There’s been some rumblings of a brand new Fight Night game heading our way, we've got an all-British grudge match pencilled in for December and Amir Khan and Kell Brook might finally face each other in the ring. Here are five boxing stories you might have missed this week…
New Fight Night Game On The Way
EA Sports are reportedly prepping for the return of their beloved boxing video-game series Fight Night, although fans might have a bit of a wait on their hands.
The project is said to have been greenlit although it is still in very early development and "likely several years from release," according to VGC. The studio's focus is believed to be on the upcoming UFC 5 game and after its completion, the team will then move onto the new Fight Night.
Fans of the series have had to wait for more than a decade by the time the next installment of the series does arrive, with the last chapter, Fight Night: Champion, dropping in 2011.
Chris Eubank Jr vs Liam Williams Confirmed For December
The long-mooted all-British middleweight grudge match between Chris Eubank Jr and Liam Williams has finally been confirmed and is heading for the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff on December 11.
Eubank Jr will be stepping into hostile territory when he steps into the ring next month in the Welsh capital, with Wiilliams having been born just ten miles up the road, but ‘Next Gen’ isn’t concerned about fighting in front of a partisan crowd.
"I'm no stranger to going into the lion's den," he said. "I've been booed into arenas many times before.
"It doesn't affect me. If anything, it makes me fight harder, if the crowd is against me.
"Not to say that I'm hoping they are. I hope that I receive a warm welcome. But either way, I'm going to go in there and get the job done."
Amir Khan vs Kell Brook Edging Closer?
It might be happening at least five years too late, but the boxing world is abuzz with talks that Kell Brook and Amir Khan could actually be meeting in the ring at some point in the near future.
Speaking to IFL TV, Brook said he had even signed his side of the contract: “When you’ve been in the game for 26 years, you lose the taste for it. I need a big massive fight to get my teeth into.
“And the fight we all want to see is the guy from Bolton. I've signed my part of the fight. He just needs to come forward and sign his part and we've got the biggest fight in British boxing. We've signed our bit, we're doing what we're doing. Listen, we don't need to hide about it, everybody knows there are whispers. Everybody knows this fight needs to happen.
“I've not been in front of a camera. He's been saying he wants it. I've done my thing, let's see if he does his, and we've got the biggest fight in British boxing. I've got a feeling that the timing is now, but I've said that before, who knows with this guy. That's the only fight that will excite me in boxing.”
Fans may have to temper some expectations though with Khan telling talkSPORT’s Michael Benson that "contracts are still going back and forth, so I'm not sure how he's signed when we're both waiting? Hopefully something gets finalised this week."
Kubrat Pulev Set To Fight In Triller’s New Sport: “Combat Triad’
Triller announced on Tuesday that on November 27th they would be putting on their first ‘Combat Triad’ event in Arlington, Texas with the main event set to be between heavyweight boxing world title challenger Kubrat Pulev and MMA legend Frank Mir.
The sport itself, sounds utterly batsh*t. Combat Triad will incorporate the rules of boxing and MMA, and is fought in a triangular ring for two minute rounds. Like boxing, only punches will be allowed but clinching and striking from the clinch will be included too. The idea is to create a level playing field between boxers and MMA stars, though we can’t imagine this new venture will really take off.
Gennadiy Golovkin vs Ryota Murata Set For December
IBO and IBF middleweight world champion Gennadiy Golovkin will face Ryota Murata in Japan on December 29 at the Saitama Super Arena, with DAZN broadcasting the bout worldwide to over 200 countries and territories, including the UK and U.S.
A fight between the two has been mooted for some time now but ‘GGG’ needed to sort out some things with DAZN first. The Kazakh signed a six-fight contract with the streaming service worth approximately $100 million in 2019. That deal had hinged on a third fight between Golovkin and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez but with that clash failing to come to fruition, amendments were needed before the Murata bout could go ahead.
London 2012 gold medallist Murata is hugely popular in his native Japan but will be taking a huge step up when he takes on Golovkin, although the latter hasn’t exactly set the world alight since his two enthralling encounters with Canelo.
