Boxing

FRANK ARNOLD suffered a sickening knockout loss after woeful corner work and refereeing left him unconscious.The 23-year-old Hackney southpaw suffered a nightmare opener against Brayan Mairena but bravely avoided getting dropped.
Brayan Mairena knocks out Frank Arnold! 💥RESPECT to both Mairena and Arnold, who was able to leave the ring after receiving medical care. pic.twitter.com/hd9NpfGWrM— Boxing on BT Sport 🥊 (@BTSportBoxing) September 16, 2022

Frank Arnold was brutally knocked out by Brayan MairenaCredit: BT SPORT
Arnold lay motionless on the floor after Mairena delivered the knockout blowCredit: BT SPORT
Had he been the away fighter it is highly likely he would have been stopped on his feet inside the first three minutes after taking a beating.
To his immense credit the super-feather somehow rallied in the second.
But he was dropped violently in the third – after losing his gumshield – and should have been saved by his corner or ref Chas Coakley, when he barely made it to his feet by the count of nine.
Mairena’s trainer made it utterly clear to the referee that the one-sided battering should be stopped but he was ignored.
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In the interval before the fourth round, Arnold’s head was bowed and he looked in no fit state to continue.
But his corner sent him out again in the hope he could save his skin with an unlikely KO.
Instead the ruthless Nicaraguan veteran of almost 50 fights unloaded another skull-shuddering blow and sent Arnold worryingly to the canvas.
The knockdown thankfully happened in Mairena’s red corner where the rapid-acting medical staff were sat close by and they leaped into action with an oxygen mask.
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Fans feared the worst and a stretcher was rushed out to take Arnold away to hospital.
The staff outside of the ring did a far better job than the people involved inside it, charged firstly with protecting the boxers.
Concerned ringside staff even began dismantling the rings cornerpost in case the they needed a clearer path out of squared circle.
Thankfully there was a York Hall roar when Arnold – a 10 fight novice – regained consciousness.
Slowly the Londoner made it up to a chair and eventually his feet.
Groggily Arnold made his own way out of the ring and was taken to hospital for the standard checks and precautions.
Fans watching the fight were left outraged that it wasn’t stopped earlier.
One wrote on Twitter: “Never, ever in a million years should have still be allowed to continue to be able to take that last KO shot. Should have been stopped. Ref is a shambles.”
Another said: “Shocking on behalf of both referee and coaching team.”
And a third wrote: “F*** me, thought the worst there, thank Christ he got up… awful viewing.”
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The dismal corner and officiating work marred what was otherwise a great night of boxing.
Ellis Zorro edged fearless Dec Spelman on points in a cracker, kid prospect Royston Barney-Smith won inside 30 seconds and Densely Bentley retained his middleweight British title with a four-round dismantling of courageous Marcus Morrison.
Fans have been left fuming that Arnold (right) was not pulled out of the fight soonerCredit: Getty
Mairena celebrates after victory at York HallCredit: Getty More

CANELO ALVAREZ cannot stand Gennady Golovkin — and he is ready to make him pay.The Mexican snarls at mere mention of the Kazakh warrior ahead of this weekend’s third fight of their trilogy.
Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin meet inside the ring for the third time this weekendCredit: AP
Canelo claimed a points victory in his rematch with GGG in September 2018 – a year after their drawCredit: AP
Canelo is determined to dish out punishment for “talking s*** about me” — and to reclaim top spot in boxing’s pound-for-pound list.
Their rivalry goes back years but hit a new level after Canelo failed a drugs test in 2018, delaying their second fight.
That eventually ended in a razor-thin Canelo points win after the first bout in 2017 was a controversial draw.
With Saturday’s bout taking place at super-middleweight, this is a chance for the Mexican — the undisputed champion at that weight — to make up for losing his last fight at light-heavyweight to Dmitry Bivol and become the pound-for-pound finest in the eyes of the boxing world.
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Middleweight champ Golovkin, 40, will fight at 168lb for the first time although the extra weight should suit him.
But Canelo is determined to celebrate Mexican Independence weekend in style.
The 32-year-old snapped: “I just want to punish him really hard. He pretends to be a nice person but he’s not.
“He talks a lot of s*** about me and that’s what I don’t like. He’s a great fighter but as a person? I don’t think so.
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“It’s one of the biggest fights of my life because of the rivalry and this third fight will be the most important.
“The rivalry goes back years and I love that it’s personal. It makes me train like crazy.
“I listen to what he says but at the end of the day, he is just making excuses. I listen but don’t take it to heart.
“What I don’t like is when it comes to talking in person, he lies. I know I won both fights, I have nothing to prove.”
Both fighters were bristling during a pre-fight face-off this week and Canelo, who boasts a record of 57-2-2 with 39 KO’s, added: “This is as edgy as I have been before a fight for a while.
Golovkin has ony ever lost to Canelo in his 44-fight professional careerCredit: Getty Images – Getty
“I am the best fighter in the world right now and I don’t need to take risks but I love a challenge.”
GGG says Canelo lost touch with reality while losing comprehensively to the bigger, stronger Bivol.
The Kazakh claims his ageless, baby-faced look is down to his health regime and the fact he’s never done drugs — a swipe at Canelo who got off with a six-month ban after claiming contaminated beef was to blame for the trace levels of clenbuterol four years ago.
Golovkin, who has won 42 of his 44 fights with 37 KOs and holds three belts at 160lb, said: “We saw what he said about a possible fight with Oleksandr Usyk and others, even now he continues to say that he’s not afraid of any challenges and saves his face.
“At the same time what he said in the press conferences, he didn’t take Bivol seriously. He lost touch with reality and believed he was invincible.
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“The confidence is there, but after clearly losing the fight, you are raising your arms and saying you only lost a couple of rounds. That’s what I am talking about.
“I anticipate he will make less mistakes, I know what type of fight we are facing and I am ready.” More

KSI has vowed to make the trip to Dubai to watch his brother Deji “beat the f***” out of Floyd Mayweather amid shock fight talks. Mayweather is in shock negotiations with Deji, who like KSI is a social media sensation and crossover boxer.
Deji pictured with his older brother KSI after their recent boxing winsCredit: DAZN
KSI – real name Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji – broke his silence on the unbelievable exhibition rumours.
He said during a music performance: “Deji is just a man on a mission. I mean, yeah we’ll see if it’s true.
“But if it is, then f*** me I am going. I need to see him beat the f*** out of Mayweather, man. Or at least survive anyway.”
Deji, 25, went on a run of three losses in the ring but secured his first win in August, beating online rival Fousey, 32.
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It was the night KSI, 29, beat rapper Swarmz, 25, and Mexican boxer Luis Alcaraz Pineda, 23, on the SAME NIGHT.
Mayweather, 45, meanwhile officially retired in August 2017 after beating ex-UFC champion Conor McGregor, 34, in ten Las Vegas rounds.
But he has returned to the ring in three exhibitions since and faces MMA fighter Mikuru Asakura, 29, next on September 25 in Japan.
He first came back to the ring in Tokyo in 2018, beating featherweight kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa, 24, in one farcical round.
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Then in June 2021 he went the eight-round distance with YouTuber Logan Paul, 27, giving away TWO STONE in doing so.
And most recently, Mayweather dominated former sparring partner Don Moore in Abu Dhabi.
It was the first fight under his Global Titans Fight Series with Deji expected to be the second opponent under his new banner.
Floyd Mayweather makes his boxing return on September 25Credit: Reuters More

CANELO ALVAREZ feared the worst after brutally knocking out Amir Khan in 2016. Khan made the shock decision to jump up from welterweight to challenge for the WBC middleweight title, held by Canelo at the time.
Canelo Alvarez was left fearing for the worst after brutally knocking out Amir KhanCredit: Getty Images – Getty
And despite a bright start, the 2004 Olympic hero was savagely laid unconscious in round six following a huge right hand.
Khan was flat on his back, staring up at the lights as Canelo kneeled by his side and showed his concern.
And even to this day, the Mexican hints he feared killing the Brit after the demolition job.
Canelo said in a DAZN documentary: “With Amir Khan – he scared me a little, I felt a bit worried.
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“I actually went over to see if he was ok. It was the natural reaction – the knockout was too strong.
“And on top of that, when he fell to the canvas he twisted his neck badly. So I thought something more than a knockout had happened.”
Khan, now retired at 35, went from 147lb to 155lb, which was 1lb above the light-middleweight limit.
But he famously claimed Canelo, 32, piled on over TWO STONE before their fight.
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Khan was admittedly never the same after the loss and despite challenging for the world title again, he hung up his gloves this year.
For Canelo, he is still the biggest star in the sport and returns over the weekend to complete his trilogy series with Gennady Golovkin, 40.

They controversially drew in 2017 before Golovkin lost the epic rematch a year later.
And after 24 classic rounds, Khan previously backed his former foe to become the first man to stop GGG, securing the double over the Kazakh.
Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin ahead of their trilogyCredit: AP More