All posts by Chris Blain

Boxing Rumors: Wladimir Klitschko vs. Anthony Joshua Arriving in December?

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The Wladimir Klitschko vs Anthony Joshua heavyweight title bout isn’t a done deal yet. But according to promoter Eddie Hearn, it could be finalized and announced next week:

A December Affair

Ever since the fallout of the Wladimir Klitschko vs. Tyson Fury rematch, the former heavyweight champion has set his eyes on current IBF heavyweight kingpin Anthony Joshua. The two have been negotiating for weeks and have even come up with a tentative December 10th date for their colossal showdown.

While both camps admit that no deal has been struck yet, the willingness of both sides to take the fight has given Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn a lot of optimism in the coming week. Said Hearn on Friday:

“We’re in a great position right now. Maybe my smile gives things away but, fingers crossed, next week you’ll have some news that will blow your mind.”

Hearn was supposed to announce Joshua’s next opponent this week but after the opportunity to fight Klitschko presented itself, they have since deferred the announcement in the hopes of landing the bigger fight.

Taking A Detour

Joshua was all but set to face Joseph Parker, his mandatory challenger in March of 2017 after a voluntary defense this November 26th. But with the recent development in the Tyson Fury saga, the 2012 Olympic Gold medalist has chosen to take the detour and examine the possibility of facing Klitschko ahead of his original plan.

Joshua’s been impressive so far in the pros with a perfect 17-0 record with 17 KOs. But although he’s won two title bouts already, he’s never faced an opponent in the caliber of Klitschko. Knocking out Charles Martin and Dominic Breazeale were exciting but the two are nowhere near the skill and experience of a Wladimir Klitschko.

Initially Joshua wanted to gain more experience before challenging Klitschko, but with Tyson Fury knocking himself out of the heavyweight title picture, the Klitschko-Joshua bout is the fight boxing fans are wanting to see happen soon.

What Are The Odds?

Should the fight happen, Joshua would be a -110 favorite against Klitschko’s +110 via oddschecker.com. AJ’s youth, size, speed and power may be too much for the much older Klitschko. Having said that though, Klitschko may have looked his age against Fury but he dominated the heavyweight division with the second longest reign in history and many still believe that he still has the goods to return to the top a third time.

UFC 206 Preview: Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony Johnson Rematch Coming

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Daniel Cormier will be defending the UFC Light Heavyweight title against Anthony Johnson at the main event of UFC 206 at the Air Canada Centre in Canada on December 10th.

The champ made the announcement himself at Wednesday’s edition of the UFC Tonight show on FS1:

Take Two

The bout marks the second encounter between the two fighters. Cormier defeated Johnson via rear naked choke submission in the third round of their title bout at UFC 187.

Back then, the two were fighting for the 205-pound title which was vacated after Jon Jones’ series of run ins with the law. After the victory, Cormier has defended the title once, against Alexander Gustafsson. The champ is coming off a unanimous decision win over Anderson Silva in a non-title bout at UFC 200.

On A Roll

Johnson meanwhile has been on a roll, winning three fights in a row since losing to Cormier. All of those victories have come via knockout. Rumble Johnson has won 12 of his last 13 bouts since returning to the UFC. The only blemish in his resume during that period was the loss to Cormier.

After knocking out Glover Teixeira in 13 seconds at UFC 202, Johnson now has the opportunity to exact revenge and finally win the title that has long eluded him.

Grounding Rumble

In his announcement, Cormier vowed to stand and trade with Rumble. He promised to knock his challenger out in the middle of the Octagon. But If we recall their first bout however, Cormier used his wrestling expertise to ground his explosive opponent. Johnson never got his offense going against Cormier who tried to keep the fight on the mat. It will be interesting to see whether Cormier is going to do as he says because going toe to toe with Anthony Johnson is a mortal sin.

In 22 MMA victories, Anthony Johnson has knocked out 16 opponents. Twelve of those knockouts happened in the very first round. Four of Johnson’s last five wins have come  via first round knockout. Known for his punching power and explosiveness, Anthony Johnson loves to brawl like a fish loves water. He’s not known as Rumble for nothing. As for DC, Cormier is known to have a granite chin but it’s still unlikely that he will take his chances in a rumble with Anthony Johnson.

Vasyl Lomachenko To Face Nicholas Walters on November 26th

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The second time was the charm for Vasyl Lomachenko and Nicholas Walters.

Second Time Was The Charm

After failing to come to terms to a June 2016 bout earlier this year, the camps of Vasyl Lomachenko and Nicholas Walters have come to terms on a November 26 bout:

According to Top Rank VP Carl Moretti, Nicholas Walters finally signed on the dotted line last Tuesday. This after Walters rejected the first offer to fight Lomachenko last June, with the Axe Man rejecting a $550K purse and demanding a sky high $1M to face the greatest amateur fighter of all-time. Lomachenko even went to the point of offering Walters $300K of his purse should the Jamaican beat him. Still Walters decided to sit it out and wait for the right deal.

Conquering Another Weight Class

While Walters decided to wait for a better offer, Lomachenko paraded his greatness last June 11 when he defeated Roman “Rocky” Martinez to win the Junior Lightweight title and capture his second title in as many weight classes. Despite having just seven professional bouts, Lomachenko ( 6-1, 4 KOs)  is now a two division champion after knocking out the durable Martinez in a dominating five round performance.

Walters ( 26-0-1, 21 KOs) meanwhile is coming off a controversial draw against Jason Sosa in his 130 pound debut. Prior to that, Walters lost the WBA featherweight title on the scales against Miguel Marriaga in June 2015. Walters won that title with a sensational knockout of 2012 BWAA  Fighter of the Year Nonito Donaire Jr. in 2014.

Explosive Bout

Lomachenko and Walters will fight for the Ukrainian’s WBO Junior Lightweight title. The bout will be held at the Cosmopolitan Hotel of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is expected to be one of the biggest bouts to close out 2016 and given the explosive nature of both fighters, it’s hard to think it’s going to disappoint.

Walters has an impressive record and a standout career but it’s hard to dispute Lomachenko’s pedigree. Lomachenko finished his legendary amateur career with a record of 396-1 with his only loss to Albert Selimov avenged twice. He fought for a world title in his second professional bout but was derailed by Orlando Salido in a controversial decision. One fight later, he won the WBO Featherweight title by beating Gary Russell Jr. and then went on to defend the belt thrice before moving up in weight to challenge Martinez last June. In beating Martinez, Lomachenko became the fastest fighter in history to win two weight classes.

Conor McGregor Could Have Hands Full vs. Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205

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After all was said and done, the UFC turned to its most bankable superstar to headline its highly anticipated New York debut.

Can’t Wait

Dubbed as “Can’t Wait”, the announcement of McGregor vs. Alvarez made UFC 205 perhaps the most highly awaited event of all-time.

Earlier, the UFC had announced two title fights for its Madison Square Garden debut. Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley will defend his belt against top contender Stephen Thompson while womens’ Strawweight queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk will face fellow Karolina Kowalkiewicz in an all-Polish showdown.

But despite those two title fights, UFC 205 seemed lacking luster. On Monday, the UFC added the crown jewel:

Back and Forth

The confirmation of the McGregor-Alvarez Lightweight title bout came as a surprise because the week before, UFC President Dana White had said that he would prefer that McGregor defends his 145-pound title against nemesis Jose Aldo.

Prior to that, there were rumors that the Irishman’s foot injury hadn’t healed yet and that he would not be ready to fight in New York. White also tweeted to a fan that it would be Khabib Nurmagomedov who would be facing Alvarez in the latter’s first title defense. But as fate would have it, UFC 205 would not be the blockbuster that it is expected to be without the UFC’s main man.

Two-Division Champion

When Conor McGregor  began 2016, his goal was to win a second world title. But when Rafael Dos Anjos pulled out of their UFC 196 bout with an injury, McGregor went on to face Nate Diaz at UFC 196. McGregor lost and spent the next couple of months redeeming himself from the loss that derailed his plans to take over the UFC.

The Notorious King got his revenge at UFC 202, beating Diaz by decision. Now that he’s on track once again, the quest to become the third man to win two weight classes in the UFC has continued. A win by McGregor will not only let him join the company of B.J. Penn and Randy Couture, it will make McGregor the first man to hold two title belts concurrently.

Philly’s Pride

Beating Alvarez won’t be a walk in the park, though. The former two-time Bellator Lightweight champion is on a roll. After losing to Donald Cerrone in his UFC debut, he’s racked up three consecutive victories. Those wins weren’t just ordinary ones. They  came at the expense of Gilbert Melendez, Anthony Pettis and Rafael Dos Anjos.

For his part, Alvarez got his wish. After sensationally knocking out Dos Anjos last July 7th, Alvarez demanded a big money fight with the winner of McGregor-Diaz. He got it, and what follows is without a doubt one of the best UFC fight cards we’ve ever witnessed.

UFC 205 will be held on November 12th, 2016 at the fabled Madison Square Garden in New York. Naturally, we can’t wait.

Boxing News: Wladimir Klitschko vs. Tyson Fury Odds and Latest Updates

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The most awaited boxing rematch is off, again.

The October 29th, 2016 Heavyweight title bout between reigning boxing heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and former champion Wladimir Klitschko has been called off once again:

Medically Unfit To Fight

Sources say that Fury’s team notified Klitschko’s camp on Friday and even presented to the latter a letter from Fury’s doctor saying that the champ would be “unavailable for the forseeable future” because of mental health issues.

The fighters were supposed to rematch last July 9th but Fury also pulled out of that schedule after suffering an ankle injury during training. The second postponement is different as it may not be physical in nature and it has cast serious doubts on Fury’s future while raising serious questions on whether he should be stripped of his titles.

Severe Medical Condition

Fury’s management team, Hennessey Sports, confirmed the postponement late Friday and issued an official statement saying “medical specialists have advised that the condition is too severe to allow him (Fury) to participate in the rematch.” It also said that Fury will immediately undergo treatment in order to make a full recovery. No other details were given but Hennessey said they will give a full statement in due course.

Fury shocked the world when he beat Klitschko on points last November 2015, ending the latter’s long reign as heavyweight champion, But shortly after winning the titles, he was stripped of the IBF belt after refusing to fight his mandatory challenger. Last month, Fury was charged with a doping violation by the UKAD and a hearing has been set for November. Just a week ago, Fury failed to show up for a press conference related to the rematch. Fury alleged that he missed his appointment because his car broke. It remains to be seen what the sanctioning bodies will do to the belts he’s hostaged for nearly a year.

Fury opened as a -105 to Klitschko’s -125. But the odds evened to -115 when the venue was announced last April 8th. The current odds are a far cry from the -500 favorite Klitschko was during their first meeting. Fury’s age, mobility and size were among the key factors in their first bout. Although beaten like an old man during their first encounter, Klitschko exercised his rematch clause to get a shot at redemption and one more run at the heavyweight title.

UFC 205: Miesha Tate Returns to Take on Raquel Pennington

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The women are also coming to New York.

As the fight card for the UFC’s maiden appearance in New York slowly unfolds, two high profile women’s bouts have been added to the Madison Square Garden affair as UFC women’s flyweight queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk will defend her title against compatriot Karolina Kowalkiewicz and former UFC womens bantamweight champion Miesha Tate will face Raquel Pennington in a three round affair.

An All Polish Affair

The title bout between Jedrzejczyk and Kowalkiewicz will be the first ever all european bout inside the UFC Octagon. It will also be the biggest MMA match in Poland’s history as both undefeated combatants are Polish. Jedrzejczyk ( 12-0 ) is coming off a thrilling fight of the year candidate against Claudia Gadelha last July.

She is the undisputed queen of the UFC’s 115 women’s division, having won all of her 6 bouts inside the Octagon including four title bouts and three successful title defenses. Former KSW champion Kowalkiewicz (10-0 ) herself is unbeaten in 3 UFC bouts and is coming off an impressive win over Rose Namajunas at UFC 201 to earn this title bout. The two have fought before as amateurs in 2012 and it was Jedrzejczyk who won that bout by submission.

The UFC initially thought of taking this title bout to Poland but with the big event in New York on November 12th and UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes reportedly being eyed for UFC 207, this all Poland title bout was booked to New York instead to give the women a strong representation in the event.

The Jedrzejczyk vs. Kowalkiewicz bout is the second title bout booked to the event. Earlier, the men’s welterweight title will be on the line when Tyron Woodley faces top contender Stephen Thompson.

Return of Cupcake

In the second announced women’s bout, former UFC bantamweight Miesha Tate ( 18-6 ) will make  a quick turnaround following her stunning UFC 200 defeat to Amanda Nunes. Prior to her defeat, Tate won accolades in her come from behind title winning performance against Holly Holm at UFC 196.

The return of Cupcake will be against veteran Raquel “Rocky” Pennington ( 8-5 ) who has won three fights in a row. Pennington was last seen at UFC 202 where she beat Elizabeth Phillips. Coincidentally, Pennington was a member of Team Tate during the Ultimate Fighter 18 in 2013. Now Rocky goes up against her former coach as both fighters look to move up in the women’s bantamweight standings with a big win in Madison Square Garden.

UFC 205 will be on November 12th at the Madison Square Garden in New York. Several bouts have been confirmed for the event although no headliner has been booked yet.

Gennady Golovkin vs. Daniel Jacobs Mandatory Bout Announced

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The WBA has ordered WBA (Super) Middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin to face WBA ( Regular ) middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs in what it called a mandatory bout:

Fresh off KO Wins

The WBA’s orders came after both champions successfully defended their world titles last week. Both Golovkin and Jacobs fought on the same weekend and both are fresh off KO wins over their respective challenger.

Jacobs successfully defended his title for the 4th consecutive time with a 7th round knockout of Sergio Mora last September 9th. Jacobs dropped Mora a total of five times before the bout was halted. Prior to that, Jacobs came off a stunning 1st round KO win over fellow New Yorker Peter Quillin in a high profile bout last December 2015.

Known as the Miracle Man for overcoming cancer, Jacobs won the vacant WBA (regular) middleweight title with a victory over Jarrod Fletcher in 2014. He’s since defended the belt against Mora ( twice ), Caleb Traux and Quillin. Jacobs is 32-1 with 29 KOs. His only defeat was a 5th round TKO to Dmitry Pirog in 2010 when he challenged for the WBO middleweight title.

GGG-Brook

Golovkin meanwhile is coming off a 5th round TKO victory over IBF Welterweight champion Kell Brook who agreed to move up two weight classes to challenge the man nobody wants to face.

The GGG-Brook bout was interesting because Brook gave a good account of himself while it lasted. Not only were the official scorecards close but GGG was landing cleanly on Golovkin throughout the contest. But after four seemingly competitive rounds, Golovkin turned on the heat in the fifth, forcing Brook’s corner to throw in the towel.

While Brook mightily failed in his quest, experts are saying he may have laid the foundation in beating the fearsome Golovkin who recorded his 23rd consecutive win by breaking Brook’s orbital bone last Saturday night. With the victory over Brook, Golovkin improved his immaculate record to 36-0 with 33 KOs.

Champ vs Champ

The WBA’s order to let its Super and Regular champions square off is a rare occurrence. In this case, the fight isn’t booked yet but both parties are given 30 days to negotiate the fight or else it goes to a purse bid. After the fight is agreed, it is bound to happen within 120 days.

As for the date, HBO has reserved November 26 for Golovkin but because Jacobs is managed by Al Haymon of the PBC, there could be some hitches. However, Haymon fighters have fought under HBO in the past, giving this champion vs champion bout a good chance of happening.

UFC 205: Kelvin Gastelum vs. Donald Cerrone Odds and Preview

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Kelvin Gastelum will be stepping in to face Donald Cerrone at UFC 205 after Cerrone’s original bout with Robbie Lawler fell off:

 

A Sudden Twist

After beating Johny Hendicks at UFC 200, Kelvin Gastelum wanted to fight either Robbie Lawler or Donald Cerrone. Unfortunately, he was booked to a fight against Jorge Masvidal for UFC Mexico. Lawler and Cerrone would later be booked to a UFC 205 date. But in a sudden twist of fate, Robbie Lawler pulled out of the bout, leaving Cerrone without an opponent for the UFC’s New York Debut. With the UFC intent on keeping Cerrone at the event, they scrambled to find an opponent. And Kelvin Gastelum was the perfect choice.

Fresh off beating former champion Hendricks, Gastelum is the former The Ultimate Fighter Season 17 winner. He has a record of 12-2 with 4 knockouts and 4 submissions. Although he is only 2-2 in his last 4 bouts, his victory over Hendricks pushed him up to #5 in the current UFC welterweight rankings.

After winning his first 10 bouts, Gastelum suffered a split decision loss against current welterweight champion Tyron Woodley at UFC 183. Two fights later, Gastelum again lost by split decision to Neil Magny before rebounding with a resounding win over Hendricks last July. Dubbed as Mini Cain for his resemblance to former UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez, Gastelum owns notable victories over Uriah Hall, RIck Story, Jake Ellenberger, Nate Marquardt and Hendricks.

Riding High

Gastelum will be facing a red hot Donald Cerrone at UFC 205. Since moving up to welterweight, Cowboy has been riding high up in his saddle. Cerrone’s won three in a row all by stoppage. In his last two victories, Cowboy became the first fighter to stop both Patrick Cote and Rick Story on strikes. Cerrone’s success jumped him to #7 in the UFC welterweight rankings and he was looking to challenge Lawler to get a shortcut to the top.

Although there hasn’t been any official statement on Lawler’s withdrawal, rumors are saying Robbie wanted to take more time off from his 1st round KO loss to Woodley. If that is the case then it’s a little ironic because it was Lawler himself who was literally begging UFC President Dana White a quick turnaround fight after UFC 203.

Odds on Favorite

Cerrone opened as a -175 favorite against Gastelum’s +135. That may sound surprising given Cerrone has only fought thrice as a welterweight and the 5th ranked Gastelum has been fighting at that weight class much longer. However, Cerrone has looked very impressive as of late and has shown little or no weakness during his welterweight run.

Of the four matches officially booked for UFC 205, The Cerrone-Gastelum bout has the closest odds. Inside the Octagon, it is also likely to be a back and forth bout as well.

Miguel Cotto vs. Lamont Peterson Could Arrive in December

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Former Middleweight champion Miguel Cotto is eyeing a December return and is targeting former 140-pound champion Lamont Peterson as opponent:

Fighting Smaller Foes

Known as boxing’s catch weight king for his knack of fighting smaller foes at a catch weight, Miguel Cotto hasn’t fought since losing to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in their titanic match-up last November 2015. Since January of this year, Cotto has been linked to a bout with Mexican great Juan Manuel Marquez but that fight never materialized as the Marquez camp didn’t want to fight beyond 147 and the Cotto corner asking for it to be at 155.

After that, Cotto was criticized for attempting to lure former featherweight champion Yuriorkis Gamboa to a December bout. Gamboa fought highest at 135 pounds and was dismantled by current welterweight champion Terence Crawford in his first and only attempt at a world lightweight title. Now Cotto is eyeing to fight another naturally smaller opponent in Lamont Peterson.

No Bigger Than A Welterweight

Although Peterson was a former world champion at light welterweight, he has fought at welterweight twice. One of those bouts was his controversial majority decision loss to Danny Garcia last year and that bout was even fought at a catchweight of 143 pounds. Prior to his loss to Garcia, Peterson’s only career defeats came at the hands of Lucas Matthysse and Timothy Bradley. The 32-year old Washington DC native is known for his victories over Kendall Holt, Dierry Jean, Edgar Santana and Amir Khan.

Havoc is listed as two inches taller than Cotto but is no bigger than a welterweight. He’s fought majority of his career at 140 and has fought no higher than 144 pounds. For this reported bout to be done, it will likely be fought at a weight no higher than 150 pounds. Cotto’s management team is expected to make an official announcement next week. The fight is being linked to New York which has a large Puerto Rican population and when Cotto has a proven fan base.

No Effect in Rankings

Whether Cotto’s next fight is against Peterson or someone else, it’s going to have no effect in the rankings nor will it have any championship implications. It does appear that Cotto is trying to remain relevant in a sport where new big time players have emerged. Cotto is already 35 years old and has 45 bouts tucked under his belt. It’s unlikely Cotto is targetting another run at the middleweight title given how he lost to Canelo in a middleweight bout fought at 155. Knowing Cotto, he’ll continue to take catch weight but big money fights to prolong his career.

Rashad Evans To Make Welterweight Debut Vs. Tim Kennedy at UFC 205

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The UFC 205 fight card is beginning to shape up.

After Dana White’s confirmation earlier this week that the papers for the Robbie Lawler-Donald Cerrone welterweight bout at UFC 205 has been signed and delivered, another blockbuster matchup is reportedly close to being put to paper:

Third Weight Class

Former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Rashad Evans talked about moving down to middleweight following back to back losses to Ryan Bader and Glover Teixeira. The Niagara Falls, New York native had been campaigning for a welterweight debut at the UFC’s first ever card in New York at UFC 205. Now Sugar has gotten his wish granted. The 36-year old Blackzilians standout will be facing Tim Kennedy at UFC 205 and will be making his appearance in a third UFC weight class.

It can be recalled that Evans first fought as a heavyweight in the UFC, winning the Ultimate Fighter Season 2 Heavyweight tournament despite being the second smallest contestant in the show. But Evans became a household name in the light heavyweight division, knocking out Forrest Griffin at UFC 92 to capture the UFC’s 205 pound title. One fight earlier, Evans scored the Knockout of The Year when he stopped legend Chuck Liddell in the second round of their UFC 88 bout in 2008. Since then, injuries have played a big role in Evans’ career.

Former Teammate

Welcoming Evans to the middleweight division will be former Jackson Wink teammate Tim Kennedy:

The former US Special Forces member and ranger hasn’t fought since losing a controversial bout to Yoel Romero in 2014. Since that defeat, Kennedy has flirted with retirememt and is coming off a gig in a documentary show in the History channel called “Hunting Hitler”. He is also slated to appear in an indie movie called Ranger 15 later this year.

Kennedy is currently ranked 11th in the UFC’s middleweight division. He has an MMA record of 18-5 with 6 knockouts and 8 victories by submission. His last Octagon victory was a unanimous decision win over current UFC Middleweight champion Michael Bisping during the Ultimate Fighter: Nations finale in 2014.

New Yorkers in 205

Evans thus becomes the third New Yorker confirmed for the UFC 205 event. Earlier, Al Iaqunita was added to the New York card and  will be facing Thiago Alves. Heavyweight Gian Villante, also from New York, will be fighting Marcos Rogerio De Lima on the November 12th event in Madison Square Garden. Another New Yorker in former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman is likely going to be added too. Weidman is rumored to be facing Yoel Romero in a possible title contender match up.