The Undisputed

For ten minutes in Las Vegas, Nevada last night British welterweight Kell Brook was again ‘special’. Coming in as big outsider to regain a version of the world 10st 7lb (147lbs) title he’d temporarily neutralized the effectiveness of WBO champion Terence Crawford and, was in the fight.

He’d tentatively felt his way through the opening two minutes of round one, during which the fighters circled each other with barely a punch thrown and both looked to seek out the right range to attack.

He’d successfully launched periodic sorties landing strong left jabs and right hand power shots through the next four minutes. He’d just about bagged the opening two rounds.

The third was closer as Crawford started to feel his way in and get more success. The champion looked to take the round, but narrowly.

The 34 year old Brit hadn’t even needed to switch southpaw to confuse his opponent in the opening rounds. It was Crawford, a notoriously slow starter , who’d been the one starting to switch hit. We began to think could Kell really be that ‘special’ again ?

In between rounds a swelling had started to appear above Crawford’s right eye, but yet, it was in Brook’s corner where the endswell (cold iron) was being used to good effect around his vulnerable eye sockets. Maybe this was a warning sign, but Kell was definitely in the fight.

Then, a minute into the fourth the fighters finally got close and the pace stepped up; an exchange, and a straight right jab out of the southpaw stance smashed above Brook’s eye socket. Clearly the target and a ‘bullseye’ for Crawford given the Brit’s recent history of eye injuries. In that one moment the fight was as good as over.

Brook lurched backwards towards the ropes, stumbling and struggling to gain balance. American referee Tony Weeks called it a knockdown, counted to eight and asked the Brit if he was alright. Answering in the affirmative the fight was allowed to continue but within a second the champion, an excellent finisher, was all over his opponent. To this writer it brought to mind a famous Vinnie Pazienza quote from the 80’s …. “His legs turned to spaghetti, and I was all over him like the sauce !” Brook at that point was “the sauce”.

Crawford 37-0 (28 KO’s) swarmed the challenger and Weeks stepped in to stop the fight after 1:14 secs. ‘Bud’ Crawford remained the WBO champion and is arguably pound-for-pound the finest in the world. The Ring magazine rate him #3 but that is challenged by most US observers. Now he must be appropriately recognised as higher.

Brook 39-3 (27 KO’s), the former IBF world welterweight champion, had come to fight, but was simply outgunned by an elite champion at the very top of his game. Kell had used his sublime skills acquired since entering the Wincobank, Sheffield gym as a child, to win a ‘world’ title and, also navigate the opening three rounds and make them very competitive. But, when all came to pass he was no match for Crawford. “The better man won tonight…..no one ever done that to me in my career” was Kell’s summation of the contest. It was hard to argue.

So what happens now ? Crawford, aged 33, needs and strives for a career defining or ‘legacy’ fight. In his eyes Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KO’s) is that man. “I’m looking and trying to secure a Pacquiao fight” he replied post-fight. Hall of Fame promoter and Top Rank CEO Bob Arum claimed the fight was almost signed pre-COVID, somewhere in the Middle East (apparently Qatar), but as soon as no gate was allowed the negotiations fell through.

The alternative route is a unification fight with come-backing IBF and WBC world champion Errol Spence Jnr. (26-0, 21 KO’s). Spence, the previous man to defeat Brook at 147lbs, is returning to the ring after a horrific car crash last October in which he thankfully escaped with his life and faculties intact. He meets former world champion Danny Garcia on November 21 and questions will remain until he navigates that challenge. Arum claims Spence has, and will continue to run from Crawford.

A Crawford-Spence meeting is one of, if not the best, out there. At year start it was one of the most sought out fights to happen, but known to be contractually difficult. Whether Pacquiao or Spence are Crawford’s next opponent we can only hope, but whatever the outcome this is what the Nebraskan WBO champion needs to reach his potential and further secure his legacy.

Kell Brook will return to the UK, rumoured $2 million richer, and will always be remembered for the night he ripped the title off Shawn Porter in 2014 in one of the finest performances by a British fighter overseas. He will take his place in the roll call of British world champions, and may even fight compatriot Amir Khan in a long awaited grudge match, which is sure to still be an attraction in the UK.

However, on Saturday night in Las Vegas the ‘special’ fighter was undoubtedly Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford.

So far, British welterweight Kell Brook can be considered a ‘special’ fighter. Anyone who compiles a record of 39-2 (27 KO’s), has fought in six world title fights, winning a version in the other guys backyard and, at 34 years old, is about to share the ring with the #3 pound-for-pound fighter in the world has to be special.

But, how special will be determined in the MGM Grand ‘Bubble’ in Las Vegas on Saturday night. If the man from Sheffield, England can defeat American Terence Crawford (36-0, 27 KO’s) in this Top Rank Inc. promotion then he will move up the pantheon of ‘special’ fighters that the British Isles has produced.

The slick Brook has fought in elite company for much of his late career. His standout victory was back in 2014 when he ‘toughed out’ a decision in a fantastic fight against American Shawn Porter to take his IBF world welterweight title. That victory looked even better year on year as Porter went on to win other world titles.

Brook would eventually lose that title in 2017 in his hometown to Errol Spence Jnr, after moving up to middleweight to lose to Gennadiy Golovkin, and coming back down to 147lbs. Those two names underline the company he’s fought in and although both losses he was extremely competitive until fractured orbital sockets resulted in his retirement.

Nebraskan WBO world welterweight champion Crawford is one of the best in the world. Quite simply he is the ‘creme de la creme’. A switch-hitter with outstanding skills and respectable power who’s won world titles in three weight categories. Only a year younger than Brook he is a fighter who still strives for ‘greatness’ and will see the Sheffield man as a stepping stone, albeit a dangerous one.

The fight televised in the UK on the Premier Sports subscription channel in the early hours of Sunday morning will be an excellent contest between two elite fighters. Both have quality boxing skills and outstanding CV’s. The smart money is on Crawford defeating Brook by stoppage or a wide points margin. This won’t make Crawford ‘special’, but, if the result is the other way around then, it certainly will for the Brit. Catch it if you can.

There are two significant promotions in the UK this weekend. First up tonight (13th) is the quickly arranged rematch between Mark Heffron (25-1-1, 19 KO’s) and Denzel Bentley (13-0-1, 11 KO’s) for the vacant British middleweight title. In September they fought an exciting draw over 10 rounds in a final eliminator, but tonight the title is up for grabs. It promises to be another ‘pick-ems’ fight with an entertaining clash of styles. The Queensberry Promotion will be shown on BT Sport 1 from 19:30 GMT.

Following hot on its heels tomorrow is the Matchroom Boxing promotion featuring undisputed female lightweight champion Katie Taylor against her mandatory challenger Spaniard Miriam Gutierrez.

The 34 year old Taylor (16-0, 6 KO’s) is one of the biggest stars in female boxing and a fistic icon. In Gutierrez (13-0, 5 KO’s) she faces an opponent who comes to fight, is solid, but unlikely to take the Irish champion’s multiple world titles. The fight and full card is televised on Sky Sports and available on DAZN worldwide.

It was a relatively quiet weekend of boxing after recent weeks.

The highlight was American lightweight Devin Haney convincingly outpointing 2004 Olympic champion Yuriorkis Gamboa to retain his WBC world title for a second time. Again the mind boggles when Brooklyn’s Teofimo Lopez is recognised as the 9st 9lb (135lbs) king by virtue of his victory over Vasilily Lomachenko last month and was pictured brandishing the WBC belt post fight.

Haney (25-0, 15 KO’s) is recognised as their official champion by virtue of being ‘interim’ champion and subsequently upgraded prior to the Lomachenko-Lopez match. To the casual sports fan with a passing interest in the sport this is baffling and unfortunately symptomatic of modern boxing and multiple sanctioning bodies.

However, this shouldn’t detract from Haney’s shut out performance against the veteran Cuban ex-world featherweight champion. Unanimously wide scores of 120-107 on two cards and 118-109 on the third told the story. A potential ‘unification’ fight between Lopez and Haney would be mouthwatering as various barbs have been exchanged on social media in recent months. It’s likely the wider recognised champ Lopez at this stage has bigger fish to fry though.

Other than snippets of heavyweight news; with Russian big man Alexander Povetkin testing positive and being hospitalised for COVID-19 and therefore a delay in the rematch with Londoner Dillian Whyte and, an opponent to be named for Tyson Fury for his December 5th date in London it was a quiet week.

The key event this week will be the build up to the Terence Crawford versus Kell Brook contest in the MGM Grand ‘Bubble’ in Las Vegas this weekend. This is really an elite match-up between the American Crawford, The Ring magazine #3 pound-for-pound fighter in the world and, the former IBF world champion at 10st 7lbs (147lbs) in Brook.

Crawford (36-0, 27 KO’s) defends his WBO world welterweight title against the British contender Brook (39-2, 27 KO’s) and will be shown on ESPN in the US.

On the UK domestic front the pick of the week will be build up to women’s multi-world champion Katie Taylor contest against Miriam Gutierrez which will be shown live on Sky Sports and DAZN in the US. Look in the Friday Faceup for previews of these fights.

What a weekend ! One heavyweight proves he’s a contender, one small man zeros in on the pound-for-pound title and one spectacular knockout that’s sure to make the year’s best. All amidst the announcement of further lockdown in the United Kingdom.

Right when you thought boxing was again dropped to canvas and the fights made risked further threat of postponement, the sport brings us three standout performances and the British government allows big sporting events to continue, albeit behind closed doors.

The latter will bring a collective sigh of relief from British promoters, the larger of which have invested substantial sums to continue to host events behind closed doors with no prospect of fans helping to refill the coffers, other than by pay per view/box office.

In terms of action, top of the tree this weekend must be the stunning KO rendered by Gervonta Davis over Leo Santa Cruz. If you ever want to see how a fight can be stopped instantly then check this out.

The contest between two elite combatants was developing nicely through the first five rounds; Davis boxing beautifully, carefully picking shots and Santa Cruz firing back in heated exchanges, but trying to maintain distance and work off his jab. Having navigated the first five rounds the Mexican-American would’ve felt the first objective was achieved, then; pushed into a corner late in the sixth, BOOM !

A beautiful left uppercut dropped Santa Cruz like a stone. He was out before hitting the canvas and the referee waved the fight off immediately. Santa Cruz was out cold for several minutes before gradually recovering and allowing the official announcement of the 2:40 stoppage. It was the first time he’d been stopped in his 40 fight career and it was devastating. Santa Cruz drops to 37-2-1 (19 KO’s).

The 25 year old Davis (24-0, 23 KO’s) captured the spurious WBA world lightweight and super-featherweight crowns. Two divisional titles in one, work that one out. Given that Teofimo Lopez had also won their lightweight crown two weeks ago it is baffling, but sadly a factor of modern sanctioning bodies. More importantly, the Baltimore man scored a spectacular victory and potentially moves onto superfights in either division. Santa Cruz will re-group and a trilogy fight with Carl Frampton looks more likely.

Also stateside, Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue (20-0, 17 KO’s) came through as expected with a seventh round stoppage of Jason Moloney to retain his IBF and WBA world bantamweight titles. In a fight that served to showcase the Japanese pound-for-pounder in the US for the first time, he dominated the proceedings and also registered an impressive knockout. Promoted by Bob Arum’s Top Rank organisation the future for the ‘Monster’ looks extremely bright.

To cap the weekend off in London, England Oleksandr Usyk came through his first real test at heavyweight against Londoner Dereck Chisora. The Ukrainian former-unified cruiserweight champion surrendered over three stone (42lbs) to the local man on the scales and Chisora came to fight taking the opening two rounds. Over the course of the next six rounds Usyk cautiously seized control, with a minor blip in the ninth which Chisora clearly won. Usyk regained control through the championship rounds (10-12) to win a unanimous decision 117-112, 115-113, 115-113. Chisora thought he’d done enough but the first card was probably closer to the truth. The Undisputed scored it 116-113 to Usyk.

In the Sky Sports post fight interview Usyk (18-0, 13 KO’s) gave himself a score of 3/10 and emphasized his goal not just to be heavyweight champion but “undisputed”. Time will tell whether he has the size and power to match his outstanding skills. He secured his pre-fight position as number one contender to Anthony Joshua’s WBO world title.

A fantastic weekend also saw good wins on the Usyk-Chisora card for Cypriot-Aussie George Kambosos Jr (19-0, 10 KO’s) on points over Lee Selby at lightweight and Savannah Marshall impressively stop Hannah Rankin to win the vacant WBO world female middleweight belt. In the US there was the successful return of former WBC world super-lightweight champion Regis Prograis (25-1, 21 KO’s) winning by third round stoppage. Kombosos and Progais should both now move onto world title shots in their respective weight classes.

What a fantastic fight weekend we have lined up. There’s almost too much going on to give each contest justice.

In London, England there’s the big heavyweight showdown between Ukrainian former-unified cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (17-0, 13 KO’s) and big Londoner Dereck ‘Del Boy’ Chisora (32-9, 23 KO’s). Staged at the SSE Arena, Wembley behind closed doors, it’s promoted by Matchroom Boxing and available on Sky Box Office.

The contest is intriguing as it presents a real test of the 33 year old Usyk’s ability to compete in the heavier weight class having reliquished his cruiserweight (200lbs/14st 4lb)titles and only successfully debuted as a heavyweight late last year.

In yesterday’s final press conference Usyk made light comment on the size disparity claiming he’d been fighting heavyweights all his career. He added profoundly “If the king of animals would be considered according to the size, then it would be an elephant, not a lion”.

The 36 year old Brit is a big heavyweight having competed his entire career in the division, but not enormous by today’s standards. He has though mixed in excellent company over a rollercoaster career, sharing the ring with Vitali Klitchko, Tyson Fury, David Haye and Kubrat Pulev amongst others. He will not be wanting for experience.

The ever-game Chisora is likely to make the fight very competitive in the early stages and seek to land the big bombs early. Whether he can navigate the southpaw Usyk’s classical style and test his toughness in the heavier division is the real intrigue in this fight. Conversely, can the London 2012 Olympic gold medallist stand his ground and show enough power to make Chisora tentative and get his respect ? Or, will he need to ? Those are questions to be answered.

When the dust settles look for Usyk to prevail, probably on points, and take a giant step into heavyweight contention. He is already officially the WBO number one contender for Anthony Joshua’s title and a good victory should seal the deal for a title shot.

The event also features a very good undercard with the picks being former IBF world featherweight champion Lee Selby (28-2, 9 KO’s) against George Kambosos Jr (18-0, 10 KO’s) and the WBO world female middleweight title contest between England’s Savannah Marshall (18-0) and Scot Hannah Rankin (9-4).

Across the pond in the US there are two major promotions with some debate as to which takes top billing.

In Las Vegas, Nevada we see the much anticipated American debut of Naoya ‘The Monster’ Inoue, fittingly on Halloween. The three- weight and current bantamweight (118lbs/8st 6lb) world champion (as recognised by Ring magazine and the WBA & IBF) is one of the finest fighters in the sport right now.

The 27 year old Japanese having captured the Muhammad Ali Trophy in the World Boxing Super Series final last year is almost in a class of his own. The ferociousness and ring smarts he displayed in his standout victory against former champion Nonito Donaire (voted Ring magazine 2019 fight of the year) earned him a Top Rank contract and this being his first fight in it. Top Rank’s CEO Bob Arum has high hopes for Inoue breaking the US market.

Inoue (19-0, 16 KO’s) meets Australian Jason Moloney (21-1, 18 KO’s) in defence of his titles and although the Aussie has an excellent record ‘The Monster’ is expected to come through in spectacular style.

Meanwhile in San Antonio, Texas there’s a fantastic match between Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis (23-0, 22 KO’s) and four division ‘world’ champion Leo Santa Cruz (37-1-1, 19 KO’s). The bout is at super-featherweight (130lbs/9st 4lbs).

The pairing between the Mayweather Promotions backed Davis and more experienced Mexican-American is mouthwatering. Both are proven elite fighters and this is sure to be humdinger.

They both come to fight and Santa Cruz in particular is rarely in a bad fight. He’s split two bouts with Carl Frampton and had many other wars on the way up. This may however prove to be his downfall and expect the heavy handed Davis to come through to set up a potential challenge to new lightweight king Teofimo Lopez.

Also on the card is the return of former WBC world super-lightweight (10st/140lb) champion Regis Prograis (24-1, 20 KO’s) in his first outing since losing the World Boxing Super Series final to Scotland’s Josh Taylor last year. The ‘Rougarou’ Prograis will face Californian Juan Heraldez (16-0-1, 10 KO’s) in a ten rounder and expect him to re-stake his claim for world honours. This caps an outstanding weekend of boxing worldwide.

The San Antonio card will be shown live in the UK on Channel 5 from 03:00 GMT Sunday.

The Mexico City extravaganza truly delivered on Friday night (23rd October). It included another contender for fight of the year as Juan Francisco Estrada successfully defended his WBC world super-flyweight title against Carlos Cuadras.

The rematch turned out to be a ‘barnstormer’ with the champion dropped in the third and recovering to score two knockdowns of his game opponent later in the fight. He eventually overwhelmed former champ Cuadras to register an eleventh round stoppage after 2:20.

The 30 year old Mexican, Estrada raised his record to 41-3, 28 KO’s. As well as being WBC champion he is also recognised as The Ring magazine champion at 115lbs/8st 3lbs and pound-for-pound #9.

Nicaraguan living legend Roman ‘Chocolalito’ Gonzalez, a four-weight ‘world’ champion, also successfully defended his WBA world super-flyweight version against Israel Gonzalez with a unanimous points decision in a boxing masterclass. The judges returned scores of 118-110, 116-112 and 117-111.

The Nicaraguan (50-2, 41 KO’s) dominated the fight to set up a potential ‘superfight’ between himself and the younger Estrada. They met eleven years ago with Estrada seeking to avenge a narrow defeat this time around.

Finally, on an excellent card Julio Cesar Martinez destroyed Moises Calleros in a second round stoppage to defend his WBC world title at flyweight. Martinez moves to 17-1, 12 KO’s and at twenty five his future looks all ahead of him.

The focus this week switches to London, England with the delayed heavyweight showdown between Ukrainian Olexandr Usyk and Londoner Dereck Chisora.

Promoted by Matchroom this will confirm whether we can treat Usyk, the London 2012 gold medallist and former undisputed cruiserweight world champion, as a genuine heavyweight contender or, the second coming of Chisora continues towards another world title shot. The build up and hype this week should be fascinating for an event televised on Sky Box Office (PPV) in the UK.

There are also major cards in the US with the Las Vegas debut of Naoya ‘The Monster’ Inoue at bantamweight (118lbs/8st 6lbs) and the contest between Gervonta Davis and Leo Santa Cruz at lightweight (135lbs/9st 9lbs). Former WBC world junior-lightweight champion Regis Prograis also returns to action. More to follow in the Friday Faceup.

The dust has finally settled from an eventful last weekend. New unified world lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez delivered his pre-fight prediction and now basked in the glory, and former champ Vasiliy Lomachenko has returned to the Ukraine to lick his wounds to hopefully come again. There’s been talk of a pre-fight shoulder injury to Loma, probably believable, but nothing should detract from Lopez’ accomplishment and standout performance.

The Loma-Lopez fight televised in the US on the ESPN subscription channel reputedly took in 4 million viewers. Many will have been new to the sport and seen a 23 year old fellow American (with Honduran heritage) register a victory that showed his superstar and sporting crossover potential. Also in so doing, will have seen him prevail in a very competitive and riveting fight, which in moments, also showed the undoubted class of Lomachenko, the Ukrainian future hall-of-famer.

Boxing as a consequence, certainly on the world stage, is currently in a good place.

We’ve also had announcement in the UK of Matchroom Boxing securing the SSE Arena, Wembley for a number of big back to back heavyweight weekends, with stellar support cards in the run up to Christmas. Added to this, the further build up for big fights across the globe and British world title contenders preparing in earnest for title shots and eliminators in the US over the next few weeks (Kell Brook and Luke Campbell respectively).

To cap a good week we have some fantastic world championship events lined up this weekend.

Top of the list is the Matchroom Boxing and Zanfer co-promoted triple ‘world’ title card from television studios in Mexico City tonight (23rd Oct). This features WBC super-flyweight title holder Juan Francisco Estrada (40-3, 27 KO’s) against compatriot and former champ Carlos Cuadras (39-3-1, 27 KO’s). It’s a rematch three years on that is sure to be a toe-to-toe contest.

The 115lb/8st 3lb division is red hot at the moment with some stellar names still vying for superiority.

One such name is in the chief support with the return of Nicaraguan future hall-of-famer Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez (49-2, 41 KO’s) defending his WBA super-flyweight title against Mexican Israel Gonzalez (25-3, 11 KO’s).

WBC champ Estrada is considered by Ring magazine as being #9 pound-for-pound fighter in the world and one of his few defeats was against four division world champion ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez nearly eight years ago. If both come through tonight as expected, then look out for a long overdue and mouthwatering rematch between the two. Mexico v Nicaragua.

The card is finally topped off with the WBC flyweight title contested between champ Julio Cesar Martinez (16-1, 12 KO’s) and Moises Calleros (33-9-1, 17 KO’s). As ever, any fight between two Mexicans in the lighter weight classes is sure to be a humdinger.

The event is unfortunately unavailable mainstream in the UK but will be televised on the DAZN streaming service in the US.

On the domestic front it’s a quiet weekend before the big events in the lead up to Christmas.

On Friday we asked could the young gun back it up ? Whether he could dethrone an elite champion regarded by some as the pound-for-pound best, and whether the kid could do it in only his 16th professional outing. By the early hours of Sunday morning (UK time) we had our answer….an emphatic ‘Yes’.

Brooklyn’s Teofimo Lopez took centre ring from the opening bell and for the first six rounds registered a near shut out against Ukrainian great Vasiliy Lomachenko.

We waited for what we expected to be the inevitable; after an initial cerebral assessment of the style and skills of his opponent, a seasoned Lomachenko onslaught in the second half of the fight.

Having navigated the dangerous early rounds against a strong and aggressive pup we expected ‘Loma’ to work out his younger foe, turn on the gas and take Lopez into the “deep waters” he promised pre-fight.

We expected the Brooklynite to be gassing by now as his early pressure and firestorm started to fizzle out. But what we saw was more of the same for another two, then three rounds. Lomachenko ‘The Matrix’ was himself being unraveled by pure aggression, power and desire to win. It was the Ukrainian three-weight champion who appeared to be gassing.

Lopez was outgunning his senior opponent by approximately two powerpunches to one. Still controlling the pace of the fight and loading up on the Ukrainian. The eighth round was marked by an accidental clash of heads as Loma tried to force the pace, and effectively get into the fight. He looked to win rounds nine through eleven and with three minutes to go you thought, and in someway for Loma’s legacy still hoped, this is it, we’re in for a dramatic finish, another ‘Chavez-Taylor’ circa 1990.

But, Lopez knew, Loma knew…tonight was not the night for another drama show. A further crack of heads and warning from the referee and the finishing bell came. ‘The Takeover’ had happened.

The 23 year old Lopez had done it, he’d delivered. Minutes later scores of 116-112, 119-109 and 117-111 unanimously confirmed the new undisputed world lightweight champion of the world.

Lomachenko (14-2, 10 KO’s) left the ring alone before post-fight interviews began, marching to his dressing room and later to be quoted as being very dissatisfied with the decision of the judges, believing he’d won the fight.

Lopez (16-0, 12 KO’s) basked in the joy of the moment as they wrapped the IBF and WBA belts around his waist and threw the WBC ‘Franchise’ and WBO belts over his shoulders. Also added, but not in view, was the prestigious Ring magazine championship, further cementing ‘The Takeover’.

In the post-fight interview the new champion was a model of composure “I had to dig deep man, I’m thankful, I’m grateful”. Asked how he managed it against his experienced foe “You’ve just got to keep pushing him….just keep putting the gas on him”.

“Take me to 140…I know I can fight”….

He went on to name check WBC-instated champion Devin Haney as an “email champion” and fellow young gun Shakur Stevenson as further emphasis that ‘the Takeover’ had begun across boxing.

Only time will tell.

Every decade or so a boxing match comes together between an experienced champion respected throughout the sport for his class and achievement against a brash and talented newcomer. The most obvious example would be a young Cassius Clay taming ‘The Bear’ in February 1964. Charles ‘Sonny’ Liston being known for his ferociousness and experience but still succumbing to the mind games and youthful skills of Clay (aka Muhammad Ali).

These matches are mouthwatering in their build up because no matter how experienced a boxing scribe or so called ‘expert’, there’s that element of doubt whether it is just bravado by the contender, or, if they can actually back it up. This tends to bring an added fascination to the contest and ultimately results in big bucks wagered at the betting booths, generally on the young contender.

Tomorrow (Saturday 17th) in the MGM Grand ‘Bubble’ in Las Vegas, Nevada we have such a contest.

Ukrainian double-Olympic and multi-world champion Vasiliy Lomachenko (as recognised by the WBC/WBA and WBO) will put his lightweight (9st 9lb/135lbs) belts on the line against Honduran Brooklynite and IBF world champion Teofimo Lopez.

Although both are recognised as world champions by their respective beltmakers, the difference in experience and age is striking. The imponderables created by this make the fight fascinating.

Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs) at 32 years is closer to the end of his boxing career than beginning, compared to the 23 year old Lopez (15-0, 12 KOs) who is almost just starting out. ‘Loma’, although short in professional fights amassed an amateur record of 396-1, with his sole defeat being avenged twice.

Vasiliy has been boxing since childhood in the tough remnants of the former-Soviet system and, in any argument as to the greatest amateur boxer of all time having won gold medals in back to back Olympic Games of Beijing and London, plus numerous World and European championships. He smoothly transferred into the professional ranks by winning the WBO world featherweight title (9st/126lbs) in his third fight, unprecedented in modern boxing history. Then, within two years picking up the WBO 130lb title and more recently winning and unifying lightweight titles.

Lopez has similarly been boxing since an early age but has limited amateur pedigree despite representing Honduras in the Rio 2016 Games. Being from Brooklyn, New York alone is however usually an endorsement of any fighter and his progression in the paid ranks to date has been excellent.

Teofimo won his IBF title in only his fifteenth professional outing and has steadily built a big fanbase amongst the Hispanic and wider boxing community. Most striking has been the extreme confidence he’s shown in hunting Lomachenko down at every opportunity to secure the match, basically goading him into the contest. The pre-fight build up has focused on this animosity Loma now feels towards his opponent and that could mean bad news for Lopez.

The Ukrainian starts as the betting favourite as he vies to be recognised as pound-for-pound the greatest fighter in the world and further cement his legacy.

The Undisputed finds this a must-see contest but extremely difficult to call the way it will go and the eventual winner. Lopez is a natural lightweight in comparison to the smaller Lomachenko who has moved his 5 foot 7 frame through the poundage over his eight years as a professional. He may be coming to the end of his weight limit and that could be be a bad sign on the night against a big, youthful 135 pounder. However, the smart(ish) money is on Lomachenko winning narrowly on points or more nervously on Lopez winning by early KO.

This writer feels that the superior experience and technical ability of the Ukrainian (almost impossible to hit pivoting from side to side out of any stance and sliding in and out of range) will win through, and that he may be riled enough by Lopez’ pre-fight braggadacio to stop the Brooklynite late somewhere between rounds nine and eleven.

It is without doubt the best matchup since the COVID-19 pandemic hit us, and at year start one of the fights we were desperately hoping would be made. Bob Arum’s Top Rank have moved mountains to secure and promote the fight in the current climate and potentially it could be fight of the year.

Unfortunately it is not being televised on terrestrial or traditional satellite channels in the UK but can be purchased for £9.99 on the FITE streaming channel as a pay per view event. Transmission starts around midnight Saturday but don’t expect the main event to start anytime before 03.00 BST. When it does, it will be worth the wait and expect fireworks !

In a weekend that began with former undisputed world middleweight champion Alan Minter laid to rest in his beloved hometown of Crawley it was only fitting that his old British title should be contested in east London.

They turned out in their thousands on Friday (9th) to salute ‘Boom Boom’ Minter as his funeral cortege went through the Sussex town, much as they did some 40 years ago to celebrate his return with the world titles dramatically won in Las Vegas. Family and friends, including British boxing ‘royalty’ such as former world light-heavyweight champion John Conteh attended the day to celebrate Alan’s life, and send their respects to one of our boxing legends who will be sadly missed.

The Undisputed would like to further add to the condolences and best wishes to all those affected by this sad loss.

The following night in Stratford, east London, Welshman Liam Williams (23-2-1, 18 KO’s) successfully defended his British title with a one round blow out of Andrew Robinson (24-5-1, 7 KO’s).

In what was expected to be a competitive contest between two fighters who’d been out of the ring for some time, the fight sprung to life after an early unintentional clash of heads, seeing both men cut in the opening minute. The flow of blood from the top of the champion’s head, though not affecting his vision, served to immediately fire the Welshman up.

Not wanting to risk the prospect of a mandatory challenge to WBO world middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade being lost or delayed further he set upon the 36 year old Midlander.

A strong assault, accentuated by a heavy right hand followed by a sickening left hook to Robinson’s torso, finished the contest. The challenger rose on the count of nine but referee Marcus McDonnell had seen enough and waved the contest over at 1:28 secs.

In the post-fight interview conducted on BT Sport the champion said “I wanted it to go a little further…obviously we clashed heads and I saw the blood, and thought I need to end this now”. His promoter Frank Warren later confirmed that Queensberry Promotions have been given a short period by the WBO to negotiate with Andrade (promoted by Matchroom Boxing) and if an agreement can’t be reached it will go to purse bids. This process will eventually define the promoter and when and where the fight will happen. After some tough negotiating this is likely to be in early 2021, assuming no further COVID related restrictions apply.

Despite the tightening of restrictions in many parts of the UK starting this week, in particular in Scotland and northern England, promoter Warren was also able to confirm his part of a packed programme of fights, albeit behind closed doors, before the Christmas break.

The next few months will see Daniel Dubois v Joe Joyce (Nov 28th) as the pick, a show featuring Tyson Fury (to be confirmed, although very unlikely to be against Deontay Wilder), Carl Frampton possibly challenging Jermell Herring for the WBO junior-lightweight title and a range of other Queensberry shows.

In addition, Matchroom Boxing have secured the following dates for their top British world ranked/based fighters: Olexandr Usyk v Dereck Chisora (Oct 31), Terence Crawford v Kell Brook (Nov 14), Alexander Povetkin v Dillian Whyte II (Nov 21), Luke Campbell v Ryan Garcia (Dec 5), Anthony Joshua v Kubrat Pulev (Dec 12).

It promises to be an excellent finish to a very unsettled and broken fistic year.