Boxing
A shot at the world title awaits Harry Scarff if he overtakes Karen Chukhadzhian
Published
9 months agoon
By
J. HumzaPatience proved to be a virtue for Harry Scarff. After a frustrating start to his career, the British and Commonwealth welterweight champion believes everything is finally falling into place.
On May 17, Scarff fights Karen Chukhadzian in Hamburg in a final eliminator for Jaron Ennis’ IBF title.
Ennis had recently signed a promotional contract with Matchroom, and Scarff (13-2 (3 KO) took a keen interest in the developments, aware that they would aid shape his own future.
Matchroom clearly believes that Ennis (31-0 (28 KO)) is one of the brightest talents in world boxing and will want him to be as evident as possible.
Ennis starts a fight against current IBF mandatory challenger Cody Crowley in Philadelphia on July 13, which means his next mandatory defense won’t be until next April.
If Matchroom decides to promote Ennis as the best welterweight in the world, it could choose to fight the likes of WBA champion Eimantas Stanionis or interim WBC titleholder Mario Barrios, meaning Scarff will be forced to sit and wait for his chance .
If Ennis decided to leave the welterweight division and have a superfight with Terence Crawford at 154 pounds, Scarff would be in a prime position to fight for the vacant title.
Of course, the 30-year-old from Derby must first focus on the not insignificant matter of beating Chukhadzian away, but if he manages to overtake the Ukrainian, he will be able to sit back and wait for developments, secure in the knowledge that the IBF is eminent for sticking to its own rules and that his name will not be pushed aside.
“I hope it will happen quite quickly and we won’t have to wait. The IBF is a good and quite strict governing body, so I’m sure we’ll do something quickly after this conference,” Scarff told BoxingScene.
“It looks like it might work out well. They [Matchroom] I’m really going to push him and push him now. This could work well for me to be in the number one position after this fight. If everything is fine, it will put me in good stead.
“I think this will give me that platform as well. Even after winning the British title, I think I will really gain what I need to be able to shout my name more often. I’ll be number one in the world for Jaron Ennis and also number one in the UK and then I won’t have to say anything else. Everyone will have to start paying attention to me and looking at me. Since we won the belts, no one has still called me by my name because I think everyone knows it’s a risky fight for them.”
Scarff has made rapid progress since leaving the super lightweight division two years ago. Firstly, he impressively overtook the tough Louis Greene to win the English belt, and then achieved his lofty position in the IBF by defeating long-reigning British and Commonwealth champion Ekow Essuman.
Manchester’s Liam Taylor is next in line to take Scarff’s British title and is busy waiting for the British Boxing Board of Control to set a date for his fight, but given he holds the most prestigious title in a busy national league, Scarff’s name is rarely comes up in conversation.
Everything would almost certainly change if he defeated Chukhadzian and took the number one spot in the IBF, but after years of making himself available to everyone at 147 pounds and 154 pounds, Scarff would be the one calling the shots and, from the sound of it, I wouldn’t appreciate being seen as a shortcut to world class.
“Everyone was mute. I haven’t heard anything from Ekow about a rematch. I haven’t heard anything from Chris Kongo other than he thinks he’s above the national level, which I think is bullshit when he lost twice to a domestic opponent. Everyone else too, my name isn’t said very often,” he said.
“Promoters have their own programs where they can go down different routes using different ranking lanes. If you ask me, that’s something that hasn’t helped boxing over the last few years.
“They know they are doing it wisely because they can avoid the risky fight and take the easier route. I get that, but the real essence of the game is beating the best, and if you say you’re the best in the UK, then you have to fight the British champion and prove it, right? You should want to prove it too.
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Boxing
Ryan Rozicki is waiting for Badou Jack’s consent to mandatory cooperation with the WBC
Published
5 days agoon
January 13, 2025The World Boxing Council (WBC) ordered world cruiserweight champion Badou “The Ripper” Jack (20-1-1, 19 KO) to make a mandatory title defense against Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1), number 1 in the WBC ranking – 1, 19 KOs).
If both camps fail to successfully negotiate an agreement, the WBC will organize a tender on February 4, followed by the Jack vs. Rozicki. Rozicki’s promoter, Three Lions Promotions, immediately sent Team Jacek an offer to promote the fight in Canada last week.
“We are waiting for their counteroffer,” explained promoter Dan Otter of Three Lions Promotions. “Boxing has had a huge resurgence in Canada and Ryan is leading the way. He is one of the most electrifying and hardest-hitting fighters in boxing, definitely in the cruiserweight division. He wants the WBC green belt and ultimately the unification of the division. Ryan will fight Jack anywhere for the belt.”
29-year-old Rozicki, born in Sydney (Nova Scotia) and living in Hamilton (Ontario), fought 22 professional fights against 21 different opponents (twice against Yamil Alberto Peralta), stopping 19 of the 20 opponents he defeated. an eye-opening 95-KO percentage.
Jack, 41, was a 2008 Olympian representing his native Sweden. He is a three-division world champion, as well as the WBC super middleweight and World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight heavyweight title holder. Jack has a record of 5-0-2 (2 KO) in world championship fights.
“We respect Jack and I don’t want to sound disrespectful,” Otter added, “but he’s over 40 years vintage and has been relatively inactive for two years (only one fight). He brings a lot of experience and respect to the ring, but he will fight a newborn defender with a lot of power. Jack is going to struggle and honestly, I don’t think he’ll make it past the first few rounds.”
Ryan Rozicki is on a mission to become the first Canadian cruiserweight world champion.
The next move is Badou Jack’s.
Boxing
Floyd Mayweather’s record is not normal, it can’t happen in 70 years
Published
6 days agoon
January 12, 2025Floyd Mayweather’s incredible 50-0 record is not normal and cannot be repeated in sports for another seventy years.
This is the view of Saudi Arabian president Turki Alalshikh, who wants to adopt the UFC model in which fighters lose many fights during their career.
In a speech as he hosted the Ring Magazine Awards after acquiring the long-running boxing publication from Oscar De La Hoya, Alalshikh was unequivocal in his opinion.
“Now losing some fights in boxing must be normal,” he explained. “All fighters want a career similar to Floyd Mayweather – no losses. This may happen once every 50, 60 or 70 years.
“We need it [to be] like currently in the UFC model, where champions lose and win,” added the matchmaker during the Riyad season.
Mayweather rose through the sport in the tardy 1990s to become one of its youngest superstars. Mayweather’s professional success came after winning a bronze medal at the Olympics after losing to Serafim Todorov.
Winning world titles in five weight classes, Mayweather was untouchable. The Grand Rapids native only came close to defeat a few times. He dominated Manny Pacquiao and overtook Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya after heated debates, with decisions that should have been made unanimously.
Towards the end of his career, Mayweather chose to face Andre Berto and Conor McGregor, easily winning and ending his boxing career at the age of 50 without ever going out. Calling himself “the greatest of all time,” Mayweather earned first-ballot Hall of Fame honors and is widely considered one of, if not the greatest defensive fighter of all time.
However, Alalshikh says this type of career needs to end so that fans can get the most out of boxing, as is the case with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Boxing needs to become more attractive, and Alalshikh sees the failures of top stars as a way to keep interest at an all-time high.
In this sport, many boxers enjoy undefeated streaks, the most notable of which is Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian Pound for Pound King is 23-0 and has beaten the best he has to offer in his division and cruiserweight classification.
It remains a mystery how Alalshikh plans to make Usyk suffer while he dominates everyone else. By the time his grand plan goes into action, Usyk will be long gone, and Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney may be more realistic targets.
Boxing
Manny Pacquiao remains the favorite to win the title against Mario Barrios
Published
2 weeks agoon
January 6, 2025WBN understands that despite alternative options emerging, it is more likely that Manny Pacquiao will face Mario Barrios next.
Bob Santos, coach of WBC welterweight champion Barrios, told World Boxing News that he is currently in contact with Pacquiao’s team. Asked by WBN if he had spoken to Pacquiao or representatives of any other challenger, Santos replied: “Yes, Pacquiao’s promoter, Sean Gibbons.” Pressed on whether Barrios vs Pacquiao might happen next, he added: “It’s challenging to say. We’ll have to see how this plays out.”
WBN contacted Santos after Conor Benn emerged as a potential alternative to Barrios. The British fighter, who recently returned from a suspension following two positive drug tests, is keen to return to competition.
Benn showed favor with the World Boxing Council at the recent WBC Convention, the WBC Evaluation Committee and during an interview with the sanctioning body over the weekend. “The Destroyer” is ranked second in the rankings at 147 pounds, despite less than solid opponents during his time in exile, during which Benn competed twice in the United States while his career in the United Kingdom was in doubt.
As he battled to clear his name and with the British Anti-Doping Authority finding no evidence that Benn had intentionally taken ostarine, the 28-year-old’s career took a pointed nosedive. Despite this, he remains highly rated and at least one step away from fighting for an eliminator or one of the remaining championship titles.
However, Pacquiao remains Barrios’ favorite. Now it’s up to the boxing legend and Hall of Famer who got the first votes to secure his shot. WBN believes a July date – most likely at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas – is the most realistic date for a Nevada swan song.
Pacquiao could extend his record as the oldest welterweight champion by six years if he can secure a huge victory over the 29-year-old world champion. At 46 years antique, such a scenario remains unlikely, but he can never be compared to one of the greatest players of this generation.
Unlike heavier boxers and his training regiment, Pacquiao looks in great shape despite his advanced age. Everything is set for a massive return to the boxing capital of the world, provided Pacquiao and his team can manage his political ambitions, which are expected to run from this month until May. After that time, Pacquiao could find himself in the summer finals and become the all-time champion, regardless of the result.
Barrios is based in the city, where he trained with Santos, and would be the perfect opponent to see out the career of one of the greatest fighters in history.
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