Carl Froch: Briton contemplates one-fight comeback

Former world champion Carl Froch has said he would consider returning to the ring next spring for one fight to reclaim his title.

Froch, 38, who announced his retirement in July, has been training every day and predicted he would beat IBF super-middleweight champion James DeGale, 29.

"It's an easy job for me and he's world champion," said Froch.

"Get my old belt back, show them all how it's done and then retire. There'd be something satisfying about that."

Froch is a four-time world super-middleweight champion who won 33 of his 35 fights, 24 victories by knockout.

But the Nottingham boxer has not fought since he knocked out fellow Briton George Groves to retain the WBA and IBF titles in May 2014

In May, DeGale beat Andre Dirrell on points to claim the vacant IBF super-middleweight belt and become the first Briton to win a professional world title and an Olympic gold.

Froch said if DeGale beats Romanian-born former IBF super-middleweight champion Lucian Bute in December that would give him motivation to return.

"I always said once I've retired, I won't come back, but 18 months on from my last fight, I'm starting to think to myself 'I'm fit, strong, in good shape'," said Froch.

"But it's a big if. I might just stick with poker. The desire's gone, it's getting the desire back. What would I need? It might be DeGale beating Bu

Callum Smith beats Rocky Fielding to British super-middleweight title

Callum Smith stopped Rocky Fielding in the first round to claim the vacant British super-middleweight title in the all-Liverpool contest in the city.

In an eagerly-awaited showdown between two unbeaten fighters, Smith floored Fielding within the first 30 seconds.

When Fielding was felled for a third time, referee Phil Edwards stopped the bout at the Echo Arena.

Smith is the fourth brother from his family to hold a British title, an unprecedented feat.

The 25-year-old, who had won 12 of his previous 17 bouts by knockout, stunned his opponent with a flurry of punishing body shots.

Fielding, 28, had 21 victories under his belt going into the fight and briefly rallied before being caught again and sent to the canvas.

Smith swarmed all over his former amateur team-mate who was unable to hold out for the bell.

The win could now move Smith into the mandatory challenger position for the WBC super-middleweight title held by Sweden's Badou Jack - who recently claimed a unanimous decision against Briton George Groves.

Jose Mourinho: Asmir Begovic backs Chelsea boss to revive side

Chelsea goalkeeper Asmir Begovic says manager Jose Mourinho has the players' support and is the right man to revive their fortunes.

The Blues lost 1-0 at Stoke City on Saturday, a third straight Premier League defeat and are 16th in the Premier League table.

Mourinho, 52, missed the game as he served a one-match stadium ban.

"We are behind the manager - you can see that from our performances," said ex-Stoke player Begovic.

"We think he is the right man and someone we work hard for. His spirit and his presence is always there. We wanted to get a result for him."

Reigning champions Chelsea are just three points above the relegation zone after losing seven of their 12 league games.

Chelsea have a massive problem'

Chelsea started last season brilliantly and had scored 30 goals after 12 league games.

Twelve months on, they have struck the net a mere 16 times after the same number of matches.

According to former England striker Alan Shearer, it is their failings in front of goal which are damaging them.

"Stoke were brilliant but a massive problem for Chelsea is scoring goals," he said on Match of the Day.

"There were not enough questions being asked of the Stoke back four and they were very, very comfortable.

"There was not enough running from Chelsea - people were going towards the ball rather than in behind. It was far too easy for Stoke to defend. That all changed when Loic Remy came on but before that it was just too easy for Stoke to defend against."

Should Chelsea keep Mourinho? Journalists' verdicts

Neil Moxley (Sunday People chief sports writer)

STAY: "You only get rid of a manager at this time of the season if it is clear the players are not performing for him and on the basis of what I have seen here at Stoke City the players are performing for him.

"The players were clearly putting it in and Chelsea played well. He has also shown his ability over the course of a hugely successful career so he should stay."

Simon Mullock (Sunday Mirror chief football writer)

STAY: "I thought that was the best Chelsea performance I have seen for quite some time and it was certainly one to encourage Mourinho, if not the owner Roman Abramovich.

"And as others have said, if you get rid of a top-class manager like Mourinho now who do you get in who would be better? He should stay."

Muhammad Ali is 'a prisoner in his own body' says the man who knew him best

Manager Gene Kilroy says Ali is a ghost of the man he once was, saying "He can just about walk and his speech is slurred"

     To a whole generation Muhammad Ali was not        only the greatest boxer on Earth, but also a           superhuman athlete with a brilliant mind who         stood up to authority.

But after living with Parkinson’s disease for more than three decades, 73-year-old Ali is “a prisoner in his own body”, according to the man who knows him best.

His manager Gene Kilroy says Ali is a ghost of the fearsome fighter he once was, adding: “It’s hard seeing him as he is today. He can just about walk and his speech is slurred. It takes huge effort for him to make the simplest communication now, but when he does, every word is worthwhile.

“But even now he has no fear. He says, ‘I’ll stay here as long as God wants me to. When my time comes I’ll have no regrets. I have achieved a lot’.”

 

Dillian Whyte: I've got in to Anthony Joshua's head

Dillian Whyte said he has advantage over Anthony Joshua ahead of December 12 fight because I have being ahead of him for a long time
Whyte and Joshua will be squared next month at the O2 arena this will be the second time the two will be fighting after their Amaetur bout in 2009.

Amir Khan warns Kell Brook: Stop cheating British boxing fans

Amir Khan has told British rival Kell Brook he needs to "fight some proper opponents" if he wants their much anticipated showdown to become reality in 2016.

Bolton welterweight Khan (31-3, 19 KOs) and Brook (35-0, 24 KOs) are waiting for their next fights to be arranged, with the latter forced to postpone a planned third defence against Argentine Diego Chaves (23-2-1, 19 KOs) at the Sheffield Arena on October 24 due to a rib injury. It is now looking unlikely that Brook-Chaves will be rearranged for London on December 12, but will instead take place early next year.

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Khan is in the running with American Terence Crawford (27-0, 19 KOs) -- the WBO world light-welterweight champion -- to be Manny Pacquiao's next and final opponent of an astonishing career that has seen the Filipino win world titles in eight weight divisions.

If Khan, 28, does not land the megafight with Pacquiao in Las Vegas on April 9, after missing out on a money-spinning bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr, the plan is for him to still fight in January.

And a showdown with Sheffield's IBF world welterweight champion Brook, 29, remains remote at the moment, with Khan insisting his rival must face a big-name opponent before they meet.

Khan, who is currently on holiday in India, has scoffed at the quality of Brook's next opponent Chaves, who has only won one of his last four fights.

The Argentine was knocked out in the 10th round by Keith Thurman -- the WBA champion -- in 2013, lost by ninth round disqualification to Brandon Rios a year later and last December held WBO champion Tim Bradley to a draw.

Chaves, 29, is also a former holder of the WBA interim title, but Khan expects it to be a comfortable night for Brook, who will be fighting in his home city for the third successive fight.

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"The guy he's fighting next, it's a walk in the park," Khan told ESPN. "Kell has been protected quite well and he won't have any problems with that fight.

"He's not been put in with a dangerous guy, his first dangerous fight will probably be against me. It's another walk in the park for him. I can't believe how he has been fed these opponents.

"He needs to step in the deep end and take some big fights. I want him to win those big fights because at the moment it will just be a British rivalry fight. To make it a mega fight one day he has to stop facing these bums and fight some proper opponents.

"When you are a world champion you need to be in the top fights. I fought against Paulie Malignaggi, Marcos Maidana and Zab Judah as champion, and I've been fighting top guys since.

"It's just very sad to see he's not facing anyone who is not going to cause him problems.

"He's been covered up with cotton wool until he fights me. He's fought nobody. They are just trying to tick him over until he fights me. I want to prove I'm a level above him.

"If you look at my resume I'm well ahead in who I've fought, people like Maidana. I've been in tough fights, win or lose. I've lost fights but at least I've been in with the best fighters in the world.

"With Brook he just doesn't want to take a dangerous fight. He knows there's a lot of reward for fighting me, he knows he will be paid well."

Khan believes Brook needs to face higher ranked fighters like American Tim Bradley, who holds the WBO version of the world title, and Chaves' fellow Argentine Marcos Maidana to build up his profile before they meet.

Khan says Brook is "killing" the size of their potential fight by his choice of challengers and has told him to fight high-ranked opponents to build up interest in their potential fight next year.

Brook has so far stopped Briton Frankie Gavin and Canadian Jo Jo Dan in his home city since out-pointing American Shawn Porter for the title in California.

"I hope the British fans clock on that's he's not fighting anyone," Khan told ESPN. "The British crowd are getting a sniff of it and they realise that Amir has been right.

"Now I'm considering fighting him, Kell is taking the easy route.

"At the moment Kell is killing the fight, he's cheating himself and the British boxing fans. I go to America and people do talk about him but they see him as a nobody. They say to me: 'There's a guy in the UK who is a champion, do you know him?'

"But I want him to fight Bradley or Maidana and beat them and then it would make our fight bigger.

"I don't want him to be caught out. I want to be the first guy to beat Kell. At the moment he's fooling the British public."

Khan remains hopeful rather than confident that he will face his British rival next summer.

"It could be against Brook next summer," he added. "I spoke to [promoter] Eddie Hearn a couple of months ago and we had a small chat about what we can do to make the fight happen.

"I think it will be a massive, maybe at Wembley Stadium, it could be at a football stadium like Bolton Wanderers where I've always wanted to fight."

Ola Afolabi dethrones Chakhkiev

Londoner Ola  Afolabi produced a performance full of grits and determination to dethroned IBO word cruiserweight champion Rakhim Chakhkiev in Kazan on Wednesday afternoon in Russia.
Afolabi moved to 22-4-4 (11KOs)  with the fight stopped after 1:44

Evander Holyfield: Boxing great who 'lost everything' smiling again

Last time you read about Evander Holyfield, chances are he seemed in a bad way. Maybe he was still dreaming of one last shot (he'll probably never stop). Maybe he was selling his 109-room mansion, all those hard-earned belts and his bloodied gloves and robes.

Well, I'm pleased to relay that 'The Real Deal' has some new deals in the offing, which might pay dividends. And he seems happy again.

Holyfield, boxing's only four-time world heavyweight champion, formally announced his retirement  from the ring last year, at the age of 51. The $230m he earned over a 26-year career was gone, as were three wives. But 11 kids remained, by six different women. They've cost him his fortune, but they also point the way to a brighter future.

One son, Elijah, is one of the best high school running backs in American football, about to make the transition to college football.  Another, Evan, hopes to follow in his father's footsteps and make his name in the ring. Although, for the old man, hope is not enough.

At Evan's gym in Atlanta, Holyfield Sr tells it like his momma told it, all those years ago. "My momma said 'no excuses - you determine your own destiny, by what you choose to believe and what you choose to say.'"

when Evan suggests that "maybe" he wants to go to the Olympics, "just like Dad did", 31 years ago, Holyfield Sr gets preaching.

"People who suggest things might happen don't become champions," he says, as Evan twists with embarrassment. "People who become champions are the ones who say 'This is what I'm gonna do.'" Asked how many times he's had this lecture, Evan says: "A lot."

Holyfield Sr grew up poor in the Atlanta suburb of Sugar Hill but his momma, Annie, showered him with wisdom. "She had sixth-grade education but that was good enough for me," says Holyfield, who was the youngest of nine children.

"I didn't have a father but I had the right momma. She could have quit at any time - but she was the real 'Real Deal'. She used to say 'Son, don't be a coward - a coward dies a thousand times but a man dies once.'

"I grew up in a black neighbourhood and my brothers always told me 'White boys can't fight'. Then, one day, I had to fight a white kid called Cecil Collins. When I hit him, he hit me back. And when they announced Cecil as the winner, I cried, ran home to my momma and told her I quit.

"She told me 'I ain't raised a quitter, you got to go back.' I did go back - and Cecil beat me again. I cried and threatened to quit - but my momma sent me back again.

"And eventually I beat him. I passed the test. When I went home, my momma told me one of life's most important lessons - 'Quit because things don't go your way and you won't reach your goal. So don't quit.' And I didn't."

Nobody ever accused Holyfield of being a quitter again, at least not between the ropes. As an amateur, he volunteered to spar with a 17-year-old Mike Tyson, when everyone else was demanding money for the privilege.

After winning a bronze medal at the 1984 Olympics, he cleaned up the cruiserweight division. Then came the big boys in the heavyweights and the bigger money - Buster Douglas, Riddick Bowe and Tyson unleashed.

Last week was the 25th anniversary of Holyfield knocking out Douglas and winning the heavyweight world title for a first time. The date went largely unmarked, because Holyfield is that kind of fighter, his greatness destined always to be underplayed. Douglas got fat, Tyson went mad, that's the way the story often goes.

This lack of recognition welded to his momma's early lessons and a strong religious faith made Holyfield the pathologically stubborn man he is. Even now, he thinks he'll get it all back and make it all better - the mansion, the belts, the pockmarked dignity.

"Losing everything was hard," says Holyfield. "The only way I got through it was to think 'God allowed me to have that house, he'll allow me to have another one. The Bible says 'the second half of your life is going to be better than the first half'. I made $230m in the first half, so I've still got reasons to live."

Over at Elijah's football practice, Holyfield Sr casts a critical eye over another one of those reasons. There's plenty of money in football - which, incidentally, was Holyfield Sr's first love - but the old man prefers a job done with passion and yearning, with riches as a bonus.

"It's not about me being happy, it's about him being happy," says Holyfield. "It's about getting my kids to understand that if this is what you love, if this is your passion, you will be successful.

"I'm proud of how Elijah carries himself, proud of his attitude. He comes from a good athletic background and people think he's good - and it's hard to be humble when you're the best. I'm the 'Old Deal'. He's the 'Real Deal'. In fact, you might say he's the 'New Deal'."

It might not be about Holyfield being happy. But there's far too much sadness in boxing, so it's nice to know he is.

Tyson Fury 'may retire' after Wladimir Klitschko bout

British heavyweight Tyson Fury says he may retire after his world title bout against Wladimir Klitschko this month.

The undefeated 27-year-old will fight reigning champion Klitschko for his WBA, IBF and WBO belts in Dusseldorf on 28 November.

The bout was due to take place last month but was rearranged after the Ukrainian, 39, suffered a calf injury.

"After this fight I won't have anything else to achieve and I'm on to a new part of my life," Fury told BBC Sport.

"If I've not got the motivation to carry on anymore then what would be the point?"

Fury has previously taunted Klitschko, dressing up as Batman for a press conference in September , and says motivation could be an issue for his opponent too.

"He's got tons of money, he's been successful for 11 years as a champion. What more does a man need? That's what's going to let him down on the night," he said.

"But you've got to give him credit where credit is due because to take on a young, ambitious guy like myself who's taller, bigger, faster, younger is a challenge in itself."

Fury added he would be open to a fight with fellow British heavyweight and Commonwealth champion Anthony Joshua should he decide against retirement.