Boxing

Sean said:

Friday 6th September - Sam Noakes v Gianluca Ceglia

Shame on me , forgot about this one for this weekend , unbeaten Brit Sam Noakes (14 Fights - 14 Wins (13 KOs)) defends his EBU Lightweight title against Italian fighter Gianluca Ceglia (26 Fights - 21 Wins (4 KOs) - 4 Losses - 1 Draw) and though i think it'll be entertaining i think Noakes will have far too much for the Italian challenger. Noakes beat Yvan Mendy by unanimous decision last time , that was the first time he'd gone the distance in any of his fights and it was basically a masterclass with Noakes dominating and controlling the fight from the off , that was a solid display against a seasoned fighter who'd been up against some decent opponents (and he has Ceglia's scalp on his resume as well). Before this , as i said , hes stopped every other opponent , and whilst Ceglia has only been stopped once in those four losses i think theres a chance that he may well get stopped again as Noakes is very heavy handed for a lightweight. He beat the well touted and unbeaten Lewis Sylvester back in February of this year , with Sylvesters corner throwing in the towel after the fourth round , after being dropped in the third and fourth. Ceglias a decent enough boxer tbh but he hasnt got the tools or the firepower that Noakes possesses and i honestly cant see him coming out on top here , in any scenario ive run through my head. Noakes for the win.

Sam Noakes To Win

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Sean said:

Saturday 14th September - Canelo Alvarez v Edgar Berlanga

Gotta be honest not really that enthused about this one to be honest , I really wanna see Canelo (65 Fights - 61 Wins (39 KOs) - 2 Losses - 2 Draws) take on his mandatorys rather than hand picking who he fights in his title defences .. the IBF have stripped him and i honestly think that its about time the others do the same. From what i read this fight was between Berlanga and Eubanks Jr , neither of whom deserve a shot in my honest opinion when you have people like Benevidez and Morrell waiting in the wings. Anyways it is what it is and i think Berlanga (22 Fights - 22 Wins (17 KOs)) is a slightly better choice of opponent than Eubank Jr , but not by much. Berlanga is un beaten and hes got heart but this is gonna be his toughest test to date , he might have decent power but from what ive seen to date he does seem pretty limited and i see Canelo being far too skilful for him in this bout and unless he gets lucky and catches Alvarez flush (which i really cant see happening if im being honest) then this is only gonna go one way and thats a win for Canelo.

Canelo Alvarez To Win

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Sean said:

Friday 20th September - Jaimie Munguia v Erik Bazinyan

Well a decent looking fight for the eve of the Joshua v Dubois bout and bumper undercard , Munguia (44 Fights - 43 Wins (34 KOs) - 1 Loss) was last seen in May when he lost to Canelo Alvarez , did fairly well in that fight and certainly werent disgraced but at the end of the day Canelo was just too good for him , no disgrace in that and its good to see him getting back in the ring so quickly rather than take a huge amount of time out after his first loss .. before that loss he had stopped John Ryder and beaten Sergiy Derevyanchenko by decision in his previous two fights and had claimed Liam Smiths scalp in a previous encounter back in 2018 so has fought some decent opposition whereas the unbeaten Bazinyan (33 Fights - 32 Wins (23 KOs) - 1 Draw) arrives after a draw with Canadian fighter Shakeel Phinn , bit contentious that one as for me Phinn outclassed and outboxed Bazinyan and should have handed him his first loss .. This will be a step up in class for Bazinyan and whilst i credit him for that i think hes gonna find Munguia the toughest opponent that hes faced so far in his career , looking through his resume hes never faced anyone like Munguia and i see this as fight that sees Munguia getting back in the saddle and regaining a bit of confidence after that loss to Canelo. I cant see this one going the distance if im being honest , i see Munguia pressuring Bazinyan , throwing hard shots , and i think he'll want to be making a statement after that last time loss and i see a stoppage win for Munguia.

Jaimie Munguia To Win .. By Stoppage

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Sean said:

Saturday 21st September -

Anthony Joshua v Daniel Dubois
Well would of preferred Joshua and Fury if i'm being honest but i'll settle for this good ol' domestic dust up , Joshua (31 Fights - 28 Wins (25 KOs) comes into this on a four win streak having put away Jermaine Franklin , Robert Helenius , Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou .. the latter three all by way of stoppage and the Ngannou bout by a devastating KO in the second round. And good as all those wins are they're still not what i would consider top notch opposition , to be fair after his back to back losses to Oleksander Uysk i see these fights as confidence builders and whilst hes acquitted himself well it hasnt really proven anything that we didnt already know about him to be honest. The Ngannou bout was hyped up out of all proportion really because he dropped Fury and went the distance , and he did to a novice what a seasoned ex world champion should do , he stopped him. I think that this one will be his biggest test since the Uysk fights , as Dubois (23 Fights - 21 Wins (20 KOs) - 2 Losses) comes into this on a roll after stopping the well touted Filip Hgrovic in the eighth round , considering how much of an underdog he was for that fight that was a good solid performance as alot of people expected him to lose (thankfully i werent one of them) and in his last couple of fights i think (and hope) that hes now dispelled the 'quitter' tag that he got lumbered with after the Joe Joyce loss , i mean lets face it he had a broken left orbital bone and nerve damage and in all honesty done the right thing or he may well not be boxing today. In all fairness he kinda proved himself on that score in the subsequent Lerena bout when he went down three times but got back up and stopped him in the third round. In his last fight , against Hgrovic , he ate alot of punches and its noticable that his defence is wanting in certain aspects and against someone who can hit as hard as Joshua im hoping that hes ironed those wrinkles out and tightens up his defence , as he wont be able to eat the amount of punches from Joshua as he did Hgrovic imho. Both can bang , and im expecting / hoping for some fireworks here especially as there could be a bit of needle in this one , for me Joshua has the edge as he has more experience , especially in Championship fights , and he has better skills/technique but hes gonna have to be aware all the time as if Dubois connects properly then it could be lights out time. In all honesty in these kind of fights it only takes that one punch , if one of em switches off for a moment it could be good night , but im sure that they'll both be wired for this and i can see a decent fight in prospect. For me i think Joshua wins , as ive said i think he has the better skillset especially defensively . I would like to see Dubois win in all honesty , theres not alot to dislike about him really , but hes young and even if he loses he can regroup and come back. But ultimately i see Joshua winning , i think Dubois is gonna get caught too often and that he'll take one right hand too many , i see AJ stopping him somwhere between the 6th and 10th rounds although like i say im not discounting Dubois' chances as he has a punchers chance its just that from what ive seen so far of him he takes too many big shots and heart will only take you so far in a fight.

Anthony Joshua To Win (By Stoppage .. Between Rounds 6-10)

Joshua Buatsi v Willy Hutchinson
Good fight this one with the winner looking to have a pop at a world light heavyweight title .. Buatsi (18 Fights - 18 Wins (13 KOs)) comes into this after his unanimous decision win over fellow Brit Dan Azeez back in February of this year .. that was a solid win on his resume but to my eye , for whatever reason , Azeez looked lacking and didnt look his usual self , thats not taking anything away from Buatsi who did what he needed to do. Hutchinson (19 Fights - 18 Wins (13 Wins) - 1 Loss) arrives on the back of a career best win when he outpointed (UD) fellow British fighter Craig Richards in Saudi back in June and that the sharpest and best i have seen Hutchinson so Buatsi is gonna have to be at the top of his game if hes to win this i think. This is an interesting match up , since his loss to Lennox Clarke back in 2021 and subsequent rise to the 175 ranks hes looked alot better and looks more comfortable than he did , hand whilst his win against Craig Richards was his best yet imho , the fact that Richards looked a little jaded and looked as though he was hesitant to pull the trigger at times takes the edge of it a little but it was still a great win nevertheless , but he isnt going to get the chances he had in that fight against someone like Buatsi who has a solid amateur pedigree and has took that into the pro ranks , Hutchinson is the younger of the two and that will be in his favour i think , but skill and ring IQ is gonna come into this and Buatsi has both in abundance , he reads his opponents well and takes advantage of any weaknesses he spots. The one thing i have noticed is that he seems to take 'time out' during fights sometimes , which you cant do against someone whose explosive as Hutchinson. Hutchinson has a unique style of fighting , almost laid back in a way , which kinda reminds me of Billy Joe Saunders at times , and as i say its gonna be an interesting bout to watch i reckon. I do sometimes question Buatsis motivation as he doesnt seem to fight very often and i think he needs to if hes gonna get that title shot , however saying that this fight is for the interim title so he'll know that this is a must win , and as much as i like Hutchinson , his style and attitude , i think Buatsi is gonna win , its gonna be difficult at times and though i wouldnt rule out a Hutchinson victory i think Buatsi is gonna prove to good and skillful for the Scotsman.

Joshua Buatsi To Win

Tyler Denny v Hamzah Sheeraz
Another great fight in prospect on the stacked Anthony Joshua / Daniel Dubois undercard , Tyler Denny (24 Fights - 19 Wins (1 KO) - 2 Losses - 3 Draws) comes into this on the back of a surprise win over Felix Cash , the fight was stopped in the fifth round after a clash of heads and Denny suffering a badly cut lip and damage to his eye , so they went to the cards and Denny came out on top , that was by far his biggest win to date imho but i honestly think hes gonna have his work cut out to beat Sheeraz (20 Fights - 20 Wins (16 KOs)) who i think is a potential world champion in the making. He too had his biggest win last time when he stopped the American Austin Willliams in the eleventh round by way of TKO. Alot of people thought Sheeraz would fall short in that one and that 'Ammo' would emerge the victor but Sheeraz acquitted himself well and eventually stopped him. Although i think this one is a good fight , i think Sheeraz is gonna prove too much and to good for Denny , he has a big height and reach advantage which he is adept at using to his own advantage , and i think getting to him will prove to be problematic for Denny as he uses his jab well and has the power to stop his opponents. Denny is game theres no doubt and hes decent enough but i honestly cant see past a Sheeraz win here , probably by a mid to late round stoppage.

Hamzah Sheeraz To Win .. By Stoppage (Rounds 6-12)

Anthony Cacace v Josh Warrington
And another decent bout in prospect on the undercard of the Joshua and Dubois fight .. Current IBO / IBF Superfeatherweight title holder Anthony Cacace (23 Fights - 22 Wins (8 KOs) - 1 Loss) arrives on the back of a resounding victory over Welshman Joe Cordina , where he stopped him in the eighth round handing him his first ever loss. That was a particularly solid display from The Apache and im expecting another powerful display here in defence of his titles against two time Featherweight champion , Leeds warrior Josh Warrington (35 Fights - 31 Wins (8 KOs) - 3 Losses - 1 Draw) , gotta be honest and say that Warrington has looked as though hes on the slide in his last few fights , and its surprised me that hes got a shot at a world title after hes only won one of his last five fights , last time he was stopped by Leigh Wood in the seventh round in a cracking fight , and before that he was beaten by the Mexican Luis Alberto Lopez by majority decision. He won the fight before this by TKO stopping Spaniard Kiko Martinez , lost against Mauricio Lara and the rematch was halted in the second round after Lara suffered a nasty looking cut from a clash of heads. Interesting that Warrington is moving up from 126 to 130 , but i still fail to see how he warrants a title shot though it could be because you're guaranteed sales if hes on the cards as he does leave it all in the ring. Im not sure the rise in weight will help Warrington tbh , it may do to a certain extent but he has been hurt before by smaller fighters ie Lara , Wood .. and Cacace can punch hard and im sure that hes gonna hurt Warrington with his stinging shots , although Warrington will definatley have his moments as he likes to pressure his opponents but i think Cacace is on a roll and will have too much in the locker for the Leeds fighter. He throws some mean punches and his looping uppercuts makes his opponent guess where its gonna land as its not immediatley obvious , i see Warrington starting well , maybe opening 2 or 3 rounds , but i think Cacace will impose his self as the fight goes on and eventually i see him stopping him , i think he'll just prove to strong for Warrington at the end of the day.

Anthony Cacace To Win .. By Stoppage

Mark Chamberlain v Josh Padley
Looking forward to seeing Mark Chamberlain (16 Fights - 16 Wins (12 KOs)) in action again , the unbeaten Portsmouth native takes on the unbeaten Yorkshireman Josh Padley (14 Fights - 14 Wins (4 KOs)) and its gonna be interesting to see how Padley tries to deal with Chamberlains aggressiveness and power. Chamberlain comes into this on the back of a first round demolition of Joshua Oluwaseun Wahab for the WBC Lightweight Silver title , that was his fifth stoppage on the bounce and he'll be coming into this looking for a sixth and to make a statement to the division imho .. Though not known as a puncher Padley comes into the fight with three stoppages in his last three fights , but i think hes gonna find Chamberlain a different proposition altogether compared to who hes been facing. Padleys a decent boxer and if he can box smart then i think he can do well but i honestly think Chamberlain is gonna be too much for him and i can see a stoppage in this one.

Mark Chamberlain To Win .. By Stoppage

Josh Kelly v Ishmael Davis
Well id already done a write up for Josh Kelly v Liam Smith but due to Smith pulling out of the fight because of a virus i thought this one would go down the pan , but Ishmael Davis has stepped up at very short notice so Kelly does have a dance partner after all and if im being honest this could be a much better fight than the one that was originally planned. Kelly (17 Fights - 15 Wins (8 KOs) - 1 Loss - 1 Draw) comes into this after a third round knockout of Placido Ramirez back in December of last year , whilst Davis (13 Fights - 13 Wins (6 KOs)) last fought in March of this year when he beat Troy Williamson by unanimous decision. Fair play to him for coming in at such short notice , he was in training anyway as he was set to face Uisma Lima from Portugal so he should hopefully be fit , ready and sharp enough (but he did have six weeks yo go at camp as his fight was in October) but , as with Kelly , the plans he had in place for his opponent now have to be changed and changed fast. As i said at the beginning this could well turn out to be a better fight than the original , Davis hasnt faced anyone of Kellys calibre yet , nearest would probably be Troy Williamson who Kelly also beat by UD back in 2022. I see this being a tight one , Davis is , as of now , probably a more dangerous opponent than Smith would of been imho , hes a switch hitter and is very good coming forward and i think thats what hes gonna do , come forward and stop the momentum of Kelly , stop him getting into a rhythm .. I originally went for a Kelly win (over Smith) but im 50/50 with this one , i think Kellys good enough to win but i have a feeling that an upset could be on the cards , and i think Davis is gonna emerge victorious.

Ishmael Davis To Win

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winrew said:

Times AJ on ?

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Sean said:

Friday 27th September -

Sandy Ryan v Mikaela Mayer
Another top notch ladies bout that im seriously looking forward to , and once again , like i keep saying , theres no cherry picking etc ... they're taking on the big fights and challenges which is great for the sport and for us , i have to add. To add spice to the event there seems to be a genuine 'beef' going on between the two of them which is an added incentive to watch , think its cos Ryan is now trained by Kay Koroma who used to be Mayers' trainer. Whatever the issue(s) this one should be a banging fight .. Derby lass Ryan (9 Fights - 7 Wins - 1 Loss - 1 Draw) travels to the States to defend her WBO Welterweight title which she won when she beat Marie Pier House back in April 2023 , she fought Jessica McCaskill next in Orlando Florida at the back end of 2023 where she put up a great display and should fo walked away with all the belts on offer but the judges saw it differently and it was returned a draw , gotta be honest and say that was a robbery pure and simple , for me she won that fight .. but it is what it is and last time we saw her in action she stopped two division champion Terri Harper with a brutal stoppage in the fourth round. Mayer (21 Fights - 19 Wins (5 KOs) - 2 Losses) comes into this on the back of a split decision loss to Brit Natasha Jonas , that was a very close fight in all fairness and can be considered a tad unlucky to come away with the loss although i did think that Jonas edged it personally. Her only other loss came to Alycia Baumgardner in 2022 which she lost , again , by split decision. Ryans loss came to the Argentinian Erica Farias , which she rectified in her next bout by beating her handsomely by unanimous decision. Both fighters are solid technically and fundamentally , i would favour Ryan skillwise and for aggression . Mayer has a potent jab , and i think shes gonna have to use that effectively as Ryan is good on the inside. She generally uses her jab well but she does let rounds slip and with the pressure i can see Ryan applying she cant afford to do that in this fight. Everything is telling me that Ryan will win and keep her belt but it does keep rattling round in my head that the fights in America and that theres a chance that the judges could favour the home country fighter if its a close fight , but i'll stick with my choice and say that Sandy Ryan wins.

Sandy Ryan To Win

Chloe Watson v Jasmina Zapotoczna
Should be a good bout this one , the unbeaten Chloe Watson (8 Fights - 8 Wins (0 KOs)) beat Justine Lallemand back in December last year to take the vacant EBU European Flyweight Title and last time put in a dominant dispaly to beat Kate Radomska , the belt is on the line when she meets Jasmina Zapotoczna (9 Fights - 8 Wins (0 KOs) - 1 Loss) , think its gonna be an interesting match up as Zapotoczna beat Maisie Rose Courtney last time , and that was a bout most people expected her to lose and for Courtney to go on and meet Watson for the title fight , but she put in a solid display and beat the Londoner convincingly and here we are. Though Watson i would assume is gonna come into this as the favourite i think its unwise to write off Zapotocznas chances looking at her last fight , but i think Watson is a rising star in the womans boxing scene and trainer Ricky Hatton has been there , seen it and done it and im sure he will have her prepped to the day for this. As ive said i think it should be an entertaining fight but i think Watson comes through and retains her title.

Chloe Watson To Win

Hughie Fury v Christian Thun
Well Hughie Fury (31 Fights - 28 Wins (16 KOs) - 3 Losses) continues his comeback with his third bout of the year when he faces the German Christian Thun (10 Fights - 9 Wins (7 KOs) - 1 Loss). Its good to see Fury getting back into it , and to try and climb the heavyweight ladder once again , but i cant say im too enthused about this 8 rounder in all honesty although its probably the toughest fight on his comeback trail to date. He beat the durable gatekeeper Kostiantyn Dovbyshchenko in his first fight back , on points in a six rounder , not a bad effort and the Ukranian , although losing more than he's won had never been stopped .. in his last fight he stopped German Patrick Korte in the second round which was a much better showing. Thun could be more problematic as hes not a bad boxer and stands at 6'9 1/2" , and though i see this as Thuns' toughest task to date i think he'll be coming in wanting to win and taking a notable scalp. Thun lost to Curtis Harper who is levels below Fury and tho he put that behind him by stopping Jason Bergman last time out. Even though hes been around for a while Fury is still only 29 so definatley time for him to climb the ladder , and this is one fight hes gonna have to win , and i think he'll do it but he will have to use more of his boxing abilties than he has done in his recent outings. Hes faced much better opposition than Thun , Parker , Pulev , Povetkin (all losses) , Wach , Hammer .. so he'll know whats needed.

Hughie Fury To Win

Alycia Baumgardner v Delfine Persoon
Baumgardner (16 Fights - 15 Wins (7 KOs) - 1 Loss) puts her IBO and WBC Super Featherweight titles on the line against Belgian Persoon (53 Fights - 49 Wins (19 KOs) - 3 Losses - 1 No Contest) and it should be an interesting bout i think. Baumgardner hasnt been in the ring since last July when she beat Christine Linardatou by unanimous decision , but subsequently failed a drugs test which the WBC have later cleared her off , so here we are .. Persoon is probably not that well known tbh but shes had a lot of fights and been in some proper battles , two of which came against Katie Taylor , she lost both times but they were close fights and in the first one especially she may well have edged it. Shes 39 now and in all fairness probably in the twlight of her career but i think she can still pose problems for her opposite number .. I think Baumgardner is gonna want to make a statement here , mainly that shes back and that shes still the champ but theres a good chance looking at Persoons' last few fights that shes gonna have to work for it. She has a good engine and piles on the pressure relentlessly so Baumgardner is going to have to be at her best i think , shes the better boxer for me and is aggressive in her output and once she smells a finish she goes for it , which sometimes leads her to gassing out a bit if im honest , but shes gonna have to be weary as ive said as Persoon seems to have a limitless engine and is a decent boxer in her own right. Difficult one to call if im honest , i can definatley see either winning but because of the lay i am wary of going for Baumgardner but i think she has enough to pull it off but it wouldnt shock me to see Persoon emerge the winner

Alycia Baumgardner To Win

Charlie Edwards v Thomas Essomba
Live on channel 5 tonight this one , doesnt really light my fire tbh but i'll watch it , Charlie Edwards (21 Fights - 19 Wins (7 KOs) - 1 Loss - 1 No Contest) won the vacant WBC International Silver Bantamweight Title when last seen earlier this year , beating Georges Ory by unanimous decision , his only defeat came back in 2016 when he took on John Riel Casimero on short notice for the IBF Flyweight title , getting stopped in the tenth round. Since then he has won eleven on the bounce , not including the no contest bout with Julio Cesar Martinez who KOd Edwards but was then ruled to have hit him whilst down on one knee so the bout was ruled a no contest. Although his record looks good on paper , he has been inactive having only fought four times since 2020 , and all those against opposition you would expect him to beat in all fairness. Essomba (22 Fights - 13 Wins (4 KOs) - 8 Losses - 1 Draw) comes into this on the back of a couple of decent enough wins , and though he has a fair few losses on his resume hes not to be under estimated , he'll keep going and is a proper workhorse in the ring , and for me , is probably Edwards' toughest opponent to date since coming back from his lay off , hes not as skilful as Edwards imho but hes gonna make him work for the win. And the fact that Sunny Edwards (Charlies brother) is in Thomas' corner (his manager) hes gonna know alot about him id say especially any flaws that he can use to his advantage. As i say Edwards hasnt been fighting alot in recent times and it is a concern that this could be the wrong opponent at the wrong time , Essomba is a warrior in the ring , he'll keep fighting til the end , but i think Edwards will just edge it and walk away with the EBU belt.

Charlie Edwards To Win

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Sean said:

Both these fights took place on September 27th .. Minter v Hagler 1980 and Honeyghan 'The Ragamuffin' v Curry in 1986

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Sean said:

CHLOE WATSON vs JASMINA ZAPOTOCZNA .. BOUT CANCELLED
HUGHIE FURY WINS
CHARLIE EDWARDS WINS

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