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The new boxing season is finally upon us and we can finally begin to talk about matters inside rather than outside the ring. Boxing politics can – occasionally – be interesting but none of us became fans of the sport because we were interested in the latest TV deals or fascinated by a boxer moving to a different promoter. We all fell in love with the sport because of the fights and the fighters.
Women’s boxing has come a long way. Gone are the days of freak shows featuring Mia St. John and Christy Martins brawls. Although the likes of Lucia Rijker and Laila Ali raised both the profile and standard of the women’s game, they were shining lights in a poorly organised and supported sport. Things have changed. Women’s boxing has progressed to such a level that, for the first time, it is to be recognised as an Olympic sport at the London 2012 games.
The big punching Lee 'Lights Out' Purdy gave the impression that he could have worn pillows on his fists rather than the supposed punchers gloves as he retained his British welterweight title with a thrilling 5th round stoppage of local favourite Craig Watson. It might have been an identical result as when the pair clashed in April but Purdy produced a far more emphatic performance this time. Hatton Promotions took the innovative step of screening the bout live on Youtube. Those who tuned in witnessed an exciting toe to toe battle and Purdys fanbase will have dramatically increased.
Champion Lee Purdy and challenger Craig Watson both weighed in successfully ahead of their rematch for the British welterweight title in Oldham tomorrow.
Whilst the recent bout between Amir Khan and Paul McCloskey at Manchesters M.E.N Arena hogged the headlines for a variety of reasons, the undercard played host to possibly the biggest shock in British boxing this year as Lee Purdy knocked out Craig Watson to claim the British Welterweight title. Whilst Purdy is undoubtedly an improving and hard hitting fighter, few gave him a chance of upsetting the local champion that April night. Watson gets an immediate chance for revenge when he faces his conqueror again at Oldham Sports Centre on July 16th.
One of the most frustrating parts of being a modern day boxing fan can be the interminable gaps that can occur in a fighter’s career. If we are waiting for a superstar fighter and mega fight then sure, the now standard 24/7 (or 24/7 esque) shows provide entertainment and there is generally enough intrigue surrounding the bout to keep minds ticking over. It’s an all together different story when we are forced to wait to witness the next stage in a promising young fighters development.
David Price continued his march towards the top of the domestic heavyweight rankings with an emphatic second round knockout of previously unbeaten Tom Dallas on Saturday night.
Never has a bout between two British fighters with a combined record of 22-0 generated such interest. The clash between James DeGale and George Groves at the O2 Arena on May 21st developed from a grudge match between former amateur rivals into the most talked about all-British clash of 2011 and continues to provoke fierce debate weeks afterwards.
Nowadays, name value seems to hold almost as much value as ability inside the ring. Whichever level you choose to look, there are fighters who seem to bounce from title shot to title shot. Those fighters are the lucky few; the one’s whose profile’s guarantee that they will never be more than one win away from another big fight.
We may only be in March, but Anthony Crolla’s performance when claiming the British lightweight championship against John Watson is likely going to remain as one of the best performances of 2011. Having recently completed negotiations to make the first defence of his title against Gavin Rees on the undercard of Amir Khan’s world title fight with Paul McCloskey, BoxingScene.com caught up with ‘Million $’ and found him in an excited mood.