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Ryan Walsh hopes for war with Reece Mould

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Ryan Walsh’s principles have probably held him back for years.

The former long-time British featherweight champion has always placed a higher value on glory and honour than money and fame, and his absolute refusal to turn down a challenge has seen him quickly get into situations that other fighters would have skillfully avoided.

But Walsh always wanted to do things right.

“I stopped cheating at Monopoly and other games since I was a kid because if I have to cheat to win, then I don’t want to play. ANDIt’s not witty, is it? I’m the ultimate cheater, wow,” he told BoxingScene.

“As kids, we quickly learned that if you’re the banker, you win at Monopoly and that’s it. You had unlimited funds. So no, it’s not for me.

“I play Call of Duty on my PC. I know for a fact that there are tons of cheaters out there and I still can’t figure out how you guys have fun. Real Xbox and PlayStation players can’t cheat, they can’t buy mods. They can actually put mods on the joypad, but they generally can’t cheat. But these computer gamers are idiots, I hate them. I’m part of the PC scene and that’s where the problem lies, but I can’t cheat, so I don’t look for things like that to do.

“I can’t fathom how much joy you can get from this, from the smallest thing to the largest.

“I will never understand the mindset of a con artist. I can’t understand it. AND I want to be able to do it with my own hands.

“If I can’t do it, I can’t do it. No problem, but I won’t cheat to do it.

Walsh, 28-4-2 (12 KOs), is 38 and has boxed only three times since losing to Jazza Dickens in the final of the Golden Contract MTK featherweight tournament in 2020, but he has never stopped looking for a fight. The following year he did what no other fighter in the UK would do and paid the price for a fight with the tough, threatening Scot Ronnie Clarke. He then moved up to lightweight and lost on points to the in-form Maxie Hughes.

The language in the previous paragraph needs to be cleaned up a bit. Walsh wasn’t looking for a fight. He was looking for a proper fight.

For most of the 38-year-old former champions, that means either a one-sided farewell performance in front of their home fans or a chance to make a name for themselves on a large stage that is neatly packaged as the kind of payday loan that soothes bruised pride when things go south.

Ryan Walsh is not your typical player.

Before he retires, Walsh wants to find someone who can test him as a fighter, but also as a man. He wants to be tired and hurt. He wants to be in a desperate situation where others might be tempted to cheat themselves and look for an simple way out, and he wants to go through it and win honestly.

On September 27th Walsh will travel to Sheffield to fight Reece Mould (18-2 (6 KO)). It is certain that after 16 years of professional career he may find exactly what he was looking for.

“I never got around to telling anyone but I agreed to fight Henry Turner at welterweight but the board obviously did the right thing and gave the Commonwealth champion [Jack Rafferty] injection. But I agreed to it,” he said.

“I just liked the idea of ​​10 stone (140lbs) because I’m a little under 11. I feel best at probably 10 stone, six or seven, so I thought it was a win-win situation for me. I’ll get in the ring, I won’t put on a lot of weight and I’m known for coping well with it. So I thought, this guy’s struggling. I’m going to kick him in the gut, whatever, and that’s when it fell out of the bed.”

“It was a shot to the bone. It was a fight. I want to fight and I trained, but I had two or three weeks of excitement, but as soon as it came, it went. It was just nice to be excited and be in the gym, but this is so much better.

“He’s a lightweight. The style is better. He’s an orthodox fighter. He said stupid things. I don’t think he believes it, but let’s see if he can rely on it, because you can’t tell me you think…” Walsh stops in his tracks and has to collect himself before he can finish the sentence.

“Liam [Walsh’s brother, the talented former world title challenger] “he told me he could stop me.”

Walsh is simultaneously furious, disgusted, intrigued and excited by the idea.

Furious and disgusted because, despite being beaten by the clever and cunning left-handers Hughes, Dickens and Lee Selby, he doesn’t believe anyone could muster the slightest evidence to suggest he can be stopped, but intrigued and excited because maybe, just maybe, Mould will want to try.

“I thought to myself, what? A cheeky p*ss. What does he mean he can stop me?” he said. “I didn’t believe it. I’m sitting across from him. He’s looking away from me. He’s very nervous. He doesn’t believe what he’s saying. He doesn’t believe it. It’s one thing to back yourself up, but he doesn’t believe he can knock me out. I don’t believe he believes it. He just says it.

“I don’t know why he says that. It’s a mystery to me, but it’s good, because when he said it, I said, ‘Thank you for saying that, because if I ever looked past you or around you or didn’t take you seriously…'”

“Two men did it. James Tennyson did it, and the Cuban [Hairon Socarras] Done.

“The Cuban did it after the first round. I give it to him in the first round, and at the end of the round he said, ‘I’m going to knock you out.’ I went back to the corner. I thought, ‘He just said he’s going to knock me out.’ It was crazy. He’s going to knock me out, right? This guy was sitting across from me. He didn’t look me in the eye when he said it.”

Walsh stopped the threatening Tennyson in five rounds in 2016, and in 2019 he dominated Socarras in nine rounds.

Socarras may not have believed what he was saying, but Mould has yet to prove himself a liar. The 29-year-old is frustrating his team by making life more complex for himself than necessary, leaving his skills in the gym and relying too much on his determination and love of fighting. He had a good fight with Gary Cully last November – he was clearly extremely unlucky to lose a split decision – but the moment he senses that his opponent is willing to stick with him, he is likely to abandon his game plan and fight.

Walsh’s pursuit may have finally come to an end.

“That’s simple to say. Let’s try to do it. If he can get in the middle of the ring and come fight me, hallelujah,” Walsh said.

“That’s all I can ask for. Honestly, I still don’t believe it because I feel like I asked for it. Before this fight, I remember telling my brothers that I had been through my career and I wasn’t in bad shape.

“I tried Cuban. I tried Tennyson. I tried Darren Traynor. They didn’t have it for me. Maybe he [Mould] will be in the lightweight division. I want to fight. I want to be involved in one of them.

“Let’s see if he can do it. If you fight me and declare war on me, I think that’s barbaric.”

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Boxing

George Kambosos moves up to 140, adds Eddie Hearn to team

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George Kambosos beats Teofimo

Former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos approached promoter Eddie Hearn asking for more massive fights.

Kambosos has signed a co-promotional deal with Eddie Hearn, under which the Greek-Australian slugger will continue his association with DiBella Entertainment Inc. and his own company, Ferocious Promotions.

The 21-3 star will move up to the super lightweight division of Matchroom Boxing’s lively division. He aims to become a two-weight world champion in early 2025, and as part of the deal, a title fight is promised as long as he continues to win.

Since his stunning victory over Teofimo Lopez, Kambosos has never shied away from competing against the best. Those three losses on his resume came to Devin Haney [twice] and Vasily Lomachenko, all at home and all for world titles.

The 31-year-old is now set to face compatriot Liam Paro after defending his IBF title against Richardson Hitchins in December in Puerto Rico.

“I am thrilled to be working with Matchroom Boxing. I am excited to have signed a three-way promotional cooperation agreement with my long-time promoter DiBella Entertainment Inc. and Ferocious Promotions,” Kambosos said.

“I made great success and history when I moved up the Matchroom shows by winning my UK elimination fight against Lee Selby. The most noteworthy and unforgettable is my victory against Teofimo at Madison Square Garden in Up-to-date York to become the 135-pound world champion.

“I am officially announcing that I will be moving up to 140 pounds and signing with Matchroom will ensure my continued success and the legacy I want to leave in the sport of boxing.”

Hearn, who adds an experienced campaigner to his stable, added: “I am delighted to welcome George to the team. George’s victory over Teofimo tore up the script and showed that George was the man for the massive time. He has proven to be a huge attraction in Australia and one of the real driving forces behind the rapid growth of boxing Down Under.

“The 140-pound division is full of massive names and massive potential fights. Adding George to the mix only elevates the level, and a possible fight with Liam Paro is a truly appetizing prospect. If Liam manages to win in a great fight against Richardson on December 7th [the fight could be on].

Lou DiBella, who has worked with Kambosos for years, said: “I’m glad I was able to make a deal with my antique buddy Eddie to work with George Kambosos Jr. and Ferocious Promotions.

“Throughout his career, George has been a fighter who has never shied away from a challenge, and now he wants to test himself against top junior welterweights.

Matchroom works with top 140-pounders, including George’s compatriot Liam Paro, and, like DiBella Entertainment, is heavily invested in Australia.

“It’s a natural partnership,” added the Up-to-date Yorker.

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Mike Tyson had absolutely no chance of knocking out Jake Paul

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Mike Tyson comeback black

One of the hottest topics surrounding Mike Tyson’s return at the age of 58 was the possibility of the boxing legend scoring a knockout of Jake Paul.

WBN has weighed in on this topic several times, questioning the validity of five-second training clips that revealed nothing about Tyson’s abilities at this overdue age. One of the most intriguing observations during the preparations was the opinion of UFC commentator Daniel Cormier.

Speaking on his show “Funky and the Champ,” Cormier reflected on Tyson’s social media videos and offered an informed opinion on the meaning of the clips.

“I understand that [he is in amazing shape at 58]and I understand what he is saying [he feels as though he can compete]– Cormier said. “And I agree that when he hits the pads with Rafael Cordeiro, it looks like there’s still something left in him.

“But then I watch Jake Paul fight Mike Perry. I saw Jake Paul get overwhelmed to the point where he started to feel uncomfortable. It looked like Mike Perry had a chance. But Jake has a reserve tank he can go to and benefit from because he’s 28 years ancient. Then he comes back and finally finishes Mike Perry.

“At the beginning of the fight, Mike Perry gets beaten up and dropped. He looks trained and unmatched. This worries me because what if it looks like a 58-year-old man fighting a 28-year-old man while Mike can’t employ the backup tank to stay and compete with this newborn kid? I think it’s a failure for Jake Paul because if you beat Mike Tyson, everyone will love him.

He added: “What if Mike knocks him out? It’s over. Everything is ready. This would be the backfire of all time. If he gets knocked out, nothing like that has ever happened in the history of the sport.”

Unfortunately for Tyson, this revenge backfired spectacularly, as the former heavyweight champion’s return was the only event that bombed. Tyson had nothing left twenty years after he had nothing left in his tank and no desire to box in his mind.

Paul parlayed this into a money-making scheme that would forever be a success for him and his company, but would be poorly received by the die-hard boxing fraternity.

Cormier’s words resonate, especially after what happened in the ring when Mike Tyson struggled to shift into first gear, warning former fighters thinking about returning after 50.

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Lauren Price looks to win Jonas vs Habazin with an undercard victory

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Lauren Price

Lauren Price MBE will defend her world title for the first time on Saturday, December 14 at the Exhibition Center in Liverpool, while the Welsh champion plans to stage an all-British unification clash with welterweight rival Natasha Jonas, which will headline the Collision Course that night.

Price defends her WBA welterweight title against undefeated Colombian challenger Bexcy Mateus on the same night as Jonas attempts to unify the IBF and WBC titles with Ivana Habazin as part of BOXXER’s ‘Collision Course’ fight night, which can be seen live and exclusively on Sky Sports in the UK UK and Ireland and Peacock in the US.

Price MBE (7-0, 1 KO) made history with an excellent performance, defeating former undisputed welterweight world ruler Jessica McCaskill in front of her fans in Cardiff in May.

Price, the first Welsh boxer to win Olympic gold, once again entered the record books by becoming the country’s first world champion in just her seventh professional fight. The 30-year-old from Ystrad Mynach, who has yet to lose a round as a professional, will now defend her world titles for the first time as she focuses on dominating the welterweight division.

Mateus (7-0, 6 KO), ranked No. 5 in the WBA rankings, is undefeated in the professional ranks and has won all but one of her seven fights by knockout. The 29-year-old from Bogota, fighting outside her native Colombia for the first time, will now have her first chance at global fame, with her goal to dethrone Price and take the top spot in the welterweight division.

Lauren Price said: “I’m excited to defend my belts and complete what has been an crucial year for me. I have full respect for Mateusz. I will prove that I am the best in the division and I will not let anything or anyone stand in my way of being undisputed.”

BOXXER Founder and CEO Ben Shalom said: “It’s a massive night for the women’s welterweight division with three world champions competing. Natasha Jonas returns to her hometown for a mandatory unification fight against Ivana Habazin, and Lauren Price defends her world titles against undefeated challenger Bexcy Mateus. The fight for the undisputed continues. If Natasha and Lauren win on December 14, it will set the stage for a massive “Battle Of Britain” world title unification fight next year.

There’s reason to celebrate as BOXXER delivers a Christmas cracker to end the year. In addition to the world championship fights between Natasha Jonas and Lauren Price, fight fans can expect a gala full of drama and entertainment.

Undefeated Irishman Stephen McKenna (15-0, 14 KO) will face English champion Lee Cutler (14-1, 7 KO) in an invigorating super welterweight fight for the silver WBC International title.

McKenna impressed fans in his three-round fight against Joe Laws last August at Oakwell Stadium in Barnsley. The two struck out in the first round, then McKenna began to apply the pressure, losing Laws three more times and maintaining his undefeated record after a third-round stoppage.

English cruiserweight champion Viddal Riley (11-0, 6 KO) returns to action from a rib injury that has kept him out of the ring since a career-best victory over Mikael Lawal in March. Riley will be looking to shake off the ring rust as he takes on high-profile opponents in the recent year.

Undefeated Chorley super middleweight Mark Jeffers (18-0, 5 KO) scored an explosive fifth-round knockout victory over Darren Johnston in May and will be looking to bring more drama to Liverpool’s Exhibition Center as he goes in search of his 19th professional win.

Mason Cartwright (20-4-1, 8 KO) from Cheshire, a former two-time British title challenger from Ellesmere Port, will be counting on local support as he returns to the title track.

After signing a promotional contract with BOXXER, local star Frankie Stringer (8-0, 1 KO) can achieve his third victory in 2024, when he returns in front of his fans in Liverpool. The 23-year-old lightweight fighter is a player of the notable city team Rotunda ABC, and his manager is former world champion Liam Smith.

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