‘Iron’ Mike Tyson can put his aeroplane nightmare behind him, there will be no President ‘Pacman’ and BOXXER bring a Team GB medalist on-board. Here are five boxing stories you might have missed from this week.
No Charge For ‘Iron’ Mike
Mike Tyson will not face charges after appearing to strike a fellow passenger on a plane at San Francisco International Airport. Footage of the incident went viral on social media, appearing to show a passenger deliberately trying to provoke ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’, before being struck several times to the face.
San Mateo County District Attorney's Office released a statement saying both parties involved had elected not to press charges. The case will now be dropped with no further punishment for either Tyson nor the passenger.
No Presidency For ‘Pacman’
Boxing great Manny Pacquiao retired from the ring in August of last year, after losing on points to then-WBA welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas. The ring legend announced his intention to run for president in his home country of the Philippines.
Pacquiao conceded defeat on Wednesday after garnering just 6.6% of the vote. ‘Pacman’ lost out to winner Ferdinand Marcos Jr, also finishing behind liberal candidate Leni Robredo.
Speaking on social media afterwards, Pacquiao said, "As a boxer and an athlete, I know how to accept defeat. I just hope that even if I lost this fight, my fellow Filipinos who are suffering will win."
Rumours have already begun to spread that Pacquiao might return to the ring. At the age of 43, that might be even less viable than a second presidential campaign.
Hearn Wants Benn vs Ramirez
Matchroom supremo Eddie Hearn is trying to match his second-generation prospect Conor Benn with former unified light welterweight champion Jose Ramirez. Speaking to IFL TV, the promoter said: “I had a chat with Top Rank, and the Jose Ramirez fight is one that I really like. Obviously, he wants to be paid a lot of money to come to the UK. It’s a very dangerous fight.”
Ramirez would represent a massive step up in class for Benn. ‘The Destroyer’ has stepped up in class recently, beating Chris van Heerden and ex-champion Chris Algieri. While an improvement, the two Chrises were past their best. Ramirez is a world class fighter who has suffered just one defeat, to Josh Taylor last May. If Hearn does make this fight, it would be a tremendously brave piece of match-making.
WBC Order Garcia vs Cruz Eliminator
The WBC have ordered a lightweight title eliminator between Ryan Garcia and Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz. The famous green belt is currently held by Devin Haney, but it is on the verge of being unified. Haney meets WBA, WBO and IBF champion George Kambosos Jr in Australia in June, meaning the Garcia/Cruz winner could be in line for a shot at all the marbles.
Garcia is coming off a low-key win over Emmanuel Tagoe, his first bout since a long lay-off through injury and mental health struggles. ‘Pitbull’ dominated faded former world champion Yuriorkis Gamboa last month, stopping ‘El Ciclon’ in five rounds.
Olympian Signs With BOXXER
2020 Olympic silver medallist Ben Whittaker has signed a deal with BOXXER. The 24-year-old is the fourth member of Team GB’s 2020 team to join Ben Shalom’s promotional outfit. Medallists Frazer Clarke, Lauren Price and Karriss Artingstall also fight out of the BOXXER stable.
Whittaker is managed by 258 MGT, the company owned by Anthony Joshua. He will be trained by Tyson Fury’s cornerman, SugarHill Steward. Whittaker has some serious boxing acumen behind him, and it will be fascinating to see how he develops.
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