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Earl's withdrawal...
Posted: 21 Jun 2007, 06:43
by Captain Hook
Jason Frost - from Hennessey Sports...
Jon Thaxton believes that Graham Earl’s decision to withdraw from their scheduled clash for his British Lightweight Title is ‘bad for boxing’.
The long established Championship operators looked finally set to meet after Hennessy Sports submitted a successful purse bid for the right to stage the contest last week, beating off competition from Earl’s promoter Sports Network.
Hennessy Sports scheduled the clash for August 3rd at the Norfolk Showground, but unfortunately former title-holder Earl has since withdrawn stating that he did not wish to challenge Thaxton under the terms of the bid.
“It’s a massive letdown,” said Thaxton yesterday. “This was a big fight that everyone was looking forward to. It’s not going to happen now and I think that‘s bad for boxing.
Shame this, would have been a great domestic dust-up...
Posted: 21 Jun 2007, 06:47
by DavidPayne
I wonder if this will be covered in NOW this Sunday?
Posted: 21 Jun 2007, 06:59
by Coco
I'd guess he has been offered more money to fight Khan for the Commonwealth.
Prob used the Thaxton fight as a bargaining chip.
Posted: 21 Jun 2007, 08:10
by sweetscience
Coco wrote:I'd guess he has been offered more money to fight Khan for the Commonwealth.
Prob used the Thaxton fight as a bargaining chip.
sounds like you hit the nail on the head
cant blame earl for that, he aint got many fights left, might as well make as much money as possible
Posted: 21 Jun 2007, 08:19
by twenty six
Why do certain boxers get away with this in your eyes, whereas others get absolutely slaughtered ?
Some boxers have genuine reasons to withdraw eg injury but get pilloried, yet Earl does this and people say - never mind.
Posted: 21 Jun 2007, 08:31
by Coco
I'd guess it's beause Earl is a fella that has done it the hard way and has not earned big money yet.
Therefore he has peoples sympathy.
Peoples perception of say JC is that he has had it easy and earned big money so that the fans are owed something back.
Posted: 21 Jun 2007, 08:33
by ArtOfWar
It's a joke to me. Khan has got to get the Limond fight out the way first, so it will be months before he fights Earl. If Earl thinks he's the best in the country he could have fought Thaxton and the winners of the two fights could have fought each other. That can't happen though, because it makes to much sense.
Posted: 21 Jun 2007, 08:40
by sweetscience
twenty six wrote:Why do certain boxers get away with this in your eyes, whereas others get absolutely slaughtered ?
Some boxers have genuine reasons to withdraw eg injury but get pilloried, yet Earl does this and people say - never mind.
cause he has gone as far as he can go
he has got about 1 or 2 fights left in him, so obviously you go with the money (especially if you aint got much, and i doubt he has much)
Posted: 21 Jun 2007, 09:39
by boxingchat
I blame Bobby Gunn!
Posted: 21 Jun 2007, 09:50
by PompeyScot
Well, Gunn's ideal fighting weight is about the same as Earl, so there might be some truth in that! Earl v Gunn, the next SN headliner
Posted: 21 Jun 2007, 11:11
by Captain Hook
Thaxton is probably too much of a threat, that's by no means an Earl win, especially if he continues to fight with his face.....
Posted: 21 Jun 2007, 12:13
by boxingchat
Why not mention Gunn...He get's mentioned everywhere else.
Posted: 21 Jun 2007, 12:20
by PompeyScot
boxingchat wrote:Why not mention Gunn...He get's mentioned everywhere else.
Yep, there's a reason for that.....
Posted: 21 Jun 2007, 12:21
by TerribleTerry
boxingchat wrote:Why not mention Gunn...He get's mentioned everywhere else.
To your boss's eternal shame and chagrin.
Posted: 21 Jun 2007, 12:31
by Neri
It's great to have boxingchat back. Inside info again.
DIssapointed over the Earl pullout as it was a good solid match up but if he is saving himself for the Khan payday then I can't blame him. He must realise there won't be another big payday after his next one.
Posted: 21 Jun 2007, 16:06
by Carbo
You know, I’m really not so keen on Graham Earl. People say he's exciting, which is true, but the fact he's been involved in a whole litany of life-and-death struggles against British Title contender -- and area -- level opposition tells me that he simply doesn't have the quality he's cracked up to have.
He was beautifully guided by Frank Maloney, who he unceremoniously dumped, and he has been the beneficiary of some gift decisions -- more than any other British fighter I can think of.
Not only that, but he's got a real history of pulling out of fights and mucking his prospective opponents around. It's not only bad for boxing, as Thaxton correctly points out. People don't realise how hard this affects the other man. When I was writing for Doghouse, I did an interview with Kevin Bennett shortly after he signed to fight Earl and after Earl had just been thoroughly out-classed by Ricky Burns.
Bennett is a brilliant bloke, and after Earl pulled out of the fight offering some kind of spurious excuse, I called Bennett to see what the crack was. Bennett answered his mobile as he was standing outside his house trying to steel himself to go in and tell his missus that they weren't going on holiday in a few weeks after all, because Earl had pulled out. He was totally gutted about the cash and the missed opportunity. He was physically peaking, had really struggled and toiled to boil down to 135, and now he was going to have to do it all again for no extra money.
This is how these pullouts and machinations affect people. I know Thaxton has much more time to re-schedule another opponent, but the point still holds.
I think Earl knew he would get a hiding off Thaxton -- which he would -- and wants either an easier option or something that'll pay more for his defeat.
Posted: 22 Jun 2007, 02:58
by DavidPayne
If you want to upset a former fighter on the topic of repeated weight making, say the word "Casamonica" to Bobby Vanzie.
Posted: 22 Jun 2007, 07:03
by leforge
Earl should retire, it a disgrace. He could have been Euro champ instead went WBU route, perhaps he fight for the WBU title.
Posted: 22 Jun 2007, 07:50
by Coco
leforge wrote:Earl should retire, it a disgrace. He could have been Euro champ instead went WBU route, perhaps he fight for the WBU title.
Retire! Boxing is a job, he fella needs to work and he is in the position to get at least one decent payday.
Surely you do not begrudge him that?
Posted: 22 Jun 2007, 07:57
by Chambers2
I don't think Earl should retire, thats abit extreme, but why let the fight go to purse bids if hes got no intention of going through with the fight?
Re: Earl's withdrawal...
Posted: 22 Jun 2007, 08:03
by 1southpaw
Captain Hook wrote:Jason Frost - from Hennessey Sports...
Jon Thaxton believes that Graham Earl’s decision to withdraw from their scheduled clash for his British Lightweight Title is ‘bad for boxing’.
The long established Championship operators looked finally set to meet after Hennessy Sports submitted a successful purse bid for the right to stage the contest last week, beating off competition from Earl’s promoter Sports Network.
Hennessy Sports scheduled the clash for August 3rd at the Norfolk Showground, but unfortunately former title-holder Earl has since withdrawn stating that he did not wish to challenge Thaxton under the terms of the bid.
“It’s a massive letdown,” said Thaxton yesterday. “This was a big fight that everyone was looking forward to. It’s not going to happen now and I think that‘s bad for boxing.
Shame this, would have been a great domestic dust-up...
Re: Earl's withdrawal...
Posted: 22 Jun 2007, 08:04
by 1southpaw
Captain Hook wrote:Jason Frost - from Hennessey Sports...
Jon Thaxton believes that Graham Earl’s decision to withdraw from their scheduled clash for his British Lightweight Title is ‘bad for boxing’.
The long established Championship operators looked finally set to meet after Hennessy Sports submitted a successful purse bid for the right to stage the contest last week, beating off competition from Earl’s promoter Sports Network.
Hennessy Sports scheduled the clash for August 3rd at the Norfolk Showground, but unfortunately former title-holder Earl has since withdrawn stating that he did not wish to challenge Thaxton under the terms of the bid.
i wonder if wellington knows what the terms of the bid was
“It’s a massive letdown,” said Thaxton yesterday. “This was a big fight that everyone was looking forward to. It’s not going to happen now and I think that‘s bad for boxing.
Shame this, would have been a great domestic dust-up...
Posted: 22 Jun 2007, 08:58
by leforge
how much longer can he go on?
Posted: 22 Jun 2007, 09:20
by Max Molyneux
Isn't Dave Stewart the Commonwealth mandatry so would anyone mind the winner of Khan and Limond fighting him?
http://www.boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=033633