Punch Drunk - the boxing thread

[Broken Wing]

You wouldn't know it as the mainstream media don't seem to have noticed but Tipperary native Matthew Macklin (28(19) - 3) is facing World Pound for Pound No. 3 and reigning World Middleweight Champion Sergio Martinez (48(27) - 2- 2) in Madison Square Garden on St. Patrick's night.

The fight is live on Sky and I really can't express how big this fight is for Macklin who narrowly lost (although many would argue that) on points to WBA Middleweight Champion Felix Strum. Simply put a win here will make him one of the biggest names in boxing.

[Broken Wing]

For anyone interested 1976 Olympic Gold Medalist and former WBA and WBC Welterweight Champion (twice), WBA Light Middleweight Champion, WBC Middleweight Champion, WBC Super Middleweight Champion and WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Sugar Ray Leonard will be signing copies of his autobioography in eason on O'Connell St from 5 today.

[Peg Leg]

For anyone interested 1976 Olympic Gold Medalist and former WBA and WBC Welterweight Champion (twice), WBA Light Middleweight Champion, WBC Middleweight Champion, WBC Super Middleweight Champion and WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Sugar Ray Leonard will be signing copies of his autobioography in eason on O'Connell St from 5 today.

I cannot believe I did no know this!!!!
Did you go? Was he Ice cool?

[Broken Wing]

Cool as a summer breeze. Got my book signed and my photo taken. I was a very happy man heading home on Friday.

I only realised he was coming when I called in to Eason at lunchtime to get a Mother's Day card. There was a bit of a crowd there but it seems most boxing people had no idea he was in town until he appeared on the Late Late.

[Broken Wing]

The Irish team has set out for Turkey for the final Olympic qualification tournament.

49Kg (Light Flyweight) Paddy Barnes - Semi finalists and quarter finalist beaten by eventual winner qualify
60Kg (Lightweight) David Oliver Joyce - Semi finalists qualify
64Kg (Light Welterweight) Ross Hickey - Only the winner qualifies
69Kg (Welterweight) Adam Nolan - Finalists qualify
81 Kg (Light Heavyweight) Joe Ward - Finalists and semi finalist beaten by eventual winner qualify
91 Kg (Heavyweight) Tommy McCarthy - Only the winner qualifies
91+ Kg (Super Heavyweight) Con Sheehan - Finalists qualify

Hopefully they can avoid facing any Turkish fighters ahead of qualification... not that I'd ever suggest there might be dodgy officiating at an amateur boxing event.

[Broken Wing]

For anyone interested Tyson Fury Martin Rogan will be live on Channel 5 tomorrow night. Should be entering the ring around 10.10.

The fight is supposed to be for the Irish Heavyweight title but because it's in Belfast it falls under the jurisdiction of the British Board of Boxing Control who are having a bit of handbags with the Boxing Union of Ireland about the judges and the BUI are threatening to withdraw the belt.

[Jackal]

Fury wins in 5th. Needs a step up in class though if he wants to challenge for world titles down the line. He's young enough so has plenty of time.

Also Olympic qualifiers start tonight. Ward and David Oliver Joyce on tonight. Anyone know if it is being shown anywhere?

[Broken Wing]

Don't think it's being televised unfortunately.

Ward beat the Swede Katende 16-6.

Fury needs to beat Price just to shut up the moaners. The Irish title isn't one that will draw him any challengers but I don't think he's ready for a crack at the European yet. Hennessy said last night that he aims to fight again on June 30th so it will be interesting to see who he lines up.

[Jackal]

Ward losses to Turk surprise surprise. I'm sure he knew that he would have to stop him to have any chance. Nolan won as did McCarthy at 91kg but Hickey lost quite badly. Sheehan fighting a Turk soon which will be interesting

[Jackal]

Con Sheehan has now lost to a Turkish fighter aswell. McCarthy has one in the next round. The draw hasn't been good so far

[Xanthippe]

Fury wins in 5th.

There was quite a funny incident on Twitter in relation to this fight Stephen Ferris started it by asking

Was the boxing fixed??????

To which Tommy Bowe replied

@StephenFerris6 who won fez? Any good?

Fez's answer

@TommyBowe14 fury Won but it was fixed for Rogan to go down in the 5th. Body shot and he was nearly knocked out. Better fights in the crowd

A little while later Martin Rogan tweeted

@StephenFerris6 just met you at the Lisburn rd how dare you say a fix I am a true fighter y didn't you say it to my face you card

Followed by

@StephenFerris6 call yourself a sportsman how can you even say what you said I don't disrespect any sporting person #whitecollarus

Fez came back with this comment and tried to delete his earlier tweets

After meeting @BigRogie today I would like to apologise for my comments last night.

Unfortunately for Stephen he had been retweeted and so couldn't delete the messages - morto

[Jackal]

Yeah saw that alrite with Fez and Rogan quite funny. In fairness to Rogan don't think he would throw a fight just think he is way way past it and probably never really had much in the first place!!

[Broken Wing]

Thankfully McCarthy fights a Hungarian and not a Turk as reported. If he wins that he could face a Turk in the semi final. He has to win his weight outright to qualify.

Adam Nolan is 2 wins away from qualification. He can't meet a Turk until the final when he would have qualified anyway.

David Oliver Joyce fights a German he beat last month and is 2 wins away from qualification. Like Nolan he can't meet a Turk until qualification is secured.

Paddy Barnes' story is the same. 2 wins to qualify and can't meet a Turk in either of those fights.

[Jackal]

Thankfully McCarthy fights a Hungarian and not a Turk as reported. If he wins that he could face a Turk in the semi final. He has to win his weight outright to qualify.

Adam Nolan is 2 wins away from qualification. He can't meet a Turk until the final when he would have qualified anyway.

David Oliver Joyce fights a German he beat last month and is 2 wins away from qualification. Like Nolan he can't meet a Turk until qualification is secured.

Paddy Barnes' story is the same. 2 wins to qualify and can't meet a Turk in either of those fights.

Think we would do well to get two of these qualified. Can't see McCarthy winning his weight outright. Barnes should qualify if he shows up hasn't been in the best of form in last few months but has the quality. Nolan is very very good but not very experienced at that level so would do well to get through. Not sure what to make of David Oliver Joyve. He never really seems to get the job done. Hope he does here though!!

[Broken Wing]

Joyce, Nolan and Barnes all finished on the podium in the Chemistry Cup last month. The same would be good enough here but there's nobody guaranteed to make it.

Aside from that I pretty much agree with everything Jackal said.

I'd really like to see Joyce qualify. He's been in national finals for years and probably won't get another shot.

[Jackal]

Joyce, Nolan and Barnes all finished on the podium in the Chemistry Cup last month. The same would be good enough here but there's nobody guaranteed to make it.

Aside from that I pretty much agree with everything Jackal said.

I'd really like to see Joyce qualify. He's been in national finals for years and probably won't get another shot.

Yeah Joyce has been one of the best in Irish boxing over a long period. Think he has one something like 16 Irish titles since he was a child. That is some record and deserves a shot at the big one in London

[Slipper1]

Can anyone explain why the boxers have only one tournament to qualify for London? Why the risk, in my experience of other sports, competitors have a number of tournaments to reach the required standard.

I'm specifically talking about Katie Taylor, but I presume it is the same for the men as well.

That's some pressure for the athlete, to head into a bout knowing that one slip up could ruin years of ambition & training is unnecessary surely.

[Broken Wing]

This is the 3rd and final opportunity for European men to qualify. The champions of the individual World Series of Boxing qualified and there was an opportunity in the World Championships in Baku where O'Neill, Conlan and Joyce qualified.

The women's boxing is only new to the Olympics so they're only getting 3 weights and one tournament to qualify. Hopefully things will improve by 2016 through the success of 2012.

[Jackal]

Can anyone explain why the boxers have only one tournament to qualify for London? Why the risk, in my experience of other sports, competitors have a number of tournaments to reach the required standard.

I'm specifically talking about Katie Taylor, but I presume it is the same for the men as well.

That's some pressure for the athlete, to head into a bout knowing that one slip up could ruin years of ambition & training is unnecessary surely.

Katie Taylor has it particularly hard as the world championships act as only qualifier. Womens boxing has it tough because its the first time its in the Olympics and they probably haven't figured out exactly how to work it yet

In terms of men it depends on a number of factors. The world championships last year were first qualifiers and Darren O'Neill, John Joe Nevin and Michael Conlon qualified through them. Not sure exactly how many get through in each weight class though.It then depends on how many have already qualified from your continent in the weight class your in. So in these last qualifiers that are on now in say Joe Wards weight more europeans qualified so it mean't he would have to have got to the final to get to Olympics and in some other weight classes a semi final will do because there are less europeans qualified in that weight. A lot also comes down to location of the qualifiers and in this case Turkey. Joe Ward is mean't to have lost a very dodgy decision to a local earlier today. Interesting to note that Ireland applied to get the qualifier but missed out. Would have been massive advantage to even just level the playing field.

Men can also qualify throughhe world series of boxing but only the winners of this get through. No Irish qualified or came close to it from this way.

Technically men have 3 chances but the world series of boxing is only in certain weights not all of them and is particularly hard to win

Don't know if that helps any!!

[Broken Wing]

Analysis of Joe Ward's last round shows that he landed 12 punches but scored 4 points while the Turk landed 4 punches, scoring 6 points.

Aside from injury I'm starting to think Katie Taylor's biggest challenge to qualify in China may well be how soon she faces Chinese boxer Cheng Dong, particularly after the way Ken Egan fared against his Chinese opponenet in the final In Beijing. The only upside is that Katie beat Cheng in the 2010 women's world championships in China and Katie is one of the stars of women's boxing so the judges may be wary of cheating her, not that it hasn't happened in her past.