Boxing
Mike Kimbel: Ready for a wild homecoming
Published
2 months agoon
Author: Sean Crose
When I was a teenage man growing up in Waterbury, Connecticut, in the 1970s and 1980s, sports were king. It seemed like every kid in the neighborhood played on the basketball or baseball team. Fathers, perhaps disappointed that their dreams had not come true, could actually be harsh with their sons and daughters. As a teenage man in Waterbury, I played sports too, but what I loved…what I really loved…was boxing. The problem, of course, was that my mother wouldn’t let me box at the local boys club. If I wanted to box, I had to watch it on TV.
Which I did constantly every chance I got. I really wanted to see boxing live, but as a child my father wasn’t too keen on me being part of the very adult boxing audience. There was no live boxing in Waterbury either. It just wasn’t there. You would think so. Waterbury was a tough town, but unfortunately there was no way to watch professional fights live and in person. Willie Pep once had about 20,000 people in Waterbury Municipal Stadium, but that was long before I was born. There were a lot of boxing fans in Waterbury, but not a lot of boxing fans.
Fortunately, everything will change soon, because on June 6, professional boxing will finally return to Waterbury, and Mike “The Savage” Kimbel will be the main character of the gala at the legendary Palace Theater. To make things even more compelling, Kimbel is from Waterbury himself, so he’ll be performing for a hometown crowd. Of course, the youngster has a lot to lose, but the local player is confident.
“The intensity is still high,” he tells me when I ask how he’s doing as training comes to an end. Originally, one of the opponents was supposed to face Kimbel, but it didn’t work out that way. “He became just like a ghost,” Kimbel says. Fortunately, a up-to-date opponent will step in, which will be good for the teenage athlete hoping to impress his hometown fans.
“I feel amazing,” Kimbel says of the Waterbury fight. He also admitted that the June 6 card was associated with “a bit of the word ‘I told you so’.” Like many teenage children growing up in hard cities and towns, Kimbel had hard times. Suffice it to say, his mother was not joyful with the direction her son’s life was heading.
“My mom was fed up with it,” Kimbel says. Determined to keep her son straight and narrow, Kimbel’s mother took him to the gym. “It kept me out of trouble,” he says. And then some. Kimbel first made a name for himself in mixed martial arts, becoming a Bellator fighter. Eventually, however, he found himself in the squared circle he had always dreamed of.
“It was supposed to be overtime,” he says of his real-life experience in the ring. Needless to say, he fell in love with the sport. “I have always been a huge boxing fan,” he says. Indeed, Kimbel believes that his time in mixed martial arts has done him good. “It carried over,” he tells me. It certainly seems to be the case. Kimbel’s movements in the ring are characterized by natural fluidity. He has an excellent jab that allows him to unleash a powerful law.
However, Kimbel makes it clear that his boxing endeavors are about more than just glory. “I started it for my son,” he says. He also spends time with younger players through the Police Athletic League. “You can see the change in their eyes,” he says of how children, like he once did, began to become familiar with the sport.
While his upcoming performance in Waterbury is satisfying in its own right, Kimbel still feels he still has a lot of growing to do as a professional boxer. “History is still being written,” he says.
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Boxing
Fury vs Joshua Tickets Now Available for Highly Anticipated British Heavyweight Clash
Published
4 hours agoon
July 28, 2026
World Boxing News has found tickets for Tyson Fury’s long-awaited showdown with Anthony Joshua already being offered online despite no official confirmation that Britain’s biggest heavyweight fight has been signed.
Multiple ticket websites are advertising seats for the proposed contest, one complete with seating plans, pricing and availability, despite no official announcement from either fighter or their promoters.
The listingsfor a November 21 clash at Wembley Stadium have fuelled speculation that Fury and Joshua are finally on course to meet after both returned to winning ways this month.
Fury stopped Mariusz Wach in Thailand before Joshua recovered from two first-round knockdowns to halt Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia.
Ticket Listings Raise Questions
One ticket marketplace is already claiming to be selling secondary seats, while another company is taking registrations despite acknowledging that key details are still to be confirmed.
The sale has naturally sparked excitement among fans desperate to see Britain’s biggest heavyweight rivalry finally settled after years of failed negotiations, retirement announcements and missed opportunities.
However, none of the major parties involved in the negotiations have officially confirmed the contest.

Still Plenty to Be Decided
How tickets can be on sale for a fight that isn’t even confirmed is anyone’s guess. While some websites are already advertising Fury vs. Joshua seats, there’s no guarantee any of the details prove accurate until the fight is officially announced.
The proposed staging also raises questions for one obvious reason: the British weather. Holding the biggest fight in UK boxing outdoors at that time of year would be a significant gamble given how unpredictable conditions can be.
Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn proved a major late-autumn event can work when they fought at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last year. However, Fury vs. Joshua is on another level commercially, and risking Britain’s biggest heavyweight showdown in freezing temperatures or heavy rain would be a bold call.
If the fight does happen on British soil during that period, the safest option would surely be a stadium with a roof. That immediately brings Cardiff’s Principality Stadium into the conversation, offering organisers protection from the elements without taking the event away from British fans.
Even then, there remains a strong belief that the powers behind the event would still prefer the United States.
For now, the appearance of tickets is simply the latest twist in a rivalry that has frustrated British boxing fans for years.
Until Fury, Joshua and the promoters officially announce the fight, supporters should treat any ticket listings as speculative, no matter how convincing they appear.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.
Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.
Boxing
Heavyweight Shocks Again: Tyson Fury Left Bloodied and Knocked Out Cold
Published
1 day agoon
July 27, 2026
Otto Wallin, the heavyweight who left Tyson Fury covered in blood and was later stopped by Anthony Joshua, suffered another crushing setback when Vladyslav Sirenko knocked him out cold in the final round of their Zuffa Boxing clash in New York.
Wallin was trailing on all three scorecards before Sirenko landed a devastating right hand followed by a left hook in the closing seconds of the tenth and final round.
The Swedish southpaw crashed to the canvas and remained down long enough for a stretcher to be brought into the ring, although he later sat up and responded to medical staff.
From Tyson Fury Scare To Another Knockout
Wallin’s career has become one of the heavyweight division’s biggest “what if” stories.
In 2019, he came within touching distance of ending Tyson Fury’s unbeaten record after opening a horrific cut above the Briton’s right eye that required 47 stitches. Many believed the contest could have been stopped before Fury battled through to win on points.
Speaking exclusively to World Boxing News three years later, Wallin insisted the fight would have been waved off had the roles been reversed.
“I think the cuts that he had were very bad. He had 47 stitches after the fight. If I had those cuts, the doctors would have stopped the fight, for sure,” Wallin told WBN.
Despite that disappointment, Wallin rebuilt his career by defeating current WBA heavyweight champion Murat Gassiev before earning high-profile clashes with Joshua and Derek Chisora.
His defeat to Joshua ended in a fifth-round stoppage. This latest loss to Sirenko marks the second knockout defeat of Wallin’s career and leaves the 35-year-old facing the toughest questions yet over his future.

Vladyslav Sirenko Scores Career-Best Win
For Sirenko, the victory represented the biggest win of his professional career.
The Ukrainian improved to 23-1 with 20 knockouts by stopping one of the heavyweight division’s most respected contenders after bouncing back from last year’s defeat to Solomon Dacres.
Wallin once looked destined for another world title opportunity after pushing Fury to the brink and defeating future WBA heavyweight champion Murat Gassiev.
Two knockout defeats later, that dream looks further away than ever.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.
Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.
Boxing
Terence Crawford Declares One Current Fighter Unbeatable: He Will Take Over
Published
1 day agoon
July 27, 2026
Terence Crawford believes one man will follow in his footsteps and retire as an unbeaten world champion, essentially becoming a generational great in the process.
‘Bud’ became not only a world champion but a three-division undisputed king, ending his career with a legacy-defining unanimous decision triumph over Canelo Alvarez.
Even before that, Crawford was considered an elite pound-for-pound operator for over a decade, with many believing his most complete performance came against Errol Spence Jr in 2023.
But while the American is perhaps in a class of his own, he nonetheless believes that four-division world champion Shakur Stevenson can achieve a similar degree of success.
The 29-year-old claimed a career-best victory in January, losing just one round as he dethroned Teofimo Lopez with a masterful unanimous decision victory.
Having now signed with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing, though, it remains to be seen whether he defends his WBO super-lightweight title or pursues opportunities elsewhere.
Either way, Crawford has told Fight Hub TV that Stevenson has the mental and physical attributes to remain unbeaten at the highest level.
“I think Shakur [will take over]for sure, Shakur hands down. I think, given the opportunity, he’s going to show the world that he’s the best. His mental, his defense [sets him apart]takes his craft serious. He’s the type of the fighter that you gotta pull out the gym. [Is he beatable?] Not at all. Everybody [is] beatable, but I don’t see nobody beating him.”
Since inking a promotional deal with Zuffa, Stevenson has named Devin Haney and Gervonta Davis as two potential opponents who would cement his greatness.
The slick southpaw could therefore compete anywhere between lightweight and 147lbs, depending on which division offers the most realistic opportunities.
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