Heavyweight Schedule for 2018

[Drunken Cat]

Jonathan Banks, who'll be in his corner on Saturday.

No kidding?

[The Hammer]

Williams vs. Helenius on Saturday:

[The Hammer]

Wladimir says Wach is his most dangerous opponent in recent years.

[The Hammer]

David Price becoming the complete package

Behind every great fighter there's usually a great team. When British heavyweight champion David Price steps into the ring to face the challenge of Matt Skelton at the Aintree Equestrian Centre on November 30, the man in his corner will, as usual, be Franny Smith.

Thoughtful, articulate, knowledgeable and trusted by his charge, Franny (pictured) has been with David since his early amateur days and knows the big-punching sensation inside and out.

Hear from Franny and get the latest from inside the Price camp in the build up to the big fight:

How complete a fighter at the moment is David?

He's not the complete package yet. He's getting there but he just needs more experience now.

His overall improvements have accelerated over the last few months. It's getting a lot more serious now and he's definitely becoming the complete package; he's not there yet but he's on his way.

So will it all come together with more big fight experience?

Yes, definitely. His confidence has grown constantly with his performances, and also with what he's doing in the gym.

He's getting confidence from the people he spars and how dominant he is in those situations. It's all positive, and it's making him grow as an individual and a boxer.

It's also down to a lot of hard work. After the [Sam] ***ton and John McDermott fights he came into the gym and gave more, and I already thought he was giving one hundred per cent.

Everytime he's come back to the gym after a fight he's been prepared to give more.

He must be a great guy to train?

Yes. If you've got someone who's on the same page as you, and he wants the same things, then it's easy for both of us. He knows what I want, I know what he wants, so we plan it together and talk a lot.

He's not ****** and he's worked with loads of different trainers. He's been all over the world fighting and he knows what's required. He knows he has to keep working hard, keep his feet on the ground, and put the graft in in the gym.

How big a threat is Matt Skelton?

He brings a lot more to the table than a few others have, in terms of endeavour and courage. Matt's never been found wantng in those departments. He's going to try to put the pressure on David, try to get on David's chest and he's not going to be intimidated in any way.

So, we've got a man who's fought at the top level. He's fought for a world title, went 12 rounds against Ruslan Chagaev who, at that time, was a really good fighter. He's been European and British champion, so he's been there and done it.

He's definitely a credible opponent. He's probably in better shape than he was a few years ago. When he boxed Tom Dallas; he absolutely murdered Tom. He's got a good engine; he can work, and he throws non-stop punches inside and outside.

Who else is out there that's more worthy than Matt? I don't think there's anyone.

He's a fighting man and we have to be at our best to try to do a number on him. No one's ever done that. He's been stopped by Martin Rogan, and by Kubrat Pulev with a body shot but that can happen to anyone. No one's beaten Matt Skelton up.

Has David faced anyone as unconventional as Matt yet?

Not really. We thought maybe John Mcdermott might have made the fight a bit ugly but it never got that far.

We've done a lot of sparring with John and he tries to get close. We've faced Dereck Chisora who likes to get close and make things ugly. So we've had it outside the ring but not so much in terms of fights.
How do you see the fight going?

Until that first bell rings, you can only imagine the way it'll go. We've got set plans we'll try to stick to but over the course of 12 rounds anything can happen.

We're trying to prepare for a lot of different scenarios and we'll be ready for whatever Matt brings.

If David does win who would you like to see him face next?

There's not any 'after Matt Skelton'. There's Matt and that's all we're focusing on. I don't want to look past Matt because to do that would be foolish.

I've got no thought process on future opponents. The only opponent we're thinking of is Matt Skelton and he deserves that respect.

[The Hammer]

Robert Helenius thinks Mariusz Wach will be a difficult opponent for Wladimir Klitschko:

[The Hammer]

‘Nordic Nightmare’ fails to scare in Helsinki



Heavyweight contender Robert Helenius maintained his unbeaten record with a ten-round points win over Sherman Williams in Helsinki, although failed to set the Ice Hall alight with his performance.

Given that the 28 year-old was coming back from a serious shoulder injury after an eleven-month absence, he could then be forgiven as he struggled to make a dent in an opponent with a seven-inch height disadvantage.

Helenius improved his record to 18-0 with a 99-91, 99-93, 98-93 victory, but will need to do a lot more to convince fight fans that he is ready to be a force against Wladimir Klitschko.

A European title bout against Kubrat Pulev could be in offing for the Finn next, although it could even be argued that Helenius is not yet in a position to oppose the unbeaten Bulgarian for his old title.


Promoter faces heat for Klitschko jibe



Lennox Lewis will be disappointed in former mentor Frank Maloney tonight as the boxing promoter made a below the belt comment on his late trainer Emanuel Steward live on ESPN.

Maloney was acting as a pundit on former Steward fighter Wladimir Klitschko’s one-sided win over Mariusz Wach with Steve Bunce and Tim Witherspoon, when the FM Promotions boss put his foot in his mouth.

Upon witnessing Klitschko’s defence of his four heavyweight titles, Maloney unequivocally stated that the Ukrainian ‘would be happy he doesn’t have to pay Steward his 10%’ in a bad-taste remark that he will surely now be regretting.

Steward, much revered as one of the greatest boxing trainers of all time, passed away last week after suffering from cancer and Maloney’s comments are ill-timed and horrendously ******.

There is no doubt that the promoter will now feel the wrath of the boxing public for his astonishing quip and could not have timed it any worse as Klitschko had dedicated his latest victory to his late coach.

[The Hammer]

[crold1]

You were right. Tough SOB. I've never seen anyone take Wlad rights like that (only seen highlights so far; had to be away live). Not very good, but that was a George Chuvalo/Tex Cobb kind of beard on display.

[The Hammer]

HAMBURG, Germany -- Wladimir Klitschko retained his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles, unanimously outpointing Poland's Mariusz Wach on Saturday night.

The 6-foot-7˝ Wach was the tallest opponent Klitschko has faced in his 16-year professional career, but offered little threat against the faster Ukrainian.

The judges scored it 120-107, 120-107 and 119-109 for Klitschko, who was troubled only at the end of the fifth round, when Wach surprised him with a right hook before a flurry of punches.

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Despite Mariusz Wach's concrete chin, heavyweight champ Wladimir Klitschko rolled to his 13th straight defense and showed he can stand on his own Saturday in Germany, write Dan Rafael. Blog

"He caught me in the fifth, but then I slipped," said Klitschko, who was left with a small cut under his left eye.

Klitschko left the 32-year-old Wach wobbling in the seventh with a devastating right followed by a series of combinations. Wach displayed incredible stamina to continue.

"That was the hardest fight of my career," Wach said after his first loss. "I want to apologize to everyone for not living up to expectations. I really wanted to win. Thank you so much to my family."

The 36-year-old Klitschko improved to 59-3 (51 KOs), and Wach dropped to 27-1 (15 KOs).

Klitschko said Wach "boxed brilliantly."

Klitschko was fighting for the first time since the death of his longtime trainer and friend Emanuel Steward.

"I want to remember one man, who can't be here today unfortunately. Emanuel Steward, we miss you, we're thinking of you," Klitschko said.

Fans also paid tribute to the late American before the bout when the bell was rung 10 times in his memory. Steward, who was in Klitschko's corner for nine years, died at the age of 68 on Oct. 25.

"It was hard for (Wladimir), very hard," said Vitali Klitschko, referring to his younger brother's preparations following Steward's death.

The older Klitschko, who holds the WBC belt, said the fight "was unbelievably brutal. (Wach) just didn't want to fall. He somehow kept standing."

Sylvester Stallone greeted fans beforehand as part of the promotional campaign for the Rocky musical which opens in Hamburg on Nov. 18.

[The Hammer]

Wladimir Klitschko: "I am interested in fighting with Povetkin and Boytsov"




Vladimir Hryunov: "Talks on Klitschko-Povetkin fight will begin on Monday"