Top six moments from Sky Sports' boxing show The Gloves Are Off
- Lewis Oldham
- 9 February 2022
‘The Gloves Are Off’ has been a staple on Sky Sports over the past ten-plus years with Anthony Joshua, Carl Froch and Tyson Fury all appearing on it.
It is a beloved show that has delivered some amusing and hostile moments. It does a great job at building hype for fights as personal feuds are afforded the necessary spotlight.
'Ringside' is another popular show from Sky Sports Boxing's history. While that has fallen by the wayside, there will always be a place for The Gloves Are Off.
Here are some of the show's best moments below.
Fury offers advice to Joshua back in 2013
"You can't blame other people… Give everything while you can"
Nine years ago, Sky Sports released a heavyweight edition of The Gloves Are Off which was hosted, as always, by Johnny Nelson.
Along with Fury and Joshua, Lennox Lewis, Frank Bruno and Scott Welch were involved in the 48-minute roundtable.
This was released before Fury's scheduled fight against David Haye, which did not end up happening. Interestingly, during the discussion, Joshua backed Haye to win that bout.
The final stretch saw the heavyweights offer Joshua advice before he started his pursuit of a world title.
Fury offered his rival - who exude a focused demeanour - sound advice:
"I'd say just listen to yourself. Don't listen to anybody else, not one person.
"Because God forbid anything went wrong, you can't blame other people and start pointing the finger.
"Always know that you're only to blame yourself because you made that decision.
"And whatever you do in life, never regret it. Never, 'If, but, should, woulda, coulda.'
"Give everything, while you can, when you can. And leave nothing behind."
Knowing what we do now, this exchange is fascinating to look back on…
Awkward stare off between AJ and Whyte
"It's as simple as that… let's have it."
Joshua built up a 14-0 unbeaten record before his domestic grudge match against Dillian Whyte in December 2015.
The Brits were friends once upon a time but you would not have guessed that going off the build-up to their headliner at the O2 Arena.
AJ and Whyte went back and forth during their tense meeting on The Gloves Are Off. The animosity between the pair was summed up by an awkward five-second silence as they glared at one another.
This came after Whyte brashly suggested that they should settle their differences right there.
Joshua's first 14 fights as a pro were exemplary, but Whyte exposed some of the chinks in his armour.
'The Body Snatcher' got in AJ's head and the latter was troubled in the ring as they treated fans to a heavyweight barnstormer.
Joshua would eventually triumph, but it could have easily ended differently. Amid the heavyweight chaos in 2022, Joshua-Whyte II would be a must-see.
Who left the sauna first?
"I was prepared to die in that sauna!"
Also in 2015, Fury got his long-awaited shot at a world title as he fought the seemingly unbeatable Wladimir Klitschko in Dusseldorf, Germany.
The towering champion was left bemused by Fury leading up to the fight.
'The Gypsy King' did a masterful job of getting in his opponent's head. He famously dressed as Batman during one of the press conferences while Klitschko watched on.
Another fine example of Fury getting in Klitschko's head came when they met on The Gloves Are Off.
Nelson asked Fury to tell the story of when he came across Klitschko in a sauna. He eloquently recalled the exchange in only a way he could.
Fury recalled this as a "mental competition" that he won as Klitschko is said to have left the sauna first.
The joy on Fury's face when he tells Nelson that he lasted the longest is just glorious.
Charles Martin is a god?
"I walk this earth like a god"
After beating Whyte, Joshua's next fight was for the IBF world heavyweight title as he challenged the unbeaten Martin.
Despite being the challenger, AJ was the heavy favourite heading into this fight.
Martin was rather fortunate to be a world champion, as he stopped an injured Vyacheslav Glazkov to win the vacant belt before facing Joshua.
Klitschko held the other world titles and Martin was not considered to be near the Ukrainian's level.
That showed when he fought Joshua, as the Olympic gold medallist punished the IBF champion, who was stopped in the second.
Joshua's power was fearsome, but Martin's only defence of his newly won world title was feeble at best.
Given what happened when they fought, Martin's comments on The Gloves Are Off are laughable.
'Prince Charles' labelled himself as a "god" as he ran down his opponent. Joshua was smirking during this tirade and that sums up what the viewers of it thought watching on.
Chisora's laxative analogy
"Everybody knew exactly what I was talking about…"
This came about heading into Chisora's second fight with Whyte at the end of 2018.
They already had a war when they faced off two years earlier. Whyte was victorious that night as he won via split decision.
There was an appetite for a rematch given how entertaining their first meeting was.
Their second fight was much like the first, as Whyte and Chisora exchanged vicious shots that left a mark on the other.
The Body Snatcher eventually stopped 'Del Boy' in the penultimate round as his left hook floored the veteran.
The Brits have a lot of respect for each other now, but their appearance on The Gloves Are Off was particularly entertaining.
When you ask Chisora a question, you never know what you are going to get from him. Here, Nelson simply asked him how he would beat Whyte.
What followed was hilarious.
"You ever taken those laxative pills? I'm going to go through this man!"
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) December 4, 2018
Dillian Whyte was left bemused by Derek Chisora's prediction for their rematch 🤔 pic.twitter.com/xHlMfpfn7X
That "handshake" between Froch and Groves
"I would love to shake your hand"
Froch-Groves was one of the best domestic boxing rivalries of the last 20 years.
Things soon turned personal as the brash Groves attempted to get in Froch's head.
They first met in 2013 at Manchester Arena. Froch was expected to have an easy night but he made the mistake of not taking Groves seriously.
Froch was known for having a granite chin, but he was dropped in the opening round by Groves. The champion recovered and won via a questionable stoppage in the ninth.
A rematch was inevitable and it took place at Wembley Stadium. As you all know (given that Froch jokingly insists on telling everyone), 80,000 fans packed in to watch the anticipated rematch.
'The Cobra' won again as he delivered a stunning knockout in the eighth round.
It was clear during their meetings that Froch found Groves irritating and that there was bad blood between the rivals.
That was on display when they appeared on The Gloves Are Off ahead of their rematch at Wembley.
At the end of their tense back and forth, the fighters rose to their feet to shake hands.
Groves foolishly tried to pull his opponent. In typical Froch fashion, the champion pulled back even harder which left Groves sprawled on the table.
Froch rightly looked smug as he sat back down. Groves meanwhile appeared shell-shocked as he tried to compose himself. It is an altercation neither of them will ever live down.
