Golovkin Wants An Answer, Canelo

Triple G has waited long enough, he now wants an answer. Is Canelo going to fight him or relinquish the WBC Middleweight belt. Talks have been extended because Canelo or his team just couldn't seem to make up their minds on whether to risk the golden egg getting cracked wide open against Golovkin. Cotto and Canelo have been holding the WBC title hostage for long enough.

Fair enough, Canelo hasn't owned it long but he knew the situation before he beat Cotto for the belt. He knew forwell that he wouldn't have long to make up his mind. And all this talk about fighting at 155lbs..The Middleweight limit is 160. The fight for the middleweight title should be @ 160 or Canelo should be stripped of that title. What's happening to Boxing.

So @Canelo... what are your plans for tomorrow?

— Gennady Golovkin (@GGGBoxing) December 13, 2015

A fighter and his promoter can change the weight at which a legitimate title is fought at. We all know about catch weights etc, but it's turning into a joke. All they want is GGG drained like a prisoner of war so they have more of a chance to beat him. So unfair. Funny thing is, Canelo actually weighs more than Golovkin on fight night most of the time anyway and yet still claims he's not a genuine middleweight. He's scared, or at the very least, seriously concerned. Anyone can see it. Anyway check out Golovkins latest tweet to Canelo..I found it quite funny. Hopefully Canelo steps up and takes the challenge.

Tyson Fury Should Be Celebrated

So, Tyson Fury goes to Germany, and with everything against him, beats the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World who has reigned for over a decade, and comes back to the UK not as a hero, but to a mountain of riducule made up by the main stream media. Most of the UK newspapers are total scum, and this just proves it even more. They would sell their own mothers for a story. If you're not a robot and don't act and say what is deemed as "politically correct" they will jump all over it, blow it out of all proportion, and try to make you look like a bad person. This is what they are currently doing to Tyson Fury.

But I'm glad to see that a lot of people can see through their tactics. They are master manipulators, always trying to condition people into thinking a certain way in order to forward their own sneaky agenda. They do it with everything, not just with people who don't conform and speak their mind like Tyson Fury. A common, and extremely successful example is the way the media reports on wars. Most of what is written and reported has been cleverly crafted in order to get the public to think or react in a certain way. One word can sum this up quite well. Propaganda. Here is the definition of the word Propaganda. "Propaganda is a powerful weapon in war; it is used to dehumanize and create hatred toward a supposed enemy, either internal or external, by creating a false image in the mind." Only, this method can be used for anything and have the same effect.

So Tyson said something about a women athlete that looks good in a dress, and voiced his opinion on Gay people and Paedophiles. And what...Can a man not have an opinion anymore? What, just because that opinion does not agree with everyone he's now considered as a sexist and a homophobe.. Christians and Muslims do not agree with Homosexuality, and if you follow one of those religion's do you have to pretend that you are in full support of it just in case you hurt someones feelings..You can't say anything these days without insulting at least one person. Well, f*ck them. Not everyone agrees with that sh*t. And the people who don't shouldn't be afraid to voice their opinion. It's OK when people want to express themselves and do a gay march but its not OK when a man wants the same equal right to speak his mind. It's called freedom of expression / freedom of speech, and it works both ways.

Boxing's a mans sport, with real men who sometimes speak their minds. If some people don't like, or can't handle that go and watch something else. In my opinion we need more people like Tyson Fury. And just like the powers that be have started a petition that now has 70,000 signatures in favour of him being removed from the short list of becoming the sports personality of the year, I wish there was a reverse petition for people who support Tyson. I bet that would blow the 70,000 signatures from the people who want him removed out of the water. Is there one that I'm not aware of? Post a comment.

Overall, I think it's really sad when a man who, against all odds, pulls off a win against a great champion when no one expected him to even last a few rounds, comes home and is not given his well deserved respect. It is a disgrace. The win has been brushed under the carpet and replaced with some silly little story's conjured up by some newspapers desperate to damage a mans image and create controversy. All for the sake of getting some extra website traffic and selling a few more papers. This just goes to show how manipulative and heartless the main stream media is.

Thankfully, we are not living in World War II, where for some country's the only sources of information were either papers / leaflets dropped from aircraft's to the people below, or the radio.. Imagine how easy it was to make people think a certain way when that's their only sources of information. With the Internet people now have unlimited sources of REAL news outlets to choose from and the agenda driven mainstream outlets hate that! Look at some of the things they have reported about Tyson Fury..Look at the way they worded it, and then go and watch the actual video footage that they wrote the story about. You will no doubt see with your own eyes how they have twisted the whole thing and blown it all out of proportion. They have made themselves look really stupid. Like the title says, Tyson Fury should be celebrated for going over to Germany and beating the champ in his own back yard against all odds. It really is a great achievement, and I'm so happy for him and his team.

Another sad development for me is how much respect I have lost for Wladimir Klitschko throughout the build up to this fight, and in the actual fight itself. Him and his team tried every dirty trick possible to give themselves the best possible chance of winning this fight. And they still lost!. I know Wladimir has been a great champion and deserves respect, but I think he deserved to lose this fight. He wanted to control every aspect but was met with resistance every step of the way.

Mind Games: First off, the boxing glove drama. Not supplying the correct gloves. Then the weight at the weigh in being wrong, which again seemed deliberate. The bouncy castle ring canvas that was highly suspicious. Tyson's team, and even Lennox Lewis were not impressed to say the least. A representative from the British Boxing Board, or commission said they had never seen anything like it, ever!. It was so spongy that it appears to have been used as a tactic to try and knacker Fury's legs out after a few rounds making him a slower, easier target with worn out legs in the later rounds. Wladimir's hand wraps were also done without a witness from the Fury camp being present. Again, very suspicious behaviour for such an experienced champion with almost 70 fights under his belt.

Then comes the fight. Wladimir was doing so many illegal things and the referee did nothing. Wladimir was pulling Fury's head down and basically getting him in a head lock. He kept turning his back, which he should have been warned, and eventually deducted a point for. Ironically, Fury had a point taken away for hitting Wladimir when his head was turned away! [Protect yourself at all times] Wladimir was also trying the punch (hook) followed by the push trick, a tactic he used to full effect when he fought and knocked out Kubrat Pulev. And if that wasn't enough Wladimir became so frustrated that he couldn't tame Fury that he gave Fury a jumping head butt! In full view of the referee. When this happens Fury actually turns to the referee and says something like "Have a word ref", or "Come on ref", but still the referee done nothing at all. Referee Tony Weeks was a complete joke. And guess who the referee was when Wladimir fought Pulev and used his punch and push technique to full effect without getting as much as a warning. Yeah, you got it, Tony Weeks.

It was like Wladimir would do anything to hold on to those belts. Cheating, with home advantage, and with the referee in his pocket, he still lost anyway. The better man won. And that man should not be pressured into holding his tongue. Seeing how Tyson is, he won't be anyway. He has an opinion like everyone else, and he's not afraid to tell it like he sees it. And that's the way it should be. Does the issue go deeper? I got the feeling that a lot of people, including the UK boxing commentators / presenters, really didn't want Fury to win this fight. Some people are convinced the bad press Fury is getting is not only due the comments he has made about various subjects, but also because he is a Gypsy..It could well be true, but who knows for sure. Whatever the reason, and whatever his personal opinions are, give the man the credit he deserves. He's done something that many have tried but failed to do, relieve Wladimir of all his belts. Well done Tyson Fury.

Should Carl Froch Fight GGG

There is a lot of talk about this fight taking place. Froch Vs GGG is the fight many want to see. No doubt, it would be a great fight. Some think Froch would be too big and too strong for Golovkin and others think Golovkin's technical skill and huge punching power would follow him up to super middleweight and see him dispose of Froch via knockout..

Truth is, no one really knows what would happen until the fight actually takes place. It is a pick-em fight and that is what makes it so interesting. There are valid reasons that can be argued until the cows come home in defense of why both can win. The size and weight difference for Froch, and the power, accuracy, and boxing smarts of Golovkin.

So should Froch take the risk and take on Golovkin before retiring from the sport. Most fans would say yes, and me personally I would love him to make this his last fight. Why not go out with a bang by taking on one of the most feared fighters in boxing right now. As much as I am fan of both fighters, but would be rooting for Golovkin if they fought, I actually think Froch, because he is so tough and the bigger man naturally, stands a good chance of beating Golovkin, or at least giving him a really good fight.

Froch Vs Abraham. Image Credit: Pasi T

Question is, does Froch have the desire anymore..The answer is most probably no. An interview with Eddie Hearn (Froch's promoter) that was recently uploaded to youtube by IFLTV saw Hearn disclose some insight on Carl's current -Can I be bothered anymore - state of mind.

Eddie said that the other day Carl's missus and kid, or kids, went out and he was left on his own in the house. He has a heavy bag in his shed / garage and was going to do six rounds on the bag to keep himself ticking over. He done the first round no problem, but when he got half way through the second round he said he just couldn't be bothered and he called it a day and went and had a cup of tea instead. I know this isn't the be all and end all, I mean how many people, boxers or anyone else, sportsman or otherwise, sometimes can't be bothered once in a while.

However, with the money Carl now has, and with all the other things he has going on in his life that don't include boxing, it really does look like he doesn't really want or need to fight anymore. It's just natural so who can blame him if the desire just isn't there like it used to be. I think the Hagler quote sums up Carl Froch's situation right now.. 'It's real hard to get up at 5am & run 5 miles when you're in a 4 post bed wearing silk pyjamas'.

Will Froch Vs Golovkin take place? Most think it won't at this stage and some people even think that Froch had no intention of fighting GGG and was only talking about him to create some hype and keep himself relevant. I guess we'll have to see what happens. Froch Vs Degale is a possibility. Check out the video above from Richard Dwyer where he makes an excellent case for why Golovkin would beat Carl Froch. It does make a lot of sense on many levels.

Klitschko Vs Fury Germany Face Off

This is what a lot of people have been waiting for. The fight build up has finally started and the first press conference has took place today a while ago in Germany. The press conference starting rather quietly but soon gained momentum when both Wladimir and Fury both took little shots at each other. Tyson Fury stole the show though with his "This Klit is getting licked" one liner. Check out IFLTV Youtube channel to see the whole press conference, or to see the heated exchange video click here.

Everyone has there own opinion on the first impressions regarding to how each fighter looks etc. But to me, under all the big words and bravado it looked like Tyson Fury was a bit nervous, as if the magnitude of the task in hand has finally dawned on him.

However, we all know that a lot of the time the impression someone gives off at a press conference, or even the weigh-in for that matter, doesn't give us much to read into in the grand scheme of things. A fighter can look quite nervous at a weigh-in and then be totally on it when the fight is on and knock the confident fighter out cold. Just take a look at some of Golovkin's weigh-ins and face offs. He doesn't look at the opponent all evil, scared to look away first etc. And look at what he does on fight night. Some people were saying at GGG's last weigh-in against Lemieux: "Lemieux has got this, GGG looked nervous". "Put your house on Lemieux".. And we all seen what happened in that fight.

So it's wise not to read into it too much. Saying that, I do still think that Tyson Fury is in over his head here. He does have a lot of heart, determination, and size on his side, but the bottom line in this fight is skill and punch resistance.

Once Wladimir starts connecting with straight right hands Fury is in serious trouble. His defence isn't good enough. He has been put down by much lighter punchers. Yes, he has got up off the canvas to win the fight, but against Wladimir, once Fury gets hit he will stay hit. Fury could have a chance if Wladimir shows his age in this fight and get tired once, or if, the fight goes past 5 or 6 rounds. But chances are the firepower will be too much for Fury to handle. Nevertheless, expect an excellent, action packed fight. Fury won't lie down for no one. And he looks to be in his best shape ever for this fight. More to come as the build up progresses.

Ward and GGG Join The Keyboard Warriors

OK, the keyboard warrior thing is a little far fetched, these guys are A level fighters, but Andre Ward and Gennady Golovkin have entered into a war of words which have made their way onto the mainstream Internet sport websites and boxing forums. The pair are basically saying that each man is making excuses for the fight to not be made. Who's telling the truth? No one really knows for sure but if you ask a Ward fan he will say GGG is ducking, and the same thing gets said the other way round, Ward don't wanna fight GGG etc, or why don't Ward pick on someone his own size and fight Kovalev instead.

In a way it's all good because while GGG and Ward are considered two of the best fighters out there they have also been two of the least vocal when it comes to talking a bit of trash, building a fight, and being a bit controversial. But boxing is steeped in trash talk and controversy and fans love the hype. Of course, we don't want no WWE WWF Bull Sh*t but it is OK to get the taste buds flowing and build the fight a little.

So what do we really know about this situation. Who is ducking who? First off, I don't think either man is afraid of the other, but the truth is that both men are in different situations career wise. Golovkin has been very active and is on the verge of unifying the middleweight division. Andre Ward has been through some promotional problems and has been inactive for quite some time (Since late 2013, and before that he only fought once in 2012). And we do know for definite that Ward's trainer (Virgil Hunter) has stated that Ward needs a few tune up fights before facing Golovkin. That is a fact.

Picture Credit: roundbyroundboxing.com

So for Ward to say Golovkin is making excuses seems rather contradictory because as his trainer stated, he is not in the position to fight GGG right now anyway. We also know that a meeting with HBO took place with both fighters and their representatives. Ward and GGG were asked if they were ready to fight each other and apparently GGG said yes he is ready to fight and Ward said No due to an injured shoulder and most probably because of inactivity too.

In some ways, with some of the comments Ward has made towards Golovkin, it does look like Ward could be a bit jealous because GGG is in the limelight and he isn't. Andre Ward is not even ranked anymore due to inactivity, so in many ways he is not even that relevant right now. Other than inactivity, If we look at the fighting styles of each fighter we can see why one is extremely popular and why one isn't. Wards boxing style isn't the most exciting or fan friendly. And then there comes the problem of Ward's fan base.

He can't even sell out a venue in his home city of Oakland, but yet when negotiations are taking place, not only with GGG, but also with Carl Froch, Ward wants the lions share of the split, which he does not deserve..He is pricing himself out of the market. Now Ward is also saying that he is only fighting Britain's Paul Smith because Carl Froch doesn't want to fight him.

But the word is that Froch asked Ward to come and fight in the UK and Ward refused. I tend to believe this because if you check Andre Wards boxing record you will quickly see that he has fought most of his career in the USA. Guess where he is fighting Paul Smith..Yep, you guessed it, the Oracle Arena in Oakland, USA. Home sweet home. People that know boxing know that a real champion has the balls and strength of mind to fight anywhere in the world.

Take a look at Sergey Kovalev and Gennady Golovkin, they are real champions who will fight anywhere, but Andre Ward's professional record makes it look like he's afraid to travel. The proof is there. Until Ward fights out of his comfort zone how can he be considered as a great champion..It should also be noted that Ward Vs Smith is taking place at a catch weight of 172lbs, so with 3 additional pounds Ward could well be fighting in Kovalev territory at light heavyweight.

With Golovkin and Ward, part of the problem is that the media keep on asking one about the other, when in reality they shouldn't be facing each other right now. Ward needs to get the rust off with a few fights and Golovkin needs to concentrate on unifying the middleweight division. And in fairness, Golovkin needs to face some tougher opposition. Fighters are certainly talking a lot, If only they would sign the contract though and commit to fight GGG. If the media would just STHU and let them both do there thing for a while it would be a great fight for the future when each man is in a better position to make the fight a reality.

The time isn't really right at this moment but both fighters are being forced into dialogue because of the hype and constant questions and accusations of what the other side said etc. Neither man is scared, and I think that Ward does want to prove he is the best and it looks like he secretly wants to fight and take out the two fighters considered the best and most feared right now which is GGG and Kovalev. All great fights that I hope can happen in the future. The outcomes are not certain, but neither is whether Ward, with so much time off, will ever be the same fighter he once was.

*Article Update*

Since this post was written (I know the date is recent but the post is from my other site) a lot has changed. GGG is going to get his shot at the WBC Middleweight Title, (Even if the winner of Cotto - Canelo doesn't want to fight him) so a fight with Ward is well out of the picture for now. Adding to that, Ward can't make 168 anymore so is more than likely moving to Light Heavyweight where him facing Kovalev within the next year looks to be a more realistic fight than him Facing GGG.

Andre Ward had one of his "Tune up" fights turned down! With people saying it was too much of a miss-match! It was deemed as unsafe. That says a lot right there about his level of competition. After this happened, Ward has now injured his knee and won't be fighting for a while, yet again. Also, he has just vacated his WBA Super-Middleweight Title. Lots of talk about Ward faking the injury, and being scared to agree 100% to fight Kovalev, which is what some people think may have had something, or a lot, to do with his tune up fight being pulled from the Cotto - Canelo under card.

Andre Ward is quickly becoming more and more irrelevant and needs to actually start taking on some decent fighters if he's to remain one of the best out there. Personally, I don't think he has been active enough to be considered as a P4P boxer anymore. How many times has he even fought out of his comfort zone? Who will win out of Kovalev Vs Ward if they do fight. Outcomes are never certain, but I think Kovalev will destroy Ward. From what I've seen and read about Ward lately a lot of things point to him being a shot fighter.

The most important aspect here is that, yes I think he's a shot fighter, but more importantly, I also think that he knows it too. And thats the worst thing for a fighter. When they lose their self belief it is over. Other fighters have come through the ranks and overtook Ward while he's been inactive, and now he's not sure if he's got what it takes to beat these fighters anymore. He's scared to lose his unbeaten record to the fighters that are in the spotlight and are considered as real threats, so he fights opponents that are incapable of putting up much of a fight. OK, to the crowd he will look great knocking someone out, but this is a dangerous strategy. Because if Ward fights journey men for the next year and then takes the fight with Kovalev, he will not be ready for that huge step up in class and will get beaten badly.

Also, If he continues to fight journey men and one of them just happens to get lucky, clip his chin and knock him out, his boxing career is basically over. Or will require some serious rebuilding. But against who... Low level junior middleweights who haven't trained for a few years? Wards choice of opposition has become a disgrace. There are lots of B and even C level fighters that he could fight that would put up a decent challenge, yet he wants to fight the worst possible opposition. And if it couldn't be any worse than that, the boxers Ward was going to fight are not even true light heavyweights. Things don't look good for Ward right now.

It's quite sad really because the guy does have talent and I hope he comes back and proves me and everyone else, who thinks he's not quite the Ward of old wrong.