring. This guy is a warrior, we know what he's going to bring, loads of pressure, big punches, but he's also as technically sound as Ward.

I'll have to be honest, I would find it hard to go against Froch here because I'm such a massive fan of him as a person and fighter, but having evaluated the fight, I think he stands a great chance. He's a better fighter than he was going into the Kessler fight, there's not so much pressure on him, and looking at how he boxed v Abraham, he is a supremely confident fighter at the moment. 

Of Ward's 24 wins as a pro, he's won 13 of them early, but look at it early and he's won just two by KO, showing he's not really a big puncher, and the guys he has stopped have been at a very low level. When you think that Froch has stopped the likes of Jermain Taylor and Brian Magee, you can see what kind of level he's at. I think he brings the more natural power and if I was in the Ward camp I'd be worried about that as fast hands can only do so much.

I think this could very well be decided in the last three or four rounds, both guys tend to come on strong, and in their last fights, both guys has impressive finishes. Froch's power stays with him to the end however and that could be absolute key in this contest. It wont be easy for the Nottingham man and going over to the US is not easy, but he's done it before and there's no reason why he cant do it again.

Five things to watch at York Hall on Wednesday night

Great to have a midweek bill on Box Nation (Sky 456) this week, headlined by British champ Lee Selby, defending his belt against Scotland's John Simpson.


York Hall is the venue and it should be a good bill, here are five things to watch if you're watching it at home or going down to Bethnal Green.


1. Can the main event live up to it's billing?


People in the trade are buzzing about this one, it's a proper 50/50 fight, and the kind of fight everyone who loves boxing will relish. Selby looked great last time out v Stephen Smith, a guy who's twice outpointed John Simpson. The Scot is a warrior though, experienced at championship level, does 12 rounds standing on his head, and actually is a bigger puncher than his record suggests. People will remember that it was this time last year that he beat Martin Lindsay in Belfast to win this title.


2. Will Steve O'Meara impress again?


Steve O'Meara looked outstanding in knocking out the unbeaten Ryan Toms in a round last time out, and big surprise considering he had just two KO's going into that one. He's only lost to late Prizefighter winner Brett Flournoy and unbeaten Liverpool man Joe Selkirk (both on points) and is a Southern area champ in an open light middleweight division. He faces Nathan Wiese, a light puncher, who drew with Toms last time out.


3. Can Billy Joe Saunders end 2011 on a high?


Billy Joe Saunders has been very active in the last few months, and having gone 10 rounds for the first time last time out, expect him to show his improvement on this bill. He's one of my favourite fighters on the UK scene and although no opponent has been named so far, this is all about the performance, we need to see something that sets it up nicely for 2012.


4. Can unbeaten prospect Georgie Michael Carman bounce back?


Carman was being heralded as a fighter to look out for a few months back, but really disappointed last time on TV at Wembley, claiming a very lucky draw against Tom Bowen. Considering Bowen was then blown out in a round against a guy with a record of 0-0-1, it has made Carman's showing look even more disappointing. At York Hall he faces the very hard to look good against, Robin Deakin, but he needs a big performance.


5. Is Michael Maguire a fighter to keep our eye on?


6-0 (2 KO's) super bantamweight Michael Maguire from Peterborough was with Hayemaker and had some good performances, but he's been out of the ring since January 2010 and it's hard to know what to expect. He's not been given an easy fight to return, facing Najah Ali, stopped only by Michael Walsh, and with a 10 round points win over Don Broadhurst.

The Scots are making a wee bit of noise

Burns is a two weight world champ

Spearheaded by current WBO interim lightweight champion Ricky Burns and his trainer Billy Nelson, Scottish Boxing is buzzing at the moment, with plenty of good prospects coming through, and also some big fights on the horizon.


Burns has had a magnificent year and has become a two weight world champion, improving so much in the last two years, which kicked off with that incredible points win over then #1 super featherweight, Roman "Rocky" Martinez. The way he out-boxed Katsidis was superb, and showed everyone, including myself, that he is a genuine world level operator. A big all British clash with Kevin Mitchell, or even John Murray beckons, but their could also be a couple of all Scottish clashes for him.


Lee McAllister has had his last three fights at 140lbs and challenges for the European light welterweight title in February 2012, but he could easily drop down a division. While Burns another potential opponent for Burns could be the returning Scott Harrison, back from his jail sentence in Spain, and set to return at this weight, having like Burns been a world champion at super feather.

Harrison is coming back in 2012

This week John Simpson challenges Lee Selby for the British featherweight title, I fight I really fancy him winning, especially as he's had more time at Nelson's gym for this one. Another Nelson fighter was excellent in his most recent fight, Paul Appleby played his part in probably one of the British fights of the year against the unbeaten Liam Walsh, which he lost on points. Appleby is still young and with more work and focused camps, he is a danger in the super featherweight division.


It's hard to forget Kenny Anderson because he's not based north of border anymore after some gangland problems, but this guy is an absolute warrior, shown in his fight with George Groves and just needs the breaks to get a title opportunity. He's in action this week as well.

Simmons is one of several prospects impressing in Scotland

The depth of talent goes right down to the prospects coming through, Stephen Simmons is an excellent, former amateur star at cruiserweight, who is 3-0 (1 KO) and has shown great power and an impressive skillset in his three outings. The flyweight division is probably not the most well known in Britain, but a 19 year old called Iain Butcher is coming through, he's 2-0 (0 KO's), and has boxed nicely in both pro appearances. A fighter I've featured before on my blog is super feather Michael Roberts, who's 6-0 (0 KO's), like Butcher has nice skills, but might lack some power, and the same can be said about another fighter in the division, Glasgow man Jon Slowey, who's 7-0 with no early wins. Finally there's a highly regarded light welterweight coming through called Sammy Hill (2-0, 0 KO's), who has boxed incredibly well in his two pro outings.


All of this makes for a very promising future for Scottish Boxing, it would be great to see Ricky Burns headlining a big bill at Hampden Park or somewhere in the next year or two, but we've seen some decent bills at places like Kelvin Hall and Ravenscraig Leisure Centre recently, and there's definitely a market for it in Scotland.


Being a Welshman I have to mention that like in Scotland with Nathan Cleverly heading the charge, Welsh Boxing is back on the up, and I think it's safe to say that the Celts are coming!

Fight predictions - Weekend starting 2/12/2011

Huge weekend of Boxing and I'm absolutely buzzing about all the action. I have been doing detailed previews of late, but with so much action and the fact I want to concentrate on the prospects a bit more, I'll just summarise the fights with a sentence or two.

Felix Sturm v Martin Murray

Sturm was very lucky to beat Macklin last time out, and Matt's style just didnt suit him at all. The pace v Murray will be slower and that will help the ex world amateur champ. Murray has a good defence and doesnt make any mistakes, but Sturm will have a bit more class. STURM UD

Chris Avalos v Jhonatan Romero

Good super bantamweight matchup on Showtime tonight and I like an upset here. Avalos is highly touted, but rushes a bit too much for me and can leave himself open, he's also the one with a loss to his name here. Romero is very fit, has a clever, boxing style, and has mixed at a decent level in 2011. ROMERO SD

Anthony Dirrell v Renan St Juste

The bill topper of the card mentioned above and a really intriguing super middleweight title eliminator. Dirrell is the brother of Super 6 dropout Andre, and is unbeaten in 23 fights, winning 20 early. This is going to be a great learning fight for him over a dangerous, if somewhat inconsistent St Juste. DIRRELL UD

Robert Helenius v Dereck Chisora

A lot of people will fancy the unbeaten Helenius on home turf, but I think Chisora has the potential to really upset the odds. He looks fit and focused on this fight, something he wasnt against Fury. Helenius has mixed at a good level, but hasnt fought anyone with the same hunger nor fight left in him as Del Boy. CHISORA WIN

Alexander Povetkin v Cedric Boswell

Povetkin had a lot of hype surrounding him as he entered the pro ranks, but that has left him and I can see why. He's not been too impressive of late and has had to work pretty hard to win his last two fights. Boswell has got some decent skills, he's on a good run of form, and in a weird kind of way, deserves his chance. I cant see him being good enough to win here though. POVETKIN UD

Prince Arron v Brian Rose

Arron makes the first defence of his British title and having won his last three by stoppage, I fancy another early win here. He's a tough guy to beat in this division because of his heigh and looked great in his last fight v Sam Webb. Rose has mixed at a pretty low level and has question marks hanging over his ability and chin. ARRON RD7

Vic Darchinyan v Anselmo Moreno

Darchinyan is talking about going into MMA after this fight, that doesnt speak much confidence to me. He's had a lot of hard fights and here faces a guy who looked really good last time out v Lorenzo Parra and isnt afraid of going outside of his comfort zone. The Ring Magazine has Moreno at #2 and 

Darchinyan at #5, that's enough for me. MORENO WIN

Mike Jones v Sebastian Lujan

Jones is a hotly tipped welterweight prospect, but when stepped up in class v Jesus Soto Karass, was a very controversial winner first time around, and only just nicked the second fight. He needs rounds and should get that against the in form and very tough Argentine Sebastian Lujan. Should be a good one and the decision might be controversial. JONES POINTS

Pawel Wolak v Delvin Rodgriguez

The first fight between these two was an absolute barnstormer and they go for  it once again at the Garden. Wolak was on a great run before the draw and I favour him slightly here. I dont think Rodriguez is good enough defensively to keep him off, and before the first fight, he really was struggling to get victories. WOLAK UD

Brandon Rios v John Murray

I dont like going against Joe Gallagher fighters, but I cant see Murray winning this one. The noises coming from the camp have been positive and Murray seems to have his head screwed on, but I am a massive fan of Rios and watched his last few fights. His power looked unbelievable last time out v Antillon, and on paper this is a step down in class. A lot of British people are underestimating Rios and will find out what he's all about on Saturday night. BAM BAM RD6

Abner Mares v Joseph Agbeko

Proper pick'em fight and another rematch for this weekend. Mares sneaked a win in August, but threw a lot of low blows, including one in the 11th that was ruled a knockdown. Agbeko is very tough and has improved a lot, but I dont think he's powerful enough to get Mares out of there, and I like the Mexican's skills. MARES POINTS

Miguel Cotto v Antonio Margarito

The rematch does take place and I cannot wait for it. I dont think Margarito had loaded wraps for the first fight, and because of that I fancy him once again in a division where he sits nicer. I've watched a few of Cotto's last fights and havent been impressed by him. He seems to have lost some power and speed, and going into this one, he is on his third trainer in four fights. Both are damaged goods, but Margarito's strength wins it. MARGARITO RD10

The last 24 hours in Boxing - 28/11/11

Another new feature for my blog, which sees me sum up a few big stories that have been happening in the last day, as the title suggests. Interaction is key here, so if you have any views about any of the stories, post a comment or tweet me @DragonBoxing.


Firstly this story from Fighthype.com, regarding "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather Jr.


May 5th looks the date for his next fight, who's the opponent going to be? Will it be Martinez? Canelo? Berto? Bradley? Khan? Or finally that long awaited showdown with Pacquiao?


I am a huge Mayweather fan and cant see anyone beating the guy, he is a tactical genius and one of the most skilled fighters to ever lace a glove up.


The Alvarez and Martinez fights dont look likely as they are bigger guys than Floyd, and I'm pretty sure Floyd will be desperate for Pacquiao after his last fight, which would be great for Boxing as the fight just has to happen, especially as it will prove how good Mayweather is.


Will you be buying Box Nation is what Danny Flexen asks on the Boxing News site?


I have watched a lot of the channel so far and been very impressed with how they've presented their shows and also the new commentating voices of Enzo Maccarinelli and Paul Smith.


It's fair to say that there have been one or two bad bills as mentioned in the piece, but overall the standard has been excellent and having recently picked up Chavez and Alvarez fights, it's certainly a positive for Boxing fans who crave some US action.


£10 a month is a reasonable price and I really do hope it's successful. What I have also recognised is they've shown a lot of live undercard action and for me this has been a great move as I love to follow upcoming prospects.


Fightnews report that Erik Morales will return in January.


Morales looked good in his last fight against an unknown Mexican called Pablo Cesar Cano, and although clearly doesnt have the speed anymore, the old saying is "form is temporary, class is permanent".


For me Matthysse, whom he was supposed to fight for that world title last time out, is the realistic option, and down the line I would love to see a unification bout with Khan.


The fight of the weekend will have a British fighter involved.


The bill at MSG is absolutely awesome and this fight between two of my favourite boxers is one I really cannot wait for.


It's going to be an absolute war and kind of brings back memories of our own Ricky Hatton's trips to America.


I can see a big response from Murray, his head is back screwed on since getting back with Joe, and this is going to be a really interesting fight. Find out on Friday who I think is going to win!


Robert Helenius is back on home soil.


Another massive fight for a British boxer, as Dereck Chisora travels to Helsinki, four months after losing his unbeaten record to Tyson Fury.


I really do fancy an upset in this fight, I dont have a specific reason, but if Del Boy has trained and taken it seriously, he could be well worth a few quid down the bookies to win.

Prospect watch #2 - Review

Michael Roberts - Super Featherweight


On the Crollla v Limond undercard, this kid continued to showcase fine boxing skills, outpointing Dan Naylor over four for the second time in two weeks.


Although the guy isnt knocking people over at the moment, he landed some sharp shots in a 40-37 verdict.


Scottish boxing is buzzing and Glasgow man Roberts could be a big player in coming years with a bit more work.


Felix Diaz - Welterweight


This skilled fighter now has the look of fellow countryman Joan Guzman about him after his bout was scratched having failed to make weight. The bout was at light middle and he still came well over, which is massively disappointing and a huge opportunity lost for this kid, a big thumbs down from Dragon Boxing.

Russell Jr was definitely my prospect of the weekend

Gary Russell Jr - Featherweight


I got the weight wrong with this guy in Prospect Watch #2, but he's a featherweight, who stepped up for this 10 rounder and my oh my did he impress.


Knocked out Heriberto Ruiz of Mexico, who's gone 12 rounds with Steve Molitor and Eric Moreal in the past, in a mere round and even though it was over quickly, showcased his super hands and great skills.


Up 13 places already after that win to #25 in the world and could be set for some massive fights.


Erkan Teper - Heavyweight


The German was given a bigger role on the undercard in Turkey after Odlanier Solis pulled out and gave late replacement Cisse Salif a nightmare two rounds.


Salif hadnt been stopped since an 8-1 Ray Austin KO'ed him in the fourth round of their October 1999 bout, his only previous stoppage defeat in a 45 fight pro career.


Big win for Teper, who's out against on the 27th of January, fighting for the vacant IBF East/West Europe title, no I dont know either.


Who else impressed on this weekend's undercards?

Is Ramirez Sanchez another Mexican star?

Gilberto Ramirez Sanchez - Middleweight (20-0, 18 KO's)


Could this be the new Canelo? 6ft2 20 year old Ramirez Sanchez secured another stoppage win, beating previously unstopped Colombian Samuel Miller in four.


Considering Miller has gone the distance with now world #10 Marco Antonio Rubio and recent WBA world title challenger David Lopez, the win looks a top one on paper for "Zurdo".


The southpaw is already ranked #23 in the world and like Canelo has been very active in 2011, this was his fifth fight.


Leo Santa Cruz - Super Flyweight (18-0-1, 10 KO's)


This is a guy who I know quite a bit about, but didnt feature him in my prospect watch, mostly because he was a late addition, but his fight was a bit of a joke.


He's been in with some good fighters in the last year, but here he had a massive step down in class, facing 0-1 fighter Jorge Romero.


Obviously he won in three rounds, but not much can be taken from the fight.


Ranked #11 in the world and has potential to be multi-weight world champion.


Kash Ali - Heavyweight (1-0, 0 KO's)


Made his debut on the excellent Magna show in Rotherham this weekend against fellow debutant James Oliphant, and showcased some nice skills for a 40-36 shutout victory in 4x2's. 


Trains at the Ingle gym and scaled a pretty healthy 16st3 at the pre fight weigh in, which is always good to see a heavyweight in decent shape.


The heavyweight scene is buzzing domestically at the moment and being only 19 this kid has plenty of legs in him and should be confident after his pro debut.


Chris Pearson - Middleweight - (1-0, 1 KO)


If you were watching Box Nation's coverage of the Mexican and Cincinnati cards on Saturday, you would have seen this ex World Series Of Boxing star, kick off his pro career with a fine first round stoppage win.


Looks heavy handed and picked his shots beautifully, beating 0-2 Steven Chadwick. The journeyman had lost two, but had gone the distance two 1-0 prospects.


Plenty to learn, but is backed by some hugely respected figures and definitely looks like someone to keep an eye on.


Craig Whyatt - Light Welterweight (1-0, 0 KO's)


Another prospect who made his debut this weekend and kicked off with a 40-36 points win at the Coronet Theatre, Elephant & Castle, against tough veteran Robin Deakin.


Was aggressive, but still picked some nice shots as he closed out his win.


He was also cut in the fight, but carried on like it didnt even matter, showing there could be a fair bit of heart there as well.


Stephen Simmons - Cruiserweight (3-0, 1 KO)

Simmons is part of the Scottish boxing revolution

Another fighter who featured on the bill in Motherwell on Friday and hit experienced opponent John Anthony with everything in a six round points win.


Trained by Billy Nelson, a positive in itself, to step up to 6 rounds in just you're third fight is impressive and credit has to be given to promoter Frank Warren.


The Cruiserweight division is starting to come alive in the UK and Simmons, who seems to do a lot of things well, could be challenging for the British title in the next 12 months.

Prospect watch #2

Michael Roberts - Super Featherweight (5-0, 0 KO's)


In action on Friday 25th November at Ravenscraig Leisure Centre, Motherwell.


Ranked #18 in the UK.


Late addition to the Crolla v Limond undercard, this Glasgow fighter is an under-rated boxer coming through, who could be part of some big bills featuring Ricky Burns in the future.


Not been tested too much yet as a pro and faces the same opponent he fought two weeks ago in Dan Naylor tonight.

Diaz with his Olympic Gold

Needs to improve his power, but has got nice Boxing ability.


Felix Diaz - Welterweight (10-0, 6 KO's)


In action on Saturday 26th November at U.S Bank Arena, Cincinnati.



Ranked #137 in the world, #1 in Dominican Republic.

Serious Dominican fighter to look out for, superb amateur pedigree, which saw him win the Gold medal at the Beijing Olympics.


Been in with some tough fighters already, and comes into this fight on the back of a solid eight round UD points win over the tough Larry Smith.


No opponent been picked yet for his upcoming fight, but it will be a treat to see this 5ft5 southpaw in action, demonstrating terrific boxing ability.


Gary Russell Jr - Super Bantamweight (18-0, 10 KO's)


In action on Saturday 26th November at U.S Bank Arena, Cincinnati.


Ranked #38 in the world and #3 in the USA.


Hottly tipped Golden Boy prospect, who has been very active in 2011, fighting five times already.

Russell Jr is tipped for big things

I watched him on the Amir Khan v Judah undercard, easily outpointing Eric Estrada over eight rounds, showing very quick hands.


Had a tough looking fight last time out against 32-3 Leonilo Miranda, but didnt drop a round on two of the three judges scorecards in winning a UD against then tough Mexican.


Moves up to 10x3 this weekend and faces experienced ex IBF bantamweight challenger Heriberto Ruiz, who's won three of his last four.


Erkan Teper - Heavyweight (6-0, 4 KO's)


In action on Saturday 26th November at Spor Salonu, Trabzon, Turkey.


Ranked #149 in the world and #7 in Germany.


6ft5 heavy who's being moved along quite quickly by his promoters, and has already had one scheduled 12 rounder.


That was last time out as he stopped 9-2 Jakov Gospic to win WBC Mediterranean title, which may not mean a lot, but already gives him a decent world ranking.


Most impressive in April when outpointing Robert Hawkins over six, putting the America down twice. Hawkins has only been stopped three times in 42 fights and has taken a lot of good heavies the distance.


Teper has a good fight here as he faces the higher ranked world #109 Olekskiy Mazikin of Ukraine in an eight round fight.

Broner looks too good for Argentine visitor

Adrien Broner (21-0, 17 KO's) has his dream fight on Saturday as he goes for the vacant WBO super featherweight title in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, against visiting Argentine Vicente Martin Rodriguez (34-2-1, 19 KO's).

Fighters at this week's presser

Not a terribly exciting fight, it's only got two stars on boxrec and I dont think there's any doubt that the American will be the champion come the end of the night. Broner is exciting a lot of people, but not me to be honest. He looked very good in his last fight stopping the very tough and experienced Jason Litzau in a round, but before that I saw him sneak a controversial unanimous decision win over Daniel Ponce de Leon. He is regarded as the #1 fighter in this very weak division, and that's fair comment as I really dont see much else below him in the rankings. I'm definitely not ruling out becoming a fan of this guy as he has got plenty of potential and a world title win will bring him on nicely.

His opponent from Buenos Aires has a good record on paper, but has only once fought outside of his homeland and he was completely outclassed in a 10 round UD loss to then 11-0 Aussie William Kickett in New South Wales. Considering Kickett was stopped in a round by nine months later and then was stopped in six by Rodriguez's opponent here, it's a worrying looking form guide for him. If you respect boxrec's rankings like I do you can see this fight is not worthy of being a world title as this kid is ranked #63 in the world and has two fellow countryemen ahead of him. Here he faces someone with 427 boxrec points, the best guy he's beaten had 60 boxrec points at the time and was back in May 2007.

This is going to be about class, if Broner can stop Litzau, who beat Celestino Caballero, in a round, then he really shouldnt have any problems in getting rid of this kid. Argentinian fighters are tough and this guy has never been stopped, but if Broner is all he's cracked up to be, expect this to be done by round six or seven.

No easy night for Canelo

Who's hands will be on the belt come Saturday night?

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (38-0-1, 28 KO's) is one of the most exciting fighters in world Boxing and this weekend he has his fourth world title fight of the year, defending his WBC light middleweight belt against Kermit Cintron (33-4-1, 28 KO's).

Alvarez on paper is a pretty small guy for light middle, standing only at 5ft9, but the amount he puts on after a weight in is massive and he shows his strength in the ring come fight night. There is talk that he may not be able to go up many weights, but I can see him going up to at least super middle. In his last fight he simply proved too strong for fellow Mexican Alfonso Gomez in six, but it was a close fight before then and it looked a better match than people thought. This kid is a terrific fighter, I am starting to become a real fan, but I do think he's still a bit rough round the edges and if guys like Lovemore N'Dou, Matthew Hatton and Ryan Rhodes (stopped in final round) can go into the 12^th round with him, I believe Cintron has the experience to hear the final bell.

I do think the Puerto Rican will come to win, this really is his last shot at the big time and being a hot and cold fighter, this could be the time he just puts everything on the line and goes hell for leather for a world title. I watched him fight an improving guy called Carlos Molina in July and he was absolutely shocking in losing a 10 round decision, but he came back into the ring just a month after and claimed a 10 round UD over Antwone Smith. He had been out of the ring for 14 months before the Molina fight and needed some rounds, so I'm giving him another chance. He did throw some nice combinations in that Smith fight and the only guy who's really outclassed Cintron is Margarito, whi's stopped him twice, and like Manny Pacquiao, a Mexican might just be his bogeyman.

The bookies heavily fancy a Canelo stoppage and I dont blame them as the kid is an absolute machine, but I just fancy Cintron to turn up and make a real fist of it in Mexico City. This really is his last chance and on his day he can match the best, so despite Alvarez being on his way to elite level, he's not there yet!

Murphy to edge Owen live on Eurosport

At the Coronet Theatre in Elephant & Castle, Southwark, a Southern area lightweight scrap headlines a bill screened live on Eurosport as champion Ben Murphy (7-4-1, 3 KO's) faces the unbeaten Tony Owen (12-0, 1 KO).

Unbeaten Owen challenges the champ

I'm not going to do a huge write up for this fight, just a short little summary of what I think is going to happen. It's a tough fight for Murphy on paper as he's been out of the ring for just over a year, since losing to Choi in the Prizefighter, a fight he done pretty well in. He's a really tough guy and looked good in winning this title in January last year, outpointing Lee Cook over 10 and that shows he's got the stamina for this kind of fight. What could give him the edge here is that he's mixed at a higher level and has a win over now British super featherweight champion Gary Buckland, who he beat by a point in June 2008.

Owen is unbeaten, but he's only beaten solid journeymen, guys that will have taught him how to handle himself, however not tested him from a Boxing point of view. He won the International Masters 140lbs title last time out, proving he can do the 10 round distance, but the pace with Murphy will be a lot harder and I think it's where he could struggle. With the Brighton man being out of the ring for so long many people will fancy the unbeaten Owen, but I just think Murphy will outclass him in the stretch after some close early rounds.

Crolla to look a Million Dollars

Tonight at the Ravenscraig Leisure Centre in Motherwell, Manchester's Anthony “Million Dollar” Crolla (22-2, 9 KO's) makes the first defence of his British lightweight title against home favourite Willie Limond (34-3, 8 KO's).

Expect a great, fan friendly war tonight

Crolla is a big favourite here with the bookies, but when you consider this is his first defence, and the company Limond has mixed in, this is certainly no gimme. I'm a massive fan of Crolla, people who read my stuff know that I like Joe Gallagher fighters and I love how dedicated this guy is. Winning the Lonsdale belt was a big thing for him, and I'm pretty sure he will want one for keeps, so like we saw in his superb 9^th round TKO of John Watson in February, expect plenty of fire from Crolla. He's looking strong at lightweight and although he's not a renowned puncher, he certainly has got plenty of power, and also picks his shots well. I think this guy is destined for bigger and better things and this could be a real breakthrough night for him.

Limond has got great heart and in 12 year career to lose to only Alex Arthur, Amir Khan and Erik Morales says a lot about how good this guy is. The 32 year old has boxed a 105 more rounds than Crolla and although people will say he's got the experience, for me he may just be a bit too long in the tooth. His last big fight was Morales in Mexico in September and he did really well early on in that fight, only to get KO'ed in six, that having been put down three times. What he really struggled with in that fight was body shots and although Morales is a great fighter, I think it's a sign that Limond is an ageing fighter with not a huge amount left. The problem I have with Limond is that although he's a real warrior, he's never really beaten anyone of note and when stepped up in class he's ended up getting stopped, mine and the bookies opinion suggests this is a big step up in class and he will find it hard.

Both guys love a tear up and I think that is going to suit the champion from Manchester. In his last fight he fought on the undercard of Mayweather v Ortiz at the MGM Grand, great experience for him and that will have definitely matured him as a fighter. It's going to be a war and this will be a proper fan fight, but I fancy Crolla by a stoppage in round nine or ten.

Prospect watch #1 - Review

A quiet, but decent weekend of Boxing, here's how the prospects I featured in Prospect Watch #1 featured.

Buglioni was very impressive at York Hall

Frank Buglioni – Light heavyweight

Has to be prospect of the weekend after moving to 2-0, 2 KO's with a great showing at Bethnal Green, stopping Paul Morby in a round with some excellent finishing shots.

What was so impressive about Buglioni's display was that Morby was in there to give him some rounds, but the heavy handed Buglioni was simply too strong and too good.

With Box Nation going from strength to strength, expect Buglioni to be very active, although as mentioned by trainer Mark Tibbs he does need some rounds under his belt.

After those two first round wins, Buglioni is already up to #15 in the UK rankings, above the likes of recent Commonwealth title challenger Jeff Evans and unbeaten prospects Luke Blackledge and Callum Johnson.

Paul Fleming – Super featherweight

The Australian remained unbeaten with a 2^nd round TKO win over Indonesian fighter Sonny Manakane on the undercard of Billy Dib's farcical IBF featherweight title fight against Alberto Servidei.

A hard night was never in question for Fleming, but he continues to impress and a big fight with headliner Dib could be on the cards if both continue to win in the next 12-18 months.

This southpaw has a touch of the Naseem Hamed about him and before facing Dib, a battle of the unbeaten Aussie super featherweights against #1 Will Tomlinson could be a big one Down Under.

Fleming is scheduled to be back in action on the 2^nd of December in Sunshine, Victoria.

Wale Omotoso – Welterweight

Nigerian Omotoso had a tough looking bout in Houston Lanardo Tyler and had to work hard for an unanimous decision over eight pretty close rounds.

Omotoso used good footwork and his skills to come through the fight and with that victory has moved to 23^rd in the world, meaning he's quickly becoming a contender in this hot division.

More top sparring at the Wildcard gym will bring him on further, and it wont be a surprise to see him figuring on some big bills in the next 12 months.

Unfortunately Tony Pace didnt figure on the undercard in Aberdare.

Who else starred on this weekend's undercards?

Using Boxrec's great watch list tool I will add prospects who impressed me this weekend, therefore expect these guys to figure as this feature continues to progress.

Magomed Abdusalamov (12-0, 12 KO's) – Heavyweight

This Russian based in the fighting town of Oxnard California moved to 12-0, 12 KO's, by beating Rich Power in three rounds on Sunday at the Texas Station Casino.

Power had won three on the bounce before this fight and took Tyson Fury the full eight round distance in a bout at York Hall in September of last year.

This kid is based in the same gym as world middleweight king Sergio Martinez and has been getting high praise from the Argentinian.

He was a Russian amateur champ and although he may need some rounds, his performances so far have been excellent.

Abdusalamov is scheduled to fight at the Mandalay Bay on the 16^th of December.

Cletus Seldin (5-0, 3 KO's) – Welterweight

The “Hebrew Hammer” was on the Nonito Donaire v Omar Andres Narvaez undercard last month, and impressed in picking up an easy two round TKO win over Jose Segura Torres.

He was in his home state of New York again this weekend, not at MSG, but at the Paramount Theatre in Huntington.

On paper he faced the hardest opponent of his career in 3-2-1 fighter Rashad Bogar, but had no problems once more in getting a 3^rd round TKO victory.

He's got a big following in New York and has a fan friendly style.

Luis Zarazua (2-0, 1 KO) – Featherweight

“El Caballero” comes from Edinburg, Texas and started his pro career with an impressive one round TKO of Jorge Flores in October.

This weekend he was on the Chavez Jr v Manfredo undercard and dominated his opponent Ricardo Avila in a four round fight.

Zarazua won all the rounds and it was a really entertaining fight, with this kid's style reminding me a lot of Brandon Rios.

He does need to learn not to waste so many punches, but he's got a great work-rate and will definitely come on in the next 12 months.

Tony Conquest (8-0, 2 KO's) – Cruiserweight

Conquest will now eye Leon Williams' Lonsdale belt

Conquest claimed the Southern Area title on Friday night by easily outpointing the very experienced Toks Owoho over 10 rounds.

With that victory Conquest becomes the #1 challenger for Leon Williams' British title and although he's friends with the current champ, he will desperately want the fight.

This was the best win of his career and he lasted the 10 round distance well, a real positive for his future title chances.

Now ranked #6 in Britain and there are plenty of decent cruisers coming through like Matty Askin, Menay Edwards (who won on the same card), Stephen Simmons and Jon-Lewis Dickinson.