A Golden Age

It’s a beautiful coincidence on face value that, following such a successful Olympic Games for the British boxing squad last summer, we have such an exciting group of prospects that make us potentially one of the hottest nations on the planet inside the squared circle.

Although it is no coincidence at all, in reality, and today’s stars owe a big debt of gratitude to a man now universally mocked and veered.

It was thanks to the phenomenal success of Audley Harrison in the Sydney games at the turn of the century that secured the funding in amateur boxing that is paying dividends today. Remember that the next time you read some pile of crap criticising a man who, lest we forget, was European champion and world title challenger.

With that in mind, I wanted to dedicate today’s blog to some of the slightly lesser known stars making their way in the boxing world, and give something of a preview of the exciting times to come.

Scott Cardle – Lightweight/Light welterweight – 11 wins (2 KO) 0 defeats

Barely into his second year as a professional, Cardle has reaped the benefits of signing with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Sport; with a busy opening year in the dark art. Born with a leg defect which required a risky operation during his amateur days; Scott’s work ethic and dedication saw him become a very successful amateur, including reaching the quarter-finals of the World Championships in 2009.

Under the expert guidance of the highly respected Joe Gallagher his professional career has made a promising start; and I expect some exciting nights and big headlines to follow in the near future for Scott.

Callum Smith – Super middleweight – 6 wins (4 KO) 0 defeats

Possibly the highest profile of the fighters I will look at today; thanks in part to the exposure Callum has received not only for his appearances on high profile cards such as Froch/Kessler II, but also his boxing heritage.

Coming from a family where his three brothers are also professional boxers, and who have all fought at the very least at British title level, it shouldn’t really surprise that Callum has made a promising start.

In my opinion though, Callum has the potential to outshine any of the Smith brothers. Already a big lad at 6′ 3″ for the 12st division, paired with a fearsome right hand and fleeting footwork I suspect that Callum will be the first to go the distance of the names I mention here.

His last four wins all came within the opening round.

Kal Yafai – Bantamweight – 8 wins (6 KO) 0 defeats

A silver medalist in the 2010 European championships, Yafai is another who arrives in the paid ranks with a proud amateur heritage.

Another of Eddie Hearn’s protege’s, Kal has been a professional since last summer and was on course for an active year in 2013 until suffering a bicep tear in March.

Yafai is back in the gym following successful surgery and will return soon. His flashy skills and slick defence make him an exciting prospect, and I can easily see Kal going all the way to a world title.

Hughie Fury – Heavyweight – 6 wins (4 KO) 0 defeats

One of the highest profile novices I can remember, partly due to his high-profile cousin, Tyson Fury.

Family connections aside, Hughie has already shown that he belongs in the profession game; with six fights already in his first three months since turning over, in four different countries.

At 18, standing at 6′ 6″ and already weighing 17st, Hughie is a genuine heavyweight and possesses the power to match. Trained by father Peter, the Fury’s are taking a smart route with Hughie’s career; purposely choosing difficult fights against durable opponents who he has needed to outbox rather than knock over. As Peter himself says; “What will Hughie learn from a quick KO?”.

It’s sometimes hard to wade through the media given to the Fury camp but early signs are that Hughie has the potential to go a long way.

Hosea Burton – Super middle/Light heavyweight – 7 wins (2 KO) 0 defeats

Under the guidance of the emerging force of Dave Coldwell; Hosea has a deceptive KO ratio for the power he possesses.

A man who has had an active start to his professional career; with seven bouts in his first fifteen months.

Another of Joe Gallagher’s fighters, Burton made a big statement in his last outing; blowing away the tough Jahmaine Smyle in just 97 seconds.

Hosea also made an instant impact on his professional debut back in March last year, as a booming right lifted his Bulgarian opponent clean off his feet.

The impressive thing about Burton is the way he has adapted to the differing styles of his subsequent opponents. Another to avoid headline grabbing KO’s of tin-cans; Coldwell has cleverly matched Hosea for the long-term good of his career.

Liam Hanrahan – Super bantamweight – 4 wins (3 KO) 0 defeats

Liam has made an exciting start to his career in a strong domestic super bantamweight division. In fact, had it not been for some of the higher profile fighters at 122lbs, I’m convinced that Hanrahan would be touted as the next big thing.

A ferocious work rate, with power in his fists, Liam impresses with dazzling footwork that makes him a slippery fighter to tie down.

As with Hosea Burton, Coldwell is an excellent matchmaker to test his fighters at the right time; and Liam’s comprehensive win over Reynaldo Cajina showed that he has taken a great deal from his four outings so far.

I’ll go as far as to say that Liam is the fighter I am hoping for the most from in Britain today. Don’t be surprised to start reading more about this man in the coming few years.

Frank Buglioni – Super middleweight – 8 wins (6 KO) 0 defeats

‘Wise Guy’ Buglioni had a fearsome reputation as a knock-out artist in the amateur ranks, and has continued that theme as a professional.

Working with trainers Jimmy & Mark Tibbs he has maintained his power while working on becoming more of a counter-puncher.

Putting together expansive combinations, Buglioni started his professional career in explosive style with two first round demolitions within a fortnight.

It would not be unreasonable to look forward to a meeting between Frank and fellow Brit Callum Smith; which appears a natural collision at some point in the future.

Jazza Dickens – Super bantamweight – 15 wins (5 KO) 0 defeats

A devout christian; Dickens won the English title back in March in front of his home fans in Liverpool.

A successful amateur, Jazza – real name James – is in pole position to fight for the Lonsdale belt, vacated by Scott Quigg recently, and faces Reynaldo Cajina; victim of Liam Hanrahan; on the undercard of David Price v Tony Thompson 2 next month.

One of the highest profile, and most promising, fighters remaining under the banner of Hatton Promotions; Dickens has remained busy whilst some of his stablemates have stagnated, a testament to his excitement and ability to draw crowds.

The super bantamweight division should throw up some intriguing domestic dust-ups over the coming few years.

Clev v Kov?

Given that my last blog could easily be construed as having something of a dig at Nathan Cleverly, it’s probably only fair that I express my delight at his potential fight with Sergey Kovalev, set for August 17th.

As someone who has been critical of the opponents Nathan has faced since becoming WBO light-heavyweight champion, I am very, very excited about the prospect of seeing Clev in with dangerous Russian Kovalev.

It will come of no surprise to hear that, since this week’s press conference to announce the fight, he’s received all manner of criticism on Twitter for fighting ‘another bum’. Sadly not surprising in an era that gives anyone a platform to spout utter drivel.

Make no mistake, Kovalev is a real test for Cleverly. Far and away the best opponent Nathan will have faced since, and possibly including, Tony Bellew; Kovalev has an unbeaten record of 19 knockouts from his 21 wins, including very impressive early stoppages in his last two fights over the incredibly durable Cornelius White and Gabriel Campillo.

Kovalev was also involved in a tragic fight back in December 2011, when the WBA pitched him against fellow Russian and promising fighter Roman Simakov for the Asian title.

Sergey dominated the fight from the off; and knocked Simakov down in round seven. Simakov got up off the canvass but was floored again by an innocuous looking jab almost immediately.

Roman’s corner waved the fight off immediately; they could see the distress on Simakov’s face. Sadly, it was to prove too late. He collapsed in the ring, having fallen into a coma that he never awoke from. He died shortly after the fight.

Sadly a risk involved with any combat sport. Though a credit to Sergey Kovalev that he has maintained his focus and drive following such a tragic win.

He has fought himself into a position whereby he has forced the hand of the top ranked light-heavies. Recently elevated to mandatory challenger for Bernard Hopkins’ IBF world title, a move which could potentially stop the meeting with Cleverly from happening.

Regardless, Frank Warren and Cleverly seem confident that the fight is on; Warren claiming at the press conference that emails confirm the agreement and contracts are in place – from the Welshman’s side at least.

From a fan’s perspective I really hope this does happen. It will be undoubtedly Cleverly’s biggest test to date; a chance to back up the boasts of late of unifying the division.

Although given recent Frank Warren Promotions’ events, I think bets would be best saved until they’re in the ring.

Pro-motor Mouth

I’ll start by apologising for the appalling pun in the title to the post. I toyed with the idea of ‘Promotional Rescue’ but unless you’re a Stones fan that would have fallen on deaf ears.

I digress…

It seems barely a week goes by without some sort of verbal grenade being thrown by someone either side of the Matchroom Boxing/Frank Warren Promotions divide; and this week is no exception.

Last weekend FWP’s Andy Ayling criticised Eddie Hearn at Matchroom for a plethora of perceived weaknesses; notably not building a fighter’s career and being a great promoter of himself primarily.

Then this week Mr Ayling says that an offer was made to Matchroom for their respective new signings, Scott Quigg and Carl Frampton, to meet in a September show-down.

Made all the more interesting of course due to Frampton’s recent switch from Hearn to Warren.

We’re told – by Ayling – that an offer was made, allegedly Quigg’s biggest ever purse, for the fight and that Eddie replied saying that September was too soon.

I’m really not quite sure where to begin with this. I’ll say firstly that Quigg v Frampton is one of the fights that I would like to see most out of all active British fighters.

In the case of Quigg; who last week signed a deal with Matchroom after terminating his promotional contract with Ricky Hatton, we have a man who has fought just twice in sixteen months.

In the same period, Frampton – under the Matchroom banner – fought four times; twice in front of his adoring Belfast public and each time for a title.

Whether Quigg would be ‘ready’ for a September show is a bit of a moot point, I’m almost certain Scott would take the fight tomorrow though, he is afterall a fighter.

I suspect the main reason why Matchroom and Scott Quigg have passed up the opportunity to fight in September is purely fiscal.

In recent history Frank Warren’s credit rating has taken a bit of a hammering. In the same way that the Greek economy is ‘a bit dodgy’.

Most notably Kevin Mitchell and Ricky Burns have complained of not being paid for various fights.

According to the British Boxing Board of Control’s own regulations, a purse of up to £3,000 must be paid on the night of a fight, with a purse over £3,000 being paid within seven days.

Accusations from messrs Burns and Mitchell are of figures well in excess of ten-times that amount being withheld for months. A court case continues between Warren & Burns.

Not forgetting of course that Frank Warren Promotions was only formed in the demise of the iconic Sports Network being effectively wound up after Warren was defeated in court to the tune of £1.8m by Joe Calzaghe, after money was withheld from the Welshman’s super fight with Bernard Hopkins.

I realise that this may seem like something of an attack on Frank and his company. Nothing could be further from the truth.

As a child of the 80’s I was lucky enough to grow up watching the likes of Nigel Benn, Steve Collins & Chris Eubank knock seven bells out of each other on ITV. All made possible by Frank Warren’s work with Barry Hearn.

Indeed, Warren’s big selling point is TV network BoxNation, which I think is a fabulous service for boxing fans. It shows some tremendous overseas content, though it could help itself by showing shows from other UK promoters like Dennis Hobson or the excellent Dave Coldwell.

The fact is though, if you throw enough mud then some will stick. The outcome of Warren’s court case against Ricky Burns will, I suspect, take several months or even years to be reached; but past history would be enough to put a seed of doubt in the mind of any boxer given an offer to fight on a Frank Warren Promotions show.

Especially in the case of Quigg, someone badly let down by Hatton and who probably doesn’t have a great deal of disposable income laying around.

If you were a plasterer and were given an offer of a weeks work, in recession, by a man with history of allegedly bouncing cheques you’d hardly jump at the chance would you?

Regardless I think I speak for the majority of boxing fans when I say that I hope we do see Quigg v Frampton sooner rather than later.

I fear though that this may go the way of Hatton himself and Junior Witter; which appeared a natural collision course, and of course never happened.

With reference to Andy Ayling’s other major criticism of Eddie Hearn; Eddie has only in the past couple of years resumed the boxing promotion aspect of Matchroom Sport. I can’t quite see what more Eddie can do in that time?

One of his first notable signings was that of Kell Brook, signed of course from Frank Warren, and not many could feasibly argue that his stock hasn’t risen markedly in that time.

Warren’s own big name is that of Welshman Nathan Cleverly; who since beating domestic rival Tony Bellew in 2011 has fought three times.

Bellew has since left Frank to sign for Matchroom, and a subsequent court case was filed and later dropped by Warren.

Tony’s win over Isaac Chilemba last month was his fifth since the loss to Cleverly. At the very least Hearn keeps his fighters busy. Any fighter will tell you they dream of winning titles, but clearly you can’t win a title that you don’t fight for.

With British boxing clearly on the up, any boxing fan would hope that these conflicts are resolved in the ring, rather than the court room.

In the US, the two giant promotional companies of Golden Boy and Top Rank refuse to work together, meaning the world was starved of potentially one of the biggest fights in history, in Floyd Mayweather Jr v Manny Pacquiao.

Although there isn’t a natural fight between two respective FWP and Matchroom fighters at present that is anywhere near as big, there’s a very real possibility that there may be in future.

And we can only hope that we get to see the outcome when there is.

The Bigger Picture

This summer, there are thought to be somewhere near 700 footballers who face uncertainty over their futures, and compete for an ever decreasing number of professional contracts.

One however, in the case of Adam Virgo, has trodden a very different path than most to get to where he is now.

“It’s never easy for a player coming out of contract. You hope a manager likes you enough to give you a chance, and when you’ve been injured for a period of time that’s harder, as managers will look at games played and your age and think ‘what can I get from this player and is he value for money?'”

With a career that takes in the entire Football League in England and Champions League football at Celtic, unsurprisingly his options are slightly wider.

“I have had one or two offers from this country, and spoken with clubs abroad. Some managers think ‘if I can get him fit then I could get a player for good value’. You need luck of course, but you hope what you’ve done in the past will help.”

To say that Adam Virgo’s life story has been eventful would be an understatement.

“I lost my mum at 13 to a heart attack.” Recalls Adam, however worse was to follow.

Later that same year, his father Bob was diagnosed with liver disease; and in 2001 his elder brother James, also a footballer, underwent a lengthy operation to unblock a valve in his heart.

In 2005 however, with Adam a key part of hometown club Brighton & Hove Albion, worse was to come. Far worse.

“My dad was burgled in January 2005 and attacked, which led to his death two weeks later. It’s still an open manslaughter case.”

Adam was the first person to his father’s aid following the attack, and had to painfully relive those moments at an inquest into his death later that year.

Two men had broken into the property and demanded a stash of drugs they believed was hidden there. Those men have never been found.

A verdict of unlawful death was returned, and Sussex Police launched a manhunt to try and find those responsible.

In such circumstances it would perhaps be understandable if Adam had made the wrong career or life choices, but he instead worked hard on the pitch, and was rewarded with the player of the year trophy after a turbulent season.

That triggered interest from north of the border.

“The move to Celtic happened quite quickly. I didn’t want to go initially because of the stuff that had happened with Dad. I knew of the interest and didn’t feel I was ready, but the club forced me to leave.”

Thanks to Adam’s performances for Brighton there were no lack of suitors, and the club is a very different place these days to the one which needed the £1.5m from Celtic back then.

“I had offers from England but none as big as Celtic, and the chance to play in the Champions League was hard to turn down.”

Big things were promised to Virgo by Celtic manager Gordon Strachan, who had personally seen him several times while at Brighton.

“I was promised I would start as his number one right back, and then move into the centre of defence, but that was never kept to. On my debut I got voted man of the match in a game live on TV, and the next game I was dropped.”

There was one match which encapsulated his time in Scotland.

“We played Clyde in the FA Cup, and I was promised again that I would start. The manager played a Chinese boy instead as he was told the game would be live on Chinese television so the club would get more money.”

To further illustrate the mental strength that he has, Virgo recalls some of the more unsavoury times in Scotland.

“I received death threats on the phone and by post, and of course the usual stuff from Rangers fans. For some reason footballers are expected to take that, or in some way deserve it.”

Adam could never quite establish himself in the team at Parkhead, and spent the second half of his three-years at the club out on loan, back in England.

Unsurprisingly, when he left Scotland his first choice was to rejoin boyhood club Brighton, and reunite with manager Mickey Adams who had initially brought Adam into the side.

“I moved back to Brighton mainly because of the manager. He had come to watch me train when I was a kid playing for the youth team in my half term holidays, and he was the one who offered me my first professional contract.”

“The ground was a big factor as well, the club had recently gained approval for the new stadium at Falmer after a long battle. I could have gone elsewhere but I really thought this would be my last move. That never really worked out.”

Sadly in Adam’s case the old adage of never going back proved to be the case. The club informed him that his contract would not be renewed, and the summer of 2010 brought about his first taste of the West Country.

“Yeovil seemed like a good move, I knew I would be a regular starter and I already knew Nathan Jones, the assistant manager. That always helps, and I loved it.”

After a stand-out season though, Virgo was on the move again.

“I had agreed to join Wycombe in League One, but when Paul Buckle told me what he wanted to do at Bristol Rovers, and the players he had already brought in like Matt Gill and Matty Harrold I felt I would be winning a lot more with Rovers than with Wycombe.”

“Bucks seemed a good man and three or four phone calls to me helped me pick the Gas.”

Sadly the pre-season optimism which engulfed both players and supporters quickly dissipated.

“On paper that team was the best in the league, but when you sign so many players at once it can take a season to gel. We did well in pre season and at the start but we then had a few injuries, and a few bad results so the manager made a few changes which ultimately confused the players.”

Buckle was given his marching orders after just a few months, and replaced by another of Adam’s former managers at Brighton, Mark McGhee.

“Injuries played a huge part in Mark’s time at the club. He had a good start, and stabilised the club well after Bucks but for the new season maybe the new players weren’t firing. He missed out on James Constable and also lost Matt Harrold and Gary Kenneth to long term injuries, and it does unsettle the team.”

“Again us as players could we have done more, and I think Mark would have said he may have done things differently.”

Rovers fortunes did improve however when following another sacking, former manager John Ward returned.

“John brought a lot more organisation to the club, and a bit more structure. Some players missed training sometimes before, with some fairly strange reasons. I have never known that in my whole career.”

“The tempo of training has increased and he is on everyone’s case and doesn’t let much slip. The gaffer is a good bloke who had time for everyone, even the injured players. I never played for him unfortunately but he was always asking how I was doing.”

Injuries have blighted Adam’s time at the club, and have meant that he’s never really managed to sustain a long run in the Rovers team.

“I picked up a micro-fracture of my right knee; and then I had a further cartilage operation; and a meniscus repair as well. I had five operations in total.”

It was an unheralded time for lengthy injuries for Bristol Rovers, but is that purely down to luck?

“Bad luck has played a part for some of us definitely. I’m not saying the other injuries were the players’ fault but injury prevention in training does help and I feel we just didn’t do enough of that as a team.”

“When you start getting a few of the same injury you have to look at why that might be, and I don’t think we did that. Moving training grounds didn’t help because there was no gym for the injured players to use, so we were all in different places.”

Adam remains positive about his future though.

“I have seen a new surgeon and started seeing a new physio who has sorted me right out with a new training schedule. I am looking at possibly moving abroad so it’s exciting times for me and my family.”

After a long, winding road of a career, Adam has finally enjoyed a couple of positive years away from the pitch. He became a father to William, now 2, in 2011 and recently got married.

“I have come a long way personally in the last few months. I hope to stay in football when I retire but I’m excited about spending time with my family.”

Hopefully that’s not just yet though. At just 30, Adam has experience that is rare in the lower leagues, and still harbours an ambition to play at Wembley. Either on the pitch or the stage…

“Playing the guitar is my favourite hobby! I’ve played for about 16 years and have even done open mic spots before in front of audiences!”

For a player who probably won’t be considered as a great for Bristol Rovers, I struggle to think of many I hope succeed more.

And if young William grows up with even half as much dignity, courage and talent as his father, he will do very well for himself.

My Britain

It’s difficult to try and put into words how I feel about society in Britain in 2013 after the events of the past couple of days.

I love my country. I feel genuinely privileged to have been born in Britain, a nation with some vibrant cities, some breathtaking countryside and above all some incredible people.

One of the things that I genuinely love about Britain is that there are people here from absolutely every walk of life, every country and every religion.

I have some been lucky enough to have met some brilliant people in the past who are either migrants from various countries, or are descended from migrants, and, in my experience, I have enjoyed meeting and knowing them.

And yet reading social media this last 36 hours or so, you’d think that Britain should only be full of white christians, who all observe the same beliefs and principles.

It’s how I imagine Twitter or Facebook might have looked 90 years ago in Germany.

Life isn’t like that. If every single person I knew was identical to me then I would be one incredibly boring person.

I have friends who are Muslim, and of Bangladeshi descent; friends who are Hindi of Indian descent; and friends who are Bulgarian and aren’t religious, and I love that I can talk to them about their own beliefs and upbringings, and broaden my horizons and my knowledge and understanding to other people’s lives.

That’s not to say they try and force their beliefs on me, nor me them. I’m an atheist for starters, so to try and ‘turn’ me would be quite a challenge, but I believe part of being a human being is to show understanding and allowance to other people and above all respect their right to believe what they want to believe.

If someone believes that after you leave this world then you will be rewarded for following a certain way of life then who am I to tell them otherwise? In a way I wish I was religious; I see the genuine strength and happiness that people get from their faith and I wonder if it would make me a stronger person to know that I have that to fall back on?

To a degree I follow a similar way of life to people who have religion, but because I try to be a decent person, not for rewards in an afterlife.

Sure, there are people who are religious, or aren’t British who I don’t get on with. In the same way that there are people who are also atheists and who come from the same town, street even, as me who I don’t particularly like. It’s called life.

To suggest that Britain should ‘shut its borders’ to anyone not from these shores is a little short sighted. In my experience many jobs which ‘our’ people won’t do, thinking sometimes that they are better than that; are done by people not from here. There are bad apples of course; but the NHS for example is built on a foundation of foreign staff who are remarkable people. There are also vast numbers of non-British soldiers who make up our armed forces.

It’s no coincidence that both our army and our health services are amongst the very best in the world, is it?

If you read the Daily Mail, or listen to the BNP you’ll be told that this country is crumbling due to lorry loads of Somalians who come here, claim thousands in benefits and are a burden on the state.

Is that any worse than the generations of British families who play the system and milk exorbitant amounts of money from the welfare system to support their growing families which they actually are unable to support without benefits?

When I hear of stories like the tragic and horrific event in Woolwich on Wednesday I start to think for a second that maybe I would actually like to move to a different country, where you wouldn’t hear things like this.

And then I read yesterday of the remarkable women at that scene. The lady who tried to reason with two absolute lunatics until the police arrived, and the two women who sat beside the fallen soldier so that his last moments weren’t alone.

It restores some faith in humanity. It reminds you that, fundamentally we are decent people who look out for others.

Throughout history there have been incidents caused by people who are simply plain evil. To have the desire to inflict pain on other people you’ve never met is just bizarre.

But blaming it on one religion, or one nationality is equally bizarre. Speak to any normal Muslim, Christian or Hindu and they will tell you that their religion doesn’t mean butchering innocent people.

I do still believe we live in a remarkable country. And that we are mostly remarkable people.

But I do worry that might change. And it’s not a worry about other religions, races or creeds. It’s a worry that the utter bigots who make up the membership of the BNP or EDL will become the majority rather than the minority.

I believe Britain is still Great, I just hope it stays that way.

The Darkest Hour is Before The Dawn

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
Sun Tzu, The Art of War

On 24th April 2010, two enemies engaged in a boxing ring in Herning, Denmark as part of the Super Six: World Boxing Classic tournament.

Unbeaten British WBC super middleweight world champion Carl ‘The Cobra’ Froch travelled to the home country of the ‘Viking Warrior’, Mikkel Kessler in a hotly anticipated clash.

Kessler had previously gone the distance with Joe Calzaghe, a man many consider as one of, if not the, greatest fighters the 168lb division has ever seen, in a unanimous points defeat.

Froch had become world champion by outclassing unbeaten Canadian Jean Pascal eighteen-months previously.

What unfolded in Herning that night is still viewed as one of the most intense battles of recent years. The action sparked into life around halfway through and for the second half of the fight the two warriors traded punches as if their lives depended on it.

At the end, it was Kessler’s hand that was raised in triumph. To this day Carl Froch remains haunted by that first professional defeat.

Now, three years later, the pair will go to war again this Saturday, at London’s magnificent O2 arena.

Such was the public excitement about this rematch, an incredible 19,000 tickets sold out in around three hours when they went on sale in January.

As most boxers and fans will tell you, styles make fights. It’s why some fights don’t sell well, or attract poor viewing figures.

In the case of Kessler and Froch, it’s why you can guarantee it will be a night to remember.

It’s not very often that two fighters meet who are prepared to put it all on the line in the ring. The instincts and mental toughness of both men means that defeat is simply not an option. Both would rather stand and fight and go out on their shield than withdraw when the battle gets tough.

In Carl Froch, Britain have a world champion to be proud of.

The most irritating part of being a boxing fan is the number of fights that never happen.

This can be for a multitude of reasons. Sometimes rival promotors refuse to cooperate, sometimes fighters avoid each other.

In Froch, you get the feeling that he would happily have fought Mikkel Kessler for free, in Kessler’s back yard, in order to avenge the loss of that treasured ‘0’ on his record.

A warrior like Froch was always unlikely to go through his career unbeaten however. There has seldom been a man who is prepared to take on the best in the division in quick succession, often fighting in enemy territory, as Carl.

The run of opponents on his record since winning the world crown is quite incredible, and The Cobra stands up against any other fighter in history for sheer balls.

The aforementioned Calzaghe seldom left the comfort of his South Wales base, and as good as Joe was, and he WAS incredible, you do wonder if his record would have remained 46-0 had he fought the likes of Roy Jones Jr five years previously.

Sadly the nature of being a Brit means that, in the eyes of most of the public, if you aren’t a glorious success in everything you do, you’re a failure.

It’s the same reason why Amir Khan is criticised for being knocked out on a couple of occasions. Never mind that he became Olympic champion in 2000, or that he was considered good enough for legendary trainer Freddie Roach to take him under his wing.

Carl Froch has had an even more remarkable rise to the top. He never had the glamour of winning an Olympic medal to catapult him onto the back pages before he’d laced up a glove in the pro ranks.

The majority of his fights have been tucked away either on terrestrial television at obscure hours, or on PPV channels like Primetime, meaning few outside of the hardcore boxing fraternity knew who he was before joining forces with Eddie Hearn at Matchroom, and gaining a wider audience on Sky Sports.

It’s fitting that now, in his 36th year, he’s getting the attention that his hard work deserves. I would even go as far as to suggest that he is the best form of Carl Froch that I’ve ever seen.

There are few fighters who deserve the attention and respect as much as Froch. A committed family man, Froch lives for his family. A family that has recently grown with the addition of baby Natalia, to add to son Rocco, and fiancé Rachael.

Froch is so dedicated to his sport that his ‘walking’ weight is virtually identical to his fighting weight. He rarely drinks, has never touched drugs, and looks after his body, getting his kicks from spending time with his brood, rather than falling out of nightclubs in the early hours.

A win on Saturday will surely mean that Carl is rightly viewed as one of the finest these shores have produced. It could be argued that he might not beat Joe Calzaghe had the pair fought, but Carl’s legacy tramples all over that of the Welshman in my opinion.

Since that night in Denmark, Carl has fought 44 rounds, beating several other top 10 ranked fighters including an incredible demolition of unbeaten Canadian Lucian Bute last May; and his one other defeat came at the hands of the current 168lb king Andre Ward, a man who also beat Mikkel Kessler.

Kessler himself has boxed just 13 rounds since defeating Carl three years ago. A succession of injuries, one particular eye wound caused by Froch, have meant that Mikkel has been unable to be as active as Carl, with Kessler even being knocked down by relative journeyman Allan Green.

It all adds up to a fascinating encounter. There have been few fights as hotly anticipated as this.

Live on Sky Box Office, it’s an event that for any sports fan will be worth the money.

And I guarantee that Carl Froch will be the feature of many a back page come Sunday morning, as a new working class hero gets his just desserts.

COME ON THE COBRA!

The Dark Side of the Dark Art

As one of the oldest forms of prize fighting, boxing is an intricate spectacle. A form of separating those who think from those who do, it’s the ultimate test of courage.

Sadly, any form of fighting comes with a risk; and today I awoke to some terrible news which reaffirmed just how dangerous boxing can be.

On March 28th, novice light-middleweight prospect Michael Norgrove took on fellow novice Tom Bowen on the undercard of a Steve Goodwin small hall show in London.

After knocking Bowen down in round one, the referee stepped in and stopped the fight at the beginning of round two, reportedly seeing something not quite right with Zambian-born Norgrove, especially odd as Norgrove was standing and had not taken a shot of note.

Norgrove then collapsed in the ring and was rushed to hospital, where he underwent an operation to treat a bleed on the brain.

Complications following surgery meant he remained in a bad way, and he was only taken off of sedation this week, with doctors awaiting his awakening to tell what lasting damage had been done.

Tragically that moment never came, and Norgrove sadly passed away in hospital this morning aged just 31.

Hearing sad stories like this always prove a stark reminder of the potential damage that goes with leading a life of taking punches to the head repeatedly.

Even the greatest ever wasn’t immune, after all.

It also of course brings back memories of other high profile tragedies in big fights. As someone lucky enough to witness the era of Nigel Benn & Chris Eubank’s dominance, I will never forget the names Michael Watson and Gerald McClellan.

Watson was a solid fighter, with a good record, who lost a split decision to Chris Eubank in June of 1991, in his second world title challenge.

Watson’s brave showing earned him a rematch at White Hart Lane three months later, which would bring about the end of his career, and almost his life.

After knocking down his opponent in round 11 while in control of the fight, Watson was knocked down himself almost immediately after Eubank got up, with a devastating uppercut that threw Watson back onto the ropes. Watson was able to last the round but was stopped in the final round, after which he collapsed in the ring.

There were no paramedics or ambulances in attendance that night. Not one. That meant it was nearly half-an-hour before Watson received any specialised treatment. He would spend the next 40-days in a coma, and have six operations to remove blood clots from his brain.

It would be more than six years before Michael Watson would walk again, and Eubank himself was never the same afterwards, losing the ruthless edge that had marked his rise to the top.

Just four years later, Gerald McClellan was to suffer a similar fate, during a tussle for the WBC super middleweight title held by Britain’s Nigel Benn.

The fight itself was a real see-saw affair, with Benn being knocked clean out of the ring early on by McClellan, and again floored in round 8.

The Dark Destroyer was able to continue however, and after unleashing a torrent of shots, knocked down McClellan in round ten. Gerald got up, but after more punishment from Benn again took a knee and was counted out.

As he returned to his corner, it was apparent that McClellan was not well, and he slumped in his corner unable to stand. Gerald had passed out, suffering a similar blood clot to that of Michael Watson.

Like Watson, McClellan underwent immediate surgery to remove the clot, and spent a fortnight in a coma. Unlike Watson though, Gerald would never regain his eyesight, or 80% of his hearing; and has only recently been able to take his first steps unaided, nearly two decades later.

Thankfully not all injuries are as severe. Young lightweight prospect Kieran Farrell’s career was ended in December after a brutal ten round fight with fellow Manchester fighter Anthony Crolla.

The pair would exchange blows for the duration of a fight, a contender for Fight of the Year, and at the end of the contest Farrell collapsed in the ring.

It brought back horrible memories of previous tragedies, and for a number of days it was feared that Kieran was as badly injured.

Thankfully although Kieran had suffered a bleed on his brain, it did not require surgery to clear, and as I write this he is an inspirational story of overcoming adversity.

After the horrible realisation that his boxing career was over, Farrell has applied a similar warrior spirit that he displayed in the ring. In the process of opening his own gym, Kieran has so much to offer the fight game.

And as someone who has seen first hand the risks involved, who better to pass on his knowledge and experience than Farrell?

People will question of course whether boxing is worth the potential risks. Maybe it isn’t, but as long as people can lace up a glove, boxing will continue.

If one positive thing has come out of the tragic history of the sport, the medical care on offer within seconds now is top notch.

And for people like Farrell, boxing isn’t just a hobby, but a way of life from an early age. There are risks, of course; but I believe our society would be in a far worse state without the discipline and respect taught by mentors in local boxing gyms.

“It’s not how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you can get up again.”

Is it worth it? Maybe not for everyone.

Britain’s Next Top Pugilist

My last blog was dedicated to the comeback of Britain’s last heavyweight world champion David Haye. Today I’m going to stay within team Hayemaker and focus on the man I believe will be Britain’s next megastar in world boxing.

That man is current commonwealth super middleweight champion George Groves.

Arguably more famous for a certain name on his record, Groves has every attribute you could want to succeed at the highest level.

During the build up to that now infamous fight with James DeGale, Groves played the role of the quiet man, preferring to leave his fists to do the talking; while Olympic champion DeGale caused waves with some outbursts that wouldn’t have been out of place coming from Groves’ stablemate David Haye.

DeGale was universally fancied to win the fight, with few giving Groves much of a chance. (Allow me a short ‘I told you so’ to state that I thought, no, knew Groves would win!)

It transpired that Groves, or ‘Ugly Kid’ to quote DeGale, would be true to his word, edging a tight and gruelling contest against his former amateur team-mate.

Since that night, both fighters have gone in rather different directions, though a future rematch is surely inevitable.

Defeat forced DeGale to rethink his brash, cocky approach to his career, and he’s undoubtedly become a better, more rounded fighter for it.

It has however been a frustrating couple of years for Groves.

The Saint followed up that victory by impressively dispatching experienced Liverpudlian Paul Smith, landing one of the most perfect overhand rights that you could wish for.

That fight also showcased the durability of Groves. Toward the end of round one Smith landed a heavy right that would have sent many to the canvass. Groves covered up and stayed out of trouble for the remaining seconds.

Groves chin had been called into question previously, having been knocked down by hard-hitting Scotsman Kenny Anderson, but the truth is that Groves was caught flush on the chin by a good punch that would cause anyone trouble.

Let’s not forget afterall that even Joe Calzaghe, renowned for having a chin of stone, was floored by Bernard Hopkins.

One reason why accusations of a ‘glass jaw’ were made is that Groves has a slick defence that means he doesn’t get easily hit, and therefore it has to be a good shot to penetrate that defence in the first place.

Indeed, in the fights with Anderson, Smith and particularly DeGale, Groves showed that he isn’t afraid to stand and trade. Groves himself packs heavy hands after all.

Another aspect that adds to the all round appeal of George is his jab. He works behind his jab excellently and has a good boxing brain that enables him to set up attacks based on his lead.

You’ll struggle to find many other fighters active at present who can taste blood quite like George Groves, either. When his opponent is in trouble his right hand becomes a heat-seeking missile that rarely misses, meaning Groves has a very solid 14 knockouts from his 18 fights.

Not many boxers could finish a fight as clinically as Groves dealt with Francisco Sierra, for example. Not an opponent that will grace the hall of fame, perhaps, but you can only beat the man on the opposite side of the ring.

George has suffered a frustrating few years, with a fight against WBO champion Robert Stieglitz falling through due to injury, meaning he fought just once between his win over DeGale in May 2011, and stopping Sierra in July of last year.

Now injury free and fighting under the ever-expanding Matchroom banner, Groves is looking forward to a bright 2013.

Two tune up knockouts of relative unknowns Dario Balmaceda and Baker Barakat respectively in his first month under Eddie Hearn’s promotion will lead to Groves first headline show in September this year, potentially the overdue chance to grab Stieglitz’s WBO belt.

Groves is a star that Britain can be proud of. Well spoken, polite and friendly; George is an easy sell for TV networks.

Groves has also now made a mark on the American market, with the impressive stoppage of Sierra being on a bill showcased by Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy promotions, one of the biggest promotional outfits in the world.

Talk of a domestic showdown with Carl Froch is premature, and it’s likely that by the time their paths cross we won’t see both fighters in their prime.

Assuming for a second however that Froch is able to avenge his defeat to Mikkel Kessler next month, a fight between the Viking Warrior and Groves may not be all that unrealistic.

And what a prospect it would be, potentially a world champion by that stage, Groves would be full of the confidence and swagger that has marked his career to date.

Not forgetting another reason to laud the corner ability of Adam Booth either, it really is an exciting time to follow the progress of the Hayemaker stable.

With Groves, it’s surely a question of when, and not if, he rules the world.

Make Haye While The Sun Shines

I’ve been a boxing fan for a long time. As a 28-year-old I was lucky enough to grow up in an era when Britain had some of the very finest fighters on the planet, and it just so happened that several of them were in the same weight division and shared the ring on more than one occasion.

The days of watching Chris Eubank, Steve Collins and my favourite Nigel Benn standing toe-to-toe will live long in the memory.

They were stars. Primarily because boxing was, at that time, mainly available to all on free-to-air TV through the efforts of Frank Warren’s Sports Network and Barry Hearn’s Matchroom Sport having deals with ITV to screen big fights.

But they were also universally popular because they were warriors. When the chips were down, they bit down hard on their mouth guard and kept on fighting.

Luckily, Britain has two fighters of a similar ilk right now. Firstly Carl Froch, a man who has a granite chin and balls of steel, and David Haye.

Yes, David Haye. A man who is as well known by boxing fans as he is by those who watch TOWIE. He’s a publicists dream. Tall, dark, handsome with chiselled abs and a barbed tongue. He does – and says – whatever it takes to cause commotion that mean people tune in to watch him fight.

In the week when he announced his return to the ring, many were dismissive. He’s been called anything from a busted flush to chicken, but they couldn’t be further from the truth.

The reality is that David, thanks to being commercially attractive and savvy, as well as a bloody good fighter; has earned enough to never have to think about boxing again. Because of that, following defeat to Wladimir Klitschko back in 2011, there was nowhere for him to go.

What would be the point in a man who is used to dining at the top table tucking in on a park bench?

What many casual fans, or non-boxing fans, will fail to understand is how protective the Klitschko brothers are of their titles. Take a look at their record and its a succession of old, or out of shape, or out of their league fighters who turn up to get knocked over for a decent pay day.

Sure, when the Hayemaker got his chance against Wladimir he didn’t produce the goods to the extent that he would have liked to, and I’m certain nobody would be more annoyed at that that him.

Following that fight, David was derided in the media for revealing that a couple of weeks prior to the biggest night of his career, he had broken the little toe on his right foot.

Whether you place any credibility on the injury or not, Haye was undeniably injured. Whether he should have mentioned it afterwards or not is a matter for debate, but he was in a no-win situation. If the injury was genuinely bothering him then the only option available other than carry on regardless was pulling out of the fight, and he would have been absolutely slaughtered by the press for that.

As it happened, he fought Wladimir, and although was clearly beaten over twelve rounds, there were a couple of occasions when he genuinely threatened Klitschko. His efforts in the twelfth and final round were commendable.

In the post-fight press conference, if he’s asked about any injuries, what is he meant to say? It’s hardly an excuse – the entire viewing audience saw him beaten fair and square by Wladimir, and even David wouldn’t disagree with that.

Haye is fast as lightning and as strong as an Ox. He has the tools required to dominate an admittedly sub-par heavyweight division. He also has a history of taking on risky fights to further advance his career.

This is a man who, while fighting at cruiserweight travelled to the home ground of champion Jean Marc Mormeck and got up off the canvas to knock him out.

He also ventured to Germany to wrestle the WBA heavyweight championship from Russian giant Nikolay Valuev – a man who both Klitschko brothers avoided for years, as he was the only person anywhere near their level with the height, reach and awkwardness to cause a problem.

He made his first comeback last year when, following a brawl in Munich after the Vitali Klitschko v Dereck Chisora fight, David turned up to call out Vitali at the post fight press conference.

Berndt Boente, the Klitschko’s manager, suggested Chisora and Haye resolve their differences in the ring, and the winner could face the older brother.

Haye went onto impressively dispatch Chisora in five rounds, somewhat overshadowing Vitali’s hard fought unanimous points decision. Guess what? No offer of a fight followed.

Most people coming back to the ring after having two fights in two years would take a tune up fight, and admittedly I’m writing this probably a week or so before Haye’s next opponent is announced; but at last week’s press conference to announce the comeback, trainer Adam Booth confirmed there are five names in the frame. All ranked in the top 15 in the world with various sanctioning bodies, four undefeated and none British.

By the end of the year David Haye WILL be nicely in position to force the hand of messrs Klitschko, mark my words.

I can see an eventual rematch between Wladimir and David at the back end of next year, and I will be backing the Hayemaker to bring home the belts. Allied with his class in the ring he also has a valuable asset in trainer/manager Adam Booth, one of the finest tacticians in world boxing.

I have no doubt that the memory of his last shot at Wladimir combined with an Adam Booth gameplan will see David Haye become heavyweight champion of the world once more. I’m convinced of it.

There ain’t toe stopping him this time.

Premier League Poster Boy

It was a Tuesday evening. I was 14, and was allowed control of the TV all to myself, because England were playing in the World Cup.

It was a second round game against Argentina, and I was sat on the edge of my seat, since the game had already had two early penalties.

A good pass by poster-boy David Beckham is taken in his stride by young Liverpool starlet Michael Owen. He’s got some pace this lad, let’s see what he can do. He’s past one, only the legendary Roberto Ayala to beat…he’s knocked it past him! Paul Scholes is well placed for a shot here, we could take the lead…hang on, Owen’s hit it himself….OH MY GOD! WHAT A GOAL!!!

And in an instant, a star was born. Sure, I was to end the night in tears after England would go on to lose yet another penalty shoot out, but what a night that was.

Michael Owen had started to establish himself in the Liverpool first team at the tender age of 17. He was picked for the World Cup squad by Glenn Hoddle as a natural partner to captain and talisman Alan Shearer. My word what a partnership they formed in that game. Argentina couldn’t handle either the strength and brute force of Shearer, or the blistering pace of the boy Owen.

As a 14-year-old, he was the man to be in the school playground during games of Wembley, after that World Cup.

And now, fifteen years later, Owen is calling time on a career that has gone on to include spells at Real Madrid and Manchester United.

Michael was more than your average footballer, both in ability and inspiration. Level headed, sensible and well spoken, Owen is testament to the now defunct Lilleshall school of football, where players, but more importantly people, were made.

During his career you won’t ever have read a ‘kiss and tell’ or tale of Owen falling out of a nightclub at some ungodly hour. A testament also to his family for providing the grounding that meant that Michael could ally his phenomenal talent with a sense of responsibility toward young footballers who looked up to him.

In many ways Michael Owen was THE role model for young players. A family man who’s outside interests were the fillies of a racecourse rather than a nightclub.

You always felt that Owen knew how important his image was, and took his responsibility as a role model seriously. For many years Ryan Giggs was the poster boy for what a footballer should be. Recent stories have blown that myth wide apart. One senses that Michael Owen’s reputation won’t be similarly savaged.

And yet he still receives criticism from many, largely for the career choices he made.

His record at Real Madrid alongside England team mate Beckham and amongst the height of Madrid’s ‘Galactico’ era that included the likes of Figo, Ronaldo and Zidane; stands up to any of Europe’s elite either before or since.

Newcastle fans will tell you that Owen is some sort of devil figure, after leaving the club following their relegation from England’s top table; however stories of a contract offer that never actually materialised makes it easy for the club to make Owen appear the villain of the piece.

Besides, how anyone can be criticised for not being completely settled or prolific under the barmy leadership of clueless owner Mike Ashley is beyond me.

Evidently Sir Alex Ferguson wasn’t taken in by the press that Owen received at that time either, adding him to his Manchester United squad that would go on to win three trophies during his three years at the club.

Sadly a common theme throughout Michael Owen’s career was the amount of time spent on the treatment table. One can only wonder what Owen could have achieved had he remained injury free. Even with said injuries he still scored 40 goals for England from 89 appearances, just 9 short of Sir Bobby Charlton’s record and fourth highest in the list of England’s top goalscorers.

As someone whose love affair with football started in the mid-nineties, I will always look back on Michael Owen as one of the first real superstars of the Premier League era.

So long, Michael. Thanks for the goals and the memories. Football’s loss is horse racing’s gain.