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WHEN Jim Watt defeated Howard Davis at Ibrox Park, Glasgow, for the WBC lightweight title on June 7 1980, he was continuing a long tradition of great Scottish champions boxing in the country’s many large football stadia. The promoters had hoped for a crowd of 20,000 that night but far fewer than that turned up

THE 2022 World Cup Finals, despite being held in the middle of winter, have been as gripping as any World Cup that I can remember. We may all find the Qatar setting problematic but, when viewed purely as a sporting event, it has delivered thus far. The reason for that should be easy to understand.

AT 82, Barry Tompkins should be slowing down. But listen to him call the ShoBox fights on Showtime or any number of sports these days, and the Hall of Famer may just be getting started on the next chapter of his stellar career behind the mic. And that’s fine with him. “More than anything else,

I WILL start with the wonderful support that Ringside Charitable Trust have received this year. I never like to single out any of the very special people who have gone way above what could ever be expected of anyone, time and time again, as every single contribution and effort is so gratefully appreciated and I am

ONCE upon a time in Tokyo, two great men fought 15 rounds for the world bantamweight title. That is the path Paul Butler took this week, a road to true boxing immortality. In 1965, a little Scouser with the most brilliant technique, travelled for days to reach his destination. Alan Rudkin was the best British bantamweight

Linus Udofia (Middleweight contender) Naoya Inoue, for sure. For his size he is without doubt the hardest puncher in boxing at the moment. He is also, in my opinion, the most complete boxer. To have any chance of beating him you would have to stay on the outside and fight like Guillermo Rigondeaux: just two

IN THE immediate aftermath of Derek Chisora’s punishing defeat to Tyson Fury, there was an outpouring of concern over Derek’s long-term health from fans, the media, talking heads and even other fighters. He took a sustained beating for 10 rounds from Fury, who even in second gear and damage limitation mode, doled out the leather.

THE next time you are told British boxing is thriving on account of either the number of broadcasters currently flirting with it or domestic fights being offered on pay-per-view, please remember that Tuesday’s (December 13) world bantamweight title fight between Naoya Inoue – arguably the most exciting boxer on the planet – and Paul Butler,

MILLS LANE died last week at the age of 85, some twenty years after being told by doctors that he’d be lucky to survive another five when he suffered a stroke in 2002. That he lasted so long, or indeed survived the stroke in the first place, should be no surprise to those who knew

Linus Udofia (Middleweight contender) He has got to be regarded as number one. He is just so complete; basic but complete. He jabs well, he carries power in either hand, and he can fight in either stance. He is very good at both attacking and defending and also good at turning attack into defence –

1 David Avanesyan (December 2022) To produce one of the very best knockouts of the year so far, Crawford blinded Avanesyan with his left cross before coming back with a stiff right hook to leave his brave challenger flat on his back. 2 Jose Benavidez Jnr (October 2018) With less than a minute to go

‘HAPPY CHRISTMAS!’ declared a jubilant Mick Conlan as he gave his adoring fans an early present on a frosty Saturday night in Belfast. Karim Guerfi was the unfortunate man to find himself on the Falls Road featherweight’s naughty list and the Frenchman was ripped apart inside one round at the SSE Arena. The Conlan Boxing

IT is no slight on Josh Warrington to say this, but sometimes it is refreshing to hear that the three judges sitting around a British ring have given the benefit of the doubt to a foreign opponent rather than the home fighter when scorecards are read by the MC after a hard-fought 12-rounder. With so

IN recent times, and at a certain level, UK-based Russian David Avanesyan has become something of a feared destroyer of the 147-pound welterweight division. He has, for the past 18 months, cut a swathe through the weight class on this side of the Atlantic, stopping the likes of Josh Kelly (TKO 6), Liam Taylor (TKO

NOTHING sums up the career of Terence “Bud” Crawford quite like a low-key fight in December against Russian David Avanesyan on a pay-per-view streaming service called BLK Prime. A risky fight, a challenging fight, a fight he will get no credit for winning, Crawford’s fight this Saturday (December 10) at the CHI Health Center in

JOSH WARRINGTON returns from the longest lay-off of his career on Saturday night as he bids to continue his march back up the featherweight rankings. The 32-year-old has not been seen since he beat Kiko Martinez nine months ago in a fight which gleaned not only the IBF belt but a seriously broken jaw, too.

EARLIER this year Mexico’s Alejandra Ayala, having just woken from a coma, explained to me how she had come to terms with the fact her career was now over and she would never box again. “In boxing,” she said, “they try to say if you lose or quit it’s this terrible thing. But no, losing

STANDING 6ft 4in and weighing over 17 stone, Jared Anderson is not exactly inconspicuous but the rising star of American heavyweight boxing wishes he did not burn so brightly. In fact, he hopes that by the age of just 26 he has faded away completely. While most in his position would be boastfully predicting a