Tag: Ireland

WORLD TITLE CHALLENGER DUHAUPAS: “HRGOVIĆ’S STYLE AND ABILITY ARE SIMILAR TO VITALI KLITSCHKO”

Post author By f/s
Post date November 29, 2019

WORLD TITLE CHALLENGER DUHAUPAS: “HRGOVIĆ’S STYLE AND ABILITY ARE SIMILAR TO VITALI KLITSCHKO”

Former WBC World Heavyweight Title Challenger and WBA International Heavyweight Champion Johann Duhaupas has compared Filip Hrgović (9-0, 7 KOs) to legendary three-time World Heavyweight Champion Vitali Klitschko.

The experienced Frenchman has been in Miami sparring Hrgović, alongside undefeated British heavyweight prospect Fabio Wardley and top Belgian cruiserweight Joel Tambwe Djeko, ahead of his WBC International Title clash with Eric Molina (27-5, 19 KOs) on December 7th at the purpose built Diriyah Arena in Saudi Arabia.

Duhaupas, who first encountered Hrgović at a Wladimir Klitschko training camp in Austria, says he has been impressed with the fast rising Croatian star, and states his ‘style and ability’ are similar to the elder Klitschko brother Vitali.

“I first met Filip at the Klitschko camp in Austria and he impressed me,” said Duhaupas. “He has a good right hand, fast and strong, and you can see he aims to become a World Champion. I smell it in him. His style and ability are similar to Vitali Klitschko.

Duhaupas is renowned for fighting some of the heavyweight division’s elite talent having faced the likes of Deontay Wilder, Alexander Povetkin and Jarrell Miller, and believes Hrgović is now ready to face similar big names.

“Deontay is a killer, but Filip already has a good right hand and maybe in one year with more muscle and power he could punch as hard as Wilder,” says Duhaupas. “With good mental and physical preparation, I believe Filip could win by KO against Miller or Povetkin.”

Hrgović must first overcome two-time World Title Challenger Molina from Texas, USA. A challenge Duhaupas believes the Olympic Bronze Medalist is ready for.

“It’s a really big opportunity for him,” he says. “When you are a good boxer with a good team you don’t care about travel, you only care about winning your fight. Filip wants to fight and he knows what he wants to achieve, I am very happy to train with him because his mentality is similar to mine.”

Hrgovic-Molina features on the undercard of the unified World Heavyweight Championship fight between Andy Ruiz Jr and Anthony Joshua which tops a stacked event at the Diriyah Arena, Saudi Arabia.

Also on the card are heavyweight clashes between Alexander Povetkin and Michael Hunter, Dillian Whyte against Mariusz Wach, Mahammadrasul Majidov vs Tom Little and more. All the action will be available to watch on DAZN in the US and other territories, RTL in Croatia and Sky Sports in the UK.

ANTHONY JOSHUA PROMISES THE WORLD AN “ICONIC EVENING OF BOXING”

Post author By f/s
Post date November 25, 2019

ANTHONY JOSHUA PROMISES THE WORLD AN “ICONIC EVENING OF BOXING” AS HE ARRIVES IN SAUDI ARABIA

Anthony Joshua OBE has promised the world an “iconic evening of boxing” as he lands in Saudi Arabia ahead of his rematch with World Champion Andy Ruiz Jr in the Clash On The Dunes.

The boxing superstar landed last night at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh as arrives to set up his pre-fight training camp to prepare for the epic bout on December 7.

The first Heavyweight World Title fight to be held in the Middle East, the Clash On The Dunes will take place in the custom-built 15,000 seat Diriyah Arena in the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage site known as the home of heroes and kings.

Joshua will be looking to regain his IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO belts after suffering defeat to Ruiz in New York earlier this year, but the British Heavyweight will have the backing thousands of UK fans joining boxing enthusiasts from more than 60 countries.

“It’s going to be an incredible night and I’m thrilled so many of my fans are going to be there, particularly from the UK,” said Joshua. “It’ll definitely be a night people will tell their grandchildren they were at, one of those iconic evenings of boxing. Everyone from Saudi has been brilliant to work with.”

The Clash On The Dunes forms part of the Diriyah Season, epic month of sports which kicked off with Formula E at the weekend, the Diriyah Tennis Cup featuring eight of the best men’s players on the planet, and the Diriyah Equestrian Festival, an elite competition with Tokyo Olympics 2020 qualifying points on the line.

The Diriyah Season is also supported by the Diriyah Music Festival with huge concerts taking place around the event. On December 6, the night before the Clash On The Dunes, major artists who are yet to be announced will perform. So far artists such as Imagine Dragons, DJ Alan Walker, Clean Bandit and Maluma have performed to 40,000 concert goers.

Tickets for all of the Diriyah Season’s spectacular events, concerts and entertainment will be available at www.diriyahseason.sa. Follow Diriyah Season’s news and announcements on the official social media pages on twitter and Instagram @diriyahseason.

About Diriyah Season

Diriyah Season is an unmissable set of international sports and entertainment events, happening at the historic city of Diriyah, the birthplace of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Sports fanatics, entertainment seekers, foodies and shoppers, are invited to a month of energy, excitement, elegance, and memorable moments as the world comes to Diriyah!

Watch the world’s top sporting events:

· Diriyah Equestrian Festival on December 12^th, 13th, 14th, 19^th, 20^th and 21^st , where contestants from all over the world will be one with their horses to qualify for TOKYO 2020

Debut Manchester event among 7 new UK dates for 2020 schedule

Post author By f/s
Post date November 21, 2019

Debut Manchester event among 7 new UK dates for 2020 schedule

Cage Warriors confirm 7 new dates for their 15-event 2020 schedule, including their first ever event in Manchester.

2020 will be Cage Warriors’ most ambitious year yet, with a record-breaking 15 events for the promotion.

Just added to the schedule are dates in Manchester, London, Birmingham and Cardiff. That’s 10 events now confirmed for the new year, with further events still to be announced.

Kicking off the year will be Manchester on March 7th, when Cage Warriors will stage their debut fight night in the stomping ground of their former champion and UFC legend Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping.

The city of Manchester has churned out some serious fighting talent in recent years, including current Cage Warriors bantamweight champion Jack Cartwright, who stunned Europe with double knockouts during the title tournament at ‘Unplugged 2’ this September.

Returning to continue building the sport of MMA in numerous UK cities, Cage Warriors President Graham Boylan has also confirmed 2020 dates in Cardiff, London and Birmingham. These cities have produced some of the most elite champions in Cage Warriors history, including Jack Shore, Nathaniel Wood and Jai Herbert.

Boylan said: “Finding and building the next biggest stars of the sport is simply what we do, and 2020 will be no different.

“15 events is the most we’ve ever put on in a single year. It means we can return to places where we’re established to keep giving local fighters a platform to grow – and giving fans the fights they want to see – but also to break into new cities that have called for Cage Warriors shows for a while.

“We’re turning up the dial next year, that’s for sure.”

Cage Warriors’ 2020 schedule is now as follows, with a number of dates still to be announced.

March 7th – Manchester

March 20th – London

April 18th – Birmingham

May 16th – Belfast

June 13th – Cardiff

June 20th – London

July 25th – Cork

September 26th – Belfast

October 10th – Birmingham

November 27th – London

CW111 full fight card and broadcast details

Post author By f/s
Post date November 18, 2019

CW111 full fight card and broadcast details
Fight week is here!

Cage Warriors close the year in style with CW111, their final card of the 2019 schedule, bringing 3 world title fights to the London Indigo at the O2 this Friday night.

Reigning Middleweight Champion James Webb puts his belt on the line for a second time in a rematch with Nathias Frederick, after their highly controversial contest this summer which ended in a majority draw.

UFC vet Mads Burnell will look to hold onto his featherweight title when he takes on Steve ‘Diddy Kong’ Aimable.

And in the third title fight of the evening, London’s own Light-Heavyweight champion Modestas Bukauskas walks out for his first defence against Italy’s Riccardo ‘The Walking Dead’ Nosiglia.

The CW111 Main Card also features the return of Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett, who makes his first 2019 appearance against ‘Ultimate Fighter’ veteran Joe Giannetti.

Before that, a stacked pro prelim card will see top contender Alex Lohoré take on Joilton Santos Lutterbach, and Mike Ekundayo return to action against Luca Iovine.

CW111 will take place at the London Indigo at the O2 Arena this Friday night, the 22nd November. Cage Warriors President Graham Boylan has teased that major news regarding the promotion’s 2020 schedule will be released live during the event.

Tickets are on sale HERE, with Cage Warriors expecting a sellout later this week.

Check out how you can tune in from home below.

How to Watch

MAIN CARD (from 9PM) will be broadcast live on UFC FightPass globally and on a host of territorial broadcast partners including:

Eleven Sports Network: Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Taiwan

Viaplay: Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden

RMC Sport: France, select other Francophone territories

K+: Vietnam

C+: Myanmar

Cignal: Phillipines

D Sports: India

CYTA: Cyprus

Gol TV: Spain

SSports: Turkey

StarTimes: Sub Saharan Africa

Max Sport: Bulgaria

Mola TV: Indonesia

SportKlub: Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Macedonia

Setanta Eurasia: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

BFBS: British Forces Overseas

FightPass exclusive territories include UK, Eire, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and the Americas.

PRO PRELIMS (from 5.30PM) will be broadcast live and free on the Cage Warriors Facebook Page.

Main Card (9PM)

James Webb vs Nathias Frederick II – Middleweight Title Fight

Mads Burnell vs Steve Aimable – Featherweight Title Fight

Modestas Bukauskas vs Riccardo Nosiglia – Light-Heavyweight Title Fight

Paddy Pimblett vs Joe Giannetti – Lightweight

Pro Prelims (5.30PM)

Alex Lohoré vs Joilton Santos Lutterbach – Welterweight

Emrah Sonmez vs Daryl Golding – Featherweight

Liam Gittins vs Adam Amarasinghe – Bantamweight

Matthew Bonner vs Warren Kee – Welterweight

Cory Tait vs Ayton De Paepe – Bantamweight

Mike Ekundayo vs Luca Iovine – Bantamweight

Josh Onwordi vs Harry Davies – Lightweight

Jordan Barton vs James Hendin – Featherweight

Kingsley Crawford vs Scott Butters – Featherweight

Read more on Giannetti vs Pimblett HERE

Cage Warriors confirm Belfast and Cork dates for 2020 schedule

Post author By f/s
Post date November 11, 2019

After their sold-out success at the Neptune Stadium last weekend, Europe’s leading MMA promotion will return to Cork on 25th July, and hit Belfast for two dates at the SSE Arena on 16th May and 26th September 2020.

The Irish MMA resurgence continues!

On the live broadcast at CW110 in Cork this past weekend, Cage Warriors President Graham Boylan announced that his promotion would return to Irish shores next year.

Now, those dates have been officially announced, with Boylan confirming that his 2020 schedule will include 15 dates across Europe – a record number of shows for Cage Warriors.

In a history-making year for the promotion, Cage Warriors will return to Cork on July 25th after their massive success at CW110, and to the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland on May 16th and September 26th.

“A sell-out for our return to Ireland at CW110 proved that the demand for MMA is huge in the country, and that fans want more of Cage Warriors,” said Boylan.

“So, it’s only right that we put more shows in place not just for the fans, but for Irish fighters wanting a proven platform to develop and showcase their skills to the world.

“We are open to working with everyone, and want to make Cage Warriors a platform for Irish fighters all across the country.

“We want to thank everyone in the Irish MMA community for welcoming us back home”.

Past Irish Cage Warriors alumni who have risen through the ranks to UFC stardom include 2-weight Champion Conor McGregor, Joe Duffy, Neil Seery, Paul Redmond and Cathal Pendred.

After their performances at CW110 this past weekend, many expect a new crop of Irish Cage Warriors prospects including Rhys McKee and Ian Garry to reach the UFC in coming years.

It has also been teased that further dates and locations will be announced during CW111 fight weekend, which takes place next Saturday the 22nd November in London.

CW110 fight card and broadcast details

Post author By f/s
Post date November 4, 2019

Cage Warriors long-awaited return to Irish shores is just days away. Here’s your full CW110 fight card and how to watch around the world.

Many of Ireland’s hottest rising stars head to the Cork Neptune Stadium this Saturday night for an electric night of fights in the Rebel County.

Headlining the card is Rhys McKee, who moves up in weight after back-to-back wins over Jefferson George and Perry Goodwin since signing for Cage Warriors last year. With a 100% finish rate across all 9 of his professional wins, McKee has established himself as a formidable force on the European scene. He’ll take on Norwegian challenger Hakon Foss, who made headlines with his stunning knockout over Jack Mason at CW93.

The card also features appearances from Irish prospects Joe McColgan, Decky McAleenan and Ian Garry, who trains alongside current and former Cage Warriors champions James Webb, Chris Fields and Cathal Pendred.

Pendred is just one of the Irish Cage Warriors alumni who have risen through the ranks to UFC stardom. Others include 2-weight Champion Conor McGregor, Joe Duffy, Neil Seery and Paul Redmond.

All eyes are on the next generation of talent this weekend, with fans hoping to witness future global superstars in action.

CW110 will take place at the Cork Neptune Stadium this Saturday night, the 9th November. The last remaining tickets are limited, but still on sale HERE.

Doors open at 4.30PM. The night will begin with a 7-fight Amateur Card commencing at 5.15PM, before the Pro Prelims at 7PM and the Main Card at 9PM (timings subject to change).

Check out how you can tune in from home below.

How to Watch

MAIN CARD (from 9PM) will be broadcast live on UFC FightPass globally and on a host of territorial broadcast partners including:

Eleven Sports Network: Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Taiwan

Viaplay: Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden

RMC Sport: France, select other Francophone territories

K+: Vietnam

C+: Myanmar

Cignal: Phillipines

D Sports: India

CYTA: Cyprus

Gol TV: Spain

SSports: Turkey

StarTimes: Sub Saharan Africa

Max Sport: Bulgaria

Mola TV: Indonesia

SportKlub: Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Macedonia

Setanta Eurasia: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

BFBS: British Forces Overseas

FightPass exclusive territories include UK, Eire, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and the Americas.
Pro Prelims (from 7PM) will be broadcast live and free on the Cage Warriors Facebook Page.

Main Card

Rhys McKee vs. Håkon Foss – Welterweight

Joe McColgan vs. TBC

Ian Garry vs. Mateusz Figlak – Welterweight

Eric Nolan vs. John Mitchell – Lightweight

Nathan Fletcher vs. Ciaran Mulholland – Bantamweight

Pro Prelims

Manny Akpan vs. Jack Maguire – Featherweight

Decky McAleenan vs TBC

Ismar Blagoje vs. Cathal Manning – Middleweight

Tomasz Wojtyna vs. Omran Chabaan – Welterweight

Amateur Card

Adam Kearne vs Jay Taylor – Lightweight

Kevin Finn vs Conor Saunders – Bantamweight

Graham Sheehan vs Tomas Cignac – Welterweight

Mikey O’Dea vs Keith Deane – Middleweight

Micheal Prendergast vs Maga Zurabov – Welterweight

Patrick Lehane vs Shane Geraghty – Welterweight

For the latest Cage Warriors news and updates, keep track of us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.