Boxing

[Sean]

Saturday 14th December -

Murodjon Akhmadaliev vs Ricardo Espinoza
Im interested to see Akhmadaliev (13 Fights - 12 Wins (9 KOs) - 1 Loss) back in action , the Usbek fighter beat Kevin Gonzalez back in December of last year by an eighth round TKO , that came eight months after his surprise loss to Marlon Tapales by split decision for his WBA and IBF Super Bantamweight belts , that was the first loss on his card and it did come as a shock to many that he lost to Tapales although on the day Tapales did deserve the win imho although it was a close call. Espinoza (34 Fights - 30 Wins (25 KOs) - 4 Losses) has had two fights this year and won both by stoppage , and is on a 5 fight winning streak (with a 6th one being called a no contest) since his decision loss to Danny Roman back in 2015. Hes three years younger than Espinoza but has had 21 more fights debuting in 2015 , three years earlier than his opponent (due to Akhmadalievs amateur career) , so hes alot more experienced in the pro ranks but he does seem to fall short when stepping up a level to be honest and i think thats gonna be the case again here. He has a couple of inches in height on Akhmadaliev but the Uzbek fighter has a huge reach advantage. Think its gonna be an interesting and entertaining fight as Akhmadaliev knows this is a must win bout if hes to get that fight with Inoue that he wants , and though Espinoza wont lack in the heart and determination department i see him ultimatley falling short in the skill department here although he does carry decent power in his shots so i suppose theres always a chance of a stoppage but from what ive seen Akhmadaliev has shown a decent chin so far and should comfortably outbox the mexican.

Murodjon Akhmadaliev To Win

Beatriz Ferreira vs Licia Boudersa
Brazilian Ferreira (5 Fights - 5 Wins (2 KOs)) makes the first defence of her IBF Lightweight Title , which she won by TKO back in April when she beat Yanina Del Carmen Lescano ,.. her opponent will be the experienced and battle hardened French fighter Licia Boudersa (27 Fights - 23 Wins (4 KOs) - 2 Losses - 2 Draws) whose won her last two fights by decision , before that she suffered a unanimous points loss to Rima Ayadi .. Though Boudersa has more fights in the pros than Ferreira , Ferreira has a solid amateur pedigree with a bronze (2024) and a silver (2020) at the Olympics , as well as numerous gold medals at the world championships , pan american games etc .. This is the first time that Boudersa has challenged for one of the four major belts but i see her falling short in her attempt to wrest the belt from Ferreira who i think is a better boxer , with more power , aggression and ring savvy.

Beatriz Ferreira To Win

Gary Cully vs Maxi Hughes
Should be a decent fight this one , and one that could of been made earlier if im honest but we've got it now so hopefully it'll be an entertaining bout .. Irishman Cully (19 Fights - 18 Wins (10 Wins) - 1 Loss) lost his penultimate fight against Jose Felix Jr by third round TKO , that was the first loss in his pro career but he emerged six months later and won a split decision over Reece Mould to see him back in the saddle and back to winning ways. Hughes (36 Fights - 27 Wins (6 KOs) - 7 Losses - 2 Draws) was on a roll since beating Liam Walsh back in 2019 with a 7 fight winning streak including the scalps of Kid Galahad and Ryan Walsh and in that sequence he won the IBO Lightweight Title by beating Jovanni Straffon but in July last year he lost to George Kambosos Jr by majority decision and lost the title in the process , he was then stopped in the fourth round by William Zepeda in March of this year , no shame in either of those losses lets be honest especially Zepeda .. but in September he made his ring comeback and duly despatched Efstathios Antonas in the sixth round by TKO. I like both fighters and as i say this one should be a decent bout , they're both solid boxers with decent fundamentals but Cully does seem to carry more pop and power in his punches than Hughes , Cully has about 6/7 inches on Hughes which could play a factor here along with a 6 inch reach advantage but Hughes is wily and more experienced and has , for me , been up against the better class of opposition thus far. As ive mentioned this one should of happened a few years ago but as it is Hughes has alot more on the clock , and is now 34 years old whereas Cully is 28 and has a lot less miles on the clock , from the interviews ive seen with Hughes he seems to be up for this one , as does Cully , but i feel that perhaps hes not quite as good as he was and hes been in a few battles over the years which all take their toll , a few years back i would of picked Hughes but not so sure now tbh , Cullys power is obviously a worry and i think the back to back losses to Kambosos Jr and Zepeda could well have taken something out of Hughes tbh , i wanna side with Hughes but i think Cully takes this if im being honest.

Gary Cully To Win

Cheavon Clarke vs Leonardo Mosquea
Not a bad Cruiserweight match up this one , Chev Clarke (10 Fights - 10 Wins (7 KOs)) is coming along nicely and has won the vacant WBA Cruiserweight Intercontinental Title (vs Tommy McCarthy TKO 4th round) and the vacant British Cruiserweight title (vs Ellis Zorro KO 8th round) in his last three fights , and retained the Intercontinental belt when gaining a MD over Efetobor Apochi in his last fight in August of this year. He meets Mosquea (15 Fights - 15 Wins (9 KOs)) for the vacant EBU European title and as well as the belt being on the line someone is gonna lose their unbeaten record , Mosquea has had two fights this year , winning both by decision , and from what ive seen this could be a good fight to watch as both are heavy handed. Clarke is the older of the pair and comes from a solid amateur background , he has a good solid jab which he uses to good effect to launch his attacks , obviously his power and he doesnt mind trading which makes him a favourite with the fans , he has good fundamentals and a decent work rate .. Mosquea also carries power and has decent fundamentals and along with his volume punching can prove problematic for anyone. I think Clarke takes this and the belt , it'll be a hard won victory i feel but i think he'll control the fight and the distance and outjab/work Mosquea until he can land some big uns on him

Cheavon Clarke To Win .. By Stoppage

Natasha Jonas vs Ivana Habazin
Natasha Jonas (18 Fights - 15 Wins (9 KOs) - 2 Losses - 1 Draw) meets Croatian Ivana Habazin (28 Fights - 23 Wins (7 KOs) - 5 Losses) meet for the unified IBF (Jonas) and WBA (Habazin) welterweight titles and its got the potential of a decent fight. Jonas has been on a winning streak since losing to Katie Taylor back in 2021 (drew with Terri Harper in bout before that) and beat the very decent Mikaela Mayer by split decision last time back in January of this year , bit contraversial that one as alot of people had Mayer edging it on the cards , shes also beat Patricia Berghult and Marie Eve Dicaire both in 2022 adding various other belts to her collection. Habazin arrives on the back of a win over Hungarian Kinga Magyar where she won the vacant WBA title by unanimous decision , in her last four fights shes won two and lost two , the two she won you would expect her to win tbh but the ones she lost were against Clarissa Shields and Terri Harper so in all fairness she was up against it in those bouts tbh. Jonas is now 40 years old and she has to slow down sooner or later if im being honest but i think she has enough in the tank to beat the 35 year old Croatian. I think Habazin will give it her all but ultimatley i think Jonas has a better skillset and more power and will come through to take the belts.

Natasha Jonas To Win

Jamie Munguia vs Bruno Surace
Gotta be honest and say for me this one is a total mis match .. Jamie Munguia (45 Fights - 44 Wins (35 KOs) - 1 Loss) comes into this on the back of a tenth round knockout of Erik Bazinyan back in September , that was a decent comeback after he took the first loss of his career to Canelo Alvarez by unanimous decision earlier this year. Frenchman Bruno Surace (27 Fights - 25 Wins (4 KOs) - 2 Draws) comes into this unbeaten and is a decent enough boxer but hes never faced anyone on Munguias level before and i just cant see past a Munguia win here , this will be the first time Surace has fought outside of France and hes pretty much fought low to medium level fighters whilst Munguia has been in with and beaten the likes of John Ryder , Jimmy Kelly , Sergiy Derevyanchenko and Canelo Alvarez. I wouldnt say that Munguia is top tier but hes been fighting better opposition and is better than Surace , for me this fight is a step backwards and like i say i see only one outcome here and that a Jamie Munguia win by stoppage.

Jamie Munguia To Win ... By Stoppage

Lauren Price vs Bexcy Mateus
Lauren Price (7 Fights - 7 Wins (1 KO)) defends her WBA , IBO and Ring female welterweight titles that she won last time by beating Jessica McCaskill by a technical decision against Colombian Bexcy Mateus (7 Fights - 7 Wins (6 KOs)) , i have to say i know nothing about Mateus save that shes been competing in 8 rounders , hasnt fought outside of her native Colombia and hasnt fought anyone of note. This is gonna be a big ask for Mateus i think , Price has some serious skills and a great amateur background. Unless the Colombian is something extremely special i see this being a shut out for Price , i think she retains her belts by a wide margin points decision

Lauren Price To Win .. By Decision

MAXI HUGHES WINS
LAUREN PRICE WINS But by knockout rather than points
BEATRIZ FERREIRA WINS
LEONARDO MOSQUEA WINS
MURODJON AKHMADALIEV WINS
NATASHA JONAS WINS
BRUNO SURACE WINS

 

[Sean]

Saturday 21st December -

Johnny Fisher vs Dave Allen
All British heavyweight dust up , and one im not sure about tbh as Allen seems to be past his best if im being honest although i like him and he can fight and hes also alot more tecnically adept than Fisher and of course more experienced , whether this will help him any i dont know as he does have a history of coming into fights under prepared tbh but i have seen recent vids and it looks as though he has had a good camp so im thinking that we're gonna get a fit and up for it Allen here. Fisher (12 Fights - 12 Wins (11 KOs)) has stopped his opponents (Dymtro Bezus and Alen Babic) by first round TKOs in his last two fights and has stopped every opponent since being taken the distance for the first and only time by Gabriel Enguema back in February of 2022 .. Allen (31 Fights - 23 Wins (18 KOs) - 6 Losses - 2 Draws) has had two fights this year , winning both of them on points but they were four rounders , before that he retired against Frazer Clarke in the sixth round , was on a roll between 2020 and 2023 where he won his four fights by TKO but thats one fight a year so for me thats not keeping busy enough. Along with Itauma , Fisher is supposedly the next best heavyweight from the UK and whilst hes chugging long nicely i think he should be stepping up a rung or two on the ladder , and whilst Allen is experienced and has ability i'd of prefered to see Fisher against a higher rated opponent tbh. Allen has a tendency to start his fights slowly , working himself into the fight , but i dont think he can afford to do that against someone like Fisher who is straight outta the blocks and hunting for the stoppage from the off. Allen has been in with some big names in the past Whyte , Yoka , Ortiz , Price , Browne , Clarke .. so hes used to these big fight nights but as i say i think hes past his best and with Fisher being on the rise i can see this only going one way and thats a Fisher win , whether its by stoppage or not is another matter , Allen , although having been stopped has a pretty durable chin but Fisher seems to hit like a train ! So im gonna go with the Romford Bull to continue on his upward trajectory with a stoppage win here.

Johnny Fisher To Win .. By Stoppage

Moses Itauma vs Demsey McKean
Looking forward to this one gotta say , top British prospect Itauma (10 Fights - 10 Wins (8 KOs)) takes on the tough Aussie McKean (23 Fights - 22 Wins (14 KOs) - 1 Loss) .. Itauma beat the tough and experienced Pole Mariusz Wach by second round stoppage , and he hasnt gone past the second round since his points win over Kevin Espindola back in July 2023 which means that McKean is gonna have to be on point in this , hes tough and experienced and looked as though he was gonna go the distance with Filip Hgrovic last time but was stopped by TKO in the twelfth and final round , for me he werent at his best that night he didnt seem to throw as many as he could of if im being honest but he still proved to be a durable and tough opponent for the well touted Hgrovic. This will be Itauma's toughest opponent to date i would say but im fully expecting him to come through this test , although theres a possibilty that McKean could take him into deep waters if hes at the top of his game and the fight goes to the later rounds. But from everything ive seen Itauma should cope and i think that he'll be wanting to put the division on notice and put in a solid display here. Ive been impressed by what ive seen of Itauma and id be surprised if he doesnt take this one on the way to bigger and better things.

Moses Itauma To Win

Serhii Bohachuck vs Ishmael Davis
Well after the withdrawl of Bohachuks original opponent Israel Madrimov was a bitter disappointment i have to admit as aside from the Uysk vs Fury bout it was the one i was really looking forward to watching , and when it was announced that Madrimov had to withdraw due to acute bronchitis i was gutted .. but huge respect to 'The Black Panther' Ishamel Davis for stepping up at the last minute and saving the day , this is the second time hes stepped in as a replacement at the 23rd hour but i gotta hand it to him and his have gloves , will box attitude. Bohachuk (26 Fights - 24 Wins (23 KOs) - 2 Losses) lost to Vergil Ortiz Jr last time by MD , and i gotta say that , for me , could of gone either way and as he lost his interim WBC Light Middleweight title i think he'll be wanting to get back on track here. Davis (14 Fights - 13 Wins (6 KOs) - 1 Loss) took his first loss last time , back in September of this year , when he lost by MD to Josh Kelly , this was another fight where he came in as a late replacement and he acquitted himself very well and only lost on the nod imo. Davis is a tough and durable fighter but i think he may well have bitten off more than he can chew here with Bohachuk , hes obviously had no time for a full camp although im sure he'll be ready to roll and he'll be coming to fight but i honestly think Bohachuk will prove a level or two above him. I think he'll hold his own for a few rounds but eventually i see Bohachuk breaking him down and handing him his second career loss , possibly by stoppage , although as i say hes tough as teak so if it went to points that wouldnt surprse me either , but either way i see Bohachuk coming out the victor.

Serhii Bohachuk To Win

Peter McGrail vs Rhys Edwards
Well Peter McGrail (11 Fights - 10 Wins (6 KOs) - 1 Loss) was due to face Dennis McCann but due to McCann testing positive in a VADA test he now faces the unbeaten Welshman Rhys Edwards (16 Fights - 16 Wins (4 KOs)) , in whats a massive opportunity for him. Fair play to Edwards coming in on such short notice and i think hes gonna definatley come to win and showcase his talents , was in camp anyway as he was due to fight in January but both are training to fight different opponents than they're actually facing so could go a bit Pete Tong for one of them i daresay , for me i think McGrail is the better boxer with more power but he did suffer a shock defeat to the American JaRico O'Quinn back in December of last year in Arizona , has won his two fights since , both this year , beating Mark Leach by decision and then knocking out ex British and Commonwealth title holder Brad Foster in the second round in his last fight in September .. Edwards has also beaten Foster , outpointing him towards the end of last year , he beat the experienced Thomas Patrick Ward last time (by decision) , and he'll be looking to continue his unbeaten run and put himself firmly into title contention .. but i think he may well have his work cut out for him here , as i think McGrail is the better boxer and he carries more power , should be a decent fight and with late replacements theres always the chance of a potential banana skin but im gonna go with McGrail to win here , who has to stay on track if hes to get a potential world title shot , possibly by a mid to late round stoppage.

Peter McGrail To Win .. By Stoppage (Round 6 and onwards)

Isaac Lowe vs Lee McGregor
Intriguing all British dust up this one that i have a feeling is gonna be a good watch , McGregor (15 Fights - 13 Wins (10 KOs) - 1 Loss - 1 Draw) took his first loss in his penultimate fight against Erik Robles Ayala back in July of last year when he fought for the vacant IBO Superbantamweight Title but he put that behind him in his next / last fight when he stopped Jorge Maya by second round TKO .. Lowe (30 Fights - 25 Wins (8 KOs) - 2 Losses - 3 Draws) is the more experienced of the pair as is obvious by his record , and he comes into this looking for his fifth straight win , he beat Hasibullah Ahmadi on points last time , actually it was on the Uysk vs Fury undercard in the first fight back in May , in his two fights before this he stopped both opponents , Nano Santana retired in the fifth round and then he stopped Jonatas De Oliveira in the first round . So hes enjoying a nice run and he'll be looking forward to continue that , especially on such a big card with the world watching. Both are decent boxers but Lowe has the edge in punching power , and interestingly both of Lowes losses to date have come via way of stoppage , so maybe he is susceptible to hard hitters , although id have the two who stopped him , Nick Ball and Luis Alberto Lopez , rated higher than McGregor tbh. Saying that however , McGregors stoppages have come against smaller fellas than Lowe , and despite his KO rate i wouldnt say that he has one shot power its more a case of accumulative power. McGregor was once touted as a solid prospect and at 27 he still has time to make more of a name for himself but he has to be winning fights like these if hes to do so. Hard one to call i think , but im favouring McGregor slightly although a Lowe win wouldnt come as the biggest shock if im being honest.

Lee McGregor To Win

Oleksandr Uysk vs Tyson Fury
I dunno why we're going through this again , Uysk won the first one and thats that .. move on .. i've had enough of rematches after what seems to be every bloody boxing match .. and if Fury wins .. then a trilogy .. jeezuz !! Anyways despite all that im still looking forward to it , who isnt ?! .. Like i put in the write up for the first bout i was confident and adamant that Uysk would win , and that there was a good chance that there may be a good possibilty that Uysk could stop Fury late on .. and he did win , and that round nine , could of easily been a stoppage had the ref not done what he done .. anyways . i think another good back n forth fight could well be in prospect here , have to say from the off i still like Uysk for the win but im not as confident this time round as i was in the first. From what ive seen Fury seems to be more locked in to the job in hand and more focussed and im hoping that he comes into this ready to roll , i think part of the problem last time was he was too cocky , thought he'd steamroll over the smaller 'middleweight' , and he found out the hard way that that werent gonna happen. Ive been reading and listening to 'what Fury is gonna do different as he adapts and overcomes' .. and Uysk doesnt ? .. His boxing IQ is one of the best out there , the number of times hes looked a tad mediocre before figuring his opponent out and then going through the gears .. the Fury fight , the Bellew fight and i could go on .. can Fury do that ? Absolutely , he too has a solid ring IQ and can change the momentum of a fight. Im wondering if Fury comes in heavier and tries to bully Uysk more than he did in the first fight , a bit like he did in the second Wilder fight , and that he'll try to get him out of there in the first half of the fight , i can see that scenario , and its well within the realms of possibility that he can achieve it but if he does try and fails then i think theres a chance that he gasses in the latter half of the fight and that Uysk capitalises on it and a Uysk win looks more likely imho. I think this time Fury has to use his size , his longer reach etc .. impose himself , be more aggressive and when he catches him with a shot that hurts , follow up , dont give Uysk any room to manouvre (easier said than done but i think thats what hes gotta do) , i am wondering how Fury comes in to this mentally after his first loss , im thinking it will gee him up and make him more determined tbh. I think Uysks footwork is far superior to Furys and that could play a part , and as mentioned his ring IQ , if you watch round 9 , he lures Fury in , Fury starts landing a few including the uppercut and keeps his guard low and then bang .. Uysk catches him .. Fury cant afford mistakes like that .. especially now that Uysk knows that he can hurt him. Both are great boxers theres no doubt (imo Uysk is slightly better but thats just me , each to their own) , and as long as its a great fight i'll be happy whoever wins. This is a hard one to call it really is , im 60/40 in favour of Uysk in this one , i just think that Uysk has Furys number , and i think that conditioning could play a major part in this if its a fast n furious first half and that , for me , plays to Uysks strengths. If Fury doesnt stop Uysk within the first 6/7 rounds (would be no great shock if he does tbh) then i see Uysk winning by decision or even by a late stoppage. But for the purposes of the write up i'll go with Uysk once again

Oleksandr Uysk To Win

 

[Sean]

Im a bit all over the place with the Uysk vs Fury write up , apologies , i did do a lengthy write up but i cant find it so started from scratch as i was typing it so sorry about that. Fingers crossed for a good , clean fight with the best man declared the winner .

 

[Sean]

Well almost at the end of the year , with the 21st being the last of write ups for the year so hoping to end the year on a high .. been a good year overall with some top notch bouts .. im hoping that 2025 will be as exciting , and it looks as though it could be , in the first couple of months we have ..

Wednesday 8th January - Jai Opetatia vs David Nyika
Friday 24th January - Naoya Inoue vs Sam Goodman
Saturday 1st February - David Benevidez vs David Morrell
Saturday 22nd February - Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol
Saturday 22nd February - Daniel Dubois vs Joseph Parker
Saturday 22nd February - Shakur Stevenson vs Floyd Schofield
Saturday 22nd February - Carlos Adames vs Hamzah Sheeraz
Saturday 22nd February - Zhilei Zhang vs Agit Kabayel
Saturday 22nd February - Joshua Buatsi vs Callum Smith
Tuesday 25th February - Adam Aziz vs Sergey Lipinets

and thats just in the first couple of months ! Cant wait ..