An Unwelcome Return For Khan
by Published on 02-28-2013 03:49 PM
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At the pre-fight press conference Frank Maloney was talking about world title shots for David Price. At the post-fight press conference Frank Maloney was still talking about world title shots for David Price. The only problem was that Price was knocked out in two rounds by Tony Thompson in between time!
Price was a heavy favourite with the bookies beforehand, odds of just 1/10, and nearly everyone expected him to handle the step up in class with some ease. The opener was predictably tense with Thompson hardly throwing a punch and Price feeling his way into the contest. Price produced more aggressive work in the second round and pinned his American opponent on the ropes a couple of times. Price then threw an uppercut for the first and only time. That uppercut left him wide open as the experienced Thompson stepped to the side and landed a big right hand to the side of Price’s head. Price suffered a perforated ear drum in the process, his senses were scrambled and legs very unsteady when he rose from the canvas.
I’ve said here before that Price’s chin has never been tested but wouldn’t mind if he went through his whole career without being hit flush – it’s the sign of a good boxer, although Amir Khan will tell you different. On Saturday night Price’s chin (ear) was tested and it failed the test. All the clichés came out after the fight, ‘I’ll come back stronger’, ‘could be a blessing in disguise’, ‘all the top champions get beat’ etc etc. But will this be the case here as all future Price opponents go straight for his chin?
A special mention must go to Thompson who comes across as a nice fella despite his over the top celebrations after the stoppage. The 41-year-old American is likely to go on the road again as he aims for another world title shot.
Darren Hamilton successfully defended his British light welterweight title on the undercard but it was a pretty boring performance from the light hitting Bristol native. A wide points win over Steve Williams was predictable from early on.
Local lad Kevin Satchell retained his British and Commonwealth flyweight titles at the Echo Arena in an entertaining bout with Luke Wilton. Satchell continued his impressive run of form with a unanimous points win and will be looking at a European title shot in the coming months.
I was going to put a one line comment in here about a boring Lamont Peterson vs Kendall Holt but it wasn’t that boring after all. Peterson looked impressive when dominating Holt in an IBF light welterweight title fight – the one the IBF failed to strip Peterson of when he failed a drugs test. Peterson is sure to be busy this year as his promoters Golden Boy almost have a monopoly on the 140lbs division!
This Week’s Action
Matthew Hatton continues his career under the watchful eye of Dave Caldwell over in South Africa this Saturday. Hatton is still only 31 and this fight against Chris van Heerden will be his 51st outing. The IBO welterweight title will be on the line but that carries about as much weight as Darren Hamilton’s punches. van Heerden has youth and a home crowd on his side and is a best price 2/7 to get the win. Hatton can be backed at a high of 10/3 and he won't care one bit about going into the lion’s den, his experience could be key here but it’s a big ask.
IBF featherweight champion Billy Dib fights in the USA for the first time this weekend and it’s also his first fight under new promoter 50 Cent. Dib should have too much for Russian born Evgeny Gradovich but will need to shed some cobwebs having been out the ring since last July. Odds of 2/5 on a Dib win could actually look quite generous in hindsight but they aren't the kind of odds to attract me.
Richard Abril also returns to the ring on Saturday when he takes on Sharif Bogere for the vacant WBA world lightweight title. You thought Bradley vs Pacquiao was a scorecard robbery? Watch the Abril vs Brandon Rios fight from last April and you’ll see a real robbery. Abril exposed Rios’ one dimensional approach and outboxed him for the whole fight yet two of the three judges managed to have Rios winning! Boxing politics has seen 30-year-old Abril be inactive since then but his underrated skills should be more than enough to see off unbeaten Ugandan Bogere. Abril 4/11, Bogere 5/2.
The News
The Amir Khan PR disaster continued this week as his American promoters Golden Boy thought it was a good idea to make his first UK fight in three years in Sheffield. To make things worse Khan will face a distinctly average opponent who has been knocked out five times, Julio Diaz.
Khan has been badmouthing Sheffield hero Kell Brook for the past few years and more tickets were given away than were brought for last year’s unification fight with Danny Garcia. Good luck selling out the Sheffield Motorpoint Arena on April 27th. To compound Khan’s problem, he doesn’t have a UK TV deal.
Floyd Mayweather’s ring return continues to have a domino effect around the boxing world. Golden Boy’s long term plan was to have Canelo Alvarez fight on the undercard before matching the Mexican sensation with ‘Money’ in September.
Rumour has it that Canelo refused to fight on the same bill as Mayweather in May as the pound for pound king wouldn’t commit to a September match with him. As a result, Canelo has signed to fight fellow light middleweight champion Austin Trout on April 20th. This fight won’t do much for casual fans but it’s a great match up for hardcore fans and the odds will be interesting.
The Bet
Richard Abril to score a points win over tough Russian Sharif Bogere at a top price of 10/11.
Matthew Hatton is worth a few quid at 10/3 but his opponent is a bit of an unknown.
Quote Of The Week
“I’m 48, not only am I sexy but I can fight.”
Bernard Hopkins told ESPN’s Dan Rafael he’s confident of beating Tavoris Cloud on March 11th.
By the way Tyson Fury could’ve filled this whole section with David Price related quotes. Check @Tyson_Fury for evidence.
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by Adam Smith Published on 02-28-2013 03:49 PM
Originally Posted by djt117
Khan 2.0
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