Matchroom Fight Camp 2021 Week 2 Weights

 The official weigh-in for Saturday’s second week of the 2021  Matchroom Fight Camp series took place earlier today in Brentwood, England at Matchroom Headquarters. Weights for the entire card, which can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN and will be headlined by a rematch between Kid Galahad and James Dickens for the vacant IBF Featherweight world championship are as follows.

 

Main Event: Vacant IBF Featherweight World Championship – 12Rds.

 

Kid Galahad 126lbs. vs. James Dickens 125 1/2lbs.

 

English Heavyweight Championship – 10Rds.

 

Fabio Wardley (Champion) 235 1/2lbs. vs. Nick Webb 256lbs.

 

 

Heavyweight – 8Rds.

 

Alen Babic 210lbs.vs. Mark Bennett 272 1/2lbs.

 

 

Heavyweight – 4Rds.

 

Johnny Fisher 239 1/2lbs. vs. Danny Whitaker 259 1/2lbs.

 

 

Women’s Bantamweight – 8Rds.

 

Ebanie Bridges 118 3/4lbs. vs. Bec Connolly 119lbs.

 

 

Jr. Lightweight – 8Rds.

 

Kevin Baldospino 131 1/2lbs. vs. Aqib Fiaz 131 3/4lbs.

 

Matchroom Fight Camp: Galahad vs. Dickens II takes place on Saturday, August 7^th at Matchroom Headquarters in Brentwood, England. The entire card can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN beginning at 1PM ET/10AM PT with an hour long Before The Bell preliminary show, which will feature a portion of preliminary bouts before the remainder of the card begins at 2PM ET/11AM PT (U.S, Times.) For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices/platforms/Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, and to subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.com.

 

*Card Subject To Change

 

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

 

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Previewing Matchroom Fight Camp Season 2 Week 2

 

The second season of Matchroom Boxing’s Fight Camp series kicked off in a big way on July 31^st at Matchroom Headquarters in Brentwood, England. As this observer stated in his post-coverage of week 1, the sales hook for this series is relatively simple “No Easy Fights.” Although not originally intended, the first two weeks of this season will be headlined by bouts that could have a potential impact on the near future of the 126lb. Featherweight division. As most know, in week 1, British Featherweight champion Leigh Wood significantly stepped up in caliber of opposition and due to circumstances of COVID-19 saw himself in the main event against WBA mandatory challenger Xu Can. Wood turned in the best performance of his career in out Boxing Can over twelve rounds before dropping him in dramatic fashion in the final round, which led to a stoppage with seconds remaining in the fight.

 

This indirectly sets the stage for the main event of week 2 of Matchroom Fight Camp 2021 as the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) Featherweight world championship will be at stake when Kid Galahad meets James Dickens in a rematch of a bout in 2013 in a bout scheduled for twelve rounds on Saturday, August 7^th. In some ways, this fight has similarities to the Can-Wood bout as Galahad has experience in having previously challenged for a world championship in June 2019 in losing a twelve round split decision to then IBF champion Josh Warrington. Galahad gave a good account of himself in defeat and now finds himself in position to challenge for the IBF championship again, only this time the crown is vacated. In his last fight, Galahad got back to his winning ways by scoring an eighth round stoppage of Claudio Marrero in February of last year.

 

Even though Galahad has what may amount to a confidence booster and an experience edge in having challenged for a world championship before in coming up short by a narrow margin on the scorecards, as well as knowing he defeated Dickens once before in winning the then vacant British Jr. Featherweight championship in 2013, James Dickens finds himself in a position coming into this fight that is not all that unlike the one Leigh Wood was in prior to his bout against Xu Can. In thirty-three professional bouts, Dickens has a solid record of 30-3, with 11 Knockouts and in fact has more fights than Galahad, who will enter the bout with a record of 27-1, with 16 Knockouts.

 

Dickens has gone on to win both the IBF and World Boxing Organization’s (WBO) respective versions of the European Featherweight championship in his career since the loss to Galahad and does hold a victory over Leigh Wood in February of last year. Despite this and what Wood was able to accomplish last week in stopping Xu Can, which might put things in a different light depending on one’s perspective, some might say that Dickens is still in the position of stepping up in class of opposition in this fight against Galahad.

 

In the eyes of this observer, this fight is well-matched and could end up being difficult to score due to the similarities of the two fighters respective styles. Despite what happened the first time these two met in 2013 with Galahad stopping Dickens in ten rounds, it certainly is not hard to envision the ebb and flow potentially shifting multiple times throughout the twelve round world championship bout as this is an encounter between two boxer/punchers. One should keep in mind that nearly eight years have past from the first encounter between these two fighters and both have evolved over time.What has all the appearance of what could be a close tactical battle just might come down to which fighter is able to establish the tempo and how long they are able to sustain it that might determine who will win this fight and become the new IBF Featherweight world champion.

 

Week 2 of Matchroom Fight Camp will feature two interesting Heavyweight bouts featuring two unbeaten prospects that could be potential opponents down the line if they are able to win in their respective bouts on this card. The first of these bouts will see Fabio Wardley making the first defense of his English Heavyweight championship against Nick Webb in a bout scheduled for twelve rounds.

 

For those unfamiliar with the regional championships structure on the British level of the sport, the holder of an English championship in a given weight class is usually one step away from challenging for either British or Commonwealth championships before personably setting sights on European championships or world championship opportunities.  Unlike some fighters who have an English championship however, Wardley has already had some success in testing the waters against world level competition as he scored a knockout win against former multi-time world title challenger Eric Molina in March of this year.

 

In eleven professional bouts, Wardley has scored knockouts in ten of those bouts registering a career knockout percentage of nearly 91%. As both impressive and intimidating as that statistic is and might be for potential opponents preparing to face Wardley, like most fighters who are able to begin their careers with a string of often quick knockouts, the question of who might be able to provide the fighter with a test is inevitably asked. Some including this observer felt that given Eric Molina’s vast experience in being a longtime contender that challenged for versions of the World Heavyweight championship on two occasions might have been the first to give Wardley such a test.

 

This was simply not the case as he was not able to provide Wardley with much resistance and was gradually broken down before being knocked out in the fifth round. The victory over Molina for Wardley did indicate that he might be contending on the world level of the Heavyweight division sooner rather than later. Before that can be explored however, he will defend his English championship against Nick Webb.

 

Webb will enter the bout having won seventeen of nineteen professional bouts and does have more total rounds as compared to Wardley’s thirty total rounds boxed, having boxed forty-four total rounds un his career. Although Webb will enter this bout having won his last four bouts and scoring knockouts in two of those bouts, he has been knocked out in his two career defeats and the question/task he will face in this fight is both simple and easier said than done. Will he be able to extend Wardley into the middle and late rounds of this fight and can he avoid Wardley’s power in doing so.

 

Obviously, yours truly cannot provide the answer, but until a fighter is able to extend Wardley into the deep waters of a fight and/or answer questions regarding how he will respond to being hurt and/or knocked down, the task that Webb has at hand will essentially be the same for future Wardley opponents. 

 

The second Heavyweight bout that will be featured on this card will feature unbeaten prospect Alen Babic facing once beaten Mark Bennett. A scheduled distance for this bout has not been announced as of this writing, but much like Fabio Wardley, Babic has established a reputation for scoring quick knockouts in stopping all seven of his previous opponents in three rounds or less.  While the questions that surround Fabio Wardley can easily be applied as well to Babic, one might argue that he might not face much resistance in this fight and may even go a step further by saying the yet to be announced scheduled distance of this bout might not matter.

 

Despite entering this bout with a respectable record of having won seven of his eight career bouts, Mark Bennett has only one career knockout in his career and his one career loss came in his last bout a three round decision loss in December 2019 to the man who will be challenging Fabio Wardley on this same card Nick Webb in the finals of an Ultimate Boxxer Heavyweight tournament.

 

While bouts held under the Ultimate Boxxer tournament format do not follow the traditional professional Boxing format in terms of round distances, the task Bennett will have here is to avoid Babic’s power. Babic is a come forward fighter that has in previous fights thrown each punch with the intention of ending matters. Although it is certainly logical to think Babic will look to implement a similar approach here as it has not worked against him thus far, it will be interesting to see if Bennett will be able to establish a pace that might answer some questions regarding Babic’s conditioning over the course of a fight if the seek and destroy approach does not work in the early rounds as has been the case in his career to this point.

 

A card that features a world championship bout as well as two Heavyweight bouts with very similar scenarios going in seems to have the ingredients for the type of card that the Matchroom Fight Camp series has become known for. Exciting action where the fan can expect to be entertained, but also should not rule out seeing unexpected outcomes. We will see what this edition of Matchroom Fight Camp Season 2 has in store on Saturday, August 7^th.

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

Matchroom Fight Camp: Galahad vs. Dickens II takes place on Saturday, August 7^th at Matchroom Headquarters in Brentwood, England. The entire card can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN beginning at 1PM ET/10AM PT with an hour long Before The Bell preliminary show, which will feature a portion of preliminary bouts before the remainder of the card begins at 2PM ET/11AM PT (U.S, Times.) For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices/platforms/Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, and to subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.com.

 

 *Card Subject To Change.

 

We will have a preview of the third and final week of Matchroom Fight Camp Season 2 here on The Boxing Truth®️ on Thursday, August 12^th. Stay tuned.

 

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

 

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison

 

 

 

 

Hunter KO’s Wilson In 4 At Madison Square Garden

 

WBC/WBA number six rated Heavyweight contender Michael Hunter scored a dominant fourth round knockout of veteran Mike Wilson on Tuesday night at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. From the opening bell, Hunter’s hand speed and combination punching was simply too much for the thirty-eight year old Wilson to combat. Hunter implemented a balanced attack to the body and head of Wilson and landed several hard shots with both hands in displaying a full range of offense. What quickly became target practice for Hunter through three rounds seemed to give an impression that Wilson’s corner may have been tasked with the decision to stop the fight.

 

Before Wilson’s corner could face that decision however, Hunter decked Wilson with a flush right hook to the jaw that sent him down to the canvas in late in round four. Wilson was very “Game” as he staggered to his feet at the count of nine, but was unable to respond to Referee Ricky Gonzalez’ questions as he evaluated whether Wilson was able to continue, which prompted Gonzalez to stop the bout at 2:49 of round four. Michael Hunter advances to 20-1-1, with 14 Knockouts. Mike Wilson falls to 21-2, with 10 Knockouts.

 

Also in action on this card:

 

Former WBI Jr. Welterweight world champion Chris Algieri scored a convincing ten round unanimous decision over Mikkel LesPierre. Algieri consistently forced LesPierre on the defensive throughout by applying pressure and generating a near non-stop offensive output. In round nine, Algieri appeared on the verge of getting a stoppage when he was able to stun LesPierre with a left hook to the head, which set off a barrage of mostly unanswered punches. Despite this, the fight was allowed to continue and to his credit, LesPierre was able to make it to the final bell. Official scores were: 99-91, and 100-90 (On two scorecards) all in favor of Algieri. Chris Algieri advances to 25-3, with 9 Knockouts. Mikkel LesPierre falls to 22-3-1, with 10 Knockouts.

 

Unbeaten Jr. Welterweight Aaron Aponte scored a second round knockout of previously undefeated Gerardo Gonzalez. Aponte dropped Gonzalez with a straight right hand the head late in the first round. Gonzalez was able to survive the round, but was on unsteady legs. Aponte, sensing his opponent was in trouble, immediately pressed the issue in round two dropping Gonzalez for a second and final time with a barrage of punches highlighted by another right hand to the head that sent Gonzalez down to the canvas. The bout was stopped by Referee Sparkle Lee at :30 of round two. Aaron Aponte advances to 4-0, with 2 Knockouts. Gerardo Gonzalez falls to 2-1, with 1 Knockout.

 

This card, which was promoted by Triller in association with Hall of Fame promoter Lou Dibella’s Dibella Entertainment was the first in a new monthly Tuesday night Boxing series that Triller calls “TrillerVerz.”  Although Triller is still a relatively new player in the sport of Boxing, those of us with New York roots like yours truly that are of a certain age are likely old enough to remember Boxing from the Theater at Madison Square Garden, for many years known as the Felt Forum, was regularly broadcast on MSG Network on a monthly basis in the New York market where many of those cards were broadcast by legendary New York Rangers broadcaster Sam Rosen and the late great manager, trainer, and Boxing commentator Gil Clancy. Those who are older and go back further than the MSG Network era might remember going back many decades to previous versions of Madison Square Garden, monthly Boxing cards often promoted by Madison Square Garden Boxing were a staple in New York.

 

For Triller as a new promotional entity in the sport of Boxing that has faced some setbacks in its brief foray in the sport, but has set a quite ambitious goal in an attempt to become one of Boxing’s major players, drawing upon the sport’s history by partnering with Madison Square Garden in an attempt to return monthly Boxing back to “The Mecca of Boxing” is a nice touch and certainly ambitious given both the state of the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic as well as the significant competition they face from other promoters and both digital streaming and traditional broadcast networks. With Triller now owning digital combat sports streaming network and pay-per-view platform FITE, the potential is there for Triller to re-establish monthly Boxing events at “The Garden” for the streaming age. Now the question is whether they will be able to offer the type of cards and subscription pricing where they will not only be competitive in the streaming space, but also offer a consumer-friendly option to the public. 

 

While this remains to be seen, a good first step would be to be willing to work with other promoters and networks in an effort to offer the best fights possible, something that not every promotional entity that has started out with good momentum has been willing to do. As we have seen, such an approach does not always serve the sport well and leads to fights of significant interest not being made for a variety of reasons. If Triller wants to make a splash in Boxing, this observer can think of no better approach than setting out to be different by showing it is open to working with all promoters. Although it certainly won’t be easy, if they can show that willingness and it leads to increased interest in the sport and more importantly interest that does not come at a high expense for the consumer, Boxing may see something truly beneficial and groundbreaking. For a sport that has no shortage of black eyes and detractors, it would for the all too rare times be a good thing.

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reaerved.

 

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison

Triller Tuesday Night Fights Official Weights From New York City

 The official weights for Tuesday night’s TrillerVerz: Tuesday Night Fights series took place earlier today in New York City, NY. Weights for the entire card, which will be held in The Theater at Madison Square Garden are as follows.

 

Main Event: Heavyweight – 12Rds.*

 

Michael Hunter 217 1/2lbs. vs. Mike Wilson 224 1/2lbs.

 

(Bout billed as an elimination bout in the World Boxing Association (WBA) Heavyweight ratings.)

 

Welterweight – 10Rds.

 

Chris Algieri 142 3/4lbs. vs. Mikkel LesPierre 144lbs.

 

Vacant United States Boxing Association (USBA) Welterweight championship – 10Rds.

 

Eric Walker 147lbs. vs. Ivan Golub 146 1/2lbs.

 

Light-Heavyweight – 6Rds.

 

Joseph Ward 175 1/2lbs. vs. Troy Williams 175 3/4lbs.

 

Light-Heavyweight – 4Rds.

 

Matthew Tinker 174 1/2lbs. vs. Michael Rycraft 173 1/2lbs.

 

Women’s Flyweight – 4Rds

 

Christina Cruz 111 1/2lbs. vs. Indeya Smith 111 3/4lbs.

 

Jr. Middleweight – 6Rds.

 

Nikoloz Sekhniashvili 154 1/2lbs. vs. Guido Schramm 155lbs.

 

Heavyweight – 4Rds. 

 

Cleveland Billingsley 251 1/2lbs. vs. Robert Sabbagh 220 1/2lbs.

 

Jr. Welterweight – 4Rds.

 

Aaron Aponte 139 1/2lbs. vs. Gerardo Gonzalez 138lbs.

 

 

Triller Tuesday Night Fights: Hunter vs. Wilson takes place tomorrow night (Tuesday, August 3^rd) at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. The entire card can be seen globally and free on digital combat sports streaming network FITE beginning at 6PM ET/3PM PT (U.S. Times). For more information about FITE including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices/platforms/Smart TVs, and for information on how to download the FITE app please visit: www.FITE.TV. For additional information about this card as well as musical performances also scheduled to take place, you can visit the event page by clicking here.

 

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

 

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Wood Stops Can In 12 At Matchroom Fight Camp

 

In an upset,British Featherweight champion Leigh Wood scored a twelfth round stoppage of top Featherweight contender Xu Can in the main event of week 1 of Season 2 of Matchroom Fight Camp on Saturday night at Matchroom Headquarters in Brentwood, England. From the opening bell, Wood used angles and his reach to keep the normal volume puncher Can on the defensive and only getting his punches off sporadically. This along with consistent combination punching firmly established the momentum in Wood’s favor. As the fight progressed, Can, who entered the fight holding interim/regular champion status in the World Boxing Association’s (WBA) Featherweight ratings, started to pick up his pace, but was unable to turn the ebb and flow of the combat in his favor, perhaps affected by ring rust after being inactive for nearly twenty-two months due largely to the ongoing COVID-19 global epidemic. 

 

The story of the fight became Wood’s ability to remain disciplined. With momentum seemingly on his side, Wood made a statement in the late stages of the twelfth and final round by dropping Can with a perfectly timed counter right hook to the head. Can was able to get to his feet, but Wood sensing his opponent was in trouble was not content to box the remaining seconds to what appeared to be a clear decision victory. He proceeded to press forward and with a follow-up barrage was able to get a stoppage with fifteen seconds remaining in the fight. Leigh Wood advances to 25-2, with 14 Knockouts. Xu Can falls to 18-3, with 3 Knockouts.

 

Also on this card:

 

Commonwealth Cruiserweight champion Chris Billam-Smith scored a hard fought twelve round split decision over European Cruiserweight champion Tommy McCarthy to win the European Cruiserweight championship and vacant British Cruiserweight championship. An extremely difficult fight to score and at times ugly to watch due to the fighters grappling on the inside, Smith was stunned by an overhand right to the head in the first round. He was able to recoup and managed to hold his own against the awkwardness of McCarthy. As the two fighters traded the ebb and flow in seemingly every round, McCarthy suffered a bad cut over the right eye in the sixth round as a result of an accidental clash of heads. McCarthy continued however, to hold his own and staggered Smith with another overhand right in the eleventh round. An extremely close fight with neither fighter standing out definitively was illustrated as two of three official judges scored the fight 115-114, but were split between the two fighters. The third and deciding judge however, turned in a score of 116-112 in favor of Smith giving him the victory and the trifecta of British, Commonwealth, and European Cruiserweight championships. Chris Billam-Smith advances to 13-1, with 10 Knockouts. Tommy McCarthy falls to 18-3, with 9 Knockouts.

 

Unbeaten Jr. Welterweight  Campbell Hatton, the son of former two-division world champion Ricky Hatton, improved to 3-0 in his young career by scoring a four round decision over Jakub Laskowski. Hatton forced the action from the outset and, despite a consistent attack to Laskowski’s body Laskowski did manage to make it to the final bell. As all non-title bouts held in the United Kingdom and Ireland that do not have an impact on regional or world rankings are scored solely by the referee officiating a fight, Referee Mark Bates scored the fight 40-36 in favor of Hatton. Campbell Hatton advances to 3-0, with 0 Knockouts. Jakub Laskowski falls to 4-5-1, with 2 Knockouts.

 

Jr. Middleweight contender Anthony Fowler scored an impressive eighth round stoppage of late substitute Rico Mueller. Fowler was able to keep Mueller, who took the fight on short notice when original opponent Roberto Garcia withdrew with an injury suffered in training, on the end of his punches with his longer reach from the opening bell. This resulted in Mueller having to fight behind a high defensive guard where he simply was not able to get his punches off consistently. As Fowler gradually kept his offense coming and started breaking through Mueller’s guard, the punishment gradually accumulated. In round eight, Fowler connected with a solid one, two to the head that staggered Mueller. Fowler responded with a near non-stop barrage of punches that was broken briefly when Mueller landed a single hook to the head, but that punch was not enough to keep Fowler off of him and with the assault continuing, the fight was mercifully stopped. Official time of the stoppage was 2:12 of round eight. Anthony Fowler advances to 16-1, with 12 Knockouts. Rico Mueller falls to 28-4-1, with 19 Knockouts.

 

 

Super-Middleweight Jack Cullen scored the biggest win of his career by scoring a dominant ten round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Avni Yildirim. Cullen used his longer reach to keep Yildirim at distance. Working behind a consistent jab and using lateral movement, Cullen was able to out box and withstand Yildirim’s pressure as the fight progressed to earn a convincing unanimous decision victory. Official scores were: 100-90, 98-92, and 97-93 all in favor of Cullen. Jack Cullen advances to 20-2-1, with 9 Knockouts. Avni Yildirim falls to 21-4, with 12 Knockouts.

 

In the opening bout of the evening Women’s Jr. Welterweight Sandy Ryan began her professional career by scoring a six round decision over Kirstie Bavington.  Bavington began this fight by trying to impose her will on the debuting Ryan by trying to be aggressive and push her back against the ropes. Despite her aggression, Ryan landed the cleaner punches of the two fighters and by the middle rounds was using her lateral movement and timing to more or less pick her shots as Bavington came forward. It appeared in the latter stages of the fight that Ryan’s combination punching and ability to time Bavington almost at will may have been enough to get a late stoppage, but Bavington remained very “Game” and made it to the final bell. Referee Mark Bates scored the bout 60-54 in favor of Ryan.  Sandy Ryan advances to 1-0, with 0 Knockouts. Kirstie Bavington falls to 3-2-2, with 2 Knockouts.

 

Originally, this card was to be headlined by undefeated Welterweight contender Conor Benn facing Adrian Granados in a scheduled ten round bout. The fight however, was postponed two days before the card due to Benn contracting the COVID-19 virus. As of this writing, no rescheduled date has been announced. We will keep readers updated on any developments as they become available.

 

The theme of Matchroom Fight Camp is a simple sales pitch “No Easy Fights.” While that is a simple sales hook, the first season in 2020 occurred under circumstances of the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic and the concept was born basically out of necessity as promoters attempted to resume activity under very trying circumstances. As we saw last year, the bouts being promoted by Matchroom Boxing and the chairman of Matchroom Sport Eddie Hearn are not throwaways. The type of fights where there is a consensus amongst both fans and experts as to the outcomes. Instead, the fights during the first season were very competitive and produced more than a few unexpected results.

 

This time around with the addition of nearly three-hundred spectators as well as Matchroom deepening its relationship with global digital sports streaming network DAZN to cover the United Kingdom and Ireland market as well as its existing deal to broadcast Matchroom events around the world, the first week of season two saw a somewhat unexpected result in Leigh Wood catapulting himself from British Featherweight champion to being one step away from a world championship bout with a knockout of Xu Can, a fighter known for the ability to produce extremely high punch outputs and one that had never been stopped before.

 

As I said in previewing this card, while the Matchroom Fight Camp concept was one born out of necessity due to an ongoing global crisis, a crisis that reared itself a mere forty-eight hours before this card took place necessitating the postponement of the originally advertised main event, Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Sport have stumbled upon something that is likely to now become an annual part of the Matchroom promotional calendar every year. If the bouts can remain well-matched, fans can remain attending these cards, and if it also serves to strengthen the relationship between Matchroom and DAZN as both continue to expand globally and continue to show the Boxing world the benefits of a subscription-based model as compared to the pay-per-view model, and in doing so convince both promoters and networks that have resisted adapting to a more sensible and consumer-friendly model, it should be a win for the sport on a true global scale.

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

We will have a preview of Matchroom Fight Camp Season 2 week 2 here on The Boxing Truth®️ on Thursday, August 5^th. Stay tuned.

 

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

 

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter:www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison

 

 

 

 

Initial Impressions Of Boxing At The 2020 Olympics

 

The time has come once more where the world focuses much of its attention over a span of two weeks for the Summer Olympic Games. Obviously, this time, the 2020 games is actually taking place in 2021 after a year’s delay due to the ongoing global COVID-19. As most know, even with a year delay from when the games were originally scheduled in the summer of last year, these Olympics have taken place under significant controversy due to the ongoing circumstances of the global COVID-19 crisis around the world, but more specifically in the games’ host country Japan.

 

While this observer will not give the reader a long thorough rehash of everything that has gone on, those who know me and those who follow yours truly across social media platforms including Twitter know that I have heavily criticized the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for its decision to go on with the rescheduled games, despite mounting evidence that it was not in the best interest of the country of Japan nor in the interest of the athletes from around the world to hold the Olympics under the circumstances of a worsening epidemic. Despite this criticism of which I stand by, with the Olympics in full swing, the time has come for this observer to provide his take on the Olympic Boxing tournament that is currently ongoing in Tokyo.

 

While with the exception of the 2012 games that were held in London, England, I have covered every Olympic Boxing  tournament in some form since the 2000 Olympic Games that were held in Sydney, Australia, due to the amount of bouts that typically take place over the course of an Olympic tournament, I offer the reader some of my impressions over the course of the tournament in summary-form often broken into two feature columns that are released both during competition as well as shortly after the games have concluded. With well over one hundred bouts having taken place as of this writing, it is now time for me to share some of my thoughts on what I’ve seen thus far.

 

Ironically, with these Olympics taking place with no spectators beyond essential personnel and the respective Olympic teams in attendance at the various events including, but certainly not limited to the Boxing tournament, I did not feel a sense that the atmosphere would feel unusual. This is perhaps due to the fact that for well over a year now, numerous sporting events around the world have taken place in settings closed to the general public depending on the circumstances of COVID-19 in the given region where events are held. While there is certainly no disputing that there is an element of excitement that comes from the addition of crowds attending events, I found myself feeling as though this would likely not be an adjustment for the athletes competing as more than likely, they were given time to prepare for an atmosphere without spectators.

 

Nevertheless, the first Olympics in modern history to have taken place with no crowds in attendance does make the 2020 Tokyo Olympics unique even if it is for reasons that will be criticized for years to come. As for the Boxing tournament, the tournament taking place at Tokyo’s Kokugikan Arena has seen highly competitive bouts across both the Men’s and Women’s competitions. While many of the bouts have followed a pattern of very close bouts both in terms of the action inside the ring as well as how the bouts are scored, there has not been an element of “Controversy” thus far.

 

This is perhaps due to the move by the IOC during the 2016 games to remove the Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) from both overseeing and hosting the tournament after yet another tournament that was seen as controversial in some aspects, due to the way AIBA had handled matters. The IOC instead implanted the concept of what it called it’s Boxing Task Force, Over the first week of competition, while several of the bouts have been close and frankly could have been scored either way depending on one’s perspective, there has not been the sense of questionable scoring or the feeling of either incompetent scoring or outright corruption that has followed many Olympic tournaments due both to all five official judges scorecards being counted as well as the scores being presented in an open scoring format in an effort to both be transparent as well as hopefully eliminate any potential controversy as far as scoring is concerned. Although it is difficult for any sport to be regulated perfectly, so far, I feel that this has been a significant step in the right direction for Amateur Boxing at least as far as the Olympics are concerned and this should be something that if it is able to remain as it has been during the first week of competition for the remainder of the tournament, should be followed by other Amateur Boxing associations around the world including AIBA in the future.

 

It should also not be overlooked as the IOC Boxing Task Force in its commitment to  transparency, this is the first Olympic Boxing Tournament to feature as many as fifteen female officials between referees and judges, up from six in the previous Olympics as well as it being the first Olympics to see five weight classes represented in Women’s Boxing up from three weight divisions in the previous 2016 games.

 

As such, Women’s Boxing has taken a significant part of the spotlight of this Olympic tournament and in addition to adding more weight classes for female fighters, the women competing in Tokyo have also seen the addition of one element that many people involved in Boxing, including those of us who cover the sport like yours truly have been screaming to see added to Women’s professional Boxing for years. Three minute rounds.

 

For whatever reason, it has been a struggle for the women of the sport to be able to compete under the same round duration as their male counterparts. While this is something that is not seen in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) where women are able to compete in bouts scheduled for rounds of five minutes in duration either scheduled for three rounds for non-title bouts or five rounds for championship bouts, the same duration of minutes per round and scheduled rounds as male MMA fighters in most MMA promotions, the women of Boxing have been fighting in two minute rounds for decades.

 

Although the idea of two minute rounds on the surface usually ensures a fast-paced fight, there is not, nor has there ever been evidence that female fighters could not fight at the same length of rounds as men, in my view. Furthermore, like many involved in the sport, I feel removing the third minute of a round for women boxers not only removes an element of strategy that a fighter can implement in terms of tactics, but also has resulted in many bouts being scored draws due to the shorter duration of rounds. Even though one should not generalize the idea that more fights would end by way of knockout/referee’s stoppage if the women of the sport had the benefit of an extra minute per round, I feel at minimum, we would see more conclusive results in terms of scoring if not more fighters being able to end fights within the distance on a more consistent basis.

 

 

With the addition of two more weight classes in this Tokyo Olympics, the 126lb. Featherweight and 147lb. Welterweight divisions, joining the 112lb. Flyweight division, the 135lb. Lightweight division, and the 160lb. Middleweight divisions that previously saw competition at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as well as Female fighters being able to box in three minute rounds, hopefully, this Olympics will be known as a major step forward towards equality in Boxing that ultimately the professional sport will adapt to for the women that compete in it.

 

While there is certainly more to come in the 2020 Olympic Boxing tournament that will be covered by yours truly in due time, my initial impression of this tournament though there is more to come and more to discuss regarding the fights and the fighters competing, is the IOC is on the right track and if they are able to see everything through to the finish line of this Olympics, Boxing should be elevated going forward. It would be a win both for the sport of Boxing as well as the Olympics.

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

Part 2 of Olympic coverage here on The Boxing Truth®️ will be released here on the website in the week following the conclusion of the 2020 Summer Olympics. An announcement on when it will be released will be announced on the website in the next week. Stay tuned.

 

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

 

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison

 

 

 

 

 

 

Previewing Matchroom Fight Camp Season 2 Week 1

 One of the biggest things that came as a result of the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic when it began impacting everyday life including the day to day operation of sports around the world in 2020 was the necessity for all sports to adapt to the changing environment created by the COVID-19 virus.  Following a lengthy pause that lasted in some cases over three months, Boxing was one of the sports that sort of laid out a blueprint of sorts for other sports, particularly in the combat sports space to follow as the process of trying to resume normal day to day activities began. While some promoters are still struggling over a year into the epidemic to resume their schedules, some promoters who because of their standing in the sport had the financial resources and the benefit of lucrative agreements with television and streaming networks to not only resume activity, but also essentially take residency at venues around the world in environments that did not feature spectators.

 

One of the most notable for a period of time was the move by Matchroom Boxing promoter and now Chairman of Matchroom Sport to stage cards at the private residence of the Hearn family estate dubbed Matchroom Headquarters in Brentwood, England. This unique decision saw cards held outdoors on the spacious grounds of the Hearn estate, a beautiful setting for Boxing that likely would not have come to fruition had it not been for the unforeseen circumstances of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. While this was initially thought up out of necessity to resume activity, it laid the groundwork for what may become an annual tradition on the Matchroom calendar as beginning on July 31^st, the Matchroom stable will return to the grounds of the Hearn estate for three cards over three consecutive weeks dubbed “Matchroom Fight Camp Season 2.”

 

Much as was the case when this concept debuted last year, the world remains in uncertain times as the COVID-19 epidemic continues. There are however, two notable differences that are occurring this time around. The first is that beginning with the first of the three cards, all the action will be available to Boxing fans in the United Kingdom and Ireland as well as globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN as Matchroom recently announced an extension of its existing agreement with the network to cover the United Kingdom as well as its existing agreement to broadcast all Matchroom Boxing events internationally including here in the United States. This marked the end of a decades-long run for Matchroom Boxing on Sky Sports and also a demonstration of Hearn’s commitment to the subscription-based streaming model and away from the pay-per-view model.

 

Given the level of Boxing’s popularity and sizable audience in the United Kingdom, this is likely to be a smart move by Hearn that other promoters throughout the sport are likely to notice and follow. As Hearn along with DAZN have really established themselves on a global level in the sport and have become one of the top players in it, fans may wonder what is in store.

 

For the second season of Matchroom Fight Camp there is no shortage of what on paper should be competitive bouts. In the main event of week one, unbeaten Welterweight contender Conor Benn will face a stern test in the form of longtime contender Adrian Granados. Benn, the son of former two-division world champion Nigel Benn, is undefeated in eighteen professional bouts having scored knockouts in twelve of those fights registering a career knockout percentage of nearly 67%. Much like his father before him, Benn has power in both hands and is capable of ending a fight quickly should the opportunity present itself. In his last fight in April of this year, Benn scored a first round knockout over veteran Samual Vargas. Now Benn looks to take the next step towards a world title shot by facing Adrian Granados.

 

Granados, a veteran of thirty-three professional fights is similar to Vargas in terms of experience having fought several top fighters in and around the 147lb. Welterweight division including former two-division world champion Danny Garcia. The question going into this fight is what type of challenge can Granados provide Benn and more specifically, can he provide a level of resistance that Benn’s previous to opponents Vargas and Sebastian Formella were unable to provide. If Benn is looking beyond Granados, Granados does have the skillset and experience to make it a difficult fight for him.

 

Also on this card, European Cruiserweight champion Tommy McCarthy will make the second defense of his European crown against rising prospect Chris Billiam-Smith in a fight where the vacant British Cruiserweight championship will also be on the line. McCarthy, who is currently rated in the top ten in the WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO ratings in the Cruiserweight division appears to be nearing a possible world title shot in 2022 if he can continue winning. In his last outing, McCarthy scored a sixth round knockout over a very “Game” Alexandru Jur in May of this year in his first defense of the European Cruiserweight championship. 

 

McCarthy will face what could be an interesting task in the form of Chris Billiam-Smith. Smith, who will enter the fight with a record of 12-1, with 10 Knockouts will come into this encounter riding a three fight winning streak since dropping a decision to undefeated former British Cruiserweight champion Richard Riakporhe in July 2019. This fight appears to be one where the fighters have similar styles, but one might argue that the champion McCarthy  might have an edge both in terms of experience as well as hand speed. When it comes to fights where there are similarities in styles, it is always interesting to see who will be able to establish the tempo of the fight and whether or not that fighter will be able to maintain that tempo throughout the bout. It is certainly not out of the realm of possibility that this could be a tactical battle for much of the early rounds and whomever is able to get an advantage just might emerge from this fight victorious.

 

The final of the three headline bouts that will take place on week one of season two of Matchroom Fight Camp will be a battle in the 126lb. Featherweight division as top contender Can Xu faces WBA number twelve rated Featherweight contender Leigh Wood. Xu, who has a record of 18-2, with 3 Knockouts currently holds an interim/regular championship designation in the WBA’s Featherweight ratings. Although not known for his punching power, Xu is a highly skilled boxer that knows how to win rounds and has shown no issue in being able to go twelve rounds if required. In Leigh Wood, Xu will face a fighter who will come into the bout with a record of 24-2, with 14 Knockouts who has won four of his last five fights and will have an edge in activity having last fought in February of last year compared to  Xu, who has been out of action for nearly two years most likely due to the circumstances of COVID-19 .

 

Xu is known for his ability to outwork his opponents and it is logical to think that Wood will look to pressure him early to take advantage of any possible ring rust that Xu might have from being inactive. In simple terms, Wood needs to be consistent in this fight and make it difficult for Xu to get into a rhythm in order to have success in this fight.

 

These three bouts, which will headline a six bout card at Matchroom Headquarters should continue the momentum that was established last year during what can now be referred to as the inaugural season of Matchroom Fight Camp in providing fights that have all the appearance of being highly competitive. In addition to the new broadcast agreement as far as the United Kingdom and Ireland are concerned there is one more crucial difference that will be taking place this year as compared to season one. A limited number of fans will be allowed to attend the three cards on the grounds of the Hearn family estate. As the world continues to deal with the circumstances and effects of the COVID-19 crisis the fact that a select number of fans will be able to experience Boxing in a truly unique and intimate atmosphere is refreshing after the circumstances in which the “Matchroom Fight Camp” concept came to be initially. If the addition of spectators can add to the action in the ring, it may not be a bad idea for Eddie Hearn and his team to start strategizing for Fight Camp Season 3.

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

Matchroom Fight Camp: Benn vs. Granados takes place on Saturday, July 31^st at Matchroom Headquarters in Brentwood, England. The full card can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN beginning at 12PM ET/9AM PT (U.S. Times.) For more information about DAZN, including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices/platforms/Smart TVs, availability around the world, start times in your area, and to subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.com.

 

We will have a preview of week two of Matchroom Fight Camp here on the website next week.

 

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

 

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter:www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison

 

 

Joyce Stops Takam In 6, Was The Fight Stopped Prematurely?

 

Originally July 24^th was to be a day highlighted by the anticipated third encounter between undefeated two-time Heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury, the current holder of the WBC crown in the Heavyweight division, and former WBC world champion Deontay Wilder. As most know, the fight was postponed due to Fury and several members of his team testing positive for the COVID-19 virus. The latest twist in what has been a turbulent time not just in the division, but in the entire sport due largely to the ongoing global epidemic.

 

In the absence of the third chapter in the Fury-Wilder saga, an intriguing fight took place at the Wembley Arena in London, England that had serious implications as to the near future of the Heavyweight division. This observer is referring to the Heavyweight elimination bout between undefeated WBO mandatory challenger Joe Joyce and longtime contender and former world title challenger Carlos Takam. An encounter that for all intents and purposes amounted to an elimination bout to determine the next mandatory challenger in the World Boxing Organization’s (WBO) Heavyweight ratings to face the winner of the upcoming world championship bout between unified IBF/WBA/WBO/IBO world champion Anthony Joshua and current WBO number one contender and former Undisputed World Cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, which is scheduled to take place in September.

 

In many ways, this fight though compelling because of what was at stake can be summed up simply as a battle of youth versus experience. The youth end of the equation was in favor of the younger and seemingly stronger unbeaten Joyce. Despite stopping over 90% of his opponents in his twelve previous professional bouts, the 2016 Olympic Silver Medalist had not been tested significantly in his professional career, and naturally the question of how he would respond to a test had been asked.Joyce’s opponent in Carlos Takam appeared to be the type of opposition capable of answering just how good Joyce might be in being a fighter with a level of experience that could provide him with a test. Some may remember Takam for his valiant effort in his challenge of the then undefeated unified Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in October 2017.

 

Although Takam was stopped in that fight, he was able to give a good account of himself in defeat and has remained one of the division’s top contenders in the years since.  At forty years old after a career of forty-five professional fights that began in 2005, it was logical to question just how much Takam had left at this stage of his career. In addition to Joyce’s youth in being five years younger than him, Takam also had to deal with a disadvantage in height of nearly five inches to the 6’6 Joyce.

 

It appeared for a time that Takam would not have as much difficulty as someone might have assumed going into this fight regarding whether he had the ability to navigate Joyce’s reach as he spent much of the early rounds trying to use head movement to slip underneath Joyce’s punches. A strategy that proved to be reasonably successful and created opportunities for him to land his right hand to the head of Joyce. While he was not always the more active of the two fighters, the success Takam had in frequently finding the target with his right hand, I felt carried the tempo of the fight through most of the early rounds. 

 

In round five, Joyce, who had gradually found success of his own in landing hooks to Takam’s body, appeared to have what was to that point his best round of the fight as with the success in landing to Takam’s body, Joyce, the current Commonwealth Heavyweight champion was able to get some space between himself and his opponent. As it appeared as Joyce’s strategy was to gradually step up his offense from this point in the fight on, he surprised Takam by opening round six with a barrage of punches that did have him stunned, on the defensive, and struggling to return offense 

 

Although Takam was stunned, he did not get knocked down. The volume of offense from Joyce however, was enough to convince Referee Howard Foster to step in and stop the fight. A stoppage that appeared as though it might have been a little quick as Takam was still attempting to find a way to return offense, was met with disgust by Takam and his handlers.

 

There is no disputing that Carlos Takam was under heavy fire from Joyce and did appear visibly stunned. Even though the stoppage did appear to be quick in this observer’s eyes, Referee Howard Foster was the closest person to the combat inside the ring and thus had a better view than anyone as to whether Takam was in eminent danger or was capable of continuing. Though I stand by my initial reaction that the stoppage was a bit quick, I do not believe it was a case of a referee recklessly jumping in before it would have been appropriate to do so. This is more of a circumstance where it may have been a matter of seconds before the window of a stoppage would have been the right call if one is objective and views things fully.  As such and having seen the consequences of what can happen when fights are allowed to go on longer than they should, I will always give the benefit of the doubt to the referee under these circumstances.

 

Although for Carlos Takam, this setback is the definition of a tough break, much like his loss to Anthony Joshua, he gave a good account of himself in defeat and will likely get another opportunity against a top contender off of what was a good performance. For Joe Joyce meanwhile, he now has placed himself firmly in position to challenge for a world championship at some point in the future. Just how quickly he will get that chance will likely be determined by what occurs at the top of the division as the wish for unification of the World Heavyweight championship, a goal that appeared so close at the beginning of 2021, remains so far from becoming reality. For top contenders like Joe Joyce however, such stalls in progress could well lead to opportunity.

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

 

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison