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Welsh dragon Barrie Jones has once again breathed fire into his fighting career

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This weekend the soft-spoken, left-handed Welshman will attempt to tame the excitable and brutal American.

Sound familiar?

In 2006, Joe Calzaghe was the underrated Welshman, Jeff Lacy the overrated American – and on one of the greatest nights in British boxing history, Calzaghe delivered a brutal boxing lesson.

On Saturday night, Barrie Jones will be the left-handed, unassuming Welshman and Lorawnt T Nelson will be the big-name American who will be battling it out in what has been billed as “the greatest fight in bare-knuckle boxing history.”

The event will take place at the Vale Arena in Cardiff.

Jones boxed with gloves and fought three times on Calzaghe’s card, including at the Principality Stadium where Calzaghe fought Peter Manfredo and Mikkel Kessler.

“I was a huge fan of Joe’s growing up,” Jones said, “and being in the locker room with him was awesome.

“He was always tranquil and tranquil, willing to talk.”

Jones is a similarly confident figure, but at 39, he’s still struggling.

He was 32and and the final fight of his professional glove career in 2015, in which he defeated James Lilley to retain his Welsh super welterweight title.

“Then I had a couple of fights canceled,” Jones recalled. “I was supposed to fight Bradley Pryce, but it didn’t happen twice. He was nearing the end of his career, but he was still a huge name, and beating him would have led to a bigger fight.”

Pryce did not come, and Jones came back to life.

“I never thought I’d fight again,” he said. “I stayed energetic, playing football and lifting weights, so I was in good shape. I never drank.”

Jones (right) is days away from the “biggest fight in bare-knuckle boxing” when he takes on Lorawnt T Nelson (not pictured)

Jones says bare-knuckle fighting has allowed him to “see a bit of the world.”

One of the places Jones saw was Miami.

He fought Luiz Melo there in December 2021 and defeated him in 15 seconds.

“Before the fight they were raving about how tough he was and saying it would be a good fight,” he said.

“The plan was to look at him and then blow his head off. But he came out and started waving, and there wasn’t a lot of room, so I thought I’d put my feet up and let them go.

“There are more knockouts in bare-knuckle boxing, but they are not as bad as in a multi-round glove fight.”

Jones competed at the highest level in both sports.

In June 2008, he fought seven rounds with future welterweight world champion Kell Brook.

“I only had 12 days’ notice,” he recalled, “and I went in there thinking I’d save myself for the later rounds. I knew he hadn’t done 12 rounds either. I should have done that and then backed out if I started to lose strength.”

More arduous to bear was the eight-round points defeat to Soulemane M’Baye six months later at the ExCel Arena.

The Frenchman was coming off a world title loss, and Sky Sports commentators – and most other viewers – were predicting a clear win for Jones.

After eight rounds the verdict was in favour of M’Baye, with a one-point advantage.

“Then he fought for the European and world titles,” Jones said, “and I lost a bit of interest.”

Until he discovered bare-knuckle boxing.

“There were some boxers who came in thinking it would be simple and then realized they didn’t like it,” Jones said.

“It’s harder than they thought.

“People think I beat guys who didn’t box, but there are tough guys in there who fought MMA, and Sweeney could do well with gloves.”

“It’s a hit and it won’t be hit,” Jones (left) says of BKB

Sweeney is Jimmy Sweeney, a charismatic Irishman who’s a little crazy and who did well in glove boxing as an amateur before turning to bare-knuckle boxing.

Sweeney, who defeated Andy Lee in an amateur fight, has done much to give the sport credibility by using his skills to win fights against increasingly better opponents and generally being unstoppable in the face of his rivals’ attacks.

Jones defeated him twice.

“Jimmy has a good boxing IQ,” said the 38-year-old Welshman. “When I first boxed him I thought, ‘He’s better than I expected.’”

“He was clever, moved well and had a good boxing IQ. I could have started feeling sorry for myself, but I knew what I had to do, calmed down and used my boxing brain.”

The truth is that the best bare-knuckle boxers are those who came from a boxing background, such as Sweeney, Jones and James Connelly.

“It’s hit and miss,” Jones said. “You can’t stand there and fight a war every time, because you won’t last long.”

Even if you win, bare-knuckle fighting hurts.

Jones said, “Without gloves, you get cut more. I haven’t had any wars, but I’ve still been marked a few times, and my hands hurt more than ever. You really feel the blows in your ribs the next day, more than when I boxed with gloves.”

Jones has primarily landed punches during his boxing career as a bare-knuckle fighter.

He has won all 10 of his fights (nine by knockout) but will undoubtedly face his toughest test yet in Cardiff.

“I always thought it would end in a fight,” said Jones, of Nelson. “We weigh about the same, and he’s beaten some of our best guys.

“I know he’s tough, but after beating Jimmy, every fight will be tough.

“Sweeney is one of the best boxers I’ve ever fought. There’s no one as good as him when it comes to boxing (bare-knuckle boxing). Nelson is different. He’s tough.”

Jones-Nelson will be contested in a three-sided formation that is said to be more suited to brawlers than boxers.

Jones is a boxer, Nelson a brawler, but the Welshman has won both of his three-way fights.

“There’s a ton of room to move if you’re good enough,” he said. “You just don’t want to get stuck in the corners. If you get stuck there, you have to fight to get out.”

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Boxing

Ryan Rozicki is waiting for Badou Jack’s consent to mandatory cooperation with the WBC

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Badou Jack Rozicki Mikaelian WBC

The 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.

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Floyd Mayweather’s record is not normal, it can’t happen in 70 years

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Floyd Mayweather 50-0

Floyd 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.

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Manny Pacquiao remains the favorite to win the title against Mario Barrios

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Manny Pacquiao vs Barrios

WBN 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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