The Problem Is Finally Solved.

 

Argentine slugger Marcos “El Chino” Maidana stole the show-and the WBA Welterweight World Championship-on an action-packed night of world championship boxing on SHOWTIME Saturday night at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

The 30-year-old former 140-pound world champion was supposed to be a “test” for rising star Adrien “The Problem” Broner’s budding career.  And test him he did, right from the opening bell.

Broner was stunned in the first exchange and Maidana poured it on.  He overwhelmed the champion for two straight rounds, scoring a knockdown in the second and forcing Broner back on unsteady legs.

By the third, Broner settled into his game and the fight was on.

“High drama in the Lone Star State,” bellowed SHOWTIME Sports play-by-play announcer Mauro Ranallo in the middle rounds of what is sure to be a late entry for Fight of the Year.

Broner had his moments in the fight, but Maidana won the day by throwing from tricky angles and consistently landing a punishing left hook.

“Maidana’s awkward ways are working in his favor,” said ringside analyst, and world-class welterweight, Paul Malignaggi during the bout. “Broner is getting hit with shots from different angles. Shots that he would not normally get hit with.”

In a thrilling eighth, Maidana landed a series of lethal blows including a final left hook that sent Broner wobbling to the canvas for a second time.  In the next exchange, Broner tied up Maidana for a few moments before Maidana uncorked a head butt into the chin of the champion.”

Referee Lawrence Cole deducted a point for the foul negating Maidana’s knockdown adding an additional layer of drama to the close fight.  But in the end, Maidana had distanced himself on all three scorecards to win a unanimous decision and wrest the crown from Broner.

After the scores were announced, 117-109, 116-109 and 115-110, Broner immediately vacated the ring and made his way back to his dressing room.

After the bout, ringside reporter Barry Tompkins asked Maidana about comments earlier in the week, that Broner had never faced anyone like him.  “The truth is, I’ve never fought someone like [Broner],” said the new two-division champion via SHOWTIME Sports translator Felix De Jesus.  “And the truth is it was a great fight.”

Regarding the game plan coming in, Maidana said, “The plan was to fight any which way we can do it and we won.”

Regarding the rematch: “Yes. No problem.”

Maidana improved his record to 35-3 (31 KOs) and is now 2-2 in world championship fights and can now lay claim as the world’s best welterweight not named Floyd Mayweather.

Two fighters with incredible will and determination met in a thrilling co-feature.  Twenty-five year old Keith “One Time” Thurman made an emphatic statement with a brutal knockout of rugged, tested Mexican veteran Jesus “El Renuente” Soto Karass.

Soto Karass opened the scoring in the first seconds of the bout when he stunned Thurman with a big right hand.  But Thurman kept his feet, barely, and nearly floored Soto Karass to end the first round.

A furious pace was set.  Thurman gradually stole the momentum and broke seemed ultimately to break the will of the Mexican challenger.  Thurman showed impressive lateral movement and superb timing as he landed precise and powerful combinations in retreat.

Thurman sent Soto Karass down in the fifth and finished him in the ninth.  The final blows were a lethal combination left hook and perfect left uppercut that landed flush to end the contest at 2:21 of round 9.

With the explosive technical knockout, the 25-year-old Thurman of Clearwater, Fla., is sure to climb the ranks of the deep welterweight division, arguably the most talented division in boxing the world over.

“Thurman can transition from a defensive position to explode with powerful shots,” said Malignaggi. “That’s not an easy thing to do.”

Hall of Fame analyst Al Bernstein added this of Thurman, “Showing lateral movement while landing combinations and power punches.  That’s a tremendous set of skills to have.  He has every offensive weapon you could want.”

A jubilant Thurman: “San Antonio, baby.  Thank you.  There’s a lot of tough guys out there but One Time represents the KO every time.  They can take it for a few rounds, but they can’t take it for 12 rounds.

“I saw I had him hurt.  He was buzzed, standing up and I finished the show.  I saw that he was open,” Thurman said of the final uppercut. “I sat down on that left hook and I exploded.

“Everyone’s dangerous with an 8oz. glove.  Luckily, God willing, I was able to stand with him, go toe-to-toe and get him out of there.”

When asked who he’d like to fight next, Thurman said, “I’d like whatever the fans like.  I am here to entertain.  I am here to give the best fights in the welterweight division.

“Merry Christmas everybody!”

Undefeated Leo “El Terremoto” Santa Cruz, making the first defense of his Super Bantamweight World title, won a close and hard-fought unanimous decision over Puerto Rico’s Cesar Seda.

Working behind a piston-like jab and a multitude of power punches, Santa Cruz won the bout on the strength of his trademark volume punching.  He sent Seda down in the fifth round, a flash knockdown, but nonetheless it was only the second time Seda had been down in his career.

Seda kept the bout close, fighting well while backing up from the perpetual charge of Santa Cruz. At times, Seda got good work done on the ropes.  But in the end, as has been the case with all of Santa Cruz’s prior challengers, his work-rate proved to be too much.  SHOStats recorded Santa Cruz landing 297 total punches of 829 thrown; 197 of 454 power punches; and 100 of 375 jabs.

Scores were 116-111, 115-112, 117-110 as Santa Cruz improves to 26-0-1, 15 KO’s.  A two-division world champion has now fought eight times in the less than two years, including six world championship fights.

“He was a tough guy,” said Santa Cruz, a Mexican now living and fighting out of Los Angeles. “I am sorry to San Antonio that I couldn’t do what I wanted to do.  I wanted to give a better fight.  Next time I’ll try to do better.”

[Regarding when he might return to the ring] Santa Cruz said, “I feel good.  The sooner, the better for me.  I want to stay at 122.  Maybe spend next year at 122 and we’ll see after that.  I thank San Antonio for their support.  This is a lovely city.  I have wanted to come to fight here for a long time and I am glad we did.”

Of Seda, Hall of Fame analyst Al Bernstein said near the end of the bout, “Seda may be better off in the 118-pound division because he has shown some tremendous talent in this fight.  He’s just in there against a bigger and stronger man in Santa Cruz.”

“I thought I won the fight,” said Seda, now 25-2, 17 KO’s.  “The knockdown was not a knockdown. We had our legs tangled.  This decision was a robbery.”

WBA Light Heavyweight Super Champion Beibut Shumenov defended his title with a three-round route of Tomas Kovacs in the opening bout on SHOWTIME.  Shumenov imposed his will, using his jab to set up a strong right hand and an impressive check-left-hook.  He knocked down Kovacs in rounds one and two before finishing him with a combination at 2:55 of the third.

Hailing from Kazakhstan and fighting out of Las Vegas, Shumenov (14-1, 9 KO’s) looked to Bernard Hopkins, who was in the ring after the bout, for a chance to face the future Hall of Famer.
“My main goal is to unify the titles,” said Shumenov after the fight.  “I know Bernard (Hopkins) wants to fight me.  I’d be honored.  He’s a truly legendary champion.  I would be honored…. I am ready.”
Hopkins joined the SHOWTIME interview and added, “I hope he doesn’t fight that well when we fight.  That right hand was coming straight down the pike.  He warmed up a bit and executed very well.  It will be an honor, for me, to take his belt.”

Ricard “Dinamita” Alvarez (28-4, 20 KO’s), the brother of boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez, defeated Rod Salka (18-3, 3 KO’s) via majority decision (95-95, 96-94, 98-92) in a close, competitive fight.  According to SHO STATS, Salka was the more active fighter and landed more punches (174-136) and power punches (89-88) than Alvarez.

“I clearly out boxed him,” Salka said.  “I’m not making an excuse.  I landed shots when I wanted to land them.  I was making him miss.  What else am I supposed to do?  If you’re being real generous you give him three rounds.  He was swinging wild and missing shots while I was landing clean punches.  It’s bullshit.”

Undefeated lightweight prospect Robert Easter, Jr. (8-0, 8 KO’s), kicked off the SHOWTIME EXTREME® telecast with a bang, registering his eighth KO in as many fights when he knocked out Hardy M. Paredes (16-13, 10 KO’s) in the first round. Easter landed two text-book hooks to finish Easter; one to the head followed immediately by one to the body.  Paredes took a knee. Then two and the referee counted him out at 2:30 of the round.

“I knew it was coming,” said Easter [of the finishing body shot].  “It is just one of those shots that I always land. I’ve been working on it since I was a little kid.  I can do it all.  I can box and I have heavy hands.”

Froch Gets Controversial Stoppage Win Over Groves.

 

The build up was over. It was time for Carl Froch and George Groves to finally stop talking, and throw some punches. Before the fight people had questioned whether this fight was really worthy of being a pay per view event, following the event the answer is simply, yes.

I will admit that when I watched the final press conference I though Groves looked nervous. It appeared as if the occasion had finally dawned on the Londoner, while Froch was cool, calm and collected. At the weigh in it was a very pro-Froch crowd, he was cheered as he took the scales while “Saint” George was booed and jeered throughout, and then we reached fight night.

Earlier in the night pictures of the two fighters where shown on the big screens in the arena, Froch appeared jovial and happy to have a laugh and a joke with members of his entourage, while Groves arrived alone, looking focused with no signs of nerves.  The ring walks followed the same pattern as the weigh in did, the Londoner walked to the ring to a hostile reception however showed no signs of nerves. Froch on the other hand looked nervous, more nervous than I have ever seen him look before.

At the final press conference, “Saint” George told “The Cobra” exactly how he was going to fight him in the first three rounds; he said he would land his fight hand twice in round one. I doubt he believed his right hand would be able to land with such devastating effect as Froch was sent to canvas inside the first round. He was able to stagger to his feet, and on wobbly legs he made it to the end of the first round, this was the first time Froch had been hurt for a long time.

 

Froch was dropped heavily in the first.

In my keys to victory article I mentioned that the jab was a key weapon for both fighters, and it was Groves who was able to establish his early. He took the center of the ring and forced Froch to circle, always controlling distance with a fast, hard jab. The second round was the same as the first, the Nottingham fighter looked scared to let his punches go, as if he was worried about what was going to comeback at him if he missed. Groves raiding tactics were working to perfection, he was able to land his right hand almost every time he threw it.

The pace began to drop in round four and Froch began to come back in to the fight. He was starting to land hurtful shots, however this was mainly down to Groves’s willingness to stand and trade and, to steal a phrase from “The Cobra”, to go in to the trenches and come out victories. At the start it worked, “Saint” was getting the last word in the exchanges and was able to push Froch back, but there was always a feeling that it was a matter of time before something had to give.

Froch was starting to force Groves back, at the beginning of round five he pinned he on the ropes, however using his superior footwork Groves was able to slip away and avoid any serious damage, round six saw the turning point. Amazingly, with the game plan working to perfection, Groves dropped his hands and ushered Froch in to have a tear up. He took everything that Froch threw, he was wobbled occasionally but came throwing back in every exchange, for a fighter who’s supposedly “chinny” he took some heavy shots and stayed upright. Round eight saw “Saint” George return to his boxing and avoid any heavy exchanges, but Carl was prowling, he was ready to pounce and was waiting for the perfect opportunity, and that opportunity came in round nine. Groves forced him on to the ropes, however Froch was able to land a stinging counter punch that wobbled his opponent. Froch pinned him on the ropes and landed two solid hooks, and although Groves was firing back and was still defending himself, referee Howard Foster stepped in to call a halt in the action.

The stoppage in my eyes was premature. I am not saying that George Groves would have come through this crisis, however he wasn’t even given the chance. Was he hurt? Yes. Was he hurt more than Froch in the first round? No. Most importantly, if it was the other way around would Howard Foster have stepped in and stopped Carl Froch? No, I don’t believe he would have.

Despite everything that happened in the build up, and the nature of the stoppage both fighters admitted their respect for each other, if not begrudgingly in Carl Froch’s case. Boos greeted “The Cobra” as he gave his post fight interview, in which he said;

“I thought it was a fair stoppage. I felt I had a free shot at him, and when that happens … we can do some serious damage in this sport. It’s sensible to stop it.

It’s the referee’s decision. I don’t have sympathy for him because it’s the referee’s decision.”

While Groves who had entered the arena to boos left to cheers. Holding back the tears, he told Sky Sports;

“He caught me with a good shot, but that should never have been a stoppage. I had him buzzed much more in all the previous rounds, but because he has this “warrior” image and I’m supposedly “chinny”…

I have immense respect for Carl Froch. I think he will have a bit more respect for me now. I tried to shake his hand afterwards and he wasn’t having it, but he calmed down and came back to me and he offered some kind words.

Eddie Hearn needs to make [the rematch] happen.”

Froch vs Groves: Key Battles For Victory

After weeks of build up, trash talking and boastful claims George Groves and Carl Froch get their hands on each other this Saturday night. The fight will see a massive step up in class for “The Saint”; his best opponent to date is a 43 year old Glenn Johnson who was well past his best.

Contrast that with his opponent, WBA and IBF World Champion Carl “The Cobra” Froch. His record reads like a who’s who of the super middleweight division in recent years. Kessler, Dirrell, Pascal, Ward, Abraham, all of these fighters are levels above what Groves has faced, and apart from Ward all have been conquered.

The fight itself is a battle of styles, one fighter who loves to come forward and force the issue, and one who loves to use the ring and walk his opponents on to punches. So what are the key areas to victory?

Carl Froch

 

1) Prior to the Abraham fight, a lot of fans believed Froch was a slugger who had little boxing ability. However in his fight against the German, he displayed a jab that was near impossible to work out. It’s not the speed that causes the issues with this punch, but the angle that it comes from. When the majority of fighters throw their jab it tends to come from shoulder or chest height, however when the Nottingham fighter throws his it comes from the waist.  Even if Groves can work out the jab and counter that threat, the rest of Froch’s punch flow from this one punch, so while avoiding the first may be easy, avoiding the second may prove difficult.

2) One thing that boxing fans know about “The Cobra” is that he has one of the best chins in boxing. He has the ability to take a shot to give a shot and that is something that is going to have to happen at some point on Saturday. He likes to remind fans that he is a warrior, and has the ability to take the fight in to the trenches should the occasion arise, if he can do this then it is likely he’ll be able to hurt Groves.

3) Once he has his opponent hurt, he has a fantastic ability of finishing a fight quickly. The best example of this is in the Lucian Bute fight, a fight many believed he would struggle in. What actually happened was a total domination of unbeaten world champion.  It is very likely that at some point he will hurt Groves, and if he hurts him he will want to finish him. As long as Eddie Hearn doesn’t run in the ring before the fight finishes again, then it is possible Froch could inflict another devastating defeat on an unbeaten fighter.

George Groves

1) As with Froch, the jab is a key weapon for the Londoner, and as with Froch it is the angle he throws it from that causes issues. However what is different is the speed of the shot. Groves throws this punch with great accuracy and with superb speed, his arm never stops moving so instead of coming from just one angle, it is constantly changing.

2) As with Froch everything flows of the jab, he uses it as a range finder and once his finds his range he walks his opponents on to a powerful right hand. We’ve seen it previous fights, against lesser opposition, that if he walks on to that shot it usually results in his opponent hitting the floor. That isn’t going to happen against “The Cobra” however if he does feel the power early then it could stop him rushing in and make him change his tactics mid-fight.

3) Kenny Anderson showed that Groves can be hurt, and not just hurt but out on his feet. Since that fight, he has improved his upper-body movement and now has the ability to see a punch early and avoid it late, allowing him to allow counter punches. It’s not just his upper-body movement that helps him, but his ability to spin an opponent while on the front foot is something that confuses and frustrates fighters.

The fight will be won and lost based on the best game plan. Groves has to stay out of danger if he is to stand any chance of winning this, it is unlikely that he will be able to record a stoppage against such a durable opponent so ensuring that he is banking rounds and trying to take the fight to the judges cards is a must in my opinion. While Froch knows he will be able to hurt the Londoner should he get to him, if he can pin him on the ropes and unleash powerful body shots slowing “Saint George” down then it will allow him to really test his punch resistance.

I am aware that a lot of fans are seeing this as an easy nights work for Froch; personally I don’t believe this is the case. It is becoming more and more obvious that he is rattled by the lack of respect shown by Groves and is wanting to teach him a lesson, I can see him throwing his game plan out of the window and giving up the first couple of rounds, however he will eventually settle down and he will catch him, I am backing Froch for a TKO win anytime after the 8^th round.

New Recruits Needed.

Liverpool have shocked everyone this season, their brand of fan pleasing attacking football has taken the Premier League by storm this season, and they currently find themselves in 2^nd in the league, just two points behind Arsenal.

As with most of the teams this season, improvement could be made, however unlike other sides which need to focus on one area, Liverpool need to focus on a number of areas. Fans of the Merseyside club are rightly concerned about the lack of depth that this current squad has. While they showed they could still win games and score goals without Luis Suarez earlier this season, we still don’t know if both Suarez and Sturridge were injured at the same time? Could the side cope with Lucas in the midfield?

These questions will undoubtedly be answered at some point this season, and I don’t believe the answers will be positive. Iago Aspas looked a decent player last season for Celta, however it could be argued he was a “big fish in a small pond”, and that by playing a smaller role at Liverpool he will not be as successful, it wouldn’t be the first time that this has happened.

Kenny Dalglish has been vocal about the improvements needed at Liverpool, in his column in The Mirror he has claimed that both Liverpool and Southampton need to invest heavily in January if they are to keep up with the genuine title challengers. But what players will Liverpool be looking at? Will the owners be willing to pay for the big money signings, risking a repeat of what happened with Andy Carroll?

Football clubs and fans understand that players valuations are inflated during this transfer window, and it is unlikely that the genuine world class players will be moving clubs this close to a World Cup.  But who should Liverpool sign? Here are my choices.

Jorginho – Verona.

The 21 year old from Brazil is rated as one of the hottest talents in Europe at the moment, and would add much needed cover in the holding midfield position. It is believed he command a large fee however, the Liverpool owners seem happy to splash the cash on young players and are happy to give them time to develop in to world class talents.

 Javier Pastore – PSG.

Pastore was one of the leading stars during his time at Palermo in Italy, however has struggled since his move to Paris Saint German. He would provide competition with Coutinho for the role just behind the striker and could even play on the wing if needed. While he wouldn’t come cheap, he is still only 24 and meets the owners business plan of buy them young. The biggest problem would be the fee and attracting him to move to Merseyside.

Will Hughes – Derby County.

Predicted to be a future star for England, Hughes has been attracting interest from the big clubs in England, while it is unlikely he would make an instant impact he would again provide good enough cover to be allowed to improve while not being thrust straight in to the spot light. However once again the fee is an issue with this one as the Derby County board are likely to want an inflated fee for one of their hottest properties.

Ancelotti: “I’ll stage protest”

 

As we draw closer the Ballon D’or announcement in January, more pressure is being put on FIFA to name Cristiano Ronaldo as this years winner. Sepp Blatter has already insulted Ronaldo once this year, stating that while Lionel Messi was a “good boy”, completely ignoring his court case that was on going at the time, Ronaldo just had a higher hair dressers bill than him.

In a recent interview with an Italian radio station, Carlo Ancelotti has made some bizarre comments when asked about the Ballon D’or. He said “If they don’t give it to Cristiano I’ll stage a sit-in in Reggiolo. No-one deserves it like Ronaldo, he is an exemplary professional. You cannot keep scoring 50 or 60 goals a year without constantly looking for perfection.”

The 54-year old added: “I have been so impressed by how professional he is – how seriously he takes all matches and training sessions. He takes care of every aspect of his game leaving nothing to chance.”

While Ancelotti has made his feelings perfectly clear regarding who he believes should win, a certain Frenchman disagrees. Frank Ribery has shown that he is as self confident as ever by declaring that he feels this is year, and why not? He is the favourite for this years award after all.

He told L’Equippe “Do I deserve it? Yes. There is what I do on the pitch, what I did to come back to my best level, my professionalism every day, the trophies I won.

“I am very steady. The Best Player in Europe trophy gave me more strength. I was good before, I am better now. At Bayern, everyone believes I have to win it.”

As with every year, someone has to leave disappointed. Personally this year Ronaldo has done more than enough to be crowned the winner. What ever happens, if Ronaldo doesn’t win I really wouldn’t want to see a managerial legend like Ancelotti do something as silly, and as petty as a protest because of this. I can understand the frustrations with Blatters previous comments, anybody who remembers his comments on racism knows he can say the stupidest of things, however to do a protest over this would make the Italian look small and childish and that’s something I don’t want to remember such a fantastic manager for.

 

Klitschko Beats Povetkin.

 

This was one of the most eagerly awaited heavyweight title fights for some time. Ever since promoter Vlad Khryunov splashed a massive $23 million to promote the fight, fans have been talking about it, and they are still talking about it nearly 24 hours after it happened.

This was a fight where Wladimir (61-3, 51kos) established his dominance over his nearest challenger, and he did so in some style scoring four knockdowns on his way to easy points decision. Povetkin (26-1, 18kos) came out aggresively, looking to use a lot of head movement in an attempt to slip inside that superb jab that Klitschko uses to great effect.

Povetkins game plan was a simple one, but out of all of Wladimirs recent opponents it was probably the only game plan that could have worked. The sad thing was that anytime the Russian managed to get past the jab, he was tied up and leaned on. It became clear very quickly, as it usually does in a Klitschko fight, that anytime he got close this would happen. Well clear to the fans anyway, as referee Luis Pabon seemed oblivious to what was happening despite it being extremeley blatent. It wasn’t until round eleven with the fight effectively won that Pabon took a point away from the champion.

Yet despite this Povetkin kept going, even after he was sent sprawling across the ring following a perfect left hook that landed on his temple and scrambled his senses, he got up, dusted himself down and came back to give it another go. However this will be a fight which is remembered for holding, leaning and MMA style takedown moves. This is a fight where any critiscm of Wladimir is well deserved, and hopefully referees will be stricter in the future. 

Hearn: We’ll try to make Mitchell vs Mathews.

Kevin Mitchell once again took the first steps along the road to a world title last night. The West Ham fan, now 35-2 (25) easily dismantled his Mexican opponent, Marco Lopez who is now 23-3 (14). The Mexican displayed the traits that all boxing fans have to come to expect from guys who hail from South America, a durable opponent who comes to fight and goes out on his shield.

The Mexican was under pressure from the first bell, with Mitchell putting on what could be described as a clinic. His accuracy was fantastic, and he seemed to connect with every punch he threw. In comparison, the Mexican hit mostly thin air or his opponents arms. The punch variety from The Londoner baffled Lopez, hooks, uppercuts, straights. It didn’t seem to matter what punch Mitchell threw it landed and it was a quick combination that forced the referee to step in, after Mitchell had put Lopez down twice earlier in the fight.

“I’m getting back to my old ways,” Mitchell told Sky Sports afterwards. “I’m fighting regularly and I’m in the gym keeping busy. I’m enjoying it, I’m happy again.”

Next up for the former world title challenger, who has only lost to Burns and Michael Katsidis in his 25-fight career, could be a clash with fellow Brit Mathews, who currently holds the Commonwealth lightweight title.

“It would be a nice little dance in the park, wouldn’t it?” He replied when asked about Mathews. “There are some good fights out there domestically.”

Promoter Eddie Hearn believes a deal can be done for the fight to take place before the year is out, adding: “”Derry Mathews is the one we want – I know Derry loves a fight. I think we will try and make that for December.”

Anthony Joshua Makes A Golden Start.

The pressure was on. The build up was finally over, and Anthony Joshua was about to make his first ring walk in the professional ranks. There where no sign of nerves on the Londoners face though, and why should there be? He had all ready been to the Olympics in 2012, and walked away with the top prize. But this is a different game. There are no head guards, there are no vests. He admitted himself that it felt a lot different when his hands where wrapped, he could feel the difference in the padding, and obviously the other difference is the gloves, last night he had those small 10oz gloves on.

His opponent was unbeaten, 8-0 with 3 knockouts. Despite this he had only fought one person with a winning record but he did stop him inside the first round. There was no look of confidence from Emanuele Leo though, he looked nervous and rightly so. Not only was he fighting outside of Italy for the first time, but he was fighting the new British heavyweight hope and Joshua looked primed and ready to detonate at the first opportunity.

The first thing I remember hearing when I started to watch boxing was the jab is the most important weapon in a boxers arsenal, everything will flow off a good jab, and it looks like that during the fourteen month break Joshua has learnt how to throw a very good jab. He was able to use it as both a range finder but also as a punch that could stop the Italian from coming in.

The fight was over after just two minutes, a jab followed by a right hand staggered the Italian back to the ropes. Joshua who had been calm, cool and collected throughout the entire evening sensed the end and followed it up by landing several hurtful hooks that sent his opponent to the canvas forcing referee Ian John Lewis to call the fight off, saving Leo from any further punishment.

Despite the devastating finish and the good performance, Joshua was caught once or twice and will have to tighten his defence up going forward, especially as the opponents get better.

“There were big expectations on me as people wanted to see what I’ve been up to in the 14 months I’ve been away (from the ring),” Joshua told BBC Radio 5 live.

“I had to stay relaxed. I’ve been doing a lot of work outside of the ring in the gym and I feel like I showed a bits and pieces of my skills tonight.

“Everyone is proud and hopefully everyone can understand what my dreams are.

“I just need to stay disciplined, focused and hopefully everyone will support me and let me crack on with it. Then you will see the best of me.”

Quigg Retains WBA Title.

The show was called “Carpe Diem”, but questions remained whether Scott Quigg could seize the day, and finally call himself a true world champion.

Scott Quigg was up against Yoandris Solina, the Cuban amatuer star, for the WBA Super Bantamweight Title recently vacated by Guillermo Rigondeaux. Both fighters where unbeaten and it was expected that the Cuban would give Quigg his hardest test to date, his slippery style and experience from over 300 amatuer fights was bound to have some influence on this fight.

It was a cagey start to the fight, both fighters trying to establish control through the jab, and it was the Cuban that was able to gain some elements of control earlier. It became clear early that the Englishman was going to have to through combinations and push the tempo to unsettle his opponent, as the battle of the jabs was only going one way.  A body shot troubled Salinas in the second, causing him to complain to the referee that it was an illegal shot, but early on the raiding tactics used by Quigg meant the fight was at a slow pace allowing Salinas time to pick his shots and fight the way he wanted too.

Going in to the fourth Quigg started to up the pace, landing little but clearly outworking his opponent. Yet again Salinas found an answer in the sixth, keeping Quigg on the end of a sharp, accurate jab not allowing him to up the pace or get close enough to land.

As the rounds went on Quigg started to up the pace again, unsettling Salinas and forcing him to stand and trade going in to the eleventh round. Quigg was thumping home body shots at this point, but there was an anxious moment for the crowd and for Eddie Hearn at ringside as he was sent tumbling to the canvas in the final round, only for it be correctly ruled a slip by the referee.

As the bell went both fighters claimed victory, celebrating with their corners and acknowledging what had been a fantastic crowd at the O2, the scores read;   judge: Jean-Louis Legland 114-114,  judge: Leszek Jankowiak 114-114,  judge: Ruben M. Garcia 115-113.

“I feel I won the fight,” said Quigg afterwards. “I feel I won it by a round or two rounds.

“I stuck to the gameplan for five or six rounds. We knew we were going to be sharp early on and I couldn’t have gone how I did in the last five rounds like that from the start because I would have been picked off.

“We stuck to the plan. It felt like I was in control all the way through. Obviously I’m gutted that I didn’t get the win.

“I’ve just been in with a world class fighter. He had 300 odd amateur and I had 12 and I belong at world level and I think I just proved that.”

Time For Suarez To Walk Alone

Over the summer weeks more and more stories regarding Luis Suarez and where his future will lie have emerged. Most of them started by himself during interviews in his home country. There is no doubt that Liverpool will want a club record for someone who has become key to any success they are to have, but is it time to show him the door?

There is no doubting he is a world class player, in fact he is one of the best in the world today. But for all the good things he brings, he invites just as much controversy. Liverpool is a club that was built on high standards, the belief that no player is bigger than the club is something that every manager has agreed with over the years, until Kenny Dalglish came back.

The racism incident with Patrice Evra was the first incident that should have raised the alarm bells at the club. However it appeared as if the manager was going to defend him, even after he admitted using the term “negro” and was shown pinching the arm of the Manchester United defender. However this season he has taken the problems to new heights, the handball in the FA Cup against Mansfield Town was a disgusting act of cowardice and cheating, and just to make sure he hit the headlines again he attempted to bite Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic.

Interestingly, one of the quotes that appears to be repeated is; ‘The English media do not understand me. The controversies with Evra and Ivanovic were decisive. There are always extra questions when people analyse me.

‘After the Evra incident, it was very difficult to convince people about the ‘real’ Luis Suarez. Things had improved but then the incident involving Ivanovic was another blow.

‘Had that not happened, perhaps I would have been regarded as the best Premier League player last season.’

The club have now put a £55 million transfer fee on him, making sure that they get the best possible fee for a player who they deem irreplaceable. However the best offer I have seen mentioned in the press is Real Madrid’s cash plus Gonzalo Higuain. This offers them a readymade replacement to lead their challenge for 4^th place, and also a large amount of money to reinvest in to the squad.

Whatever the club does, I have come to the conclusion it is time to say thank you and goodbye to the Uruguayan. While he has done a lot of fantastic things during his time at Anfield, he brought just as much trouble. It has become obvious that he doesn’t want to stay at the club, whether that’s because he does not believe they can achieve that fourth place or because he is disappointed with the way he is viewed in the press, one thing is for certain if his behaviour on the field he will be targeted by the media where ever he plays.