THE BOXING SHOW

KELL BROOK rolled back the years, or appeared to, as he pounded the resistance out of a typically courageous Amir Khan. The fight, though largely one-sided, was an exciting spectacle and might just have provided both veterans with the perfect goodbye. Matt Christie, ringside in Manchester, and Alex Steedman reflect on the action and the post-fight scenes and interviews. What will Brook and Khan do...

SEVENTEEN long years after a potential fight between Amir Khan and Kell Brook was first reported, the old enemies are at last going to settle their differences in the ring. Alex Steedman and Matt Christie examine the complexities of predicting the winner of a fight between two past-their-best boxers while unearthing all the clues at their disposal. This is an honest and thorough breakdown that you...

THOUGH he handily defeated Liam Williams over 12 rounds, dropping him four times along the way, questions remain regarding Chris Eubank Jr. At 32 years old can he feasibly still get better? Why did he fade so dramatically in the second half of the fight? How good was he in the first half? How far can he feasibly go? This weekend, at Alexandra Palace, John Ryder takes on Daniel Jacobs in a quality...

AFTER an extended break, boxing returns to Britain this weekend with a tantalising domestic showdown between Chris Eubank Jr and Liam Williams in Cardiff. Alex Steedman has a gripping deep and meaningful with Williams, who reveals the roots of the grudge with Eubank and explains how he’s learned to contain his fiery side. Alex and Matt Christie analyse the impending collision in detail and make th...

AS the world of boxing waited to see what happened with Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte we caught up with Eddie Hearn to get his view. Hearn, alongside Joe Markowski of DAZN, reflect on the streaming channel’s move into the UK market in 2021 and ahead to their plans for 2022. The topical issue of sanctioning bodies, and their place in the current marketplace, is also d...

WE genuinely hate to say we told you so, but we did. The WBA have outdone themselves this time by sanctioning an absolute monstrosity of a ‘world heavyweight title fight’ between Trevor Bryan and Jonathan Guidry. We take a deep dive into their clearly rigged rankings and implore the industry to do the right thing. We look back on Joe Smith’s latest victory and preview the latest return of Gary Rus...

BARRY JONES joins us this week as we digest the shock retirement of Kash Farooq. We hear from Farooq, and his manager Iain Wilson, as he prepares for life on the other side of the ropes. Jones goes in-depth on the failed brain scan that interrupted his own boxing career and the misery triggered by retiring at just 26. He has plenty of advice for Kash and other fighters facing the end. This Week In...

WHO is Jonathan Guidry? That’s the big question this week as the heavyweight emerges from obscurity to land in the latest WBA world rankings. With only one fight since 2019 - an eight round points win over 46-year-old Rodney Moore in August - the WBA have placed Guidry in their world heavyweight top 15, ahead of Joseph Parker and not that far behind Anthony Joshua…We also look back on Luis Ortiz’s...

IN the final episode of 2021, we reflect on the highs - and low - of the last 12 months. Both Alex Steedman and Matt Christie name their own choices for Fighter of the Year and Fight of the Year in the male and female codes while also reflecting on the best prospects, KOs and the year’s biggest upset. We also look ahead to 2022.Please rate, review and subscribe. And we wish you a very happy New Ye...

IN a special reaction podcast, we look back at the savage slugfest between Joseph Parker and Derek Chisora in Manchester. Parker was excellent yet it was the bravery, resilience and determination of Chisora that stole the headlines. Points discussed: Parker's improvement from fight one and where he goes next; whether or not Chisora should now retire; the industry's duty to retired fighters; whethe...

ROBERT SMITH of the British Boxing Board of Control is on hand to answer the questions of Alex Steedman and Matt Christie regarding the recent actions of referee Steve Gray in the Hamzah Sheeraz-Bradley Skeete fight. In that bout, after being whacked at least twice while in a sitting position, Skeete went on to lose the fight. Smith explains the complexities of the rules and the officials' interpr...

THE lead news story this week is Tyson Fury being ordered to fight Dillian Whyte by the WBC.  A terrific domestic fight but one that pushes Fury-Usyk out of reach for now. The lightweight division is in focus as Devin Haney and Gervonta Davis came through taxing affairs while Vasiliy Lomachenko prepares to make his latest move against Richard Commey this weekend. We applaud the brilliant showing o...

THE astonishing, brilliant and awe-inspiring exploits of George Kambosos Jnr are the focus this week as we look back on his huge upset win over Teofimo Lopez. Kambosos tells us about his post-fight trip to hospital as we ponder his place in the current landscape and beyond. This Week In History goes back to 2018 and Tyson Fury’s incredible fight with Deontay Wilder where Matt Christie shares some...

IT is 35 years since Mike Tyson, then barely 20, confirmed his status as the most fearsome heavyweight in the land when he destroyed Trevor Berbick in two unforgettable rounds. But did Tyson fulfil his potential, and where does he belong in the ranks of all-time greats? We build up to the examination of Iron Mike by looking back on Terence Crawford’s stoppage of Shawn Porter and the wider discussi...

SOME strange things are happening in Mexico City at the WBC Convention. First, Dillian Whyte is left hanging in his quest for a shot at Tyson Fury - leaving The Gypsy King free to choose his next opponent - and, second, Canelo Alvarez signals his intention to take a hop, skip and a jump all the way to cruiserweight. We apologise to Kiko Martinez for picking against him and wonder if Kid Galahad -...

YET again Canelo Alvarez proved he’s in a different league to his peers, this time with a clinical beatdown of the brave Caleb Plant. But Plant was better than many expected beforehand as Canelo was made to work hard until he stopped his opponent in the 11th round. The all-round excellence of Alvarez is under the microscope as we wonder if the Mexican can scale new heights in the future. This Week...

THE main focus this week is the battle for super-middleweight supremacy between Canelo Alvarez and Caleb Plant. It’s a fight the sport needs, between the two leading fighters in the 168lb division, but is it going to be competitive? The strength and weaknesses of each fighter, and potential battle plans, are discussed as Alex Steedman and Matt Christie make their predictions. The bill in Birmingha...

IN a fascinating interview with IFL this week, Anthony Joshua admitted he got it wrong against Oleksandr Usyk and plans to put it right ahead of the rematch. There is talk of going back to basics. Talk of changing his team. Unquestionably studious and eager to learn, one naturally wonders if he’s putting too much pressure on himself by jumping straight back into the sequel again. Regardless, Joshu...

TWO issues lead the way this week. Firstly, the old favourite: Pay-per-view. Eddie Hearn recently confirmed that PPV will find its way to DAZN to provoke the questions, What constitutes PPV, is it unavoidable and, more generally, what makes a good boxing show? Secondly, Deontay Wilder’s decision to belatedly congratulate his conqueror, Tyson Fury, drew mixed reviews. His behaviour before and after...

TYSON FURY and Deontay Wilder cemented their names, and their rivalry, on the walls of boxing history last weekend when they unleashed the mother of all heavyweight slugfests. That classic encounter is reviewed in detail. But what next for Fury after such a high? And can Wilder come again following another punishing loss? Legacy, psychology and sportsmanship are other worthy sub-plots. We also ref...

DEONTAY WILDER is without a win in two outings with Tyson Fury so, whichever way you look at it, the ‘Bronze Bomber’ has an almighty task heading into part three. Alex Steedman and Matt Christie preview the third heavyweight encounter, explain what each must do to win, and make their predictions. The weekend’s domestic clashes - Liam Smith-Anthony Fowler and Brad Foster-Craig Cunningham - are also...

OLEKSANDR USYK turned in a performance loaded with class and style to defeat Anthony Joshua last weekend. But what was it like to witness that from ringside? Is he that good or was Joshua that bad? What’s next for the winner and can the loser come back? These questions and many more are answered as we take a deep dive into one of the most impressive heavyweight performances in recent memory and ex...

ANTHONY JOSHUA is in a confident mood ahead of his mouth-watering heavyweight clash with the unbeaten Oleksandr Usyk. We hear from Joshua as he heads into what would appear his hardest fight on paper since he fought Wladimir Klitschko in 2017.  Usyk, however, is unquestionably embarking on the toughest test of his entire career and the feeling is that whoever wins will have to be at their very bes...

FORTY years ago we had one of the greatest fights of all time, Sugar Ray Leonard-Thomas Hearns, and this weekend we had the worst: Vitor Belfort-Evander Holyfield. Matt Christie and Alex Steedman examine how and why a 58-year-old Holyfield was allowed to come back, address that increasingly murky ‘exhibition’ word and hope beyond hope that this latest farce taught the sport a lesson it will actual...

OSCAR VALDEZ will fight this weekend despite a banned substance being discovered in a recent PED test. Matt Christie and Alex Steedman attempt to make some sense of what on the surface appears shambolic situation.  Josh Warrington’s anti-climactic rematch with Mauricio Lara is analysed alongside the rest of the Leeds bill. This Week In History remembers Wayne Alexander’s stunning one-punch KO of T...