British Heavyweight Boxing: What Happens Next?

Boxing is a special sport, full of hope and ambition. Intertwined with numerous rags to riches tails, it has often been viewed as the working man's way out. Highly relevant in today's recession society in which jobs are scarce and the number of young boys with slim prospects is ever growing The heavyweight division is the traditional pinnacle of the sport, but some say it has been through a lull in recent years.

Lennox Lewis' final bout defeating Vitali Klitschko

With no lineal champion, one who is unanimously recognised as the best in the division, since Lennox Lewis, heavyweight boxing has taken an unforeseen backseat in favour of lighter weights. The welterweight division in particular is a wealth of talent with Mayweather and Pacquiao among others. The Klitschko brothers have been the dominant force of the 200lb+ category, but their jab-dominated and orthodox techniques, although effective, are seen as a world apart from the flamboyant and aggressive days of Ali, Frazier, Holmes and later Tyson and Lewis.

Heavyweight had not been a successful division for British boxing. After the 'Cornishman' Bob Fitzsimmons, who was really a Kiwi, held the title in 1899 we did not see another British Heavyweight Champion until Lennox Lewis took a vacant WBC title in 1992. However since then we have had a rich history, with Herbie Hide, Henry Akinwande, Frank Bruno and David Haye all reaching the pinnacle of the boxing world. So what does the present and future hold for the big boys from our shores?

This Summer's main attraction

Of course all the talk at the moment is of David Haye vs. Dereck Chisora. After their highly publicised press conference fight and subsequent war of words, the disgraced Luxembourg-license wielding duo will go head to head on July 7th at a rather befitting Upton Park, a place with a past of semi-illegal brawling. The two boxers are Britain's best heavyweights and despite my cynicism it should be an excellent and enthralling battle. Chisora with his tough style, working almost exclusively on the inside and relying on chin and power, against the fast and flamboyant Haye, with his dancing feet and flashy hands. Almost a throwback to the Ali-Frazier classics of the 70's, perhaps more in style over substance, but all the same it should be a good bout and the most eagerly awaited all-British clash of the year. Haye is the superior boxer and favourite to prevail. After his loss to Wladimir Klitschko it looks inevitable he will set a date to take on his brother Vitali, now likely to be late Autumn or early Winter. This could be the last real challenge to break the Klitschko stranglehold on the division before Vitali retires to embark on a career in politics, and i would not put it beyond Haye to achieve glory. Both Haye and Chisora are both temperamental characters and it is difficult to predict which path their careers will take. The future of British heavyweight boxing maybe lies in the next generation.

One of a crop of Liverpudlian fighters, David Price

David Price is a name on the lips of many. A bronze medal winner in Beijing (losing to legendary Italian amateur Roberto Camarelle), Price is British and Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion with a record of 13 and 0. Price certainly has the physique of a modern heavyweight, unlike Haye and Chisora, Price is 6 ft 8" and power to burn. He would certainly be a match on this front for the Kiltschkos however at this present time he does not have the skill sets to take them on. He will need to have a few more bouts under his belt before he can step up to the world stage. Cleaning up the national scene would be a more than useful apprenticeship. Tyson Fury is still rated as the number one British heavyweight, and this should be Price's next match up. If he can overcome Fury and then possibly Chisora we can then talk about him fighting other European challengers, Adamek and Chagaev. Price certainly has a long way to go, but has the talent to get there, his left hand can tremble any fighter. The manner in which he conducts himself, in an arena of trash talk, and his oratory approach must be fully applauded. He is without doubt a man to be watched and supported.

Asides from Price and Fury, Richard Towers is a man establishing himself at national level. The former kidnapper turned boxer and role model, was a late comer to boxing. Trained by the Irish guru himself, Brendan Ingle, Towers boasts a 14 and 0 record with 11 KO's. After his epic last fight with Gregory Tony, his unbelievable chin and determined attitude have made many sit up and take notice, and it will be interesting to see what 'The Inferno' can do in the next few years.

Olympic hopeful Anthony Joshua

Some boxing fans prefer that of an amateur nature and the 2012 Olympics will be a great opportunity for some of our brightest young boxers to flourish. Increased Lottery Funding has allowed our amateurs to travel to key events in Azerbaijan and Trabzon and with a 12 strong team, Britain will be looking to take away several medals. In 22 year old Anthony Joshua, Britain has an outstanding heavyweight prospect. Joshua was the ABAE Elite champion in 2010 and 2011 and came to world prominence at last years World Amateur Boxing Championships in Baku. After stopping talented German Erik Pfeifer and outpointing aforementioned Beijing gold medalist Roberto Camarelle, Joshua missed out on gold by a controversial one point decision to home favourite Magomedrasul Majidov. He will certainly be looking to go one better at the Excel this Summer, and once he makes that switch to professional, will be looking to establish himself as Britain's best heavyweight.

Price and Joshua are just a host of promising boxing talent coming out of the UK, the future looks very exciting and we should get behind our boxers as fully as possible, as they look to take on the world's best.

JLloyd

Could Portugal finally win it all?

Will there be more tears this time?

Eight years ago the tournament was held in Portugal. Eight years ago Portugal should have won it. They had the team - the home advantage - and an opponent in the final that they should beat. But we all know how it ended. The Greeks pulled off probably the biggest international shock of our time to win Euro 2004. Since then the Portuguese team has performed solidly in tournaments - 4th place in the 2006 World Cup, Quarter finalists in Euro 2008 and knocked out by the magical Spanish in the 2010 World Cup. However that elusive first major International trophy still alludes them!

At all the recent tournaments the Portuguese have looked promising and with the players they have they have consistently been seen as contenders to win. Could Euro 2012 be the tournament that breaks their reputation as nearly men?

The foundations for success are there - A very solid defensive. Perhaps the best in the tournament. The Real Madrid boys (Pepe, Coentrao) being the stand out defenders of the competition so far. I would go as far as saying Coentrao has been the best left back in the tournament. Not small praise considering who he is up against in that department - Ashley Cole and Phillip Lahm. Their midfield possess both the solid (Veloso, Moutinho, Meireles) and the spectacular (Nani and Ronaldo). They lack a potent goal scorer but Postiga holds the ball up extremely well and links with Ronaldo seamlessly and everybody knows about his goal scoring record which more than makes up for Postiga's lack of goals. Portugal also have the added strength of a wealth of options on the bench - both attacking and defensive. Custodio can be brought on to tighten up the midfield and in Nelson Oliveira and Silvestre Varela they have game changing attacking options. There main weakness is the lack of a world class goalkeeper something England, France, Germany and Spain all possess. And this could be their downfall. 

The Madrid boys could be key.

However they have a relatively kind draw. No game at this stage will be easy but the Portuguese should be considered heavy favorites to beat the Czechs; who despite qualifying top of their group were dismantled against a team (Russia) possessing pace and guile. This is something Portugal have bucket loads of. If they do manage to beat the Czechs (nothing is certain) they will face either France or Spain in the semi finals. Both will be tough fixtures - especially the Spanish. But the Portuguese are more suited to beating these two than if they had to face Germany, England or Italy. So in this respect the draw favors them. In fact the last time they faced the Spanish they won 4-0. And although they historically perform poorly against the French they would go in to the tie as favorites. If they do manage reach the final anything can happen as shown by their defeat to Greece eight years ago. 

Bento has got the Portuguese firing! 

I am not implying that winning the tournament is something the Portuguese will do. My point is that they have the resources to win it. They have a stigma of getting it wrong in big games - some even tipped them to finish bottom of Group D. However this is a different and more united side than in previous tournaments. The players are younger and more hungry for success. They have a manager in Bento who has managed to build a solid team and also incorporate the Ronaldo factor. It is easy to forget that they have the second best player in the world in their ranks and as we saw against Holland he can be just as effective for his country as he is for his club.

In fact if Portugal could be likened to one club team it would be Real Madrid (not surprising when you consider who is the Madrid manager). And of course Real Madrid beat the side many claim are the best club team ever to the league title last year. Can Portugal do the same?

Redknapp on the ropes... What Euros?

With the future of Harry Redknapp looking as uncertain as a Greek back four, knocking England off the back pages, an assessment of his reign and likely successor is in order. Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy seems reluctant to extend Redknapp's contract beyond the one year remaining and this has led to vast speculation. In a BBC interview with Redknapp at the Euro's he denied the rumours, but with fresh uncertainty this morning, in the press at least, it seems his future is sealed.


Harry has had a fantastically successful tenure at Spurs, taking over from a disastrous Juande Ramos, he guided Spurs to safety and has not been out of the top five since. Spurs qualified for their first ever Champions League campaign in 2010, which saw them defeat holders Inter Milan en route to the quarter finals. With nearly a 50% win rate at the helm of Spurs, why would Levy let him go? Indeed it seems as though their relationship has become increasingly strained. It is rumoured that Levy was very disappointed with the end of season slump, with just four wins in their final thirteen games and the gut wrenching 5-2 loss to rivals Arsenal on February 26th, Spurs missed out on third spot and as it turned out, Champions League football.  Levy is undoubtedly ruthless, axing Martin Jol after Spurs reached the dizzy heights of fifth, and Ramos, less than six months after a big money move. Would the relieving of Redknapp be that much of a surprise in this modern game.We understand Levy feels it may be time for a change and David Moyes is evens favourite to get the job.


After ten years at Everton, Moyes has hinted his time may of come to an end. With the probable sale of star full-back Leighton Baines, Moyes has become increasingly frustrated with Everton's lack of investment and status as a 'selling club'. Moyes, who has been LMA Manager of the Year a record three times, could be a shrewd replacement. Putting together a very solid squad, one which cost Man United the title, on a shoestring, a good transfer budget at Spurs could perhaps see the unforgiving Glaswegian achieve greatness. In addition the possibility of bringing with him some of Everton's stars makes his signature very lucrative.

Spurs' fans have all too often been frustrated with Redknapp's lack of tactical nous. When Tottenham start a match with confidence and sharp flow they have an excellent game and at times look unbeatable. However, as was evident during the end of last years campaign, when Redknapp found his side not firing he seemed powerless to turn round a sinking ship. Relentlessly sticking with the same personnel and formation and making inept substitutions too late into games, Spurs could not buy a win. Redknapp is of course an excellent motivator, his character, charisma and personality make him the sort of manager that player's want to play for. But, for Levy at least, this does not seem to be enough.

In the transfer market it would be fair to say Redknapp has adopted a limited approach. Much of Spurs' excellent squad was compiled pre-Redknapp, and the players he has brought in have been predominantly from the Premier League. With very few foreign bargains (to the likes of Papa Cisse, Nikica Jelavic or Gylfi Sigurdsson) acquired, perhaps Moyes would provide Tottenham with an edge in the foreign market.

Talks between Levy and Redknapp have been scheduled for today and it is not improbable that Redknapp will stay, especially after Harry's heavy denial on ESPN. Redknapp has been a revelation at Spurs, but is the future Moyes?

JLloyd

The Ox. Theo, Young and Danny boy

You may have read my recent blog on the French and their chances at Euro 2012. If you didn't catch it here is a quick summary. The French are good and England better not forget it. Yet despite my conclusions on the French team I still believe that England are capable of beating them. In fact if Roy picks the right team I think we should beat them.

Technically France are a very good side. They keep the ball well in midfield and have quality wide players who can create a hat-full of chances if given half a chance. However as England have proved in the two warm up games against Norway and Belgium we are prepared to give up the ball and hit the other teams on the break. This is due to the players we have available compared to other top nations. Our best player with the ball (Jack Wilshere) is injured. France have Nasri, Cabaye and Ribery who are all technically very good on the ball. Yet this doesn't mean we are unable to compete. Are Chelsea really the best team in Europe? No of course not. But due to playing to their strengths they won the most illustrious competition in Europe. England have similar strengths and will have to play to them to have any chance against the French.

We have one of the best 'keepers in Europe. The best left back in Europe. Terry and Lescott are a solid partnership. And Glen Johnson is a lot better defensively than people give him credit for. This solid back four will be protected by the axis of Gerrard and Parker. Two players who wear their hearts on their sleeve and will fight for everything in the middle of the park and both are also very good on the ball. However the mystery will be about who will start on the wings and up front.

Can Welbeck replace his clubmate?

Here it becomes important to examine the French tactically. Their full backs - likely to be Evra and Debuchy - are both good players but tend to leave a lot of space in behind them. Their strength is in their attacking ability and therefore England will need to play wingers who are quick to exploit the space and who are also keen to track back. Both Walcott and Chamberlain fit this description. Their pace would force the French full backs to stay deeper and also maximize England's effectiveness on the break. The two Gunners used correctly could give England the edge in a tight contest.

Ashley Young is almost certain to start in the hole behind the striker where he has been effective in the warm up games. This leaves just the striker. With Rooney unavailable for the game. Should it be Welbeck or Carroll who start upfront? Looking at the French side I would plump for Danny boy. Mexes and Rami tend to leave a lot of space between them as they are often given extra protection by the two defensive midfielders Blanc likes to deploy. Welbeck can utilise his pace to exploit this gap. By doing what he does well and running in behind the defense. Carroll lacks the pace to trouble the French defense and would be unable to take advantage of the high line the French like to play.

So due to the way the French are likely to set up I think that are best chance of victory would be to start with the pacey front four of Walcott, Young, Welbeck and Chamberlain. This front four would also suit the style of play that best suits England as it would be able to create a solid 4-5-1 when we are defending.

Yet, we will probably end up starting Downing, Milner and Carroll losing the game and going out on penalties in the Quarter Finals.

Or maybe not?

jgeorge

If the tail wags England stay number one

The likely lads 

As the rain falls on a sorry Edgbaston, I found myself watching the inevitable replays of tours gone by. Whislt watching highlights of a West Indies touring party in 2000, I noticed a stark contrast in the strength of the English tail when compared with today. Broad and Bresnan are in a different league to the likes of Gough and Cork. Yet, ironically in the Lords test match of 2000 it was the tail enders which won the match for England and this got me thinking about how important it will be that the lower order performs with the bat against South Africa later in the year.

Now of course it is primary job of England's bowlers perform with the ball in the series which pits the number one and two sides against each other, but their performance with the bat could make the crucial difference. When examining the two test sides it is difficult to see where the series will be won and lost. Both sides have strong openers - Smith and Peterson for South Africa, Cook and Strauss for England - as well as fantastic middle orders. Boucher and Prior are accomplished Wicket Keepers and  the sides possess arguably the two best bowling attacks in international cricket. Some will argue that South Africa lack a spinner with the class of Swann but if CSA cricketer of the year Vernon Philander can keep up his unbelievable form he will more than make up for that. So on paper the sides seem very evenly matched with neither team having a clear, traditional advantage over the other. This is why i feel the contribution of the English tail enders with the bat will be key. It is the only area in which we are substantially stronger than the South Africans and could make all the difference especially if their bowlers skittle out our top order - which is not an unlikely outcome. This is a series that will be won on very fine margins and each side will need to perform at their best. 

50 Wickets in just 7 matches. And what? 

 The batting line up in the 2nd test against West Indies last week ended Prior, Bresnan , Broad, Swann  and Anderson. If you compare this with the likely tail of South Africa you will see a major difference between the two.


         

         Player                             Country                              Batting Average 

         

       Prior                                  England                                              42.31

       Bresnan                             England                                             40.22

       Boucher                            South Africa                                       30.30

       Broad                                England                                             27.92

       Swann                               England                                              21.72

       Steyn                                South Africa                                       15.09

       Tahir                                 South Africa                                       15.00                                   

       Morkel                             South Africa                                        14.23

       Philander                          South Africa                                        13.71

       Anderson                          England                                              11.61            Source - Cricinfo 

This batting partnership could be key 

England occupy four of the top five spots whilst South Africa only have one player with an average over twenty (the aging Mark Boucher who is expected to retire after this tour and has just one score of 50 in his last ten innings). Only Anderson finishes below the South Africans but he has played in far more test matches  meaning his average is a truer reflection of his batting ability.  If England can make this advantage count it could be the difference between being the number one or number two test side in the world. Often the importance of the tail  has been overlooked but in this series it could be paramount to the teams chances.


Interestingly a series which will feature the worlds two best bowling attacks could be decided by their batting not their bowling.

Euro 2012 - The Luck of the Irish

On the eve of the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament it's not all black and white, there is a little bit of green behind the iron curtain. With all the talk of Spain, Germany, Holland and hooligans, maybe it will be the boys from the Emerald Isle that light up Europe's flagship event.

Although not having the strength and depth of squad of some of the tournament's heavyweights, Ireland do have  experience in abundance. With John O'Shea and Richard Dunne, fresh from his heroics against Russia in qualifying, and Shay Given between the sticks, Ireland should be difficult to beat. They do miss the authoritative central midfielder, a hole vacated by the retirement of Roy Keane, but Darron Gibson has European experience and has been playing more regularly at Everton. They will likely operate an honest 4-4-2, looking to exploit wide areas and play on the break. Asides from goal machine Robbie Keane, there is Jonathan Walters, Shane Long, Kevin Doyle and Simon Cox available to spearhead the attack. A selection I'm sure England would trade for. But Ireland's most lucrative area of the squad is their wingers. With the determination of Stephen Hunt, the trickery of Aidan McGeady, the heavily capped Damien Duff and of course not forgetting the Derry Pele himself , James McClean, Ireland's wide men will cause problems for any team. McClean i feel could be the Irish secret weapon, having only arrived on the British stage halfway through last season, teams will not be asserting him as a serious threat. His youth, hunger and ability to beat a man, as well as put the ball in the back of the net, could see him become Ireland's star performer.

In Giovanni Trapattoni Ireland have one of the greatest managers of all time. His age should not be seen as a disadvantage, his two finger whistle is as strong as ever, and this wealth of knowledge and experience should  provide Ireland with a very solid tactical base. Having managed Italy in major tournaments in 2002 and 2004, Il Trap will know exactly what to expect, and with screaming Italian hero Marco Tardelli by his side, you will not see Ireland making too many individual errors.

Ireland undoubtedly have a tough group with reigning champions Spain along with Italy and Croatia, the odds are against Trapattoni's men. Despite Spain starting favourites for the tournament they are not the invincible side of 2 or 3 years ago, Italian football is in a state of match fixing turmoil and Croatia have an outgoing coach, in Slaven Bilic which could result in taking their eye off the prize.With almost no history in the European Championships (having only qualified once in 1988) the greens find themselves as somewhat of an unknown quantity. This may play into their hands as Italy, Spain and Croatia will be looking at them as the easier of their group games, potentially underestimating their experienced squad.

With one of the most celebrated managers in football history and a solid, if not electric, squad behind him, perhaps the Irish will be the dark horse of the tournament. Let's hope everyone's second team can spring a few surprises and add a bit of fun and charm after a depressive build up to the tournament


JLloyd

Andy Murray - Why the glum face?

As I watched the classic ups and downs of an Andy Murray Grand Slam match with my twitter feed rabbiting away, I found myself dumbfounded by the amount of abuse he was receiving from British tweeters. As he slaved away on a foreign red surface against an accomplished old pro, any support from back home was sporadic at best.

OK so he's not the long haired, tanned, bandana wearing, swashbuckling Spaniard on the opposing baseline. He's a pale, freckly, curly haired Scot. But he's ours and he's great. Often portrayed as a sullen and dour figure, in my experience Murray is far from it. Intelligent and well spoken, Murray is certainly more charismatic, humourous and accessible (his youtube channel and twitter account are testament to this) than the adored Federer. Whose privacy resembles that of royalty. Although being involved in sketches with James Corden (Smithy vs. Andy) and appearing on comedic programmes the public just doesn't seem to get Andy. His dry sense of humour it seems is misconstrued.

Criticism is not just saved for Murray's perceived off court persona, far from it, he is constantly berated for his 'moodiness' during matches. Yes he does shout and rant and perhaps his game would benefit from a calmer approach. But the hypocrisy of a country that heralds John McEnroe, the king of tennis trash talk, is bewildering. Showing emotion in sport is what makes it interesting for me, that's why we love the likes of Ronnie O'Sullivan and Darren Clarke. They bring a human and thus exciting element to traditionally 'dull' sports. Even when Murray broke down in tears after his Australian Open final loss to Federer the British public still failed to embrace him, why?


Twitter even exposed me to criticism of his style of play. Some suggesting he does not try to win points. Admittedly Murray does not have the traditional British grace of a serve volleying Tim Henman, however we all agree that this is nigh on impossible if one wants to be a top 10 player in the modern game. Murray's play is certainly not monotonous, his well publicised drop shot and extroadinary speed and defensive work are nothing short of spectacular. In comparison to his conqueror David Ferrer (match report can be found here), whose formulaic and typically Spanish baseline style is relentless and uninspiring, although undoubtedly effective. Ferrer's consistent tactics have led him to his first French Open semi final and a top 6 ranking. Targetting Murray's backhand for much of the longer rallies before picking the right time to then attack the Brit's forehand side. This 'Spanish way' was the key to Ferrer's success but was not revolutionary nor exciting tennis.

Murray is by far the best British tennis player of the modern era. With 22 career titles and 3 Grand Slam finals, he sits as the 10th biggest career prize money earner in the history of the game. In reaching the semi finals of each Grand Slam last season, he became only the 7th player to achieve the feat. Unfortunately for Andy, the three players ahead of him in the rankings are potentially 3 of the 5 greatest players to ever pick up a racket. A golden age for the sport. This elusive Grand Slam seems to be the catalyst for much of the Murray criticism. At only 25 he has his best years ahead of him and surely will win one of the big four sooner or later. Other british sportsmen have failed to win the biggest tournaments and are adored by fans. Luke Donald and Lee Westwood have been at the top of golf for a few years now and have failed to convert their success into majors, but they are not publicly bashed.

There is this nagging question of nationality, so Murray doesn't like being called English, well he's not. I wouldn't like being called Scottish. His nationality seems to bring his most crude criticism from not only the public but the lower end of the media. The suggestion that Murray hates England and Britain is unsubstantiated and odious. It seems it is the complex of those talking about Murray than one of the man himself.

With Wimbledon on the horizon, which I still believe is his best chance of Grand Slam victory, I urge you all to get behind Our Andy. 


JLloyd