BoxRec

By David Kelly
[email protected]


NEIL Sinclair may never box again.

After pulling out of his December 6 clash with Jimmy Vincent, Sinclair rocked British boxing today by declaring: "I may never fight again."

Eamonn Magee will now face Vincent for the vacant WBU welterweight title on the same date in Cardiff, as Sinclair ponders his future.

Sinclair was disappointed that the fight with Vincent had been switched from December 13 at the MEN Arena but that was only a small factor in his decision to put his career on hold as he has simply become disillusioned with the sport.

Over the past 10 days he has been considering whether to face Vincent but eventually felt that he was not in the right frame of mind to meet him and believes that the rot set in after his Lonsdale belt-winning fight in February.

Promoter allegedly had hoped to stage a vacant WBU title fight before the summer in Belfast but it didn't happen and Sinclair became increasingly frustrated.

"The edge seemed to start to leave me after February. Maybe if they had got their act together and gave me a fight in April or May I would have been alright, I don't know," said Sinclair.

"It's possible that I could wake up one morning and start loving the sport again but I'm not in love with it now. I need to be 100%. It was never just about the money with me.

"It wasn't an easy decision to make and it took a week to think about it. I enjoy training and I'll keep training and just see how I feel.

"Maybe I will start missing it but I wasn't even getting motivated for roadwork in the mornings.

"I just can't explain it. Something has just made me lose heart. It's just a mental thing."

Hmm....sounds like a very "extreme" reaction.

I think we'll see him again.

Loftgroov wrote:Hmm....sounds like a very "extreme" reaction.

I think we'll see him again.

He has been messed about though, his win over Pryce was probably the most mature and controlled performance of his career and then he relinquished the British title based on the promise of a fight against a "name" American for the WBU title in Belfast in the summer.

Since then all he had been offered was two marking time eight rounders until this fight materialised. Then with less than a month to go to the fight they bring it forward a week. I can understand his disillusionment.

maybe a change of promoter might be whats needed.

Fight Acamady and Hennesey sports are both good up and coming stables with tv exposure, and as already shown, they can get important fights with major governing bodies.

cat wrote:maybe a change of promoter might be whats needed.

Fight Acamady and Hennesey sports are both good up and coming stables with tv exposure, and as already shown, they can get important fights with major governing bodies.

Absolutely. Dump Warren like a sack of spuds. Problem solved.

Sounds to me like he would have a case for not getting the work required as well if they wanted to challenge it legally.

cat wrote:maybe a change of promoter might be whats needed.

Fight Acamady and Hennesey sports are both good up and coming stables with tv exposure, and as already shown, they can get important fights with major governing bodies.

surely as a welterweight Matchroom would be the place to go, then at least they might match him with either Khaliq and Hare.

Goz wrote:

cat wrote:maybe a change of promoter might be whats needed.

Fight Acamady and Hennesey sports are both good up and coming stables with tv exposure, and as already shown, they can get important fights with major governing bodies.

Absolutely. Dump Warren like a sack of spuds. Problem solved.

Sounds to me like he would have a case for not getting the work required as well if they wanted to challenge it legally.

It's not that easy, Goz. Invariably it's the promoter who elects to dump the fighter, not the other way round. Some boxers have signed multi-fight deals with promoters, they are duly bound by such contracts. I don't know the state of play with regards to Neil Sinclair. It is a shame how his career has stagnated, he's hardly a dull fighter is he?

Sinclair's stalled career mirrors that of another 'banger' in Wayne Alexander. I see that that Wayne has patched up his differences with Sports Network. Was that because he decided he wanted to stay or because he knew he couldn't leave?

Does the law favour promoters so heavily on this issue. Surely it should be easier for fighters to break their contracts, after all footballers do it all the bloody time.

In boxing, being with the wrong promoter can ruin your whole career, look how many years Witherspoon was in Limbo.

In the states, in theory you cannot be manager and promoter of a fighter, but it appears in this country you can, which seems bizzarre.

lightsoot wrote:

Goz wrote:
It's not that easy, Goz. Invariably it's the promoter who elects to dump the fighter, not the other way round. Some boxers have signed multi-fight deals with promoters, they are duly bound by such contracts. I don't know the state of play with regards to Neil Sinclair. It is a shame how his career has stagnated, he's hardly a dull fighter is he?

Sinclair's stalled career mirrors that of another 'banger' in Wayne Alexander. I see that that Wayne has patched up his differences with Sports Network. Was that because he decided he wanted to stay or because he knew he couldn't leave?

Good points Lightsoot, but I think there have been precedents where a fighter has proven that a promoter was basically strangling the life out of his career and can break the contract with the blessing of the courts. Unless of course the promoter could prove that the fighter was offered fights but turned them down e.t.c.....

And you're right, it's bizarre that of all the fighters stagnating, it's two of SN's most entertaining, Alexander and Sinky.

Get them to fight each other for heavens sake!