Filed under: Boxing Video, FanHouse Exclusive
Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.
Everyone wants the fight. Even Facebook is coming together to force the powers that be to make the megafight between Foyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. That includes the media too! Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole has created a fun page on Facebook where fans can discuss and debate what is happening in the latest round of negotiations to put together the fight.
One reader says Mayweather is only out to protect that 41-0 record.
Join the page, have fun but keep it clean. Iole is a benevolent but strict leader!
Samuel Peter promised he would do what he couldn't back in 2005 against Wladimir Klitschko. He was kidding himself. Peter was a shell of what he was back in his first fight against the current heavyweight champ. Peter was out gas by the third round and served as a heavy bag for 10 rounds. After absorbing a ton of hard jabs and with his face puffed up, Peter finally ate a fight ending uppercut. The Nigerian fell to his back and the fight was over at 1:21 of the 10th. Klitschko successfully defended his three heavyweight title belt in Frankfurt, Germany.
Klitschko (55-3, 49 KOs) wins his 14th straight fight and second against Peter. When they met in 2005, Peter actually dropped Klitschko three times but lost a 114-111 unanimous decision. Tonight, he was never in the fight.
"I thought I boxed really well," said Klitschko. "He obviously pressured me early on with that left hand. I though I dominated in the end. It was a comfortable win for me. I certainly enjoyed it."
ESPN's Teddy Atlas had it 90-81 heading to the 10th as did Yahoo! Sports' boxing expert Kevin Iole. Klitschko landed 142 punches over nine-plus rounds at a rate of 28 percent. Peter landed just 35 punches the entire fight and only nine of those were jabs. Klitschko's set up the devastating beating by doubling and tripling his jab. He nailed Peter with 53 jabs.
Peter's gameplan was bizarre. He made himself an easy target by coming straight forward. Once he got inside, Peter, a solid power puncher, chose to wrestle instead of throwing short punches. By the ninth round, referee Robert Byrd refused to break up the fighters, telling them to fight out of the clinch. He even approached Klitschko's corner before the tenth to tell the champ that he needed to throw more punches and get himself out of the clinch.
Klitschko also got the same message from his trainer Emmanuel Steward, who implored his fighter to finish the fight. Klitschko listened. He let his hands go and jumped back from Peter, who appeared ready to fall flat on his face from exhaustion.
The Ukranian pounded away and finally landed an uppercut that put Peter (34-4, 27 KOs) flat on his back.
The 34-year-old champ retains his IBF, WBO and IBO title belts. He did so in front of 40,000 fans at Commerzbank Arena. Dignitaries in attendance included German tennis legend Boris Becker and Klitschko's Hollywood girlfriend Hayden Panettiere.
Apparently, Floyd Mayweather and Bob Arum are going to make us wait until the wee hours of Friday night before we know if the fight against Manny Pacquiao is going down on Nov. 13 in Las Vegas. Arum will be speaking to the media at 3 a.m. ET.
All signs point to it not happening, but you never know. Some late-night wranglings could change everything.
Filed under: WBC, WBO, Boxing Video, Boxing Rumors, HBO, FanHouse Exclusive, Top Rank Promotions
Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.
Bob Arum recognizes the fact that Las Vegas could use the economic boost from a big fight but he thinks the Nevada State Athletic Commission is dead set against allowing Antonio Margarito to fight anytime soon. So the back up plans are being lined up for his fight against Manny Pacquiao.
"If this fight does not wind up in Las Vegas, I don't want anyone to say that it was because of Bob Arum," he told Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole. "I live in this town and I know how much this city needs that event, but it looks like (the NSAC) is digging its heels in on this."
Iole says the favorite is now Cowboys Stadium, the site of the last Pacquiao fight against Joshua Clottey. He compares and contrasts the way Nevada handled Mike Tyson's many offenses in the past. Iole says Nevada is wrong to deny Margarito the chance to fight again.
The descent of boxing legend Jake 'Raging Bull' LaMotta leaves Ricky Hatton's fall from grace in the shade
Ricky Hatton used to talk about the "red mist" that descended on him sometimes in the ring. It cost him his two biggest fights ? against Floyd Mayweather Jnr and Manny Pacquiao ? and, away from the ring, he suffered from a similar impulse, an irresistible urge to "go for it".
Yet two weeks in rehab, the loss of his licence and a �20,000 fine do not seem to have convinced the Hitman he has a problem with drink or drugs, even though he clearly has issues adjusting to life after boxing. Fighters can be like that. As soon as they stop believing they're some version of superman, it's all or nothing ? often nothing. No athlete carries the psychic baggage boxers are lumbered with. It comes in many forms and the crime sheet is long.
While Hatton has done nothing more than fall prey to human idiocy and put his trust in a friend who ran to the newspapers with an incriminating video, he may benefit from reading about another vulnerable member of his calling whose urges were far more destructive and sinister. The British edition of Thomas Hauser's ghosted autobiography of Vikki LaMotta is just out and it shines fresh light on the man in whose shadow she walked, her husband of 11 years, the Raging Bull.
Vikki, who died five years ago, aged 75, once asked Jake, after taking yet another beating from him: "Why did you do it? What possible reason could you have had for hurting me so badly?"
He said: "I did it because I loved you. I thought it would frighten you into coming back to me. Besides, I get hurt all the time. It doesn't mean anything."
LaMotta made no distinction between himself and his wife. Pain was incidental, mundane almost. He was also a prisoner of drink. Vikki relates how he would keep a diary in his waning days as a fighter: "Alcohol seems to stay in your system and doesn't want to come out"; "Drank too much and got sick"; "Ate bad and drank bad"; "Black Friday, drank all day"; "Ate bad, drank bad, gained eight pounds in one day".
The 89-year-old LaMotta now lives in New York and, for the price of a good suit, he will reheat these anecdotes. If it were not for Jake, we would not have heard of Vikki, of course. But, were it not for Martin Scorsese's evocative 1980 movie, Jake's story would have rotted in the vault with a thousand others. Instead, they have all found fame with each other.
Hatton is hardly a raging bull. He is a good-natured and decent man. But he has demons of his own still to fight, just like Jake and all the others.
Screams of "fix" were flying through the air following Mike Tyson's victory over Bruce Seldon on Sept. 7, 1996. Then came what sounded like bullets on the casino floor, later reported by the MGM Grand to be champagne corks popping. But that was all a sideshow compared to the tragedy that unfolded just a few blocks away to the east of the Las Vegas strip. Tupac Shakur and Suge Knight were heading to a club but never made it. If you were in Las Vegas, it's a night you'll never forget. If you weren't, ESPN's "30 for 30" series is retelling the story tonight.
Tyson is featured prominently during Reggie Rock Bythewood's documentary. He was good friends with Tupac. Well at least as good as both would allow themselves.
"Every day, he would call me or get a chance to call me or send a message," said Tyson. "He would get word to me in prison. Our problem was we always had to worry about someone betraying us, our closest friends."
The fighter and rapper were supposed to meet for a victory party at Club 662. Tupac's death still haunts Tyson.
The 25-year-old Shakur died six days after the shooting. 30 for 30 airs tonight at 8 p.m. ET."I felt extremely guilty because I felt if he didn't come to this fight, that would have never have happened," he said. "It's just so crazy that we had talked every day for a week."
Antonio Margarito and his lawyers tried to sneak in the back door and they were greeted by some angry pit bulls in Nevada. Margarito, who was suspended by California after being caught with loaded gloves before his fight against Shane Mosley on Jan. 24, 2009, applied for his U.S. license reinstatement before the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Friday.
In a 4-1 vote, the commission tabled Margarito's application for a license and encouraged him to return to the California State Athletic Commission that revoked his license for a year in February 2009. Although there is no legal requirement Margarito receive his license there, those in favor of the decision stated California seemed to be a more appropriate venue for the discussion.
Margarito is still defiant in stating that he had no knowledge of the illegal hand wraps.
"My former trainer [Javier Capetillo] put knuckle pads on that had irregular substances inside. I didn't know about them, truthfully. I would have been the first person to say, 'I can't go out and fight,' if I had known. But I didn't feel anything."
Margarito also claimed the illegality of the wraps weren't as serious as has been reported.
"There's been a lot of misrepresentation on what happened in January," Margarito said. "I didn't have plaster casts on my hands like some people have commented."
His lawyer Thomas Marroso is ready to move forward and hit the Golden State.
If you thought Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert was a raving lunatic, let's see what Margarito's promoter, Bob Arum, has to say about the Nevada denial."We're very disappointed in the commission's decision," Marroso said. "We understand it though and we heard their suggestions. One thing I can tell you, and Antonio would agree with me, is we're not done fighting."
When it comes to blockbuster fights in boxing, the summer schedule has been light, to say the least. The sport was seemingly on hold while tragic comedy known as "The Mayweather-Pacquiao Follies" stretched out over a few months. Now we get back to the fights starting this weekend in Las Vegas with Juan Manuel Marquez-Juan Diaz II. August is loaded and September is jammed with good scraps. Wouldn't it be great to see Shane Mosley, Juan Manuel Lopez, Sergio Mora, Jorge Arce and Rafael Marquez all on the same card? Sure it would, but that's not the way it works in boxing, so you have to choose between Los Angeles and Las Vegas and two different television options on Sept. 18.
Lopez and Marquez will meet at the MGM Grand Garden Arena while Mosley takes on Mora at Staples Center. Unless there's some kind of $25 promotion again at Staples, who wants to bet both fights will struggle to get 10,000 in the building? The Las Vegas prices are already set at $100-$400. The MGM can't be too happy. After all, it would love to draw thousands of fans from L.A. for a weekend in Sin City.
But beggars can't be choosers, so let's just be happy we're getting quality fights. Lopez-Marquez is a great one. The 35-year-old Marquez is still at the top of his game while Lopez, 27, tries to get the veteran to pass the 126-pound torch. From the Los Angeles Times:
"Age has nothing to do with this sport as long as you prepare yourself," Marquez said. "I will put my experience in play in this fight. I have noticed [Lopez's left], but he also drops his hands. That gives me confidence I can move in there and hit him.
"I'm not concerned at all about age making a difference. My only worry is myself."
This quote in Lance Pugmire's story would suggest Marquez may be considering retirement after the fight.
"I know I got one good challenge left before me, and I want to fight the best," Rafael Marquez said. "It'll be a tough fight, but I'll win by knockout."
In L.A., it's a must-win fight for Mosley. If he loses to Mora, he could fight on, but what's the point?
Filed under: WBA, Golden Boy Promotions, Boxing Rumors, Showtime
One fight can make all difference in the careers of the two combatants. That was certainly the case when Samuel Peter met Wladimir Klitschko met in 2005. Peter was the hot prospect while that version of Klitschko had a weak chin and even more shaky mental game. "The Nigerian Nightmare" hammered away and dropped Klitschko down three times but couldn't put the Ukranian down for the count. Working Emmanuel Steward, Klitschko survived and when he was upright, schooled Peter from a technical standpoint and took a unanimous decision. Since then Klitschko has won nine straight fights and risen to undisputed No. 1 big man in the world while Peter has battled his weight, a lack of motivation and poor promotion.
Peter gets the gift of lifetime this weekend with the opportunity to finish what he couldn't five years ago. A fill-in for Alexander Povetkin, Peter battles Klitschko (54-3, 48 KOs) on Saturday in Frankfurt, Germany. He says he won't blow it this time.
"I have a lot to prove. I have a chance to redeem myself from the 2005 fight. It is going to be a great fight. I am getting another chance to prove that I am the best heavyweight champion in all," said Peter. "The loss was a bad mistake. This time I am going to prove that I can become a champion again. I don't have much to say because I know that my gloves will speak for me in the ring."
Peter, who just turned 30, doesn't want to leave it to the judges.
"The victory and my judges I have in my right hand and the judge is my left hook," said Peter (30-3, 27 KOs). "There will not be a decision this time around. This time he will not get up from my left hook. I am ready and I am prepared and I will not need a referee or a judge. This time around anyone I touch will not be standing up. I don't think Wladimir will be able to stand me after four rounds."
The biggest key for Peter is his conditioning. Klitschko has become a brilliant volume puncher who wears down his opponents with an awesome jab. If Peter plans on wailing away like a mad man he can't come in at the bloated 260-plus we've seen him at in the past. His trainer Abel Sanchez says Peter has been dedicated during the eight-week training camp spending much of the time in Big Bear, Ca.
This fight and Vitali Klitschko's October fight will be on American television. Well, sort of. Since HBO bailed on the heavyweight division, the ESPN family of channels is making an effort to latch onto the powerhouse brothers. Expected to be waged in front of 45,000 fans, the fight at Commerzbank Arena, can be seen live on ESPN3.com at 5 p.m. ET. ESPN Deportes will replay the fight at 8 p.m. ET and there will be a replay on ESPN the next day at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Filed under: WBC, IBF, WBO, Boxing Rumors, HBO, Top Rank Promotions
Boxing continues to spread good cheer to an already irate fan base. It wasn't bad enough that for a second time Top Rank, Golden Boy, Floyd Mayweather, HBO and Manny Pacquiao couldn't find a way to split up hundreds of millions of dollars, now they're fighting publicly through the media.
Bob Arum claimed last week that he negotiated most of the terms for a superfight with Mayweather manager Al Haymon using HBO sports president Ross Greenburg as the intermediary. Then Mayweather's adviser Leonard Ellerbe called Greenburg and Arum liars.
Greenburg finally responded Monday in an email to the Los Angeles Times:
"Fights like Mayweather vs. Pacquiao are significant because of these fighters' ability to connect with sports fans around the world.
"It's unfortunate that it won't happen in 2010.
"I had been negotiating with a representative from each side since May 2, carefully trying to put the fight together. Hopefully, someday this fight will happen. Sports fans deserve it."
Lance Pugmire from the L.A. Times tracked down Ellerbe for his reaction. He didn't back down from his claims that Greenburg is lying.
"Obviously, the parties making these statements need to understand what the term 'negotiation' really means. Calling to ask Floyd what he's thinking about doing is not a negotiation. How ... can you have a negotiation when the principal has made it clear he's not interested in doing anything at this time."
He also lobbed another bomb at Arum.
"I pay absolutely no attention to what Arum says," Ellerbe said. "He's just bitter because Floyd left him to become his own boss and has gone on to make $125 million since."
Ellerbe wonders why there's been confusion from the get-go.
"This whole thing is getting blown out of proportion," Ellerbe said. "Floyd made it clear what his intentions were, after the fight ... and again in an interview last week. He's on vacation."
So why didn't Ellerbe, Mayweather or Haymon just make that clear weeks ago before the stupid deadline was set and we all followed the countdown?
Be honest, are you starting to lose interest? Frankly, the one truth being told here is that all the parties involved could give a rat's ass about you, the fan.
The countdown is on for Floyd Mayweather to take the fight against Manny Pacquiao. Top Rank Promotion's website has made it official. Stealing a page from ESPN's LeBron Tracker, Bob Arum now has a clock ticking down as Friday night's deadline approaches.
Arum is already lining up Miguel Cotto or Antonio Margarito for the Nov. 13 date against Pacquiao in Las Vegas.
Tip via The Sports Pig
? Elbow injury forces 21-year-old to withdraw
? Would have been favourite in 52kg flyweight division
England's boxing gold-medal hope Khalid Yafai has become the latest high-profile athlete to withdraw from the Commonwealth Games due to a long-standing elbow injury.
Yafai, a European silver medallist, had travelled with the rest of his team to their holding camp in Thailand despite fears that the injury might rule him out of the competition.
But Yafai, who would have started favourite in the 52kg flyweight division, was finally forced to admit defeat in his quest today. Announcing the news on Facebook, Yafai said he was "gutted".
The absence of the 21-year-old is a major blow to the England boxing team's hopes of matching the five gold medals they claimed in Melbourne four years ago.
Although no replacement will be named for Yafai, it is possible Tommy Stubbs, from Liverpool, could move up from the 48kg division to box at the higher weight.
After pulling the upset on Roy Jones Jr., Danny Green was a national hero in Australia. He produced another quick stoppage in his next fight but hero wasn't the word being thrown around in July. Make it heel. Many blamed Green for the 29 second laugher against Paul Briggs. Anyone who'd paid big money to watch Briggs quit, on what still doesn't look like a real punch, had to be infuriated. That fight was moved from Sydney to Perth when the commission Australia's biggest city refused to sanction the bout because Briggs hadn't fought in over three years. There was also the strange coincidence of heavy betting on an early knockout. Check it out for yourself. Is that a knockout punch?
As he was being showered by booes, Green went off after the fight. Now he's trying to make it up by taking on a big challenge in moving up to cruiserweight to face American B.J. Flores Nov. 17 in Perth.
"It has been a tough few months, but I’m focused on the future now and knocking out BJ Flores," Green said. "He is a tough fighter at the top of his game, but I have a point to prove and it’s going to take more than BJ Flores to stop me."
Green (30-3, 27 KOs) has never fought above light heavyweight. You can see the difference in bulk by looking at the press conference staredown. Flores is 6-foot-2 with an 80-inch reach. He's raised his spector a bit with regular appearances on ESPN's Friday Night Fights but Flores (24-0-1, 15 KOs) is in need of a big win too.
"With his size, speed and his power, it’s definitely going to be a big test, I’ve never faced anyone inside a boxing ring that big," said Green. "The most difficult thing about this is not his size, it's his speed coupled with his power and size, not only is he a big unit, he's a fast slick unit."
Because of contractual issues, Flores hasn't fought in 14 months.
Maybe it's a function of the sport's working class roots. Maybe getting punched in the head leads to poor choices at the barbershop. From mullets to frullets to everything in between: Here is the inaugural Raymond Joval Award for the Worst Haircut in Boxing.
(The man, the legend, former Dutch middleweight and owner of the worst haircut ever: Raymond Joval.)
LAS VEGAS _ Danny Jacobs got a rude awakening tonight against another unbeaten prospect in Dmitry Pirog. Pirog looked physically bigger from the outset and delivered with more power throughout. He nearly put down the unbeaten Jacobs at the start of the second and then did it for good late in the fifth round. Pirog landed a huge right on the button that put Jacobs on his back. The former Golden Gloves champ and one of Golden Boy Promotions' brightest young stars could barely lift his head off the canvas. Referee Robert Byrd stopped it immediately at the 0:57 mark of the fifth round. Pirog takes the vacant WBO middleweight strap.
Pirog (17-0, 14 KOs) won over the crowd early by walking through Jacobs' big shots. Jacobs had his moments, especially when he switched to a southpaw stance but Pirog was undaunted.
Update: Judges had it 3-1 for Jacobs on the scorecards entering the fifth. Compubox numbers might have backed that up with Jacobs holding a 73-43 advantage in punches landed. But the heavier shots throughout came from Pirog.
Jacobs (20-1, 17 KOs) entered the fight as a huge minus-270 favorite but the beginning of the second round changed the tone of the fight. He got blasted by a right and twice dropped into a deep crouch. How his rear-end didn''t touch the canvas is still a mystery. He was in survival mode for the remainder of the second.
HBO immediately let Jacobs off the hook during the postfight interview. Jacobs with Jim Lampley, talked about having a rough time with the recent death of his grandmother. Lampley suggested it was an off night because of the prefight distractions. It looked here like distracted or not, Pirog is rough matchup for Jacobs.
CASAMAYOR LOOKS SHOT AGAINST GUERRERO
Joel Casamayor looks the part of the fight but he's nowhere near the guy who dominated the 130-pound ranks just seven years ago. The 39-year-old has a rough time letting his hands go and got blasted by Robert Guerrero a dozen or so rights over 10 rounds. Guerrero, 27, picked up a unanimous decision win, 98-89, 98-89 and 97-90.
The win didn't come without a late scare for Guerrero, who got floored with 1:15 left in the fight. Casamayor (37-5-1, 22 KOs) landed a straight right that dropped Guerrero to his hands and knees. "The Ghost" sprung to his feet and avoided anything big the rest of the way.
Casamayor, a former WBA super featherweight and WBC lightweight champ. was floored in the second by a big Guerrero right hand. He was also docked a point early in the round for holding and rough-housing.
Casamayor landed just 51 punches over 10 rounds. Guerrero (27-1-1, 18 KOs) wasn't much better with only 88 connects but he was slightly more accurate. Compubox picked up on the fact that Casamayor did a solid job of blocking many of the Guerrero attempts.
Shane Mosley thought he did enough to get a much-needed win over Sergio Mora. Compubox said Mosley won easily. The HBO announce team described the fight as if it were a blowout. HBO's ringside judge Harold Lederman had it 117-111. But in the only place it counts, only one of the judges at Staples Center agreed. Mosley outlanded Mora by 68 punches but all he got was a draw for his efforts. Judge Kermit Bayless gave the win to Mora 115-113 while David Denkin had it 116-112 for Mosley. The most veteran of the three judges Lou Moret scored it a 114-114 draw.
For the screams of robbery and travesty, Mosley, the supposed landslide winner, didn't throw a fit after the fight.
"You know what? Sergio fought a hard fight. I thought maybe it went my way," Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) told HBO's Larry Merchant. "A draw? We both fought hard so what can you say?"
Mora, who many thought got a gift with the decision, stood up and boldly said he'd won.
"Yes. I thought I won the fight. I thought I did enough to win the decision," Mora told Merchant. "I felt I won this fight by at least two rounds."
Over the first six rounds, Mora stayed on his horse and looked unwilling to mix it up. He was outlanded 54-24 to that point and was down 5-1 on the Yahoo! boxing blog scorecard.
But the fight took a turn over the final six rounds. Mosley tired a bit in rounds seven through nine. Mora (22-1-2, 6 KOs) also began to draw him in so that he could clutch, hold and brawl inside. Both fighters landed their share of punches (38 to 23 for Mosley). There were times when Mora was the cleaner puncher but Mosley stood right there and took the shots.
The final three rounds were the best of the fight. They were punctuated by some good inside fighting. The Los Angeles crowd finally got into the fight as Mosley outlanded Mora 59-46 down the stretch. Was it enough for Mora to steal the fight? We didn't think so, scoring it 116-112, but Mosley did leave the door open for Mora to get back into the fight. Yahoo! Sports' lead boxing writer Kevin Iole had it 115-113 for Mosley. The 39-year-old Mosley did give credit to Mora for being elusive.
"I thought it was a good fight. Sergio is not a big puncher so he had to box. That’s his main thing. He had to box and move around," said Mosley. "I knew what my job was, but it was hard to get him. He moves pretty fast."
The screams off ripoff are a bit silly. Mosley landed 161-of-522 (31%) while Mora was 82-of-445 (18%). No fighter who lands an average of just over 13 punches a round did enough definitive damage to have fans or the media say he got jobbed or robbed.
Let's also put a stop to any postfight panic that may set in. Saying this draw may cost Mosley a big fight down the road is ridiculous. Golden Boy Promotions will make any fight it wants with Mosley. Now the question is, based on this performance, should the 39-year-old get a fight against a guy like Manny Pacquaio? Maybe not.
Apparently, Floyd Mayweather and Bob Arum are going to make us wait until the wee hours of Friday night before we know if the fight against Manny Pacquiao is going down on Nov. 13 in Las Vegas. Arum will be speaking to the media at 3 a.m. ET.
All signs point to it not happening, but you never know. Some late-night wranglings could change everything.
We all like the less scary Mike Tyson but he is turning into one wacky dude. Check out the video. When did Bobby Brown get bigger than Tyson?
Filed under: WBC, WBO, Boxing Video, Boxing Rumors, HBO, FanHouse Exclusive, Top Rank Promotions
Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.
? Elbow injury forces 21-year-old to withdraw
? Would have been favourite in 52kg flyweight division
England's boxing gold-medal hope Khalid Yafai has become the latest high-profile athlete to withdraw from the Commonwealth Games due to a long-standing elbow injury.
Yafai, a European silver medallist, had travelled with the rest of his team to their holding camp in Thailand despite fears that the injury might rule him out of the competition.
But Yafai, who would have started favourite in the 52kg flyweight division, was finally forced to admit defeat in his quest today. Announcing the news on Facebook, Yafai said he was "gutted".
The absence of the 21-year-old is a major blow to the England boxing team's hopes of matching the five gold medals they claimed in Melbourne four years ago.
Although no replacement will be named for Yafai, it is possible Tommy Stubbs, from Liverpool, could move up from the 48kg division to box at the higher weight.
? Elbow injury forces 21-year-old to withdraw
? Would have been favourite in 52kg flyweight division
England's boxing gold-medal hope Khalid Yafai has become the latest high-profile athlete to withdraw from the Commonwealth Games due to a long-standing elbow injury.
Yafai, a European silver medallist, had travelled with the rest of his team to their holding camp in Thailand despite fears that the injury might rule him out of the competition.
But Yafai, who would have started favourite in the 52kg flyweight division, was finally forced to admit defeat in his quest today. Announcing the news on Facebook, Yafai said he was "gutted".
The absence of the 21-year-old is a major blow to the England boxing team's hopes of matching the five gold medals they claimed in Melbourne four years ago.
Although no replacement will be named for Yafai, it is possible Tommy Stubbs, from Liverpool, could move up from the 48kg division to box at the higher weight.
