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The Independent
03-07-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Famed boxer arrested for entering US illegally and now faces deportation days after Jake Paul fight
Famed boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is facing deportation after authorities arrested him and said he entered the U.S. illegally. Chavez fought Jake Paul in Anaheim, California on Saturday, just days before his arrest.
The Independent
16-06-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Richardson Hitchins schools George Kambosos Jr and scores body-shot KO
Richardson Hitchins produced a clinic against George Kambosos Jr on Saturday to retain the IBF super-lightweight title, stopping the former world champion in round eight. American Hitchins comfortably outlanded Kambosos Jr in every single round, before dropping the Australian with a left hook to the body in the eighth frame. Kambosos Jr, who turned 32 on the day of the fight, made it to his feet but winced at the referee on the eight count and did not look prepared to continue boxing. As such, the official waved off the fight. With that, Hitchins kept his belt and his unbeaten record, moving to 20-0 (8 knockouts). Meanwhile, Kambosos Jr fell to 22-4 (10 KOs) and failed to add to his two world-title reigns at lightweight. Hitchins said in his post-fight interview in Madison Square Garden Theater: 'I've been telling the boxing world, I'm the truth. If you don't know, now you know. I've been telling the boxing world that I was coming, and they should've listened. So, now I'm here. 'I'd seen the fight with him and Devin Haney [who outpointed Kambosos Jr twice in 2022]. I knew that Devin Haney didn't really take it inside, and he was headhunting a lot when he did have him hurt. So, I said I'm gonna touch him with some short shots. 'When I did touch him with a short shot, I seen how he squinted, and I smelled blood, but I just wanted to keep punishing him. And I told his dad: 'If you love your son, you'll stop the fight.' So, he was tough. He was a true competitor, but I was just the better man tonight.' Hitchins, 27, was alluding to moments late in the fight, when he shouted at Kambosos Jr's corner. That followed an exchange between Kambosos Jr's father and Hitchins's trainer at a chaotic fight-week press conference. There, Jim Kambosos appeared to strike Lenny Wilson with a microphone, before Hitchins stopped his coach from throwing a chair. 'He's a hell of a fighter,' Kambosos Jr said after the bout. 'They're all great fighters, I chase greatness. I really believed in myself, but I just didn't have that timing. He was a little bit too good for me tonight.'
Daily Mail
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
How Tartan Tornado Josh Taylor became a spent force... and now runs the risk of damaging his legacy
There comes a point in the career of every elite fighter when it is impossible to reconcile their desire to carry on with the reality of what is unfolding in the ring. It is an awkward and unwelcome truth which hits them square between the eyes like a swift jab they never saw coming. In these moments, it becomes clear why Old Father Time remains unbeaten. These boxers look diminished, a shadow of their former selves. Talents which had once taken them to the pinnacle of their sport are no longer there. They look like mere mortals when once they had looked super-human and invincible. Their quest to keep on fighting in the hope of recapturing top form begins to appear hopeless and detached from reality. Shortly after Ekow Essuman's hand had been raised in victory on Saturday night, and deservedly so, Josh Taylor was surely coming to terms with all of this. A stony silence had fallen over the crowd at The Hydro. Taylor wore a look of bemusement when the judges' scorecards were called out and it was announced that Essuman had won a unanimous decision. But, in truth, he could have no real complaints. He lost this fight and, unlike his last bout in Glasgow, against Jack Catterall three years ago, there would be no reprieve this time around. Where does Taylor go from here? Is his career as an elite fighter now over? At 34, how much gas is left in the tank? Will this defeat, his third in succession, now force him into retirement? These are all questions which would have been put to him on Saturday night, but Taylor refused to engage in any media duties. It is customary for both fighters to be interviewed in the ring afterwards, with those interviews normally conducted by someone working for the promoter and host broadcaster. But Taylor chose not to speak. As soon as the decision was announced, he and his team stormed out of the ring and headed backstage. He chose not to re-appear for the official post-fight media conference, as was the case when he also lost his rematch with Catterall in Leeds last year. Taylor began reasonably well against Essuman but tailed off badly as the fight wore on For the second fight in succession, Taylor had snubbed a host of Scottish journalists who have covered his career right from the very start at the Commonwealth Games in 2014. Journalists who have supported him through thick and thin and backed him all the way. But, for the second fight in succession, he couldn't even give them five minutes of his time. No athlete is ever under any real obligation to speak to the media. But there are ways to conduct yourself, ways to be gracious in defeat. In recent times, Taylor has fallen well short on both counts. Part of this comes down to the fact that Taylor's career has been poorly handled and poorly managed out of the ring. Signing with Top Rank in January 2020 became a massive mistake. Top Rank did nothing to promote Taylor in the way his talents deserved. When he beat Jose Ramirez in Las Vegas in May 2021 to unify the light-welterweight division and become undisputed world champion, the fight wasn't even picked up by any mainstream broadcaster in the UK. It is incumbent on any company promoting a fighter to sell them properly. In his prime, Taylor was a box-office talent who was never really given the box-office platform his talents deserved. It is only natural to wonder how differently his career might have panned out had he signed with someone like Eddie Hearn and Matchroom, rather than Top Rank. Signing a deal with Frank Warren's Queensberry promotions late last year, that's certainly an improvement from how Top Rank mismanaged him for years. But the problem is that Taylor is no longer at his peak. He is no longer an A-list fighter. He does not hold any box-office appeal. Ultimately, he is a spent force. On Saturday afternoon, Mail Sport was in attendance at Hampden covering the Scottish Cup final before heading to The Hydro later in the evening. When we explained to some colleagues that we were heading off to the boxing, a couple of them asked: 'Oh, who's fighting?' It was reflective of how Taylor has been badly under-sold throughout his career. In the build-up to this fight against Essuman, his first outing since moving up to welterweight, Taylor spoke of his ambition to reignite his career and go on to become a two-weight world champion. But, by the end of a damaging night where he had been soundly beaten, those ambitions looked illusory. Any notion that Taylor can still compete at world level belongs in the realms of fiction and fantasy. He has now lost three fights in succession; Teofimo Lopez, Catterall, Essuman. Given the sham of his first fight with Catterall, he essentially hasn't won a contest in four years since beating Ramirez. Belatedly, in the early hours of yesterday morning, Taylor sat down to speak with IFL TV and answered some softball questions, none of which asked him about possible retirement. 'I'm gutted, devastated, but it is what it is,' he said. 'That's why I jumped out the ring at the end. I didn't want to do the interview right at the end of the fight in case I said something I ended up regretting. 'But, at the same time, I should have stood there and thanked everyone for coming. The support I've received over the past 10 years means the world to me. I just want to take the opportunity to apologise for doing that. I've seen some fighters in the past do the interview in the ring straight after a defeat and have meltdowns. It doesn't look good. 'So I want to say sorry to everyone for that, for walking out like a spoilt brat, but that was my reasoning. Sorry for the s*** result, but we'll be back. 'Congratulations to Ekow. I would love to fight him again, but he's obviously entitled to go off now and do other things.' With a nasty cut above his left eye, Taylor looked bashed-up. His face told its own story of how this fight unfolded. The Tartan Tornado had started brightly over the opening two rounds. Operating on the front foot and looking to dictate the pace, he caught Essuman with some powerful shots. But he faded badly. From rounds seven through 12, Mail Sport didn't have him winning a single round on our scorecard. He essentially lost every round in the second half of the fight. The judges' scorecards — 116-113, 116-112, 115-113 — were conclusive. As Taylor sat in his chair at the end of round 10, his trainer, Joe McNally, was heard telling his fighter that Essuman needed the last two rounds to win. Plainly, that was nonsense. Taylor linked up with McNally in October 2022, after splitting with Ben Davison. It has been a disastrous move, with McNally doing nothing to improve Taylor as a fighter. Indeed, although Taylor beat Ramirez under Davison's tutelage in 2021, there's an argument that he hasn't really been the same fighter since he left Shane McGuigan in 2020. Much of Taylor's best work during his rise to prominence came under McGuigan and it's clear those will remain the finest years of his career. Although he seems intent on carrying on, Taylor is in danger of becoming a joke figure, a punchline who will be mocked by fight fans if this continues much longer. The longer he goes on, the more he could damage his legacy. That's a shame, because it really shouldn't be that way for a guy who, in 2021, was one of the pound-for-pound best boxers on the planet. Taylor should be remembered for the champion he was, not as some sideshow. He spoke last week of a desire to climb the mountain again, but defeat on Saturday made it clear he's already over the hill.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Beaten Taylor won't make 'hasty decision' on future
Josh Taylor says he will take some time to consider if he wants to continue boxing after his shock defeat by Ekow Essuman. After a strong start in Glasgow, the former undisputed world champion faded in the second half of the fight and all three judges awarded Essuman victory on the scorecards. It was a bitterly disappointing first outing at welterweight for the 34-year-old, with many feeling it's now time for him to call time on his career. "I'm going to take a little bit of time just to think about what's coming," Taylor told BBC Scotland in an interview the morning after the fight. "I'll just relax for a couple of weeks and not make any hasty decisions. If I really feel that I'm not performing, then I will hang them up. "I'm very disappointed in the result. Three back-to-back defeats in a row. I took it quite tough." What now for Taylor after another defeat? Shock Essuman win casts doubt over Taylor future Notifications, social media and more with BBC Sport Taylor made a sharp exit from the ring after the judges' decision was announced at the Hydro, neglecting to do post-fight interviews. "I just want to congratulate Ekow on a good performance and doing a good job and getting the win," said Taylor. "I congratulated him in the ring. "I was just totally gutted, hence the reason why I jumped out of the ring. My emotions were all over the place. I didn't want to do an interview and end up saying something that I end up regretting. "I really should have taken the time and opportunity to thank everybody for coming and continuing their support. "The people in the arena lifted the roof off the place. The atmosphere was unbelievable again." Taylor says he is devastated by the defeat, and believes inactivity - he has not fought more than once in a calendar year since 2019 - has contributed to his recent struggles. "If I'm going to keep going, I need to get more active and get out at least a couple of times a year," he said. "I'm just gutted because I know I am better than that and I know when I'm at my best I can beat anyone. I'm just gutted."
The Sun
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Johnny Fisher opens up on backstabbers who turned on him after controversial Dave Allen win ahead of huge rematch
JOHNNY FISHER says the boxing backstabbers were ready and waiting to twist the knife after his controversial win over Dave Allen. Fisher was dropped in the fifth round against Allen in December but edged out a contentious split-decision victory in Saudi Arabia. 2 Up until that point, it had only been love and adulation for the hugely popular Romford Bull and his social media star dad Big John. But Fisher - one of Britain's most prolific ticket sellers - says he felt backs being turned on him in the aftermath of the bout. He told SunSport: "If you're a professional boxer or an athlete of any perspective or any person in some sort of public eye, you're gonna get negative comments. "And when it is a close fight, people with their knives are waiting to dig in and and defame you, but people who know their boxing though it was a close fight. "I believe I won by one round. I don't, don't dispute people that thought it could have gone around the other way or it was a draw. "But objectively looking at it, I thought I won by a round and that's a close fight. So we can do it again." Fisher's popularity has been boosted hugely by the online love for his Chinese takeaway-loving dad. But Fisher Sr bared the brunt of his son's disputed decision win in Riyadh taking to social media in defence of his boy. He passionately backed Johnny against criticism coming from those they deemed their closest confidants. And Fisher Jr said: "It's my dad, we're the same person. "And if my son was in that position and people who you thought you were friends, people would be around your house were making it hysterical and creating a hysteria, I'll do the same thing for my son." Fisher ended up in hospital after the 12 brutal rounds against Allen - and revealed he relished the damaging slugfest. He said: "They're the things you dream of as a professional fighter. "Can't do it all the time but to show people I'm not just a knockout artist, I can dig in, that's another good positive." "That's what you live for, that's why we entertain people." Fisher, 26, now rematches Allen, 33, on Saturday at his adopted home of the Copper Box Arena, ready to silence the deafening doubters. He said: "It was always in the back of my mind that I wanted to do it again because it was a close fight. "But then I watched it back and thought I won by one round. There's always other opportunities - my life don't revolve around this rematch. "But something in the back of my mind wanted to do it again - so let's do it." 2
