Boxing

[Sean]

Saturday 10th February -

Anthony Yarde v Marko Nikolic
Well the beast from the East Anthony Yarde (27 Fights - 24 Wins (23 KOs) - 3 Losses) takes on Serbian Marko Nikolic (35 Fights - 32 Wins (12 KOs) - 3 Losses) and i can only see one outcome here. Yarde is a much better all round boxer for me than Nikolic and i think hes going to be too strong , too skillful and too aggressive for his Serbian opponent. When you look through their resumes Yardes' is head and shoulders above Nikolic' imho , his last loss came too Artur Beterbiev back in January of 2023 , and whilst he was stopped in the 8th round he fought well and held his own for alot of that fight , he then KOd Jorge Silva at the back end of last year in bthe second round to get back on track and i see this fight going pretty much the same way if im being honest. Nikolic is a decent European level fighter but i think hes in above his head here.

Anthony Yarde To Win .. By Stoppage

Hamzah Sheeraz v Liam Williams

This one looks a decent bout and an all British affair to boot .. Sheeraz (18 Fights - 18 Wins (14 KOs)) retained the WBC International Silver Middleweight title by beating Dmytro Mytrofanov by TKO in the second round , that was a decent display considering he'd been out of the ring for almost a year with injuries. Before that he again retained the Silver MW title , whilst adding the Commonwealth MW title to his collection by stopping River Wilson Bent , again by a second round stoppage. Basically since his sixth pro fight (when he beat Jordan Grannum on points) not one of his fights has gone the distance / troubled the judges so obviously has some decent power onside. Liam Williams (30 Fights - 25 Wins (20 KOs) - 4 Losses - 1 Draw) arrives after a last time first round stoppage of Florin Cardos , and before that a second round stoppage of Nizar Trimech , prior to this he lost twice , first time to Boo Boo Andrade (who was beaten by the very well touted David Benavidez last time) back in April 2021 and then to Chris Eubank Jr , February 2022 , who i have to say put on an absolute masterclass to beat Williams that night , both of these fights went to the cards and both resulted in Unanimous Decisions for his opponents. The only other times hes lost is in his brace of fights with Liam Smith , both in 2017 , the first one resulted in Williams retiring , the only time hes been stopped , and the second in a Majority Decision in Smiths favour. Looking through their respective resumes its obvious that Williams has been in with the better quality opponents , and i think that that hard fought for knowledge will be needed here as Sheeraz looks to be a decent prospect. This fight will definatley be his toughest test to date and i think its gonna show us where hes at , and whether he can go on to world titles .. Sheeraz is 6 foot 3 and uses his height and reach well , consistently using his jab to keep opponents off balance and then to slide into the pocket to slam in hooks to the body and head , and eventually he'll wear them down to get the job done. Williams is aggressive and tough and Sheeraz will have to be at his best to get past him , but he does have defensive frailties which i think Sheeraz will take advantage of , and in the end that could well be the telling factor although Sheeraz will definatley know hes been in a scrap. Williams has proven time and time again that he can take some decent punches , he took some vicious looking uppercuts against Andrade for instance , but he hung in there and Eubanks Jr dropped him four times but couldnt keep him down so a stoppage is less likely maybe but if Sheeraz can achieve that then hes definatley a prospect for the future imho. With his hunger , height , reach and power i think Sheeraz can stop Williams in the latter half of the fight if the fight goes the way its panned out in my head , but it will be hard and theres an equal chance that it could go to the cards (or even that Williams comes out on top) but im gonna go with Sheeraz to stop Williams late on.

Hamzah Sheeraz To Win ... By Stoppage (Round 6 onwards)

 

[Sean]

From what i've been reading Conor Benns next opponent may well be Gervonta Davis , if thats the case then Benn is gonna have to up his game considerably on his previous two outings

 

[Sean]

Thursday 8th February -

Teofimo Lopez v Jermaine Ortiz
Quite an interesting fight this one , for Lopez' Ring / WBO Lightweight titles , and one that i'll want to be watching. Lopez (20 Fights - 19 Wins (13 KOs) - 1 Loss) arrives on the back of a one sided drubbing of British fighter Josh Taylor last time , whilst Ortiz (19 Fights - 17 Wins (8 KOs) - 1 Loss - 1 Draw) comes into this after beating Antonio Moran by UD , in all fairness that was probably more of a confidence booster after losing to Vasily Lomachenko in his penultimate fight , the first loss on his record. There was no great shame in losing to one of the P4P best but its interesting that the biggest scalp on Lopez' resume is Lomachenkos , when he beat him by unanimous decision back in October 2020. He then faced Aussie George Kambosos Jr , and lost by split decision , which tbh was a shock to most people as almost everyone expected him to win. Lopez , for me , is an excellent boxer when hes on top of his game , and i think in all departments hes better than Ortiz , skillset , athletiscism , ring IQ etc .. thats not to say that Ortiz hasnt got decent skills and hes agressive and athletic also. Jamel Herring is probably the biggest name on his record to date and that was a great performance to beat him , but Lopez has bigger names and has been there and done it , which i think puts him in pole position for this fight. If coming into this fight in tip top condition im having a hard job seeing Lopez losing this , as tho Ortiz' offensive skills are solid i think his defense can be lacking at times and i think Lopez will be able to take advantage of this and pick him apart. I would say that very probably the fight goes the distance with Lopez emerging victorious but i do think that given his defensive frailties at times there could be a chance of a stoppage by Lopez , probably in the later rounds , but i have to say Ortiz has never been stopped and his chin has held up well to date.

Teofimo Lopez To Win

Teofimo Lopez Wins

 

[Sean]

Saturday 10th February -

Anthony Yarde v Marko Nikolic
Well the beast from the East Anthony Yarde (27 Fights - 24 Wins (23 KOs) - 3 Losses) takes on Serbian Marko Nikolic (35 Fights - 32 Wins (12 KOs) - 3 Losses) and i can only see one outcome here. Yarde is a much better all round boxer for me than Nikolic and i think hes going to be too strong , too skillful and too aggressive for his Serbian opponent. When you look through their resumes Yardes' is head and shoulders above Nikolic' imho , his last loss came too Artur Beterbiev back in January of 2023 , and whilst he was stopped in the 8th round he fought well and held his own for alot of that fight , he then KOd Jorge Silva at the back end of last year in bthe second round to get back on track and i see this fight going pretty much the same way if im being honest. Nikolic is a decent European level fighter but i think hes in above his head here.

Anthony Yarde To Win .. By Stoppage

Hamzah Sheeraz v Liam Williams

This one looks a decent bout and an all British affair to boot .. Sheeraz (18 Fights - 18 Wins (14 KOs)) retained the WBC International Silver Middleweight title by beating Dmytro Mytrofanov by TKO in the second round , that was a decent display considering he'd been out of the ring for almost a year with injuries. Before that he again retained the Silver MW title , whilst adding the Commonwealth MW title to his collection by stopping River Wilson Bent , again by a second round stoppage. Basically since his sixth pro fight (when he beat Jordan Grannum on points) not one of his fights has gone the distance / troubled the judges so obviously has some decent power onside. Liam Williams (30 Fights - 25 Wins (20 KOs) - 4 Losses - 1 Draw) arrives after a last time first round stoppage of Florin Cardos , and before that a second round stoppage of Nizar Trimech , prior to this he lost twice , first time to Boo Boo Andrade (who was beaten by the very well touted David Benavidez last time) back in April 2021 and then to Chris Eubank Jr , February 2022 , who i have to say put on an absolute masterclass to beat Williams that night , both of these fights went to the cards and both resulted in Unanimous Decisions for his opponents. The only other times hes lost is in his brace of fights with Liam Smith , both in 2017 , the first one resulted in Williams retiring , the only time hes been stopped , and the second in a Majority Decision in Smiths favour. Looking through their respective resumes its obvious that Williams has been in with the better quality opponents , and i think that that hard fought for knowledge will be needed here as Sheeraz looks to be a decent prospect. This fight will definatley be his toughest test to date and i think its gonna show us where hes at , and whether he can go on to world titles .. Sheeraz is 6 foot 3 and uses his height and reach well , consistently using his jab to keep opponents off balance and then to slide into the pocket to slam in hooks to the body and head , and eventually he'll wear them down to get the job done. Williams is aggressive and tough and Sheeraz will have to be at his best to get past him , but he does have defensive frailties which i think Sheeraz will take advantage of , and in the end that could well be the telling factor although Sheeraz will definatley know hes been in a scrap. Williams has proven time and time again that he can take some decent punches , he took some vicious looking uppercuts against Andrade for instance , but he hung in there and Eubanks Jr dropped him four times but couldnt keep him down so a stoppage is less likely maybe but if Sheeraz can achieve that then hes definatley a prospect for the future imho. With his hunger , height , reach and power i think Sheeraz can stop Williams in the latter half of the fight if the fight goes the way its panned out in my head , but it will be hard and theres an equal chance that it could go to the cards (or even that Williams comes out on top) but im gonna go with Sheeraz to stop Williams late on.

Hamzah Sheeraz To Win ... By Stoppage (Round 6 onwards)

Anthony Yarde Wins .. By Stoppage

Hamzah Sheeraz Wins .. (By stoppage in the 1st .. not 6th or afterwards)

 

[Topdog]

Looking at the Vargas v Rodriguez bantamweight fight at the weekend Sean

Like the Under 10.5 rounds play, currently 2.37

 

[Sean]

Best of luck TD , its not one ive really looked at TBH working on the headline fight Berlanga v McCrory and then also Dina Thorslund v Seren Cetin

Its a tight fight i reckon as evident by the betting odds , i slightly favour Vargas but Rodriguez is no slouch and your bet doesnt look a bad one in all honesty

 

[Sean]

Saturday 24th February -

Dina Thorslund v Seren Cetin
Dina Thorslund (20 Fights - 20 Wins (8 KOs)) puts her WBC , Ring and WBO Bantamweight titles on the line against the unbeaten Turkish fighter Seren Cetin (11 Fights - 11 Wins (7 KOs)) , think it'll be an interesting fight where Cetin comes to fight but i think theres a slight chance she could come up a tad short , shes fighting a more experienced fighter whose the best shes faced to date in my opinion. From what ive seen of Cetin (not alot admittedly) she'll come to win but Thorslund is once again fighting on home soil in Copenhagen and the fans will be behind her which could prove daunting for Cetin whose never boxed outside of her native Turkey and the Ukraine. On paper Cetin looks to be quite a banger as shes despatched 7 of her 11 opponents but i'd have to say none of those were anywhere near the level of Thorslund and i think shes gonna struggle to land cleanly here , for me Thorslund is a class act , and i can see her breaking down Cetin , nullifying her power and outboxing her , a stoppage is a possibilty but i think a unanimous decision could well be the call. But for me Dina Thorslund retains her titles.

Dina Thorslund To Win

Edward Berlanga v Padraig McCrory
Well someones gonna go home with their first loss on their record in this Super Middleweight fight between Berlanga (21 Fights - 21 Wins (16 KOs)) and McCrory (18 Fights - 18 Wins (9 KOs)) , on paper this looks quite a good bout tbh but i cant help thinking that is a drop in class for Berlanga who was once seen as the next big thing in the Super Middleweight division , stopping his first sixteen opponents but then the quality of the opposition grew and the KOs dried up , winning his last five by unanimous decision showing that he wasnt perhaps the second coming after all. Hes definatley talented but whether hes upto elite level is another matter. Beat Irishman Jason Quigley last time , putting him down four times enroute to a UD , and he'll be hoping that he can do the same to his Irish opponent here. He really does have to come out and make a statement really if hes to be taken seriously by the top tier of fighters and whilst i think hes better than McCrory , the Irishman will come to win and has nothing to lose coming in as the underdog. McCrory definatley has the potential to frustrate Berlanga as hes a sharp and solid counter puncher with a good straight right hand but he doesnt mind trading , which could be his undoing when dealing with someone with Berlangas power , he also has a tendency to hold his hands low which again could prove troublesome. This will be McCrorys first time fighting outside of Europe (one bout in Germany and the rest in Britain) , which can have a negative effect on some boxers , although he had a good amateur background so it shouldnt be too troublesome. Berlanga is a decent boxer and though he hasnt gotten the stoppages lately he does look as though he is improving , especially his footwork although id like to see him cutting the ring the ring down/off more , hes only 26 so a few years on him yet , and time to learn more of his craft. He has nine years on McCrory and whilst i see McCrory giving his all i cant see past a Berlanga win here , as i said he knows he has to make a statement of intent in this one and i think he will , i see him putting it on McCrory from the first bell and going for an early stoppage , whether he will achieve that i dont know , but i do think he'll do the job and i also think that he'll stop McCrory at some point in the fight , with my guess being the middle rounds or thereabouts.

Edward Berlanga To Win .. By Stoppage (Rounds 4-8)

 

[Sean]

Saturday 24th February -

Dina Thorslund v Seren Cetin
Dina Thorslund (20 Fights - 20 Wins (8 KOs)) puts her WBC , Ring and WBO Bantamweight titles on the line against the unbeaten Turkish fighter Seren Cetin (11 Fights - 11 Wins (7 KOs)) , think it'll be an interesting fight where Cetin comes to fight but i think theres a slight chance she could come up a tad short , shes fighting a more experienced fighter whose the best shes faced to date in my opinion. From what ive seen of Cetin (not alot admittedly) she'll come to win but Thorslund is once again fighting on home soil in Copenhagen and the fans will be behind her which could prove daunting for Cetin whose never boxed outside of her native Turkey and the Ukraine. On paper Cetin looks to be quite a banger as shes despatched 7 of her 11 opponents but i'd have to say none of those were anywhere near the level of Thorslund and i think shes gonna struggle to land cleanly here , for me Thorslund is a class act , and i can see her breaking down Cetin , nullifying her power and outboxing her , a stoppage is a possibilty but i think a unanimous decision could well be the call. But for me Dina Thorslund retains her titles.

Dina Thorslund To Win

Edward Berlanga v Padraig McCrory
Well someones gonna go home with their first loss on their record in this Super Middleweight fight between Berlanga (21 Fights - 21 Wins (16 KOs)) and McCrory (18 Fights - 18 Wins (9 KOs)) , on paper this looks quite a good bout tbh but i cant help thinking that is a drop in class for Berlanga who was once seen as the next big thing in the Super Middleweight division , stopping his first sixteen opponents but then the quality of the opposition grew and the KOs dried up , winning his last five by unanimous decision showing that he wasnt perhaps the second coming after all. Hes definatley talented but whether hes upto elite level is another matter. Beat Irishman Jason Quigley last time , putting him down four times enroute to a UD , and he'll be hoping that he can do the same to his Irish opponent here. He really does have to come out and make a statement really if hes to be taken seriously by the top tier of fighters and whilst i think hes better than McCrory , the Irishman will come to win and has nothing to lose coming in as the underdog. McCrory definatley has the potential to frustrate Berlanga as hes a sharp and solid counter puncher with a good straight right hand but he doesnt mind trading , which could be his undoing when dealing with someone with Berlangas power , he also has a tendency to hold his hands low which again could prove troublesome. This will be McCrorys first time fighting outside of Europe (one bout in Germany and the rest in Britain) , which can have a negative effect on some boxers , although he had a good amateur background so it shouldnt be too troublesome. Berlanga is a decent boxer and though he hasnt gotten the stoppages lately he does look as though he is improving , especially his footwork although id like to see him cutting the ring the ring down/off more , hes only 26 so a few years on him yet , and time to learn more of his craft. He has nine years on McCrory and whilst i see McCrory giving his all i cant see past a Berlanga win here , as i said he knows he has to make a statement of intent in this one and i think he will , i see him putting it on McCrory from the first bell and going for an early stoppage , whether he will achieve that i dont know , but i do think he'll do the job and i also think that he'll stop McCrory at some point in the fight , with my guess being the middle rounds or thereabouts.

Edward Berlanga To Win .. By Stoppage (Rounds 4-8)

Dina Thorslund Won (altho i had her fighting the wrong opponent , Mary Romero was her opponent after Cetin had to pull out and Romero stepped in on 2 days notice)

Edward Berlanga Won .. By 6th Round stoppage

 

[Topdog]

Looking at the Vargas v Rodriguez bantamweight fight at the weekend Sean

Like the Under 10.5 rounds play, currently 2.37

Round 7

 

[Sean]

Well done TD

Two outta Two for me , even tho original opponent of Thorslund pulled out of the fight and her new opponent stepped in on only two days notice .. and Berlanga does the business stopping McCrory in the sixth round

Couple of fights for the 1st and 2nd March posted soon

 

[Sean]

Friday 1st March -

Abass Baraou v Sam Eggington
Looking forward to this one , especially as its on Channel 5 and features 'The Savage' Sam Eggington so you're kinda guaranteed a must watch bout .. Eggington (42 Fights - 34 Wins (20 KOs) - 8 Losses) comes into this on the back of a couple of wins , both TKOs , stopping James McCarthy in the fourth and then Joe Pigford in the fifth round last time , those fights were back in March and May of last year so been out a while but given his style and readiness to fight im sure he'll be ring ready .. Baraou (15 Fights - 14 Wins (9 KOs) - 1 Loss) hasnt lost in 5 fights since losing a split decision to Jack Culcay back in 2020 .. despite being only a year younger Baraou hasnt got many rounds under his belt (good amateur though) and i think that could be in Eggingtons favour here .. or it could possibly go the other way as hes been involved in some proper wars over the years and they may have taken their toll but the fact that its in Telford makes me believe that hes going to go all out here as its practically home territory for him being from the West Midlands. Baraou has some decent wins over seasoned fighters and i think hes been cleverly matched by his promoters , hes a decent boxer whose more defensively minded than his opponent , but i think this is gonna be his sternest test to date as Eggington has improved over the years through fighting better quality opposition , and for me he has the better boxing fundamentals as well as alot more experience , hes come up the hard way and i think he'll be fired up for this one. Despite Barou being the favourite in this im gonna let my heart rule my head and go for the upset with The Savage walking away with the EBU European Light Middleweight Title.

Sam Eggington To Win

 

[Sean]

Saturday 2nd March -

Amanda Serrano v Nina Meinke
Quite an intriguing fight with the game German Nina Meinke (21 Fights - 18 Wins (4 KOs) - 3 Losses) taking on one of the worlds finest female boxers Amanda Serrano (49 Fights - 46 Wins (30 KOs) - 2 Losses - 1 Draw) for her unified Featherweight titles , Meinke comes into this on a six bout winning streak , with her last loss coming to Sarah Mahfoud back in April of 2022 , but none of her opposition since comes close to Serrano it has to be said , who has held nine major world titles in seven different weight classes and her only losses have come to Katie Taylor by a very close split decision that could of gone either way tbh (also beaten Meinke) and Frida Wallberg back in 2012. Whilst Meinke is a decent enough boxer i just dont think shes good enough to trouble the talented Serrano , i can see her having moments in the fight but overall i think Serrano beats her comfortably , as everytime Meinke has come up to face world class opposition ie Mahfoud and Taylor (best shes faced imho) shes fallen short and lost and i think thats going to be the case here.

Amanda Serrano To Win

 

[Topdog]

Had a look at the Paul v Bourland Cruiserweight weekend fight

Expect Jake to win this quickly and the 1.13 for total rounds Under 7 looks a money buying play with Skybet

 

[Sean]

Friday 1st March -

Abass Baraou v Sam Eggington
Looking forward to this one , especially as its on Channel 5 and features 'The Savage' Sam Eggington so you're kinda guaranteed a must watch bout .. Eggington (42 Fights - 34 Wins (20 KOs) - 8 Losses) comes into this on the back of a couple of wins , both TKOs , stopping James McCarthy in the fourth and then Joe Pigford in the fifth round last time , those fights were back in March and May of last year so been out a while but given his style and readiness to fight im sure he'll be ring ready .. Baraou (15 Fights - 14 Wins (9 KOs) - 1 Loss) hasnt lost in 5 fights since losing a split decision to Jack Culcay back in 2020 .. despite being only a year younger Baraou hasnt got many rounds under his belt (good amateur though) and i think that could be in Eggingtons favour here .. or it could possibly go the other way as hes been involved in some proper wars over the years and they may have taken their toll but the fact that its in Telford makes me believe that hes going to go all out here as its practically home territory for him being from the West Midlands. Baraou has some decent wins over seasoned fighters and i think hes been cleverly matched by his promoters , hes a decent boxer whose more defensively minded than his opponent , but i think this is gonna be his sternest test to date as Eggington has improved over the years through fighting better quality opposition , and for me he has the better boxing fundamentals as well as alot more experience , hes come up the hard way and i think he'll be fired up for this one. Despite Barou being the favourite in this im gonna let my heart rule my head and go for the upset with The Savage walking away with the EBU European Light Middleweight Title.

Sam Eggington To Win

ABASS BARAOU WINS

 

[slick]

Lol.
Just a hiccup, I'm pretty sure you'll come bouncing back Sean

 

[Sean]

Cheers Slick , should of gone with me head on that one , went with me heart as i said in the write up cus i like Eggingtons style

Hopefully Serrano can get me back on track tonight

 

[Topdog]

Had a look at the Paul v Bourland Cruiserweight weekend fight

Expect Jake to win this quickly and the 1.13 for total rounds Under 7 looks a money buying play with Skybet

Should have been braver....Round One

 

[Sean]

Well done TD , joke of a fight tbh mate

 

[Sean]

Saturday 2nd March -

Amanda Serrano v Nina Meinke
Quite an intriguing fight with the game German Nina Meinke (21 Fights - 18 Wins (4 KOs) - 3 Losses) taking on one of the worlds finest female boxers Amanda Serrano (49 Fights - 46 Wins (30 KOs) - 2 Losses - 1 Draw) for her unified Featherweight titles , Meinke comes into this on a six bout winning streak , with her last loss coming to Sarah Mahfoud back in April of 2022 , but none of her opposition since comes close to Serrano it has to be said , who has held nine major world titles in seven different weight classes and her only losses have come to Katie Taylor by a very close split decision that could of gone either way tbh (also beaten Meinke) and Frida Wallberg back in 2012. Whilst Meinke is a decent enough boxer i just dont think shes good enough to trouble the talented Serrano , i can see her having moments in the fight but overall i think Serrano beats her comfortably , as everytime Meinke has come up to face world class opposition ie Mahfoud and Taylor (best shes faced imho) shes fallen short and lost and i think thats going to be the case here.

Amanda Serrano To Win

Bout postponed due to Serrano having an eye injury

 

[Sean]

Friday 8th March -

Zhilei Zhang v Joseph Parker
Looking forward to this one i have to say , and imho this bout has the potential to outshine the top of the bill fight between Joshua and Ngannou .. Joe Parker (37 Fights - 34 Wins (23 KOs) - 3 Losses) seems to be enjoying a second wind to his career with a winning streak of four since his stoppage loss to Joe Joyce , and in all honesty hes looked better than he did before the Joyce fight , the one thing ive always liked about Parker is the fact that he doesnt duck anyone , he'll fight all comers , something that seems to be sadly lacking of late in the heavyweight division .. his last fight was a one sided breakdown of Deontay Wilder and whilst it was an exemplary display by Parker it has to be said that Wilder just didnt look like the Wilder of old .. so maybe , just maybe , people are reading too much into that win , we'll see ... Zhang (28 Fights - 26 Wins (21 KOs) - 1 Loss - 1 Draw) was last seen knocking out the Juggernaut in the third round .. coming five months after his TKO of the same opponent .. and tbh he didnt even seem to break sweat in doing so especially in the second fight where he seemed to despatch him with ease (and Joyce looking like a startled rabbit in headlights) .. Hes only lost once in his career and that was to Filip Hgrovic and for me that was a travesty as i thought he won that fight (however i do think he narrowly lost the bout to Jerry Forrest which was scored a draw) , Parker has lost three times in his career .. Joe Joyce (handing him his first stoppage) , Dillian Whyte and Anthony Joshua and you cant argue about any of those. As i say he seems to have taken on a new lease of life since starting training with Andy Lee and if adopts the same strategy of sticking to the game plan i think he will do well here , he will almost certainly start well but its if he can keep the momentum going without any lapses and also if he take the power of Zhang , the fact that Zhang is a southpaw and awkward is obviously a potential spoiler , as is his size , strength and power .. watching the way he absolutely destroyed Joe Joyce makes me think that Parker is not going to be able to avoid him for twelve rounds , and then its down to , basically , can he take the power shots of Zhang and for me , the answer would be no. I see Parker starting off well and outboxing Zhang in the early rounds but i think Zhang , who can have a tendency to gas in the later rounds sometimes , will try and cut the ring off and excert his strength and power and if it comes down to the two slugging it out then i can only see one outcome , i see Parker going into the second half of the fight ahead on the score cards before Zhang starts dominating him and eventually stopping him , i'd say anytime after round 5 or 6. But there is a possibilty that Parker could take this as hes a shrewd fighter whose been there and done it , and whilst part of me would like to see him win the other half sees Zhangs arm raised at the end.

Zhilei Zhang To Win .. By Stoppage

Anthony Joshua v Francis Ngannou
To be honest i werent gonna do a write up for this one as im not particularly looking forward to it , and im fed up with all these crossover type fights .. and it doesnt sit right with me that a newcomer to boxing gets to fight the heavyweight champion of the world , and then AJ whose an ex HW champion of the world in his first two fights .. and then its been touted that should he win he could face the winner of Uysk/Fury for the belts .. that just dont sit right with me , what about all the poor sods who've gone down the long hard road and deserve a shot .. anyway rant over (for now lol) .. Ngannou (1 Fight - 1 Loss) comes into this one the back of the well viewed loss to Tyson Fury where i think the majority of the viewing public had him winning it .. whether he did or didnt is now redundant , the question now is , is he better than we thought or did Fury have a total mare ? ... imho i think its a case of both being true , think its obvious that Fury didnt train properly and came into the fight thinking it'd be a cake walk , but in reality it was far from with Ngannou obviously training hard for the event .. people forget he did box when he was younger so the fundamentals were there to work with and he's a fighter so it was no shock to me that he held his own (altho i honestly thought that Fury would put him away or at least win decisively on points) but i think Joshua (30 Fights - 27 Wins (24 KOs) - 3 Losses) wont be making the same mistakes as Fury and take his opponent lightly , he'll come into this fully prepped and eager to put on a solid display , he has to really if he wants to fight the winner of Uysk / Fury , anything other than a dominant display could seriously hurt his chances to that end i feel. Since his two losses to Uysk hes won three bouts with the last one being a one sided beatdown of Otto Wallin who he stopped in the fifth. Although hes won those last three , for me he still isnt showing the edge that he had back in his earlier days , pre the Ruiz loss , when he threw punches with intent , i think hes boxing slightly better (not 100% it could be that recent opponents have been a bit poor tbh) but until he starts to let his hands go i wont be convinced that hes the Joshua of old and thats what he needs to be if he has any hope of regaining a world title as far as im concerned. I think if Joshua can avoid Ngannous power early doors he can outbox him , and with his power theres always a chance of a stoppage if he spots an opening , but on the flip side Ngannou has looked good in the training clips ive seen of him , and he'll be coming into this full of confidence , sure of his abilities and i can see him going for an early KO as i honestly cant see him outboxing Joshua over twelve rounds .. in alot of ways its a proper 50/50 fight and im having a hard time trying to work out all the possible outcomes , probably cos im not that interested lol , but if i was pushed i would have to side with the boxer and say Joshua to win , probably by decision but i couldnt rule out a later round stoppage (or in fact that Ngannou clips him and puts him on the canvas come to that).

Anthony Joshua To Win

Rey Vargas v Nick Ball
Definatley looking forward to this one , Mexican Rey Vargas (37 Fights - 36 Wins (22 KOs) - 1 Loss) defends his WBC Featherweight title in a mandatory against the exciting up n coming British fighter Nick Ball (19 Fights - 19 Wins (11 KOs) on the undercard of the Joshua / Ngannou fight. Lets be honest Brits havent had a good time against Mexican fighters lately but i think this may change with this one because Vargas , good a fighter as he is , isnt renowned as a heavy puncher like alot of his compatriots and Ball is an all action , in yer face type of fighter whose a volume puncher. Vargas has been pretty in active lately with just two fights since November 2021 , the first of those was a split decision over Mark Magsayo which i felt could of gone the other way if im honest and the second was a unanimous decision loss to O'Shaquie Foster back in February of last year , that was the first loss on his resume and it'll be interesting to see how that could possibly affect his mind set coming into this fight. Ball however has been going from strength to strength and has been hailed as a potential world champion in many quarters , maybe a bit early to be saying that we shall find out , but he has all the attributes needed , he beat Issac Dogboe in March of this year by a wide margin unanimous decision , and that was a fight that many felt was coming to early in his career but he proved the doubters wrong , and then some. Vargas will definatley be the best opponent hes faced to date , and the most skilful , so its definatley not gonna be easy and hes gonna have to be at the top of his game , and as well as experience Vargas holds the cards with around an 8 inch height advantage and a longer reach , all these things are potential pitfalls for Ball , and taller fighters have proven to be difficult for Ball to negotiate in the past , but from what ive seen and read Ball is confident and up for the challenge and im hoping that he can bring that belt back to these shores. It surprised me to see that Ball is the favourite for this fight tbh all things considered , for me it all depends on Vargas .. hes getting older , has been in some wars and is coming off his first loss .. so im thinking will / has this affected him , if not then i see him boxing from range and probably taking the fight on points , if hes not the same Vargas of old then i see Ball breaking him down over time and possibly stopping him in the later rounds , although a decision win would be more my guess. Heart over head im gonna go for Nick Ball , got to really havent i ?!

Nick Ball To Win