For me the only reason the downward spiral had a break was the embargo which they welcomed as it gave them the excuse not to spend but it also meant things had to be left alone for a bit so the meddling eased up. The partners were happy because they could concentrate on making their % from moving people out and paying people off.

Half the reason GB did ok for a season or two was because they had to leave it alone for a bit imo. The minute we came out of that the bollux began again immediately. So maybe rather than holding us back as they and others liked to say it may well have stopped us being another 2 years further down the ladder. We would be with Blackpool now if it wasn't for that period I reckon.

Some cracking fights on the Birmingham card last night and interesting upsets. The Ogogo myth is finally busted.

Fitzgerald trained by Michael Jennings and his brother, big hopes for him but a bit sluggish on Saturday. Think he thought he'd blow the other lad away but hopefully he's learned a valuable lesson there, never underestimate anybody.

You've always got to hand respect to someone who gets up and wins though

Thought Bellew let himself down with his rant at Haye, calling him a 'bitch' was extremely poor really, if you're going to insult someone, insult them, bitch is just US gangsta nonsense and added little to proceedings.

Thought he was reckless as the commentators said, but he got the job done and thats all that was required on the night.

As for Fury, I can't help thinking the latest revelations about his mental health have been concocted to save him from a lengthy ban, its calculated and very deliberate in my opinion.

I could be wrong, but thats just my thoughts on the whole debacle.

From what i can gather it was all a bit staged managed from Eddie Hearn. That's why there was no real verbal aggression, we've seen Bellew when he's really angry and he goes of his head but he was very controlled in all that. They were/are good mates in the real world allegedly but Haye won't take it on whilst he's still in with a shout of a HW mega money title shot so Hearns trying to whip it up.

It will only happen in the near future if Haye gets squeezed out of the HW pic. He's getting divorced so he'll need a big payday soon though.

Yes you don't see Derry Mathews stopped in his tracks like that very often and i agree it's time to hang em up now he's had a great career. One of the toughest lads out there but there have been signs over his last few fights his resistance is not what it was.

Thought Flores was doing ok but got a bit clumsy and was very naive when claiming that low blow and got himself nailed. That was the end right there really.

Another tear up from Bellew, always good to watch and no doubt he's got vicious fists but no way can he go gung ho like that v Haye or he'll be out of there pretty sharp.

Can't see it ever happening to be honest as he'd have to go up to heavy whereas Haye has been comfortable at 15+ stone for years now.

I must say, I've never really encountered cyclists on the road really, certainly not in the circumstances some have mentioned. (Not to say that behaviour doesn't exist by the way). Motorcyclists smashing it along the road and weaving in and out of traffic is far more hazardous in my view (then, that's another discussion entirely).

That really does need it's thread they are a nightmare. I don't quite know what goes on in the pea brains of some middle aged blokes on motorbikes. Once you've covered yourself in leather it doesn't make you Mad Max nor does it stop your limbs from falling off as you skid along hard tarmac or into an oncoming vehicle.

If you can afford a power bike, it's insurance and all the gear then you can afford to take it to a track if you want to act like your in the TT or better still just blast it up the motorway and take the points you'll get on the chin.

So now he's given the belts up just before they were stripped and he's been suspended by the British board of control. All expected and all standard practise he's no victim like they'll be making him out to be constantly now in their damage limitation exercise.

The other day they were saying he may be back in the gym by March/April after treatment, now they're saying he may be fit to fight Feb/March, amazing that !!! Now the non lucrative rematch has been swerved it's all systems go it seems.

As always with this lot nothing quite adds up. They'd give V's a run for their money in the bullscreet stakes.

Mike Tyson was up there with the likes of Bin Laden and Saddam in the eyes of some including the media. The most famous man on the planet and one of the most hated at times, bizarrely more for the ear biting than the alleged rape. Him and Fury are incomparable yet he's decided to call himself the baddest man on the planet now. I doubt he'd have lasted a week in Mikes world.

Thing is like if you portray yourself as a monster then people will begin to treat you like one and eventually you'll become one as in Tysons case. In Furys case he's played the fool from the off, part act and part real probably but he's been encouraged to do it and go out of his way to try and be controversial to sell tickets so it's not hard to see why people are biting back at him now. Those around him need to look at themselves as well instead of looking for every excuse in the book and trying to apportion blame elsewhere.

Also drugs are drugs and he's an intelligent guy who knows right from wrong but he's wanted to play the wild man which has ended up just compounding his problems. The belts need taking away, rules are rules, could be the best thing for him to re focus on getting right and getting back fighting for them again if he wants to. First though he needs a complete break from it all.

Anyway back to the actual,boxing, cracking fight between Burns & Relikh. Ricky holding on again at the end and another judge called into question.

He's probably both.

The nearest description yet, he's clearly highly strung but he's always come across as having that i'll do and say what I want attitude but he's learned now it comes with a price and he doesn't seem equipped to deal with that.

The words of a guy I know who hangs about around Furys crew 'He just wants to be one of the lads' that was in summer when he was out and about having a good time whilst he was supposed to be training for the first postponed fight.

De motivation I think has been the start of all this as he really had his head set on a big money fight or two with Wilder hence him going to the States and confronting him. They thought they could get this 1 for his next fight after he won the belts and fob off Klitschko with a series of kick offs about money, venue etc but Wlad forced the rematch and agreed to switch venues and all their daft demands because it isn't about money for him.

Lets not forget with Fury he's played the controversial character all along seemingly carving himself out an image as it sells tickets maybe his ability doesn't. When anyone who knows him or comes into contact with him away from boxing says he's a nice pleasant easy going guy. It bears the hallmarks of someone being forced to do something he doesn't want to as with a rematch he's nothing much to gain and everything to lose.

A match or two with Wilder is a serious earner and another belt to become undisputed champ but get sparked in a rematch with the Ukrainian and it's all gone and start all over again. They played the stigma card too quick for my liking and everything seems about not losing the belts rather than getting a young guy who's allegedly buckled under pressure back to being his normal self again.

Also if Peter Fury told me a cat has whiskers I'd want proof !

He needs the treatment but they are also dressing it up all they can to try and hold on to the belts. He's @#/? about all year and admitted he broke camp before the first fight to go on the lash. He doesn't want to fight and the more his antics with the ale and drugs the worse his state has allegedly become.

Amazing this statement now comes out worded like that just after his rant. The main thing is he's physically so out of shape they'll need months to get him in it and of course his head needs to be in it in order to discipline himself to get fighting fit.

Sounds also like his marriage has suffered again from what he was ranting and that could be the real reason he's cracking up as well as pressure on the PEDS charges.

I really hope he gets sorted but sorry the sport must go on and a lot of his problems are self inflicted. If boxing got put on hold for every fighter that goes this way there'd be no fights made. Strip him with the assurance that if & when he comes back fit and ready he's automatically the number 1 challenger again without having to go through eliminators again.

That's fair enough.

That's why the slasha won't come to meetings. Weren't we being told they should get praise for funding the academy ????

Said it then and i'll say it again ..con artists the lot of them. Won't stay cat 1 for long with those kind of cuts.

I'd say it's too soon for him to tackle Wlad he's all wrong style wise for AJ although they've sparred a lot so Joshua doesn't seem to have any worries. He'll find it hard to land a clean shot on Klitschko I reckon and it's a question of how he handles going into the late rounds with someone so experienced. Fury beat him by staying on his toes for 12 rounds, not AJs way that.

So Fury this aft announces his retirement ;0

-------- --------- ---------

Fury this aft announces his comeback ! For gods sake I thought we'd got rid !

Either he's on the beak or beer on a Monday afternoon or he has bi polar in the most aggressive form.

He needs help very quick I'd say or there'll be a messy ending one day.

Briggs wanted too much money apparently so that seems to have fallen through bearing in mind Haye wants to fight on the free channels. For me he should be fighting the likes of Parker or Price instead of his bum every few months routine but I think he's just holding out for one last big shot and was just keeping busy. Some rumours recently that he's lined up for Wilder comeback next year for the WBC, him and Wilder are pals so you never know.

Parker looks decent but I wouldn't say he's ready for AJ yet they all look good when they aren't frightened of getting hit until they step in with a real banger.

As soon as they've sorted what's happening with Fury and the belts I think AJ v Wlad will be on. Klitschkos booked his German arena for Dec 10th or something so maybe then.

Well an odd way to win but a win is a win although it was pretty even, prob Braehmer edging it. A bit of karma maybe after the German has had a few fortunate victories, Enzo being one. Cleverly could have been a bit more humble though afterwards seeing as he skanked it.

RIP Mike Towell

Have you got a source?

Sent from my Ulefone Paris using Tapatalk

Been on a few newspaper websites. tested positive on Sept 22.

Sounds like latest Fury cancellation is because he tested positive for cocaine. Absolute fraud this guy is and I'm convinced he was on something when he won the belts. Shuffling around in every previous fight labouring to wins against limited opposition then all of a sudden 6'9" - 19 stone of him bounces around the ring all night like a kangaroo.

Hmmm..

Brahmer v Cleverly up next and another interesting fight. Very tough is Jurgen but a bit of a plodder so Cleverly should outbox him but he won't stop him. Also he's been notorious for being on the right end of the judges in Germany when perhaps he shouldn't so it's going to take something special for the Brit to win here.

Verdict : Late stoppage to the homeboy after Cleverly runs out of steam.

Unlucky for Crolla but no disgrace losing to that guy he was class, great fight to watch though.

On Fury I was talking to someone in the know last night who'd been there and the verdict is he's a joker. Just doesn't want to fight and after he won the belts he was saying he wanted a year off to enjoy it but when he was told he had to fight he didn't like it so he's been playing up ever since. Just going off what this guy who's now a trainer said and he has always been pro Fury big time.

They are now coming uup with all this rollocks in the hope the drugs hearing takes a sympathetic view and the bodies don't strip the belts until he feels better he feels like fighting.

He has issues for sure but he always has had and the main one is he's a jerk who just wants to say and do what he pleases now he's a multimillionaire.

Prick.

Well we know now they'll not be letting the club go before then with all the publicity they'll cream from this. Live beam back to India probably and Venky posters all over the stadium.

Mind you they'll have to put the cameras back in the JW gantry for that one

Clowns.

Very much looking forwards to Crolla he's always been good to watch and it's another fight where it's hard to pick a winner. He's enough about him to do it though.

Also with Fury withdrawing and AJ booked in Manchester on the 26th Nov there could be a big one gets made there if Wlad fancies it and some of the other belts become vacant .

He's got the PEDS hearing hanging over him which I think is at the heart of all this. He never ever wanted the rematch and they've tried to wriggle out of it since Klitschkos mob announced they were forcing the contract clause.

There's been no mention of the mental issues until now because they've been trying to talk him into it because the rest of them are only interested in the £££. He doesn't want to fight anymore he wouldn't even agree any mandatories or pay step aside money and sanctioning fees to put them off.

He might well have some issues and I hope he gets sorted it's no laughing matter if your in a dark hole but if regular sightings over the past year are to be believed he's had a good time getting himself there.

Modern day James Buster Douglas.