(Jeremy Parodi, left, Carl Frampton, right; via) In a sport that may have courted the prefix “professional” in a bid to ward off repeated suspicions to the contrary, there can be few boxers as meticulous as Carl Frampton. That the Belfast junior featherweight manages to be as diligent as he is, while simultaneously electrifying an […]

Derry Mathews brought a pair of knives to a gunfight Saturday night at Liverpool’s Olympia, halting rough and ready Curtis Woodhouse in the 4th round of their Commonwealth lightweight clash with a machete chop of a right hand. Rarely could Liverpool action man Mathews be associated with the term “buzzkill;” however, in scything down Woodhouse […]

Stephen Smith snuffed out Gary Buckland with a grisly right uppercut on the Nathan Cleverly-Sergey Kovalev undercard in Cardiff. Smith, a rank outsider, lured his forward-pressing foe into a corner in round five before dipping his right shoulder like a centre forward moving on his marker and delivering a fight-ending hammer blow inside of Buckland’s […]

1. Derry Mathews vs. Curtis Woodhouse (Dave Coldwell, left; Curtis Woodhouse, right) Often, great matchmaking verges on the sadistic. In a lightweight melee that all but guarantees periwinkle shiners and broken bones, emerging promoter Dave Coldwell (in tandem with Eddie Hearn) pits together cult heroes on Sept. 21 at the Liverpool Olympia. Driffield’s Woodhouse, a […]

After news broke earlier in the week that MGM had green lit “Creed,” a Rocky spin-off with acclaimed rookie director Ryan Coogler at the helm, Balboa fans went into overtweet. Coogler is reportedly planning to direct Michael B. Jordan (of “The Wire” fame) in the part of Apollo Creed’s grandson, heir to the Muhammad Ali-esque […]

(Kell Brook, right, pounds Carson Jones) Kell Brook beat the living daylights out of rock-solid Carson Jones at Hull’s Craven Park on Saturday. The Sheffield marksman, 27, pounded the indomitable visitor with piercing jabs and chopping right hands that repeatedly span the American’s head around as though it were fixed to a swivel. Somehow, Jones, […]

(Left to right: Luke Campbell, Kell Brook and Tommy Coyle) Olympic gold medalist Luke Campbell makes his professional debut on Saturday at the home of Hull Kingston Rovers on Humberside. Kell Brook, 29-0 (17), and Carson Jones, 35-9-3 (25), headline alongside him while Lee Selby, Rocky Fielding, Anthony Ogogo, Curtis Woodhouse and John Ryder add padding to […]

(Tony Thompson, left, wallops David Price, right) American heavyweight Tony Thompson hauled himself off the canvas to score a second consecutive TKO over David Price on Saturday – this time halting the British and Commonwealth champion on his feet with a cannonade in round 5. Thompson had declared pre-fight that he intended to walk straight […]

(David Price, left, Tony Thompson, right)  Lennox Lewis, a buoy for boxers who have succumbed to a one-punch knockout, represents hope for ephemeral heavyweight sensation David Price. Lewis famously overturned Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman after the American twosome had put him in the mire with startling exhibitions of stuck in the mud. It was […]

Gallagher of Manchester had his best Saturday night since Liam and Noel reached an apogee at Knebwoth on August 10, 1996. Unrelated namesake Joe, trainer of Anthony Crolla, Paul Smith and Scott Quigg, scored a hat trick of wins at the Bolton Arena – just five miles apart from the gym they’d been germinated. Crolla […]

Frankie Gavin had too much craft and ability for Denton Vassell at Liverpool’s Olympia on Friday. In a showdown between unbeaten welterweights, the skilful Brummie, who seemingly wouldn’t say boo to a goose, stuffed Vassell with all of the trimmings. Using deft footwork and intuitive counter-punching, Gavin outmaneuvered his burly foe for six rounds — […]

(From left: Scott Quigg, Paul Smith, Anthony Crolla, promoter Eddie Hearn, Gavin Rees, Tony Dodson) Lightweight has proven a tough beat on the home front over recent years. Men such as Ricky Burns, Kevin Mitchell, John Murray, Derry Mathews, Anthony Crolla and Gavin Rees — a melange of stylists and thorny operators — have all […]

Habitually mined as broadcasting gold, vulgarity is a modern commodity. Well-placed in order to capitalise, boxing promotion has foregone decency for the sake of a fast buck. Nielsen ratings have taken priority over ticket sales for the sport’s top earners – however they might be achieved. As a result, successful prizefighting is no longer about […]

(Julio Ceja, left; Jamie McDonnell, right) Boxing world championships are open to interpretation these days (as in wide open). For some, the decision makers at the WBC, WBA and IBF remain the official ports of call on such matters. Longevity, rather than superior governance, appears to have afforded them prominence over newer bodies such as […]