British boxer David Haye produced an excellent performance to topple the Russian giant Nikolai Valuev and win the WBA heavyweight title in via a majority decision points victory.

Perhaps now David Haye can fill the void left when Lennox Lewis retired in 2003… What do you think?

David Haye appeared to execute a textbook game plan, staying out of Valuev’s long range and picking off champion with select shots when the opportunity presented.

Overall it was a convincing victory - with two of the judges awarding him the win by four rounds but the other somehow seeing it a draw which puzzled myself and others watching the fight. How could he have scored it a draw?

Haye, 29, carried a record of 22 wins (21KOs) and one defeat into the fight whereas the 7ft 2ins champion Valuev, had had 52 fights with a total of 34 knockouts with also just one defeat.

What do you think the next step for David Haye should be?

Post your thoughts & comments below!

These new boxing boots from Adidas lets the boxer go without the traditional lace up design if he or she wishes too, whilst still giving the option to lace up if you want to.

The Adidas Extero II boxing boots feature a secure hook and loop fitting as well, which provides the boxer with a decent hold and is quite flexible in terms of adjusting how tight you’d like the boxing boots to fit.

Getting technical on the design on these boots, Adidas have the “InsideOut” heel liner construction on the Extero II boxing boots, this reduces the pressure on the area around the Achilles tendon area as it has a moulded heel counter for great support and hold.

Adidas Extero II boxing boots are made with synthetic leather, a common material, and have some breathability provided by an open mesh.

These are probably more wrestling boots, but the low cut lightweight design will suit the agile boxer who wants to be quick on their feet. So if thats your style, these could be for you!

The Adidas Extero II Boxing Boots are available for £45 from SugarRays.

What do you think of low cut boxing boots?

Post your comments below!

Every boxer knows the grueling medicine ball training sessions that, although no doubt hated at the time, pay off with additional fitness and strength in the ring.

I would highly recommend medicine ball and medicine ball training for boxing, however I would not recommend using the BBE Double Grip Rubber Medicine Ball, as it defeats some of the most important purposes of medicine ball training for boxers.

One of the cited advantages of the double grip BBE medicine ball is that the dual handles make the balls much easier to grip for flexibility, agility and fitness training. This may sound well and good, but often one of the hardest parts of medicine ball training to maintaining your grip on a heavy HANDLELESS ball when fatigue is setting in towards the end of a set.

Putting handles on the ball is making the training easier, and therefore not as good for you as a boxer!

Also, if any boxers out there have ever done the exercise where you and a partner throw a medicine ball to one another, the handles on this ball increase the chances of injuring your hands or fingers when doing this exercise – as they can get caught in the gap and twisted or bent.

If you want a weight with a handle, buy dumbbells.

Don’t buy the double grip BBE medicine ball.

What do you think medicine balls?

Got an opinion on the double grip BBE medicine ball or other medicine balls?

Send them in below!

Got some excess cash to splash around? Feeling flash?

Well this chromed shiny dumbbells add a bit of class to any home gym!

Do these dumbbells offer any more advantages then the regular cast iron weights?

Nope. But that’s not why you would buy them, you buy them to show off a little!

These chromed dumbbells are more expensive than the standard cast iron dumbbells but they do look classy and make any home gym or weight set look that bit more flashy.

You can get chromed dumbbells in sizes from 1kg to 30kg, from £6.99 to £66.99 depending on weight.

Given their obvious eye appeal they could make a good birthday gift!

Would you be prepared to pay extra for this shiny look?

Post your comments below!

The leather on these boxing gloves is fairly high quality, which comes with the quality brand name, Reebok. Whilst Reebok isn’t one of the classic old school boxing brands like Lonsdale or Title, they are making some decent boxing equipment and become a bit of a force in the industry, especially when prices are taken into consideration.

Boxers can expect these boxing gloves to offer a firm but comfy feel, tough enough to withstand numerous training session, but not too tough that they become irritating or uncomfortable. These Reebok boxing gloves also have the standard shock absorbing padding around the fist and a slim but sturdy wrist support with Velcro rather that lace ties – which makes it great for boxing training where gloves may be taken on and off many times and you don’t want to have to waste time tying and untying – you want to box!

Amir Khan fans will be please to know that these are part of the Amir Khan Reebok boxing range!

So can pick up a pair at Sugarrays for £21.00 at the moment, which is good because they are normally about £30.

What do you think about these Reebok leather training boxing gloves?

Got questions or comments? Fire them in below!

Filipino Pacman gave his bigger, more famous opponent such a beating that Golden Boy De la Hoya declined to come out of his corner after the eighth round, and rightly so.

The TKO is only the second time De la Hoya had been stopped in his 16-year star studded professional career. De la Hoya was a good sportsman though, saying: “He’s just a great fighter, I have nothing bad to say about him. He prepared like a true champion.”

I agree with Manny Pacquiao who said: “Speed was going to be the key to this fight,” and it certainly was with Pacman dominating the boxing ring from start to finish
“I’m not surprised by the result, because I prepared well to control the fight from the beginning. I’m happy that I could give this victory to my country.”

De la Hoya however seemed very much passed his peak and said; “I felt empty, without power, I tried to go forward but Pacquiao’s leg speed and movement didn’t allow me to connect with anything.”

So what did you make of the fight?

I thought that it did not disappoint at all, perhaps we could’ve seen more from De la Hoya, but he did his best and it was just a case of Manny Pacquiao being too darn good.

Do you think a De la Hoya in his prime would’ve beaten the Manny Pacquiao we saw on Saturday night?

I don’t think a rematch between these two is likely, but would anyone want to see them fight again?

Post all your thoughts as comments below..

Possibly the biggest boxing match this year, Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya are set to fight this Saturday night.

This is a face off of two pound for pound boxing Kings, and is looking to be an awesome fight.

Oscar De La Hoya has the advantage over Pacman in areas such as weight, height and reach, but Pacman is enjoying the high point of his career, whereas is could be argued that De La Hoya has already peaked in terms of his boxing form.

Manny Pacquiao also has the massive support of the Philippines behind, support so strong that rebels and government forces actually hold steadfast to a temporary ceasefire whenever he boxes. Pacman’s aggressive style is one that boxing fans love, and has made him an extremely successful boxer so far in his career.

However De La Hoya, the “Golden Boy”, has had fantastic career, which arguably tops Pacman’s record, and we don’t need to remind what a boxing legend De La Hoya has become.

But..it all comes down to Saturday night.

Can Manny Pacquiao use his aggression and heart to overcome De La Hoya?

We want you thoughts and predictions! Post them as comments below..

Following on from the news that Manny Pacquiao is the new WBC lightweight champion after beating David Diaz by KO in the 9th round, this is the full round by round review of the pacquiao vs diaz fight.

Round 1: Manny Pacquiao got fairly aggressive to begin the fight, bobbing in and out and firing punches. Both Manny Pacquiao and Diaz were landing shots, but none too special in this round. A comfortably win for Manny Pacquiao and a good start to the Manny Pacquiao vs Daiz fight.
10-9 Manny Pacquiao

Round two: Manny Pacquiao began using upercuts with blistering hand speed but Diaz was digging deep into Pacquiao’s body. Diaz did do well by blocking much of Manny Pacquiao blows, but this was another round for Manny Pacquiao.
10-9 Manny Pacquiao

Round three: Manny Pacquiao was still the star of the fight, impressive against Diaz. Pacquiao was testing Diaz’s chin a bit in the third round. The boxing was all out action, but Manny Pacquiao was still firmly on top as his speed was just too much for Diaz.
10- 9 Manny Pacquiao

Round 4: The referee had to call time at 2:03 to check Diaz’s cut on his eye. However the fight is allowed to continue and Manny Pacquiao is in his element looking pound for pound perfect. Diaz was fighting back a bit in this round, but its hard to give him credit for that when his punches are dwarft byManny Pacquiao’s. Plus Manny Pacquiao was just so damn fast!
10-9 Manny Pacquiao

Round 5: Pacquiao was still fully in control, but courageous Diaz was good to watch, however his firepower was easily out matched. Manny Pacquiao was working the uppercuts and turning Diaz into a bloody mess. All credit to Diaz for the pure guts he showed throughout the Manny Pacquiao Diaz fight, especially in this round.
10-9 Manny Pacquiao

Round 6: Diaz was now suffering from two bad cuts and Manny Pacquiao made the best of them when the two were fighting in close range. Manny Pacquiao looked professional and calm inside the ring, easily smahing his opponent. Someone must have ripped the Q section out of Diaz’s dictionary as a kid, because he clearly didn’t know the meaning of the word quit!
10-9 Manny Pacquiao

Round 7: And Diaz was still trying, covering up and looking for openings, but it was all Manny Pacquiao, as he was finding the openings and controlling things with multi levels in his boxing tonight. By now fatigue was setting in for Diaz, he was throwing but not landing.
10 - 9 Manny Pacquiao

Round 8: There was no mercy from Manny Pacquiao in round 10 as he came out hard this round. Manny Pacquiao’s speed and his combinations are perfected to the point he looks blury when throwing punches. Pacman looked ridiculously fast. Diaz was now looking sloppy, leaning against ropes and perhaps we were reaching the point where bravery becomes stupidity and the fight should be ended.
10-9 Manny Pacquiao

Round 9: Manny Pacquiao moved in for the kill. Manny Pacquiao threw a jab followed by a left hand right on the chin. Diaz didn`t see it and hit the canvas with 39 seconds to got. And Diaz really hit the canvas, hard!

Manny Pacquiao wins by KO in the ninth round!

Is Manny Pacquiao the pound for pound king in your opinion?

Manny Pacquiao has beaten David Diaz by a KO in the 9th round to win the WBC lightweight crown. As the current pound for pound boxing king, Manny Pacquiao was the favourite to win this fight from and he certainly impressed the crowd straight from the start showing off fast hard punches and excellent boxing skills.

The crowd was chanting for Manny Pacquiao as he won every single round and with blistering combinations that were blurrred at times!

I had favoured Manny Pacquiao from the start as now that Floyd Mayweather has retired I view Manny Pacquiao as the best pound for pound boxer in the world. I hope that he is still around when Amir Khan comes of age, as that would be an awesome fight.

Who do you think Manny Pacquiao should fight next?

And what about Diaz? What’s next in boxing for him?

Most boxing fans could see that the pacquiao vs diaz fight was a clear win for Pacquiao and there was really no contest in the fight, Pacquiao is simply in a different boxing class.

What did you think of the Pacquiao Diaz fight?

I thought it was pretty good actually, with Pacquiao on top of his game, throwing hard fast punches and looking very good up close. Anybody who thought some of the speed might have gone from Manny Pacquiao is seriously wrong. Pacquiao looked like at natural at 135 and boxed superbly the whole fight.

However I would like to commend Diaz on his heart and pure guts which he showed tonight. Diaz gave his all and has nothing to be ashamed of, in fact he should be pound, because he gave Pacquiao everything he had, never stopped coming forward despite taking heavy punishment and having some nasty cuts and showed us boxing fans an extremely entertaining fight!

Let us know what you thought of the Pacquiao Diaz fight, and what you think is next for Pacquiao and Diaz by posing a comment below!

Tonight in Las Vegas we see the clashing of the two lightweights, Manny Pacquiao and David Diaz. For this fight Manny Pacquiao has had to move up 5 pounds from junior lightweight. The legendary Pacquiao has 46 wins, with 35 of them knock outs, to 3 losses and 2 draws, is up against the 32 year old David Diaz, who has had a lesser 34 wins, with half of them knock outs, but only 1 loss and one draw.

The heavily favoured Pacquiao has not predicted a knock out, “This is one of my hardest fights. He trained just as hard and is determined to keep his title”, said Manny Pacquiao on the prospects of this fight. Pacquiao has gone through a very intensive training routine with Freddie Roach in the past 7 weeks leading up to this fight, and if he wins he will become the first Asian to win 4 titles in four weight classes, and the first Filipino to be champion in the 135 pound league.

Even though he is the obvious favourite to be the new champion of the lightweight league, he thinks that he will still need the help of his fans to win “Para sa inyo ang laban na ito (This fight is for you),” said Pacquiao. “Gagawin ko ang aking makakaya at sana’y ipagdasal ninyo ang tagumpay ko (I’ll do my best and please pray for my victory)”.

This fight should be a definite to watch, with both boxers believing that they can win, David Diaz saying that “I’m willing to go toe-to-toe with him. I won’t give my belt to him”, lets see if he can keep his belt.

Will Pacquiao be the new lightweight champion?

Can David Diaz keep his title?