Former Welsh boxer, Colin Jones, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2020 Birthday Honours services for services to boxing and received his medal at Windsor Castle last week.
Jones, experienced an incredible career in both amateur and professional boxing. A knockout specialist who won 26 of his 30 fights, with 23 coming by KO finish. He became the British, Commonwealth and European welterweight champion and before turning professional he also represented Great Britain at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.
Speaking on his MBE award in Windsor, Jones said: “It’s unique really. It’s very hard to put it into words, it was such a big occasion, to be honoured in that respect and outside of the boxing fraternity, it was something different and unique.
“It’s a fantastic couple of days when you go there and have your honour. It’s nice for the family and it’s nice for everybody in boxing as well, to share that with you”.
Welsh rugby captain, Alun Wyn Jones was also present to receive his OBE award on the day and Jones described the day as a “real eye-opener”, with regards to the occasion.
As such an accomplished professional, Jones ranks this award up there with his 1983 BBC Sports Wales Personality of the Year award and his first British title against Kirkland Laing, stating, “this award is certainly up there with all my boxing accolades throughout my career”.
The Swansea-born boxer now finds himself coaching amateurs with the Welsh Boxing Association. For some, making the switch from fighting to coaching can be a real challenge but for Jones “it’s like riding a bike, once you do it, it comes to you easily. I’ve been in the game since the age of nine so making the transition was something I’ve found quite easy”.
Welsh boxing has risen considerably over the last few decades but even more so in the 2000s. Working with the number of amateurs that he currently is, Jones says he is working with an “elite group”, with many aiming to make a name for themselves at the Commonwealth Games that will take place next year in Birmingham.
The former professional also highlighted the recent achievements of Olympic gold-medalist, Lauren Price, stating she could achieve just as much once she makes the transition to professional. Price being a product of the boxing programme he currently coaches with.
There’s no doubt that with Colin Jones coaching the “budding superstars” of today, Wales could see many a more champions begin to emerge in the next few years.
Brandon Scott. Taken from the Boxing Wales (@BoxingWales) Twitter account.
Decorated amateur boxer, Brandon “Boom Boom” Scott has officially turned pro at 18-years-old and will be trained by former champion, Gavin Rees.
Scott struggled with his weight and fitness from a young age but after being introduced to boxing at the age of 12, his life has only gone up.
Subjected to bullying as a child, he uses that as fuel now as he strives for boxing glory.
“I learnt that some people aren’t always nice, they can be horrible sometimes, but it taught me to learn to get on with it, which gives me a major advantage when I’m training.
“I always give 1000% because I know that no one is going to do this for me.”
It is also confirmed that Scott will be trained by former WBA super lightweight champion, Gavin Rees.
“It feels amazing to know he’s going to be passing down his knowledge to me.
“He’s already helped me loads and hasn’t asked for anything but for me to give 100%. Never asked for a single penny.”
Rees held the WBA title from 2007-2008 and finished his pro career with a record of 38-4-1.
Fighting out of Swansea, Brandon has had an excellent amateur career that’s seen him win three national titles, a British title, won over 30 fights and several other tournament wins.
“To think I’m now a professional boxer seems a bit surreal to be completely honest.”
Despite only just turning pro, he’s already thinking about titles.
“I’m running this all the way to the top. I take my life day by day, but I’ve got tunnel vision in becoming a world champion.
“I will set my next target when it’s reality. I’m fully expecting there to be obstacles and bumps along the way but when they come, I can promise that I will be ready.”
Fans can expect to see an aggressive boxer who likes to pick opponents apart.
“I like to come forward with feints, head movement then I like to get my power shots off from range. I do rely a lot on my footwork.
“People should expect an exciting fight but with some top-level technical skill and ability.
“I truly believe when I box to my full potential, I will steal the show, and everyone will know what I’m capable of.”
With his first shot at the UFC Lightweight title coming up on May 15th, against Charles ‘de Bronx’ Oliveira, this is why ‘Iron’ Michael Chandler will walk away with the UFC belt around his waist.
34-year-old Michael Chandler won his first world title at Bellator 58 against MMA veteran and former UFC champion, Eddie Alvarez in November of 2011. His record currently stands at 22 wins in 27 fights, finishing 17 of those wins.
With a natural wrestling style, wicked knockout power and an infectious personality, it’s clear why many people will be rooting for the newcomer to the UFC, “Iron Mike”, with his first title fight under his new employers, just a month away.
The Missouri born star fought for the USA’s second largest mixed martial arts promotion, Bellator, for 10 years, making his debut in September of 2010. Since then, Chandler has gone on to fight 22 times for the promotion and held the lightweight title with them on three different occasions.
Michael Chandler is the Bellator Lightweight Champion. Credit: MMA Junkie.
At 5 foot 8 inches, the lightweight has an unbelievable range to his fighting. His tricky takedown technique, along with his range of submissions and general striking, there’s no doubt that this guy has the ability to finish every opponent he faces.
Looking at the five losses he has on his résumé, both his first and second came via a split decision. However, the other three have all been classed as technical knockouts. So, it’s worth noting that although the nickname ‘iron’ is justified, Chandler does still have some holes to fill in.
It’s fair to say that, for a lightweight fighter, the now number four ranked UFC 155 pounder, has a wide shoulder physique and is heavily muscled but that by no means slows down his striking. You can see that from his 10 wins by KO, his speed, accompanied by his power, are what allow him to finish opponents with his fists.
After spending 10 years fighting for Bellator, fans began demanding that UFC President, Dana White, sign the experienced fighter for his promotion and in September 2020, that’s exactly what happened.
Michael Chandler signs with the UFC. Credit: Sky Sports.
Chandler left his promotion, coming off the back of a victory against former UFC Champion, Benson Henderson, and was now looking to add some bigger names to his hitlist.
After having to wait a while, ‘Iron Mike’ got his wish of fighting one of the top ranked lightweight fighters in his UFC debut, as he would be taking on Dan ‘Hangman’ Hooker at UFC257, alongside fellow lightweights, Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier.
The event took place on January 23rd with Chandler primed to make his debut as electric predicted. His fight with Hooker acted as the co-main event and it did not disappoint.
He came out the more aggressive and the faster fighter and kept Hooker moving for the opening half of the first round until he was able to connect with a swift left hook and put the ‘Hangman’ down and was then able to finish him with a flurry of ground strikes.
His debut put the rest of the lightweight division on notice and after his victory he called out as many of the top contenders as he could, including; McGregor, Poirier and, now retired, Khabib.
After beating the number six ranked Dan Hooker and after it being made clear that, the presumed challenger for the lightweight belt, Dustin Poirier, was more interested in a trilogy fight against McGregor, it has now been announced the Chandler has a chance to follow in Eddie Alvarez’s footsteps and become the Bellator and UFC Champion.
He will fight Charles Oliveira on May 15th at UFC262, as he challenges for lightweight gold.
Both fighters have a natural wrestling style but with Oliveira coming in as the higher ranked, taller and more experienced fighter, many will have him down as the favourite but after Chandler made it clear we would all see him “at the top” very soon, you can’t argue with his confidence.
Fighting in a sold-out stadium in Texas, and with some top quality fights on this card, the fight is sure to bring fireworks. Will we see ‘Iron’ Michael Chandler lift the UFC Lightweight Championship belt above his head on May 15th?
In case you are living under a rock, on Sunday morning, Tyson Fury became the World Heavyweight Champion of the World, after beating Deontay Wilder in seven tantalising rounds, thus taking his WBC world title off him. After this win, what should Fury do next?
Before getting properly into this, it must first be said that as of this morning, Deontay Wilder has come out and said that he will be activating the rematch clause in their contract and has blamed his loss on his 40lbs costume that he walked out in, saying that it ‘weakened his legs’. He blamed other factors such as; his trainer throwing in the towel and that Fury wasn’t actually hurting him. No matter what the excuses are, the point is, he wants the trilogy fight.
Fury was able to knock down Wilder in rounds 3 and 5 and before he could do it again in the 7th, his team decided he’d had enough and threw in the towel. It was potentially the best performance of Fury’s career and the fact that he has said that he still feels he could’ve given him more makes me fear for the next person who steps into the ring with him.
Straight after the fight, the other World Heavyweight Champion of the World, Anthony Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn tweeted this out:
Twitter then began getting excited with AJ’s promoter openly calling for a fight between the two champions. Hearn has since released a video stating that “this fight will happen.” Also, he mentions how if AJ has to fight Pulev, he will and if Fury has to fight Wilder again, he will but inevitably both fighters will win and Hearn has promised that both teams will do “everything”, to make this fight happen.
So, could a unification fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua be closer than we think? This is the fight everyone now wants. Everyone is in agreement that Fury will most likely beat Wilder again in their third bout, whether that’s under the same circumstances as last time or even if it’s a points decision, Fury will win so a fight between the two World Champions must happen.
Dillian Whyte has also openly stated that he will challenge Fury for his title and believes he is the man to ruin his unbeaten record. It’s unlikely that this fight will happen in the near future given that Fury will most likely have to accept the rematch against Wilder and if and when he wins that, a unification fight with Joshua is the fight most likely to follow.
In terms of predicting a winner between AJ and Fury, it seems incredibly difficult to see anything but Fury winning at this moment in time but we all know Joshua is capable of a huge performance and he is, at the end of the day, a world champion. My money will be on Fury however.
It will be interesting to see how soon the rematch with Wilder will be announced and when this year it will take place but right now it’s looking like Fury will need to win that fight and then move on to the unification fight with AJ, assuming that he wins his fights in the meantime also.
There’s a lot to look forward to in the boxing world right now…
On November 9th 2019, KSI, defeated Logan Paul by split decision in both their professional boxing debuts and now Logan’s brother, Jake, is seeking revenge.
British Youtuber, KSI, came out on top against American Youtuber, Logan Paul in Los Angeles’ Staples Centre, which accumlated, approximately 2 million live viewers. KSI’s split decision win came as a result of the referee’s controversial decision to deduct 2 points from Logan for two illegal punches landed upon KSI. The undercard welcomed championship fighters, such as Devin Haney and Billy Joe Saunders and was promoted by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing.
So, after the first professional boxing fight between two youtubers, which many boxing fans defined as an ‘insult’ to boxing, where do we go from here? Well, after his brother’s defeat, Jake Paul, is now making it his mission to avenge his brother’s defeat and beat KSI. However, before this, he must defeat British Youtuber, Anesongib.
It’s no mystery that Jake had always planned to fight KSI, even if his brother had defeated him, but one of the specifications that Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boing offered him in order to be granted a fight with him, was that he fought one fighter before this, to show his worth, as it were. Many names were thrown about but none seemed to be professional boxers, just more entertainers.
Jake won his first and only amateur fight against KSI’s brother, Deji, on the undercard of the first encounter between the two internet giants back in 2018 by way of TKO. His fight with ‘Gib’ will serve as the co-main event for the Demetrius Andrade-Luke Keeler WBO middleweight title fight and will take place on January 3oth in Miami.
The bout will be six 3-minute rounds with each fighter wearing 10-ounce gloves. Gib has had two amateurs fights, winning both, one by way of TKO.
The Press Conference of the Jake Paul v Anesongib fight.
“It seems like I’m overlooking him because that’s the narrative we’ve built,” Paul said at their press conference at the beginning of January. “At the end of the day, I have to defeat him first. Jan. 30 is what I’m focused on. But I know I’m going to win. You have nothing to lose. This is your biggest payday. This is your 15 seconds of fame. You’re seven-and-half seconds in. How is it so far? Is it good? You enjoying your 15 seconds of fame? Soak it in while you can.
“But here’s the thing: You have nothing to lose. I have everything to lose. I’m Jake Paul, the big, bad wolf. If you think you have a mental edge over me, you’re f—ing wrong, kid.”
While Gib has played the more humble role, stating he understands the challenge laid out ahead of him but he is ready.
“This is the fight I wanted, he didn’t want this fight. I forced this fight upon him. So, I’ve been training every day. I’m doing the sparring. I’m doing the running. I’m doing the training. That’s all I got to do.”
Both fighters have a strong motive going in to this fight and either one of them has the capability of winning it. Eddie Hearn has expressed that, like the KSI v Logan fight, this will be a professional fight and it will be treated as such.
Is Youtube boxing going to now be a thing? This will be the fourth boxing event that Youtubers have played a role. Boxing fans don’t seem to support this decision but as Eddie Hearn will say, this is the way the world is going, this is a digital age and having internet stars such as Jake Paul and Gib fighting on professional boxing cards, will bring in a younger audience, fans that may not have been as interested in boxing beforehand. Can we really argue with that?
The fight takes place on January 30th in Miami and you can watch on Sky Sports Box Office.
When we look back at some of the best heavyweight boxers, such as, Ali and Tyson, in their prime, there’s no doubt that they were the best in the world, at the time. However, with the likes of Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury now all experiencing the primes of their careers, the question of who is the best appears far more controversial. Where do we start?
For the past four years, it has been Joshua who’s been recognised as the best but after his shock defeat to Mexican heavyweight, Andy Ruiz Jr, it’s now all a matter of opinion who it is. It’s been looking likely for some time that Joshua would eventually fight Deontay Wilder, given that he currently holds the WBC heavyweight champion belt, the one belt that Joshua does not already hold. However, plenty of things have gotten in the way of this fight, that fans have been calling for ever since Joshua beat Klitschko back in 2017.
In that time, Joshua has fought Carlos Takam, Joseph Parker (his first fight that went the distance), Alexander Povetkin, his loss to Ruiz and then his rematch win that saw him win his belts back. Joshua’s record currently reads, 24 fights, 23 wins, 1 loss and 21 of his wins coming by way of knockout. Many out there feel that his one loss to Andy Ruiz has most likely prevented him from ever being considered the best boxer ever, or at least of this generation but I believe they’re wrong…
Let’s take a look at Deontay Wilder. Wilder is currently 34 years old, 4 years older than Joshua, and has fought almost double the number of professional fights that Joshua has. His record is currently, 43 fights, 42 wins, 1 draw and 41 wins by knockout. He remains unbeaten.
Wilder is known for his insane punching power, which is evident by his 41 knockout wins, and in his draw with Tyson Fury, back in December 2018, was able to knock him down despite struggling to take control during the first half of the fight. His power can not be understated. The first bout between Wilder and Fury was the only fight that either of them hadn’t won. Wilder was, in my opinion, dominated in the fight, and despite knocking down Fury in the 12th round, he should’ve lost the fight, but he drew and his record remains in tact, so therefore, he holds on to his belt. The rematch between the two will take place on the 22nd February and we have to assume that one of these two heavyweights are going to experience their first loss, but who?
Wilder isn’t known for his defence game, most likely because he always seems to be the one attacking but nonetheless, these are things that need to be considered when assessing who is the best. The ‘Bronze Bomber’ recently stated that he would have beaten prime Mike Tyson, a questionable statement but nevertheless, we can not question this guys confidence, he believes he can beat anyone he’s put in a ring with, as all boxers should but his cool, calm and collected demeanour is one of the things that makes him so deadly.
Let’s take a look at the ‘Gypsy King’, Tyson Fury. A year older than Joshua, at 31, with another undefeated boxing record that reads, 30 fights fought, 29 wins, 1 draw and 20 wins by KO. Fury is no stranger to a fight that has gone the distance. As we know, he took a lengthy spell out of boxing between 2015 and 2018, where his known mental health issues caused him to get overweight, to the point where he was weighing more than 27 stone. His journey, from then to now, has been extraordinary.
In his last fight against, Otto Wallin, he weighed in at 18 stone. A tremendous turnaround and now he’s on to fight Wilder in February, hoping to win the WBC Heavyweight Championship off him. Fury is 6 foot 9 and there’s not much that he can’t do in the ring, he can outbox, counter, roughhouse, the lot. He arguably lacks the power that Joshua and, certainly, Wilder possess but he makes the most of his. His head movement matches that of Ali and for such a big guy, his stamina is superb.
Rumours are suggesting that the winner of Wilder Fury II will face Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia, allowing the winner to be undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. However, Joshua and Wilder and their promoters have struggled to set up a fight between the two for some time, so don’t get too excited just yet, but it’s something we would all like to see.
In terms of predicting who will win the rematch, which takes place in Las Vegas, I would have to go with Fury. My heart says Fury but my head says Wilder but I’m letting my heart make the choice with this one. Fury almost won the first fight and had it not been for Wilder’s late knockdown he would’ve won and I just think that he will be more prepared this time round. He would have taken some hard shots in training ready for the powerful jabs that Wilder can unleash, thus toughening up his chin. Unless Wilder can end the fight early, before at least the 7th round, which I just can’t see happening, then I think Fury has the necessary energy and stamina to outbox the Bronze Bomber.
This means that I put Fury above Wilder, in the pecking order of who is the best heavyweight boxer in the world. So, assuming a fight is arranged for the winner of the rematch to take on Joshua in Saudi Arabia at the end of 2020, do I think that Fury could beat Joshua too? Now, as much as I love Anthony Joshua and how disappointed that he lost to Ruiz in the first fight, potentially tarnishing his chances of being the best, I can’t help but think that Fury’s fighting style compared to his would result in Fury winning, possibly even easier than the fight with Wilder.
I think that Tyson Fury will beat Deontay Wilder on the 22nd February and assuming that it is prearranged that the winner of the fight will face Anthony Joshua at the end of the year, then I can see Fury beating Joshua and ultimately becoming the undisputed heavyweight boxer of the world. Therefore, I put Fury, at number one.
Just to finish off, in terms of second place, despite thinking that Fury would have an easier fight against Joshua than he will against Wilder, I still believe that Joshua’s boxing mind and his tactics would actually be enough to stop Wilder, should the two eventually ending up fighting also. So, for me, I put Joshua second, behind Fury but ahead of Wilder.
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