Chisora-Haye: Grudge match confirmed

British fight fans have finally got their wish. The grudge match between Derek Chisora and David Haye
has been confirmed for July 14 at Upton Park.

Haye and Chisora famously brawled at a press conference in Munich following Chisora’s points loss to Vitali Klitschko. That “memorable” video can be see below.

Following the press conference brawl, Chisora boxing license was revoked by the BBBoC while Haye hasn’t held a boxing license since retiring following his points decision loss to Wladimir Klitschko.

The fight has been sanctioned (I’m not quite sure how) by the Luxembourg Boxing Federation.

An all British clash, held in Britain sanctioned by the Luxembourg Boxing Federation. I’m not quite sure how it works but I’m not complaining.

The build up is going to be electrifying and hopefully we’ll end up with a main event that is worth it and not the dud that was with Haye’s previous two fights (Wladimir and Fraudley Harrison).

There is clearly animosity between the pair, with the a steel fence having to be placed between them during the entire press conference and as they faced-off. (pictured below)

Below is a video of the full press conference (courtesy of iFilmLondon) between Derek Chisora and David Haye.

I won’t be making a prediction just yet, I’ll wait until nearer the fight for that but this is a chance for you guys to say how you feel.

Who do you think will win? Who do you want to win? Do you agree that this fight should take place? And if you don’t think it should, please tell us why you think that.

Imtech Arena to host Haye-Klitschko

Klitschko v Haye: Finally on

David Haye’s long awaited unification bout with Wladimir Klitschko will finally take place in Hamburg on July 2nd.

The fight will take place at the Imtech Arena, home to Hamburg FC, where Haye will take on the WBO and IBF champion almost two years after the fight was originally scheduled but cancelled due to Haye pulling out with a back injury.

Haye has been baiting the Klitschko brothers ever since stepping up to the heavyweight division and will now have his chance to prove to everyone that he is as good as he says he is. There is no doubt the Klitschko brothers have been angered by Haye’s continuous taunts and Wladimir will head into this fight more pumped up than ever.

This fight promises to be a fantastic clash and with Wladimir admitting that he wants’ to knock Haye out, we could well see a different approach from the usually conservative champion.

This is a massive chance for Wladimir to silence a lot of experts and fans who have been critical of his choice of opponents and style of fighting. We all know Wladimir has been down before so the question is; will he have enough to deal with Haye’s speed and power?

We all know what this fight means to David Haye. If he wins it goes someway to cementing his legacy in the sport, lose and he’ll probably be remembered for being a loud mouth who knocked out Audley Harrison. Will Haye have enough tactical nous and skill to penetrate the Wladimir jab?

One thing is for sure; the build up to fight promises to be explosive.

Froch: A free agent

WBC Super Middleweight Champion: Carl Froch

Carl Froch has officially confirmed his split from Hennessy Sports promotions.

There have been rumours for weeks but the WBC super middleweight champion has confirmed the split from long time promoter Mick Hennessy.

I’ve been a long time fan of Carl Froch and firmly believe this could be the best thing to happen to him. For one reason or the other, Froch has not received the backing from British fans or TV stations, while the likes of David Haye, Amir Khan and even Audley Harrison have received fantastic backing from the TV stations.

Froch has admitted he’ll promote himself for his next two fights, which are already mapped out in the Super Six tournament, but once that is over I believe one of the big UK boxing promoters should step in and sign Froch up. He is a fantastic fighter who never backs down from a challenge and is always in exciting fights; he is a promoters dream in my eyes.

If I was Ricky Hatton, I’d be straight on the phone to Carl and sign him up. He is just the sort of fighter Hatton needs to help his promotion company; he could be their star name.

And Hatton could do wonders for Froch too. Hatton is probably the most popular British boxer in history and his popularity could definitely help Froch gain the wider exposure he deserves.

Whatever happens, I really hope Froch does get some better exposure because he has been greatly under appreciated by British fans for far too long.

Hennessy Sports wins purse bids

Fury: Bring on Chisora

Hennessy Sports has won the rights to stage the highly anticipated heavyweight clash between fellow Brits Tyson Fury and Derek Chisora.

Hennessy Sports outbid Frank Warren at the British Boxing Board  of Control’s Cardiff offices yesterday. They must now set a date for the fight (which will be for Chisora’s British title) within 14 days.

Fury’s promoter Mick Hennessy told Hennessysports.com: “I’m delighted to announce that Hennessy Sports have won the rights to stage this well talked about mega fight and as per BBBofC rules we will be announcing the date and venue for this contest within the next 14 days.”

Fury also told the website: “Del boy has got no excuses now, my promoter has just handed him by far the biggest purse of his career and if he pulls out of this fight now in my opinion he will prove himself to be a right plonker.”

Now this fight, if it goes ahead, would a fantastic opportunity for these fighters to really put their name on the heavyweight map.

I know Chisora was lined up to face Wladimir Klitschko but that has fallen through now and this is going to be a tough task for him. Chisora will be hurting not only from the cancellation of the fight, but because David Haye has stolen a march and got his shot at Wladimir ahead of him. This fight against Fury will give ‘Del Boy’ the chance to show he is mentally tough to hack it at the elite level.

Now whenever I’ve seen Fury (which hasn’t been a great deal), I haven’t been too impressed. For his size and frame I feel as though he should be dominating his opponents more. He has all the ingredients to make it to the top but I wonder if his mind is truly focussed on the job. But legendary trainer Emmanuel Steward believes in him and this is his chance to really go out there and make a statement.

The last time there was a grudge match between two British heavyweights for the British title, it was when Audley Harrison squared off against Danny Williams. Now I’m expecting this fight to be much better as there does seem to be a bit of needle between the two and there has been a lot of talk, even before the purse bid was won.

Well soon enough the time for talking will be over and these two will have to step up to the plate but the question is; who will it be?

Be sure to keep checking back for the latest news regarding this fight.

Vitali on standby

Vitali could step in

The Klitschko brothers are at it again as Vitali Klitschko is on standby to take over from David Haye if younger brother Wladimir is ruled out.

The Klitschko brothers are known for being master match-makers and coming up with these unbelievable contracts where the ball is always in their court.

Now some of you might believe it is their choice and right as they are the champions but if Haye has to sign a contract with Wladimir that states if he is unable to make the fight and Vitali can step in, then the boxing world has really gone to cloud cuckoo land.

The contract that was drawn up for fellow Brit challenger Derek Chisora was laughable enough (if he beat Wladimir, he would have to fight Vitali in his second fight and give Wladimir a re-match) but this really would take the biscuit.

Personally I think that Haye should fight either one of them, his legacy wouldn’t be secure as a heavyweight without either fight. He would just be known as the man who beat up on Audley Harrison for a round.

I believe that if Haye signs a contract to fight Wladimir and then for some odd reason Wladimir cannot make the fight, then he should be stripped of his title. He pulled out of two proposed fights with Derek Chisora and hasn’t fought, let alone defended his title since he beat Samuel Peter back in September of last year (which again was a joke of a fight).

Then there should be a separate contract drawn up for Haye-Vitali. But we all know that Haye will have to sign the contract for Wladimir stating that Vitali can step in if he is injured because Haye needs this fight. Don’t get me wrong, the Klitschkos’ need it too but Haye more so.

He was the one that was supposed to light up the heavyweight division, bringing back the glamour. Heck, Golden Boy Promotions are even behind him. But the sad thing is, and something people seem to forget is, Haye says he’ll retire by his 31st birthday.

So even if he does unify the division, once Haye turns 31 the belts will go right back to the Klitschkos’ and the division will be back to normal.

The contracts have yet to be signed, with talks between managers Adam Booth and Bernd Boente, so there will be plenty of twists and turns left in this tale. That is one thing I’m certain of.

Keep checking back for the latest information regarding this heavyweight clash.

Have your say below.