Boxing

Subterms

    More stories

    • 225 Shares139 Views

      in Boxing

      Josh Warrington faces a battle to recover ‘physically and mentally’ from Mauricio Lara loss, fears pal Carl Frampton

      by

      CARL FRAMPTON is worried about Josh Warrington’s ability to bounce back from his brutal loss to Mauricio Lara on Saturday.
      Leeds icon Warrington, 30, was a red-hot favourite to walk through the 22-year-old Mexican unknown.

      Josh Warrington has a long road ahead to recover from his Mauricio Lara shock, says Carl FramptonCredit: ©Dave Thompson/Route One Ltd

      Frampton fears for old foe Warrington’s physical and mental recoveryCredit: PA:Press Association

      But Lara dropped Warrington in the fourth and ninth rounds before the fight was waved off.
      And the brave Brit needed oxygen to help him recover in the Wembley Arena ring.
      Medics gave Warrington the all-clear but he went on to hospital for more tests.
      He spent yesterday celebrating his twin daughters’ third birthdays at home, nursing a fractured jaw and burst eardrum.

      And former foe Frampton — who lost a 2018 fight to Warrington on points that helped to forge their friendship — took to his YouTube channel to share his worries.
      Frampton, 33, said: “I thought he took a lot of punishment and, when he stood up to come out for the fifth round, he did not look right.
      “In my opinion he should have been pulled out at the end of the fourth, before the fifth started.
      “Fights like that, when they are that brutal, are like having four or five fights in one night.

      ONLINE CASINO OFFERS: CLAIM OVER £800 IN BONUS CASH

      Lara stunned Warrington by dropping him in the fourth and ninth rounds before the fight was waved offCredit: ©Dave Thompson/Route One Ltd

      “It is going to be hard to come back from that physically and mentally.
      “Josh is going to have a load of criticism but he is a very good fighter who had a bad night.
      “Credit to Lara. I hope he goes on to get a world title shot. I am disappointed for Josh and I think it is going to be a long road back.”
      It was a skull-rattling left hook in the fourth that sparked the end of Warrington’s 30-fight undefeated run.
      The former IBF featherweight’s legs betrayed him and he showed incredible heart to remain upright until felled by a similar shot.
      The final 20 seconds of the round were painful to watch as Warrington’s tattooed body turned to jelly, but referee Howard Foster refused to step in.
      Warrington suffered five more rounds of punishment until a volley of left hooks drove him into the canvas again.
      Frampton added: “I thought the only way he could lose was through complacency — and Josh was complacent.”

      Warrington vs Lara – Round by Round More

    • 225 Shares99 Views

      in Boxing

      Josh Warrington admits he regrets trading blows with Mauricio Lara after suffering fractured jaw and a burst eardrum

      by

      JOSH WARRINGTON is kicking himself for fighting fire with fire and getting scorched by young hotshot Mauricio Lara.
      Leeds’ featherweight hero thought he had a Wembley Arena tune-up on Saturday – after 15 months out – before bidding for a second world title in the Spring.

      Josh Warrington was stunned by Mexican hotshot Mauricio LaraCredit: ©Mark Robinson Ltd

      But the former IBF 9st king suffered his first loss when the 22-year-old stunned him with a fourth-round left hook and brutalised him until ref Howard Foster stopped it in the ninth. 
      Warrington, 30, suffered a fractured jaw and a burst eardrum after trying to out-bang a banger.
      And he is clever enough to know exactly where he went wrong to end up briefly in hospital and facing a painful rebuild.
      He said: “I went to hospital on Saturday night, just as a precaution, and passed all the tests.

      “It was the first time I have been down and touched the canvas as a professional.
      “I’ve got a fracture on my jaw and some swelling around my lips but that is to be expected when you trade with a big-punching Mexican.
      “Congratulations to Lara, he grabbed his opportunity. Looking back, I should have boxed more clever and made it easy for myself.”
      Sky Sports’ ringside pundits Adam Booth and Johnny Nelson were fuming Warrington took five more rounds of punishment after being brutally felled in the fourth.

      Josh Warrington was brutally put to the canvas in the fourth

      Warrington was floored after taking a stunning left hook to the face
      The fighter’s father and trainer Sean refused to throw in the towel and Foster gave him multiple chances to recover when it might have been wiser to end his assault.
      But Warrington defended his dad and the ref for letting the hard-to-watch contest continue until he was floored again and needed oxygen from the medics.
      He said: “I was hurt and down in the fourth but I was always conscious and never felt like I couldn’t carry on, even though I was stumbling.
      “I went down again in the ninth but I told the referee that I was getting up. But he told me I wasn’t and it was all over.
      “I will take some time now to recover. I was out of the ring for 15 months but I had been training all the way through, waiting for a date, and that was difficult”.
      Warrington, who spent Sunday licking his wounds and celebrating the third birthdays of his twin daughters, had a hit list of champions he wanted to meet before the shock loss.

      Josh Warrington was battered and bruised after the fightCredit: ©Dave Thompson/Route One Ltd

      And he hopes his ability to sell-out the Leeds arena with £1million gates will still earn him another title shot soon.
      “I still believe I can fulfil my dreams of more world titles,” he said. 
      “There are still big fights out there and hopefully I can look back at this as just a bump in the road.”

      Josh Warrington works up a sweat in the gym ahead of big fight More

    • 225 Shares109 Views

      in Boxing

      Mike Tyson reveals he ‘HATED Michael Jackson’s guts’ after King of Pop ‘played him’ with backstage gig snub

      by

      MIKE TYSON has revealed he hated Michael Jackson’s guts after a backstage snub at one of the late pop legend’s concerts.
      The boxing icon is currently in talks over a mega-money fight with Evander Holyfield.

      Mike Tyson has revealed his hatred towards Michael Jackson before they became palsCredit: Instagram

      The ‘King of Pop’ sensationally snubbed the ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’ backstage at a gigCredit: AFP

      During his heyday of the late 80s and early 90s, the ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’ was one of the most-recognisable and biggest names in the world
      One man that enjoyed just as much popularity and spotlight as ‘King of Pop’ Jackson.
      However, Tyson has admitted he held a lot of anger towards the musician until the pair did eventually hang out.
      Speaking on T.I.’s expediTIously podcast, the former world champion said: “I met Mike one day, I think he was at a concert in Cleveland, I’m with Don King.

      “So me and Don come in, right? And I’m champ and everything, did all this s***, undisputed.
      “So Don goes and Don gives Michael Jackson the ‘peace’ sign, like this. And then so Michael gives Don the ‘peace’ sign, and so I give Michael the ‘peace’ sign, and Michael put his hand down.
      “In a way, I say, ‘Did he play me? Nah, he didn’t play me, he just didn’t see me. I knew he didn’t play me, cause I’m f***ing champ.”
      Tyson and King continued to go backstage for the show – but the disrespect continued.

      FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE

      He continued: “So we went backstage, right? So I’m backstage, and so there’s his backstage, some of his singers and stuff.
      “He’s on stage, it’s over I’m signing autographs and stuff, so Michael comes over and he talks to Don, he doesn’t talk to me. I say ‘Let me just go on and meet Mike’, cause that’s really why I’m here, I want to meet Mike.
      “And then I go over to meet Mike, … and he goes like this, ‘Don’t I know you from somewhere? Where I know you from?’
      “He broke my ego, he crushed me. 
      “I said ‘No, I’m just a fan, pleasure to meet you, sir. He said, ‘OK’, and then he got out and went in the car.”
      Tyson admitted he refused to let go of the snub for years until Jackson finally invited him to hang out – an offer initially rejected by the fighter.
      He added: “I said ‘OK I’m coming, I’ll be over there’, right?
      “So I got on a plane, went over there, hung out, and we just started hanging out together. And I said ‘F*** man, he’s a good guy.
      “But in my mind, I said ‘Why’d you play me though, Mike, why’d you play me like that? You knew who I was, why’d you play me?’”

      Watch Mike Tyson aged 15 destroy opponent in 8 seconds More

    • 250 Shares99 Views

      in Boxing

      Warrington suffered fractured jaw and burst eardrum in shock loss to Lara as Frampton doubts if star can bounce back

      by

      JOSH WARRINGTON suffered a fractured jaw and burst eardrum in his brutal loss to Mauricio Lara.
      And Carl Frampton appears genuinely concerned about the star’s ability to bounce back from Saturday night’s brutal shock defeat.

      Josh Warrington suffered a fractured jaw and burst ear drum in his brutal defeat to Mauricio LaraCredit: ©Mark Robinson Ltd

      The Leeds icon was floored twice by the Mexican before the fight was called offCredit: ©Dave Thompson/Route One Ltd

      The 30-year-old Leeds icon was a red-hot favourite to walk through the 22-year-old Mexican unknown, who lost his 2015 debut and was knocked out in the first round of a 2018 loss.
      But Lara dropped Warrington in the fourth and ninth rounds before the fight was waved off, with the brave Brit needing oxygen to help him recover in the Wembley arena ring.
      Ringside medics gave Warrington the all clear but he went on to a West London hospital for more tests and is today celebrating his twin daughters’ third birthdays at home while nursing his injuries.
      And former foe Frampton, who lost a brilliant 2018 fight to Warrington on points that helped forge a friendship between the pair, took to his YouTube channel to share his concerns.

      The 33-year-old said: “I thought he took a lot of punishment and, when he stood up to come out for the fifth round, he did not look right.
      “In my opinion, he should have been pulled out at the end of the fourth, before the fifth started. And he should have been pulled out again at the end of the fifth.
      “Fights like that, when they are that brutal, are like having four or five fights in one night.
      “It is going to be hard to come back from that physically and mentally. 

      “Josh is going to have a load of criticism now, people calling him crap, but Josh Warrington is a very good fighter who just had a really bad night.
      FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE

      “Credit to Lara and his team, I hope he goes on to get a world title shot. I am disappointed for Josh and I think it is going to be a long road back.”
      It was a skull-rattling left hook in the fourth round that sparked the end of Warrington’s 30-fight undefeated run.
      The former IBF featherweight’s legs betrayed him and he showed incredible heart to remain upright until a similar shot felled him.
      The final 20 seconds of the round were painful to watch as Warrington’s tattooed body turned to jelly but referee Howard Foster refused to step in.
      Warrington suffered five more rounds of punishment until a volley of left hooks drove him into the canvas again, where he needed oxygen after being saved from anymore assaults.
      And Frampton believes he benefited from home advantage to last so long but struggled swapping his usual raucous Leeds arena for the silent West London venue.

      Carl Frampton doubts whether the star will be able to bounce back from the brutal lossCredit: PA:Press Association
      “I thought the only way he could lose was through complacency and Josh was complacent,” the two-weight world champ said.
      “After the first 30 seconds I thought Warrington was going to enjoy an easy night, I thought it might be a bit embarrassing for Lara. But he turned it around.
      “I have fought in a bubble and I did not like the lack of atmosphere, I am used to big crowds and loud atmospheres and so is Josh. That probably affected him as well but we have to give Lara all the credit in the world.
      T”he way Josh was in the fourth round, if it was the other way round, the fight would have been stopped.
      “But, because Josh was the name and the home fighter, he was given the benefit of the doubt and that happens. It was hard to watch from that point on to the knockout.”

      Warrington vs Lara – Round by Round More

    • 225 Shares129 Views

      in Boxing

      Mike Tyson handed Tim Witherspoon & his daughter £2,000 from bag of money & financially ‘looked after ex-pros’

      by

      MIKE TYSON handed Tim Witherspoon and his daughter £2,000 from a bag of cash in a secret act of generosity.
      The two heavyweight legends were in Liverpool on a tour in 2010, speaking at dinner events.

      Tim Witherspoon revealed Mike Tyson gave him and his daughter £2,000 from a bag full of cashCredit: AP:Associated Press

      Tyson pictured after his boxing comebackCredit: AP:Associated Press

      Witherspoon, who has a British daughter named Shanayiah with an English mother, met Tyson in his hotel room.
      And when a bundle of cash was laid out on the bed, he was preparing to make an exit – before Iron Mike stopped him in his tracks.
      In an exclusive interview with SunSport, Witherspoon, 63, revealed: “My daughter from Tottenham and I were in our hotel room.
      “And Mike’s room wasn’t ready yet, so he came to our room.

      “Mike and several people came in and opened up a bag on our bed full of money and threw the money on the bed.
      “And I said to my daughter, ‘Come on, Shanayiah, let’s get out of here because they’re counting the money’.
      “There was a lot of money. Mike said, ‘Sit down! Where are you going?’ I said, ‘Well, we…’ He said, ‘No. Sit down, man’. 

      “He counted all the money and he gave me two grand. He was talking to me and my daughter.

      “I thought that was really good of him.”
      Witherspoon retired in 2003 as a two-time heavyweight champion.
      But afterwards, the American, who beat Brit hero Frank Bruno in 1986, struggled to find work.
      That was until Tyson, now 54, demanded Witherspoon be a special guest speaker alongside him.
      Witherspoon said: “Even before in the old days, Mike was real generous.
      “The promoter wouldn’t put me on the dinner show and Mike told him to put me on.
      “Tyson got him to put me on the show.

      Mike knows we as boxers have to stick together
      Tim Witherspoon

      “I’m a former heavyweight champion of the world I knocked out Frank Bruno, but they didn’t want me to be on the shows.
      “Mike got me on and I also got paid. I think that was a good thing to do.
      “Mike knows we as boxers have to stick together. He enforced it and made them put me on their shows.
      “Because he thought it was wrong of them to turn their back on me.”

      Mike Tyson snubs Anthony Joshua as he names top five favourite current boxers featuring Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder More

    • 263 Shares159 Views

      in Boxing

      Mike Tyson claims he was busy ‘partying and f***ing maids’ instead of preparing for Buster Douglas in Tokyo back in 1990

      by

      MIKE TYSON revealed his preparations to take on Buster Douglas included ‘f***ing maids’ and partying.
      The heavyweight legend headed into the bout in Tokyo on the back of 37 consecutive wins and was massive favourite to demolish his opposite corner.

      Buster Douglas stunned Mike Tyson in Tokyo in 1990Credit: Reuters

      Against all the odds, Douglas stunned the boxing world by putting Tyson to the canvas for the first time in his career in the tenth round.
      It was regarded as one of the biggest shocks in sport history as Douglas snatched Tyson’s heavyweight belts.
      Tyson was so confident that he would brush Douglas aside, he barely trained for the bout and instead was more interested in women.
      In his autobiography, he wrote: “On January 8, 1990, I got aboard a plane to fly to Tokyo.

      “Kicking and screaming. I didn’t want to fight; all I was interested in then was partying and f***ing women.
      “I didn’t consider Buster Douglas much of a challenge. I didn’t even bother watching any of his fights on video.
      “I had easily beaten everybody who had knocked him out.
      “Besides having sex with the maids, I was seeing this young Japanese girl who I had had sex with the last time I was in Japan.

      Douglas inflicted Tyson’s first defeat in his careerCredit: AP:Associated Press

      “Robin [his wife] would go out shopping and I would go downstairs to the back of the hotel where this young girl had a room… So that was my training for Douglas.
      “The day before the fight I also had two maids at the same time. And then two more girls, one at a time, the night before the fight.”
      Tyson would later admit that his shock defeat was a huge wake up call in his career.
      He said: “I needed that fight to make me a better person and fighter. I have a broader perspective of myself and boxing.”
      Tyson would bounce back with eight straight wins including claiming back his WBC and WBA heavyweight titles after knocking out Frank Bruno and Bruce Seldon.

      Watch Mike Tyson aged 15 destroy opponent in 8 seconds More

    • 225 Shares179 Views

      in Boxing

      Watch Eddie Hearn slam Zelfa Barrett’s win over Kiko Martinez and call for instant rematch over controversial scorecard

      by

      EDDIE HEARN slaughtered the two judges who handed his fighter Zelfa Barrett a wide points win on Saturday.
      Kiko Martinez travelled over from Spain to face the Manchester super-featherweight on Hearn’s Sky Sports show at Wembley arena.

      Zelfa Barrett secured a controversial victory over Spaniard Kiko Martinez last nightCredit: ©Dave Thompson/Route One Ltd

      For almost all of the 12-round bout, Martinez was on the front foot scything shots into the taller Brit.
      At the final bell, Martinez rightly celebrated while Barrett looked battered, bruised and dejected.
      Ringside British Boxing Board of Control officials Steve Gray, Bob Williams and Howard Foster scored the bout 118-111, 118-111 and 116-113.
      But somehow all three had Barrett winning the clash, instead of the plucky 34-year-old veteran.

      Hearn slated the two widest cards in the 27-year-old Englishman’s favour and said repeated dismal scoring was making his job to attract top foreign talents to the UK, for fair fights, would be hurt by another controversial card.
      But he still claimed Barrett had nicked the bout, which harmed his argument.
      Hearn said: “It was very close but 118-111 is absolutely disgusting for Martinez.
      “If Zelfa won, he won it by one or two rounds. 118-111 does nobody any favours.

      FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE

      “How will we bring world-class fighters to this country with scorecards like that?
      “After all that effort Martinez might as well have boxed off his back foot and had an easy night.”
      Robbed Martinez somehow kept his cool but claimed Barrett knew he had been the latest benefactor of shameless home-fight favouritism.
      “The judges haven’t been fair,” the former world champion said.
      “The best outcome is a rematch. My opponent knows he did not win.”

      Eddie Hearn was furious with two of the judges over their scorecardsCredit: ©Mark Robinson/Matchroom
      Barrett, to his credit, did not over celebrate and he cannot be blamed for the skewed scoring but the best he could offer his opponent was a rematch.
      And respected American promoter Lou DiBella was also raging from across The Pond.
      On Twitter he wrote: “How about the referee/commission. Who the f*** is protecting fighters in UK boxing right now?
      “Judging/refereeing suck here too. It’s the same corrupt, broken system. There are the same blind eyes to safety and fairness.”
      The controversial outcome felt similar to the hapless scoring that went on in Newcastle banger Lewis Ritson’s favour in October.
      Visiting Miguel Vazquez boxed expertly on the backfoot and was awarded the fight 116-113  on one accurate card.
      But two scores, including Terry O’Connor’s baffling 117-111, went in Ritson’s favour, with Hearn admitting he felt the wrong man got his hand raised.

      Eddie Hearn says Deontay Wilder has ‘completely lost his mind’ after ‘bizarre’ claims against ex-trainer Mark Breland More

    • 213 Shares149 Views

      in Boxing

      Manny Pacquiao was ‘much worse’ than Conor McGregor was against Floyd Mayweather, says ex-UFC star Chael Sonnen

      by

      CONOR McGREGOR fought better than Manny Pacquiao did against Floyd Mayweather, according to ex-UFC star Chael Sonnen.
      Pacquiao was outboxed over 12 rounds against Mayweather in 2015 in the richest fight in boxing history.

      Floyd Mayweather beat Manny Pacquiao over 12 rounds in 2015 Credit: AFP – Getty

      Conor McGregor lost to Mayweather in 2017 Credit: AP:Associated Press

      Former UFC champion McGregor was then unsuccessful against the American legend two years later, as he was stopped in round ten.
      But Sonnen reckons PacMan ‘did much worse’ in his attempt to beat Mayweather when compared to McGregor’s effort.
      And the former UFC title challenger even backed The Notorious to fight Pacquiao, having already shared the ring with Mayweather.
      He explained: “Pacquiao did much worse with Floyd than Conor did.

      “If that’s the only thing we have to compare it to, then let’s do the fight. Manny Pacquiao? One of the best ever?
      “All of those things are true but he’s already done it once and he did it with Floyd, who’s better than Pacquiao.
      “I’m just saying, we don’t how good Conor is.”
      McGregor, 32, made his boxing debut the night he fought Mayweather, 43, who went on to retire a perfect 50-0.

      The Irishman did win some of the early rounds and ended the fight having landed 111 punches.
      In contrast, Filipino icon Pacquiao, 41, only scored with 81 shots, despite having two more rounds to do so.
      But Mayweather had not boxed for two years before facing McGregor, and claimed press ups and sit ups were his sole training methods before the bout.
      McGregor has vowed to return to the ring and believes he will even win a world title in boxing.
      He even face off against Pacquiao, after revealing the pair were in talks.

      Correct. Southpaw box style. Continue to sharpen my MMA skills with some tough competition, while leading into my Manny bout preparation.It’s not easy going between both sports and then coming back to the one sport again.Just want to keep sharp guys, that’s all. It’s only fair. https://t.co/PnjHb4VP9j
      — Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) October 13, 2020

      Joe Rogan says Conor McGregor fighting ‘one of the greatest boxers of all time’ Manny Pacquiao is ‘bonkers’ More