JOE JOYCE doesn’t want to talk about the past anymore. Specifically his two defeats to Zhilei Zhang in 2023 which shattered the momentum he’d been building towards a world title shot. The 38-year-old heavyweight was immediately written off by many who believed his flaws had finally caught up with him, having got away with them…
By Elliot Worsell THIS time 20 years ago I was about to start writing my first ever feature for Boxing News with the aim for it to find a home in an August issue of the magazine. There had been two previous attempts – a news piece about Paulie Ayala, and a pro-Audley Harrison fluff…
ERISLANDY Lara will defend his WBA middleweight title against Danny Garcia on the undercard of Canelo vs. Berlanga on September 14. These pair were pitched together almost a year ago, with the bout expected to headline on Showtime in August 2023, but it mysteriously dissolved from the schedule. Now, by popular demand, 41-year-old Lara, and…
TRAINER Dave Coldwell believes Saturday night’s heavyweight fight between Joe Joyce and Derek Chisora will boil down to what each boxer has left to offer. The all-British battle takes place at the O2 Arena in London, a venue Chisora is fond of having fought there nine times and won on his last five visits. Chisora,…
By Oscar Pick JOE Joyce and Derek Chisora are no strangers to the euphoric victories and devastating setbacks that come with boxing. Both were once highly touted prospects, storming through their early professional fights with destructive performances and ruthless finishes. But now, with the pair prolonging the twilight years of their careers by gearing up…
QUEENSBERRY PROMOTIONS have announced a £1 million pound pledge to BoxWise Foundation. The charity works with vulnerable young people to try and help them stay out of trouble and in school or work. In addition BoxWise, founded in 2020, delivers 10-week non-contact boxing programmes to the most disadvantaged and vulnerable people across the UK. A…
IBF World cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia today (July 25) launched a scathing attack on WBO titlist Chris Billam-Smith. Opetaia was a guest on DAZN’s coverage of the Justis Huni-Troy Pilcher fight card from Fortitude Valley in Australia. The spiky 29-year-old was asked how bad he wanted the unification fight against the Brit. “I’m ready for…
By Oscar Pick NOTHING was off limits for Prince Naseem Hamed. He enthralled fans with astonishing ring entrances, humiliated opponents with outrageous spells of showboating and captivated the world’s media with his natural charm and charisma: a true showman. Most importantly, though, Naz was an exceptionally talented boxer. Few fighters have successfully mirrored his elusive…
JUNTO Nakatani made a huge statement in Tokyo, blasting away Vincent Astrolabio in double-quick time. Astrolabio was not unbeatable, but nobody had dealt with him like this. As the clock for the opening round ticked down, the Kanagawa man landed a thumping straight left to the body that left the usually durable Filipino writhing in…
A BUSY week of news for Top Rank continued with the announcement of their latest signing. WBC bantamweight world champion Junto Nakatani was confirmed last night (July 24) as having joined in co-promotional agreement with Top Rank alongside Teiken Promotions and M.T Boxing Gym. Last weekend the Japanese star provided further evidence of his knockout…
