Tag: Alexander Povetkin

Welcome to Eddie Hearn’s ‘Matchroom Square Garden’

Promoter Eddie Hearn on his “Fight Camp” matchups: “We need to make sure those fights are compelling.”

Promoter Eddie Hearn has confirmed that a series of August fight nights will take place in his garden, with Dillian Whyte’s heavyweight showdown against Alexander Povetkin the standout bout.

Boxing, like most other sports, went on a hiatus earlier this year when the coronavirus pandemic spread across the world.

However, boxing and UFC cards have recently returned in the United States behind closed doors, and Matchroom promoter Hearn had spoken of his ambitious plans to resume boxing in the United Kingdom, too, in a special ring built in the garden of the Matchroom office in Essex, outside London.

Matchroom’s “Fight Camp” will see boxers brought into a bubble before fighting on four nights from August 1 to August 22.

The final night will see Katie Taylor put her lightweight titles on the line against an as-yet-unnamed opponent before Whyte and Povetkin meet in a heavyweight fight.

“We’ve of course got Madison Square Garden, this is Matchroom Square Garden,” Hearn told Sky Sports. “We’ve been working diligently with the British Boxing Board of Control for the last three months. We’re in a position where we know the procedures that have to take place to make the sport safe to return.

https://twitter.com/MatchroomBoxing/status/1276509139494146050

“We feel like we’ve done it at the right time, we feel like everything’s safe. We’ve got a brilliant schedule of fights lined up and we can’t wait to bring boxing back to your screens.

“We have no crowd, we don’t have the 80,000 singing ‘Sweet Caroline’ and have the energy of the audience, but what we do have is the beauty of boxing, the rawness of the sport.

“We need to make sure those fights are compelling.”

Whyte has long been the mandatory challenger for the belt held by Tyson Fury, who is set to face Deontay Wilder for a third time after taking the strap off the American in February.

A path to a future fight with Fury has been further complicated by the titleholder having already agreed two bouts against fellow Brit Anthony Joshua, who has the rest of the division’s major belts.

Matchroom Boxing to return with Fight Camp series

Eddie Hearn on Friday announced the full schedule for Fight Camp, which will take place throughout August at Matchroom’s headquarters.

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared on DAZN.com.

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Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing on Friday announced the full schedule for Fight Camp, which will take place throughout August at Matchroom’s headquarters outside London and mark the organization’s return to live action from its coronavirus-prompted hiatus.

The boxing series will feature all outdoor fights over the span of four weeks in Brentwood, England.

Fight Camp will end with a bang on Aug. 22, when Dillian Whyte (27-1, 18 KOs) will face Alexander Povetkin (35-2-1, 24 KOs) in a heavyweight bout. Katie Taylor (15-0, 6 KOs) also will defend her lightweight titles that night.

Taylor’s opponent has not been announced, but Hearn has said he’s working on a deal with Amanda Serrano.

The fights will be shown live on DAZN in the U.S. and Sky Sports in the U.K., with the final week on Sky Sports Box Office.

Below is the complete schedule for Matchroom’s Fight Camp in August.

Saturday, Aug. 1

  • Sam Eggington (28-6, 17 KOs) vs. Ted Cheeseman (15-2-1, 9 KOs)
  • James Tennyson (26-3, 22 KOs) vs. Gavin Gwynne (12-1, 2 KOs)
  • Jordan Gill (24-1, 7 KOs) vs. Reece Bellotti (14-3, 12 KOs)
  • Fabio Wardley (8-0, 7 KOs) vs. Simon Vallily (17-2-1, 7 KOs)
  • Dalton Smith (5-0, 4 KOs) vs. Nathan Bennett (9-1, 2 KOs)

Friday, Aug. 7

  • Terri Harper (10-0, 5 KOs) vs. Natasha Jonas (9-1, 7 KOs)
  • Chris Billam-Smith (10-1, 9 KOs) vs. Nathan Thorley (14-0, 6 KOs)
  • Anthony Fowler (12-1, 9 KOs) vs. Adam Harper (9-1)
  • Aqib Fiaz (5-0) vs. Kane Baker (13-6)
  • Hopey Price (2-0) vs. TBD

Friday, Aug. 14

  • Felix Cash (12-0, 8 KOs) vs. Jason Welborn (24-8, 7 KOs)
  • Zelfa Barrett (23-1, 14 KOs) vs. Eric Donovan (12-0, 7 KOs)
  • Kieron Conway (14-1-1, 3 KOs) vs. Navid Mansouri (20-3-2, 6 KOs)
  • Shannon Courtenay (5-0, 2 KOs) vs. Rachel Ball (5-1)
  • John Docherty (8-0, 6 KOs) vs. TBD

Saturday, Aug. 22

  • Dillian Whyte (27-1, 18 KOs) vs. Alexander Povetkin (35-2-1, 24 KOs)
  • Katie Taylor (15-0, 6 KOs) vs. TBD
  • Martin Bakole (15-1, 12 KOs) vs. Sergey Kuzmin (15-1, 11 KOs)
  • Luther Clay (13-1, 5 KOs) vs. Chris Kongo (11-0, 6 KOs)

Eddie Hearn planning July-August shows on his company’s U.K. grounds

Eddie Hearm reportedly has a plan in place to restart boxing in July on the grounds of Matchroom Boxing’s U.K. headquarters.

Eddie Hearm reportedly has a plan in place to restart boxing in July on the grounds of Matchroom Boxing’s U.K. headquarters.

The Daily Mail is reporting that Hearn intends to stage five-fight outdoor cards on four consecutive Saturdays beginning in mid-July on the promotional company’s property in Brentwood, Essex, outside London.

The first main event will be a title fight between Terri Harper and Natasha Jonas, according to the report. A heavyweight fight between Dillian Whyte and Alexander Povetkin will be featured on the final show.

Only 90 people will be on site because of coronavirus restrictions. No spectators will be allowed.

“Financially this will be painful for us but after the momentum we have worked so hard to build over the past 10 years, I’m not going to let boxing just dribble back,” Hearn said. “While other guys go with arena and empty studios, ours will look very different.

“Just imagine it. It is summer, the house is all lit up, you can see Canary Wharf in the distance and fireworks are going off. Then over the hill walk Dillan Whyte and Alexander Povetkin for a massive tear up on my lawn.

“World championship boxing in my garden? Oh, go on then.”

A heavyweight clash between Dillian Whyte (left) and Alexander Povetkin will be featured in a series of fights targeted for July and August. Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing

The series has a working title of “Matchroom Fight Camp.”

“We cannot just bring boxing back with a dark studio,” Hearn said. “We have built our product on the razzmatazz, the sexiness and the drama. It has all been about building that moment for a fight, so we cannot afford to just bring people out like a game show.

“We want to create a gladiatorial environment that ill not only ensure compelling viewing but will also ensure fighters can perform at the highest level.”

He went on: “It is a huge mission. We are going to turn our headquarters here into an outdoor venue for live boxing, with a full canopy in the middle of the garden and the ring overlooking London. We are building changing rooms for the fighters, setting up a space for a ring walk, and figuring out how we can do everything you need for this kind of production with as few people as possible.

“… We are in talks with a nearby hotel about taking control of it for each of the weeks. The way it will work is everyone involved — the fighters, their teams, the broadcasters — will go into the hotel on Tuesday and the fighter and their team will go to a testing facility at the hotel. You will go in, get tested, be handed a room key and go straight to your room, where you will wait until you get the result of the test.

“The tests are comprehensive and they take 24 hours, so the fighter will stay in their room until they get a call from our doctors, likely on the Wednesday, with their results. If they are positive, they will leave the hotel immediately. If they are not, they are able to leave their room and take part in the obligations of fight week, all with social distancing.

“Everyone involved in the show, from top to bottom, will have to go through that process before they are allowed on to our premises. In terms of fight-week promotion, that is the other side of the challenge. How do you do the media around it? Obviously we cannot have dozens of journalists turning up and sitting shoulder to shoulder for a presser and a weigh-in like normal.

“So we need to decide how it will go. It is likely that Zoom interviews and social media live streams with the fighters and journalists will be the new norm, and pumping out clips of the fighters around the clock, building up to the weigh-ins on the grounds on Fridays and the fights on Saturdays.”

Hearn is still working out details with government and health authorities.

Dillian Whyte floats idea of becoming two-sport (boxing and MMA) athlete

Heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte floated the idea of participating in boxing and MMA simultaneously.

Dillian Whyte in MMA? The heavyweight contender hinted that it’s a possibility.

Whyte, speaking on a video on his YouTube channel, said he might become a two-sport – boxing and MMA – athlete. The move makes more sense for him than most boxers because he actually has some MMA experience and was a successful kickboxer.

And he already has an eye on a UFC star, heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic.

“I’ll fight Stipe Miocic,” said Whyte, who is scheduled to face Alexander Povetkin in a boxing match on July 2 in London. “I’ll kick him in the face. He’ll just try to take me down but he might go to sleep before I go down, though.

“… Yeah I’ll fight UFC. I’ll do one boxing fight then one UFC. One boxing fight, one MMA fight. Tell [UFC President] Dana White to hit me up.”

Whyte also mentioned heavyweight star Francis Ngannou as another possible UFC opponent.

“Francis Ngannou, he’s the man,” Whyte said. “Francis Ngannou, I will lick him down. He ain’t got no chin, he’s a coward. I’ll knock out Francis Ngannou trust me. The only thing they’ll try to take me down, that’s it.”

Whyte reportedly scored a knockout over Mark Stroud fighting for Ultimate Challenge MMA in 2008. He apparently never again participated in an MMA event and took up boxing as an amateur the following year. He turned pro in 2011.

He also reportedly was a two-time professional British kickboxing champion and won a European title.

 

British boxing authorities cancel all cards through May

The British Boxing Board of Control canceled all scheduled cards through the end of May because of the coronavirus pandemic.

More fights are off.

The British Boxing Board of Control canceled all scheduled cards through the end of May because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to talkSPORT.

That includes the May 2 heavyweight fight between Dillian Whyte and Alexander Povetkin, which has tentatively been pushed back to July 4 at Manchester Arena. Katie Taylor was scheduled to defend her lightweight titles against Amanda Serrano on that card.

Also, a lightweight title eliminator between Lee Selby and Geroge Kambosos Jr. scheduled for May 9 in Cardiff, Wales has been pushed back to July 11.

The heavyweight fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Dereck Chisora, which was postponed and rescheduled for May 23 in London, is off again. Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing reportedly is working on a new date.

And Hearn told talkSPORT that the Anthony Joshua-Kubrat Pulev title fight scheduled for June 20 at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is unlikely to happen on that date. He said July 25 is a possibility .

“Every sport is looking at their calendar but nobody knows when [it will resume],” Hearn said. “We all hope we can return to some kind of boxing in June, whether that is behind closed doors at first, whether that is back in small hall shows, and then we hope we can get to the bigger stuff by the end of June, early July. But we are completely guessing.”

As for Joshua-Pulev, Hearn said: “We have looked at alternative dates for everything without knowing anything concrete. We have ongoing conversations with Tottenham to say that if the Premier League extends and does get played in June then we’ll be pushed back.

“We do have a date of July 25 held at Spurs as well, which is more realistic. It is five weeks after June 20. But we haven’t gone on sale with that, we haven’t made an official announcement in terms of seat details and on-sale dates, so we have got less pressure on that. There is more pressure for Anthony to fight twice this year.

“… I know there is a bigger picture going on but everybody in sport, eveybody in business right now, needs to be working on a solution, the outcome, what happens when we get through this because it is going to be a horrifically messy time for all businesses, all sports, everything, when we do come out the other side.

“The world won’t be the same again and, in a lot of cases, we will have to start from scratch.”

U.K. officials extend suspension of cards through end of April

The British Boxing Board of Control extended suspension of cards in the U.K. though the end of April because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Uncertainty about boxing’s return only heightened Monday with an extended suspension of cards in the U.K. though the end of April.

The British Boxing Board of Control announced the extension within a week after it imposed a suspension through the end of March because of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.

“Following further Government and Medical Authorities advice, the British Boxing Board of Control has decided that the suspension of Boxing Tournaments under the BBBofC jurisdiction remains in place until the end of April when further consideration will be given,” the ruling body said in a statement. “We will continue to follow the Government and the Medical Authorities advice and keep the situation under review.’’

An intriguing heavyweight fight between Daniel Dubois and Joe Joyce had been scheduled for April 11 at O2 Arena in London. Promoter Frank Warren has rescheduled it for July 11, also at O2.

There’s still no new date for junior welterweight Josh Taylor’s mandatory title defense against Apinun Khongsong. It had been scheduled for May 2 in Glasgow, Scotland.

Other key bouts in the U.K. are still on the May schedule, including two heavyweight bouts — Dillian Whyte vs. Alexander Povetkin on May 2 in Manchester and Oleksandr Usyk vs. Derek Chisora on May 23 at O2 Arena.

Dillian Whyte continues quest for title vs. Alexander Povetkin on May 2

Dillian Whyte will face Alexander Povektin on May 2 in Manchester, England on DAZN in the United States and Sky Box Office in the U.K.

There’s more to the heavyweights than Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder. They continue to show depth not seen in years.

Another sign of the division’s ongoing comeback from dormant days landed on the calendar Tuesday with Matchroom Boxing’s announcement of Dillian Whyte vs. Alexander Povektin on May 2 in Manchester, England on DAZN in the United States and Sky Box Office in the U.K.

“I want to be heavyweight champion of the world, so anywhere in the world is my lion’s den,” said Whyte, who ranks as the No. 1 challenger to the title Tyson Fury took from Wilder Feb. 22 in a rematch. “If you aspire to be world champion, you should be able to fight anywhere.’’

Fury, who is set to fight Wilder for a third time probably in July, has talked about three more bouts before retirement. After Wilder and presumably Joshua, he has mentioned Whyte. Then again, he has also mentioned Dereck Chisora. Fury figures to change his mind again. And again.

All Whyte (27-1, 18 KOs) can do is keep himself at the top the rankings and in the public eye. He needs more than a win against Povetkin (35-2-1, 24 KOs). He needs a performance that fans won’t forget and Fury can’t ignore.

“This is a great fight,’’ said Whyte, whose only loss was to Joshua in 2015. “Povetkin is an Olympic gold medalist, has loads of experience, he’s a former world champion and he’s only lost to Joshua and [Wladimir] Klitschko.’’

Whyte is coming off a unanimous decision over Mariusz Wach in Saudi Arabia on a card featuring Anthony Joshua’s decision Andy Ruiz Jr. in a rematch Dec. 7. Whyte’s status was uncertain before the bout because of a reported doping violation. He was cleared by an investigation and allowed to fight.

Povetkin, a Russian who has tested positive twice for performance enhancers, also appeared on the Joshua-Ruiz rematch card, fighting to a split draw with Michael Hunter.

“I am pleased to fight Whyte,” Povetkin said in a news release. “It has long been discussed but didn’t happen for whatever reason. Dillian is a good, strong boxer, and it will make for an interesting fight.’’

Whyte and Povetkin are scheduled to be at a news conference Wednesday in Manchester.

Dillian Whyte on Andy Ruiz Jr.: ‘All stomach and no heart’

Dillian Whyte, who is frustrated at Andy Ruiz Jr.’s apparent hesitancy to fight him this spring, bashed Ruiz on social media.

Andy Ruiz Jr., who lost his heavyweight belts and fired trainer Manny Robles, is searching for a way to re-ignite a stalled career that is suddenly an easy target for some inevitable criticism.

The latest to dump some rhetorical trash all over Ruiz is Dillian Whyte, who is frustrated at Ruiz’s apparent hesitancy to fight him this spring.

According to Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, Whyte will fight Russian Alexander Povetkin instead of Ruiz in April. Hearn had offered Ruiz a “seven-figure purse” to fight Whyte in the U.K. But Ruiz wants the fight to be in the United States.

“The first offer was for a U.K. fight, which wasn’t enough money,’’ Hearn told the U.K.’s Sun. “The second fight was a lot more money, and that was for the U.S. fight, which has definitely got their attention.’’

Hearn went on to say that Ruiz is an option for Whyte post Povetkin. By then, Ruiz might have a new trainer. Until then, however, he figures to get another earful or five from Whyte.

It started with a social media post from Ruiz, who posted, “You didn’t want any smoke so I moved on to the next opponent.’’

The post included a photo of Anthony Joshua scoring a seventh-round knockout of Whyte in December 2015 in London. Ruiz took the belts from Joshua in a stoppage, also in the seventh-round, in a stunner June 1 in New York. Joshua regained them in an embarrassingly one-sided decision Dec. 7 in Saudi Arabia

Whyte countered on social media, calling Ruiz “a blob rolling away from a big payday.’’

Whyte also said Ruiz was “all stomach & no heart.”

Dillian Whyte skeptical about Tyson Fury’s plan to fight him

Tyson Fury said that Dillian Whyte is one of three fighters he wants to face before he retires but Whyte is skeptical.

Dillian Whyte is on Tyson Fury’s short list. But he’s been there before, which is enough precedent for Whyte not to believe much of anything from Fury.

Fool Whyte once, but not twice.

That’s Whyte’s reaction to Fury’s mention of him as one of the three heavyweights he’d like to fight before retirement. First, Deontay Wilder on Feb. 22 in a Fox/ESPN2 pay-per-view rematch, then Joshua and Whyte, Fury said of his retirement plan.

“Fury is really good at conning the public, saying the right things to keep the public interested,’’ Whyte told iFL TV. “He does that all the time, saying things to get the public on his side.

“He talks a lot of (expletive) as well. So I don’t buy into that. Let’s see what happens. Fury said he was going to fight me before. If he wants it, he can get it. I don’t know who I’m fighting.’’

Whyte is expected to fight on March 28. He’s waiting to hear whether Andy Ruiz Jr. will take a reported seven-figure offer from Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn to fight him on that date. If not Ruiz, Russian Alexander Povetkin is a possibility.

“I don’t know,’’ Whyte said. “I’m waiting to see what Eddie s doing. I’m up for getting big fights this year, if they’re in America, Africa or wherever. We made Andy Ruiz an offer before Povetkin. So let’s see if he wants it.’’

Who’s the best heavyweight? Hint: He comes from Manchester

The debate over who is the best active heavyweight will rage until someone emerges as No. 1 in the ring.

Anthony Joshua seems to think that he’s the best heavyweight in the world simply because he holds three of the four major belts.

Not necessarily. We all know that who you beat – and lose to – is more important than what you wear around your waist. The opportunity to fight for titles often has as much to do as your connections as your ability.

With that in mind, here is how I rank the top three big men in boxing.

  1. TYSON FURY
    Record    : 29-0-1 (20 KOs)
    Defeated: Dereck Chisora (twice), Wladimir Klitschko
    Lost to: No one
    Drew with: Deontay Wilder
    Titles held: Lineal, IBF, WBA and WBO
    Background: Fury has by far the most impressive victory among active heavyweights, a wide decision over longtime heavyweight titleholder Wladimir Klitschko to become lineal champion in 2015. The Gypsy King had to walk away from boxing to deal with personal problems, losing his titles as a result, but he came back to draw with Deontay Wilder in an entertaining fight that many observers thought he deserved to win in 2018. I scored it 113-113. In that fight, Fury went down twice and got up twice. That included a hellacious knockdown in the final round that seemed to finish him off. Fury clearly is the best boxer among these three. And, as he demonstrated against Wilder, he’s resilient. Best victory, best boxer, best heavyweight. Of course, Wilder might have something to say about that when they fight again on Feb. 22 in Las Vegas.
  2. DEONTAY WILDER
    Record    : 42-0-1 (41 KOs)
    Defeated: Luis Ortiz (twice)
    Lost to: No one
    Drew with: Tyson Fury
    Titles held: WBC (current)
    Background: The perception that Wilder can’t box is overstated. He certainly boxes well enough to set up the hardest punches in the sport almost every time he steps into the ring. Forty-one knockouts in 43 fights say a great deal. And, for what it’s worth, he boxed well enough to outpoint Bermane Stiverne to win his title by decision in 2015. He has made 10 successful defenses. Wilder also proved in his first fight with Luis Ortiz that he’s tougher than some might’ve expected. The Cuban had him in real trouble but he survived and won by KO in the 10th round. Ortiz outboxed Wilder in the rematch until a huge right put him down and out in Round 7. This is what Wilder does. A lot of people seem to think that the Bronze Bomber’s limited skill set – if that’s what it is – will bite him in the behind one day. Could that day be Feb. 22?
  3. ANTHONY JOSHUA
    Record    : 23-1 (21 KOs)
    Defeated: Dillian White, Wladimir Klitschko, Joseph Parker, Alexander Povetkin, Andy Ruiz Jr.
    Lost to: Ruiz
    Titles held: IBF, WBA and WBO (current)
    Background: Joshua deserves credit for easily outpointing Andy Ruiz Jr. on Dec. 7 to regain the titles he lost to Ruiz by knockout this past June. The knockout artist turned himself into a safety-first boxer to win by scores of 118-110, 118-110 and 119-109. Great game plan, great execution. The performance wasn’t scintillating but it was thorough. Joshua also deserves recognition for surviving a knockdown to retire a 41-year-old Klitschko in 2017. All that doesn’t mean we can forget what happened in the first Ruiz fight. Joshua didn’t simply get caught by a big punch, which happens in the division. He was put down four times and, in the opinion of many, quit in the seventh round. A victory over a particularly heavy Ruiz in the rematch was only the first step in the process of rebuilding his reputation.