Kell Brook will fight Diego Chaves on October 24

Kell Brook will defend his IBF World Welterweight title against Diego Chaves at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield on October 24, live on Sky Sports.

Brook makes the third defence of his crown at his hometown fortress after ‘The Special One’ forced mandatory challenger Jo Jo Dan to retire after four rounds of his first defence there in March and then faced Frankie Gavin in his second defence in London in May, ending the Birmingham man’s challenge in the sixth round at The O2.

Brook will be hunting another stoppage win over Chaves, but ‘La Joya’ will be out to spoil the party. The Argentine enters the clash on the back of a split draw with Timothy Bradley having also taken on Brandon Rios and Keith Thurman in his last four fights, and the former interim WBA champion brings a formidable knockout record to trouble the Sheffield star, with 19 of his 23 victims not lasting the pace with the 29 year old.

“Chaves is a rough, tough, durable fighter who is very dangerous,” said Brook. “He’s bringing something new to the table. He’s coming off a draw to Tim Bradley, was ahead on the cards against Brandon Rios until he was disqualified and gave Keith Thurman a solid fight so we know what level he has mixed at and how good he is.

“It’s been a busy year so far boxing Dan in March and Gavin in May – this will be my third defence in seven months but a busy fighter is a happy fighter and I’m very happy at the moment. I’m looking forward to the next challenge and I’m feeling sharp after my break.

“I’ve seen some of Chaves’ quotes and it’s interesting to see he thinks he can walk me down and over-run me. I don’t think some fighters realise how big I am and how sharp and accurate I punch and I’m looking to make a major statement against him. If he does what he promises it’s going to be one hell of a fight.

“I’m so excited about boxing in my home town of Sheffield again. London last time out was a great experience fighting in front of nearly 20,000 but I’m excited to be back there – it is my home. I’m looking to excite like I always do and light up the Motorpoint Arena on October 24.”

“We know Brook is a tough fighter, very technical,” said Chaves. “He is a linear fighter, very frontal. He’s not a fast fighter. He is easily bothered by body punches, and that is one of our strengths. And I believe he has problems going backwards. We saw that in his fight against Shawn Porter. When Porter charged forward, Brook had trouble adjusting to that. But we know that he is a great fighter to face, and we are going to test his punching power too, because the opponents he chose so far have not been such great punchers as the ones I have faced lately.

“I feel that my confidence grows with this challenge, knowing that I will have to face a champion like Kell Brook in his home country in England. This raises the stakes for me, going up there as an Argentine, and as a huge underdog. We know all the bad blood that exists between Argentina and England, and this will give me much more strength. I will be making history if I defeat an Englishman in his own country.”

Profitable Thoughts On Opportunity

Someone once shared with me that when preparation meets opportunity there is success.

With that thought in mind I always seek to do even the smallest thing that I do with the spirit of excellence.

That way, when opportunity presents itself to me, I am more than ready to go.

Humiliation In England

Many years ago I hopped on a plane and headed to England. I had been invited to speak to a very large organization.

But when the day arrived, and at the last moment, a flash American professional speaker was given prominent billing at the event and I was handed the role of support speaker.

I remember being intimidated by this, and because I was not as well prepared as I should have been, as a speaker, I missed my chance to shine. I failed to capitalize on the opportunity and returned home with my tail between my legs.

From that day forward I vowed that I would always be in a state of preparedness – and in that way I would excel whenever the opportunity arose.

Profitable Thoughts On Opportunity

Allow me to share with you some powerful thoughts on what to do and how to prepare yourself for your opportunity. For your opportunity will come.

The secret of success in life, is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes. – Disraeli

Opportunity is rare, and a wise man will never let it go by him. – Bayard Taylor

For truth and duty it is ever the fitting time; who waits until circumstances completely favor his undertaking, will never accomplish anything.

The golden moments in the stream of life rush past us, and we see nothing but sand; the angels come to visit us, and we only know them when they are gone. – George Eliot

Occasion may be the bugle call that summons an army to battle, but the blast of a bugle can never make soldiers nor win battles. – J.A. Garfield

The sure way to miss success is to miss the opportunity. – Chasles

Opportunity, sooner or later, comes to all who work and wish. – Lord Stanley

You will never find time for anything. If you want time you must make it. – Charles Buxton

To be a great man, it is necessary to turn to account all opportunities. – Rochefoucauld

A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds. – Bacon

The best men are not those who have waited for chances but who have taken them; besieged the chance; conquered the chance; and made chance the servitor. – E.H. Chapin

Do not wait for extraordinary circumstances to do good; try to use ordinary situations. – Richter

There is an hour in each man’s life appointed to make his happiness, if then he seize it. – Beaumont & Fletcher

So go forth and profit from your opportunity. That is what opportunities are for.

Floyd's dad thumbs down rematch with Pacquiao

Outspoken boxing trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. laughed off Manny Pacquiao's attempts to bat for a rematch against unbeaten American superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr., saying there is no need for another fight between the two.

The American champ defeated Pacquiao via unanimous decision when they fought in May 2 in what was called the "Fight of the Century." The Filipino later revealed that he pushed through with the fight despite an injury to his right shoulder that later required surgery.

"Pacquiao was… I think that's one of Floyd's easiest fights," the Mayweather told Fight Hub TV in a recent interview at the Mayweather Boxing Club in Las Vegas. 

"He's talking about a rematch? Rematch who? Who in the hell is Pacquiao gonna whoop? Nobody!" he added.

Pacquiao, in an interview with Fight News last month, said he still believes he won the fight, and wants to fight Mayweather again in 2016 once he has healed.

(READ: Pacquiao still insists he won against Floyd)

"I'll be ready for that, mentally and physically, next year. I'll show a better performance against him than in the first encounter," Pacquiao also said.

Mayweather Sr., however, would have none of it.

"Look. Pacquiao don't control nothing," he said. "He's gonna fight when Floyd wanted to fight. He can't do nothing. He's a dead man right now, in a grave."

The American is in the midst of training camp for his September 12 showdown against Andre Berto.

Andy Lee v Billy Joe Saunders called off after sparring injury

Irish world middleweight champion Andy Lee's WBO title defence against Billy Joe Saunders has been postponed after the challenger suffered a cut eye.

The fight was scheduled for 10 October at the Manchester Arena but England's Saunders, 26, was injured in sparring.

Promoter Frank Warren believes the fight could still happen in 2015.

He said: "We're waiting for the doctor to confirm when Billy Joe will be available. We're looking to put it on towards the end of November, December."

This is the second time the fight has been cancelled after a planned meeting on 19 September, at Ireland's Thomond Park, when 31-year-old Lee had to withdraw after catching a virus.

Saunders, who has held the British, Commonwealth and European titles, has won all 22 of his professional fights.

Lee, with 34 wins in 37 contests, won the WBO belt in December with a sixth-round stoppage of Russian Matt Korobov.

Leo Santa Cruz proves that he is L.A.'s finest

Los Angeles, CA--The explosive featherweight showdown betweenLeo Santa Cruz and Abner Mares turned out to be better than expected. Santa Cruz turned in a career best performance, in which he captured the vacant WBA “Super” featherweight strap along with the WBC “Diamond” featherweight trinket via a hard earned majority decision last Saturday night. The scorecards read 117-111 twice, while the third judge saw it even at 114. Santa Cruz boxed effectively, while Mares looked to goon Santa Cruz inside.

Both Santa Cruz and Mares traded bombs until the final bell towed. The fight of the year candidate was the kind of scrap that would make the late Arturo Gatti proud. The two Mexican-Americans, whom reside in the Los Angeles area, brought the passionate crowd of 13,109 at the Staples Center into a frenzy. Mares, the bigger of the two pugilists, opened up the contest by imposing his physical strength. He swarmed the taller Santa Cruz during the main event of the third installment of the Premier Boxing Champions series onESPN.

Mares’ game plan was to smother Santa Cruz, in an attempt to negate Santa Cruz’s reach, which is his bread and butter. However, Santa Cruz was able to make the proper adjustments by stepping back, and then establishing his distance by jabbing.

“I was surprised Abner [Mares] came out so strong,” Santa Cruz, 27, now 31-0-1, (17) would say. “He came right at me but we figured him out and got the win.”

In the middle rounds a clash of heads between the two combatants resulted in a bad cut on the right side of Mares’ face. But to the credit of Mares’ corner, the blood was kept under control, and was never a factor in the outcome of the fight.

“It was a close fight, but I thought I won the fight,” a dejected Mares told the press during the post-fight presser, who with the loss now drops to 29-2-1, (15). “I thought I pulled it off. My plan was to box him, but I started out really fast. I felt good but my corner told me to box more, so I did that. It was a good fight.”

Santa Cruz-Mares was a fight that had been discussed for quite some time. However, the setback Mares encountered two years ago, when he was stopped by Jhonny Gonzalez in one round prevented the fight from ever materializing. After the loss, Mares went back to the drawing board, and reeled of three consecutive victories against lesser quality opposition, but resulted in Mares getting his ‘mojo’ back.

During the exact time frame, Santa Cruz remained active, most recently cruising to an easy unanimous decision victory over Jose Cayetano on the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao undercard. Santa Cruz, who threw a total of over 1,000 punches against Mares, is one of the many talented fighters in the stable of advisor Al Haymon. (The creator of the PBC series.) In some instances he has even been referred to as the ‘god-son’ of Haymon.

Haymon, who has a keen eye for talent, recruited Mares immediately, once his contract with Golden Boy Promotions expired a year ago. The rest is history, and the fight was made Haymon was the missing piece of the puzzle needed in order to seal the deal.

As the fight progressed, Santa Cruz hurt Mares with a body shot in the 4th round that forced Mares to back up. Once Santa Cruz was able to establish his distance, he then developed a rhythm, and then able took control of the fight. The more Mares backed up, the more evident it became that he couldn’t win the fight going backwards. By the later rounds the tempo, and back and forth action continued, and picked up in rounds the championship rounds, 11 and 12.

“My dad told me that we could beat him by boxing,” Santa Cruz said. “We want to be aggressive, but tonight we had to box him too. And that’s how we got it done.”
Besides claiming two vacant featherweight titles, Santa Cruz earned the bragging rights of being best featherweight in the Los Angeles area.

With names such as Gary Russell, Jr., Guillermo Rigondeaux, Carl Frampton, Scott Quigg, Vasyl Lomanchenko, and Nicholas Walters, it’s obvious that the featherweight division is stacked. However, due to Russell, Jr. being advised by Haymon, a showdown between Santa Cruz and Russell, Jr. is inevitable.

With Santa Cruz and Mares fighting on free television, it was a travesty that no one was talking about the fight beforehand. Instead, so-called fight fans were talking about the spectacle taking place 7 miles away, at the Forum, between Shane Mosley and Ricardo Mayorga. It should make you wonder, why is Haymon being sued by his competitors.

Real, United blame each other over failed De Gea dea

MADRID - Real Madrid and Manchester United have blamed each other over the failure to tie up Spain goalkeeper David De Gea's move to the capital before Monday's midnight transfer deadline.

The deal, which included Costa Rica keeper Keylor Navas moving to the English club, was scuppered when the paperwork did not arrive at the Spanish league in time and the data was not entered into FIFA's Transfer Matching System (TMS) as required.

Real said in a statement on Tuesday that the bureaucratic snafu, which prompted widespread ridicule on social media, was not their fault and detailed exhaustively how and why the necessary documents were not ready until it was too late.

United responded by publishing a statement giving a very different version of events and described De Gea as "a key member" of the squad whom they had not wanted to sell.

According to Real, United "did not open any channel of negotiation" on a possible De Gea transfer until Monday morning.

After initial agreement was reached, Real said they sent the contracts to United at 1:39 p.m. Spanish time (1139 GMT).

Eight hours later they were sent back with "small modifications", which Real said they immediately accepted.

Real then sent the contracts, signed by De Gea and Navas, back to United for their signature at 2132 GMT, 28 minutes before the deadline.

United entered the details of De Gea's transfer into TMS at exactly midnight Spanish time but did not register the Navas deal and by then it was too late for Real to access the system.

TMS gave them a last chance to register the deal about half an hour later and Real also sent the documents to the Spanish league even though they knew the deadline had passed.

"Real Madrid did everything necessary, and at all times, to complete these two transfers," Real's statement, published on their website (www.realmadrid.com), concluded.

TRANSFER SAGA

According to United's version, however, at 20 minutes to midnight "major changes to the documentation came through (from Real) which immediately put the deals at risk.

"Only (five minutes before the deadline) were the documents that are needed to cancel David's contract received by Manchester United from Real Madrid," they said in the statement on their website (www.manutd.com).

"The fact that Manchester United filed the papers on time was acknowledged by the Football Association, who offered to support that claim in any discussions with FIFA.

"The club offered this assistance, as well as its own timestamped documents, to Real Madrid but they have chosen not to go down this route.

"Manchester United acts appropriately and efficiently in its transfer dealings. The club is delighted that its fan-favourite double Player of the Year, David De Gea, remains a Manchester United player."

The Spanish league did not respond to a request for comment.

As things stand, De Gea, whose deal with United expires at the end of the season when he can leave for free, could find himself out in the cold, at least until the end of the year when the transfer market opens again.

While the transfer saga was rumbling on, United coach Louis van Gaal left the 24-year-old former Atletico Madrid keeper out of the squad for the Premier League club's opening games of the season, with Argentina international Sergio Romero playing instead.

Real want De Gea as a long-term replacement for his Spain team mate Iker Casillas, the former club captain who joined Porto in July.

Focused Berto ignoring Mayweather 'hoopla'

WASHINGTON -- Andre Berto said Tuesday he is blocking out the hype for his welterweight world title bout against Floyd Mayweather and believes the pound-for-pound king is no longer the fighter he was.

He may have lost three of his last six fights and be a massive underdog but Berto, 31, a two-time former champion, says he is in the best shape of his life, as he attempts to become the first man to beat his fellow American.

Mayweather says he intends to hang up his gloves after the September 12 showdown in Las Vegas and he infuriated boxing fans in handpicking Berto when there were more than half a dozen more attractive -- but more dangerous -- fighters in the field.

Mayweather will match the 49-0 record of legend Rocky Marciano if -- as expected -- he defeats Berto.

But Berto (30-3, 23 KOs) is laughing off all the flak, talk of records and his opponent's propensity for showing off his staggering wealth to the world on social media and on television.

"I don't get caught up in all that. I don't get caught up in all the hoopla and all the crazy sh*t," Berto told reporters in a conference call.

"I don't want to get caught up and caught off guard... I'm on a mission."

He was similarly dismissive about people eager to point out those three defeats, one of which came when he had a shoulder injury that required surgery, leaving him fearing for his career.

"I never really care too much about people hating on my situation. I've had haters since I was at high school, when I was stealing their girlfriends and all that," said Berto, who was born in the United States but identifies heavily with Haiti, where his family are from.

"If you are not doing something right, they are not going to hate on you. I don't care too much about criticism."

- Berto sees Mayweather 'slippage' -

Berto says he has the speed, power and hunger to spring a major surprise at the MGM Grand and believes Mayweather (48-0, 26 KOs) is starting to feel the heat at age 38.

Experts say Mayweather, a master of defense, has become slightly easier to hit in recent fights -- though he still had more than enough to put Manny Pacquiao to the sword in his last bout.

Berto agrees he sees some chinks in Mayweather's armor.

"He's definitely showing some slippage throughout the years. I thought the last couple of fights.

"But he's one of those guys who doesn't abuse his body and he's always respected the sport.

"If you respect the sport, the sport is going to respect you."

He added: "But you can be as sharp as you want, but it only takes one slip moment for somebody to capitalize on it."

And put to him that he is the rank outsider, a relaxed-sounding Berto alluded to troubled times in his past, saying: "I don't know the odds and I have not looked at the odds.

"I don't take time out of my day to sit down and look at the odds and see what other people think."

He added: "If that was the case, I should not have made it out of where I came from because those odds were slimmer than none. If I'd looked at those odds I'd be sitting... probably trying to figure it out on the streets, smoking weed.

"Where I come from, there was a lot worse than anything in that ring. Where my people come from, there's a lot worse than anything in that ring."

The Floyd Mayweather way

John Dennen considers Mayweather’s message

WHO else but Floyd Mayweather could sweep into his own public workout, hours late, in a “hyper car” worth nearly $5 million, cycle through the expected questions: why Andre Berto? (He’ll be exciting.) Are you really retiring? (Yes.) Really are you retiring? (Still yes.) and then do something he’d never done before – conduct a sparring session in full public view.

With gloves donned, one of Mayweather’s many attendants kneaded his back but the first clue something unusual was afoot came when he pulled on a headguard and with little further ado stepped through the ropes into the ring.

For the champion’s confidants, Cornelius Boza Edwards and Leonard Ellerbe, sparring publicly was confirmation that “truly this is the end”. the upcoming fight against Andre Berto, they say, will be his last.

Plenty of ink has been spilled on Floyd Mayweather (not least by this publication). What to think of someone who can be boastful, ostentatious, who’s career was briefly interrupted by a stint in prison, someone who is proud, unapologetic, at times cruel? But when it comes to his boxing Mayweather is peerless. He proved that against Manny Pacquiao, his nearest rival, in May and watching him spar was a simple reminder of his ease between the ropes. His sparring partner may have been unthreatening but still obliged the champion to move. The American slid away from him, his arms crossed in that familiar defence. Ramon Montano could not break through. Mayweather toyed with him, showboating. After about nine minutes, Floyd paused took a sip of water and went again for another round. This one lasted just under six minutes, with Montano spent, vulnerable and Mayweather cracking in harder shorts before he dismissed the sparring partner as done.

Don Moore, a prospect, stepped in, lighter on his feet than his predecessor, jabbing more. Mayweather countered, thumped in rights over that jab and danced round him. They did a six minute round, took a brief break and Mayweather then went to work on him for another six. By Moore’s third long round, he had to hold, let go a flurry to try to keep Mayweather away. Floyd didn’t knock him down but did open up on him with hard shots, jolting poor Moore’s head back as he tired and the champion stayed strong in their final session.

Mayweather’s sparring partners may be compensated but it’s tough, punishing work. The “doghouse” concept, the brutal sessions that take place in the sparring ring at the Mayweather Boxing Club, is not I would say an example to follow. They might well be too tough, though Moore said afterwards that he was honoured, “I’m learning a lot. Floyd’s teaching me a lot.”

Few credit Mayweather with being the best ever, as he loudly proclaims of himself, but he is clever, one of the cleverest. He made his philosophy clear ahead of this sparring session.

“It’s all about self-preservation,” Mayweather said. “Boxing is just wear and tear on the body. It’s time to hang it up. I’m very well off. I’m very comfortable.

“Being in a toe-to-toe battle is not a good thing. The best and coolest thing about my career is it’s called the ‘sweet science’, it’s hitting and not getting hit. Making all that money and not taking any punishment and leaving the sport with all your faculties, that’s the best thing about my career.”

Whether he ultimately heeds his own message remains to be seen, but it’s a credo that all fighters would do well to follow. Mayweather is many things, but on this score he is surely right.

How To Thrive When The Unexpected Happens

It was a windy day. Perfect for kite flying. All the neighbors seemed to come out to watch the event, and it wasn’t long before the new ‘aeronautically engineered apparatus of flight ingenuity’ was launched on its maiden voyage.

As my friend David, who was holding the kite, ran the length of the park; he let out more and more string. It seemed to take a very short time before the large kite appeared as a speck in the sky. The string and the kite were swallowed up by the wind, like a milkshake being sucked up through a straw.

Once he had reached the edge of the park, the entire group of onlookers stood up against someone’s fence totally entranced by the majesty of height that had been achieved by such a slight structure.

John, our next door neighbor, asked, ‘Can I have a hold of the kite?’ He was the same age as David, so even though none of us ‘little kids’ would have ever been allowed to hold the string, he was in for a chance.

To this day, I can’t recall what exactly happened next. All I remember is that there was a point in the exchange when the string left both of their hands simultaneously.

We were all stunned as we watched the string ball; wrapped firmly around a piece of wood, dance across the park. It was dragged along at an incredibly fast speed by the kite that was now even a smaller speck in the sky than before.

What a site it must have been as a dozen kids were seen running, screaming and yelling across the park in pursuit of a piece of skipping wood. Not even the fastest runner in our school, and that was David, had a chance of catching it. The wind was too strong, the kite too high, and the bouncing apparatus had had a clear head start before any of us could make chase.

The rest of the afternoon was spent unraveling the string from tree branches, power lines, and roofs of houses, up and over wooden fences and across roads. Finally the damaged kite was recovered from someone’s backyard. Fortunately it hadn’t been the cranky man’s backyard; the one who liked collecting kid’s soccer balls for a hobby. I could just imagine the sneer on his face as he tried to fish a kite out of one of his trees.

This event certainly took the wind out of our sails for kite flying. The next time I flew a kite, I bought a ready made one, but I was always sure that I flew it in the wide open spaces, far away from power lines and people’s backyards.

So what did we learn from the flight of the kite?

1. Your Height Determines Your Sight

In everything you do choose to take the eagle view. Look down on your circumstances and don’t ever allow yourself to suffer ‘under the circumstances’. Circumstances were never made to be ‘under’. They were created to be ‘above’. Think of the kite when the pressure rises. Stand back from your circumstances and gain a fresh perspective. Look at it creatively by brainstorming until you come up with an answer to solve the problem. Turn your disadvantage into an advantage.Problems were created to be solved.

2. Don’t Let Go

Hang on tight to your dream. Don’t let it go. Stay focused on your goals. They are the string, and the kite is your dream. Don’t pass it to another, because they won’t have the same vision that you have. Share the moment with them, but don’t let go of your individual dream.

3. Choose Your Space Well

Set yourself up for a win by positioning yourself correctly. Research is vital at this point. Don’t just plunge ahead. Get the facts and stick with them. Be a detective and learn to make investigation your key weapon for success. Ask questions. Delve deep. Get input. Surround yourself with wise counselors. Be one of the informed so that you can make successful decisions.

4. Prepare For The Unexpected

Have a contingency plan in place. Develop a range of income sources. In your specialization diversify. Those who plan for the unexpected will not be surprised. They’ll be ready. This is why we have insurance. This is why we plan in advance. This is why we are ready to adapt and swerve. This is why we don’t leave things to the last moment, and by doing so we are ever ready to succeed. For any enterprise is built by wise planning.

So there you have it. Simple, yet powerful principles learnt that day when the kite got away, and as we spent the rest of the day unraveling the disaster.

The secret though is to always seek to learn from the mistakes that are made along the way. They can, at times, be your greatest teacher, if you are willing to learn.

Without problems there would never be a need for solutions, and without mistakes there would never be a reason for lessons learnt.