Fury camp revelations.

Amidst the bravado and ballyhoo surrounding the Tyson Fury circus, one thing I do find the current heavyweight champion... he's honest..  It's three weeks since his outrageous barechested outburst in Manchester, where he protested to Klitschko "you were beaten by a fat man."  Last week he upset the establishment again with yet more opinionated remarks ...  Fury makes no bones about it, he's poles apart from man he so shockingly dethroned last year, Wladimir is the consummate professional, he never cuts corners in his preparations, he's always immaculately turned out in public and rarely gets involved in mud slinging before bouts..  Fury is rough and ready,  moulded by his surroundings, a travelling man, a full time athlete he is not, he openly admits his hatred towards the rigours of day to day training, but to date, whatever team Fury have been doing, right or wrong, it works and it culminated in a memorable victory last November, Fury is now three weeks into training in Belgium, a reclusive getaway from the luxuries of home life, in the next 7 weeks, like it or not he will grind his  280lb frame towards the respectable 260lb  region..   Vocal as always Fury did release a video from his Belgian hideout today, if it is to be believed, it's brutally honest, claiming to have been put through his paces by an enthusiastic light heavyweight sparring partner whom he'd foolishly allowed the grace of wearing 10 ounce gloves.. Fury without headgear claims to have been dropped a couple of times, blaming the mishap on the opposing fighters speed and his inability to move his ill condition bulk correctly, in the tape Fury appeared jovial but did show off a rather genuine blackened eye and a mark around the eyebrow. Is it mind games? Or is Tyson Fury once again being brutally honest in his own outlandish way to stir interest.  Back in 2011 Fury bragged about travelling to Finchley to spar a little know amateur called Anthony Joshua, and admitted openly to getting the daylights beaten out of him for most part, with absolutely no shame admitting the warts and all truth..

I will go back to the words of Eddie Futch in this instance, "Fighters are made, rarely born, in the gym they hone something that doesn't come naturally to most men,  make your mistakes in the gym, and work out the kinks, but fight night has to be flawless."
But as to Fury blaming his mishaps on being overweight.. The old adage "if you stay ready...  You don't have to get ready.. ". Springs to mind.
However..  Since the video, Fury has insinuated that all of the camp revelations involving sparring and fallouts with uncle Peter were just fabricated mind games..

Wilder returns to the US, fight cancelled.

It appears that the much awaited WBC heavyweight showdown between Deontay Wilder and Alexander Povetkin is cancelled or at least postponed following Povetkins positive drug test reading for the substance Meldonium on Friday..  Communication between the camps was fragmented and neither really knew what the WBCs final decision would be concerning the bout..  In any event, this morning Deontay Wilder and his team took matters into their own hands, missing their 8am flight to Russia from London Heathrow, opting to return to the US continuing in their words as if the fight was cancelled..  The WBC had yet to actually determined the outcome of its findings regarding the Meldonium results. Povetkins team did claim however that their fighter used the drug in November, a little over a month before it was banned by VADA, but two previous clean tests were submitted by Povetkin, proving by default that the fighter had in fact used Meldonium after the ban..   It's very disappointing for all concerned, months of intense training by both camps for such a high profile significant fight..  It's not known yet whether Wilder will opt for a replacement defence or wait for the fight to possibly be rescheduled, which I find highly unlikely in the circumstances..
  Meldonium in used to enhance circulation, especially to the brain, it helps increase endurance and promotes energy insurgence..  The drug is produced in Latvia and is commonly used in soviet countries..

Opinionated Fury strikes again..

Outspoken heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has come under fire once again following a tirade of opinionated views on a recent interview video with his uncle Peter..  Fury who attracted heat to himself with sexist comments following his upset title victory last year in Dussedorf, resulting in a public apology at the BBCs SPOTY awards..  In this particular episode Fury began by answering proposed questions, read out by his trainer and uncle Peter, while relaxing following a training session..  Fury begins to talk candidly about the state of the planet, referring to himself lightheartedly as draconian in his way of thinking, as the video plays out he turns his focus towards people's attitude towards sex and sexuality, mockingly stating that certain socially unacceptable behaviour will soon be regarded as legal..  Fury stated that "it's now legal to marry your pets, and soon enough it will be within the law to have sexual relations with them."  Further throwing his views on homosexuality and trans gender into the mix by saying "I could throw on a dress and a wig and call myself Tysena, because that's the way the world is going now,"  referring once again to the transgender community as freaks of nature..   Fury suggested that not enough people stand up for what they believe, becoming governmentally controlled robots..   He and Peter turned their attention to Wladimir Klitschko and his response to Furys opinions, Peter first stated "I think Wlad seemed touchy about the comments as if they were directed at him personally," to which Fury added "It's because he swings both ways, and for those who don't know it, I'm exposing him now, he's shagging Berne Boente."  Tyson went on to criticise the system in which all of the banks and corporations are controlled by Jews...  Furys outbursts are very direct and controversial, and he consistently states that he's only saying what most normal people are thinking but don't have the balls to..   Tyson Fury has previously talked about moving to the United States, to an environment with more freedom of speech..   Like him or loath him, he is a very stubborn champion, in a position to set huge example to those aspiring to him as an icon..  I respect that a lot of what he says do voice the thoughts of a great number of people, but in voicing it, he does put himself open to huge criticism that may reflect in his career, he treads a fine line..  A silent Tyson Fury, just isn't Tyson Fury..

Tabiti heads the class at Sams Town..

Undefeated Mayweather promotions cruiserweight Andrew the beast Tabiti faced his first major test last night at Sams town in Las Vegas in his 13th outing..  Tabiti faced another unbeaten prospect in 25 year old New Yorker Keith Tapia, himself 17/0..  Following a lively weigh in on Thursday, this fight for the NABF cruiserweight crown looked set to be explosive with both fighters having 11 knockouts each on their resume..   Tabiti however took control early pushing Tapia onto the back foot, boxing careful behind a fast jab..  Tapia had his moments in the middle rounds, but a flash knockdown in the 8th put the icing on the cake for a comfortable Tabiti victory, unanimous points..    99-90, 97-92, 97-92

In another clash between undefeated cruiserweights, 2012 U.S. Olympian Michael Hunter (12-0, 8 KOs) scored a clear cut unanimous decision over tough Isiah Thomas (15-1, 6 KOs). Hunter pressed the action en route to a 100-90, 100-90, 99-91 verdict.

Super middleweight Ronald The Thrill Gavril (16-1, 12 KOs) scored a fourth round TKO over Juan Camilo Novoa (25-7-1, 23 KOs). Gavril dropped Novoa with a body shot, then got the stoppage with his follow up barrage. Time was 2:08.

Alexander Povetkin fails pre fight drug test.

WBC heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder and mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin voluntarily agreed to the WBC Clean Boxing Program and to be tested by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) for their upcoming May 21 WBC title fight..  Today, VADA reported to the WBC and the fighters’ camps the results of an anti-doping test Povetkin underwent from a sample collected on April 27. VADA’s report states that Povetkin’s sample A showed an positive result for the banned substance Meldonium. The WBC also received specific information from the World Anti-Doping Agency about Meldonium, a substance that was only added to the banned list this year. The substance is classified by WADA as a metabolic modulator. Tennis star Maria Sharapova was suspended after Meldonium was found in her system.
The WBC is conducting an in-depth investigation of this matter and will make a public announcement in the very near future concerning the results of its investigation and any appropriate steps that it will take. Alexander Povetkins camp claim that their fighter tried the drug just under a year ago, and had never used Meldonium since its addition to VADA's banned list..   Mauricio Sulaiman issued an original statement regarding the WBC stance,  announcing the fight as cancelled..  

Michael Spinks... A class act at NVBHOF in Las Vegas.

On May 6th at Sake Rok in Las Vegas I had the pleasure of accompanying dozens of champions, past and present to the Nevada boxing hall of fame fundraiser, a glittering affair that is proving popular amongst both fans and fighters alike, during the sizzling cinco de Mayo fight weekend..   Only hours earlier Amir Khan and Saul Alvarez had weighted in for their much awaited WBC middleweight championship clash only a stones throw from Sake Rok in toshiba square, next to the brand new state of the art t-mobile arena..   Hosting the event as always was the colourful Rich Marotta along with WBC president Mauricio Sulamain, introducing an impressive array of boxing legends which included Leon and Michael Spinks, James Tillis, Joel Cassamayor, Kevin Kelley and Floyd Mayweather sr, along with current boxing stars, Shawn porter, Jessie Vargas, Layla McCarter , Andrew Tabiti, Shane Mosley and Zabdiel Judah..   During the event I had the rare pleasure of talking with former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Michael Spinks, who was as accessible as ever.  Michael explained how it was his strict mother who raised the family with a firm hand who had influenced him as a young man, Michael said that as a kid he often wondered why his mother was so hard on them, only realising in later life the exact reasoning of his mothers tough love..  Michael said for years he watched his mother try to keep the family in check, while the boys had each other, Michael suddenly realised, "who's on my moms side?"  At which point Michael got closer to the woman who's tough exterior had moulded the boys into fine young men..   Leon was also as tough on his younger brother, "he beat the shit out if me, really put it on me for a long time,  I'd question why Leon would do this, his brother would explain, I've got to be tough on you as a brother, because it's going to prepare you for worse than me out there in real battle.. "   Michael later said that after years of enduring older brother Leon's beatings, there came a day where I'd beat him up in the gym...  Later Michael credits his victories over bigger foes like Gerry Cooney and Larry Holmes to the fact that he had had a more extensive, broader apprenticeship as an amateur, boxing a more varied spectrum of international opposition, "I'd boxed poles, French, Dutch, Russian, German guys in the amateurs, the bigger guys never had the experience that I had seen."  Spinks wasn't sold on the idea of moving up to fight Larry Holmes, until visionary Butch Lewis and trainer / nutritionist Mackie Shilstone convinced him that he would not lose his key attributes, Speed and mobility in the weight gain..  Spinks concluded "If I could beat this little guy (Shilstone) during the tough transition, then Holmes would be a piece of cake.."   Shilstone had built Spinks into a 195 pound beast, not one ounce of speed was lost and with a further 10 pounds of hard muscle still to add, Michael still sustained only around 7% body fat with the superb dietary plan..  "I needed to sustain a high workrate to beat Larry and be able to recover quickly between rounds..   Michael also spoke about his longtime friend and manager Ronald Butch Lewis..   "Butch was good for me, and bad for me at the same time, but I loved him..  He had vision, he saw the opportunity for Leon to beat Ali, that was Butch, as was the idea to fight Holmes, the timing was perfect."   They never always saw eye to eye, but Michael never saw the bad in Butch having control in his career..  "I'm a man who believes in a god, and if I put my faith in something higher, I believed that if I did no wrong to him, then God would take care of the rest..   I trusted Butch.."   When asked about his fanatical state, Michael laughed "I've still got a couple of bucks, they did take some from me, but I'm ok."     One thing struck me with Michael, there was no ego or pretence in all the time I spent with him, a class act with a gentle manner..    A real champion..

Drugs cheat Erkan Teper exposed.

Unbeaten Turkish heavyweight Erkan Teper is to be finally removed from the current IBF ratings, regarding his failed drugs test following his July 2015 knockout win over David Price in a European title fight in Germany..   The results took until December to come to light and Price, who is self managed is bewildered as to why the results were never disclosed publicly sooner and wonders if Sauerland promotions had never pursued the case as aggressively as they did, the tests might have just been swept under the carpet..  By December 2nd, the EBU still maintained the Teper knockout victory over Price would still stand, however the European title would be declared vacant, an outrageous decision, However.... This story gets more interesting..
It was revealed that Teper had tested positive for drostanolone after his win over Newfel Ouatah last June and to date this result has still not been overturned, the commission failed to comment..  These findings are exposing a massive incompetence in the German Boxing Commision..  Following the original dope test failing, the German broadcast network 'Beyerischer Rundfunk' claims that police found Clenbuterol, testosterone, growth hormone and methandrostenolone is a drugs raid on Tepers home in April..  Price himself did some investigating of his own and found out through a good source that the failed sample given by Teper in July contained an outrageously high trace, the highest trace of a banned stimulant the doping agency had ever encountered, which the Commision would have known about within weeks of the bout, yet by September Teper had thus far faced no repercussions and had in fact been pencilled in to face Robert Helenius six weeks later, before pulling out due to an injury..
So here we are a full year later, as of yesterday Teper was still ranked in the IBFs top 10 rankings, and the Price result had yet to be corrected...  However today Price and the EBU have both been assured that Teper's dirty past has finally caught up with him, both the result and ranking are soon to be rectified..  David Price hasn't boxed since the loss last year and is still a little angry about the blemishes on his otherwise impeccable record..   Two losses to American Tony Thompson who himself failed drugs tests following their second bout, yet again a tainted result that stains the Liverpool mans 19/3 record..  Let's hope that the future isn't so lenient on dope cheats in boxing, it's a tough enough sport as it stands..

Golovkin disposes of Wade in 2..

WBA , IBF and IBO world middleweight King Gennady Golovkin successfully defended his title for the 16th time with a second round annihilation of previously unbeaten 26 year old Dominick Wade 18/0, at the Inglewood forum in Los Angeles..  The Maryland fighter started at long range, trying to elude Golovkin's power early, Golovkin got Wades attention towards the end of the first round with a right hand before scoring a flash knockdown..  Round two saw Wade enjoy some success, landing combinations on the champion who was trying to close the distance down. Halfway through the round Golovkin dropped Wade with a left uppercut, right hand combination which saw the challenger rise reluctantly at 9, Referee Jack Reiss allowed The brave fighter the benefit of the doubt in continuing, but it was short lived as Golovkin ended the show with another huge overhand right..  Dominick Wade was a live opponent, but was never in any way a threat to the universally acknowledged worlds number one middleweight..  Wade verified afterwards that there was nothing much he could have done differently, and that Golovkin's power is very real..   Golovkin's next test should be the winner of Cinco de Mayo in Vegas, Canelo v Khan, but a fight of that magnitude doesn't happen overnight..  The disposal of Wade proves nothing that we didn't already know..

The undercard saw Roman Gonzales defend his WBC flyweight crown with a 12 round unanimous decision over tough McWilliams Arroyo..

Erroll Spence destroys Algeri in 5, makes a bold statement..

Erroll the truth Spence appears to be the new lightening rod in the welterweight division following a highly explosive demolition job on the usually durable Chris Algeri last weekend in Brooklyn.  Algeri is 21/2 with respectable losses to Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan, but Spence superseded both Khan and Pacquiao's performances by stopping the 32 year old New Yorker in a highly charged 5 rounds..  Spence took the high profile opportunity to showcase himself for a major fight in 2016, the former Olympian is currently 20/0 with 17 knockouts and improving each time out..  Top of the Spence hit list is current IBF champion Kell Brook, who since beating Shawn Porter little over a year ago hasn't defended against top drawer opposition..  Erroll hasn't boxed for a single professional title yet, but he's headed in that direction..   Spence showed maturity v Algeri, picking his punches and closing down the distance before luring Algeri onto his heavier ammunition..   Although highly touted so early in his career, a few negative onlookers have recently made a rather premature comparison between Spence and Jeff Lacy, calling Spence a potential hype job..  Regardless, I don't see welterweights queuing up to face him in a hurry..

Anthony Joshua snatches the IBF title from Charles Martin.

On Saturday night at the O2 London, Anthony Joshua barely got into second gear for his first world title fight against reigning IBF champion, Prince Charles Martin..  Unbeaten himself, Martin came to the uk looking to make a bold statement by defending against the hottest young heavyweight around, but never anticipated the wrath we would be facing. Joshua took the first round to really have a look at his opponent, a dangerous southpaw on paper, but at the close of the round it was evident that the Americans pre fight bravado was no reflected by his tepid start, the second round saw both men try to exchange, Martin appearing apprehensive after feeling Joshua's power. The breakthrough came a minute into the round, Martin reached in with a overhand left, a shot that was countered efficiently by Joshua with a straight right which dropped the champion, a flash knockdown but enough to send alarm bells ringing, moments after rising he would once again walk onto a second Joshua right hand, this time sending Martin sprawling across the canvas, with a nervous grin on his face the American attempted to rise, but had no intention and was counted out as he stood..  Joshua never really had the chance to explode into action on his biggest night, but the message is now very clear, that Anthony Joshua has arrived, the new IBF heavyweight champion in just 34 professional rounds..   Joshua knows that he is the vulnerable of the current champions, but it is clear that he is the one improving the fastest..    Charles Martin looks now to have been one of the shortest reigning belt holders in the championships history, he won the vacant title only 11 weeks ago in Brooklyn after Czar Glazkov retired with a bizarre knee injury in the 3rd round, it was a gutsy decision to call out such a dangerous first defence, but it has cost him the chance to be a memorable champion..

The undercard featured an entertaining middleweight battle between Birminghams Matthew Macklin and Blackpools Brian Rose, both fighters gave everything in a fairly close affair which I had Rose winning after 12, Macklin was given a unanimous decision of 115/115 twice and 113/113 even..

Barrys Lee Selby retained his IBF world featherweight title with a convincing points verdict over tough Philadelphian Eric Hunter, Hunter had Selby on the floor for the first time in his career with a slick left hook, but had points deducted for continual low blows..  

The debuting Conor Benn, son of former legendary champion Nigel Benn had a successful introduction to the pro game with a first round knockout of Ivailo Boyanov

Alonzo Butler looking to jumpstart his career.

In 2007, Alonzo Butler had the world at his feet, 27/0 with 17 knockouts a world ranking and the backing of Art Pellulos Banner promotions, the Chattanooga heavyweight looked a dead cert to feature in the divisions future as a major player. In June of 2008, Butler signed to box on an ESPN card in Las Vegas against tough veteran Friday Ahunanya, Butler came in  at a career high 265lbs and was pushed to the wall by the stubborn Nigerian in a close affair which saw Butler receive his first loss..  The Ahunanya fight was a tough lesson but maybe a blessing, with a shut eye and badly damaged pride Butler could easily have quit following a knockdown in the fourth round but showed championship courage to continue to a split verdict..  Unfortunately since that eventful night, Alonzo's career had stalled, with only a single appearance between 2009 and 2013, a contested loss the Travis Walker in a fight where Walker had to get off the floor to survive and a 3 round decision loss to Brice Coe in the quarter finals of the Super 8 tourney in New Zealand saw Butler fight only 3 times in close to 6 years..  Alonzo was a product of world renowned trainer Ace Miller, a decorated trainer who was the sole mastermind behind former WBA champion Big John Tate, Ace recognised potential in Butler and stayed with his student until his passing in 2012. How fitting would it be to see Alonzo jumpstart his career in a wide open division four years on. With lack of opportunity and exposure in the US Butler has his sights on a move the the United Kingdom, it would be a shot into the unknown but it would certainly cause a stir amongst the current British heavyweight scene. Fighters are aware of Alonzo Butlers reputation, Deontay Wilders people got a taste of Butlers power in a heated sparring session and number 2 ranked Alex Ustinov also had second thoughts and wanted no part of Alonzo..   Butler is still only 36, relatively young and with only a handful of questionable losses in a 34 fight career, the transatlantic move could be a risk worth taking.