RESPECT AND PROSPER
Some thoughts on an eventful week
WHILE last weekend’s incident in Las Vegas involving UFC stars Conor Mcgregor and Khabib Nurmagodev has nothing whatsoever to do with boxing, the dangers of combat sports creating such a toxic environment should be noted. Mcgregor’s foray into boxing to take on Floyd Mayweather last year resulted in a trail of foul-mouthed press conferences designed purely to sell tickets. Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury seem to have adopted that Mayweather-mcgregor approach with their marketing drive. Thomas Hauser outlines his views on pages 10-11.
IN Chicago, Gavin Mcdonnell and Callum Johnson gave their all in a sport that can take so much. What Mcdonnell, a late starter to boxing, has achieved with serious self-belief should act as motivation to all of us.
JOHNSON lasted until the fourth round against Artur Beterbiev, which, on paper, is pretty much what everyone expected. But dropping the Russian – who did very well to regroup and survive the crisis – was a serious feat. Johnson last year won the British title with the memory of his late father on his shoulder. In a bid for world honours, Callum was fearless on the type of stage where lesser minds have faltered. He should be proud, as I’m certain his dad would have been. BOXERS are a different breed, but underneath the black eyes and squished noses are human beings trying to get on with their lives. In this issue we tell the story of Scottish prospect Lee Mcgregor who has been through unimaginable heartache in recent years. And who better to tell that story (pages 24-27) than the enviably gifted writer Donald Mcrae, who we welcome back to Boxing News this week. IT’S that process of getting on with one’s life that can prove exceptionally hard for a boxer, particularly once they retire. BN’S Elliot Worsell highlights an important issue on pages 30-33. When reality bites after boxing, it bites hard. THERE might be no better fighter out there than Naoya Inoue. The manner of his first round destruction of Juan Carlos Payano in Japan was stunning. Watch the finish again. The way he darted to his right – often a no-no against southpaws – then fooled Payano by feinting high with his jab, ramming it low, then bringing over his right hand to finish is one of the moves of the year. FREQUENT readers of this page will know exactly how I feel about that WBA title that isn’t really the WBA title. Without it, though, Rocky Fielding would not have secured the chance of a lifetime against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez on December 15 in New York (His trainer Jamie Moore tells us on pages 8-9 he didn’t even ask how much he was getting paid, he was so keen). It’s easy for me to criticise titles which open doors for boxers but, for the sake of clarity, it is the title – more specifically the sanctioning body creating them – that I have an issue with. I wish Fielding and his team all the luck in the world against the fearsome Mexican. It’s an amazing career turnaround. But, please, no one call Canelo a three-division world champion if he wins. I WAS sad to read about the passing of two German fighters. Karl Mildenberger, a top heavyweight of the 1960s who lost to Muhammad Ali, and Graciano Rocchigiani, who both died this week. “Rocky” was a teak-tough super-middleweight contender before eventually winning a world strap when he claimed the WBC light-heavyweight title in 1998. It had been vacated by Roy Jones Jnr when he decided to move up in weight. Jones changed his mind, the WBC tried to give him his belt back, and Rocchigiani later won a groundbreaking court case against the sanctioning body. Both Rocchigiani and Mildenberger, two honourable men, will be missed.