Tag: Gennadiy Golovkin

Billy Joe Saunders set to fight Martin Murray on Dec. 4

Billy Joe Saunders was set to face Canelo Alvarez before the coronavirus pandemic took hold. Now he’ll have to settle for Martin Murray.

Billy Joe Saunders was set to face Canelo Alvarez in the biggest fight of his life before the coronavirus pandemic took hold. Now he’ll have to settle for Martin Murray.

Saunders will make the second defense of his super middleweight title against his countryman on Dec. 4 at The SSE Arena (Wembley Arena) in London. The card will be streamed on DAZN in the U.S. and televised on Sky Sports in the U.K.

Saunders (29-0, 14 KOs) won the vacant WBO 168-pound title when he defeated Shefat Isufi by a wide decision in May of last year in Stevenage, England. He stopped Marcelo Coceres in the 11th round in his first defense last November in Los Angeles.

He hopes to unify the super middleweight titles next year.

“I am very happy to be defending my WBO world title again,” Saunders aid. ‘I haven’t boxed for a year, and I really do miss being in the ring. I can’t wait to have my 30th professional fight and finish the year with a bang before a big 2021.

“The coronavirus pandemic has affected everybody in many ways, and it has had a big impact on the sport of boxing. The Canelo Alvarez fight falling through was very frustrating for me, but now the journey continues in December.

“Martin and I were supposed to fight twice before but it didn’t happen either time. He said some stuff and so did I, so let’s see who can back it up. I’m enjoying training with Mark Tibbs. He’s incredibly knowledgeable in the sport of boxing, and we are working on new stuff that we will show on the night.”

Murray (39-5-1, 17 KOs) was scheduled to face Saunders in 2018 but their fight fell through twice.

The long time middleweight and super middleweight contender challenged for a major title four times between 2011 and 2015, going 0-3-1 in those fights.

He drew with then-middleweight titleholder Felix Sturm in 2011 and lost title fights against Sergio Martinez (UD), Gennady Golovkin (TKO 11) and Arthur Abraham (SD). The Abraham fight was at 168.

The 38-year-old is 7-2 since then, losing decisions to George Groves and Hassan N’Dam. He last fought in November, outpointing Sladan Janjanin in an eight-round fight.

“I’m really looking forward to getting back in there and fighting for another world title,” Murray said. “The big fights definitely bring out the best in me. This year has been a good year for me personally. It seemed like all the stresses of life were taken away, so I really enjoyed being able to relax a bit more and spend even more time with my family.

“There was no bad blood really between me and Billy, to be honest. It was just a lot of frustration after he pulled out twice. That got left where it was, but we’ve definitely got some unfinished business. I’m expecting a hard fight and Billy Joe to be at his best, so I’ll be ready.”

Said promoter Eddie Hearn: “I’m delighted to announce another big fight for the 2020 schedule as we close out this tough year with a huge bang. All-British world title fights are always special, especially in the super middleweight division, and I’m really excited to see Billy back in the ring.

“We were 24 hours away from an announcement for Billy to fight Canelo when the pandemic hit, and so it throws up the final roll of the dice for Martin Murray, who will give it everything on December 4.”

[lawrence-related id=13252,11238,7820]

Terence Crawford vs. Kell Brook set for Nov. 14

Terence Crawford, the welterweight titleholder from Omaha, Nebraska, will defend his belt against Kell Brook of Great Britain on Nov. 14.

Terence Crawford vs. Kell Brook is official.

Crawford, the welterweight titleholder from Omaha, Nebraska, will defend his belt against Kell Brook of Great Britain on Nov. 14, Top Rank said in a news release. The promotional company said a venue will be announced soon.

The card, which also includes a junior bantamweight rematch between Joshua Franco and Andrew Moloney, will be televised on ESPN.

Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs) will be making the fourth defense of the title he won when he stopped Jeff Horn in nine rounds in June 2018. He’s coming off a ninth-round KO of Egidijus Kavaliauskas last December.

Brook (39-2, 27 KOs) outpointed Shawn Porter to win a welterweight title in 2014 and successfully defended three times.

He then had back-to-back fights from hell. He moved up two weight classes to take on middleweight champ Gennadiy Golovkin and was stopped in five rounds. He then moved back down to defend his title against Errol Spence Jr. and was KO’d in 11 rounds. He suffered facial-bone injures in both fights.

The Sheffield fighter has since defeated three solid, but second-tier opponents at junior middleweight, meaning he’ll have to move back down one weight class. He’s 34.

“I’ve been told there are people writing off my chances, questioning my age and my ability to make the weight,” Brook said. “Well, let them talk. Some people focus on reading headlines, I focus on making headlines. Those people writing me off as a big underdog? No problem.

“I guess this big dog will be making a few people richer during a difficult time. Terence (33) isn’t too much younger than me. They know that I’ve never ducked a challenge, and they should know that I’ve never failed to make 147 on the scales.

“With age comes experience. My knowledge and experience make me a different fighter, a more mature fighter. Couple that with a happy fighter, and you’ve got yourself a dangerous fighter.”

Franco (17-1-2, 8 KOs) defeated Moloney (21-1, 14 KOs) by a unanimous decision on June 23 inside the MGM Grand “bubble” in Las Vegas.

“I am extremely excited and motivated for my rematch with Franco,” said Moloney, who is from Australia. “I’m very grateful that Top Rank has given me the opportunity to get my revenge and reclaim my [secondary] world title.

“I have been working extremely hard every day to make sure that world title is strapped back around my waist on Nov. 14.”

Moloney’s brother, Jason, is a bantamweight contender.

Terence Crawford vs. Kell Brook set for Nov. 14

Terence Crawford, the welterweight titleholder from Omaha, Nebraska, will defend his belt against Kell Brook of Great Britain on Nov. 14.

Terence Crawford vs. Kell Brook is official.

Crawford, the welterweight titleholder from Omaha, Nebraska, will defend his belt against Kell Brook of Great Britain on Nov. 14, Top Rank said in a news release. The promotional company said a venue will be announced soon.

The card, which also includes a junior bantamweight rematch between Joshua Franco and Andrew Moloney, will be televised on ESPN.

Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs) will be making the fourth defense of the title he won when he stopped Jeff Horn in nine rounds in June 2018. He’s coming off a ninth-round KO of Egidijus Kavaliauskas last December.

Brook (39-2, 27 KOs) outpointed Shawn Porter to win a welterweight title in 2014 and successfully defended three times.

He then had back-to-back fights from hell. He moved up two weight classes to take on middleweight champ Gennadiy Golovkin and was stopped in five rounds. He then moved back down to defend his title against Errol Spence Jr. and was KO’d in 11 rounds. He suffered facial-bone injures in both fights.

The Sheffield fighter has since defeated three solid, but second-tier opponents at junior middleweight, meaning he’ll have to move back down one weight class. He’s 34.

“I’ve been told there are people writing off my chances, questioning my age and my ability to make the weight,” Brook said. “Well, let them talk. Some people focus on reading headlines, I focus on making headlines. Those people writing me off as a big underdog? No problem.

“I guess this big dog will be making a few people richer during a difficult time. Terence (33) isn’t too much younger than me. They know that I’ve never ducked a challenge, and they should know that I’ve never failed to make 147 on the scales.

“With age comes experience. My knowledge and experience make me a different fighter, a more mature fighter. Couple that with a happy fighter, and you’ve got yourself a dangerous fighter.”

Franco (17-1-2, 8 KOs) defeated Moloney (21-1, 14 KOs) by a unanimous decision on June 23 inside the MGM Grand “bubble” in Las Vegas.

“I am extremely excited and motivated for my rematch with Franco,” said Moloney, who is from Australia. “I’m very grateful that Top Rank has given me the opportunity to get my revenge and reclaim my [secondary] world title.

“I have been working extremely hard every day to make sure that world title is strapped back around my waist on Nov. 14.”

Moloney’s brother, Jason, is a bantamweight contender.

Canelo Alvarez re-files lawsuit against DAZN, GBP and De La Hoya

Canelo Alvarez has re-filed his lawsuit against DAZN, Golden Boy Promotions and Oscar De La Hoya, according to multiple reports.

Canelo Alvarez has re-filed his lawsuit against DAZN, Golden Boy Promotions and Oscar De La Hoya, according to multiple reports.

The Mexican star, who hasn’t fought since November, originally sued his handlers for breach of contract on Sept. 15 for at least $280 million in damages and freedom to go his own way. However, a judge threw out the suit on a technicality and gave Alvarez a deadline of Monday to refile.

In the meantime, the three parties – including lawyers – met with a mediator for 10 hours a week ago in an attempt to avoid a trial.

DAZN offered Alvarez a restructured deal by which the fighter would earn a base of $20 million plus a percentage of money generated by additional DAZN subscriptions, according to The Athletic. Alvarez had been guaranteed $35 million per fight, as per his original contract.

The new offer also addresses the issue of opponent approval, which reportedly would be shared under the restructured deal.

DAZN reportedly had refused to pay him his full guarantee unless he fought what the streaming serviced deemed a premium opponent. That included Gennadiy Golovkin but not super middleweight titleholders Billy Joe Saunders or Callum Smith, who are top-level fighters but not the type of draws DAZN seeks.

The fact that Alvarez refiled the suit doesn’t mean the sides can’t still come to an agreement. As Sports Illustrated reported, the suit is a backup if they fail to come to terms and serves as leverage.

Dan Rafael is reporting that the sides have been meeting daily in an effort to find common ground.

[lawrence-related id=14096,13667,13662]

 

Canelo Alvarez re-files lawsuit against DAZN, GBP and De La Hoya

Canelo Alvarez has re-filed his lawsuit against DAZN, Golden Boy Promotions and Oscar De La Hoya, according to multiple reports.

Canelo Alvarez has re-filed his lawsuit against DAZN, Golden Boy Promotions and Oscar De La Hoya, according to multiple reports.

The Mexican star, who hasn’t fought since November, originally sued his handlers for breach of contract on Sept. 15 for at least $280 million in damages and freedom to go his own way. However, a judge threw out the suit on a technicality and gave Alvarez a deadline of Monday to refile.

In the meantime, the three parties – including lawyers – met with a mediator for 10 hours a week ago in an attempt to avoid a trial.

DAZN offered Alvarez a restructured deal by which the fighter would earn a base of $20 million plus a percentage of money generated by additional DAZN subscriptions, according to The Athletic. Alvarez had been guaranteed $35 million per fight, as per his original contract.

The new offer also addresses the issue of opponent approval, which reportedly would be shared under the restructured deal.

DAZN reportedly had refused to pay him his full guarantee unless he fought what the streaming serviced deemed a premium opponent. That included Gennadiy Golovkin but not super middleweight titleholders Billy Joe Saunders or Callum Smith, who are top-level fighters but not the type of draws DAZN seeks.

The fact that Alvarez refiled the suit doesn’t mean the sides can’t still come to an agreement. As Sports Illustrated reported, the suit is a backup if they fail to come to terms and serves as leverage.

Dan Rafael is reporting that the sides have been meeting daily in an effort to find common ground.

[lawrence-related id=14096,13667,13662]

 

Canelo Alvarez, DAZN meet with mediator; new deal offered: report

Canelo Alvarez, Golden Boy Promotions and DAZN might find common ground after all.

Canelo Alvarez, Golden Boy Promotions and DAZN might find common ground after all.

The Athletic is reporting that representatives for the three parties – including lawyers – met with a mediator for 10 hours on Tuesday, which was described as calm.

DAZN reportedly offered Alvarez a restructured deal by which the fighter would earn a base of $20 million plus a percentage of money generated by additional DAZN subscriptions.

Alvarez had been guaranteed $35 million per fight, as per his original contract.

The new offer also addresses the issue of opponent approval, which reportedly would be shared under the restructured deal.

DAZN reportedly had refused to pay him his full guarantee unless he fought what the streaming serviced deemed a premium opponent. That included Gennadiy Golovkin but not super middleweight titleholders Billy Joe Saunders or Callum Smith, who are top-level fighters but not the type of draws DAZN seeks.

Alvarez is mulling the offer, according to The Athletic.

The Mexican star, who hasn’t fought since November, sued Golden Boy and DAZN for at least $280 million for breach of contract but the suit was dismissed over a technicality. He could refile – he has a Monday deadline, The Athletic reported – or come to terms with his handlers.

Canelo Alvarez, DAZN meet with mediator; new deal offered: report

Canelo Alvarez, Golden Boy Promotions and DAZN might find common ground after all.

Canelo Alvarez, Golden Boy Promotions and DAZN might find common ground after all.

The Athletic is reporting that representatives for the three parties – including lawyers – met with a mediator for 10 hours on Tuesday, which was described as calm.

DAZN reportedly offered Alvarez a restructured deal by which the fighter would earn a base of $20 million plus a percentage of money generated by additional DAZN subscriptions.

Alvarez had been guaranteed $35 million per fight, as per his original contract.

The new offer also addresses the issue of opponent approval, which reportedly would be shared under the restructured deal.

DAZN reportedly had refused to pay him his full guarantee unless he fought what the streaming serviced deemed a premium opponent. That included Gennadiy Golovkin but not super middleweight titleholders Billy Joe Saunders or Callum Smith, who are top-level fighters but not the type of draws DAZN seeks.

Alvarez is mulling the offer, according to The Athletic.

The Mexican star, who hasn’t fought since November, sued Golden Boy and DAZN for at least $280 million for breach of contract but the suit was dismissed over a technicality. He could refile – he has a Monday deadline, The Athletic reported – or come to terms with his handlers.

Dana White kicks boxing while, according to him, it’s down

Dana White doesn’t miss an opportunity to take a shot at boxing.

Dana White doesn’t miss an opportunity to take a shot at boxing.

The UFC president, who had planned to get into boxing, was speaking at his latest news conference when he was asked about issues plaguing the sweet science. He let loose.

White targeted promoters, with whom he has feuded publicly.

“I could give you 1,000 reasons why boxing is in trouble,” he said, “I’ve been saying it for 20 years. And now we’re getting to the point where it’s really bad, it’s in big trouble.

“The number one reason is because these promoters that have been doing this for 30, 40 years never invested money back into the [sport]. Every boxing match that goes on is a ‘going out of business’ sale.”

“‘Let’s get as much money as we can from these people and get the f— out of town’ – that’s a boxing match. And that’s just not how you run a business, it’s not how you build the sport and it’s not how you create longevity in your sport.

“If you look at things from the headquarters, to the PI, to the Apex, to what we’re doing in China and all these other places around the world. Those are all investments in the sport.”

One issue with which boxing is dealing is the absence of its biggest star, Canelo Alvarez, who has filed a lawsuit against promoter Oscar De La Hoya, his company (Golden Boy Promotions) and the streaming service DAZN seeking damages and his release.

A key element of the broken relationships is a disagreement over what constitutes a “premium” opponent for Alvarez. DAZN reportedly listed Gennadiy Golovkin, which makes sense, but also the 47-year-old De La Hoya and UFC fighters Jorge Masvidal and Khabib Nurmagomedo.

White jumped on that bit of news.

“That’s f—ing hilarious,” he said. “I don’t even know what to say to that, that’s hilarious. But are you shocked? That’s the state of boxing, it’s really where those guys are at.

“I don’t even know what to say to that.”

[lawrence-related id=13202,12843,12513,10324]

Dana White kicks boxing while, according to him, it’s down

Dana White doesn’t miss an opportunity to take a shot at boxing.

Dana White doesn’t miss an opportunity to take a shot at boxing.

The UFC president, who had planned to get into boxing, was speaking at his latest news conference when he was asked about issues plaguing the sweet science. He let loose.

White targeted promoters, with whom he has feuded publicly.

“I could give you 1,000 reasons why boxing is in trouble,” he said, “I’ve been saying it for 20 years. And now we’re getting to the point where it’s really bad, it’s in big trouble.

“The number one reason is because these promoters that have been doing this for 30, 40 years never invested money back into the [sport]. Every boxing match that goes on is a ‘going out of business’ sale.”

“‘Let’s get as much money as we can from these people and get the f— out of town’ – that’s a boxing match. And that’s just not how you run a business, it’s not how you build the sport and it’s not how you create longevity in your sport.

“If you look at things from the headquarters, to the PI, to the Apex, to what we’re doing in China and all these other places around the world. Those are all investments in the sport.”

One issue with which boxing is dealing is the absence of its biggest star, Canelo Alvarez, who has filed a lawsuit against promoter Oscar De La Hoya, his company (Golden Boy Promotions) and the streaming service DAZN seeking damages and his release.

A key element of the broken relationships is a disagreement over what constitutes a “premium” opponent for Alvarez. DAZN reportedly listed Gennadiy Golovkin, which makes sense, but also the 47-year-old De La Hoya and UFC fighters Jorge Masvidal and Khabib Nurmagomedo.

White jumped on that bit of news.

“That’s f—ing hilarious,” he said. “I don’t even know what to say to that, that’s hilarious. But are you shocked? That’s the state of boxing, it’s really where those guys are at.

“I don’t even know what to say to that.”

[lawrence-related id=13202,12843,12513,10324]

Dominic Wade charged with rape, faces 20 years in prison

One time middleweight title challenger Dominic Wade has been accused of rape and faces a long prison term if convicted.

One time middleweight title challenger Dominic Wade has been accused of rape and faces a long prison term if convicted.

BoxingScene.com is reporting that the alleged sexual assault took place on July 23 in Maryland. Wade was arrested on Sept. 8 by Charles County Sheriff’s Department officers on three charges of sexual misconduct, the most serious being felony rape.

He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, according to the website.

This isn’t Wade’s first time on the wrong side of the law. According to BoxingScene.com, a 2015 incident involving the mother of his child and her niece led to assault charges. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation and anger-management classes.

Wade (20-1, 14 KO) is best known for his failed title challenge against Gennadiy Golovkin in April 2016. He went down three times and was stopped in the second round.

The 30-year-old from Largo, Maryland, last fought in February of last year.