Witter has won 37 of his 41 fights, with 22 knockouts

Witter has won 37 of his 41 fights, with 22 knockouts

Junior Witter will target new WBA light-welterweight champion Amir Khan if he beats Devon Alexander.

Witter, 35, fights the unbeaten American in California on Saturday for the vacant WBC title, having lost the belt to Timothy Bradley in May 2008.

Khan became a world champion earlier this month after defeating Andreas Kotelnik on points in Manchester.

"I think I'm the last guy Khan wants to meet but it would be a natural unification fight," said Witter.

The Sheffield fighter, who has lost twice in 41 fights, last fought in November 2008 when he knocked out Victor Hugo Castro in three rounds.

But despite his lack of activity in the ring, Witter says he is primed to win back the title he defended twice.

"I will bring my world title back, said Witter.

"I know I have got a job to do but I have got the experience, skill, power and accuracy to do it. I am ready to deliver what I have got."

Witter added: "I know I'm fighting a skilled man in Devon Alexander. He's unbeaten, 22-years-old but I know what I need to do in the fight."

Witter tried several times to tempt Britain's former world champion Ricky Hatton into a domestic unification fight, and is now desperate to land Khan if he returns with the WBC belt.

"Ricky Hatton avoided me for long enough when he was world champion," said Witter.

"I'm sure Khan won't want to get the same reputation but it would be a short night's work for me - I'd knock him out inside three rounds.

"I think this fight at the weekend will turn out to be a bigger challenge than Khan but I've never ducked a challenge and I plan on bringing that WBC belt back to the United Kingdom and then I can get it on with Khan."

My goal is to give him something where he will not be able to stay with that all night. I want to dominate him for 12 rounds Devon Alexander

But Witter's opponent Alexander, who is unbeaten in 18 fights, has warned him not to expect an easy ride on Saturday.

The American is confident of victory and intends to out-box and out-work his experienced opponent.

"I've watched tapes on Junior Witter," he said. "He's a crafty, slick fighter that likes to take pot shots at you when he gets the opportunity.

"My goal is to give him something where he will not be able to stay with that all night. I want to dominate him for 12 rounds.

If he's still there, I want to be there all day for him, giving him punches in bunches where he gets more than he gives.

"I want to be smart and aggressive at the same time."

Haye to fight WBA champion Valuev

Haye won the WBA and WBC cruiserweight titles in November 2007

Britain's former world cruiserweight champion David Haye will take on Russia's WBA heavyweight champion Nikolai Valuev on 7 November.

The announcement ends speculation about who Haye's next opponent would be, following reports the Londoner had agreed a bout with Vitali Klitschko.

Haye, 28, is eight stones lighter and nine inches smaller than Valuev.

He said: "David only needed a slingshot and stone to flatten Goliath, my right hand generates more power than that."

"Valuev's known as 'The Beast From The East' and there's a reason he's got that nickname - he's a big, ugly, sweaty and hairy man from the Eastern Bloc," Haye added.

Valuev, who is 7ft tall, has yet to be floored or knocked out in his 16-year professional career and has lost just once in 50 fights.

But Haye, who has also lost just once in his career, said: "I am thrilled to announce that my dream of becoming world heavyweight champion will be realised on 7 November, when I challenge the tallest and heaviest champion of all time.

"I can't wait to step into the ring and prove that size doesn't matter. Mark my words: I will be the first man to knock Nikolai Valuev out."

Haye revealed how he first saw Valuev fight when he was 16 at the Battersea Hall in London and recalled thinking at the time how difficult it would be to fight someone so big.

The 28-year-old has also admitted that it will be difficult to find sparring partners the same size as Valuev, making preparation for the fight even harder.

A venue for the contest has yet to be announced but the 02 Arena in London is rumoured to be in contention to stage the fight.

Haye knows his best shot at victory will be to get in close and trouble the Russian giant, but the Londoner joked.

"I have to get in close and out-manoeuvre him," Haye told Sky Sports News.

"But I don't want to get too close, he's so hairy it's disgusting."

Haye had been scheduled to fight Klitschko's brother Wladimir in June but withdrew because of a back injury.

That back injury has now healed but has decided to face Valuev as the conditions of the contract were more favourable.

"There were reports in the German press that I had signed to fight Vitali Klitschko in September, but those reports were never true," he added.

"There have been long and exhausting discussions about the clash, but unfortunately I could never put my name to the fight contract the Klitschkos offered.

"The level of disrespect they have shown me throughout has left me feeling insulted."

New date for Mayweather v Marquez

Floyd Mayweather Jr's comeback bout against Juan Manuel Marquez has been rescheduled for 19 September.

The undefeated five-weight champion was due to fight Mexico's Marquez on 18 July but pulled out with a rib injury.

Mayweather has not fought since beating Britain's Ricky Hatton in a December 2007 welterweight bout.

"I will destroy Marquez and reclaim my rightful place as boxing's pound-for-pound king all in one night," said the 32-year-old.

"I am relieved to be cleared to fight as I was already looking forward to getting back in the ring."

The 12-round bout will be staged at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas as originally planned.

It is seen as a stepping stone for Mayweather to an eventual showdown with Filipino star Manny Pacquiao, his successor in the pound-for-pound rankings.

606: DEBATE Just heard after his next fight James Degale is flying off to Vegas for sparring sessions with 'Pretty Boy' Floyd whotobeA

He will fight Marquez - the WBO and WBA lightweight champion - on the weekend after Mexican Independence Day.

"I am happy that Mayweather has been cleared to fight and we can get down to business," said Marquez, nicknamed 'Dinamita'.

"I will be fighting for (people) who will have a great reason to celebrate my win over Mayweather, which will be for the entire country of Mexico. I am sure of victory."

Mayweather has won all 39 of his professional contests, with 25 victories coming via knockouts.

Marquez, 35, has won 50 of his 55 fights (37 by KO), with four defeats and one draw.

DeGale to train with Mayweather

British middleweight James DeGale is set to train and spar with undefeated five-division champion Floyd Mayweather Jr at the end of July.

DeGale, who won Olympic gold in 2008, will first meet Irishman Ciaran Healey at Manchester's MEN Arena on 18 July in his third professional bout.

"We have an option to train with Mayweather in Vegas," said DeGale.

"To be in the gym with Floyd will be unbelievable. Floyd is one of my favourite fighters ever."

DeGale and his trainer Jim McDonnell met Mayweather during the American's public workout in London last month when the idea was agreed.

"He's a boxer who can dig deep when he needs to. Mayweather is a proper showman - I love his attitude. He has all the skills," added the 23-year-old.

"If I'm half the fighter he is, I'll be cool."

606: DEBATE Obviously he'll learn a lot from this but do you reckon it'll be enough to propel him on to big things? whotobeA

McDonnell believes sparring with top Americans such as Mayweather will accelerate DeGale's progress through the professional ranks.

"We're going to use the summer vacation as part of James' learning curve. All we've go to do with Mayweather is finalise the details," he said.

"We also have an option to train with Ronald 'Winky' Wright in Miami and Jermain Taylor at Gleason's Gym in New York.

"We want James to train and spar with world champions."

Ashes stars in the ring with DeGale

DeGale also took time out to spar with England cricketers Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood.

Mayweather Jr was due to fight lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez on 18 July but that has been postponed after the American suffered a rib injury in training.

It would have been Mayweather Jr's comeback fight from retirement which followed his win against Briton Ricky Hatton in their welterweight bout in December 2007.

Classy Klitschko defeats Chagaev

Wladimir Klitschko defended his WBO and IBF world heavyweight titles by stopping the previously unbeaten Ruslan Chagaev with a 10th-round TKO.

Klitschko, who had been due to meet Britain's David Haye on Saturday, dominated throughout and had his opponent down in the second round.

The Ukrainian then cut Chagaev above the left eye in the sixth.

And after three more rounds of punishment, Chagaev's corner pulled their man from the fight.

It was a classy performance from 33-year-old Klitschko with the fight being held in front of 61,000 fans at Schalke O4 FC's Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, the biggest boxing audience in Germany in 70 years.

Now he (Haye) has to get in line and earn his chance to fight for the world title. He has to do that with his hands and not his mouth Wladimir Klitschko

Chagaev, who had his fight with joint WBA champion Nikolay Valuev called off last month because of health worries, was drafted in as a late replacement for Haye, but was outclassed throughout.

Haye withdrew earlier this month after sustaining a back injury in training.

And Klitschko hinted after the fight that the pair could still meet, although the 28-year-old former cruiserweight king would have to wait his turn.

"I was really upset that David Haye wasn't able to fight because I wanted to punish him badly," said Klitschko.

"Personally I'm very upset about David Haye. Because of him I didn't fight in March or April when he promised to deliver Stamford Bridge as a venue. But he didn't deliver.

"He then asked me to postpone this fight for two weeks because of his bad back and then changed it to four weeks. I cannot take this guy seriously.

"Now he has to get in line and earn his chance to fight for the world title. He has to do that with his hands and not his mouth.

"We'll get it on either way and I will knock him out in the 12th as I've said before."

The towering Ukrainian dominated from the first bell, rocking Chagaev with a powerful straight right.

Another straight right floored Chagaev in the second, but the Uzbekistan-born fighter cleared his head to make it through the round.

606: DEBATE Have your say on the action

Klitschko used his superior reach to his advantage, using the left jab, straight right hook combination, to break through Chagaev's flimsy defence.

He rocked Chagaev in the fifth with another left-right combination and after Klitschko cut his opponent in the sixth, the fight was all but over.

To his credit Chagaev held on until the ninth, but after taking another beating his corner pulled him from the fight at the end of round.

It was Chagaev's first defeat in 27 fights, while Klitschko moves onto a record of 56 wins with 47 knockouts and just three defeats.

Klitschko now intends to meet joint WBA champion Nikolai Valuev, before a potential showdown with Haye.

"For me Chagaev is the best fighter in this weight division behind my brother (WBC champion Vitali) and I," said Klitschko.

"This is the first time he has lost and he is a very good fighter.

"Every punch in this fight was important. Now I want to fight for the WBA belt and I promise you I will be back here again."

Saunders makes winning comeback

Bradley Saunders made a winning return to the ring with a first-round knockout over Latvia's Marek Gabris at the EU Championships in Odense.

The World Championship bronze medallist was fighting for the first time since his second-round loss to Alexis Vastine at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in August.

Britain's Saunders, 23, floored Gabris twice to score a conclusive victory and now faces sparring partner Lewis Rees.

"Stopping the kid in the first round is a great boost at this level," he said.

"I felt really good in there and I haven't been beaten yet this year which gives me loads of confidence."

I felt really good in there and I haven't been beaten yet this year which gives me loads of confidence Bradley Saunders

Welshman Rees stopped Turkey's Ibrahim Bostanci in the second round.

Fellow Briton and reigning European champion Luke Campbell eased past Frenchman Brahim Zendaoui at bantamweight.

There was another first-round win for London's Obed Mbwakongo, who stopped Krzysztof Sadlon of Poland at light-heavyweight.

Earlier, featherweight Iain Weaver his celebrated his promotion into the British Amateur Boxing Association's (BABA) podium squad by progressing to the second round.

The 19-year-old recorded a comprehensive victory over Francisco Castillejo Damian of Spain to score a conclusive 13-4 win.

There were also opening wins for Liverpool's Tom Stalker, who beat Poland's Michel Chudecki by the same 13-4 scoreline, and Scott Cardle over Germany's Alexander Miller 12-4.

But middleweight Karl Kirkham was Britain's first casualty as he was beaten 8-5 by another German, Konstantin Buga.

Khan WBA title challenge in doubt

Amir Khan's first world title tilt has been thrown into doubt after his opponent Andreas Kotelnik threatened to postpone because of a tooth infection.

The 22-year-old is due to meet Ukrainian WBA light-welterweight champion Kotelnik in London at the 02 Arena on 27 June.

But Kotelnik may have to delay or pull out of the fight altogether.

A spokesman for Khan's promoter, Frank Warren, said: "We're waiting to find out whether the fight will be delayed."

Khan defeated Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera in a thrilling lightweight contest in Manchester in March, but he is set to move up a division to take on Kotelnik for his first attempt at world title glory.

But if the champion is unable to make the fight, promoter Frank Warren will either postpone it for several weeks or secure an alternative opponent.

606: DEBATE It's a tooth infection, so Kotelnik should just clean his teeth, have a course of antibiotics and Bob's you're uncle dcfc1luv (U12057351)

"We're looking at a couple of things but if we can still go ahead on the 27th with another opponent we will," added Warren's spokesman.

"Frank is working on it and we should know something on Monday or Tuesday."

The card also features British middleweight champion Matthew Macklin defending his title, Matthew Hall and Anthony Small meeting for the British and Commonwealth light-middleweight belts.

It will also include the third professional appearances of former amateur stars James DeGale, Frankie Gavin and Billy Joe Saunders.

Haye eyes second Klitschko option

British boxer David Haye is targeting a September showdown with WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko.

Haye had been due to meet Vitali's brother, IBF and WBO champion Wladimir, on 20 June but suffered a back injury which led to the fight being cancelled.

Wladimir will instead meet the joint WBA champion Ruslan Chagaev in Germany, leaving Haye to pursue other options.

"David's looking to fight in September. If Vitali wants to fight he would be up for it," said his manager Adam Booth.

Haye picked up the injury last week while training at his Cyprus training camp and returned to the UK to have "intensive physiotherapy" on Saturday.

606: DEBATE Who should Haye fight next?

He insisted he would be ready to fight Wladimir Klitschko on 11 July, three weeks after the original date, and when the fight was called off Haye said he was "gutted" and "devastated".

Booth said they had tried everything to get the 28-year-old fit for the fight, which would have been a 60,000 sell out at German football club Schalke 04's Veltins Arena.

"He picked up the injury last Tuesday shadow boxing," said Booth, who is also Haye's trainer.

"It's an injury he had when he was a 16-year-old amateur, and it's come back.

"He tried painkillers, anti-inflammatories, tried everything he could. But he's struggling to sit down, can't pick things up, struggling to get in and out of the car.

"He's had treatment since. He goes into hospital on Tuesday for final treatment and will have eight days rest and then will be back in full training in 14 days from now."

Booth also denied the fight's cancellation had anything to do with the fact that sports broadcaster Setanta, who would have screened the fight, is struggling financially.

The postponement left thousands of British fans who had bought tickets for the fight disappointed, but Booth said they could get refunds if they contacted the agents they bought their tickets through.

Haye, the former undisputed cruiserweight king, was hoping to become Britain's first heavyweight world champion since Lennox Lewis retired in 2003.

Vitali Klitschko has only lost two fights, first when he was forced to retire with a shoulder injury against Chris Byrd in 2000 and the second when he was stopped on cuts by Lewis in 2003.

I'm absolutely gutted. It was the biggest selling indoor fight in history. It doesn't get any worse than this David Haye

He was ringside to watch Haye's five-round demolition of Monte Barrett in London last November in only his second fight as a heavyweight.

Haye himself has admitted to being distraught at missing out on the fight.

"It's the worst few days of my life," Haye told BBC Sport.

"My whole life has always been about becoming heavyweight champion of the world, and I've been denied that opportunity.

"I'm absolutely gutted. It was the biggest selling indoor fight in history. It doesn't get any worse than this.

"I've had back problems in the past that were manageable, but last Tuesday I did some shadow boxing and after throwing a right hook my whole back cracked and I couldn't move. It's sickening."

The 28-year-old now plans to return to action in September and hopes an announcement on an opponent will be made by Booth in the next couple of weeks.

"Adam will be beating the drum now to try and find an opponent and in an ideal world it will be for a world title," added Haye.

"All I can do is get focused on getting fit and fingers crossed in the next couple of weeks we will know who and where I will be fighting next."