TOP TEN CURRENT BRITISH BOXERS

It has been over a month now since Carl Froch’s rather impetuous criticism on Anthony Joshua being included in The Sun’s Top 10 list of British fighters over the last thirty years. Froch himself was a formidable three-time world super-middleweight champion in his own right. He held impressive wins over distinguished contemporaries such as Jean Pascal, Jermain Taylor, George Groves and Mikkel Kessler, in a stellar career and should go down as a future boxing Hall of Famer.

Nevertheless, what spurred Froch’s rant? Was he irked by the tabloid’s view that Froch’s fanciful nemesis and fellow legendary Welsh super-middleweight fighter, Joe Calzaghe, had topped their list? Was it that Froch was bemused and maybe even slightly aggrieved that Anthony Joshua was included in the list when his career is surely far from over (all the other fighters included in the list are fully retired)? Or, maybe it was because Froch, who was also known as ‘The Cobra’ during his 35-fight career, which included 33 wins, was upset that he himself was not included in the Sun’s top 10 list?

Either way, such opinions, and the ensuing yet brief social media disagreement between Froch and Joshua, in a sport as subjective as boxing, prompted me to draw up my very own list of Britain’s top ten current boxers, pound for pound.  

1)      Tyson Fury – Fight record – (30-0-1 with 21 K0s)

In February of this year, I witnessed probably the greatest and certainly the most ruthless performance by a heavyweight in my lifetime. Fury’s splendid victory over Deontay Wilder on a frenzied night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, not only confirmed him as both Britain and the world’s new number one heavyweight, it also confirmed Fury’s position as the best fighter along these shores. Lest it not be forgotten that Fury ended the dominant reign of Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 and has now done the same with Wilder.

Three years ago, ‘The Gypsy King’ was 24-stone, facing a serious battle with mental (and fitness) health and a return to boxing seemed highly in doubt. Today, the WBC kingpin is arguably the most talked about fighter in the world and will surely be lining up a fight next year with fellow Brit, Anthony Joshua, for official supremacy of the heavyweight division.

2)      Anthony Joshua – Fight record – (23-1-0 with 21 KOs)

Living in this planet probably seemed like the last place Anthony Joshua wanted to be in after his shock defeat to Andy Ruiz nearly a year ago. However, mental fortitude has always been one of AJ’s biggest and underappreciated strengths. Joshua could have decided to axe his long-time trainer Rob McCracken, and, he could have neglected his rematch clause with Andy Ruiz and decide to rebuild his career and confidence with fights against lesser known fighters.

Instead, Joshua accepted his defeat to Ruiz, dug deep and ignored most of his critics by retaining McCracken and activating his rematch clause. He analysed where he went wrong and trained immensely hard for the rematch (losing ten pounds in the process) with Ruiz, cruising to a unanimous decision win over Mexico’s first ever world heavyweight champion and reclaiming his WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO world titles in December 2019. Joshua’s career had been fast tracked ever since winning his first world title against Charles Martin in April 2016. He was never the finished article and had always been made to learn the hard way despite his rollercoaster win over old foe Dillian Whyte, the barnstorming triumph over Wladimir Klitschko and the more measured approach to outpoint Joseph Parker.

However, because of his loss to Ruiz and Tyson Fury’s demolition of Deontay Wilder, Joshua drops to number two in my list, behind Fury. Defeating Fury for the undisputed fight would change this.

3)      Josh Taylor – Fight record – (16-0-0 with 12 KOs)

The ‘Tartan Tornado’ who hails from the small fishing town of Prestonpans, on the outskirts of Edinburgh, captured Scottish hearts in October of last year with an epic win over American, Regis Prograis, at The 02 Arena in London to become the unified champion of the 140-pound division. Victory for Taylor confirmed him as the winner of the inaugural World Boxing Super Series (WBSS): Light-Welterweight tournament and with that secured him the honourably named Muhammad Ali Trophy.

From what it seems so far, the key to Taylor building a legacy would be to avoid getting involved in any non-sensical events such as the one that unfolded towards the end of last year. Continuing contractual disputes with his former Manager, Barry McGuigan, and Taylor’s former trainer, Shane McGuigan, Barry’s son, must also be resolved. His amateur pedigree (winning gold at the 2014 Commonwealth games in Glasgow and silver at the same event in Dehli four years earlier), technical skills, and determination are certainly not in question. A scheduled fight with Thailand's Apinun Khongsong was cancelled due to the Covid-19 outbreak and a future undisputed match-up with unified WBC and WBO champion, Jose Ramirez, eagerly awaits.

4)      Josh Warrington – Fight record – (30-0-0 with 7KOs)

Arguably the most underrated fighter in this list, Josh Warrington, emerged onto the world scene with a fabulous victory over the then IBF Featherweight World Champion, Lee Selby, in front of a partisan Elland Road crowd in May 2018. Warrington was a massive underdog ahead of the fight against the more naturally talented Welshman Selby.

However, buoyed by a 25,000 strong crowd, Warrington’s high-octane style proved too much for Selby and evoked memories of Ricky Hatton’s fervent victory over Kostya Tszyu at the MEN arena back in 2005. Since then, Warrington has gone on to defeat former two-weight world champion, Carl Frampton, Sheffield's Kid Galahad and the Frenchman, Sofiane Takoucht. A fight with fellow 126-pound world champion, Shakur Stevenson, has been mooted.  

5)      Callum Smith – Fight record – (27-0-0 with 19 KOs)

Things have not quite turned out as planned for ‘Mundo’ since landing the WBA (Super) and Ring magazine super-middleweight title with a stunning stoppage of George Groves which, like Josh Taylor, also saw Smith get hold of the Muhammad Ali Trophy at the 168-pound edition of the WBSS back in September 2018.

Since then, Smith has recorded a TKO victory over the durable but limited Hassan N’Dam, and, a very contentious points victory over London’s John Ryder. In fact, prior to the Groves fight, the Liverpudlian’s defeats of Erik Skoglund and Nieky Holzken, at the quarter-final and semi-final stages of the WBSS, were also lacklustre performances against relatively unknown fighters.

Nevertheless, the suggestion has always been that Smith, would need to fight someone with a reputable name to fully motivate himself and demonstrate his vaunted skillset. Future dust-ups with one of the pound-for-pound kings, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, or, a unification fight with WBO champion, Billy Joe Saunders, should incentivise Mundo.

6)      Billy Joe Saunders – Fight record – (29-0-0 with 14 KOs)

On his day, Saunders can be described as a true pugilist specialist. A whirl of hand speed, ring craft, fantastic footwork, and beautiful balance. This was showcased in the two-weight world champion’s punch-perfect performance in Canada against the hard-hitting Canadian, David Lemieux, in front of the latter’s home crowd in the city of Laval, Quebec.

The Lemieux fight took place in December 2017 and Saunders has only fought three times since – picking up the vacant WBO Super-Middleweight championship and becoming a two-weight champion against German, Shefat Isufi, in front of his hometown fans in Stevenage in May 2019 in the process. You feel as though Saunders, who other than Lemieux, also holds respectable wins over the likes of Chris Eubank Jr, Andy Lee and John Ryder, needs both a challenging and career-defining fight against someone of the ilk of Gennady Golovkin, Canelo Alvarez (an agreement was apparently made but cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak), or, the aforementioned domestic duel with Callum Smith. However, keeping active and staying out of trouble outside the ring (as his activities earlier on this year suggest), may possibly be Billy Joe’s biggest challenge.

7)      Carl Frampton – Fight record – (27-2-0 with 15 KOs)

Going into 2017 and ahead of a rematch with four-weight world champion, Leo Santa Cruz, there was arguably a case that Carl Frampton was Britain’s best fighter pound-for-pound. He had defeated Santa Cruz in a Fight of the Year contender in July 2016 to win the WBA (Super) Featherweight championship, thus becoming a two-weight world champion. Prior to that, Frampton, who was undefeated at the time, had also conquered arch-rival, Scott Quigg, via split decision to unify the super-bantamweight division in front of a raucous crowd in Manchester, and also overcame the wily Spaniard, Kiko Martinez, to win his first world title belt back in September 2014.

Since the Jackal’s razor thin loss to Santa Cruz in their second fight, the Belfast fighter’s star has waned a little. Similarly, to Josh Taylor, Frampton decided to part way with the McGuigan’s following the Santa Cruz rematch. Do not get me wrong, Frampton is still a world class operator. Backed by an ardent crowd in his hometown, he outclassed the fading legend Nonito Donaire in April 2018, and followed this up with a TKO win over Australian, Luke Jackson, four months later. Despite the mini renaissance, Frampton came up short against Josh Warrington in their clash for the IBF featherweight strap and it seems as though Frampton has gone off the boil since. A win over his predicted next opponent, the American WBO junior lightweight titleholder, Jamel Herring, could get the Frampton bandwagon going once again.

8)      Dillian Whyte – Fight record – (27-1-0 with 18 KOs)

What more can the Body Snatcher from Brixton do to get a world-title fight? He has been mandatory challenger for the WBC Heavyweight belt for over three years now - surely the longest in the history of the sport. Since his lost to Anthony Joshua in their grudge fight in December 2015, Whyte has improved immeasurably as a fighter mentally, physically, and technically. Under the guidance of Mark Tibbs, Whyte has become a student of the sport and possesses the necessary boxing fundamentals to mix it with the best in the game. He has an underrated yet piercing jab, an accurate right hand, crunches shots to the body and has the best left hook in the heavyweight division.

Furthermore, Whyte has been involved in various crowd-pleasing fights. His resume is highly impressive and on paper is better than former world champion, Deontay Wilder. He holds wins over former world champions Lucas Browne and Joseph Parker, the uncompromising Colombian, Oscar Rivas, and two victories over former world-title challenger, Dereck Chisora. Whyte is still expected to fight the experienced former WBA (Regular) heavyweight holder, Alexander Povetkin, after lockdown. A win over the Russian and a successful world-title challenge which has been forecasted for February 2021, will surely see Whyte rise the British and world rankings.

9)      Kal Yafai – Fight record – (26-1-0 with 15 KOs)

The least recognised fighter in this list, in December 2016, Yafai stormed to a wide points victory over Panamanian fighter, Luis Concepcion, to capture the WBA super-flyweight championship, thus becoming Birmingham’s first ever world boxing champion. Yafai went on to defend his belt five times with comfortable, if not, glamorous defences which also included trips to the United States and Monaco. Yafai eventually lost his belt to the four-weight world champion and another future Hall of Famer, Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez, as he was stopped in the ninth-round of their contest last February.  

At only 30 years of age, Yafai who has fought 27 times so far in the professional ranks has time on his side to become a world champion once again and he is a quality operator. He had a decorated amateur career representing Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics (along with future world champions Billy Joe Saunders and James DeGale) and won a silver medal at the 2010 European Championships as a flyweight. For British boxing fans, the most intriguing fight we would like to see Yafai in would be a domestic battle with former WBC flyweight champion, Charlie Edwards.

10)  Kell Brook – Fight record – (39-2-0 with 27 KOs)
Since losing his IBF welterweight belt to Errol Spence in front of his own crowd in Sheffield back in May 2017, Special K has become somewhat of a peripheral figure in British boxing. He only fought twice in 2018 and did not fight at all last year. There was a combination of reasons behind this: injuries (he suffered two fractured eye sockets to each eye in his only two losses to Spence and Gennady Golovkin), lifestyle (Brook usually blows up in weight between fights) and of course the failed pursuit of a grudge match with his old adversary, Amir Khan.

In February, Brook returned to the ring for the first time in 14 months, stopping American, Mark DeLuca, and performing admirably. Brook has acknowledged that in the past, he did not live the right lifestyle as a professional boxer and acceptance is always a positive sign before improvement. Going forward, Brook would need to decide which weight category he will choose to fight in, either welterweight or light-middleweight, and that could determine whether he can climb this ranking or drop out of this list. All his last three fights since losing to Spence have come at the 154-division where an interesting fight with Liverpool’s former WBO champion, Liam Smith (older brother of Callum), surely awaits. Despite this, Brook’s great rival Amir Khan suggested in an interview last month with Sky Sport’s Craig Slater, that if a famous fight were to take place between him and Brook, it would have to be at 147 pounds. Brook has stated that with his new approach to life, he can make both weight classes easily. Over to you now Kell.  

* This was written before Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury agreed financial terms for a two-fright deal, three days ago

Three mega boxing fights to lookout for in 2016

There were a number of reasons why 2015 marked a highly enthralling year in boxing. Floyd Mayweather finished his glistening career with a momentous victory over arch-rival Manny Pacquiao and a signature win over Andre Berto. Tyson Fury overcame all the odds with an astonishingly comfortable win over future Hall of Famer Wladimir Klitschko in Germany to become the Lineal, WBA (Super), IBF, IBO, WBO and The Ring Magazine Heavyweight champion. In the latest chapter of the storied Puerto Rico-Mexican rivalry, Canelo Alvarez unanimously outpointed four-weight division champion Miguel Cotto to claim the Lineal, Ring and WBC Middleweight belts. And the year concluded with Anthony Joshua overcoming the spirited effort of Dillian Whyte in a pulsating encounter to become the British and Commonwealth Heavyweight champion - and settling their bitter rivalry for now at least.

This year has already started with explosive wins for Heavyweights David Haye (his first fight in over three years) and Deontay Wilder, defeating Mark De Mori and Artur Szpilka respectively in the weekend. Here are three big fights scheduled to take place over the next couple of months:

Danny Garcia vs Robert Guerrero - 23rd January 2016

This fight takes place at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California and will be Danny Garcia's second at welterweight following his stoppage victory over Paulie Malignaggi last August. Despite boasting a 31-fight unbeaten record with 18 of those wins coming by way of knockout - and holding impressive wins over former world champions Erik Morales, Zab Judah, Amir Khan and Lamont Peterson (as well as a fabulous unanimous points victory over the hard-hitting Argentinian Lucas Matthysse), the native Philadelphian still remains somewhat of a chasm in terms of support in the U.S. - perhaps, and rather unfairly, due to his reserved personality and, with all the greatest respect, solid but not exceptional boxing style.

Garcia comes up against Robert Guerrero who at 32-years old, and having recently come off a very disappointing and lacklustre loss to WBA Welterweight champion Keith Thurman surely cannot afford another loss. One gets the impression that Guerrero's career as a top-end fighter at 147 pounds has gradually declined since losing overwhelmingly to Floyd Mayweather in May 2012. Inactivity in the ring (Guerrero has only fought four times since the Mayweather fight) as well as uninspiring wins over Yoshihiro Kamegai and Aaron Martinez has made 'The Ghost' an almost forgotten force in the division.

A Guerrero loss will surely bring an end to the Californian's time as a 'top rank' fighter- a win for Garcia will open up possible fights with Shawn Porter, Kell Brook, Thurman or a rematch with previous nemesis Amir Khan.

Prediction - Garcia win on points

Sergey Kovalev vs Jean Pascal rematch - 30th January 2016

Towards the end of this month, Kovalev will be defending his WBA (Super), IBF and WBO Light Heavyweight titles against former WBC Light-Heavyweight champion Jean Pascal, in a rematch at the Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec. The first fight which took place in the same venue last March arguably represented Kovalev's toughest test since becoming world champion in the summer of 2013. Despite taking control of the fight in the early rounds and knocking down Pascal in front of his home crowd in the fourth, Pascal fought valiantly in rounds five and six utilising his quicker hands to come on-top in exchanges. Kovalev reasserted control from then on however, and after a minor wobble in the seventh round, followed by a major wobble in the eighth, referee Luis Pabon stopped the fight - Pascal had taken too much punishment.

It is almost common acceptance in the boxing world that after Middleweight kingpin Gennady Golovkin, there is no other pugilist as frighteningly menacing in the ring as Kovalev. The Russian's 86 percent knockout rate, stopping 25 of his 27 victims in the process, is the second highest in boxing - only Golovkin at 91 per cent stands higher. In his 2011 bout against Roman Simakov, Kovalev knocked down his fellow compatriot in the sixth round. The bout was brought to an end one round later and Kovalev was awarded a TKO victory. Sadly, Simakov was taken to the hospital, where he lapsed into a coma and died three days later. Kovalev's dominant win over ring legend Bernard Hopkins in August 2014 also showed that he has the capability to win bouts by boxing intelligently.

It is really hard to look beyond a Kovalev win via stoppage in this forthcoming rematch. Kovalev followed the win in the first contest with another TKO victory over Frenchman Nadjib Mohammedi in Round 3. Pascal, on the other hand, is now training with legendary boxing trainer Freddie Roach having moved on from his idol, the boxing great Roy Jones Jr. It will be very interesting to find out how Roach will look to take advantage of Pascal's hand-speed and greater athleticism against such a ferocious puncher in Kovalev. The former's last outing was a controversial and insipid performance against the underrated Cuban Yunieski Gonzalez, winning unanimously in a 10-round fight.  A win for Kovalev, and lucrative bouts with Andre Ward, and a long and eagerly-anticipated clash against the other Light-Heavyweight titlist Adonis Stevenson beckons in the summer.

Prediction - Kovalev TKO win (Round 7)

Carl Frampton vs Scott Quigg - IBF and WBA Super Bantamweight titles - 27th February 2016

Arguably the pick of the three fights of early 2016 is this domestic clash in the Manchester Arena between two of Britain's current twelve world champions. The IBF Super-Bantamweight Champion Carl Frampton of Belfast comes up against Manchester's Scott Quigg who holds the WBA title in the 122-pound division. Both fighters have yet to taste defeat and their wins over former IBF champion Kiko Martinez represent career highs to date for Frampton and Quigg.

This fight is a compliment to the upward trajectory of the previously understated Quigg, whom prior to his fantastic win over Martinez in July had been overlooked as a true champion due to the nature in which he became world champion - assuming the vacant WBA title without a fight and his two draws against journeyman Rendall Munroe and Yoandris Salinas. Conversely, Frampton's record is unblemished, holding two wins over Martinez and winning the IBF strap with a convincing win over the latter in their second fight.

After continuous trading of insults on social media between Quigg and Frampton and months of negotiations between the fighters promoters Barry McGuigan and Eddie Hearn, the mega fight was confirmed on 2nd November 2015 and the winner will not only unify the Super-Bantamweight division, but also set up exciting fights against conceivably the most technically-accomplished fighter in the sport, Guillermo Rigondeaux; four-weight world champion Nonito Donaire or even a domestic bout with Doncaster's Gavin McDonnell, who recently relinquished his European title in order to challenge for world honours.

Quigg, the bigger of the two, is a harder puncher and must use his bigger frame and higher work rate to out-power and out-hustle the slicker Frampton if he is to emerge victorious. Alternatively, for Frampton to win, surely staying in the centre of the ring and avoid getting involved in a brawl surely stands as his best chance of being successful that night. Irrespective of the outcome, this fight promises to be one of the spectacles of 2016.

Prediction - Frampton win on points

With these three fights taking place over the next couple of months, as well as other compelling fights that have been more-or-less agreed such as Fury and Klitschko's rematch later this year; the outspoken Adrien Broner confirming his fight with Ashley Theophane for the former's WBC Super-Lightweight championship; and eight-weight division titlist Manny Pacquiao completing his trilogy with Timothy Bradley in his farewell fight in April - 2016 promises to be another mouth-watering year in boxing.

Will Liverpool suffer from 'second-season syndrome' once again?

For the devout and superstitious supporters of Liverpool Football Club, Saturday's surprise 1-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa would have been marked with curious suspicion. Although this Premier League season is only four games young, the defeat to Aston Villa meant that so far in the league campaign the Anfield Club have only taken six points from a possible twelve. At this stage of their league campaign last year, the Reds had amassed ten from twelve.


Prior to the start of this season, Liverpool lost their influential but maniacal talisman Luis Suarez to Barcelona for £75 million. Suarez played a determining role in the club's ascent to second position in the last campaign with 33 goals, winning individual honours such as the Premier League Golden Boot, the PFA Player's Player of the Year award and the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year accolade too. Much talk in the close-season was if the Reds' form would plummet having sold their best player just as it had happened to Tottenham Hotspur when Gareth Bale had left White Hart Lane to join Spanish giants Real Madrid for a world record transfer fee of £85.3 million. Liverpool may well replicate the season Tottenham endured last year eventually finishing fifth in the league culminating in the dismissals of first, Andre Villas-Boas in December of last year following a 5-0 home defeat to Liverpool, and secondly, his successor Tim Sherwood last May.

In an attempt to lessen the not large but yawning hole that emerged once Luis Suarez's transfer to the Camp Nou had been officially confirmed, Liverpool spent over £100 million recruiting Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren (all from Southampton), Mario Balotelli, Divock Origi (who has been loaned back by Lille - the club he had signed from), Lazar Markovic, Javier Manquillo, Alberto Moreno and Emre Can over the summer. Whilst Balotelli and Lambert were signed to score goals, Lallana and Markovic joined to add some much needed creativity- another crucial aspect of Suarez's game (accumulating twenty-one assists in the league last season). Inevitably, the Merseyside club's transfer dealings drew similar comparisons to Tottenham's transfer activity last summer when owner Daniel Levy sanctioned the arrivals of Erik Lamela, Christian Eriksen, Vlad Chriches, Etienne Capoue, Paulinho, Roberto Soldado and Nacer Chadli in deals north of £110.5 million. Spurs' season was perhaps characterised by the new signings inability, and to an extent, disinclination to gel together and adapt to new surroundings leading to Villas-Boas and Sherwood's aforementioned departures.

Irrespective of Tottenham's form last year, what would be most pertinent to Liverpool fans is a worrying 'second-season syndrome' decline the club seem to go through the season after they finish second in the Premier League. In the 2001-2002 campaign, Liverpool under the Gerard Houllier regime had finished seven points adrift of Arsenal in the league - their highest league position since 1991. The key to Liverpool's success that season was their strong form when playing at Anfield having amassed more points than any other team at home that season. Michael Owen was also instrumental in the Reds' title push with nineteen goals in the league that season. Owen's unyielding efforts in front of goal are best revealed by the fact that the second highest goalscorer after the him was his club and country team-mate Emile Heskey with nine goals. Robbie Fowler had left his boyhood team to join Leeds United for £11 million midway through that season.

Prior to the 2002-03 campaign, Houllier was expected to significantly strengthen his squad if Liverpool were to be successful in their title push (John Arne Riise was the only notable addition in the 01-02 season). Of the reputable names signed, Salif Diao and El-Hadji Diouf, who both joined from French clubs CS Sedan-Ardnennes and RC Lens on the back of very promising performances representing Senegal in the 2002 World Cup, and French midfielder Bruno Cheyrou had also signed from Ligue 1 outfit Lille, were expected to inject more verve into the team. Nearly everything went wrong however.

Diouf who costed £10 million and was signed instead of making Nicolas Anelka's loan move from Paris Saint-Germain a permanent one after a successful six-month loan deal the previous season, was the striker Houllier hoped would wrestle the title away from rivals Arsenal and Manchester United, as well as easing the goal-scoring burden off Michael Owen's shoulders. On his Anfield debut against Southampton, Diouf netted twice in a 3-0 win. Nonetheless, his next goal did not come until March 2003. During that time, the Reds had gone a morale-crushing twelve games without a win in the league, a run stretching over two months. Diouf finished the season with a disconcerting three goals in twenty-nine games and was shunted midway through the season to the right-flank to accommodate Heskey and Owen's partnership. Liverpool ended the season in fifth place, losing out on a Champions League spot on the last game of the season to direct rivals Chelsea succumbing to a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge. The overachievers during that season, Blackburn Rovers, under the leadership of Kop legend Graeme Souness ended only four points adrift of Liverpool in sixth place. 

Six years on from that rather forgettable season and with Diouf, Diao and Houllier firmly consigned to the past (not that the latter was seen as a failure at Liverpool), the Reds were now under the reign of Rafael Benitez. The outspoken Spaniard had won the Champions League in 2005 defeating AC Milan in Istanbul and the FA Cup against West Ham in Cardiff a year later, winning both matches on penalties after 3-3 thrillers after extra time. In the 2008-09 season, Benitez had engineered Liverpool to another strong second-place finish in the league, pushing arch-rivals Manchester United until the penultimate game of the season. With a total of 86 points, Benitez had overhauled Houllier's points record, resulting in Liverpool's most successful season to date since the inception of the Premier League in its current format in 1992.   

Similar to Houllier's situation, avid Liverpool supporters, including Anfield icon Alan Hansen, were expecting Benitez to go one place better and win the title. The £30 million sale of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid, who was part of Liverpool's impregnable spine from 2004 to 2009 along with the likes of Pepe Reina, Jamie Carragher, Sami Hyypia, Javier Mascherano, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres had hit Liverpool extremely hard. Alonso was arguably just as important to the Liverpool side as Gerrard was. Unhinging opposition defences with an unearthly talent of phenomenal passing, breaking-up play, and displaying a calm, unflappable demeanor on the pitch, Alonso was instrumental in Liverpool's stirring cup final comeback victories against Milan and West Ham, in addition to Liverpool's second-place finish in 08-09. 

So Benitez replacing his compatriot Alonso with the talented but injury-prone Alberto Aquilani from Roma for £17 million would have never truly gone down well amongst the club's most ardent supporters. Ironically, Aquilani was injured upon his arrival at Merseyside and did not make his league debut until 9th November 2009, coming on us a late substitute against Birmingham City in a 2-2 draw at Anfield. The signing of Aquilani represented one of the numerous amount of problems that was to happen during that season. Liverpool had already started the 2009-10 campaign with a 2-1 defeat away to Tottenham. In their second home game of the season the Reds lost 3-1 to an Aston Villa side inspired by Ashley Young. Their travails away from home were well documented having failed to take a single point at Spurs, Portsmouth, Fulham and Wigan to name a few. Their prolific striker Fernando Torres had suffered lengthy spells in the sidelines though still scored eighteen goals. Furthermore, fringe players such as Albert Riera, Ryan Babel and Yossi Benayoun all became increasingly frustrated with Benitez regarding a lack of game-time opportunities and voiced their deep-rooted concerns to the media.

Liverpool eventually finished the season a lowly seventh position which at the time was their worst season in the league since the 1998-99 campaign. Their away record, which had undermined the whole of their season, read at the end: Played 19, Won 5, Drawn 6, Lost 8. Benitez had his contracted terminated by mutual consent a month later bringing to an end his six-year stay as Liverpool manager and was replaced by Roy Hodgson. Fernando Torres left Liverpool just over six months later to join Chelsea for a then British transfer record of £50 million.

Brendan Rodgers must surely be acutely aware of the examples of both the second-season syndromes Liverpool experienced in 2002-03 and 2009-10 and will be at pains to ensure that the club's promising project does not show any signs of stagnating, particularly after last season's success. Although only four games have been played in the league thus far, Liverpool's performances, aside from the Tottenham result three weeks ago, suggests better performances are needed. In the 09/10 season, Liverpool had collected exactly the dame amount of points from the same amount of games as they have at the start of this season. And in the 02/03 season, after four games, Houllier's side were only two points better off. Perhaps it is too easy to read into such statistics and inevitably the new signings will take time to adapt as they get accustomed to each other, but as recent history indicates, Brendan Rodgers will feel that his side will need to register a win against West Ham at Upton Park tomorrow evening before the club's most loyal supporters start thinking superstitiously.

How will the African nations fair in the the 2014 World Cup?

When the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) announced in May 2010 that the African Cup of Nations was to be held in odd-numbered years in an attempt to contain the poor performances of the nations representing Africa in the World Cup from 2013 onwards, there was inevitably a sense of both hope and sadness across the continent.

Hope would have definitely been the underlying feeling within many of Africa's leading footballing nations. For years, much had been expected of sides such as Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria and the Ivory Coast, at the biggest stage of world football over the past decade, with reputable footballing figures such as Samuel Eto'o, Michael Essien, John Obi Mikel and Didier Drogba originating from each of the four respective countries. Never in the history of the World Cup has a country belonging to the African continent made it to a semi-final. Ghana were harshly eliminated by Uruguay in the quarter-final stage on penalties in the last tournament. With no African Nations Cup scheduled  over the course of the next two months, it is now hoped that the continent's four premier nation's, along with Algeria, who will make their fourth World Cup appearance, will make a better account of themselves at this summer's finals in Brazil.

At the other end of the spectrum following CAF's announcement more than three years ago now, was ultimately a sense of sadness, too. Last year the Nations Cup, which was won by Nigeria in South Africa, was the first time the tournament  had not been played in an even-numbered year since the fifth inception of the tournament in 1965. Up until Nigeria had sealed their qualification to this summer's competition by comfortably seeing of Ethiopia last month, it had been nine years since the African Nations champions had qualified for the world cup- when Tunisia saw off Morocco in Tunisia in 2004 (and even that edition of the African Nations was not played in the same year as the World Cup).

This dismaying statistic should be met with particular anguish amongst Egyptians. Undeniably the most successful team in the continent of the 2000's, capturing an unprecedented three African Nations cups in a row, in 2006, 2008, and 2010, it seems a great shame that one of Africa's most  successful teams seem highly unlikely to be denied the fortuity to showcase their capabilities to the world. Key players who had propelled the country to such heavenly and historic heights, Mohamed Aboutrika, Ahmed Hassan and Wael Gomaa have now retired from international football, in the case of Aboutrika and Hassan, or, in Gomaa's case at 38 years old, has very limited time representing his country.

Nevertheless, there is one thing that Egyptians, and the rest of the African nations not participating in Brazil possess that no other continent seem to have, a sense of unity- the 'spirit of Africa' which was experienced in the 2010 World Cup when Ghana were a goal-line clearance (regardless of how legitimate Luis Suarez's interception was) and the width of a crossbar away from reaching the semi-finals, before succumbing to Uruguay via penalties. It is this spirit which is expected to provide the additional boost for impressive performances from Africa's representatives next summer. Below is a breakdown in more detail on how each nation shape up ahead of the World Cup between 12th June to 13th July.

Cameroon

Having won the African Nations Cup four times and qualified for the FIFA World Cup seven times, more than any other team in their continent, Cameroon are one of Africa's most prominent teams. Hence the reason why it is quite bewildering that the team known as Les Lions Indomptables (The Indomitable Lions) have only made it out of the group stage of the competition once, in 1990, when they became the first African team to reach the quarter-final, ultimately succumbing to England in extra time.     

Roger Milla was the star for Cameroon in that competition, and went onto become not just a Cameroonian icon (he already was one), but Africa's most recognised footballer and an unmistakable character universally too. He was named one of the 125 greatest living footballers in 2004 by the Brazilian football legend Pele.

That accolade has long been taken over by Samuel Eto'o, Cameroon's favourite son. Eto'o's achievements is unrivalled in world football let alone Africa. At club level Eto'o has been honoured with fifteen winners medals, which includes three UEFA Champions League honours, three La Liga titles, winning the Scudetto with Inter Milan as well as the FIFA Club World Cup with Inter as well. With the Cameroonian international team, Eto'o has won the African Cup of Nations twice back in 2000 and 2002, and an Olympic Gold Medal in Sydney, also in 2000. He has won the African Player of the Year four times. In addition to being named top scorer of the tournament twice in 2006 and 2008, and the competition's all-time highest scorer, Eto'o is his nation's third most-capped player, after Rigobert Song and Geremi Njitap, with 114 caps, and, inimitably, Cameroon's all-time top scorer with 55 goals. Records aside however, and most importantly to Cameroon, Eto'o remains Les Lions Indomptables talisman.

Despite his powers slightly appearing to be on the wane when playing for Chelsea, the 32 year-old is still Cameroon's best player. Over the past two years Eto'o has developed an 'on and off' relationship with the Federation Camerounaise de Football, Cameroon's footballing federation, following a series of events which commenced in December 2011, when he was banned by the board for fifteen games, after the team refused to play a friendly against Algeria earlier that year, Eto'o was seen as the instigator in that particular case and undoubtedly contributed to Cameroon's inconsistent form over the last two years and their absence from the last two African Cup of Nations in 2012 and 2013.

Controversies aside, it is very hard to see Eto'o and his team-mates replicate the awe-inspiring form of Roger Milla and company 24 years ago. Cameroon are grouped with hosts Brazil, and face stern encounters with Mexico and Croatia. Emerging from that group seems almost impossible when you consider Cameroon's opponents and their form over the past couple of years.

The appointment of the German football manager, Volker Finke, in May of last year, as well as the nous of Eto'o and other experienced players in Jean Makoun, Alex Song and Pierre Webo are essential in order to compliment the fine talents of Nicolas N'Koulou, Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik and Vincent Aboubakar, if Cameroon are to have any chance of reaching the last 16 of the World Cup for only the second time.      

Ivory Coast

Whereas Egypt was the most successful African team of the past decade conquering the continent three times in a row, Ivory Coast were (and arguably still are) unquestionably the most gifted. Having endured the pain of losing two of the last five African Cup of Nations finals by penalties to Egypt in 2006, and then, heartbrokenly to Zambia (losing 8-7) in 2012, time is running out on Didier Drogba, Didier Zokora, Kolo Toure and Yaya Toure, all of whom are on the wrong side of their thirties, if they are to make a forceful impact in world football.

In all fairness, the The Elephants- have been unfortunately drawn in the 'group of death' in the last two World Cups. In their first appearance in the tournament in 2006, and under the guidance of the former French midfielder, Henri Michel,  they were drawn alongside international heavyweights Argentina and the Netherlands, as well as Serbia and Montenegro, ending third and four points of second spot. Then in 2010, and this time led by Sven-Goran Eriksson, the Ivorians were grouped with one of the favourites Brazil, along with Portugal, and debutants North Korea, this time only a point shy of a place in the next round.

This time under the tutelage of Sabri Lamouchi, the Elephants have the chance to make the final 16 of the competition for the first time in their third attempt, though it would not be easy. Colombia, Japan and Greece await them, and although the Ivorians are faced with a slightly simpler task compared to the groups they were sectioned in the other two occasions, qualification would still remain a splendid accomplishment. Columbia, with the likes of Radamel Falcao, Fredy Guarin and James Rodriguez, Japan, with Shinji Kagawa and Keisuke Honda, and Greece, who possess the free-scoring Olympiakos hitman, Kostas Mitroglou, will all be tough tests for the Ivory Coast.

Colombia should prove too strong for the three other sides and are predicted by many to top the group. Conversely, Greece, are seen by many as the underdogs and are expected to end last. That would leave Ivory Coast and Japan to contend with each other for second place. The two nations face each other in their first games of the tournament on 14th June, a contest which has quietly been anticipated by neutrals since the draws for the World Cup were made earlier this month. It is a match which sees Ivory Coast's athleticism come up against Japan's technicians- brawn versus brain.

For the Elephants to progress from this group, the qualities and experience of Drogba, Zokora and the Toure brothers who make up the spine of the Ivorian team are essential and must be inherent in order to compliment the exuberance and enthusiasm of Gervinho, Salomon Kalou and Cheick Tiote, in which their  creativity, guile and aggression will very much be integral to Ivory Coast's cause if they are to progress.    

Nigeria

Amidst the ongoing internal bickering between Nigeria's head coach Stephen Keshi and the Nigerian Football Federation over the former's accusations of unpaid salary throughout much of last year, 2013 has been a very fruitful year for Nigerian football in general. In February, the senior team captured the nation's third African Cup of Nations trophy with a 1-0 win over Burkina Faso in Johannesburg. This was then followed by the nation's fourth triumph of the FIFA U-17 world championships last month, defeating Mexico 3-0 at the United Arab Emirates. Nigerians all around the globe will be hoping for further improvement at the finals next year.

This will be the country's fifth appearance at the World Cup having not progressed further than the last 16 in any of their previous four appearances. Their performance in the last World Cup was personified by Yakubu Aiyegbini's astonishing four yard miss against South Korea in a match they had to win to avoid expulsion from the group stage. One of the most shocking moments in World Cup history.

This time around, Keshi's men hope to go one step further. Grouped with Iran, World Cup debutants Bosnia and Herzegovina, and two-time champions Argentina, there is renewed optimism that the Super Eagles can clinch qualification from Group F, where Argentina, whom Nigeria have now been drawn in the same group with in Nigeria's last three appearances in the finals, are expected to win the group with considerable ease. Iran should prove to be stubborn, but negotiable opponents, meaning Nigeria's game with Bosnia, who boast the talents of Manchester City's Edin Dzeko and midfield starlet Miralem Pjanic (who is in stunning  form for Roma in Serie A), on the 21st June 2014 should become the defining fixture for both nation's respective hopes of reaching the next round of the competition.

If Nigeria are to qualify for the last 16 of the world cup, much will be expected of the Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel and Fenerbahce frontman, Emmanuel Emenike. In Keshi's favoured, high tempo, counter-attacking, 4-2-3-1 system, Mikel plays as the most advanced of Keshi's three midfielders, the linchpin in an attacking midfield role, dissimilar to his role for his club side positioned as a holding midfielder patrolling Chelsea's back four.

The powerful yet enigmatic, Emmanuel Emenike, is unquestionably Nigeria's premier marksman. However, for, the Fenerbahce striker to be in top form, much is dependent on the service he receives from Mikel behind him, and the flanks. Though, Victor Moses, Ahmed Musa and Brown Ideye are all blessed with searing pace and that sense of unpredictably to beat an opponent, all three have the propensity to perform consistently inconsistent in the green and white jersey, with their inability to pick the right pass and deliver a telling end product being their major hindrance.

If Nigeria are to advance to the second round of the World Cup, Mikel and Emenike will have to be on top of their games.  

Ghana

Apart from the 3.3 million or so citizens living in Uruguay, it is very uncommon to meet any other football fan that felt Luis Suarez's self-proclaimed "save of the tournament", had deprived not just Ghana, but a continent home to a billion people the cherished opportunity of a African football team advancing through to the last four of sport's second biggest international event after the Olympics.

Late in the second half of extra time in this quarter-final match-up, and with the score tied at 1-1, full-back John Paintsil sent an outswinging free-kick from 30 yards out into the box; Suarez blocked Stephen Appiah's resultant shot on the goal-line. The former then blocked Dominic Ayidiah's following goal-bound header with his right hand to save what would have been the game's winner and was consequently sent off. Asamoah Gyan then agonisingly hit the crossbar with the ensuing penalty, with a relieved Suarez, who stopped to watch, cheerfully celebrating the miss before heading down the tunnel. Ghana, seemingly severely psychologically affected by the drama that occurred a few minutes earlier, lost on penalties to the Uruguayans 4-2. This was the most memorable moment of the 2010 World Cup.

It is often forgotten that, notwithstanding the event that occurred in Soccer City, Johannesburg, Ghana had performed appreciably in the last World Cup. Outperforming their African counterparts for the second time in a row, as they did in their first World Cup appearance in 2006, when they made it out of a  group that had contained Czech Republic (who's team included more than a few of the remnants that had performed so earnestly in the European championships reaching the semi-finals a couple of years before), the United States, and the eventual winners, Italy, Ghana were finally knocked out by a Ronaldo-inspired Brazil in the second round.

If Ghana are to advance through to the group stages and into the last sixteen for the third successive time, they will have to somehow negotiate their way through a very tricky group. One that consists of one of the pre-tournament favourites, Germany, Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal, and the United States, a nation Ghana will encounter for the third World Cup in a row, having also defeated them in 2010 after extra time in their second round clash.

 Ghana's midfield, with distinguished names such as Michael Essien, Kwadwo Asamoah, Sulley Muntari and Kevin-Prince Boateng will have to perform to the best of their abilities in order to thwart German, Portuguese and American opposition. Boateng is arguably the key player for the Black Stars occupying the no.10 role behind Asamoah Gyan. Critics both within and outside Ghana have questioned the Schalke midfielder's motives having only come out of international exile in November to play in the second leg of the World Cup qualification play-off match against Egypt in Cairo. Before then, the last time the 26-year-old Berlin-born midfielder had represented Ghana was in an African Cup of Nations qualifier against Congo in October 2010.

It is hoped that Boateng, along with the aforementioned experienced midfielders and other quality players who are central to the Black Stars cause, Gyan, Andre Ayew and his younger brother, Jordan, will also have to bring out their best form in order to give Ghana a decent chance of reaching the last sixteen for a third consecutive time.    

Algeria

The one-time African Nations Cup winners and Egypt's fiercest rivals will be making their fourth appearance in the World Cup having not progressed any further than the group stage. In the last World Cup, Algeria were drawn with the United States and Slovenia, and nullified England into a goalless draw in Cape Town, much to the frustration of Wayne Rooney whom infamously shouted towards an advancing cameraman voicing his displeasure at hearing supposed "loyal supporters" booing his England teammates.

More stubbornness will be required by the Algerians in Group H if they are to restrict Belgium, Russia and South Korea, but finishing last for the second consecutive time in the World Cup seems their most likely position.

The former Rangers defender and current captain of Algeria, Madjid Bougherra, is the keystone to the side. Bougherra, who now plies his trade for the Qatari side, Lekhwiya Sports Club, lays the basic foundation to coach Vahid Halilhodzic's team and will be heavily influential in their attempts to frustrate the seemingly inevitable onslaught that will come from the Belgians, Russians and South Koreans. Djamel Mesbah, formerly of AC Milan, and now playing for Parma, naturally an attacking full-back who often looks positionally perplexed when it comes to defending, will ought to have his hands full fending off the attacking threats of Kevin Mirallas for Belgium, presumably Vladimir Bystrov for Russia, and South Korea's Lee Chung-Yong.

In 2010, Algeria failed to score a single goal in the group stages. Les Fennecs, (meaning the Fennec Foxes, the national animal of Algeria), will be reliant on the creativity of Valencia winger Sofiane Feghouli, and the Inter Milan pair, Saphir Taider and Ishak Belfodil. All three players are relatively inexperienced at international level and represent the future of Algerian football. Nevertheless, the nation is heavily dependent on them to provide the goals for their nation. Making an impact at this World Cup for the trio, Belfoldil and Taider particularly, seems a little premature however.

Are Andre Berto's Days as a top rank fighter now over?

It was just over five years ago when Andre Berto landed the WBC Welterweight title that Floyd Mayweather had vacated following his two-year hiatus from boxing after his defeat of Ricky Hatton in December 2007. By defeating his opponent, the Mexican, Miguel Angel Rodriguez, by way of technical knockout in the seventh round of the contest at the FedExForum Arena in Memphis, Tennessee, Berto was predicted to become a dominating force in the 147-pound division.

Berto's elevation seemed destined for greatness. Growing up in Winter Haven, Florida, a city prided for its history of producing successful sportsmen such as the four-time NBA all-star and Olympic gold medallist, Otis Birdsong, three-time Olympic gold-medal swimmer, Rowdy Gaines and Olympic gold medal sprinter Kenneth Brockenburr, the script was made for Berto to become another successful athlete from the city. Like many African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans who enter boxing, Berto, nicknamed 'The Beast', was reared in a working-class family, one of seven children to Dieseul and Wilnise Berto, both of whom had migrated from Haiti in the 1970s. 

Hailing from a family embellished with MMA fighters, his father Dieseul competed in mixed-martial arts in Japan, his older brother James, dubbed the 'Little Tiger' was the former Real Fighting Championship Lightweight Champion whilst his younger sister, Revelina 'Nana' Berto, was a previously undefeated mixed martial arts contender for Real Fighting Championship, Andre, was supposed to be the exceptional anomaly to all of them.

Berto has always had raw talent in abundance. Blessed with lightning hand speed, astounding athleticism and explosive punching power, Berto entered his fight with Rodriguez boasting an unblemished record. Winning all of his 21 bouts, eighteen of them coming by way of knockout,  defeating creditable fighters such as David Estrada (who had been in the ring with boxing legend 'Sugar' Shane Mosley and the tenacious Puerto Rican, Kermit Cintron) and Cosme Rivera by technical knockout and unanimous decision respectively, en route to his fight with Rodriquez.

The Rodriguez fight duel followed the same pattern. Berto quickly asserting control of the contest with his incisively rapid left-hand jabs and one-two combinations, exerting his power on a bigger welterweight in Rodriguez who stands at 5 ft 11. The then 24-year old was ahead in most rounds according to the three judges at the time before Berto closed the show with a mortifying uppercut to the jaw of his Mexican opponent early on in the seventh round before the referee, Laurence Cole, stopped the fight later on in the round due to the unforgiving hammering the Floridian had inflicted on Rodriguez, to become world champion.  

But despite his fledgling career in a welterweight division that had included fine boxers such as Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito, Zab Judah and Paul Williams to name a few, doubts over his defense and his seemingly one-dimensional approach in all his bouts had always been a concern despite his imposing power and tremendous athleticism. 

Queries over Berto's defence had initially registered after his wins over Estrada and Rivera and these doubts continued after unrewarding victories over good, but not formidable adversaries in Steve Forbes, Luiz Collazo and Carlos Quintana to preserve his unbeaten record and retain his WBC Welterweight title.

Then, on what was suppose to be the biggest fight of his career, Andre Berto was scheduled to clash Shane Mosley in a unification bout for the WBA and WBC Welterweight titles on 30th January 2010. In what would have been one of the highest contested fights of that calender year, Berto pulled out twelve days before the fight after the catastrophic and distressingly ruinous events that occurred as a result of the Haitian earthquake that was measured 7.0 on the Richter scale, leaving hundreds of thousands civilians dead, including several of Berto's family members, therefore leaving Berto "mentally and physically exhausted" and with no choice but to withdraw from his bout with Mosley. Fortunately, his sister, Naomi, and her daughter, Jessica, survived the disaster, though they too were left homeless.   

Berto returned to the ring registering the first round stoppage of Freddy Hernandez. However, in his next contests, Berto came up short against proficient southpaws Victor Ortiz (a fight that was named The Ring magazine's 'Fight of the Year' for 2011 with four ruled knockdowns) and Robert Guerrero. In these two defeats, Berto's weakness in defense and his one-dimensional 'come-forward' style were badly exposed by Ortiz and Guerrero, both of whom are more elegant welterweight competitors compared to Quintana, Collazo, Forbes and other opponents Berto had dispatched with relative consummate ease. In the Guerrero fight, a grueling match which left Berto with both eyes swollen shut, and Guerrero's right eye closed, Berto adopted the 'shoulder-roll' defense perfected expertly by Floyd Mayweather, to inadequate effect. 

His surprise loss to Mexican, Jesus Soto-Karass, at San Antonio, Texas, on 27th July 2013, is undoubtedly the nadir of his nine-year professional career. Having loss to Ortiz and Guerrero, the pressure was on the Beast to not just emerge triumphant over Soto-Karass, but to do so in a stylish manner that befitted his record. He injured his right shoulder in the fourth round, yet coming into the final round, was leading just about ahead on the scorecards. Fighting with one arm, but only requiring to see out the remaining minute of the bout, Berto's tendency to come forward proved to be his nemesis once again, walking into a left-hand by the Mexican that dropped the Haitian-American, thus ending the fight. Now Berto has three losses in his last four fights.

Despite the ineffectiveness of the shoulder-roll defense against Guerrero, and a new trainer in Virgil Hunter, an expert in defensive coaching, who has reignited Amir Khan's career and has played a major contribution in making unbeaten WBA (Super) and The Ring Super-Middleweight champion, Andre Ward, an accomplished fighter, Berto is in desperate need of Hunter significantly bettering the former's defensive skills and awareness if Berto is to become a force in the Welterweight division again. 

Amir Khan was in a similar position to Berto this time last year losing surprisingly to Danny Garcia, the WBC, WBA (Super) and The Ring Magazine Light-Welterweight Champion, having lossed to Lamont Peterson via a contentious split decision in his previous fight. Nevertheless, Khan put himself back in the talent-rich light-welterweight division with wins over Carlos Molina and Juan Diaz, with a proposed fight against Devon Alexander pencilled in for December this year.  


The problem Berto has is that unlike Khan who is 26 now, age is not on Berto's side. He turns 30 in September, and the appointment of Virgil Hunter did not seem to have any telling difference in terms of eradicating Berto's defensive vulnerabilities. With another lengthy lay-off anticipated due to the injured shoulder he suffered in his disheartening comeback fight with Soto-Karass, it would be interesting to see where Berto goes from here. He remains adamant that he would not retire, but with no marquee boxers expected to fight him unless he makes a remarkable and notable upturn in form, are Andre Berto's days as a top-rank fighter now over?