Whyte... Disappointed with the WBC over snubbed Mandatory status.

WBC Silver Heavyweight Champion Dillian Whyte (23-1, 17 KOs) was under the distinct impression that he was heading towards a mandatory world title shot against Deontay Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs) following last months impressive knockout of the undefeated Lucas Browne..
However Whyte found himself shuffled along in the queue several days ago as the WBC revealed that their mandatory status had been awarded to former IBF challenger Dominick Breazeale..
Despite maintaining his number one ranking, and even winning the WBC silver title, Whyte has now been ordered to fight Cuban heavyweight Luis Ortiz, who himself has just come off an unsuccessful WBC title shot..
Breazeale’s victory over Eric Molina was initially announced as a title eliminator yet was more recently switched to final eliminator status by the governing body. The peculiar thing about that is, had Molina beaten Breazeale, he would have been awarded a third successive shot at the world heavyweight championship, whilst Whyte is still standing in line for his first..
Whyte boxes in July with no immediate opponent named as of yet, but made a very valid claim when he asked why the WBC didn’t just order him to box Breazeale in the eliminator, killing two birds with one stone..
If negotiations between Wilder and Joshua aren’t met soon, it looks like Breazeale will fight Wilder next, leaving Whyte in limbo as far as his immediate future is concerned..

"I've fought for every single belt the WBC said I was eligible for. I'm one of the only guys in the WBC who has followed the proper procedure. I fought many eliminators, and many WBC ranking fights. I've been loyal to the WBC for about two years," Said Whyte..

"I've had the sanctioning fights, I've done everything they have asked me to do. My information was - I was meant to be next in line. If anything, the WBC should be ordering me and Breazeale to fight in a final eliminator to face Wilder.

"I've had loads of WBC fights and they've always been against top contenders. Chisora, Helenius, Browne. These haven't been against mugs, they have been against top contenders, who are highly ranked in the WBC as well. We're going to try and see what we can do, and see whether or not we can reach some sort of agreement with the WBC. I'm very, very disappointed and annoyed. I feel betrayed by the WBC to be honest."

Whyte is justified in feeling betrayed.. Breazeale hasn’t maintained a winning streak at a level equalling Whyte’s and Molina didn’t belong in a position to justify a third title shot.. Whyte has an option to box in the IBFs mandatory elimination bout against Kubrat Pulev in an attempt to circumvent the process and shoot for the holder in that body (Joshua) or sit and wait it out until Wilder or whoever decides he’s worthy of the shot..
Dillian most probably won’t depose Wilder or Joshua in an attempt for the title, but he’s deserving, hungry and very determined, spelling a tough night for anyone.. I’ve noticed a huge improvement in Whyte’s game, he’s more patient, much more crafty and operates like a true professional today, leaving nothing to chance.. I hope a decent opportunity presents itself very soon for the Brixton man, he’s definitely earned it..

Weights from Matchroom boxing, Brooklyn show.

Weights from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Daniel Jacobs 159 vs Maciej Sulecki 159
(WBA middleweight title eliminator)

Jarrell Miller 304 vs Johann Duhaupas 244

Katie Taylor 134 vs Victoria Noelia Bustos 134
(WBA/IBF female lightweight unification)

Daniyar Yeleussinov 150 vs Noah Kidd 150
Shohjahon Ergashev 139 vs Zhimin Wang 139
Nikolay Buzolin 143 vs Larry Fryars 140
Julian Sosa 142 vs Larry Ventus 144
Dimash Niyazov 138 vs Angel Sarinana 138

Hosted by The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.
Promoted by Eddie Hearn and Matchroom in association with Salita Promotions

Broadcast by HBO in the US.. and Sky Sports in Europe.

$50 Million offer to AJ.. Wilder “Anthony, the money is in the bag.”

Wednesday, WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder sent his long awaited counter offer to Eddie Hearns prior £12 Million proposal to make the Anthony Joshua unification fight materialise..

Deontay, in a Video message Started by addressing AJ, Mate! “I sent this personally this time just so there’s no miscommunication. Tell Eddie Hearn to let you personally check his email this time. BTW I sent your manager Rob McCracken the email as well. I’m looking forward to our meeting in the ring.”

Hearn and McCracken revealed yesterday that the message assured all concerned that $50 has been guaranteed to Joshua with a higher percentage assured if the fight grosses over $100 Million..

Hearn and Shelly Finkel were due to start more formal negotiations for the proposed fight over this coming weekend whilst Hearn was in New York for the Danny Jacobs card on Saturday..
Allegedly the $50 Million offer has a 24 hour deadline attached to it, which appears rather unrealistic when you consider the complexities of such a promotion..
PR stunt or not, the news has attracted huge attention and all involved on the Wilder side of things assure Joshua and his team that it is 100% legitimate..

If Hearn submits to the offer on Finkel and Wilders terms, it could mean the proposed fight would most likely head Stateside, restraining Hearns stranglehold on the promotional trappings..

Anthony Joshua unifies four of the recognised heavyweight titles in Cardiff.

In the Main Event in Cardiff tonight, Anthony Joshua 20-0 (20 Ko's) unified four of the five recognised heavyweight championship belts with a unanimous decision over former WBO champion Joseph Parker 24-0 (18 Ko's) in front of 80,000 paying fans at the City's Principality Stadium..  Parker stood by his word and fought with effective aggression through most of the fight, but found himself second best to the composed, clinical Londoner, who controlled the tempo of the fight with calculated tactics..  Parker attempted numerous times to fight in close but was prevented by some horrendous refereeing by Giuseppe Quartarone, who regardless of the fighters willingness to trade, continually broke up the fluid action..  Joshua began to push Joseph onto the back foot in the middle of the fight, a position the New Zealander is rarely forced to adopt, yet didn't rush in or overcommit in a performance that remains one of the most controlled I've seen from Joshua throughout his whole career..   Parker was competitive until the final bell but hadn't done enough to steal the spoils on the night..  The fight wasn't the most attractive to witness, with very few clean punches landing throughout its entirety, but the importance of the victory made the event extra special..

Joshua won by scores of  118-110...   118-110...   119-109...

Following the bout Anthony made it clear that his intentions are to completely unify, stressing that Wilder is whom he would prefer to fight next..  Eddie Hearn however expressed concerns that the WBC champion truly doesn't want the fight and has never ever once initiated negotiations with Matchroom or Joshua to discuss a unification meeting between the two..  Anthony Joshua is now universally recognised as the IBF.. WBA.. WBO and IBO World heavyweight Champion..   If Deontay Wilder had solid intentions on trying to make this epic match happen, he would have made the effort to at least attend the bout in a business capacity to break bread with those capable of making it happen..

Alexander Povetkin brutally knocks out David Price after a shaky start in Cardiff.

Former WBA heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin (34-1, 24 KOs) scored a brutal fifth round KO over hugely unfavored David Price (22-5, 18 KOs) tonight in the chief support feature in Cardiff. Povetkin had Price on the floor in round three from a vicious hook, Price regained his composure and managed to stun Povetkin, sending him into the ropes at the end of the round, Howard Foster administered an 8 count, ruling it a flash knockdown. With Povetkin appearing tired and disorganised, Price began to patiently dictate the action with the jab, riding the predictable waves of action from the Russian comfortably.. Povetkin found the breakthrough at the end of round five, a looping right hand left the Liverpool man upright but motionless, followed by a savage left hook that snapped the defenceless fighters head back, laying Price out cold..
Time was 1:02.
The fight was a huge ask for Price who entered the bout with nothing to lose..
Povetkin is now WBA mandatory for Anthony Joshua’s titles, but appeared verbally willing at ringside to fight Dillian Whyte next..

Ryan Burnett retains WBA Super title with tough points victory over Yonfrez Parejo.

Belfast’s WBA Super world Bantamweight champion Ryan Burnett 18-0 (9 Ko’s) made a first defence of his title with a hard fought 12 round unanimous decision over tough Venezuelan, Yonfrez Parejo 31-2-1 (10 Ko’s).. Burnett was reluctantly forced to relinquish the IBF belt he took from Lee Haskins a year ago due to a failed mandatory obligation, but looked completely unfazed, focussing fully on the task in hand. Both fighters fenced for openings early, with neither man committing in a battle that looked destined to be a tight knit affair.
The chess match edged the champions way in the fourth, with Burnett landing the cleaner more eye catching shots on the more predictable Parejo. The Venezuelan responded successfully with decent counters in the 5th but found himself returning to the back foot at the mercy of the accuracy of the champion in round 6. The capable visitor did appear to look frustrated through 7 and 8 as Burnett dictated the pattern of the action, Parejo often losing his composure in spells. Round 9 saw Parejo spring to life in an attempt to re-establish himself in the fight, displaying the type of class that earned himself the opportunity. Burnett showed great patience going into the tenth, comfortably in control yet consistently respectful of Parejo’s determined challenge. The illusive Burnett did start to apply pressure through the final minutes in an attempt to finish in style.. Both fighters continued to engage throughout the final round of a bout that was highly entertaining but always in the Champions favour.
Scores were.. 120-108 Twice.. 116-112.

Following the bout, Burnett revealed that he had boxed from round 3 onwards with a broken hand.

Cardiff latest.. Anthony Crolla labours to points victory over tougher than expected Ramirez.

Former WBA world lightweight champion Anthony Crolla 32-6-3 (13 Ko’s) scored a laboured time filling 10 round points victory over stubborn, Edson Ramirez 18-2-1 (8 Ko’s).. This tougher than expected matchup was only Crolla’s second outing since losing his treasured world title last March to the tough Jorge Linares.. Crolla suffered a cut eye in the third as a result of a clumsy head-butt, yet maintained his composure and continued to impose himself on the limited but rugged Mexican.. Despite sleepwalking his way through the middle rounds the Manchester fighter stuck to task, never allowing Ramirez the chance to catch a foothold in the contest. Bleeding profusely from the eye, Crolla stuck to his guns to notch up the W over an extremely tough visitor, pulled from the top drawer of the ‘who needs em club.’
Crolla is enjoying the twilight years of a 12 year career, is still banking on a final world title opportunity, but will definitely need a better selection of dance partner to showcase himself back to elite contention..
Points were... 100-91.. 100-90.. 98-92..

Cardiff Undercard results.. Josh Kelly dominates Jaded Carlos Molina.

Former 2016 Olympian Josh Kelly 5-0 (4 Ko’s) scored his biggest scalp to date by outpointing former IBF light middleweight champion Carlos Molina 28-8-2 (8 Ko’s) over 10 in Cardiff tonight, picking up the vacant WBA international Welterweight title.. Molina offered very little in the early rounds, allowing the young North East fighter to set the tempo of the bout.. Crisp jabs and a tight defence prevented the Chicago based Mexican from grabbing any momentum in a fight that always looked beyond him.. Kelly began to set his feet from round 6 onwards, obviously having no respect for the visitors power, looking for opportunities for the stoppage.. The experienced Molina did manage to mount a rally in the eighth, but was forced once again to go into survival mode as Josh maintained his dominance. A convincing victory over a fighter who had definitely seen better days, Molina coming off 2 successive points defeats..
Scores were..   98-92 twice.. and 99-91

Early results from Cardiff.. Cordina remains unbeaten.

Unbeaten local boy, Joe Cordina 6-0 (5 Ko’s) scored an impressive 3rd round stoppage of Belgium’s Hakim Ben Ali, 19-5 (1 Ko) in the opening tv bout at the Principality tonight in Cardiff.. Joe steadily worked the experienced Ali over, dropping him 3 times in the closer.. The stoppage is a bonus for the young Olympian, Ali having only been stopped once previously in a 24 fight career..

Heavyweight betting odds for tomorrow’s fights.

Interesting action in the sports books this weekend concerning tomorrow’s two major heavyweight bouts in Cardiff, and with just 24 hours to go the numbers leave very little for the gambling man to profit from.. Anthony Joshua has settled as 1/17 favourite to beat Jo Parker, who himself rides in as an Evens (5/5) underdog to pull the upset.. Not extremely generous.. Joshua to win by knockout is the slimmest odds at 1/36, the alternative Parker Ko or stoppage placed at a healthy 8/0.. Bookmakers appear to be overlooking a Joshua points victory by offering a quite lucrative 5/0 alongside an equally mouthwatering 8/0 for a Parker points victory.. The draw, being the most unlikely eventuality May draw opportunists with an alluring 41/0..

The oddsmakers do seem to be offering slightly more in the bout between former world champion Alex Povetkin and the UK’s hugely popular David Price.. Predictably they have Povetkin as a 1/06 favourite, odds that appear hardly worth spitting at, while in contrast they place Price as a sizeable 10/0 underdog.. Surprisingly they have attractive odds on a Povetkin points win at 9/0, with the tasty placement of 34/0 on the hugely unlikely Price points win, 25 points separating impossibility from a distinct possibility.. The bookmakers expectations all point towards a Povetkin stoppage at an almost inactive 1/13 and the alternative upset Price knockout placed at 11/0.. leaving once again a sizeable chancers bet on the draw at 51/0..

Gamble sensibly.. Mirageboxings tip being the Povetkin points win.. Most of the obvious outcomes offering nothing.. Povetkin has a habit of allowing fighters, usually levels beneath him to hang around into the late rounds.. 9/0 is a good punt even if it is just for fun..

NSAC Director Robert Bennett, lodges for disciplinary action against Alvarez over drug test failure.

Nevada State Athletic Control board Director Robert Bennett has finally filed an official lobby for Disciplinary action against Saul Alvarez, following the drug test failure earlier in the month where Canelo tested positive for the banned stimulant Clenbuterol. Bennett’s protest stresses, whether intentional or not, by allowing Clenbuterol to enter his system, Alvarez engaged in conduct that reflected discredit to unarmed combat and is guilty of foul or unsportsmanlike conduct that was detrimental to a contest.
In reference to his complaint, Bennett is requesting that the Commission impose a temporary suspension on Alvarez in compliance with the State Commissions guidelines. If Imposed, such a suspension could render Alvarez ineligible to box for at least six months from the date of the initial infringement, leaving Canelo incapacitated until September. The Commission is scheduled to address the case within 4 weeks..
Alvarez was set to box in a highly anticipated rematch against Gennady Golovkin on May 5th at the T-Mobile arena in Las Vegas.. The bout is tentatively still on, although the host venue is already issuing ticket refunds.