Latest Blog From British & Commonwealth Super Middleweight Champion George Groves ...
Monday was an unusual day for a fight week press conference but for me it made a refreshing change. Every man and his dog today would have seen something of the Haye-Klit presser. Hopefully it got all the Brits at home as excited as we are already! Anyway I will get to that soon.
If you're going to order poached eggs on day one, come day four what are you going to order? Poached eggs again maybe but with finest scotch fillet of beef - on bubble & squeak hash browns served with a reduction of wild mushrooms, herbs and Chianti? (now I'm getting hungry).We started the day like any other: at breakfast. I went for the scrambled egg on brown toast. Coldwell trumped me with scrambled egg with ham and onion while the Dark Lord Adam Booth opted for four poached eggs. 'Schoolboy error', was my first thought. I mean where's the progression?
1pm quickly came around and it was time to head off to the press conference. We all slipped into our fetching new t-shirts, which depict David punching the head off of a man who in my opinion looks suspiciously like.... Audley Harrison.
Once there we all piled into the lift, out the other end and into the hall. David and Adam took their seats at the top table and the 'presentation' began. First up was some blah blahs followed by more blahs. Nookie Bear Booth then got up and delivered his speech. He did adlib a bit from what was originally planned, later on he admitted he did use the speech note cue cards I wrote for him just in case he forgot.
David D Haye AKA The Hayemaker for me was word perfect. Told the honest truth. Wlad will face a harsh reality and it is irrelevant wether he has studied tapes of David's because David will be totally different Saturday night!
Wlad on the other hand was also entertaining. Managed to crack a few funnies and had his own publicity stunt planned with the 50 on his hand.
Paddy Fitzpatrick managed to cause a little tension there when he stood up to shake hands with the legendary Emanuel Steward. Mr Steward in the past has been reluctant to grace Paddy with such an honour of shaking the magic hand. He was offered the magic fist though as Mr Steward told all with in ear shot that he would fight Paddy after the main event. All in all it added some spice.
Of course Vitali was there. Looking far more menacing than his little brother, he grabbed the mic and told Haye he must attend the post-fight presser. Haye sharply countered with "you must attend and not go to the hospital with your brother".
Vitali to me has a steely look in his eye, (no robot reference) it's like he's an emotionally-attached terminator (robot reference) and loves a fight! I'll explain why this is relevant: I was asked to hang around to do a talkSPORT interview and once that was finished I soon realised team Haye had made tracks and only Elliot and I were left.
As I walked to my seat with Elliot, Vitali was giving me daggers! My first thought was 'arrrrgh!', followed by respect for him for hating any opposition, followed by the realisation that I was the only Team Hayemaker member in the building sporting a picture of a decapitated Kazak-born, German-based Urkanian!
Brit abroad was in action though and managed to get my camera so close to Wlad's face during aSky Sports News live interview he couldn't help but turn to me after and ask 'sid you get enough pictures?' (add your own accent).
The rest of the day was about relaxing. The Hayemaker stayed in and watched some DVD's. Me and a few others went out for a cheeky pasta. And no, that is not a metaphor. Nearly there people!
Thursday 30 June 2011
Tuesday 11 January 2011
Manchester Boxer Khan survives late onslaught to put his name up in Vegas lights
Amir Khan was bleeding, aching and still throwing punches in a desperate last round of a fight that has changed his life and will be talked about in the same sentences as the epics that illuminate boxing's brutal history.
When the bell finally delivered relief from exhaustion and the savagery of Marcos Maidana's fists at the Mandalay Bay casino, it was clear from Khan's bruised and swollen face that his days as the "kid" are over. Khan, still only 24 but surely a lot older in boxing years, retained his World Boxing Association light-welterweight title with a tight but unanimous decision in a classic encounter that came so close to ending early so many times. It was, it has to be said, a staggering display of bravery from Khan and one that understandably is receiving rave reviews from some of the sport's modern greats.
However, it is no secret that Khan trained to win clearly, not get hit and exploit Maidana's apparent lack of speed; certainly not to go toe-to-toe with the losing Argentine to the delight of 4,632 bleary-eyed punters. There is every chance that he will have some explaining to do when he sits down with Freddie Roach, the tiny miracle-worker who rescued Khan from the carnage of the 54-second loss to Breidis Prescott just two years go.
The fight was just seconds old when Maidana crashed in a couple of fearsome rights and Khan was staggered, hurt and reeling and throwing punches in an instinctive, desperate reply. Maidana entered the ring having knocked out 27 of his 29 victims and Khan teetered on the edge of becoming 28 until a sickening left hook to the bottom of the rib cage, near the end of the opening round, left Maidana in agony on the canvas. He could barely walk to his corner and hobbled back, bent over and grimacing.
Maidana held his right elbow low to protect the busted rib for a few rounds and Khan did his best to lift the protection and connect with the vulnerable spot, but Maidana was tough and at this level fighters push through pain and damage with no fears about serious injury.
The fight moved between the pair with Khan's longer, more technical combinations landing but it seemed that with each success Maidana would settle, get close and rip in short, damaging and often illegal hooks that hurt and marked Khan. In round five, the referee had seen an elbow too many posing as a fist and he took a point off Maidana; the point proved crucial in the final tally of the judges and the root of the pandemonium at the fight's conclusion.
It was in round 10, though, that Khan entered boxing folklore when he was caught by a right cross, his legs went on a berserk Riverdance of their own and his eyes tumbled like lemons in a one-armed bandit. Maidana had his man and he had about two minutes and 30 seconds to finish Khan off. The ref edged closer, the fight looked lost but for the remainder of the round, as Maidana landed again and again and again, Khan somehow remained upright. It was quite astounding and as he stumbled, smeared in his own blood, back to the arms of Roach in the corner he looked like a survivor in a zombie movie.
In rounds like that you win fights, you make careers and you secure legacies.
Khan found his legs during the 60 seconds in Roach's care and finished the fight trying to keep the wide-eyed and increasingly angry Maidana at a safer distance, but it remained breathless until the final bell. Khan won with scores of 114-111 twice and 113-112.
There are several lucrative options for Khan in the coming months and when his body has healed he can sit down with De La Hoya and plot a route to becoming boxing's biggest attraction. Now is not the time to make fantasy fights; now is the time to sit back and enjoy one of the finest fights involving a British boxer for many, many years.
When the bell finally delivered relief from exhaustion and the savagery of Marcos Maidana's fists at the Mandalay Bay casino, it was clear from Khan's bruised and swollen face that his days as the "kid" are over. Khan, still only 24 but surely a lot older in boxing years, retained his World Boxing Association light-welterweight title with a tight but unanimous decision in a classic encounter that came so close to ending early so many times. It was, it has to be said, a staggering display of bravery from Khan and one that understandably is receiving rave reviews from some of the sport's modern greats.
However, it is no secret that Khan trained to win clearly, not get hit and exploit Maidana's apparent lack of speed; certainly not to go toe-to-toe with the losing Argentine to the delight of 4,632 bleary-eyed punters. There is every chance that he will have some explaining to do when he sits down with Freddie Roach, the tiny miracle-worker who rescued Khan from the carnage of the 54-second loss to Breidis Prescott just two years go.
The fight was just seconds old when Maidana crashed in a couple of fearsome rights and Khan was staggered, hurt and reeling and throwing punches in an instinctive, desperate reply. Maidana entered the ring having knocked out 27 of his 29 victims and Khan teetered on the edge of becoming 28 until a sickening left hook to the bottom of the rib cage, near the end of the opening round, left Maidana in agony on the canvas. He could barely walk to his corner and hobbled back, bent over and grimacing.
Maidana held his right elbow low to protect the busted rib for a few rounds and Khan did his best to lift the protection and connect with the vulnerable spot, but Maidana was tough and at this level fighters push through pain and damage with no fears about serious injury.
The fight moved between the pair with Khan's longer, more technical combinations landing but it seemed that with each success Maidana would settle, get close and rip in short, damaging and often illegal hooks that hurt and marked Khan. In round five, the referee had seen an elbow too many posing as a fist and he took a point off Maidana; the point proved crucial in the final tally of the judges and the root of the pandemonium at the fight's conclusion.
It was in round 10, though, that Khan entered boxing folklore when he was caught by a right cross, his legs went on a berserk Riverdance of their own and his eyes tumbled like lemons in a one-armed bandit. Maidana had his man and he had about two minutes and 30 seconds to finish Khan off. The ref edged closer, the fight looked lost but for the remainder of the round, as Maidana landed again and again and again, Khan somehow remained upright. It was quite astounding and as he stumbled, smeared in his own blood, back to the arms of Roach in the corner he looked like a survivor in a zombie movie.
In rounds like that you win fights, you make careers and you secure legacies.
Khan found his legs during the 60 seconds in Roach's care and finished the fight trying to keep the wide-eyed and increasingly angry Maidana at a safer distance, but it remained breathless until the final bell. Khan won with scores of 114-111 twice and 113-112.
There are several lucrative options for Khan in the coming months and when his body has healed he can sit down with De La Hoya and plot a route to becoming boxing's biggest attraction. Now is not the time to make fantasy fights; now is the time to sit back and enjoy one of the finest fights involving a British boxer for many, many years.
IRISH BOXING TEAM TAKE A BEATING IN WYTHENSHAWE
Jimmy Egan's Boxing club took on an Irish Team at the Britannia Hotel, The Irish gave a Great performance but the Wythenshawe Team won on the Night.
Found it hard to get a ticket for the show that was sold out. But one of my old pals got Tickets for me and my Dad.
There where plenty of Ex Wythenshawe boxers there .Steve Egan,Sean Egan, Running the show. Speaking to Shinny Bayer and Tony Lanzbergin , who pointed out Kevin Williams and John Trainer.
Did not see Wythenshawe Boxer Tyson Fury at the show i hope he is in Training to meet David Hay.
Great Night
Found it hard to get a ticket for the show that was sold out. But one of my old pals got Tickets for me and my Dad.
There where plenty of Ex Wythenshawe boxers there .Steve Egan,Sean Egan, Running the show. Speaking to Shinny Bayer and Tony Lanzbergin , who pointed out Kevin Williams and John Trainer.
Did not see Wythenshawe Boxer Tyson Fury at the show i hope he is in Training to meet David Hay.
Great Night
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)