New WBA heavyweight champion David Haye believes he proved people wrong on Saturday night by backing up his big mouth with a majority-decision points victory over Russian champion Nikolai Valuev in Germany. Haye produced a punch-perfect performance to become Britain’s first heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis’ retirement in 2003.
Ryan Rhodes catapulted himself into the world-title picture with a stunning seventh-round stoppage of Jamie Moore to clinch the European light-middleweight title. While the European belt was the more tangible reward for the winner at the Bolton Arena, the fight’s status as a World Boxing Council eliminator was both boxers’ strongest motivation.
Carl Froch is relishing a war with fellow world champion Mikkel Kessler after beginning his Super Six World Boxing Classic campaign with an “unsatisfying” split-decision win over elusive American Andre Dirrell. The 32-year-old retained his WBC super-middleweight title for the second time in Nottingham with a close-fought but ultimately uninspiring win.
Arthur Abraham knocked out Jermain Taylor in the final round of their Super Six opener in Berlin on Saturday night. The Armenian, based in Germany and now 31-0, poleaxed Taylor with a huge right to clinch victory with just six seconds of the bout remaining.
Floyd Mayweather returned to the ring for the first time in more than 20 months with a deeply impressive unanimous points victory over Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Mayweather, who announced his retirement after conquering Manchester’s Ricky Hatton in December 2007, looked as if he had never been away from boxing as he gave triple world lightweight champion Marquez the runaround in this non-title welterweight fight at the MGM Grand.
Amir Khan became a world champion on Saturday night just 10 months after suffering a devastating knockout defeat by unknown Colombian Breidis Prescott. The 22-year-old from Bolton took the WBA light-welterweight title with a slick unanimous points victory over Ukrainian champion Andreas Kotelnik at the MEN Arena in Manchester.
Wladimir Klitschko sent out a warning to David Haye with a polished victory over late stand-in opponent Ruslan Chagaev in Gelsenkirchen on Saturday night. The IBF, WBO and IBO world heavyweight champion looked in fabulous shape after training hard for the expected clash with Haye, who withdrew two weeks ago through injury, and appeared determined to put on a show for the record attendance at Schalke’s football stadium.
Miguel Cotto retained his WBO welterweight title with a gruelling split decision victory over Joshua Clottey at Madison Square Garden on Saturday evening. Judges Don Trella and John McKaie scored the bout for Cotto by margins of 116-111 and 115-112 respectively, while Tom Miller gave it to former IBF champion Clottey by 114-113.
Manny Pacquiao shattered Ricky Hatton’s dreams of becoming the best fighter on the planet with a devastating display of speed and power in Las Vegas on Saturday night. The Pacman cemented his status as reigning P4P king and claimed a world title in a sixth weight division by knocking Hatton down twice in the opening round and then knocking him out in the second.
Carl Froch produced a comeback for the ages to retain his WBC super-middleweight title with a last-round stoppage of former undisputed middleweight champion Jermain Taylor in Connecticut on Saturday night. Englishman Froch got off the canvas in the third round and looked to have been outpointed over the following rounds, trailing on two of the three judge’s scorecards by 106-102 before launching a spectacular all-out assault on the American in the 12th round.
