On announcement, it seemed a straight-forward WBA World Super Lightweight title defense for Amir Khan when he was paired with Irishman, Paul McCloskey, ranked number 10 in the world in this division – yet unbeaten in 22 fights. But out-of-ring squabbling over money between Amir Khan’s family-based management team and fight promoter, Eddie Hearn, has perhaps thrown a spanner in the works.

Khan and his management team have snubbed the decision to show the fight live on Sky Sports 3 instead opting for the American TV pay-per-view channel PrimeTime. It’s been quoted that Khan could lose up to a million pounds from his initial £1.25M purse expected from the fight. That’s a worrying amount of money to vanquish from your bank account ahead of an important fight and must concern the 24 year old Khan how his fights in the future will be promoted.

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Their is definitely no love lost between James DeGale and George Groves. Their rivalry spans back to their amateur days when Groves defeated DeGale and was then shunned from the Team GB boxing squad for the Beijing Olympics where, ironically, DeGale won Gold.

Since then, DeGale, has went on to improve and mature within the boxing world and looks back on his loss to Groves as a besmirch on his fighting CV. On the other hand, Groves still feels hurt about losing his selection place to a boxer he defeated just prior to the Olympics, and has watched on, some would claim bitterly, as the man picked in his place has went on to bigger and better things. Simply put, as grudge matches go, this is up there with the best of them.

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Current WBO Super-Featherweight champion, Ricky Burns, defends his title at the Braehead Arena this weekend (Saturday 12th March) against determined African challenger Joseph Laryea. It’s the Scottish fighter second defense of the title which he won last September from Roman Martinez. Laryea is talking big of an upset and is confident ahead of the match after defeating fellow Scot, Paul Appleby last December.

Ricky Burns has treated this second defence with upmost respect in places despite his challengers 4 loses in 18 fights record. Although, some will think his public training session at the Braehead shopping centre in the run-up to the match was more Rocky Balboaesque rather than the no-nonsense boxer we have come to expect. I suppose there is nothing wrong in playing up to the media and trying to raise your profile some but when your being talked about becoming your nations best boxing export ever (better than guys like Ken Buchanan, Benny Lynch or Jim Watt) the PR stunts can wait.

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On November the 13th at the MEN Arena in Manchester, Audley Harrison and David Haye will contest for the WBA world heavyweight title and it seems the bookies have this one nailed as a complete one-sided affair in the boxing betting stakes. David Haye, the current WBA champion, it seems is eager to annihilate his former friend in the all Britiish showdown. Haye has been stung by the criticism aimed at the 6ft 3in fighter for his choice of opponent. Haye stands accused of bypassing the publics choice of bout with either of the Klitschko brothers versus Haye.

The fight itself has been billed by Sky TV as the “Best of Enemies” and the satellite company are throwing some money at this fight as they prepare to screen the fight live in 3D – the first ever 3D boxing match – which led to Haye announcing he’s going to deliver a “three-dimensional beating” on Audley Harrison. Whatever gets the punters interested, eh?

I personally can’t see this fight going the distance. Looking at each fighters track record, I expect a 4th round victory for David Haye and a retirement notice from Audley Harrison.

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Where did this matchup come from, just last week we were introduced to the fact that David ‘The Hayemaker’ Haye would be putting his WBA World Heavyweight title on the line against one time close friend, Audley ‘A-Force’ Harrison. When both fighters were being interviewed at the pre-fight press meeting, I sat there watching Sky Sports almost open-jawed as Haye announced that he had gotten more emails from fight fans, than anything else, suggesting they get this bout on.

Now, you can call me many things but sucker I ain’t – so either Haye doesn’t receive very much email from fight fans or Audley Harrison is the biggest email spammer going. Where’s the fight everyone wants – Haye vs one of the Klitchko’s? Still this is boxing we are talking about and as most boxing betting fans will tell you – expect the unexpected.

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In a much more quiter affair, compared with his last fight, David Haye will step into the ring this Saturday at Manchester’s MEN Arena and put his WBA Heavyweight belt on the line against 38 year old vetran boxer John Ruiz.

Speaking yesterday at a pre-fight press conference about his first title defence, Haye who has been much calmer in the lead-up to the Ruiz fight, than the trash-talking boxer we had become accustomed with prior to the Valuev fight, exploded into life. “I’m going to decapitate him” and “He’s (Ruiz) gonna get knocked out”.

Big talk at last from Haye. But even Haye is aware that twice WBA champion, Ruiz, has only ever suffered 1 KO in 54 professional fights.

American based Puerto Rican, Ruiz, is known as the “Quiet Man”, a hardworking journeyman with a somewhat lacklustre style of boxing that doesn’t quite adhere him to the hearts of many boxing betting fans.

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Out of the blue, Ricky Hatton announced his comeback to boxing amid a flurry of raised eyebrows. Across all the media pieces I have read this morning, concerning Hatton’s comeback, I have yet to see a positive spin on the return. Aside from Hatton, himself, not one boxing journalist is too thrilled about this announcement, and I include myself amongst the head-shakers.

Ricky Hatton is a very likeable man and boxer. His metamorphosis between Ricky the bloke next door who likes a pint and pie into Ricky ‘The Hitman’ Hatton, former WBA Welterweight Champion, is one that made him a modern icon to many boxing betting punters.

It seems that Hatton wants to erase the Manny Pacquiao fight like a blotted stain on a very gleaming fight CV. Yet, Hatton, should accept that defeat for what it truly is, a lesson learned, that there are now better boxers out there than you. Not many mind, but some.

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On Saturday night, the 5th of December, 2009, Amir Khan (22 Fights, 21 Wins, 15 KO’s, 1 Loss) makes his first defence of his WBA World light-welterweight championship against the unbeaten Ukranian-born American, Dmitry Salita (31 Fights, 30 Wins, 16 KO’s, 1 Draw).

No doubt, an enthusiastic crowd will pack into Newcastle’s, Metro Radio Arena, in anticipation of Khan racking up a successful defence of his title. The bookies see this one as a foregone conclusion with boxing betting punters looking to Paddy Power to offer the best odds of 1/7 for a Khan victory.

Will it be just a ‘walk-in-the-park’ for Khan against Salita, or has the 27 year old, Jewish boxer from Brooklyn got anything in his armoury that could worry Khan and pull off one of the biggest boxing betting upsets in a long time?

According to an old trainer of Salita, Jimmy O’Pharrow, the best way to describe Salita is, “looking Russian, praying Jewish and fighting black’. Despite having an impressive, unbeaten in 31 fights record on paper, Salita has not fought anyone worthy in the division. Until now! Hence, the expectancy level on Khan to quickly wipe Salita from the scene.

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On Saturday, the WBA Championship is up for grabs between the current World Champ, Russia’s Nikolai Valuev and Britain’s David Haye. Billed as ‘David Vs Goliath‘, it’s easy to see why this fight has captured the publics interest. In the red corner stands the Russian champ Valuev, a 7ft 2″ giant known as the ‘Beast from the East’ with 50 wins under his belt from 52 bouts. In the blue corner stands our very own British hope, David Haye, a 6ft 3″ trash-talking, former undisputed cruiserweight champion with 22 wins from 23 professional fights.

The lead-up to this fight has been bizarre, to say the least. Haye has been in hyperdrive promoting this contest. Spewing forth trash talk at every opportunity, some of which would have made Tyson blush. The surreal press conference where Haye squared up to a 7ft man in a gargoyle mask and then proceeded to knock the head off a Valuev cardboard cut out was at best a tacky wind-up.

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World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight championship bout between defending champion Vitaly Klitschko (37-2, 36 KO’s) and the unbeaten American contender Chris Arreola (27-0, 24 KO’s) takes place in the early hours of Sunday morning (3am UK time) at the Staples Center, in Los Angeles. It is a fight that many Americans are hoping is the beginning of the end to the eastern dominance in heavyweight boxing. American dreams lay with the determined challenger, Arreola, 28, who says, “It’s going to be a changing of the guard. Very simple. The steel curtain is closed and now I own it.”

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