It's been a mixed couple of weeks for British boxing.
Carl Froch made a superb comeback to retain his title, but Hatton was outclassed by Mannny Pacquiao.
Froch's last-round knockout almost certainly ended Jermaine Taylor's career at the top level. Taylor's distraught face after the first knockdown was pathetic in the true sense of the word, you couldnt help pity him when he was so close to victory. Having been ahead on two of the ringside scorecards going into the final round, his stamina, his Achilles heel at the top level, had once again been his undoing, as it had against Kelly Pavlik. Froch can look forward to unification fights against either the Canadian Lucien Bute, or Mikkel Kessler, probably the toughest man left in the division after Calzaghe's retirement.
Hatton should hang up the gloves now after being knocked cold for the second time. I had thought Hatton would fare better with his natural weight advantage, but Manny confirmed his status as the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. Pacquiao can look forward to megafights with the likes of Juan Manuel Marquez and Shane Mosley, or the ultimate megafight with the now unretired Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Monday, 4 May 2009
Sunday, 1 March 2009
It's All Over Now
Liverpool's chances of the Premiership were surely finished by the 2-0 defeat at Boro yesterday. Man U still have to play them & Arsenal, & maybe Man City could pull off a shock in the derby game. But it would take one of the biggest chokes in sporting history for Fergie's team to blow it now. Benitez's rant (about officials supposedly favouring Fergie & Utd) seems to have backfired spectacularly. Apart from the fortunate win over Chelsea, their league form since his outburst has been mediocre. So now, for another season, Liverpool have all their eggs in the Champions League basket. Another team who have lost the plot in the league, with their only chance of silverware in the cup competitions, is Arsenal. Early in the season they beat Everton 3-0, & no-one could imagine they would finish below Everton in the league. But after five consecutive league draws, the Gunners are now only two points ahead of them.
I expect Arsenal, Chelsea & Liverpool will all hold their fist leg leads & progress to the Champions League QFs. Man U battered Inter in the first half of the 1st leg & Inter did well to get a scoreless draw. Surely United, with so many match winners in Ronaldo, Rooney, Berbatov etc will join their Premiership counterparts in the next round.But Mourinho has pulled off upsets in the UCL, & at Old Trafford, before...
Six Nations
I had expected the title would be decided by the final round of matches. But now (assuming Ireland defeat the Scots) it will be an Irish, not a Welsh, Grand Slam on the line. It is surely no coincidence that Brian O'Driscoll has rediscovered his best form. He scored a try & drop goal yesterday, & made a great burst for his try in the upset win over the French. Ireland famously have done the Grand Slam only once (1948). France though still have an outside chance of the title after their win over Wales on Friday. Ireland must be favourites, but it could all come down to points difference, & Wales, who have home advantage in the last game against the Irish, can spoil the Irish party..
I expect Arsenal, Chelsea & Liverpool will all hold their fist leg leads & progress to the Champions League QFs. Man U battered Inter in the first half of the 1st leg & Inter did well to get a scoreless draw. Surely United, with so many match winners in Ronaldo, Rooney, Berbatov etc will join their Premiership counterparts in the next round.But Mourinho has pulled off upsets in the UCL, & at Old Trafford, before...
Six Nations
I had expected the title would be decided by the final round of matches. But now (assuming Ireland defeat the Scots) it will be an Irish, not a Welsh, Grand Slam on the line. It is surely no coincidence that Brian O'Driscoll has rediscovered his best form. He scored a try & drop goal yesterday, & made a great burst for his try in the upset win over the French. Ireland famously have done the Grand Slam only once (1948). France though still have an outside chance of the title after their win over Wales on Friday. Ireland must be favourites, but it could all come down to points difference, & Wales, who have home advantage in the last game against the Irish, can spoil the Irish party..
Sunday, 8 February 2009
King Rafa
Apologies to my legion of readers for the delay between posts. A central heating problem had made the blogger's den all but inhabitable for the best part of a month.
Australian Open Tennis
I predicted after the US Open last year that Federer would win the title in Melbourne to draw level with Sampras on 14 Slam titles. Unfortunately Roger came up against the phenomenon otherwise known as Rafa Nadal. The conventional wisdom used to be that Nadal would struggle to win a Slam on hard courts because of the pounding the surface gives his fragile knees. That theory can be discarded. Nadal won a thrilling 4 1/2 hour match to win his first Slam on hard courts. The first four sets were played at an exceptional standard, only the fifth was a bit of a let-down. Nadal again showed his ability to hit amazing running winners: once from way behind the baseline, & another off a good deep volley were just a couple of highlights. When Nadal called for the trainer in the 3rd set, it looked like he was feeling the effects of his marathon 5 hr 14 min semi-final against Verdasco. But it was Federer who was mentally fatigued in the fifth, dropping serve twice. Against other opponents, Roger has shown a Sampras-like ability to close out a match, serving strings of aces, but he now seems to have a mental block against the iron-willed Nadal. Federer was in floods of tears at the end of the match. Maybe he was thinking: if I can't beat him after he's played a semi-final lasting over five hours, will i ever beat him again. If Roger is to equal & surpass Sampras' record, he will have to hope it's not Nadal on the other side of the net in the final.
The womens final was a nightmare for Dinara Safina. She lost to 0 & 3 to Serena in under an hour. Needless to say, more competition is needed at the top of the womens game. Ivanovic is out of form, but Sharapova is aiming to make her comeback from injury in March.
Boxing
In my last blog i previewed two bouts. Having been scathing about the Froch fight, it turned out to be a superb contest, probably the British fight of the year. It did make you realise how good Calzaghe was- his fitness, accuracy & volume of punches thrown were all superior to what Froch produced. The American Jermain Taylor, who has twice beaten Bernard Hopkins on points, is the mandatory challenger to Froch's WBC title, but the fight may not happen, as Froch is not a box office draw in the US. Calzaghe announced his retirement this week, & Oscar de la Hoya should join him. He had nothing left in the tank in the fight against Manny Pacquiao, & was overwhelmed & beaten up by the smaller man before retiring after the eight round. Calzaghe retires undefeated, a very rare feat in boxing.
Australian Open Tennis
I predicted after the US Open last year that Federer would win the title in Melbourne to draw level with Sampras on 14 Slam titles. Unfortunately Roger came up against the phenomenon otherwise known as Rafa Nadal. The conventional wisdom used to be that Nadal would struggle to win a Slam on hard courts because of the pounding the surface gives his fragile knees. That theory can be discarded. Nadal won a thrilling 4 1/2 hour match to win his first Slam on hard courts. The first four sets were played at an exceptional standard, only the fifth was a bit of a let-down. Nadal again showed his ability to hit amazing running winners: once from way behind the baseline, & another off a good deep volley were just a couple of highlights. When Nadal called for the trainer in the 3rd set, it looked like he was feeling the effects of his marathon 5 hr 14 min semi-final against Verdasco. But it was Federer who was mentally fatigued in the fifth, dropping serve twice. Against other opponents, Roger has shown a Sampras-like ability to close out a match, serving strings of aces, but he now seems to have a mental block against the iron-willed Nadal. Federer was in floods of tears at the end of the match. Maybe he was thinking: if I can't beat him after he's played a semi-final lasting over five hours, will i ever beat him again. If Roger is to equal & surpass Sampras' record, he will have to hope it's not Nadal on the other side of the net in the final.
The womens final was a nightmare for Dinara Safina. She lost to 0 & 3 to Serena in under an hour. Needless to say, more competition is needed at the top of the womens game. Ivanovic is out of form, but Sharapova is aiming to make her comeback from injury in March.
Boxing
In my last blog i previewed two bouts. Having been scathing about the Froch fight, it turned out to be a superb contest, probably the British fight of the year. It did make you realise how good Calzaghe was- his fitness, accuracy & volume of punches thrown were all superior to what Froch produced. The American Jermain Taylor, who has twice beaten Bernard Hopkins on points, is the mandatory challenger to Froch's WBC title, but the fight may not happen, as Froch is not a box office draw in the US. Calzaghe announced his retirement this week, & Oscar de la Hoya should join him. He had nothing left in the tank in the fight against Manny Pacquiao, & was overwhelmed & beaten up by the smaller man before retiring after the eight round. Calzaghe retires undefeated, a very rare feat in boxing.
Saturday, 6 December 2008
PacMan Hungry for Victory
Megafights
Its the big fight tonight. Carl 'The Cobra' Froch v Jean Pascal at the Nottingham Trent Arena ? Er...no. Manny Pacquiao v Oscar de la Hoya in a non-title welterweight bout from the MGM Grand, Las Vegas. The PacMan, moving up from lightweight for this contest, is rated by all the experts as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world; de la Hoya remains the biggest box office draw in boxing. The Golden Boy will have a considerable height & reach advantage & is naturally the bigger man. However he also had a big reach advantage over Floyd Mayweather last year, but lost on points. De la Hoya is spotting 6 years to his opponent (35 v 29) & I think Manny can win a close 12-round decision.
The winner is likely to meet Ricky Hatton next year in a megabucks fight in England, with the City Of Manchester Stadium or Wembley the likely venues. Carl Froch would love to join that earning league. His opponent tonight is unbeaten, though not rated in the top ten by Ring magazine. If Froch wins, he will undoubtedly repeat his demands for a fight with Joe Calzaghe. However, Calzaghe has nothing to gain from fighting Froch.
Premier League
Which Arsenal will turn up today ? The team that beat Man U & Chelsea, or the version that has lost to the likes of Stoke & Fulham ? The title race still seems to be open, despite the Gunners being 16-1 shots with the bookies, but they might need a run to match the unbeaten campaign of five seasons ago.
The timing of Roy Keane's resignation seems a bit strange. Why not wait until after today's game? Sunderland would not be expected to get anything from Old Trafford, & if they did pull off a result, it could be the catalyst for them to go on a run.
Its the big fight tonight. Carl 'The Cobra' Froch v Jean Pascal at the Nottingham Trent Arena ? Er...no. Manny Pacquiao v Oscar de la Hoya in a non-title welterweight bout from the MGM Grand, Las Vegas. The PacMan, moving up from lightweight for this contest, is rated by all the experts as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world; de la Hoya remains the biggest box office draw in boxing. The Golden Boy will have a considerable height & reach advantage & is naturally the bigger man. However he also had a big reach advantage over Floyd Mayweather last year, but lost on points. De la Hoya is spotting 6 years to his opponent (35 v 29) & I think Manny can win a close 12-round decision.
The winner is likely to meet Ricky Hatton next year in a megabucks fight in England, with the City Of Manchester Stadium or Wembley the likely venues. Carl Froch would love to join that earning league. His opponent tonight is unbeaten, though not rated in the top ten by Ring magazine. If Froch wins, he will undoubtedly repeat his demands for a fight with Joe Calzaghe. However, Calzaghe has nothing to gain from fighting Froch.
Premier League
Which Arsenal will turn up today ? The team that beat Man U & Chelsea, or the version that has lost to the likes of Stoke & Fulham ? The title race still seems to be open, despite the Gunners being 16-1 shots with the bookies, but they might need a run to match the unbeaten campaign of five seasons ago.
The timing of Roy Keane's resignation seems a bit strange. Why not wait until after today's game? Sunderland would not be expected to get anything from Old Trafford, & if they did pull off a result, it could be the catalyst for them to go on a run.
Sunday, 2 November 2008
Hopkins the Master
Bernard Hopkins pulled off a big upset on October 18, beating Kelly Pavlik. Betting odds of 4-1 had been offered on a Hopkins win. Hopkins record reign of 20 defences of the middleweight title had been ended by two points losses to Jermain Taylor. Taylor was subsequently KOd by Pavlik. Both Pavlik & Hopkins were ranked in the top ten 'pound-for- pound' rankings prior to the bout. Hopkins is 43, Pavlik 26, but it was the older man who was quickest to the punch & 'The Executioner' busted up & widely outpointed his previously undefeated opponent. Before the fight Hopkins had been certain of a place in the Hall of Fame, now he has cemented his reputation as one of the all-time greats.
Murray's great run
When drafting this post, there were two unbeaten streaks to discuss. Andy Murray has been in the best form of his career. His 14 match win streak was ended by David Nalbandian in the quarters of the Paris Masters on Friday. However his recent tournament record is outstanding: winning two Masters titles, runner-up at US Open, & defended his St Petersburg title. Both Henman & Rusedski won the Masters once in their entire careers. On this form Murray can become the first British Slam winner since Perry in 1936.
LFC title challenge
Having jinxed Murray, the commentator's curse struck again when Liverpool lost their unbeaten record at Spurs yesterday. However, they still have perhaps their best chance in recent years to win their first title since 1990. In recent seasons they have had a poor record v the other Big Four teams, but this season have already beaten both Man U & Chelsea. Those three look like the title contenders.
Arsenal continue to be unable to defend against set pieces & Rory Delap's long throws were their undoing yesterday. Martin Keown will discuss a coaching role with Tony Adams at Portsmouth next week, but perhaps Dixon & Winterburn could be lured out of the studio to offer some defensive tips.
Bernard Hopkins pulled off a big upset on October 18, beating Kelly Pavlik. Betting odds of 4-1 had been offered on a Hopkins win. Hopkins record reign of 20 defences of the middleweight title had been ended by two points losses to Jermain Taylor. Taylor was subsequently KOd by Pavlik. Both Pavlik & Hopkins were ranked in the top ten 'pound-for- pound' rankings prior to the bout. Hopkins is 43, Pavlik 26, but it was the older man who was quickest to the punch & 'The Executioner' busted up & widely outpointed his previously undefeated opponent. Before the fight Hopkins had been certain of a place in the Hall of Fame, now he has cemented his reputation as one of the all-time greats.
Murray's great run
When drafting this post, there were two unbeaten streaks to discuss. Andy Murray has been in the best form of his career. His 14 match win streak was ended by David Nalbandian in the quarters of the Paris Masters on Friday. However his recent tournament record is outstanding: winning two Masters titles, runner-up at US Open, & defended his St Petersburg title. Both Henman & Rusedski won the Masters once in their entire careers. On this form Murray can become the first British Slam winner since Perry in 1936.
LFC title challenge
Having jinxed Murray, the commentator's curse struck again when Liverpool lost their unbeaten record at Spurs yesterday. However, they still have perhaps their best chance in recent years to win their first title since 1990. In recent seasons they have had a poor record v the other Big Four teams, but this season have already beaten both Man U & Chelsea. Those three look like the title contenders.
Arsenal continue to be unable to defend against set pieces & Rory Delap's long throws were their undoing yesterday. Martin Keown will discuss a coaching role with Tony Adams at Portsmouth next week, but perhaps Dixon & Winterburn could be lured out of the studio to offer some defensive tips.
Saturday, 13 September 2008
Form is Temporary
Roger Federer: An Apology
In my post of 12 July I had dared to suggest that Roger would never win another Grand Slam. In the US Open final Monday against Murray, he was back to his imperious best. On this form, he could match Sampras all-time record of 14 Slams as early as January in Melbourne. The runner-up was the first Brit in a Slam final since the Gregster in 1997(L to Rafter, also at the US).This has been Murray’s breakthrough year. He had never gone beyond a Slam fourth round before this year, but then reached the quarters of Wimbledon. He then beat Djokovic twice, including winning TMS Cincinnati, and beat Nadal for the first time to reach the final at Flushing Meadows, taking him up to no. 4 in the world rankings. Murray has all the ingredients-talent, guts, focus & fitness- to reach, & win, more Slam finals in the future.
Serena Williams regained the no. 1 ranking by becoming champ again (beating Venus in the quarters). The Williams sisters seem to have been around forever, so the tendency is to become blasé about their achievements, but they have now won 16 Slam singles titles between them (the US was Serena’s 9th). Arguably they are the most successful sporting siblings ever, though you could also make a case for the Charlton brothers or the Waugh twins.
Olympics review
So many highlights to pick from. Apart from the obvious candidates, Phelps & Bolt, my personal faves: Lezak overhauling a body length deficit in the last 50 in the 4x100 free relay. The GB rowing four overhauling the Australians in the last 250 m. Amazing final lap sprints from the Ethiopian men & women in the 5 & 10 k track races. From a British perspective, the ‘sitting-down’ sports exceeded expectations, but the underperformance of the athletics is a worry. The athletes need to raise their level or there will be a lot of finals at 2012 with no home representation. However, the Team GB result to finish fourth in the medals table was a fantastic achievement, behind only the superpowers (China, USA, Russia)
In my post of 12 July I had dared to suggest that Roger would never win another Grand Slam. In the US Open final Monday against Murray, he was back to his imperious best. On this form, he could match Sampras all-time record of 14 Slams as early as January in Melbourne. The runner-up was the first Brit in a Slam final since the Gregster in 1997(L to Rafter, also at the US).This has been Murray’s breakthrough year. He had never gone beyond a Slam fourth round before this year, but then reached the quarters of Wimbledon. He then beat Djokovic twice, including winning TMS Cincinnati, and beat Nadal for the first time to reach the final at Flushing Meadows, taking him up to no. 4 in the world rankings. Murray has all the ingredients-talent, guts, focus & fitness- to reach, & win, more Slam finals in the future.
Serena Williams regained the no. 1 ranking by becoming champ again (beating Venus in the quarters). The Williams sisters seem to have been around forever, so the tendency is to become blasé about their achievements, but they have now won 16 Slam singles titles between them (the US was Serena’s 9th). Arguably they are the most successful sporting siblings ever, though you could also make a case for the Charlton brothers or the Waugh twins.
Olympics review
So many highlights to pick from. Apart from the obvious candidates, Phelps & Bolt, my personal faves: Lezak overhauling a body length deficit in the last 50 in the 4x100 free relay. The GB rowing four overhauling the Australians in the last 250 m. Amazing final lap sprints from the Ethiopian men & women in the 5 & 10 k track races. From a British perspective, the ‘sitting-down’ sports exceeded expectations, but the underperformance of the athletics is a worry. The athletes need to raise their level or there will be a lot of finals at 2012 with no home representation. However, the Team GB result to finish fourth in the medals table was a fantastic achievement, behind only the superpowers (China, USA, Russia)
Friday, 8 August 2008
Beijing 2008
I was discussing the Olympics with a friend this morning. He thought two weeks of it was mostly a bore, though he might catch some of the boxing & the football. I tried to convince him otherwise.
How can you not be excited by the Olympics? Michael Phelps will again be trying to match or better Mark Spitz's record haul of seven gold medals in a single games. In the mens 100 metres the current & former world record holders, Usain Bolt & Asana Powell (Jamaica) v Tyson Gay, who ran a wind-assisted 9.68 in the US trials. Nadal, Federer, Djokovic & the Murray brothers in the tennis. If you need the patriotic angle to stir your interest, prospects for a good haul of British gold medals are excellent. British cycling has never been stronger & will hope to match their superb performance from the worlds. Shanaze Reade & Vicky Pendleton will be the favourites in the BMX & sprint respectively. Rebecca Romero, previously a rowing medallist will try to medal on the track. Bradley Wiggins is the favourite for the Individual Pursuit. Mark Cavendish, fresh from winning four stages in Le Tour, will ride the Madison & possibly the IP. The coxless four rowers will try to retain their title. Triple jumper Philips Idowu has the world leading jump this year & won the world indoor title. Sailor Ben Ainslie is the favourite in the Finn class. Last but not least (except in stature) what a story it would be if 14 year-old Tom Daley could win a medal in the diving.
The new Premiership season could be boring if The Big Four monopoly can’t be broken. The only team who appear to have a chance of making the breakthrough this season are Spurs. Although they have sold Keane, & it’s rumoured Berbatov is on his way, they’ve bought Modric & Giovanni & have an outside chance of getting Arshavin.
How can you not be excited by the Olympics? Michael Phelps will again be trying to match or better Mark Spitz's record haul of seven gold medals in a single games. In the mens 100 metres the current & former world record holders, Usain Bolt & Asana Powell (Jamaica) v Tyson Gay, who ran a wind-assisted 9.68 in the US trials. Nadal, Federer, Djokovic & the Murray brothers in the tennis. If you need the patriotic angle to stir your interest, prospects for a good haul of British gold medals are excellent. British cycling has never been stronger & will hope to match their superb performance from the worlds. Shanaze Reade & Vicky Pendleton will be the favourites in the BMX & sprint respectively. Rebecca Romero, previously a rowing medallist will try to medal on the track. Bradley Wiggins is the favourite for the Individual Pursuit. Mark Cavendish, fresh from winning four stages in Le Tour, will ride the Madison & possibly the IP. The coxless four rowers will try to retain their title. Triple jumper Philips Idowu has the world leading jump this year & won the world indoor title. Sailor Ben Ainslie is the favourite in the Finn class. Last but not least (except in stature) what a story it would be if 14 year-old Tom Daley could win a medal in the diving.
The new Premiership season could be boring if The Big Four monopoly can’t be broken. The only team who appear to have a chance of making the breakthrough this season are Spurs. Although they have sold Keane, & it’s rumoured Berbatov is on his way, they’ve bought Modric & Giovanni & have an outside chance of getting Arshavin.
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