Where does Keith Thurman go from here?

With both fighters having been out of action for 11 months when fight night rolled around two weeks ago it meant that Keith Thurman vs Shawn Porter received very little attention from the boxing world prior to the fight. However, what was to unfold was an all-action domestic bust-up between two of the top five welterweights in the world. Thurman and Porter went toe to toe for 12 rounds with Thurman winning a unanimous decision victory with all three judges scoring the fight 115-113. This article will take a look at where Thurman now goes from this point and the potential match-ups he could potentially be involved in in the coming year.

Very few fans were expecting the kind of fight that happened on the 23^rd June, as it was predicted that Porter’s style of smothering not only his opponents punches, but also his own would offset the usually attacking-minded Thurman and make the fight into a holding fest. However Thurman boxed unbelievably well on the back foot throughout timing Porter’s oncoming attacks to almost perfection with counter right hands and left hooks.

Like the fans in the arena, many had Porter winning the fight on their scorecards personally however, I find it hard to come to this decision even on watching the fight a second time. It is clear that Thurman won at least seven rounds with the decision going to the right man on the night which rarely seems to be the case in close fights these days.

This is by far his most impressive win and performance to date. There is always the potential for a rematch as the fight was close and unbelievably exciting throughout however Thurman will want to move on to bigger and better things as he attempts to secure his place as the no.1 fighter in the welterweight division.

A contest with WBC champion, Danny Garcia is a fight that fans are clamouring for. Unbeaten Garcia has yet to fully test himself at the 147 lb limit, only fighting Rod Salka, Lamont Peterson, a fight he lost, a past his best Paulie Malignaggi and Robert Guerrero. These are match-ups which have been typical of the PBC since its inception and it is time for Garcia to step-up and fight the best. This would be another fantastic fight however it is unlikely that it will get made anytime soon due to Garcia’s antics in the past couple of years.

A fight with UK’s, Kell Brook looks set in the making for 2017 as both fighters have made it clear that they want the fight and if Brook’s fight with Vargas is made and he wins, as he should then three of the four belts will be on the line. Brook and Thurman are two of the three best welterweights at the moment with the other being Timothy Bradley however he is on the other side of the divide and a fight between him and Thurman is extremely unlikely to happen.

There is no doubt that Thurman vs Brook is the best fight that can be made in the welterweight division and it should be made by 2017 if Brook hasn’t moved up in weight by then. For now, Thurman should enjoy his very impressive win against Porter however keep one eye on the prize of becoming the no.1 welterweight in the world. 

Tom Eckett

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Groves dominates Murray to move one step closer to world title dreams

Last Saturday, George Groves and Martin Murray, as many predicted, stole the limelight at the O2 arena as they went toe to toe for twelve rounds in an all action domestic bust-up. With seven world title attempts between them, this was very much last chance saloon for the pair with the loser unlikely to ever get another shot at a world title.

West Londoner, Groves, certainly looked the more comfortable of the two in the early rounds, establishing his jab early on with Murray looking like a rabbit caught in the headlights. The fight burst into life in the fourth round when the Lancastrian started to put some kind of pressure on Groves throwing some combinations for the first time in the fight.

However, that was to be one of only a few successes that Murray was going to have as it was clear the gap in class with Groves throwing the far cleaner and harder punches wobbling Murray on a number of occasions. It seemed as if Murray was relying on Groves’ gas tank to betray him however with the minimum amount of pressure that Murray was putting on Groves, it took until the twelfth round for him to be visibly tired.

Groves ran out comfortable winner on all three of the judges’ scorecards 118-110 however it must be said that he just does not look anywhere near the same fighter as he did under Adam Booth. It is sad to see because I am a massive George Groves fan but his punches do not seem to have the same vicious snap on them that they used to have however having said that there is no doubt that he can win that so far elusive world title to show for the immense talent he possesses.

Where does Murray go from here? Having lost all four of his world title attempts and now to Groves it looks as though he will not achieve his world title dreams. His power was limited at middleweight let alone at super-middleweight and he just did not look like a elite level fighter on Saturday. It is unlikely that he will want to go back to domestic level however there is nowhere else he has to go.

It looks as though Groves will be heading for the WBA (super) title which is very much up in the air at this moment in time. Felix Sturm after defeating Fedor Chudinov then subsequently failed a drugs test so it looks as though Groves will face Chudinov for the title which should take place at the end of the year and is a very winnable fight for him.

If Groves can realise his world title aspirations, then the fight he is forever linked with is the rematch with amateur rival James DeGale. This is a fight that all UK fans want to see largely because of the bitter rivalry that was clearly apparent during the build-up to their fight in 2011 which Groves won. However, DeGale has vastly improved and will certainly be favourite to avenge his only professional loss. This is the only fight at super-middleweight which excites me and if Groves should win a title, fans will be licking their lips at the possibility of a unification fight.

Tom Eckett

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What to expect from Sky Sports this weekend

This weekend, Sky Sports have picked up two cards, one from the O2 Arena in London where IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua takes on unbeaten American Dominic Brezeale and across the pond in America WBA welterweight champion Keith Thurman, takes on Shawn Porter at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, New York. Both cards have their strengths and weaknesses but both have the potential to be intriguing nights of boxing.

At the O2 Arena, the main event is overshadowed by its co-feature as George Groves takes on Martin Murray in a fascinating domestic clash which, for the loser, will spell the end of his career at the elite level. Martin Murray has had a tough time since he moved up to super-middleweight. The fighter from St. Helens lost to Arthur Abraham in a split decision and that defeat would have hurt even more when he saw Gilberto Ramirez dismantle the veteran German six months later.

He is in a contest with a seemingly rejuvenated George Groves who is on the comeback trail with new trainer Shane McGuigan after he lost to Badou Jack back in September. This should be an easy night’s work for Groves who should control the pace and range of the fight with his ever-present jab and with Murray’s power lacking at the 168 lb limit there is little Groves has to worry about coming back the other way.

The rest of the card is very typical of Matchroom Sports and Eddie Hearn’s style of card. Joshua is 1/33 to win, Chris Eubank Jr. is 1/20 to win, Dillian Whyte was 1/33 before his opponent pulled out and then Kal Yafai’s opponent is yet to be announced. This is what happens in every major PPV event that Hearn puts on; he attracts the casual fans by putting big names on the card in meaningless fights and because Joe Bloggs has heard of the fighters he buys the event on Sky.  

It is safe to say that all these fighters mentioned above will win in relatively easy fashion and if by some miracle one of them is in a hard fight then Hearn will claim that he matched them well. One cannot deny Hearn’s ability as a promoter; he could sell sand to the Arabs however he could be matching his fighters far harder which would improve the Matchroom brand and more importantly make his fighters better so when they reach world level they have already had the experience required to deal with difficult situations.

In the States, Keith ‘Onetime’ Thurman’s fight with Shawn ‘Showtime’ Porter is a mouth-watering encounter which can certainly be labelled as a genuine 50/50 fight. Porter is a pressure fighter, that is his main strength, however against a fully-fledged welterweight such as Thurman Porter will not be able to 'bully' him as he has been doing against his other fighters.

This was highlighted in the fight against Kell Brook, Porter was unable to put the required pressure on Kell to get the victory and this could very much be the same in a fight against Thurman. If Porter is able to get on the inside then he could have a chance of winning the fight, however I think Thurman's strength and power will not allow him to do that. Porter will certainly have to answer a lot of questions over his ability to dominate the best welterweights like he has been able to do against other fighters.

I just think this fight is all wrong for Porter, unless Thurman tries to start trading shots with him, the undefeated Thurman should win this fight, however it is a tough one to call and this is boxing – anything could happen.

With the Mares vs Cuellar fight being cancelled and the PBC not replacing it, the undercard is extremely weak with the co-main feature being Jarrett Hurd vs Oscar Molina. However with the main event being of the highest calibre it is difficult to knock the PBC for this one and it is fantastic that Sky have picked up this card.

Tom Eckett

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Lomachenko schools Martinez to become WBO super-featherweight champion

Last Saturday, the boxing world was treated to an almost punch-perfect display by arguably the greatest amateur of all time, Vasyl ‘Hi-Tech’ Lomachenko, as he took apart WBO super-featherweight champion Roman ‘Rocky’ Martinez at Madison Square Gardens, New York. The Ukrainian has taken to the pro ranks like a duck to water and in only his seventh professional fight he has already become a two weight world champion.

It was clear that Rocky Martinez was going to be in for a long night from the opening bell with Lomachenko simply being the faster, stronger and simply fresher fighter. The two-time Olympic gold medallist got to work straight away, landing straight left hand after straight left hand and Martinez just did not have an answer to his superior footwork.

The awkward southpaw landed a vicious left upper-cut and right hook combination which sent Martinez sprawling to the canvass in the 5^th round and unable to beat the referee’s ten count. Bob Arum claimed that this was the ‘birth of a superstar’ and it is tough to deny the potential pound for pound status of Lomachenko.  

Although Martinez’s best days are well behind him, it was still, as always, an impressive performance by Lomachenko whose style is every boxing purist’s idea of heaven. Instead of moving in and out of range he stays in the pocket using his superb movement to make his opposition look like ten fight novices.

Where does Lomachenko go from here? It must be said that the southpaw looked far more comfortable at the 130 lb limit than he had done at featherweight as his punches seemed to have far more snap on them. Furthermore, there are some huge fights for him at super-featherweight which is fast becoming one of the most stacked divisions in boxing.

The likes of Nicholas Walters, Takashi Miura, Francisco Vargas and Jezreel Corrales are all in the mix and there is no doubt that Lomachenko will have his sights set on these big names. It must be said that although he is now technically a two weight world champion Lomachenko is yet to win either the Ring or the Lineal titles and this is something that he will look to do in the near future.

The fight that all fans want to see is the rematch with Orlando Salido who inflicted the only loss of Lomachenko’s career in just his second fight. However many things were wrong with that fight as Salido came in overweight and there was no re-hydration clause set which meant that the Mexican came to the ring with a huge weight advantage. There is no doubt that Lomachenko will want to avenge this defeat and there is no reason why this fight will not get made at the end of the year.

Tom Eckett

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Vargas vs Salido: A fight of the year candidate

Last Saturday, boxing fans were treated to a classic when WBC super-featherweight champion, Francisco Vargas took on Mexican warrior Orlando Salido at the StubHub centre in California. The majority decision meant that Vargas kept his title however by the sound of the final bell both fighters’ stock had been raised even higher than it was before confirming their places as two of boxing’s toughest fighters.

As many predicted, this fight was expected to be a potential fight of the year candidate and it duly delivered. Vargas made the quicker of the starts throwing straight one twos which stifled Salido’s movement and winning the first two rounds in relatively comfortable fashion. Soon Salido found his range, doing what he does best, leading with left and right hooks and causing Vargas’ early rhythm to be offset.

Then in round six, the fight more than caught fire, when both fighters went to war, leading with their ear hanging off whilst turning the ring into a phone booth. This, in my eyes, was round of the year with both Vargas and Salido throwing caution to the wind and fighting the fight that many in the StubHub centre had come to see.

Then in the eighth and ninth rounds, Vargas began to start boxing, setting up his shots with the jab which was landing with ease and regularity however Salido was not done and in the eleventh and twelfth rounds piled the pressure on Vargas who had never gone the full distance at any point in his career.

Salido won the last two rounds however for me it was not enough with Vargas taking the fight 115-113 however only one judge agreed with my scorecard and the fight was declared a majority draw. This was the only just decision as both fighters put their bodies on the line in order to win the title and for Salido it was not enough.

However the rematch with Lomachenko is always a possibility, especially if he comes through his fight against Roman Martinez next weekend. This is Lomachenko’s only defeat in the professional ranks against a fighter in Salido who did not even make the effort to make the 126 lb featherweight limit.

Golden Boy Promotions are delivering not just the big fights but the exciting fights as well and a word must go to Oscar DeLa Hoya for making this fight happen; however it must be said that these fights are being made more out of necessity than of choice.

For Vargas, it is another impressive performance on his ever improving resume. Where does he go from here? The super-featherweight division is wide open at the moment after Jezreel Corrales upset no.1 in the division Takashi Uchiyama and after Vargas’ last two performances I would place him at the top of the pile. His huge win against Takashi Miura back in November was fight of the year for 2015 and there is no reason why the fight at the StubHub centre will not have the same outcome for 2016.

Tom Eckett

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Tony Bellew realises world title dreams at Goodison Park

Tony Bellew’s emphatic third round knockout of Illunga Makabu last night on Sunday saw him capture the vacant WBC world title and become the UK’s thirteenth world champion. The fight took place at Goodison Park, the home of Bellew’s beloved Everton Football Club and having already lost his first two world title attempts this was last chance saloon for the 33 year old Liverpudlian.

Makabu was slight favourite going into the bout with many thinking that the southpaw would have too much for the 26-2-1 fighter. With a KO ratio of 90%, Makabu’s power was seen as being the key factor in the fight and this power was evident when he had Bellew on the canvass with a straight left hand at the round one, the worst possible start for the hometown fighter.

It looked as though Bellew was going to be in for a long night however he managed to re-group in the second round by boxing at range and keeping his distance from the far shorter Makabu. This was thought to be the order of the day and it seemed to be a question of when rather than if Makabu would land that left hand again.

However going into the third round Bellew went onto the front foot, ignoring the instructions of Dave Coldwell and the rest of his corner and in the process catching Makabu with a beautifully timed left hook. Realising that Makabu was hurt by that shot, Bellew went onto the front foot, throwing vicious combinations and the fight was waved off when the Congolese fighter was out on his feet.

Bellew and his team rightly went berserk however the celebrations were cut short with Bellew realising the unconscious state of his opponent. Fortunately Makabu got to his stool a few minutes later with Bellew making a really classy gesture by coming over and kneeling by Makabu and offering some kind words.

However, fight fans were soon brought back down to earth as Bellew was back to his usual antics in the post-fight interview for Sky Sports, claiming that he was now the best cruiserweight in the world to name just one of his ludicrous statements. Having said this, one cannot criticise Bellew’s achievement. It really is a real life Rocky story, getting up off the canvass to win at his beloved Everton Football Club is the stuff dreams are made of.

Where does Bellew go from here? He is part of the stacked cruiserweight division with the likes of Grigory Drozd, Olesandr Usyk and Krzyszstof Glowacki to name a few which means that it is difficult to have ‘soft touches’ with there being so many dangerous fighters in the division. A unification fight with Denis Lebedev who is currently the WBA and IBF champion and arguably the best in the division is something that Bellew may look at, cashing in his WBC belt in the process.

For the time being however Bellew should just enjoy the moment and let the realisation kick in that he has won a world title not just in his hometown of Liverpool but at his home away from home, Goodison Park. Credit must go to Eddie Hearn for managing to first secure Bellew a title shot and then making the fight at Goodison Park a reality. However the main praise should go to Bellew and his team for delivering the goods and making it a night that will live long in the memory.

Tom Eckett

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Lucien Reid: A future world champion

Lucien 'Lethal' Reid is a 22 year old British boxer fighting in the super-bantamweight division with a current record of 4-0 with 3 KO’s who has recently signed with Frank Warren and BoxNation. This article will take a closer look at the highly skilled and highly talented fighter as he begins his quest for world championship glory.

Lucien Reid, from the age of 11 joined Repton Boxing club for 5 years, which lies in the heart of the east end of London, positioned only meters away from where the infamous Kray twins hanged out. This place breads and breathes boxing, the likes of Darren Barker, Anthony Joshua, James Degale and David Haye all trained at this very gym as an amateur. After Repton, Reid moved to West Ham Boys ABC gym for 6 years again sharing the gym with some elite level fighters such as current WBO middleweight champion, Billy Joe Saunders.

It was here that Reid really stepped up in class winning the Senior ABA title at the 56kg Bantamweight division. A year later he reached the senior ABA finals but lost in a close fight to Qais Ashfaq. Ashfaq was one of the GB squad tipped to bring back gold from Rio Olympics 2016 but lost on a very controversial decision for Olympic qualifiers in Doha.

However, in the words of Tyson Fury, ‘an amateur doesn’t mean shit when you turn professional’. One only has to look at the career of Audley Harrison who won gold at the Olympics in 2000 to know that this is the case and although Reid has a solid amateur record his boxing style does not suit the world elite level amateur scene. He carries some serious power which is simply not needed at amateur level due to the points scoring system in place however having a hard punch always does very nicely in the professional ranks.

His ability to throw an unbelievably fast flurry of heavy punches whilst mixing up his shots with seamless ease makes him an extremely exciting fighter to watch. Furthermore, he is in one of the most exciting divisions in the country with the likes of Carl Frampton, Scott Quigg and Kid Galahad all in the same division there are some huge fights for Reid down the line.

If we are honest this Reid is a complete novice having had only the four fights which means that he has a lot of hoops to jump through in order to really prove himself. There is little to take away from his previous fights as they are far from being elite level fighters however there is no denying that Reid has bags of talent and under the guidance of trainer Peter Sims there is no reason why he cannot go all the way. He is my tip to be world champion within the next 5 years and bookies are not far from my thinking offering him at 11/10 to become world champion by 2021.

Sam Metcalfe

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