was definatly a lot closer that the judges got it good scrap from both boxers none deserved to lose. Im a big Monroe fan but he will have to step it up a lot to win the world title

Will not argue with that but worse fighters than him have had their chance at a world title and hopefully if he does get a chance he will raise his game and have the fight of his life and hopefully get the belt.

Froch will not be fighting Kessler to unify the titles. Andre Ward beat him. Didn't see that one coming

No it was a bit of a shock but to be fair unification does not really count until the ultimate winner has been decided in my opinion and Kessler v Froch could yet be the final with all the titles up for grabs.

I hope your right mate im a fan of Monroes so hope he does get a shot he looked a lot stronger in the later rounds friday but fighting for the world title he will have to go for it from the start and not hold anything back. As for Kessler that was a shock i think Froch will go throuigh it undeafeted now

Arthur Abraham is the man to beat in the tournament.

What exactly is the fixture schedule in this tournament, as I read somewhere that Abraham could reach the final without actually winning a belt??

It's possible, especially as both title holders could fail to qualify for the semi-finals of the tournament.

---

There are two titles up for grabs: WBC and WBA. Each fighter boxes three others.

[uStage 1[/u
Arthur Abraham defeated Jermain Taylor
Carl Froch defeated Andre Dirrell (WBC)
Andre Ward defeated Mikkel Kessler (WBA)

[uStage 2[/u

Arthur Abraham vs. Andre Dirrell
Carl Froch vs. Mikkel Kessler (WBC)
Andre Ward vs. Jermain Taylor (WBA)

[uStage 3[/u

Andre Dirrell vs. Andre Ward
Carl Froch vs. Arthur Abraham
Mikkel Kessler vs. Jermain Taylor

Bout points are awarded thus:
[list3 points — win by K.O./T.K.O.
2 points — win
1 point — draw
0 points — loss[/list:u

The top four ranked fighters after stage 3 progress to the semi-finals (1st vs. 4th, 2nd vs. 3rd) and so on.

Did anybody else have the misfortune of wasting a hour of their lives viewing last night's 'fight' between Anthony Small and Tommy McDonagh??

I don't think I have ever witnessed such a poor British title fight....2 guys with absolutely no boxing ability, spent 36 minutes giving a good example of why, sometimes, Boxing can be perceived as dull.

Small, as champion, was completely embarrassing, constantly throwing shockingly out-of-range right handers, which would have made a first fight novice ashamed.

The fight stats at the end were appalling....I think between them they threw something like 700 punches and landed a grand total of 78!!...



Also, the whole debacle was not helped by one of the most incompetent displays of refereeing I have seen in a long time....Why did the ref allow the 2 fighters to continue throughout with their constant hugging and cuddling???

Got so frustrated that I couldn't be bothered to watch the Michael Brodie fight....How did he get on??

Stopped at the end of the 3rd. Looked like his heart was still there but his skills had sadly deserted him.

Terrible fight between Small and McDonagh. I'd very much like to see someone knock Small on his 'arris. Utter prick without the ability to back it up. Them duck and haymakers were laughable.

Sad about Brodie....He never had much luck throughout his career, though to be honest, I never realised he was still fighting.

Definitely agree about Small...Its funny that we often discuss the arrogance of boxers like Mayweather, Haye, Froch, etc, on here and that it often comes down to whether a fighter can back up his boasts.

In Small, there is a prime example of a fighter who should just keep his mouth shut, because his 'talents' are so limited that all his posturing becomes an absolute joke.

I really did feel embarrassed for him last night with how poor he really was.

The Small fight was truly embarassing,10 punches landed in 6 rounds ?I saw the Brodie fight again this morning,surley someone in his camp could see he wasnt the fighter he was in training.Must be all over for him now,but what a fighter he has been.The first battle with In-Jin Chi was a classic.

Roy Jones Junior stopped in the first round by Danny Green in Australia. He MUST retire now surely? He was hoping to fight Bernard Hopkins after this. No chance

Agreed.Could bring the Hopkins v Haye fight closer to fuition.Not a fight I'd like to see Haye take to be honest. Hopkins dismantled Pavlik last time out and it isn't a fight Haye needs to go anywhere near. He gains nothing by fighting him. Loses and he's lost to an old man. Wins and has just beaten up an old man.

Haye will have his sights set higher. I like Hopkins, he's one of my favourite fighters at the mo. I'm not even sure why

He's a very good fighter who can make the most talented boxer look bad against him. Amazing he's still at the level he is at his age. It really is a great achievement.

I think Haye is going to keep chasing the other titles until he gets one anyway. If he beats Ruiz!!

Salita weighs in bang on the 10 stone mark, Khan weighs in a fair bit under the limit.

It looks a good card on Saturday with Kevin Mitchell fighting Presscott at light-weight, and Enzo making his return (

). Not to mention the Olympians. Well worth £15

Looking forward to the Mitchell fight. Prescott no mug and could be a right tear up.

Erm, yeah. I agree.

Enzo!? Please say you're kidding? Who is he fighting? The rest of the card looks good though. Might actually buy this one and go out later.

Unlucky if you paid for that!

Surely no-one is that mad

Salita went down off more or less Khans first punch.

Amir Khan is the fastest boxer out there, his handspeed is seriously quick. He is going to become one of Britain's best ever fighters, possibly the best IMO.

Didn't Khan say Pac-man was the quickest boxer he'd ever seen? If so, surely Pac-man is faster than Khan?