Dispatch from Consett amateur show

Andrew Harrison
28/02/2016 9:44am

On the eve of the Carl Frampton vs Scott Quigg megamatch in Manchester, Boxing Monthly took a break from the pre-fight brouhaha in favour of some grassroots action at an amateur dinner show in Consett - the one-time epicentre of Britain’s steel industry situated on the outskirts of County Durham. Local heroes – world cup winner and national institution Jack Charlton OBE and former bantamweight world titlist Stuart Hall - were on hand to present trophies, draw raffles and generally help the night go with a swing. Big Jack proved as popular as ever – as did the replica world cup he was presented with that ended up becoming something of a celebrity in its own right. At 80 now and no longer the towering physical presence of his youth, he seemed happy under the watchful eye of his eldest son John. Sipping beer, he was keen to talk about fishing and flashed some of his old dry wit when catching Hall off-guard with: “Where are you from son, Darlington? Well, you’d have to fight to get out of there…”

Frampton expects night of the Jackal

Andrew Harrison
27/02/2016 11:40am

Listening to Carl Frampton ooze confidence ahead of his showdown with long-time rival Scott Quigg on 27 February, a coolness delivered in his deep and authoritative Ulster dialect, makes it hard to believe that the UK’s first super fight of 2016 will be anything other than a celebratory affair in Belfast.

Quigg obsessed with boxing, convinced of victory

Shaun Brown
26/02/2016 11:28am

Scott Quigg doesn't need a dating profile. He's happily in love with his fiancée Beverly. If he did have one there would be certain character traits that would jump out at potential romantic suitors. They would read about a man who is obsessed with his job, a man who spends every possible minute in his office and a man who chose to work on Christmas Day in continuing his strive for perfection and to be the best at what he does. The 27-year-old WBA super-bantamweight champion is obsessed with his craft and makes no effort to hide the fact. Without his yearn for perfection then he wouldn't be where he is today. By late Saturday night in Manchester the boxing world will know who is better: Scott Quigg or (IBF champion) Carl Frampton. "I know the type of person [Frampton] is," Quigg (31-0-2, 23 KOs) told Boxing Monthly ahead of this weekend’s showdown at the Manchester Arena. "I know the mistakes he’s going to make and they will cost him in this fight. I know him as a person and he’ll fall for what I set up for him.”

Belfast calling for Burnett

Shaun Brown
25/02/2016 3:07am

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35HTSuKSh-M

On 27 February at Manchester Arena there will be an air of expectancy, an atmosphere that will crackle with anticipation and spread through thousands of people who have waited years to see Carl Frampton and Scott Quigg battle in a squared circle. Beforehand, an undercard will have come and gone featuring fighters who dream of being one side of such a magnificent main event in the future. One of those is Northern Ireland bantamweight Ryan Burnett (12-0, 9 KOs). A 23-year-old baby-faced assassin who hails from Belfast, a fighting city that has produced world champions such as Rinty Monaghan, Johnny Caldwell and, of course, Carl Frampton. Burnett is tipped as the man who will be king at 118lbs one day and overcame the first hurdle in doing so when he captured the British bantamweight title in November. A 12-round shut-out of 38-year-old warhorse Jason Booth. “[Trainer] Adam [Booth] wants me to be ranked in the top 10 with all boards by the end of 2016,” Burnett told Boxing Monthly when we spoke to the new British champion recently. “I have no doubt whatsoever that I will take over the bantamweight division.”

Errol Spence Jr: The next big thing

Mark Butcher
24/02/2016 10:59am

For many aficionados of the fight game, Errol Spence is boxing’s ‘next big thing’ and heir apparent to the pound-for-pound crown recently abdicated by Floyd Mayweather. Expectations rarely weigh heavier, but few dispute the potential of the gifted boxer-puncher, perhaps prophetically, dubbed ‘The Truth’. Boxing royalty are among Spence’s advocates with Mayweather and Sugar Ray Leonard each backing the talented 25-year-old to replicate their ascent to the summit of world boxing. These lofty predictions might be a hindrance for some but the cool Texan southpaw takes such plaudits in his stride. “It makes me feel good. It shows that my hard work has been paying off and all those long days staying disciplined in the gym have turned out well,” Spence recently told BM over the phone from his training camp at the R&R Boxing Gym in Dallas. “Floyd Mayweather and Sugar Ray Leonard have both been the best fighter in the sport so for them to show high regard for me means a lot - that these kind of boxers are backing me.

Scott Quigg: The quest for perfection

John A. MacDonald
23/02/2016 11:30am

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crmy7aJ34MA

At 9:30am on Christmas morning, when the majority of the country was either still in a deep slumber or excitedly pulling off colourful wrapping paper to reveal gifts from loved ones, Scott Quigg was in the gym. For the fighter from Bury, Christmas was cancelled; 25 December was just another day in training camp in preparation for his unification bout with IBF junior featherweight champion Carl Frampton on 27 February at  Manchester Arena. As his family and friends gathered, as they do each year for Christmas dinner, Quigg (31-0-2, 23 KOs) ate alone. While others were feasting on turkey and all the trimmings, it was Salmon and vegetables for him. Some may perceive this as sacrifice but for the 27-year-old WBA 122lbs champion, it was perfect. Quigg is possessed by an all-consuming desire to become the best. This isn’t hardship to him, but simply what must be done. “I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. It couldn’t have been any better for me,” Quigg told Boxing Monthly over the phone from his home. “When people say to me: ‘Do you make sacrifices?’  I say: ‘No.’ Because sacrifices are something you want to do but can’t do because you’ve got to do something else but I really didn’t want do anything else other than what I did - being in the gym. I didn’t sacrifice Christmas as it wasn’t appealing to me this year. It didn’t mean anything to me.”

Richard Commey: Out of Africa

Danny Winterbottom
20/02/2016 11:25am

The Essex town of Harlow is a far cry from the hot and bustling streets of Accra, Ghana, but this is where unbeaten lightweight contender Richard Commey has called home since he arrived in the UK in 2012 with the help of his manager and gym owner, Mickey Amoo-Bediako. Amoo-Bediako, a Brit with family roots firmly embedded in the West African nation, has been the proprietor of the SW Pro Gym in Loughton, Essex, for four years. Commey has honed his boxing skills there with his trainer Carl Lokko and sparring sessions with Ricky Burns and Carl Frampton have helped him to an impressive 23-0 resume with 21 of those victories coming by KO.

Ranking the heavyweights: reflecting on numbers 38-30

Luke G. Williams
20/02/2016 11:01am

Now that Boxing Monthly’s ‘Ranking the Heavyweights’ series has completed the rankings from 38-30, I thought it was an apt time to reflect on those boxers who finished in the lowest reaches of the chart, from Marvin Hart who came 38th (and last) up to Primo Carnera in 30th.

Pugilism not vandalism

Paul Zanon
19/02/2016 6:47pm

If I asked you to correlate the connection between boxing and the surname Sheeran, you would probably start to scratch your head and think – ‘worlds apart?!’ Boxing Monthly caught up with Jethro Sheeran – musician, avid boxing fan and cousin to Ed - to discover the uncanny connection which unravels into decades of bona fide pugilistic heritage.

Michael Montero rants: Fallout over Manny Pacquiao comments

Michael Montero & Tiffany Lam
19/02/2016 6:42pm

Michael Montero sounds off on the reaction to Manny Pacquiao's insensitive comments about gay marriage from the media, fans and celebrities like Magic Johnson. After a decade-long sponsorship deal with Nike, the massive corporation severed ties with Pacman following the media fallout.