Thursday, May 27, 2010

Fury vs McDermott Fight Two

Former English heavyweight title holders Tyson Fury and John McDermott will meet for the second time in 10 months on Friday 25th June, in what will be one of the most eagerly awaited rematches that the UK has seen in recent years. The British Final Eliminator clash between the two heavyweights will take place in front of the Sky Sports HD cameras at the Brentwood Centre, Brentwood.“After discussions and us agreeing to the terms of the fight, contracts were signed and sealed yesterday, so it’s down to serious training for the next 4 weeks” said the Unbeaten Fury. Fury outpointed McDermott in a closely fought contest over 10 rounds back in September when he was crowned the English Champion. “I can’t wait for this one as there was a lot of controversy surrounding my win in September last year, but it wasn’t a 100% Tyson who won on that night. It was my first 10 rounder and maybe I wasn’t prepared for a war as much as I should have been, but I will make sure no stone is left unturned this time”.“McDermott gained my respect that night for being one hell of a tough fighter”. Added Fury. Fury recorded his 10th consecutive win against German Hans-Joerg Blasko back in March when the referee jumped in and stopped the contest after knocking his opponent to the floor twice in the 1st round. "I got caught with a couple of silly shots that night against Blasko which was frustrating but we've been working hard on improving my defence, but what people have to remember is that I am still only 21, I still have a lot to learn and one of the things that the McDermott fight has taught me was not to underestimate my opponents, but I still believe I done enough against him to win on the night” Mick Hennessy Said: “Due to a delay with the licence application, the new Manchester venue did not receive approval in reasonable time, so promoting this great event would have been very difficult in such a short space of time. So we applied to the board for an extension for the contest to take place on the 17th July, but this request was rejected. So Tyson and myself have agreed to the terms and the new date in the spirit of getting this fight on so Tyson can set the record straight once and for all and then move on”.Fury added “John showed that night he is one of the best heavyweights in Britain apart from me and David Haye. John would beat the likes of Chisora or Harrison if he had the opportunity.” “We will both have earned it so Win, Lose or Draw I hope John will join me for a Big Mac and fries after the fight, my shout”

Monday, May 10, 2010

Murray in a hurry for a World title

JOHN Murray claimed the European lightweight belt and immediately set his sights on an all-English world championship clash with Kevin Mitchell. Manchester-based Murray, 25, won the vacant European title on Friday with an 11th round stoppage of Cardiff’s Gary Buckland in Matchroom Sport’s latest boxing show. Murray also held on to his British belt with a dominant performance at the Kingsway Leisure Centre in Widnes. However, Murray now wants to fight the winner of next Saturday’s WBO world title clash between Londoner Kevin Mitchell and Australia’s Michael Katsidis. “Mitchell fights Katsidis and there’s no reason why I can’t fight the winner – I’d love to,” said Murray in an exclusive interview with MatchroomSport.com.
“I shouted out Katsidis after the (Jon) Thaxton fight and Mitchell has come up a weight but now I’m back on the map and it’s time for me to kick on. “I’ve won the European title and want to start mixing with these guys. Both are strong warriors but I would love to fight them. “I think Mitchell can out box Katsidis but I’m not bothered who wins, I just want to fight the winner. “Mitchell is doing it the right way by taking chances and not avoiding anyone. “Full credit to him as he wants to fight the best to be the best so he is a man cut from the same cloth as me. “I wouldn’t duck anyone and neither would he so it would be a massive fight for us, the fans and a massive fight for Britain.” Friday night’s contest, which was broadcast live on Sky Sports, was the first time Murray had been in action since October but he did enough to extend his undefeated record to 29 fights. “It was a good performance considering the amount of time I’ve had out of the ring and I was pleased to get the rounds under my belt against a strong, ambitious kid,” added Murray. “It wasn’t a vintage performance but still good enough to grind out a win and that’s what you need to do. “Sometimes I thought I had him going and I could’ve picked up the pace and started putting the shots together cleaner. But I was pleased and didn’t lose a round. “Buckland had only lost one out of 19 and this was his big opportunity. Against a strong kid I had to show my quality and that’s what I did – I showed my class. “It was a tough night at the office but I did what I had to and got a stoppage. “I’m very proud to become European champion and I’ve done everything the right way. I’ve been WBC youth world title holder, Young Boxer of the Year, English champion and now European champion so the next step is world titles. “I’ve just broken into Ring Magazine’s top ten so I’m nearly there.”

Thursday, May 06, 2010

McIlroy is April's Number One

Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy was given a belated birthday present with the news he has been voted The Race to Dubai Golfer of the Month for April. McIlroy turned 21 on Tuesday May 4, two days after his stunning first triumph on the US PGA Tour in the Quail Hollow Championship, a victory which sealed his winning of the award in the eyes of the judging panel, which consisted of members of the Association of Golf Writers as well as radio and television commentators. McIlroy, who will receive a jeroboam of Moët & Chandon champagne as well as an engraved alms dish in recognition of his achievement, produced a performance of truly breathtaking ability at the Quail Hollow Club. Having made the weekend action right on the cut line, he stormed through the field with a best of day 66 on Saturday before a course record 62 on Sunday – a round which finished with six consecutive threes – saw him win by four strokes from Masters Champion Phil Mickelson. “I am thrilled to be recognised by The European Tour with this award, it really means a lot,” he said. “I'm really looking forward to getting back to Europe and playing in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and I suppose I will play there as the reigning Golfer of the Month which will be really nice. “Even now I am still thinking back to the victory at Quail Hollow. The final round was one of those rounds you are never going to forget to be honest. I was in such a good frame of mind going out that I knew I had a chance and there is no better feeling in the world than to go out and beat such a high quality field over such a good golf course.” It is the second time that McIlroy has won The Race to Dubai Golfer of the Month Award, the first time being in January 2009 following his maiden European Tour triumph in the Dubai Desert Classic. Although he was the ultimate choice of the panel, they did note a number of other sterling performances by European Tour Members across the fairways of the world in April. Included in that number was England’s James Morrison who claimed his maiden European Tour title in the Madeira Islands Open BPI – Portugal before losing in a play-off for the Open de España three weeks later to another player praised by the panel, Spain’s Alvaro Quiros. Also commended were Korea’s Y E Yang and Marcus Fraser of Australia for their respective victories in the Volvo China Open and the Ballantine’s Championship, while Bernhard Langer’s continued prominence on the US Champions Tour was recognised following his tenth title success in the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am. Finally, the panel acknowledged another fine month by reigning European Number One Lee Westwood who finished tied eighth in the Shell Houston Open on the US PGA Tour before pushing Phil Mickelson all the way at Augusta National in one of the most thrilling Masters Tournaments of recent years. McIlroy joins South Africans Richard Sterne and Ernie Els – winners of the January and March Awards respectively – and England’s Ian Poulter, who picked up the February Award, as candidates for The Race to Dubai Golfer of the Year on The European Tour, which will be decided at the end of the season.

Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Joint venture for Hong Kong Open

EurAsia Golf Ltd, the innovative alliance between The European Tour and the Asian Tour, has made further impact on the world of golf with the announcement that it will promote the Hong Kong Open at the Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling from November 18-21. This is the first time that EurAsia Golf Ltd has promoted an event in Asia and further illustrates the commitment to ensure unity and cohesion in the commercial and media aspects of both Tours, a pledge outlined when the joint venture was announced during The Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond last July. The 2010 Hong Kong Open will be co-sanctioned by The European Tour, the Asian Tour and the Hong Kong Golf Association and they joined together to pay tribute to the previous promoter, Parallel Media Group, for the company’s hard work and dedication in making the tournament one of the most eagerly anticipated weeks of the last eight seasons. Parallel Media Group maintains an ongoing relationship with this Tournament through a new contract with EurAsia Golf Ltd and will work with them in building the sponsorship family. Beginning in 1959, the Hong Kong Open became part of The European Tour International Schedule in the 2002 season, and has a rich history of winners including nine different Major Champions who have amassed 25 Major Championship titles between them. It will also, of course, be the final chance for players to book their places in the season-ending Dubai World Championship the following week, when the winner of The 2010 Race to Dubai will be determined. George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour, said: “The Hong Kong Open holds a special place in the sporting affections of Asia as well as amongst our Members, given its rich heritage which stretches back over 50 years. It is a truly prestigious tournament whose history is steeped in golfing folklore. “EurAsia Golf Ltd is delighted to be promoting the Hong Kong Open. The venture was borne out of a ten year working relationship between ourselves and the Asian Tour which stretches back to our first co-sanctioned tournament in 1999. “What we now have is a company ideally positioned not only to exploit and enhance the product across the two continents, but also to be easily accessible to international companies looking to develop their own individual strategy in both areas. This season’s Hong Kong Open will give a perfect illustration of that.” Kyi Hla Han, Executive Chairman of the Asian Tour, said: “The Hong Kong Open has always been one of the most prestigious events on the Asian Tour. This will be a great start to our EurAsia Golf Ltd alliance and we’re confident of maintaining its status on the global golf calendar by co-promoting it with The European Tour.” Iain Valentine, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Golf Association, said: “We are delighted to work with two leading professional golf bodies in managing our prestigious tournament, the longest-running sporting event in Hong Kong. Having been played at the Hong Kong Golf Club for more than 50 years it has long been one of the highlights of the sporting calendar in the region, and we look forward to welcoming The European Tour’s and the Asian Tour’s finest back to Fanling for what promises to be another great golfing spectacle.” Grégory Bourdy will be the defending champion for the 2010 edition of the Hong Kong Open. The Frenchman will be attempting to join Miguel Angel Jiménez in the record books as, to date, the Spaniard is the only player to have won the Hong Kong Open twice since it became part of The European Tour International Schedule, triumphing in 2005 and 2008. Prior to the 2002 season, however, Chinese Taipei’s Hsieh Yung-Yo won four times (1963, ‘64, ‘75 and ‘78) and Australian Peter Thomson triumphed on three occasions (1960, ‘65 and ‘67).

Chisora to face Williams at West Ham

Rising heavyweight star Derek Chisora has finally got his opportunity at Danny Williams for his British Heavyweight title after Sam Sexton withdrew from his fight against the Brixton bomber. Commonwealth champion Sexton was due to face Williams on the undercard of Kevin Mitchell's world title fight at West Ham United football ground on Saturday 15th May, but Sexton has had to withdraw. Williams was supposed to fight Chisora in February at Wembley Arena when Sexton pulled out because of hand injury, but claimed he couldn't get himself in the right frame of mind to face the unbeaten Chisora. Finchley puncher Chisora instead fought Carl Baker in a British title eliminator who he stopped in two rounds. "First of all my thoughts are with Sam and his family at this time and I hope his mother makes a full recovery," said the 25-year-old. "The opportunity to fight Williams again was presented to me and took the fight straight away," "I was left frustrated by the messing about in the last fight when I was supposed to fight him and took my anger out on Baker, but I'm happy that Williams has seen sense and will fight me at West Ham," "I'm really psyched up for the fight already and this is the type of fight I need to bring out the best in me that people haven't seen yet," He added, "It's going to be a huge night at West Ham and I'm looking forward to being crowned British champion."