One More Round With Mark Lyons: Mayweather-Marquez, Chavez Jr, Montiel/Valdez, etc...

With his Top 40 at 40 countdown complete, The Boxing Bulletin's Mark Lyons turns his attention to the current boxing scene with a new weekly column.

Photos © Ray Kasprowicz

Welcome to the first edition of my new weekly recap/preview blog style column. Please feel free to email me with any disagreements regarding my recaps, predictions, etc. I’m all about slicing up a topic with a fellow boxing fan.

My take on this past weekend's action...

A lot of fights last weekend and here are some brief notes on the ones that I saw. I can’t say I bothered to flip on Showtime, but the results were far from surprising.

The ref in the Montiel/Valdez fight was despicable. I don’t even know where to begin... a do over on the knockdown in the second and then a TD on a cut that was never ruled the result of a butt. Weight is over dramatized in the sport today, but Montiel may just be too diminutive for bantamweight. Mijares is another that just doesn’t seem like he can cut it at 118, though I’ve yet to see his fight.

Chavez, Jr (pictured) has picked up a lot of disdain up to this point in his career. I will say this, the kid comes to fight and has engaged in some exciting scraps. This latest effort is a sign that they need to step it up a level. That complaint has been issued for some time, but when he was going to war with the guys in front of him, he was being matched up appropriately. He does put his punches together well. I’m not saying the kid is a future champion, but he is fun to watch.

Calderon/Mayol was almost intolerable to sit through. I like Ivan and have never expected him to be the type of fighter that is in wars. However, he seems to be having difficulty pulling the trigger on counters now. While his defense is still top notch, the signs of age are showing on what was an already limited offense. That being said, I didn’t see the controversial decision I am reading from a lot of people. I’m still waiting for him to get hit.

Tyson Fury is the weakest heavyweight prospect I’ve ever seen. Tye Fields, minus the power. That’s all I’ve got to say about that.

Looking Ahead to Mayweather vs Marquez...

I’ve been anticipating this fight for months now. First off, props to Golden Boy for giving us two undercard fights to look forward to. I know it should be the rule, not the exception, but they have delivered a great card here. Forgive me for not caring that the Judah fight is canceled.

There is no doubt in my mind that Katsidis/Escobedo will be explosive. I’m going to take the Aussie by tight decision, but with all kinds of trepidation. In fact, all predictions on this card are difficult to formulate. That’s what makes it such a special event in my opinion. I have to figure that Rocky Juarez will do just enough not to win. He is one of the coolest guys in the sport and I’ll be pulling for him, but I expect Chris John to box better this time and secure a decision.

On to the main course, I can’t tell you how interested I am in this fight. First off, the weight means nothing to me. Five to seven lbs vs a two year layoff is an even trade. I have to admit to not watching 24/7, so you wont hear anything about that here. I think Mayweather’s timing has to be affected by the layoff, at least early on. This will enable Marquez to get off to a faster start than he usually does.

That’s where the drama begins. While critics of Floyd run wild, I don’t think anyone can question how much that “0” means to him. If he gets overly aggressive, Juan will counter him to death. These guys are both facing a fighter with gifts that they have never faced before. Money’s defense is spectacular, but can he fend off a 4 punch combination thrown with anger, speed and absolute precision? I can’t wait to find out. The 3rd and 4th shots of the combo are where I expect JMM to do his damage and it’s hard to shoulder roll shots coming from every conceivable angle. On the flip side, Floyd is as accurate as they come and his lead right hand can off set what Marquez is trying to accomplish.

The fight will be tactical, but in a fascinating way. Marquez will ensure enough action to keep everyone interested. I imagine several swings in momentum and by the stretch both guys will be on about plan D. You’re talking about two of the smartest fighters to ever lace them up and the adjustments they both make will be subtle and brilliant. I’m expecting a very tight distance fight between two all time greats. That being the case, give me Marquez at +300 all day long.

A fight I’d love to see...

Each week I'll throw a different mythical match-up out there with my opinion of how the it might have played out. I'll start this week with Jersey Joe Walcott vs Archie Moore.

No idea why this never took place, but it should have, 4 or 5 times. 2 of the smartest fighters ever to lace 'em up, but neither shied away from a war. I have a sneaking suspicion that this fight would have a few tactical rounds and then would turn into a war. Both had power, guts and a chin that could be found. I think the ebb and flow would be fantastic, both guys see the deck and in the end Walcott escapes by the narrowest of decisions. Either guy taking it by any possible result wouldn’t surprise me in the least.

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British Scene Weekend Recap: Fury Controversially Tops McDermott

Matt Chudley recaps Tyson Fury's much disputed English heavyweight title win over John McDermott.

Photos © Chris Royle

Tyson Fury captured the first title of his fledgling pro career this Friday in Brentwood, Essex under highly controversial circumstances, courtesy of a mystifying scorecard from referee Terry O'Connor.

Going into the tenth and final round, Fury was told by his corner to go all out for the stoppage after John McDermott's snappy jab and chopping overhand rights had given the youngster fits for the best part of the nine previous rounds. Fury had a good last 3 minutes, but it didn't appear to be enough to overcome McDermott's inspired effort - but as soon as the final bell went O'Connor marched over to Fury and lifted his arm, later revealing that he had only given McDermott 2 rounds.

Check out The Boxing Bulletin's McDermott vs Fury Photo Gallery

After a drawn out and boisterous ring walk, Fury looked anything but in the first round. Pumping out the jab and looking tentative, Fury was caught with a big right hand midway through the first and sensing that his opponent wasn't intimidated he pressed his head into McDermott's at the bell forcing O'Connor to break them up. Buoyed by what he'd seen in the opening stanza, Frank Maloney ran to the corner of his charge to offer words of encouragement in the interval.

With McDermott not overwhelmed by Fury's power, the Manchester born fighter started to box at range and looked more composed in the second and third rounds doing so, leaving McDermott looking to work the body. Even on the outside with his 9 inch reach advantage, Fury was still prone to momentary lapses in concentration allowing McDermott to connect with right hands over the Fury jab and occasional left hooks.

Fury showed brief flashes of his impressive hand-speed in the fifth, pinning McDermott on the ropes at one stage and unloading with several quick shots. However, having never been beyond four rounds, he began to feel the pace in the second half of the contest, and often looked ragged, dropping his hands, while flicking and cuffing his shots.

The penultimate round saw both fighters keen to tie-up in close and catch a rest, but Fury putting forward the higher volume of work. Under the impression that he only needed to survive the final round to retain his belt, McDermott turned his back on Fury a couple of times but also continued to push the bigger man back at times.

While most felt Fury was extremely fortunate to come away with the decision, it must be said that the brash 21 year old showed real character in handling his first dose of professional adversity. He took McDermott's heavier punches well and forced out all the offense he could muster in a game effort to outwork the title holder.

Both fighters called for a rematch after the fight and with appeals being launched by the McDermott camp there is a strong possibility that the BBC of C may mandate the fighters go at it again for the English title.

On the under-card…

The heavily fancied Fury may have struggled, but the other house prospects had no such issues, with flyweight Ashley Sexton and heavyweight novices Tom Dallas and Larry Olubamiwo all overwhelming their limited foreign opposition in under 3 minutes.

There were mixed fortunes for two former British champions on the card. Former British light-middleweight champion Gary Woolcombe overcame a first round knockdown to scrape past former European title challenger Roman Dzhuman by a round on referee Ken Curtis's scorecard while former 118lb British champ Martin Power was stopped in 8 by 6-0-1 Stuart Hall.

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Photo Gallery: John McDermott vs Tyson Fury

Heavyweights Tyson Fury and John McDermott went at it over 10 bruising, and ultimately controversial rounds on Friday night at the Brentwood Centre in Essex.

The questionable decision handed out by referee Terry O'Conner (pictured right with McDermott) has been the talk of British boxing, with promoter Frank Maloney raging at O'Conner work.

Photographer Chris Royle was ringside to capture all the hard hitting action.

John McDermott vs Tyson Fury

Photos © Chris Royle - Click on the images to enlarge. Promoter Frank Maloney has a few words for his English heavyweight champion John McDermott. Despite holding the title and a 25-5 record, the unheralded Essex fighter entered the bout as a decided underdog. Big Tyson Fury, the odds on favourite brought a perfect 7-0 record into the contest with all victories coming inside the distance. Confounding the prevailing opinion of how the opening rounds would play out, it was McDermott that started the stronger of the two heavyweights. He pressed the action right from the beginning, and backed the youngster up, landing some heavy right hands in the process. The mid rounds were fought at a good pace, with neither fighter shying away from contact. Despite never having gone beyond 4 rounds, Fury kept pace with his more experienced opponent, and was the busier of the two fighters. An excited Frank Maloney has a few words between rounds in the McDermott corner. The promoter would have plenty more to say after the contest. Fury used his left jab to good effect and made a point of going to the body, finding the mark often on McDermott's midsection. Despite Fury's greater activity, the cleaner harder punches were consistently landed by the English champ. Below he follows through with one of several hard right hands he landed during the bout. Above - An angry Frank Maloney reacts as referee Terry O'Conner lifts Fury's hand in victory at the conclusion of the 10 rounds. While the bout was competitive throughout, the consensus at ringside was that McDermott had clearly done enough to retain his title. Certainly nobody agreed with O'Connor's astonishing 8-2 scorecard. To Fury's credit, he's expressed a willingness to do it again and a rematch would appear likely for later this year.

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British Scene: Tyson Fury vs John McDermott Preview

Matt Chudley previews tomorrow night's Sky show featuring British heavyweights Tyson Fury and John McDermott battling it out for McDermott's English title.

Photo © Justin McKie

The most talked about prospect and arguably one of the brightest in the UK, Tyson Fury (pictured right) makes his first foray into the 10 round scheduled distance and title contention when he takes on John McDermott in Brentwood, Essex this Friday.

In doing so, Fury will be facing very different circumstances to the ones he has become accustomed to so far in his pro career. Having fought as the house fighter in front of favourable crowd support in all his previous contests, Fury will now be stepping into his opponent’ s backyard as the challenger after McDermott's promoter Frank Maloney won the purse bids to this English title contest.

This card will also be the first in over 2 years to be televised live on Sky without the presence of the traditional 12 round British, Commonwealth or European title fights. The previous occasion was David Haye's heavyweight debut against Tomasz Bonin and following the postponement of the originally scheduled headliner between Gary Davis and Ian Napa, the broadcaster has deemed that Fury's appeal is strong enough to carry the card.

Storming out to 7-0 with all the wins coming early, Fury has held little regard for his contemporaries in the pro ranks thus far and has hounded his domestic rivals at every opportunity. An onslaught of sound bytes and press releases would rarely endear a fighter to the public but to date Fury has made good on all the hype in taking on as good a competition as could be expected and proving to be the aggressive and powerful heavyweight craved by the fans to this point.

After looking out of shape against the 3-6 Aleksandrs Selezens last time out following a run of niggling injuries, Fury has left little to chance and once again traveled to Germany to get quality sparring amongst the large contingent of Eastern European heavies based there. With British champ Danny Williams risking his title by stepping into the next prizefighter tournament, Fury could soon find himself fighting for the vacant Lonsdale belt with a good performance on Friday and will once again be eager to make a statement of intent to the rest of the division.

Compiling a fairly modest 25-5 record and always appearing to be carrying a little excess weight, John McDermott has received little fan fare to date but has proved that he belongs at British title level after dropping controversial majority and split decisions to reigning British champ Danny Williams in his last two fights. After extending his record against very poor opposition to a soft 16-0 McDermott was dispensed of by the very average Nikolay Popov and Mark Krence and put to the sword by Matt Skelton in under two minutes. However, he has since produced a credible win over Scott Gammer and can rightly feel aggrieved with the decisions of the judges in those defeats to Williams.

With his greater maturity and experience McDermott is unlikely to lose the fight before he steps into the ring like many who have been intimidated by the 6'7 puncher and will be looking to soak up the pressure early and see if Fury becomes discouraged when things don't go his way. Should McDermott see the 4th and 5th rounds, Fury's stamina may also be tested since he has yet to go beyond 4 rounds let alone 10.

On the under-card…

Former British light middleweight champion Gary Woolcombe will be taking on a yet to be named opponent, as he looks to get back in line for another shot at domestic honours. Having won the Lonsdale belt in December of 2007, Woolcombe lose by stoppage to Ryan Rhodes in his first defense. With Rhodes taking on Jamie Moore for the European crown next month, the path appears open for Woolcombe to work his way back into the mix for a shot against current British champion, Anthony Small.

Also in action is 7-0 flyweight Ashley Sexton who stays busy against 17-7-1 Brazilian Darli Goncalves Pires as he builds towards a British title challenge. Former British bantamweight champ Martin Power also sees action against the 5-0-1 Stuart Hall, while Frank Maloney's own giant heavyweight prospect Tom Dallas looks to make an impression against the 12-15-1 Hungarian Mihaly Nemet.

e-mail Matt Chudley

Video of Tyson Fury warming up before his fight with Scott Belshaw courtesy of Justin McKie:

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The Boxing Bulletin Pick'em Game - Week 2

The Boxing Bulletin's Pick'em game is back for week 2. There's a lot more activity around the boxing world this weekend, and that's reflected in the fights on this week's game sheet.

If you played week 1, scroll down to the bottom for standings. If you missed the opening week, that's not a problem, as you can join right in this week.

Our game is a little different than most of the variations we've seen online, as it's a combination of picking the winners straight-up and beating the odds. If you're ready to match your prognostication skills against other boxing fans, then let's get started...

How to play:

The game is strictly for fun, and entry is free. The deadline to enter this week is Thursday night at 11 PM EST. We'll post the pick breakdown on Friday, and have the results tabulated and posted with Monday's Week 3 game sheet (please check this post's comments for early results, as we'll try getting them up there by Sunday).

Pick The Winners

This part's easy - 2 points for each correct answer.

Beat The Odds

This is where it gets a little more involved, as you will have the option of choosing 2 fights to risk multiple (double or triple, but only one can be a triple) points on. Points gained (and lost) will be multiplied by two and three times respectively for these fights.

You do not need to risk points on every fight. If you wish to skip a fight, just check "pass" for both fighters.

Standings

We will keep standings for the full year, although each game will only last for 1 month. At the end of the month standings will be reset and a new game will begin.

We've got a few details below on the fights in play this week, but if you're ready to get started, here's the Week 2 game sheet.

This Week's Line-up - clicking on the fighter's name will open up their boxrec page September 11 John McDermott (25-5) vs Tyson Fury (7-0) - 10 rounds - English heavyweight title - Brentwood, Essex, United Kingdom (Television: Sky, UK) Having finished off his first 7 opponents inside the distance, Fury will be facing his toughest test to date in McDermott. For a short preview of McDermott vs Fury, check out The Boxing Bulletin's British Scene Season Preview Part One by Dave Oakes. September 12 Mikkel Kessler (41-1) vs Gusmyr Perdomo (16-2) - 12 rounds - WBA super-middleweight title - Herning, Denmark & Andre Ward (19-0) vs Shelby Pudwill (22-3-1) - 10 rounds - Temecula, California, USA (Television, Showtime) With all due respect to Shelby Pudwill, he doesn't belong in the same ring as Andre Ward. Granted Ward needed a stay busy fight while Kessler fulfills his mandatory obligations against Perdomo, but Showtime might as well flash "Super Six Informerical" on the screen for as long as this extremely poor excuse for a main-event lasts. We're only offering it as an over/under, the the total has been set very low. Ivan Calderon (32-0-1) vs Rodel Mayol (25-3-1) - 12 rounds - WBO light-flyweight title Calderon has been one of the best in the sport for many years, but has has shown signs of slipping and was given a tough go by Mayol in their abbreviated draw back in June. On home soil, the masterful southpaw is the definitive favorite to take the rematch, but considering the odds, Mayol might be worth a pick. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (39-0-1) vs Jason LeHoullier (29-1-1) - 10 rounds - Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico (Television, Top Rank PPV) Is LeHoullier good enough to pull the upset? Probably not, but we're also offering this one as an over/under which should make it a little more interesting fight to play. If you're ready to play, click here for the week 2 game sheet.

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British Scene Prospect Watch: Tyson Fury

Dave Oakes concludes his look at the top prospects in the UK, with a profile of young Manchester heavyweight, Tyson Fury.

Tyson Fury

6ft 7ins behemoth fighting out of Manchester. He’s attracting a lot of attention around the world just because of his name; he’s currently 7-0 with all seven wins coming by way of knockout.

The Positives:

He’s obviously got height and reach advantages over most other heavyweights, can hit hard and is technically pretty good for a heavyweight. His fitness is improving with every fight and it won’t be too long before he’s fighting for domestic honours.

The Negatives:

No one knows how he’ll react when he gets caught by a big shot and he keeps his left hand dangerously low for a heavyweight. He’s also got to be careful not to believe his own hype, he must remember he hasn’t achieved anything yet and there’s still a lot of work to be done before he does.

The Future:

He fights John McDermott in early September in what should be a good test for him. If he comes through that fight, which he should, then he can start to target fights against the likes of Derek Chisora, Danny Williams, Matt Skelton and the winner of Martin Rogan v Sam Sexton.

For more on the big youngster from Manchester, check out Dave's story from earlier this year: Introducing Tyson Fury: Story & Photo Gallery

e-mail Dave Oakes

Previous Prospect Profiles Don Broadhurst Stephen Smith Ryan Walsh Jamie Cox George Groves Kenny Anderson Ricky Owen Tony Bellew In case you are wondering where the 2008 Olympians are, Dave decided not to include them in order to highlight some of the other young fighters that haven't yet received the same kind of attention.

British Scene Season Preview British Scene Season Preview Part One; Simpson vs Truscott, O'Donnell vs Glover, Davis vs Napa, Fury vs McDermott & Olusegun vs Daws British Scene Season Preview Part Two: Macklin vs Asikainen, Thaxton vs Murray, Sexton vs Rogan & Booth vs Hunter

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British Scene Season Preview Part One; Simpson vs Truscott, O'Donnell vs Glover, Davis vs Napa, Fury vs McDermott & Olusegun vs Daws

The new British boxing season is just about ready to get underway and over the next couple days Dave Oakes will be previewing what we have to look forward to in September and October.

In today's preview:

John Simpson vs Paul Truscott - Commonwealth featherweight title

John O'Donnell vs Tom Glover - Commonwealth welterweight title

Gary Davis vs Ian Napa - British bantamweight title

Tyson Fury (Photo © Justin McKie) vs John McDermott - English heavyweight title

Ajose Olusegun vs Lenny Daws - British light-welterweight title

It’s at times like this when all British based boxing fans are starting to get withdrawal symptoms. It’s been nearly a month since the last boxing card that contained a title fight, and a month is a long time for any boxing addict. So, with the inevitable feeling of melancholy descending upon me, I decided to raise my spirits by taking a brief look at what we can look forward to when the new season starts in September.

Simpson vs Truscott

First up is the rematch between Commonwealth featherweight champion John Simpson and former champion Paul Truscott on September 4th. Simpson stopped Truscott in the 8th round of their first meeting after a clash of heads opened up a nasty gash above the then champion’s right eye. Simpson was clearly ahead on the cards at the time but Truscott believes there’s unfinished business to be taken care of.

Simpson’s speed surprised Truscott last time out, Truscott thought he could dance rings around Simpson but found that the experienced Scotsman was no slouch in closing the distance between them. If Truscott has learnt from their first fight, and can make the necessary adjustments, he can make it a much closer battle.

O'Donnell vs Glover

In the days of protected fighters with padded undefeated records, it’s good to see a fighter like John O’Donnell proving that a defeat can be a positive rather than a negative.

O’Donnell was a much touted prospect in the early part of his career and was looking the part until bumping into one Christian Solano on a hot night in Vegas in May of 2007. O’Donnell, eager to impress on his U.S debut, was caught cold and went down heavily after a short left hook landed around his temple midway through the first round, he managed to get to his feet but never seemed to recover.

His corner waved the fight off in the second round after he was dropped heavily by another hook, he’d managed to get to his feet again but his legs were still shaky and it was a sensible decision by his trainer Robert McCracken to stop the fight.

Such a devastating defeat proved hard for the likable Londoner to take, he took an extended break before eventually returning to the ring just over a year later, his batteries recharged and mind focused on the future rather than the past.

His patience and determination paid off when he claimed the Commonwealth welterweight title earlier this year, winning on a split decision after a bruising encounter with Craig Watson. Watson started the quicker but O’Donnell came on strong in the later rounds to just edge a fight in which he showed plenty of heart as well as some superb technical boxing.

He returns to the ring on September 5th against the durable but limited Tom Glover in a fight that should be a competitive warm up before the first defence of his Commonwealth title in December.

Glover is in the form of his life having beaten Chas Symonds, Nadeem Siddique and Jon Thaxton in his past three fights. He was considered the underdog in those fights but battled his way to deserved victories through willpower and work-rate. Glover isn’t blessed with great speed, skill or power but makes the most of what he’s got. He’s a fighter that will struggle to win titles in his career but he’ll always gain the respect of his opponents.

O’Donnell should be too skilful for him but Glover will make it a hard night’s work like he always does. I expect the much taller O’Donnell to use his reach advantage to jab and move his way to an early lead before trading punches more as the fight goes on. I think O’Donnell will win somewhere around the 118-110 mark in an entertaining but one-sided fight.

Davis vs Napa

A week later sees Ian Napa challenge Gary Davis for the latter’s British bantamweight title. Napa is coming off a career worst performance, having surrendered his European title in the meekest of manners against Malik Bouziane.

Napa couldn’t get going that night and found himself being picked apart at distance by the much taller man. He needs a performance here to disprove his critics from claiming that his career is on the slide.

Davis, on the other hand, is full of confidence after dropping Matthew Edmonds three times en route to a 7th round stoppage to claim the vacant title earlier this year. Davis imposed his will on Edmonds from the first bell and looked very strong for the weight.

This will be an intriguing clash of styles and experience but I’ve got a feeling the cleaner punching and better tactical nous of Napa will be enough for him to win on points.

Fury vs McDermott

The undercard is headed by Tyson Fury taking on former British title challenger John McDermott. Fury is unbeaten with all of his victories coming inside the distance and will be looking to continue his reign of terror on the domestic heavyweight scene.

McDermott is the nearly man of the division having lost in his three British title attempts. He failed to turn up in his first attempt when he was pummelled to the floor three times and stopped inside a round by Matt Skelton. The other two title defeats were much closer affairs against Danny Williams but it was worrying that when the going got tough, McDermott went into his shell and found a way of losing when he could’ve easily battle his way to victory.

I think this is the perfect fight for Fury at this stage of his career and one in which he’ll be made to work for a few rounds before claiming an impressive stoppage win.

Olusegun vs Daws

The following Friday (September 18) sees the world class Ajose Olusegun defend his British light-welterweight title against former holder Lenny Daws at the legendary York Hall, Bethnal Green.

Olusegun is using this fight as a warm up for a world title eliminator that’s been pencilled in for a month later, this could prove to be a dangerous move if he views Daws as nothing more than a competitive spar.

Daws lost this title in his first defence against Barry Morrison, but still has the ambition and hunger to give Olusegun a real battle. Daws is a pressure fighter who is willing to walk through walls to win.

Olusegun should be too classy for Daws and should be able to pick him apart off the back foot, but if he takes his foot off the gas, or lets Daws get into a rhythm, then he could be in for a bruising night.

e-mail Dave Oakes

Check out the second half of Dave's season preview: British Scene Season Preview Part Two: Macklin vs Asikainen, Thaxton vs Murray, Sexton vs Rogan & Booth vs Hunter
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British Scene: Nathan Cleverly vs Danny McIntosh Preview

This Saturday at the York Hall, rising unbeaten prospects Danny McIntosh (pictured landing a right hand on the jaw of Steven Spartacus, photo © Justin McKie) and Nathan Cleverly clash for the vacant British light-heavyweight title. On the line as well will be Cleverly's Commonwealth title belt.

The under-card features former European lightweight champ Jonathan Thaxton taking on tough Essex fighter Tom Glover. Tyson Fury is also scheduled on the show, although an opponent for the young heavyweight has yet to be named.

Matt Chudley has the preview.

Make sure to check out Matt's recap of the show on Monday.

Saturday, July 18 Nathan Cleverly vs Danny McIntosh (ITV4) By Matt Chudley Unbeaten light-heavyweights Nathan Cleverly (16-0) and Danny McIntosh (10-0) headline this Saturday night's show at the York Hall. Cleverly will be putting the Commonwealth title that he won from Tony Oakey last October on the line for the 4th time, while the vacant British crown will also be up for grabs. While both fighters hold low hold knock-out ratios, both have come into their own recently and responded to a higher level of competition with more conclusive victories. McIntosh's last four fights have all ended early, including a picture perfect one punch KO of Rod Anderton on the undercard to Froch-Pascal. Fighting out of South Wales and a former Enzo Calzaghe pupil, the 22 year old Cleverly has shown great improvement over his last five fights and has began to sit down on his punches more. A Mathematics graduate from Cardiff University, he has also shown a large amount of ring savy in capitalizing on his skill set and impressive height at nearly 6'4. Proving to be one of the brighter prospects in the UK, Cleverly is heavily favoured to claim the coveted Lonsdale belt. Danny McIntosh - the house fighter after promoter Mick Hennessy won the purse bids - got a late start to the pro game at the age of 25. He's made up for lost time by moving through the pro-ranks quickly, establishing himself as a British title contender after only 8 fights by capturing the English title with a stoppage win over local rival Steven Spartacus in a heated contest last October. Against Cleverly, he finds himself as the underdog for the first time out and will undoubtedly need to show more than he has to date in order to overcome the slick accurate work of his taller and arguably faster opponent. On the under-card… Jonathan Thaxton (pictured against Juan Carlos Diaz Melero, photo © Justin McKie) takes on Tom Glover in his return to action for the first time since losing his European title to Anthony Mezaache back in February. Now 34 and having engaged in many memorable all out wars with the likes of Ricky Hatton and Eamonn Magee, Thaxton will be looking to stay sharp of a possible clash with John Murray for the vacant British Title this autumn. Glover is on a 3 bout winning streak, having scored narrow points victories over Scott Wolford, Chas Symonds and claiming a DQ win over Nadeem Siddique in his last outing a little over a month ago. Given the styles of the two men, this could very well be the most entertaining of the night’s contests. Heavyweight prospect Tyson Fury also gets another outing against a short notice opponent. With an English title showdown with John McDermott in the works, Fury will be looking to continue his impressive knock out streak and unleash some more headline grabbing sound bytes. e-mail Matt Chudley

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British Scene: Cleverly, Barker and Fury Score Stoppages

It was a busy weekend in British boxing with both Sky and ITV featuring Commonwealth title contests.

On Friday, Nathan Cleverly defended his light-heavyweight belt against Billy Boyle, while on Saturday Darren Barker (pictured right) put his middleweight crown on the line against Darren McDermott.

Dave Oakes and Matt Chudley have all the details

Photos © Justin McKie

Check out the previews of both shows: Barker vs McDermott & Cleverly vs Boyle

Friday May 22 Cleverly Stops Boyle in Two By Dave Oakes Nathan Cleverly retained his Commonwealth light-heavy title on Friday night after stopping the tough but limited Billy Boyle in two one-sided rounds at the York Hall, Bethnal Green. Cleverly controlled the fight from start to finish with the much shorter Boyle unable to land a single punch of note. The fight soon settled into a pattern of Boyle trying to close the range and Cleverly hitting him with sharp jabs and straight rights before moving out of range. After a one-sided battering in the first round, you knew that Boyle was in for a hard night’s work. The ending still came earlier than most expected though, when Cleverly trapped Boyle on the ropes and began to hammer home some heavy looking punches towards the end of the second round, Boyles trainer, Glyn Rhodes, jumped in to safe his fighter from taking any more punishment. Rhodes complained bitterly about the fight being stopped, but in truth, it saved him from taking a sustained beating. The end would’ve come within the next two rounds anyway. Cleverly is scheduled to fight Danny McIntosh on July 18th for the vacant British title in what should be a much more competitive fight. On the undercard… Kevin Mitchell needed just three rounds to stop late substitute Lanquaye Wilson. Mitchell struggled to find his rhythm in the first two rounds and was looking rusty after nearly a year out due to a hand injury. He was just starting to find his feet in the third round when the referee, Dave Parris, prematurely stopped the bout with Wilson still on his feet and not looking in trouble. Mitchell had landed a couple of heavy shots but the Ghanaian had taken them well enough and in my opinion, should’ve been allowed to continue. Heavyweight prospect Derek Chisora got away with chewing on Paul Butlin’s ear to take a wide points decision to keep his unbeaten record. The controversy came in the fifth round when Chisora was tied up against the ropes with Butlin resting his head on his chest. He decided this was the perfect opportunity to have a munch on Butlin’s ear and stooped low to emulate the Mike Tyson incident of yesteryear. It was a moment of madness and one he was very lucky to get away with, he can consider himself very fortunate that the referee was unable to see it. The incident took the shine of what had been a good performance up until that point. Chisora went on win 79-72 on the referee’s scorecard but major questions have got to be asked about whether or not he’s got the temperament required to succeed against higher level opponents. e-mail Dave Oakes

Saturday, May 23 Barker and Fury Score Stoppage Victories By Matt Chudley Darren Barker impressively stopped English champion Darren McDermott this past Saturday night at the Watford Coliseum to retain his commonwealth title and set up a marquee fight with British champion Matthew Macklin. Though the eventual outcome appeared in little doubt, the ending to the fight saw referee Dave Paris at the centre of controversy once again. After Paris's contentious handling of the climax to the Martin Rogan-Sam Sexton fight last Friday, the referee angered many with his somewhat premature stoppage of McDermott. Outclassed, but still competitive, McDermott was not given a chance to continue after being put down in the fourth, despite not appearing to be seriously hurt. Before the bell it appeared that McDermott's physical attributes may cause some difficulties for the unbeaten North Londoner. From the outset though the undersized Barker used his movement and quick reactions to surprisingly out jab his larger opponent who possessed a significant height and reach advantages. By the third round, Barker had settled into a comfortable rhythm, and McDermott's lack of head movement was being punished consistently with 1-2 combinations and lead right hands. The challenger still fired back and appeared resolute, but much of his work was being caught by the arms and gloves of the champion. The end came at 2:30 of the fourth round. After catching McDermott's attention with a solid jab, Barker put the challenger down with a big right hand that landed on the side of the chin. Figuring that the fight was on its way to a predictable conclusion and that McDermott may have been shipping a few straight rights, Paris waved off the contest. With his career at stake in possibly his last big opportunity, the Black Country fighter understandably felt it was a quick call. With the fight doubling as a British title eliminator, Barker now finds himself in line for a shot at the all action Matthew Macklin after the latter's voluntary on the Khan-Kotelnik undercard. If promoters Frank Warren and Mick Hennessy are unable to agree terms the British boxing board of control will hold purse bids for the fight which is likely to take place in September or October. In an eagerly awaited co-feature, heavyweight sensation Tyson Fury (pictured left) moved into British title contention by impressively stopping fellow British Heavyweight hopeful Scott Belshaw. The wild and clumsy, but vicious swings of the Belfast fighter were way too crude to trouble the 20 year old Fury. The Cheshire youngster employed a cultured and much improved body attack to discourage and finish the previously 10-1 Belshaw at 0:52 of the second round. In a classy move, Fury opted not to pile on further damage to his winded opponent, who after being down twice in round one, was still standing but doubled over in pain from a left hook to the body at the end. On the undercard... Staying busy was Bermondsey-based middleweight Matthew Thirwall who stopped former sparring partner and good friend George Hillyard. Hillyard’s corner called it off in between the 4th and 5th rounds after a big left hook put their man down at the end of the round. Along with Coventry’s Steve Bendall, the 19-3 Thirwall is now a possible opponent for Matt Macklin on the 27th of June for his voluntary defense. e-mail Matt Chudley

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British Scene: Barker vs McDermott, Fury vs Belshaw

For the first time since Carl Froch's dramatic late win over Jermain Taylor across the Atlantic in April, Mick Hennessy's stable of fighters will be back in action.

Matt Chudley has the preview for Saturday night's ITV4 show that features Darren Barker (pictured right) defending his Commonwealth middleweight title against Darren McDermott.

Photos © Justin McKie

Check out our recap of both UK shows from this weekend: Cleverly, Barker and Fury Score Stoppages

Saturday May 23 Darren Barker vs Darren McDermott, Tyson Fury vs Scott Belshaw (ITV4) By Matt Chudley In the main-event, highly skilled middleweight Darren Barker (pictured below left doing road work with John O'Donnell), defends his Commonwealth title against Dudley's once beaten English champion Darren McDermott, while Scott Belshaw and the ever talkative Tyson Fury go at it on the under-card. While on paper Barker's title defense against McDermott may seem like a small but appropriate step-up in class for the North London native, it also indicates some serious intent and ambition from Barker and his promoter Mick Hennessy. Considered by most to be the best middleweight in the UK is the all action brummie Matthew Macklin and rather than deciding to navigate their assents in separate routes as is nearly always the case, Hennessy has received sanctioning for this upcoming defense to also qualify as a final eliminator for the British title. With Macklin under the guidance of Frank Warren and the likelihood that negotiations would be beyond complicated, Mick Hennessy is showing supreme confidence in his man by looking to drag Macklin and Warren into purse bids. First though Barker must concentrate on getting past McDermott, who at 16-1-1 holds a career best win over former reigning English champion and common opponent Steve Bendall, with his one defeat coming via an unfortunate stoppage due to cuts. Having bettered McDermott’s decision win over Bendall with a seventh round stoppage and beaten a few more accomplished fighters, Barker will undoubtedly be extremely confident but should be wary of looking beyond the black country fighter. Though billed as the chief-supporting bout, the 8 round clash between heavyweight prospects Tyson Fury and Scott Belshaw has arguably become the most anticipated bout of the weekend. Belshaw had been scheduled to fight on the under-card to Rogan-Sexton in Belfast last week but was left on the sidelines after his opponent pulled out. Having missed the opportunity to fight in his hometown and with the incessant claims from Tyson Fury that no UK heavyweights wanted to fight him, Belshaw has decided to step up to the plate. The 10-1 Frank Maloney promoted fighter presents a unique challenge for the loud mouth Fury, being that its the first time Fury will have faced an opponent of a similar size and stature. Both men are amongst the many young heavyweights to have come up against well traveled yardstick Daniel Peret. The limited but brave Peret has been able to separate the wheat from the chaff in terms of Heavyweight prospect, coming up short against the likes of Fury and Derek Chisora yet beating Larry Olubamiwo and Belshaw. While avenged, this defeated does not bode well for Belshaw as it shows that he may only be able to intimidate overmatched opponents with his heavy but extremely slow hands. Filling out the televised portion of the card are the modest but always game, under-card battlers George Hillyard and Matthew Thirwall who go for 10 rounds at middleweight. Carl Froch will return to his part-time role as ITV pundit for the evening and possibly elaborate on a future bout with Lucien Bute. e-mail Matt Chudley Check out Dave Oakes' preview of Nathan Cleverly vs Billy Boyle

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Introducing Tyson Fury - Story & Photo Gallery

While American boxing is suffering through a shortage of gifted young heavyweights, there's a giant youngster making headlines in the UK.

Dave Oakes takes a look at Tyson Fury, the 6'7" 250 pound heavyweight from Manchester.

Photos © Justin McKie

click on the images to enlarge.

Tyson Fury sounds more like a name a Rocky villain would have rather than a genuine boxer, but this new kid on the block is certainly one to keep an eye out for. At a towering 6ft 7ins, the Manchester based heavyweight is certainly attracting a lot of attention on this side of the pond. He’s a giant of a man, has a Hollywood name and is unbeaten in the paid ranks, with all five victories coming inside the distance. It’s no surprise people are sitting up and taking notice of him. Mick Hennessy, Fury’s promoter, has been cranking the hype machine up to full speed in his effort to make him well known, but the question remains, can he actually fight? Well, yes, he can actually. He’s got great hand speed, puts combinations together well and has the right mentality to succeed. There are still a few things we don’t know about him, mainly whether or not he can take a punch and how his stamina will hold up over the championship distance. It’s still early days and those questions will be answered in the next couple of years but he looks to be progressing very well in his first year as a pro. I also think he still has some maturing to do physically, that might sound a strange thing to say about such a big man but he looks like he might not hit his physical peak until his mid 20’s. The David Price Rivalry... There seems to be a lot of animosity between Fury and Olympic medallist David Price. Both have been calling for a fight against the other man and both claim to be the hottest heavyweight prospect in Britain. It’s a fight all boxing fans are looking forward to somewhere down the line, although I’d be surprised to see Price taking such a big leap up in class any time soon. I think Fury is the better prospect of the two but with Price’s enormous punch power, anything could happen. The biggest worry for me is that Price loses his unbeaten record before a fight against Fury is made; Price’s weakness around the whiskers is no secret to the gym observers and writers of the British scene. It’s hard to gauge just how good Fury is at this stage of his career but he’s definitely one to look out for. I’d say he’s a good bet to clean up at British level in the next two to three years, but no-one knows how far he’ll go beyond that level. I certainly wouldn’t bet against him going further, he’s got all the attributes needed to be a top class fighter. e-mail Dave Oakes Tyson Fury Photo Gallery Referee John Howard Foster sends Fury to a neutral corner after flooring Bela Gyongyosi in his pro debut. The over-matched Hungarian lasted all of 134 seconds. Fury made it 3-0 with a win over Daniil Peretyatko in February. The bout was stopped after only 2 rounds due to a cut over the Russian's left eye. Veteran heavyweight Lee Swaby, one time challenger for the British cruiserweight title lasted 4 rounds. Swaby took a fair bit of punishment and gave a game effort, and his corner wisely chose not to send their man out for round 5. In Fury's most recent outing on the under-card of the John O'Donnell - Craig Watson show, he took care of Matthew Ellis in only 48 seconds. Ellis, who came in with a record of 20-6-1 was down twice. Matt Chudley's recap: O'Donnell edges Watson Tyson Fury will be taking on Northern Ireland's young heavyweight prospect Scott Belshaw (10-1, 7 KOs) this Saturday on the under-card of the Darren Barker vs Darren McDermott Commonwealth middleweight title fight. The Boxing Bulletin's Matt Chudley will have the preview of that show tomorrow.

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British Scene Weekend Recap

Matt Chudley recaps all the action from the Hennessy Sports show this past Saturday night at York Hall in Bethnal Green.

The main event featured Craig Watson defending his Commonwealth belt against John O'Donnell. Also on the card was promising young heavyweight Tyson Fury, along with an exciting 10 round clash for the British light-welterweight crown between Lenny Daws and Pete McDonagh.

Photos © Justin McKie

Saturday April 11 O'Donnell edges Watson By Matt Chudley John O'Donnell dethroned Craig Watson via a controversial split decision on Saturday at the historic York Hall to take the Commonwealth welterweight title. While the contest may have been lacking in clean punches, both fighters gave everything they had in a hard fought grueling battle. Watson, who had been out of action for almost a year due to promotional disputes, started the stronger of the two southpaws. He looked purposeful and aggressive in the opening round and managed to successfully work his way inside on his taller opponent. O’Donnell appeared more composed in an even second round, but Watson did the better work over the next two frames. Using a lunging lead right hand and an uppercut in the clinch, Watson managed to combat O’Donnell’s awkward style; the Londoner forgoes the conventional jab, fighting with his right hand low and using the shoulder roll to slip incoming fire. The fight took a turn towards the end of the 5th when O'Donnell managed to back his man onto the ropes and fire away aggressively. O’Donnell continued to be more positive in his approach looking to push and turn Watson onto the ropes where he would try and load up with left and right hooks. In the 7th round, one such flurry visibly shook Watson, sending him sagging backwards onto the ropes, although the man from Manchester managed to remain on his feet. Having mocked the challengers power in the pre-fight buildup, Watson now seemed to have gained respect for it and adapted his approach by switching to counter-puncher. O'Donnell meanwhile seemed to take the next couple of rounds make his own subsequent adjustments. With both fighters exhausted from the spirited contest, there was little to choose between the two battling southpaws in the three final rounds, although the best punch of the late going was a straight left from Watson in the 12th. The scores were extremely tight with Judges Dave Parris and Richie Davis both seeing it 115-114 O'Donnell to John Keane's 116-113 for Watson. I had Watson in front at the end, as did many others, including colour commentator Duke McKenzie, Barry McGuigan and both Boxing News and Seconds Out by margins ranging from one to three rounds. Cynical observers may have noted that Watson was between promoters and in his opponent’s back yard, but given the closely contested nature of many of the rounds, the verdict was going to be debated no matter who came out on the winning end. Following the victory promoter Mick Hennessey vowed to seek a European title shot for his charge. A more probable next fight for the Londoner would be a first defense against 18-1 Northern Irish fighter Stephen Haughian who stopped the overmatched Drew Campbell (he came in with 1 victory in 9 outings) in a round on the undercard. Though wanting an immediate rematch, no matter who he faces, Watson will be eager for work under his new employer, Hayemaker promotions. On the undercard… Fast rising heavyweight prospect Tyson Fury disposed of the undersized Matthew Ellis in less than 50 seconds. Giving up 7 inches in height and over 50lbs in weight Ellis knew that he would have to try and get inside to test the unproven chin of the younger fighter. Having closed the distance Ellis quickly found himself under heavy fire, with Fury’s first right hand buckling his legs and the follow-up flurry sending him to the canvas. After getting up at the count of 8, Ellis was quickly put down again, where he wisely chose to remain for the full count. There was also an entertaing 10 rounder to open the telecast. After a lively opening round from Pete McDonagh, Lenny Daws's superior strength and stamina proved too much for the game Bermondsey fighter in their clash for the vacant English light-welterweight title. e-mail Matt Chudley

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British Scene Weekend Preview

Matt Chudley previews this Saturday's Commonwealth Welterweight Title bout between Craig Watson and John O'Donnell.

Also on the card, making his 5th pro appearance will be big young heavyweight Tyson Fury (pictured).

Photo © Justin McKie

Saturday April 11 Craig Watson vs John O'Donnell (ITV4) By Matt Chudley Once again, the York Hall in Bethnel Green plays host to televised boxing, this time to a Hennessy Sports card headlined by Craig Watson's defense of his Commonwealth Welterweight title against John O'Donnell. The fight marks the first return to serious action for the house fighter O'Donnell, since his American unveiling on the undercard of the De La Hoya-Mayweather mega-fight almost two years ago. Through his connections with Golden Boy, promoter Mick Hennessy managed to gain undercard slots for his two brightest prospects, O’Donnell and lightweight John Murray. The publicity tour, which included sparring with Shane Mosley, took a disastrous turn when O'Donnell was stopped in two by Mexican journeyman Christian Solano. Watson, who achieved some notoriety for dropping Amir Khan in the amateurs, upset the odds to capture the Commonwealth belt from the highly regarded Ali Nuumbembe in December of 2007. He subsequently defended the belt against Matthew Hatton, although between those fights, suffered a TKO defeat at the hands of Italian Danielle Petrucci on a short notice trip to the continent. With both fighters being tall southpaws who lack power, the fighter with the superior boxing skills and conditioning will likely prevail in a distance fight. For me, that’s Craig Watson, but many (including the bookmakers) feel this fight could go either way. I think those picks might be slightly influenced by the previous hype surrounding O’Donnell and the faith of his promoter in making this fight. We’ll find out on Saturday night. The undercard... The televised undercard features the most talked about novice fighter in the UK in the shape of young Tyson Fury. The twenty year old has been extremely active since turning pro, having fought 4 times in 4 months, stopping all of his opponents including the 21-3 Marcell Zeller in only his second fight. The talkative youngster, claiming to be the future of the division, has been dishing insults at fellow heavyweight hopeful David Price. Price opened up his professional ledger a couple weeks ago with a victory on the undercard of the Dodson-Quigley show, and Saturday night will be Fury's turn to make the next statement. Later this month, he'll be flying out to the states to fight on the Carl Froch – Jermain Taylor undercard Also in action is Lenny Daws, who will be looking to get back into British title contention by beating Pete McDonagh in a ten rounder for the English light-welterweight title. e-mail Matt Chudley

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