The Hayemaker is back! And we’re offering two lucky winners a pair of tickets each to David Haye’s eagerly anticipated comeback fight against Mark De Mori which takes place on Saturday 16th January at the O2 Arena in London. Just answer the following question for a chance to win.
2015 was a fine year for British boxing. So good, in fact, that - when the annual gongs were handed out - Ryan Farrag’s thrilling stoppage of Stephane Jamoye to claim the European bantamweight title barely earned a mention. In any other year, the Liverpudlian’s against the odds knockout victory would have gained much more attention. “I don’t mind that it’s happened this way. This is my journey, isn’t it?” Farrag told Boxing Monthly. “I’m not gonna moan about it and I don’t mind being underrated and coming in under the radar."
With CREED released in the UK on 15 January, Luke G. Williams re-examines cinema’s greatest boxing hero - the one and only Rocky Balboa - for Boxing Monthly Online. Today, he casts a critical eye over the first entry in the series, the multi-award-winning ROCKY …
The biggest fight coming up in Canada is the Jean Pascal-Sergey Kovalev rematch of their 2015 ‘fight of the year’ candidate, which also took place in Montreal. In their first meeting, Pascal was stopped inside eight rounds. What could make this fight more interesting is that Pascal is now training full-time with master trainer Freddie Roach, something he believes will help him defeat the ominous Russian.
David Haye may be in fighting shape for his comeback on 16 January but his career and his relationship with certain corners of the boxing public isn’t in the condition that it used to be. A career threatening shoulder injury has been overcome, a new trainer (Shane McGuigan) is in place and ‘The Home of Witty Banter’ (Dave TV) has picked up the rights to his first fight in three-and-a-half years. Yes, ‘The Hayemaker’ is back. Three years older, the personality just as engaging and the confidence flowing as well as ever. Haye fights Mark De Mori at the O2 Arena, London, in the hope that he is still the wrecking ball he once was. Despite not wishing to look beyond the Croatian-based Aussie there is no doubt that something of a 12-month plan is in place at Haye HQ. “All I can do is focus on this one guy and not look too far into the future. It’s bad luck to do so, to plan out too far ahead,” Haye told Boxing Monthly. “If I stick to the schedule I’ve got in my head, I’ll have three fights, three spectacular wins and I’ll be knocking on the door for titles and eliminators."
Michael Montero revisits last year's Mayweather-Pacquiao showdown and highlights the many misconceptions reported to this day. He provides round-by-round analysis including corrections to the inaccurate punch stats compiled by CompuBox.
New York City holds a special place in the hearts of many boxing fans. It was at the centre of the sport during its golden age and Madison Square Garden is still a draw for many fans in itself. The city has always produced top quality boxers and one of boxing’s other famous names, Gleason’s Gym, has long been at the heart of that. “[The gym) started in 1937 and its first champions were Phil Terranova and Jake LaMotta,” current owner Bruce Silverglade told Boxing Monthly, during a hectic festive period. “The gym was hot from the beginning but really took off when the famed Stillman's Gym went out of business in 1954.”
There is a building in Cardiff that lies adjacent to an industrial estate. As you head through the doors and up the stairs, you will hear the rhythmic sounds of a busy boxing gym. The sound of skipping ropes sweeping across the floor, throwing dust and sweat into the air, gloves hitting bags and fighters grunting encouragement to each over as they go through their calisthenics. This gym is home to a pack: an alpha dog, his top dogs and a bunch of eager pups snapping at their heels. They are led by Gary Lockett, a former world middleweight title challenger who retired with a 30-2 (21 KOs) record after losing to then-champion Kelly Pavlik in 2008 (TKO 3); he told Boxing Monthly that this particular pack is pushing each other towards success.
Stephen ‘Swifty’ Smith is quite possibly the toughest accountant in the world. The IBF’s No.1 contender at 130lbs is equally adept at crunching numbers as he is crippling left hooks to the body. There were times the Liverpool man, a qualified accountant, pondered his future in the fight game after suffering a succession of injuries and a debilitating double dose of kidney stones, but he never stopped believing.
Boxing Monthly’s World and British rankings for January 2016 are explained by Colin Harris, our in-house ratings statistician. Trainer, fighter, manager and promoter queries are welcome.
With similar chiselled physiques, some mannerisms and - of course - the same name, it is simple to draw comparisons between Chris Eubank and his son, Chris Eubank Jr. Despite the commonalities, there are also many differences between father and son; both in and out of the ring. While some would feel the weight of expectation at being measured against one the best boxers this country has produced, Eubank Jr takes it in his stride. With a steely determination, an unwavering self-belief and clear direction, Jr is very much his own man and believes in time he will be judged on his own merit. “People will always compare us as we have the same name, in the same sport,” Eubank Jr told Boxing Monthly. “I will never be able to escape people comparing us so I let them do what they want to do, say what they want to say and I just get on with business. I’m my own man, I know what I am, my fans know who I am and that’s good enough for me."
