Eric Molina in Manchester on 10 December is not the match long-suffering Lennox Lewis fans were hoping to see for the champion’s second defenceIt is in one respect unfair that Anthony Joshua should be pilloried for defending his IBF world title against a third moderate American in the shape of Eric Molina in Manchester on 10 December.The Watford fighter came late to boxing as a rebellious teenager who might have been lost to a life of street crime, but that has not hindered his rise to the top with an undisturbed run of 17 professional knockouts after winning Olympic gold in London four years ago. The 27-year-old is an ornament to the game, dedicated, amiable and dangerous. Related: Heavyweight boxing enters...
The sport’s powerhouse is a mess with Tyson Fury’s problems and Wladimir Klitschko’s reluctance increasing the problems caused by a multitude of titlesOn the verge of the pantomime season boxing is again a laughing stock, like a tottering, rouge‑cheeked dame with a glass of sherry in one hand and a string of broken promises in the other.Disillusion drowns out the laughter. Nowhere is it more obvious than in the fact the division that in not-so-distant memory gave us Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Ken Norton and Larry Holmes now cannot settle on anyone more convincing than the young Anthony Joshua, the injured Deontay Wilder, the old Wladimir Klitschko or the absent Tyson Fury. Related: Anthony Joshua will defend title...
World heavyweight champion is undefeated but confused, battling with much stronger enemies which gnaw at his spirit every dayTo believe Tyson Fury’s assertion this week that he has retired from boxing – only for him to recant within three hours – is to enter the fighter’s disturbed world of mocking disregard for public opinion. In this constantly changing landscape, every critic is a conspirator, every sycophant a friend and every lie is a truth.Not even Fury can be sure if he will box again, whatever he says. The unbeaten but confused heavyweight champion of the world might well issue another statement at any time – through his promoter or close associates in the guarded language of the business, or, more...
Both fighters have destroyed British opposition in recent weeks yet while a bout between them seems logical, much like Mayweather-Pacquiao it may take a long time to become realitySaul “Canelo” Álvarez loves British fighters. They just keep falling at his feet. When Liam Smith became the fourth fighter from these islands to feel the heat of the Mexican’s power in Texas on Saturday night – joining Matthew Hatton, Ryan Rhodes and Amir Khan – we were reminded that this is a very special champion.But it’s about time he picked on someone his own size. Like Gennady Golovkin. The unbeaten and probably unbeatable Kazakh – who destroyed Kell Brook in five cracking rounds in London the previous weekend – is the...