Boxing

Boxing is a sport notorious for its pugilists often doing as much talking with their mouths as their fists. Some very ordinary fighters have been able to trash talk their way into particularly lucrative bouts over the years, even if their talents in the ring often leave a little to be desired – bad blood […]

“Money talks, and bull**** walks.” The timeless movie Spinal Tap is a comedy for the ages, but one of its ensemble cast – record company boss Bobbi Flekman – revealed a truth that has governed the business world, and now the sporting landscape, for decades. When money enters the conversation, dissenters seemingly lose their voice […]

Natasha Jonas will always be remembered as a trailblazer for women’s boxing. She was the first female to box for Great Britain at the Olympic Games, which came at London 2012 where only lost out on a medal after running into an inspired Katie Taylor. Now Jonas will tread new ground once more as the […]

In everyday life, we can all be the victim – or the deliverer – of a metaphorical low blow: a quip or bit of banter that perhaps be perceived as overstepping the line of good taste. In boxing, the matter of the low blow is rather less subjective: if you get struck below the belt […]

The pinnacle of any sport is surely when the best in the business go toe-to-toe on the biggest of stages. Boxing is a sport primed for such a notion. The ability to sell thousands of tickets at some of the largest indoor and outdoor venues, mammoth PPV sales worldwide….the pugilists get to prove who’s the […]

As if you were in any doubt about the emergence of a new generation of sport, YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul was ‘upset’ that his October boxing bout with MMA legend Anderson Silva only sold around 200,000-300,000 PPV buys. The ‘Problem Child’, as he styles himself, claimed that inopportune scheduling was to blame, and even […]

It’s been one of the most frustratingly delayed fights in British boxing. A few years ago Tyson Fury versus Anthony Joshua would have been one of the biggest draws in the sport, but a pair of defeats for the latter against Ukrainian sensation Oleksandr Usyk have rather destabilized his career. But redemption could be the […]

When Josh Taylor’s hand was mysteriously raised in victory following his undisputed lightweight clash with Jack Catterall in February, Sky Sports’ Anna Woolhouse asked a bold question about the contentious decision. “Is it corruption or incompetence?” Catterall’s corner went with a rather more direct ‘absolutely disgusting’ after the verdict had been revealed, while some pundits […]

Normally, the build-up to big boxing bouts takes place in a cloud of hyperbole and trash talking. But the lead-in to the November 28 contest between Mike Tyson, making his return at the age of 54 after 15 years out of the ring, and Roy Jones Jr has been pretty cordial by all accounts, with […]

As we get older, our body gives us clues that the sands of time are marching on even if we protest we’re as youthful as we were when we were 21. Whether it’s the aching joints after a hike in the countryside or a game of five-a-side football, or the ‘oooh’ sound many of us […]

Not every trilogy is welcome, as anybody who watched The Matrix Revolutions can testify. Often, there’s good ground for a trilogy when the first two ‘products’ in a series are so enjoyed, and that’s why in boxing these triple-headed delights usually come after an edge-of-the-seat first fight is followed by a titanic tear-up in the […]

He’s not fought for more than two decades. But they say that the boxer’s instinct never leaves you, and perhaps we shouldn’t be overly surprised that Nigel Benn is planning a comeback at the age of 55. The former world champion has been working hard in the gym, as his workout posts on social media […]

You know how it is: you’re preparing for the boxing fight that you assume will get your career back on track. Training has gone well, you’re feeling good and you are confident of securing victory. And then somebody comes along and drops a massive ornament on your hand. Carl Frampton was in the latter stages […]

“Everybody that bet on me gonna make some serious money.” It was an accurate enough assessment of the situation from Andy Ruiz Jr, the likeable roly-poly puncher who shocked the world of boxing to its very core in stopping Anthony Joshua in seven rounds of their Madison Square Garden encounter. The underdog was a 12/1 […]

You sense it could be a landmark night for women’s boxing. The middleweight division will be unified for the first time on Saturday when Claressa Shields puts her WBC, WBA and IBF belts on the line against the WBO strap-holder Christina Hammer. Both are unbeaten so far, hence the excitement, and Shields firmly believes this […]

There are only a few sports where the final result is down to the interpretation of others. In gymnastics’ myriad of disciplines, for example, the scoring panel decide who wins and who doesn’t based on performance, complexity of routines and so on. The same can be said for diving and a few other sports. But […]