'I Am The Greatest'- a review of Muhammad Ali's exhibition at the O2

As I woke up this past Saturday Morning I did so with the enthusiasm of an 8 year old attending Disneyland for the very first time. This wasn't a trip to Paris though, I drove to the O2 arena in London in anticipation of attending the exhibition of one of the most inspirational people to grace the earth known as 'the greatest' who sadly is no longer with us.......... Muhammad Ali.

The Journey of 'The Greatest'

Cassius Marcellus Clay was born on the 17th of January 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. It was his father Cassius Clay senior that unexpectedly lit the fuel of his sons boxing career, and it all started with the purchase of a red and white Schwin bicycle.

A gift from father to son but 12 year old Cassius had his bike promptly stolen causing an aggressive reaction which led to local policeman and boxing coach Joe Martin calming the youngster down and advising Clay to learn how to fight before challenging anyone. After 6 months of training with Martin and fellow coach Fred Stoner the first fight of young Cassius's career started with a debut win.

This was the start of an incredible amateur career which saw the young talented Louisville boxer win six Kentucky golden glove tournaments and two national golden gloves titles and then reach the pinnacle achievement an amateur boxer can accomplish in becoming a gold medallist at the 1960 Rome Olympics.


After turning professional and amassing an immaculate 19 victories in the paid ranks of boxing, Clay faced the dangerous hard hitting heavyweight world champion Sonny Liston shocking the world as a huge underdog defeating the champion winning his first world title at the age of 22.

The newly crowned king would later tell the world that he is a black Muslim and would change his name to Muhammad Ali refusing to be known by his "slave" name of Cassius Clay. It would be three years later though where Ali would cause such huge controversy that created his legacy and made him not just a champion of boxing but a champion of the people.

In April of 1967 Ali refused induction into the U.S army for their war with Vietnam famously saying "I ain't got no quarrel with those Vietcong" due to the anger of many Americans the champion was fined $10,000 by court, stripped of his heavyweight crown and had his boxing license taken away from him.

Muhammad Ali would return to the ring three years later to win the heavyweight championship two more times and have classic battles with Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Ken Norton but as he announced his retirement in 1981 with a professional record of 56 wins with only 5 losses, unfortunately another battle was starting to take place with Ali being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease just three years after retiring from the gruelling sport of boxing.

Living with Parkinson's for 32 years didn't stop Muhammad Ali from travelling to African countries raising charity helping people living in poverty, also opening a center in his hometown to help promote the six key principles that Ali has always stood by

• Confidence
• Conviction
• Dedication
• Giving
• Spirituality
• Respect 

The charm, handsome looks, poetic flowing voice and beautiful mind will always be remembered, an incredible athlete, outstanding boxer but so much more than that, Muhammad Ali was an icon, he made people happy and showed the world through his own actions that you should always stand for what you believe in, a hero, an inspirational figure rightly called 'The Greatest'.

 

          

My experience at the O2


As soon as I went up the escalators, wall montages of Muhammad Ali swarmed above me like a high tide, many of which posters from his fights all brightly coloured and presented beautifully. Entering the exhibition I was given an audio guide with 25 sound clips located to each room to tell the life journey of Ali. All the memorabilia was breath-taking, they had so much on display from Ali's stolen red and white bike to some of his boxing gloves, robes and world title belts.

One of Ali's famous boxing poems embroided on a fight robe

They set the beginning of his boxing career around each differing room from the first involvement as a young Cassius Clay to his world title reigns and globally publicised fights with Joe Frazier and George Foreman.

The gloves Ali used in his fight with Henry Cooper

One of Ali's world titles

The story of Clay changing to Ali is told and his refusal to go to war as well as rooms with videos about the path the champion faced. Towards the end of the exhibition you enter a cinema room which is designed like a boxing ring, you sit down to a 15 minute film of the life of this inspirational man which left many viewers a bit emotional and as you walk out you leave to one of the many beautiful quotes that Muhammad Ali said during his life, although this one a message of how to remember him.        

The exhibition was fantastic but I must say the many videos that were shown had poor audio which was a shame as each film showed a different chapter of Ali's life, overall I would give the tour an impressive 4 out of 5.



Matt Hemmings

Tony Bellew to fight Ilungu Makabu for WBC title at Goodison Park

Liverpudlian cruiserweight Tony Bellew embarks on his first world title fight at 200Ibs with beloved football club Everton FC's Goodison park confirmed as the venue for the May 29th bout.

The bomber' will be taking on the relatively unknown but dangerous Congalese fighter Ilungu Makabu who boasts an impressive 19-1 record, the African has a concussive 90% knockout ratio with impressive stoppage victories coming over former world champion Glen Johnson and former top ten ranked fighter Thabiso Mchunu. The victory over Johnson is one that showcases his dynamite power with the Jamaican having only been stopped once previously in 1997. Despite these victories though Makabu will be coming into the fight as the underdog with Bellew who has an impeccable 6-0 record as a Cruiserweight.

The African challenger will be looking to become a world champion for the first time and hasn't tasted defeat since his debut in 2008 which 'Junior' admits was of his own doing as he didn't understand English and the referee's count when he took a knockdown. Since that loss though a destructive 18 win streak including victories over four undefeated fighters has shown the boxing world that he is a serious threat over all crusierweights in the division and his showdown with Tony Bellew can be Makabu's chance to display his potential having previously had fellow fighters Pawel Kojodeij and Nathan Cleverly pull out of arranged bouts.

When the fight gets confirmed expect an all out war between these two hungry boxers, for Bellew he will be looking to finally add a world title to his waist having failed twice previously at light heavyweight.The movie star who plays 'pretty' Ricky Conlon in the hit boxing movie Creed was last in the ring in December unanimously outpointing Mateusz Masternak to claim the European title but has vacated the blue belt for a crack at the green and gold WBC title which is up for grabs due to previous holder Gregory Drozd's inactivity.

The venue and support will be something that the travelling fighter would not have expected before but having fought in Monaco and Luxembourg he is used to being away from home. Who will prevail as the new king in this weight class? With the Englishman's only losses coming at the hands of rival Nathan Cleverly and WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson It may well be that Tony Bellew is up against the hardest hitter he has ever shared a ring with .  

Antonio Tarver Calls Out David Haye

The former 5 time world champion Antonio Tarver is coming off a 7th round stoppage win over notable heavyweight Jonathan Banks earlier this month, the Rocky Balboa movie star reflected on his performance high-lighting his punching power "Jonathon Banks is one of the fastest heavyweights that are out there right now, he throw his hands better than a whole lot of guys he was the one who de-railed Seth Mitchell when everyone was talking about him being the next big heavyweight sensation out of the U.S, he's only lost twice, he's a solid fighter and it just goes to show I'm telling you that anybody I fight in there I can hurt them with my left hand, I'm punching hard fight now, I still got the skills, I still got my reflexes".

The magic man wants to keep his momentum going into the new year "I wanna fight the biggest fights out there for me and that's David Haye, that's the kind of fight that can truly make the statement I wanna make, if he still wants to consider himself a top heavyweight than fight me!". Now fighting at Heavyweight Tarver is 2-0 in the division and at 46 he's not looking back hoping to get a fight made with David Haye in 2015 and if successful move on to Heavyweight ruler WBO, IBF and WBA Super Champion Wladimir Klitschko "I'm 46 I ain't got time to be wasting time trying to get these young guys no shot at me, I'm trying to give him (Haye) an opportunity of a lifetime to fight a real legend and make something of his name and give him a shot to redeem himself, I think that's an ideal eliminator for a big fight with Wladimir Klitschko. The bout with the Ukrainian is one that holds a lot of meaning to Tarver " I wanna fight guys from my era, if you look at the 1996 Olympic amateur superstars around the world, there's only 3 names really remaining right now from that class, its Mayweather, its Klitschko and its Tarver, there's three great fighters that still remain right now fighting at that level, I wanna know who's really the greatest fighter from that era Wladimir Klitschko USA meet Russia, I wanna shoot a real live Rocky Movie in front of the whole world, that's gonna be my gift to boxing, just like I told you before I knocked Roy Jones out, I can beat Wladimir Klitschko but I wanna knock David Haye out first so the fight can be everything that its supposed to be, then I can get out of boxing on top and let the world know that they can never doubt my greatness, and that's my goal for 2015". This is by no means a stunt as Tarver expresses his desire but understands the wait in line which is why a match up with Haye is his next mission instead of fights with other heavyweights like fellow American Shannon Briggs "I already got my tune up, now I just wanna fight the best, David Haye got the second biggest name in the game, he's a strong knockout power puncher that can fight. I ain't saying pick me Klitschko give me a title shot, I wanna earn it by beating top notch heavyweights, I ain't trying to fight nobody that don't have no name recognition to the point where you gotta create scenarios, Tarver v Haye you don't have to create nothing, the fight sells itself and that's the type of fights I want". The 5 time champ makes a valid point, although Briggs looks in immaculate shape and has kept active winning all 6 of his fights this year with one going the full 12 rounds the choice of opposition he's fought is questionable and if 'The Cannon' was to get his shot at Dr Steelhammer this will arguably be more down to the several video clips that have gone viral over the internet of Briggs confronting Klitschko during training, at a restaurant, at press conferences and weigh ins and my personal favourite out at sea. Tarver makes sense and despite critics claiming he's past his best, beating a game heavyweight like Jonathon Banks has made a statement that the Tampa Florida resident is more serious than ever in reaching the top of the mountain in the division "I'm not getting tired, I'm at my natural weight, I'm back in the lab after new years, they complain about my physique, I need to have the weight cause these guys can punch, in training camp I got down to 209Ibs, I don't wanna be that light fighting a guy that's 220-225lbs naturally because you cant absorb that much when your that light, you gotta be able to hit them big guys and make them respect you, that's what I'm  doing". In terms of any progress being made towards the Tarver-Haye fight, it has been a bit quiet so far on the hayemaker's front with Tarver claiming to have challenged Haye over 6 months ago on twitter to which no response was given. David Haye announced earlier this year that he would be making a return to boxing, there has been a rumoured split with long-time trainer Adam Booth as Haye appears to have settled himself in America where there has also been rumours of a partnership with Al Haymon.

The Bermondsey boxer last fought in 2012 where he beat Dereck Chisora via 5th round tko, since then proposed bouts with Manuel Charr and Tyson Fury (twice) fell through due to injuries to the former WBA Heavyweight champ but following successful shoulder surgery Haye is ready to make a splash back in the division. A fight between Tarver and Haye is one that will definitely sell all over the world, both are massive names in the sport of boxing, a former 5 time world champion against a former Heavyweight and undisputed Cruiserweight champion. Both are cross over stars with Antonio starring in Rocky Balboa as opponent Mason Dixon and David has always been a big drawer attracting a massive fan base since winning the heavyweight crown appearing on several celebrity interview shows and a reality TV show. There is more intrigue with Haye being such a massive puncher and Tarver never having been knocked out, we will have to wait and see if any developments get made towards this mouth watering fight but as fans we can get trending and hope that 2015 is the year of the heavyweights.

#TarverHaye

 

Antonio Tarver calls out David Haye Phone Interview for @HitnMove

2015 in Boxing

The year of 2014 has been largely entertaining for boxing fans. We have had some superb fights, domestic rivalries, ring returns and as always the occasional controversial decision. The top pound for pound king Floyd Mayweather has surpassed another year unbeaten overtaking the great Welshman Joe Calzaghe by reaching 47-0 with a September points win against Argentine Marcos Maidana. The history making Bernard Hopkins added the WBA Super World Light Heavyweight Title to his IBF strap by defeating Beibut Shumenov at the age of 49 before losing to the hard hitting rising superstar Sergey the 'Krusher' Kovalev. Many boxing experts are calling for Hopkins to retire but the fact that 'the alien' was able to go the 12 rounds is a huge credit to the future hall of famer considering prior to their fight only 1 opponent had lasted the distance with Kovalev back in 2010 and that was only a 6 rounder, a possible showdown with Adonis Stevenson would be a massive event providing promoters can come to an agreement and that 'superman' overcomes his fight in December against dangerous Russian Dmitry Sukhotsky. Miguel Cotto announced his return back to the elite by completely dominating Sergio Martinez in a huge fight for the WBC middleweight crown and Manny Pacquiao was able to make amends by defeating Timothy Bradley by unanimous decision wiping the slate clean following the controversial loss to Bradley in 2012 and announce himself back in the mix for the big fights and dare we say talks have begun yet again about a possible Mayweather-Pacquiao showdown in 2015 following Manny's unanimous decision win over Chris Algieri in November. Manny has publicly taken jibes (more so than ever) at Mayweather with his footlocker commercial and using Floyds label of TBE (The best ever) and abbreviating it into his own opinionated TBE (The best excuses) whether this will cause a fight to happen next year remains to be seen. Next year looks like it may well be an exciting one in the boxing world and @HitnMove are looking at some of the names that could make 2015 their year.

Adrien 'the problem' Broner

 25th February 2012, Saint Louis, Missouri at the Scottrade Centre was where an evening of high profile professional boxing was hosted. The headline event being a 10 rounder between Devon Alexander and Marcos Maidana. I recorded and watched this boxing show (as it was being televised in England on Sky Sports) the day after where I witnessed for the first time Adrien 'the problem' Broner instantly becoming a fan. In a Super Featherweight contest for the WBO strap the holder Broner took on Eloy Perez and produced 4 rounds of entertaining, tantalising, flashy slick boxing skills where he halted the challenger and put in an almost flawless performance worthy of the different circles of boxing media discussing him as 'the next big thing' in the boxing world. After his performance 'the problem' had his post fight interview where he was amusing and hugely confident, this fresh faced 22 year old had a certain charisma about him that painted the picture of a potential future superstar. Fast forward to present day and still a young 25 years of age the Cincinnati man has endured a controversial two years in his career. There has been huge success in this period as 'AB' shot his way up the weights becoming WBC Lightweight Champ then skipping past Light Welterweight to go straight up to the 147 pound division to become WBA Welterweight Champ becoming a three weight division champion at just 23 years of age. Despite the success Broner was starting to get more and more criticism for his behaviour outside the ring where unfortunately he was showing a side that can arguably be expected of a young adult experiencing the birth of super stardom and fame along with money, a huge entourage and of course girls. The 3 weight Champ was given his own TV show 'About Billions' where Broner didn't exactly paint himself in a positive light as a professional athlete. The 10 minute episodes largely consisted of the starlet partying with his entourage and shopping with large wads of cash but did occasionally show a small segment of  'the next Mayweather' training in the gym. Although the series gave more insight into the boxer's party lifestyle and character which sparked criticism among the boxing world, you can hardly blame Broner for taking this opportunity as you have to embrace and cherish the good times in the world of boxing for it can be known as the loneliest sport in the world if it all goes wrong. Then came December 14th 2013 and the champs first Welterweight title defence against Marcos Maidana.  This fight was always going to be a test for Broner as 'el Chino' has always been a big hitter and is a threat to anyone in the 147lbs division as his two bouts with Mayweather this year proved. Circling the media again there was rumours that Broner was out of shape and possibly taking Maidana too lightly considering the champ expressed that he would have preferred to fight fellow Argentine Lucas Matthysse. Come fight night Broner lost by unanimous decision but showed tremendous heart, courage and toughness despite being dropped twice. The result was deemed as one of the shock upsets of 2013 which considering Maidana's fight pedigree is unfair to the Argentine. Broner had suffered his first professional defeat something many fans including myself thought would possibly never happen in his career or at least definitely not this early into his profession as a superstar. Broner made the sensible decision to move down the weight division he originally skipped and enter the 140 league. As a comeback fight Broner took on tough Mexican Carlos Molina and beat him on a 10 round decision in a fight that was deemed quite uneventful and a shutout win for the former champ. In his post bout interview Broner yet again caused more controversy as the self proclaimed 'can man' admitted the fight was a "sparring match on TV" and that it was "easy" before announcing to the huge Mexican fan base at the MGM Grand that he had "just beat the f**k out of a Mexican" and then called out a possible future fight against future hall of famer Manny Pacquiao. 

 

 

Broner's first comeback fight at 140lbs against Carlos Molina

 

 

Broner received a huge backlash for his comments and apologised before posting a video of himself later that month giving a homeless man $1000 showing a fantastic gesture of kindness. A fight with the young up comer Emmanuel Taylor was next where 'AB' returned to his hometown. The build up to the fight turned nasty with 'the problem' grabbing Taylor by the throat at a press conference but come fight night Broner and Taylor put on a fight of the year spectacle with the Cincinnati man winning by Unanimous Decision but also showing the power he carried at super feather and lightweight by knocking down the 'tranzformer' in the 12th round. In the post fight press conference both fighters expressed there respect towards each other showing good sportsmanship. The rumours then began about a possible mouth watering fight with Lucas Matthysse and in my opinion I believe Broner has had this successful 2014 tune up year and 2015 will bring the high profile match ups and world title fights. The likes of Matthysse, Provodnikov, Peterson, Vargas and Algeiri are all exciting possibilities and then there could even be Omar Figueroa, Terence Crawford and Mikey Garcia (who are all rumoured to be moving up to 140lbs). Danny Garcia would be a huge pay per view match up but Garcia is also rumoured to be moving up to 147lbs. Whatever happens next in the world of Adrien Broner it will no doubt be exciting, whether you love him or hate him you can't deny that he is entertaining. The young fighter announced himself as a professional party animal at the end of this year offering his services to plan the wildest parties for anyone with the highest bid. The trash talk, eccentric ring walks, huge entourages, rap tours and partying are all examples of an individual living the dream experiencing what fame has to offer and why not? he is a professional in one of the hardest sports in the world so I believe you should be able to enjoy your moment in the sun. In terms of boxing though I am convinced Broner will make 2015 his year as he seems to have found his feet at 140lbs, hopefully we will witness more of his explosive power and a world title around the waist before maybe in a few years moving back up to 147lbs to re-establish himself as the main man at welterweight.