British Heavyweight Title Fight, 23rd July

British and Commonwealth Heavyweight Titles: Tyson Fury UR12 Derek Chisora

After the Haye disappointment British heavyweight fans were in need of two people to come out fighting and they were not let down. Both fighters came into the ring with perfect records after 14 bouts, but one came in after having two World Title fights cancelled and the other saying he wasn't ready to box at that level. The beauty of boxing is that when the first bell sounds all of that become irrelevant and it's purely down to who can produce the goods.

Chisora stoked the atmosphere up a bit by coming into the ring to Irish music, something not overly appreciated by Fury, but he also seemed to come in with a few extra pounds around the waist. He was the heaviest he's ever weighed and it may have been an attempt to counter the size of Fury, but it didn't look like he was in the right shape for the fight. Fury by contrast looked in good condition, his large frame easily taking his weight.

The first round saw Fury in control. He was looking to box at range, keeping the left jab out as Chisora steadily moved forward. Fury looked relaxed and confident to box on the retreat, throwing a few combinations as the round went on that allowed him to be the aggressor at times. There were questions coming in as to how solid his chin would be but these were answered in the second round. A big left from Chisora landed flush and he followed up with some wild swings, a number of which also landed. Fury took the punches on the retreat and recovered enough to be throwing punches back by the end of the round.

From there on in Fury took control of the fight. Chisora abandoned any pre-fight tactics he may have had and went for single big punches, often lunching in with a left hook as an opening, and throwing wild over-hand rights. Fury however stuck to boxing and regularly landed scoring punches with the left jab and short rights when Chisora came within range.

Fury also dominated physically, often marching Chisora half way across the ring to trap him on the ropes, then proceeding to lean on Chisora to sap his energy. Fury was also better at the inside work when on the ropes, landing regularly to the body and with the occasional uppercut whilst Chisora tended to just cover up and wait for his chance to move away with a big punch.

Whilst Fury was in control of the fight, there were still questions about his punch power. He landed a lot of shots but Chisora never wobbled, and only once looked slightly hurt. Whilst he was comfortably ahead on the scorecards due to work rate and number of punches landed Chisora was able to walk through a lot of shots.

The last test for Fury came in the tenth. Chisora had been trapped in the corner for over half a minute when he broke out with a big left that connected well, and put Fury on the back foot. Chisora followed up with a flurry of punches, most of which were half-blocked, but given how tired both boxers were by then it had the potential to be damaging if he landed flush. To his credit Fury was smart enough to trap Chisora on the ropes and hold him down for ten seconds before the ref stepped in to break them up. After that he was back in control and soon had Chisora trapped against the ropes legally until the end of the round.

The last two rounds was back to Fury dominating both physically and technically and there was no doubt which way the judges would call the fight. Chisora didn't throw enough punches to stand a chance of winning on points, essentially going looking for the big punch all fight and neglected the fundamentals, and Fury was able to take his best shots and stay on his feet.

Fury on the other hand looked impressive in his ability to control the fight. The jab worked well to keep Chisora at range, his size enabled him to bully the smaller man, and he showed good instincts to gain himself a breather when in trouble. His inability to knock an obviously tired Chisora out may be a concern for the future, but he's earned the right to step up a level. He's not ready for a Klitshko yet, but a European level fight should be on the cards in due course. Alternatively a domestic showdown with David Price would be another great night for domestic boxing.

Eurosport Live, Friday 15th July

IBF International and IBF Pan-Asian Cruiserweight Title: Firat Arslan TKO5 Lubos Suda

A 35 year old Czech and a 40 year old German fighting for the Pan-Asian Title? If they can't be arsed to take it seriously then nor can I.

Arslan was busier and more active early on, getting up close and personal with Suda from the start and not giving him any space at all. He worked well at the close distance with choppy upper cuts and cuffs to the sides of the head. Suda was throwing isolated combinations but didn't have the power to hurt Arslan. A lot of the bout was fought up against the ropes with the guards up against each other and Arslan laying into Suda.

In the fourth a body shot put Suda down. He made it up on 8 and carried on, only to be put down again with another body shot at the end of the round. Bravely coming out for the fourth he remained under relentless pressure, but another left to the side of the ribcage floored him with one minute to go. The fourth time he went down the ref did the right thing and waved it off.

Both boxers are too old to make any impact, but Firat Arslan can be proud to call himself IBF Pan-Asian Cruiserweight Champion.


WBC International Super-Middleweight Title: Nikola Sjekloca UD12 Khoren Gevor

A bout between two contrasting fighters. Sjekloka is a tall, rangy, orthodox stylist who is on the up whereas Gevor is a short, stocky, southpaw brawler who has been in with world class fighters, but lost to them all recently. Such contrasts often make for entertaining fights, but this one ended up more on the scrappy side.

Initially Sjekloka kept the fight at distance behind a probing jab that was also a range-finder for a right cross, while Gevor was unable to get inside the range and land anything of consequence. When he did make it inside Sjetloka held and the punches looked busy but of limited value.

As the fight wore on Gevor managed to close the gap more often and land a few solid punches. He was helped by Sjetloka starting to tire and not moving away after he had delivered punches, meaning he was an easy target for the smaller man. He was starting to throw the fight away by playing into Gevor's hands. In the last couple of rounds however he re-established the jab and found a second wind giving him enough movement to stay out of trouble. It was these last two rounds that won the fight for him, with two of the judges scoring it to him by a single point.

Overall a disappointing fight and Sjetloka will need to learn to box smarter if he's to break into the top ten. Gevor's career at the top level now looks to be as good as over.


WBC Mediterranean Heavyweight Title: Erkan Teper TKO9 Jakov Gospic

This was a 10 bout for a Mediterranean title between two boxers who had never previously fought more than a 6-rounder, neither of whom were from the Mediterranean - one was German and one was Croatian. Accordingly it was fairly low-calibre fair.

Teper set up camp in the middle of the ring and Gospic spent the whole fight circling around him. In the first few rounds there was very little of note, with the first itself being a no-score draw and the next two allowing both boxers to slowly wake up. The fourth saw the first real action as Teper landed an upper cut which, after a second or two delay, saw Gospic go down on one knee. He reacted well though, catching Teper and stunning him later in the round, however beyond that one occasion Gospic never looked to have the power to hurt Teper.

The second half of the fight consisted of Gospic landing a few decent punches that made no impact on Teper, and Teper landing some big punches that were taking their toll. Eventually in the ninth he landed another upper cut flush on Gospic's chin, and the Croat cumpled to the canvas. He made it up but was rightly ruled in no fit state to continue.

Tidy though Gospic was he didn't have enough power to do any damage. In contrast Teper's right upper cut may have enough in it to carry him a little higher up the levels.

Saturday Fight Night, July 17th.

WBO Intercontinental Lightweight Title: Kevin Mitchell TKO8 John Murray

The previous two fights on this card had both been disappointing in their own way so the crowd (and those at home) were very much in need of a decent fight and thankfully Murray and Mitchell provided just that.

Murray came forward from the opening bell. From behind a high guard he rarely took a backwards step early on as he hunted Mitchell down around the ring. Mitchell had come to box on the run, looking sprightly and energetic but happy to stand his ground when he was ready to trade punches, before slipping away again. The contrast of styles made for a great match-up with Murray unloading when he managed to close the gap or trap Mitchell on the ropes.

The first couple of rounds were fairly even though Mitchell's punches were noticeably crisper whilst Murray looked to outwork him inside. In the third round Murray caught Mitchell and slowed him down, allowing him to close the gap and apply some pressure in an attempt to wear him down. By the fourth though Mitchell was back moving quickly and holding his own in the close exchanges with the left upper cut starting to do serious damage, especially when thrown two or three at a time. By the sixth the clean punches were starting to take their toll on Murray as he began to mark up around the eyes.

In the seventh it became clear that Murray was starting to tire. The snap had gone out of his punches, the eyes were closing up and he was visibly tired. Mitchell was still looking fresh and moving well meaning that Murray was left punching fresh air. With under a minute to go Mitchell landed with a left and Murray started to wobble. He recovered only to be rocked again but was saved by the bell. As they came out for the eighth it was clear that he'd not recovered and Mitchell was looking to finish it. He landed a solid left hook and Murray dropped to his knees, making the count but only just convincing the referee that he was fit to fight on. Mitchell came straight at him and landed four decent shots, at which point it was waved off with Murray on the brink of going down again.

It was a great fight from the opening bell between two fighters with great respect for each other. Murray showed great heart and determination but was beaten by a technically better fighter as Mitchell showed the class that took him to a world title shot. At this rate another one surely won't be too far away.


WBO Super-Featherweight Title: Ricky Burns TKO1 Nicky Cook

An astonishing fight which had Cook's corner throwing in the towel in the first round without a serious punch being landed. With six seconds gone Burns landed an innocuous punch to the side of the head and Cook collapsed to the canvas holding his back. He took an 8-count whilst hobbling around and trying to stretch himself on the ropes before declaring himself ready to go on.

Before another punch had been thrown he dropped to one knee again and took another count whilst again holding his lower back, but once more decided he wanted to go on. Burns then managed to land a few punches to put Cook down for a third time, but somehow he was allowed to go on again, only to be saved from further embarrassment when his corner threw the towel in.

It was a farce of a fight which ended with Cook being stretchered out of the ring. Whilst one must have every sympathy for him, how could he have been passed fit to fight with a back in such bad condition? Burns has been robbed of the chance to have a proper defence of his title and the crowd were likewise short-changed.

British and Commonwealth Light-Heavyweight Titles: Tony Bellew UD12 Ovill McKenzie

This was the opening fight on the card and started with great cheers for the local boy Bellew but ended with isolated chants of 'boooo-ring' from the crowd. These two had previously been involved in a barnstormer of a fight, but as is so often the case, the sequel failed to live up the the original.

The fight settled into a pattern early on with Bellew looking to keep the fight at a distance and McKenzie close him down. Bellew was on the move for the entire time, happy to box on the retreat and occasionally step forward with a couple of jabs. McKenzie on the other hand was regularly moving forward and when he closed the gap threw punches in bunches, though in a wild manner rather than controlled aggression. Neither boxer was able to land anything of consequence in the first six rounds with Bellew doing enough half-decent work to be comfortably ahead on the cards.

As the bout wore on a few more punches were landed. A big right from McKenzie in the sixth threatened to spark the fight into life, but it soon settled back down again. In the eighth Bellew started to string a few punches together, but was still happy to stay at range and pick McKenzie off, towards the end of the fight holding centre-ring and cruising through the last few rounds.

Given that he was knocked down twice in their previous meeting it's understandable that Bellew wanted to be a little circumspect, but it became obvious early on that McKenzie wasn't a great threat and that should have precipitated a change in tactics. He rightfully won by a large margin on all the cards, but very few people watching would have been impressed, least of all Nathan Cleverly who had a ringside view of a disappointing contest.

WBO Intercontinental Welterweight Title : Frankie Gavin SD12 Curtis Woodhouse

Difficult to say much about this because Sky only showed edited highlights but after the fight Barry McGuigan said "[Frankie Gavin] could turn out to the the biggest waste of talent we've ever had". He laboured to a victory over a limited fighter and later admitted to not preparing properly, which has echos of failing to make the weight for the Olympics. If the talk of him being a potential world champion is to be accurate then it will require him to dedicate himself properly to the sport.

Eurosport Live, Thursday 14th July.

IBF International Bantamweight Title and WBA Intercontinental Bantamweight Title - Lee Haskins UD12 Mohammed Boulegcha

This was a strange bill from marketplace in Marakesh. There were no stands, just some VIP seats near the ring and then some steel barriers a little further back, behind which stood the spectators. They were about five deep in places but were augmented by a passing trade from people going about their every day business and stopping to see what was going on. The sort of thing that you only see on Eurosport.

The fight turned out to be a comfortable one for Haskins. He worked out very early on that Boulegcha didn't have the pace or power to hurt him and by the third round he had dropped his guard and was relying on reactions to get him out of trouble when needed. He was comfortable switching between southpaw and orthodox and did so regularly, a tactic that left Boulegcha struggling to work out how to hit him. Boulegcha on the other hand attacked largely in straight lines with no great speed, and was on the back foot for the majority of the fight.

As the fight entered the middle rounds it had turned into an extended sparring session for Haskins, and it was needed as he was scrappy at times. He threw a lot of single shots, a significant number of which missed what was a fairly static target. He was hurting Boulegcha with body shots but failed to persue that line of attack, instead looking for eye-catching shots to the head, but leading with a left hook is rarely going to pay great dividends.

Credit has to go to the Moroccan for lasting the course. He was bleeding from the nose from the third and another cut opened under his left eye in the tenth. He also took two 8 counts but aside from the odd body shot was never hurt, just battered. In the end it was a comfortable victory for Haskins but he looked ring rusty and ill-disciplined at times. A more controlled and less flashy performance and he could have saved the judges the hassle of totting up the scores.


EBA Cruiserweight Title - Rachid El Hadak UD12 Rene Hubner

This was as easy a fight to score as you could ever ask to watch, though if given the choice I suggest you don't. Hubner had very little to bring to the fight and El Hadak dominated from start to finish. The veretan German held a high defence and inched forward early on, but El Hadak regularly found a way through with his left jab, and was also landing combinations to head and body. Hubner was throwing the odd single shot but nothing was landing to any effect and by the third round El Hadak was in total control and he knew it. From there he started to back Hubner up more often and continued to work both body and head.

By the end of the third the commentators had gone off on a tangent about the role of journeymen boxers and it was far more interesting than what was happening in the ring. At the end of the sixth my recorded programme ended and I was left not knowing what the final result was, though there was very little suspense as I ventured onto the internet to find out. All three of the judges scored every round to the home fighter and there could be no argument based on the six I saw.

Haye - Klitschko, Saturday July 2nd

IBO, IBF, WBO and WBA World Heavyweight Title Fight: Wladimir Klitschko UD12 David Haye

One week on from Macklin - Sturm and another Brit was losing on points in Germany, but on this occasion there could be no complaints. Haye came into the fight on the back of a lot of claims about what he would do to the champion but was never able to live up to his hype, with Klitschko proving too big for the natural cruiserweight and a comfortable winner.

Before the fight even started we had a return to the days of the ridiculous ring-walks. I'm not sure there was a need for a black cab, red phone box, park bench, interactive newspaper, Lennox Lewis or George foreman, but for some reason they were all there. Added to this was a 20 minute wait whilst Haye remained in his dressing room, probably in the name of 'mind games', leaving Jimmy Lennon Jnr to fill for time in the middle of the ring.

Eventually the fight got underway and very quickly settled into a pattern that never changed. It was expected that Klitschko would stick his left hand out to keep Haye at a distance and he disappointed nobody by starting with exactly that. What was less expected was that Haye would be unable to find his way around it. Though the jabs that landed were scoring punches they were not heavy, and never had Haye in trouble, but he was forced to fight from the outside. When he did try to attack it was from distance, meaning he threw lunging punches. Because of the lack of balance there was no great power and he wasn't able to turn them into combinations. In addition Klitschko was quick enough to step back as soon as Haye launched an attack, meaning the majority of punches fell short and at times he over-balanced, albeit often with a helping hand.

Haye had been talking in the build up of a way to counter Klitschko's physical presence when up close and he did this by going straight to the canvas whenever the Ukrainian leaned on him. It was successful early on in the fight and lead to a point deduction for Klitschko, but after that the referee grew tired of it and started warning Haye about going down too easily. In the 11th Haye missed a punch, Klitschko pushed down on him once more, and this time it was given as a knock down leading to a standing 8-count. It was a poor decision, but Haye could easily have faced a point deduction for his continual flops to the canvas.

Because of the dominance of the Klitschko jab there were fairly few big punches landed by either boxer. Klitschko took a couple of rounds before he started throwing the cross right but in the fifth landed one flush to the side of Haye's head. The Londoner took it looked unhurt, able to move off the ropes to prevent further punches landing. He took a few more as the fight went on, and landed some big rights of his own, but neither fighter ever looked in trouble, nor came under sustained pressure.

At the end of the fight Haye revealed that he had broken the little toe on his right foot three weeks before the bout, and that this prevented him from pushing off properly and so executing his game plan, but it's difficult to see how it would have made much difference. The riddle he failed to solve was how to get inside the jab and this was less about pushing off, and more about speed and size. Klitschko was too big for him and quick enough to put himself out of range when needed, and was so dominant that one judge had him winning every round. Though others scored it closer, it would have been difficult to find anyone who thought Haye actually won.

Where Haye goes from here is unknown. there is talk of one more fight before he hangs up his gloves in October but surely a rematch is unlikely. It was a clear and comfortable victory for Klitschko, and given his dislike of Haye you wonder why he would put himself through the nonsense of a build up; likewise for Vitaly. So it's most likely that Haye will retire after one more fight against someone he'll comfortably beat within a few rounds for what will be an anti-climactic end to his career.


Cruiserweight: Ola Afolabi KO1 Terry Dunstan

One of two undercard fights shown on the Sky Box Office bill and a very short one. Dunstan looked every one of his 42 years and Afolabi was comfortably winning the first round when he detonated a right that had the ref waving the fight off before Dunstan hit the canvas. A similar punch to the one that knocked out Macarinelli and the sort of one-punch power that fans love to see.

Flyweight: Ashley Sexton draw Mike Robinson

Not a particularly great fight with neither boxer looking to have the power to hurt the other. There was a lot of action but it was scrappy and unsatisfying, to the extent that despite having a lot of time to fill the sky coverage skipped a few of the early rounds altogether.