The mythical Ring magazine pound-for-pound title (boxing’s best regardless of weight class) is revered, but fraught with jeopardy and danger.
Consider former welterweight king Donald Curry before he was blitzed by then unheralded Lloyd ‘Ragamuffin Man’ Honeyghan in September 1986 or, Julio Cesar Chavez before he came up against Frankie ‘The Surgeon’ Randall in January 1994. More recently, consider Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez being stonewalled by Dmitry Bivol when he sought to be undisputed in a weight class too many.
When the title is lost – it is sometimes dramatically !
With the retirement of still-recognised Ring champion Terence Crawford the title is shortly up for grabs. ‘Bud’ Crawford (42-0, 21 KOs) unified the 168lbs (12st) super-middleweight division, his fifth at different weights, three undisputed, before calling time on his stellar boxing career earlier in the month.
On Saturday (Dec 27) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia current #2 Naoya Inoue (31-0, 27 KOs) will defend his standing and with that the undisputed 122lb (8st, 12lbs) junior-featherweight title. This is his fourth divisional ‘world’ title with two being undisputed.
Japan’s ‘Monster’ Inoue will meet undefeated Mexican Alan Picasso (32-0-1, 17 KOs). The bout will be available on DAZN streaming site as a pay-per-view option.
The ultimate destination is a ‘Superfight’ with compatriot Junto Nakatani (31-0, 24 KOs) currently at #8 pound-for-pound.
The #2 in The Ring magazine pound-for-pound, soon be likely be elevated to champion is two-time undisputed world heavyweight and former undisputed cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs). The Ukrainian looks like he will continue his career and with it will stake a further claim to be be pound-for-pound.
However, on Saturday in Riyadh what can we expect ?
Inoue has spoken of the need for caution and not being complacent. He recognises the undoubted skills of Picasso and his undefeated record as one to respect. The Mexican’s near 50% knockout ratio will command caution from the Japanese. But, this is The ‘Monster’ who has taken all before him, has been dropped numerous times but always come on to overwhelm his opponent.
True at 31 years old and moving way above his most effective weight class he is walking on thin ice, but such is his ring savvy, undoubted skills and concussive punching power we expect him to be victorious again. We see another up and down slugfest with Inoue winning inside ten rounds.
Afterwhich, it’s onto Nakatani and a much more formidable challenge to wrestle the pound-for-pound title permanently from soon to be annointed Oleksandr Usyk.
Catch ‘The Monster’ while you can, starting Saturday night.
Boxing was illegal in the Transvaal and the rest of South Africa from just before the Anglo Boer War (1899-1902) until a few years after hostilities had ceased.
Prior to 1923 boxing was illegal, but Ludwig Japhet who had a law practice in Johannesburg had a passion for boxing and in 1918, soon after World War 1, he began working on plans to legalise boxing. With the aid of friends he drafted a bill and persuaded George McAllister the Member of Parliament for Germiston to introduce the bill to Parliament in 1923. At the end of the first day after discussion on the proposed bill it appeared as if all was lost, but that night a young girl was raped and her escort beaten up.
Japhet later said he believed that the report of the rape in the next day’s Cape Argus influenced the decision. John X. Merriman joined the debate in favour of boxing and it was soon agreed that if the girl’s escort had some boxing knowledge he might have been able to protect her.
The opposition fell away and the act that legalised boxing was promulgated. It is, after amendments from time to time, still in force. Year’s later boxing would play a leading role in the struggle against “apartheid”.
Since the early days very few blacks, as opposed to Indians and people of mixed descent, took to the ring seriously, but the situation changed drastically in the years just after World War ll. Black boxers began to dominate the game while Indian and coloured champions became a rarity.
The first recorded non-European professional tournament in the history of Transvaal boxing was held at the Bantu Men’s Social Centre in Johannesburg on March 13, 1948 under the auspices of the Transvaal Association for Non-European Professional Boxing. Europeans, except for press representatives and officials were not allowed in the hall. The Bantu Men’s Social Centre (BMSC) situated at the bottom end of Eloff Street in Johannesburg opened in 1924 with the idea of having a cultural centre where the city’s black men could take part in educational, cultural and athletic activities. Among the officials were Tiny Dean, Willie Smith, Roger Martin and Peter Murrell. The program was recorded by the South African Broadcasting Corporation and broadcast on radio the next day at 9.45am.
But, the colour bar was hanging over their heads like the sword of Damocles. Up to 1973 interracial fights within the country’s borders were non-existent. In the meantime Pierre Fourie’s steady climb to the top in the light heavyweight division inspired thoughts of a world title fight between him and Bob Foster, the world champion and an American black, in Johannesburg.
These thoughts coincided with Dr. Piet Koornhof’s appointment as Minister of Sport in 1972. He was both sympathetic and enthusiastic that the fight should take place in South Africa. Meanwhile arrangements were being made for Foster to defend his title against Fourie in Albuquerque. Fourie proved to be such a worthy contender, that a return bout became an extremely attractive financial proposition. Foster was guaranteed a record purse for a light heavyweight, namely $200 000.
The fight took place in Johannesburg on December 1, 1973. The implication of this fight was that a breakthrough had been made to remove all racial discrimination in professional boxing in South Africa. Just like President Paul Kruger of the Transvaal Republic had altered the law, although only temporarily, to ensure that the Bendoff-Couper fight would take place, Premier John Vorster amended the Boxing and Wrestling Control Act of 1954 in November 1973.
Although interracial boxing was still prohibited in South Africa, Proclamation R2173 was significant because it allowed the Minister to approve any departure from some or all of the provisions of this regulation in the case of a world title bout, or an internationally recognised final eliminating contest for a world title, or a tournament which complied with the requirements of a South African multi-national tournament and in which South African boxers participated who were registered with the recognised National Boxing Control Board.
This allowed the Minister of Sport and Recreation to introduce black and white contact to professional boxing, albeit at a restricted level.
The return fight with Bob Foster will always remain a landmark in South African sports history. For the first time since professional boxing was placed under legal control in 1923, a white and black man met in the ring in front of a racially mixed audience of 37474 people.
Pierre Fourie’s influence spread far beyond the boxing ring. His fight with Foster in Johannesburg was really a test run for integrated sport. It is not an exaggeration to say that the clock would have been turned back years had it resulted in the racial disturbances that had been predicted at the time. Instead firm foundations were laid for racially mixed boxing in front of a mixed-race audience by the professionalism and business-like approach of the two contestants.
Together with soccer, rugby and track and field athletics, boxing became a protagonist in dismantling “apartheid”. Mixed bouts between South Africans were legalised in 1977, but it was not until two years later that the last vestiges of the colour bar disappeared when the system of white, black and supreme titles were mercifully done away with.
Other important milestone was the first multi-national tournament promoted by Maurice Toweel at the Rand Stadium, Johannesburg on August 17, 1974 when Pierre Fourie fought Tom Bogs, Kokkie Olivier vs Roger Zami, Elijah Makhatini vs Juarez de Lima and Norman Sekgapane vs Jorgen Hansen.
On August 9, 1975 Gil Clancy became the first white man to be permitted to second a black man at a black tournament in South Africa when former world champion Emile Griffith fought Elijah Makhathini at the Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg.
The first two multiracial South African title fights were held at the Rand Stadium in Johannesburg on November 27, 1976 with Gerrie Coetzee and Elijah ‘Tap Tap’ Makhathini becoming the new undisputed champions. The White middleweight titleholder Jan Kies was stopped in three by Makhathini and the Black heavyweight title holder, James Mathato was knocked out in the seventh round by Coetzee.
Ever since then boxing was liberated from institutional racial discrimination, not just at competition level but also at controlling level. In 1980 the WBA heavyweight title fight between John Tate and Gerrie Coetzee in Pretoria had further implications. Firstly, commercial sponsorship became a vital factor in South African boxing. A crowd of 77530 produced a live gate of $2 819 996. To that still had to be added television income. Suddenly, professional boxing in South Africa was transformed into a major business undertaking. Secondly, this time national authorities, unlike their predecessors, encouraged the new racial integration in sport.
The 1970’s and the 1980’s can really be described as golden decades for boxing. With Brian Mitchell (WBA and IBF), Welcome Ncita (IBF) and Dingaan Thobela (WBO), ironically a white and two black boxers, world champions in the junior lightweight, junior featherweight and lightweight divisions respectively.
Whilst great achievements have been taking place within the ring, the social chain reaction outside it has been perhaps even more significant. Human relations got off to a good start and fighters no longer judged their opponents according to the colour of their skin. Boxing heroes were more tolerant of one another perhaps than the rest of society. A common feature of black and white boxers in South Africa is their deep religious conviction.
Gone were the days when side-stakes were provided by the mining magnates of emergent Johannesburg alone. Having scored a political breakthrough, blacks became the social, but also the financial beneficiaries of the new era.
Large companies vied with one another to provide sponsorship, as boxing was now the number one individual sport in black townships. Since 1977 boxers keenly competed for the coveted Old Buck Belts, awarded to all national champions.
David Benavides celebrates his latest light-heavyweight defence.
Saturday (22nd) saw some fantastic action in largely competitive fights from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Ring IV event gave us four world championship contests with standout performances from David Benavides, Devin Haney, Abdullah Mason and Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez.
Pick of the bunch for competitiveness was the Abdullah Mason versus Sam Noakes fight for the WBO lightweight championship. This should be in the running for Ring Magazine ‘fight of the year’ come February as this to-ed and fro-ed throughout.
Mason from Cleveland, Ohio, USA won the fight widely on points 117-111, 115-113 (twice), but this doesn’t tell the full story. The determining factor probably being influenced by the horrific cut Maidstone, England’s Sam Noakes received over his left eye due to an unintentional clash of heads early in the fight.
Mason (20-0, 18 KOs) always looked the slicker of the two and had to dig deep to withstand the Naokes onslaught. The tough and skilled Englishman suffered his first defeat as a pro but came out with much credit and, after regrouping, will surely get another world title shot.
In victory, Mason at 21, became the youngest ‘world’ champion in boxing today. His future looks bright.
Noakes (28) meanwhile dropped to 17-1 with 15 KOs.
Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez (26-0, 23 KOs) registered an almost complete shutout against teak tough Argentinian Fernando Martinez (18-1, 9 KOs) in unifying WBA, WBO and WBC junior-bantamweight titles. The silkiness of the American-Mexican’s footwork and his accuracy of jab were the telling factors in this contest.
Rodriguez one of Ring Magazine’s pound-for-pound top ten stakes a further claim to be their #1. A move up to full bantamweight (8st, 6lbs/118 lbs) is almost inevitable.
An all-American contest saw Brian Norman Jr. against Devin Haney for the former’s WBO welterweight (10st, 7lbs/147 lbs) title. This was eagerly anticipated given it pitched an undefeated power-puncher (Norman) against a former two-divisional ‘world’ champion who is widely skilled, but, known for his safety first approach. The ultimate irony was the elite Haney (now 33-0-1, 16 KO’s) out-bombed the bomber, dropping him in the second round and ultimately cruising to victory.
Norman dropped to 28-0-1 (22 KOs) whilst Haney moves onto bigger challenges.
Top of the bill, certainly in terms of weight and world significance, was the WBC light-heavyweight championship between American David Benavides and Britain’s Anthony Yarde. After a highly competitive fight the defending champion Benavides walked down and stopped the three-time ‘world’ title challenger Yarde on 1:59 of the seventh round.
The Brit was bothered for much of the later rounds by an increasingly bashed-up face as the Benavides power-punching took its toll. Yarde started well, working off a good jab, but in the end hit the wall as his muscular frame seemed to fatigue the quicker. The referee stopped the contest with Yarde backed onto the ropes for another time and under-siege from the Phoenix, Arizona, USA and elite WBC champion.
Benavides, already a two-divisional world champion, looks like he has the frame to step up to a third division (cruiserweight) at the very least.
However, after failing to secure a unification fight against Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez last year here are still plenty more lucrative contests at light-heavy (12st, 7lbs/175 lbs) for him to earn big money. A possible opponent, Joshua Buatsi, was watching from ringside, who will do well to meet the American before the latter inevitably moves up.
Yarde (27-4, 24 KOs) had previously been stopped by Russian bangers Sergey Kovalev and Artur Beterbiev in firefights, and post-fight rated Benavides somewhere between the two. Former undisputed champion Beterbiev being the pick of the crop.
Benavides (31-0, 25 KOs), having already adorned the cover of Ring Magazine, is on the road to mega-fights ad potential superstardom. It seems only when, not if.
A great night of boxing with some champion performances.
Tonight, in the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, London, England, the thirty-five year boxing family feud between the Eubanks and Benns may finally be settled for good. We say ‘finally’, but this is boxing.
What’s remarkable is the main event of the bill titled ‘Unfinished Business’ has taken a mere seven months to come together, this after the three years it took their fathers to meet again across the ring back in the early 1990’s. There have been three professional fights between the two families and three absolute barnstormers. Tonight promises no exception.
The fight between the two sons of former world champions Nigel (Benn) and Chris (Eubank) held back in April at the same venue for tonight’s contest was fitting of the two many years ago. After three years of to’ing and fro’ing and controversy upon controversy it resulted in an all-out war but clear unanimous decision for Chris Eubank Jr (now 36) over the younger Conor Benn (now 29). The latter had stepped up two boxing weight classes for the first time and delivered an excellent performance in defeat. The contest was so ferocious that both boxers were hospitalised post-fight.
Tonight’s contest at middleweight 11st, 6lbs (160lbs) has strong domestic interest and lesser world title implications. Neither fighter has held a world title (unlike their fathers), but both are world ranked. However, given the current fractured state of world boxing amongst the middleweights, a title may well be within reach.
A more lucrative option will be to continue the family feud. For this reason we see a situation, albeit cynical, where anything but another Benn defeat is palatable to the paying public. The score currently is 2-0 to the Eubanks with one draw/tie.
Ironically, the family feud that existed between the seniors for three decades has mellowed in recent months, maybe more so in the demeanour of the always more ferocious and intense Nigel Benn. Eubank always played the cerebral role to his counterpart and was known for his eccentricity rather than his ferocity. This always rubbed Nigel up the wrong way and led to two great fights.
The DNA of the fathers is clearly evident in their juniors and this to many makes compulsive viewing. The fight is guaranteed to be a 60,000+ live sell-out at the new impressive stadium and sales will steadily grow on DAZN streaming site today where it will also be shown live and exclusive. It will though be pay-per-view so sales will be tempered by this somewhat. Both bouts between the seniors were shown prime-time on terrestrial TV to millions so that shows the modern difference.
It’s also available on TalkSport radio and BBC radio channels.
Consequently both fighters will be handsomely rewarded no matter what the outcome.
Chris Eubank Jr (36-3, 25 KOs)will rightly go in as the favourite being the naturally heavier man and having the more impressive and longer record. Conor Benn (23-1, 14 KOs) has youth on his side and being his second fight at the weight will enter with more comfort and confidence than first time up. The latter quality has never been a shortcoming of either which has again made for an interesting build-up. We expect both fathers to again be at ringside and another cracker to result.
Pushed for a prediction we are tending to ‘sit on the fence’. Eubank Jr. possesses the greater boxing ability – height, weight and reach. But, we think that Benn’s ferocity and youth will be telling factors over twelve rounds and will give him at least a draw. This will set up a trilogy between the youngers, which their fathers never had.
Enjoy and expect a Benn-Eubank V sometime early next year !
Heavyweight jeopardy comes to London – Parker (left) and Wardley meet yesterday.
Yesterday’s final press conference in North Greenwich, London added fuel to the heavyweight fire between New Zealand’s WBO mandatory challenger Joseph Parker and rising Brit Fabio Wardley.
With just today’s weigh-in left, they finally meet head-on at the O2 Arena on the Greenwich peninsula Saturday night (25th). The winner will likely go on to face current undisputed world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Aptly titled ‘All or Nothing’ by Queensberry Promotions, this is a crossroads fight with the winner in pole position for that world shot, whilst the loser will have to rebuild. Parker, the former-WBO champion has been in a mandatory position for some time but been denied a third world title shot thus far.
Parker qualified it in his opening remark: “For me, this is all or nothing”. He explained his belief and confidence in what lay ahead paying reference to his opponent: “I’m (on) a different level to be honest … I want to explain in actions, not words !”. Seemingly looking bored and slightly irritated by the formality and proceedings he conveyed ‘all-business’ about Saturday’s challenge.
Ipswich, England’s Fabio Wardley, then took to the microphone and explained “Every time I step up, … I step up on Saturday and it’s not going to be an exception !”. Hall-of-fame promoter Frank Warren took up the mic’ to embellish and endorse his promotion.. “This is the most significant fight at the moment in the heavyweight division” emphasizing the earlier point.
On explaining the danger that Wardley possesses and, particularly responding to the Parker comment on ‘levels’ he said “One thing he’s got going for him is he’s got the leveller !”. The dramatic final round KO of Justis Huni in Wardley’s last fight provides proof of this.
It’s an intriguing matchup with high stakes. Parker is coming off three high profile victories against world ranked opponents and is very much the man ‘in possession’ of the mandatory shot. Wardley is aiming to ‘gatecrash’ his party and the right to challenge whom Warren politely described as “Mr Usyk”. The claim is that the Ukrainian has already verbally assured he will fight again in the New Year and the winner of this is his likely first opponent.
Wardley in still undefeated with a high KO ratio and is very much on the rise. The Huni KO, despite the Brit being heavily behind on points at the time, emphatically kept his momentum going.
It’s true that Wardley hasn’t fought as long and at the level that Parker has, but he certainly has that KO power. He explained that he has much more than that in his arsenal and won’t be wholly relying on it.
In the final comments from both combatants, Parker retorted “I’m gonna smash him !”. Wardley equally responded on the outcome, a “Fabio Wardley win by KO”. When there was a suggestion that Parker was looking beyond Wardley, the Kiwi responded “I don’t care about what’s next, I care about Saturday !”.
It should be an excellent contest with both men having size, durability and power. They will meet head-on but have the skills to take the fight deep. We think the Brit powered on by his youth and vociferous local following will get the win by eight-round KO.
Catch it on on DAZN or BBC Radio5. Main ring entrances from 22:00 BST.
Fight of the week sees the long awaited return of the heavyweights. The scene has lay dormant since July.
This Saturday (25th) in a Queensberry promotion at London’s O2 Arena mandatory world title contender Joseph Parker returns to the ring against recent British champion Fabio Wardley.
It’s a potential crossroads fight which promises much and looks to have real world significance with unified champion and undoubted #1 Oleksandr Usyk currently in enforced inactivity whilst recovering from injury. The Ukrainian has recently announced he will fight next in 2026. Meanwhile the contenders have to remain active and get in line.
New Zealand’s Parker (36-3-0, 24 KOs) is mandatory contender for Usyk’s WBO title and been waiting for a third tilt at a world belt having lost his former title to Anthony Joshua in March 2018. He’s essentially the ‘gatekeeper’ for any world title challenge. Inactivity may be his problem despite holding notable victories over Andy Ruiz, Derek Chisora, Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang.
Wardley (19-0-1,18 KOs), the younger of the two at 30 compared to Parker’s 33, is fortunate to get this opportunity having been on track to be soundly outpointed by Australia’s Justis Huni in June before detonating a right hand in the final round to emphatically turn it his way. The KO remains one of the knockouts of the year and is sure to be in The Ring magazine’s final three come February.
That turnaround has given Wardley his big opportunity with Parker.
The man from Ipswich, England is sure to have big vocal backing within the 20,000 indoor arena on the south bank of the Thames.
The undercard is still work in progress after the injury and withdrawal of British and Commonwealth light-heavyweight champion Lewis Edmondson in the last 24 hours, who was the main support in meeting fellow Brit Ezra Taylor.
Look out for more copy of this event over the next few days as fight week builds.
In the context of world boxing and its headline acts this is a big weekend. Three of the Ring Magazine ‘pound-for-pounders’ enter the four ropes to stake their claim to be the ‘main man’. Two of them face off against each other.
It’s largely accepted that multi-heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is the ‘pound-for-pound’ champion by virtue of this dominance in the unlimited weight category. However, come Sunday night two will stake a claim to replace him.
First up, in the early hours of Sunday morning (UK time) we will witness and know the outcome of the ‘Superfight’ between multi-divisional world champions Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford. Between them they’ve won ‘world’ titles from 9st, 9lbs (135lbs) to 12st (168lbs). Canelo being soundly outpointed by Dmitry Bivol in his attempt at 175lbs.
Tonight’s match from Las Vegas, USA on Mexican Independence weekend is at super-middleweight (168lbs) and promises a great matchup which hopefully lives up to the billing. The contest is anticipated so much among the boxing fraternity that the esteemed Ring Magazine dedicated a whole edition to it. Unheard of in recent times.
Then, on Sunday lunchtime (UK time) the ‘Monster’ is up live from Nagoya, Japan.
Four-weight world champion and current junior-featherweight (8st, 10lbs/122lbs) Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue faces Murodjon Akhmadaliev before his almost inevitable move up to a fifth weight class at featherweight.
Inoue and Crawford are currently considered Usyk’s main challengers in the ‘pound-for-pound’ stakes and his heir-apparent. This is the mythical boxing’s best of the best, regardless of weight.
Who are the top fifty South African fighters of all time ?
For those of you who retain, or have a keen interest in South African boxing, here is a historical article from the doyen of boxing writing from that proud boxing nation, Ron Jackson. He is a former contributor to The Ring and South African Boxing World and has over seven decades of boxing knowledge and experience. Over the years he’s seen and met them all ! Over to Ron…..
I will try to rate in order, South Africa’s top fifty fighters of all-times. Any form of measurement is however subjective, but possibly the most asked question by fight fans when they get together is, who was the greatest or could boxer A from 1920 have beaten boxer B from 1960. There will be people out there who will not agree with my list or even express outrage at some of my selections, but anyhow here we go.
This is a very good exercise for boxing fans as everyone has their own favourite fighter and the undermentioned list only includes fighters who have retired.
1. Vic Toweel
2. Brian Mitchell
3. Vuyani Bungu
4. Enoch “Schoolboy” Nhlapo
5. Laurie Stevens
6. Gerrie Coetzee
7. Wille Toweel
8. Moruti Mthalane
9. Dingaan Thobela
10. Baby Jake Matlala
11. Jake Tuli
12. Pierre Fourie
13. Andries Steyn
14. Welcome Ncita
15. Mbulelo Botile
16. Thulani “Sugarboy” Malinga
17. Nkosana “Happyboy” Mgxaji
18. Corrie Sanders
19. Elijah Mokone
20. Lehlohonolo Ledwaba
21. Jacks Lalor
22. Ernie Eustice
23. Anthony Morodi
24. Hekkie Budler
25. Piet Crous
26. Pierre Coetzer
27. Ben Foord
28. Arthur Douglas
29. Gert Steyn
30. Nkosinathi Joyi
31. Mike Holt
32. Elijah “Tap Tap” Makhathini
33. Andrew Jeptha
34. Norman “Pangaman” Sekgapane
35. Joe “Axe Killer” Ngidi
36. Gert “Hottie” van Heerden
37. Arnold Taylor
38. Johnny “Smiler” van Rensburg
39. Peter Mathebula
41. Barney Malone
42. Willie Ludick
43. Watty Austin
44. Jimmy Toweel
45. Eddie Maguire
46. Harold Volbrecht
47. Arthur Mayisela
48 Don McCorkindale
49. Lovemore Ndou
50. Simon Skosana
This list and Ron’s boxing knowledge and it’s history is further substantiated and explained in his book ‘Champions – An Illustrated History of SA Boxing’ published in 2017. This is the ‘go to’ book for all on South African fights and fighters.
If you believe the hype and copy on world heavyweight contender Moses Itauma you’d think we have an emerging Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Frank Bruno and Lennox Lewis all rolled into one !
The undefeated 20 year-old boxing out of Chatham, England is good, and to date, has massively impressed doing more than he should do by this stage of his career. With a cold, calm demeanour he’s compiled a 12-0 (10 KOs) record containing some devastating knockouts, clearly beating some seasoned campaigners to warrant the excitement of a new emerging talent.
Itauma could fill the massive void to be left by undisputed world champion Oleksandr Usyk when he inevitably hangs his gloves up sometime soon. At 38, and having beaten (sometimes twice) all champions and challengers and, with his legacy secured, the end is surely in sight for Usyk.
The big British southpaw, Itauma, a former amateur world youth champion, could be Usyk’s heir-apparent but, by heavyweight comparisons he really is a ‘boxing baby’. His management team Queensberry Promotions, to their credit, still know they have a diamond in the rough. Francis Warren, eldest son of hall-of-fame promoter Frank, is talking cautiously but with more than a twinkle of optimism in his eyes.
Tonight in Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia we will ultimately know more when he faces former world title challenger Dillian Whyte (31-3, 21 KOs). At 37 years old, the fellow Brit is at the opposite end of the boxing spectrum, but Itauma’s first legitimate test at world title level. Whyte holds good wins over Joseph Parker and Derek Chisora (twice), plus gave Anthony Joshua all he could handle.
The odds though are heavily stacked in the younger man’s favour, being viewed as a fringe contender ‘changing of the guard’. If, as widely expected, Itauma bombs out the man from Brixton, London then the hype and excitement will gain further momentum, and justifiably so.
Whilst not being over-surprised if that outcome results, we expect the well-trained and lighter than usual Whyte to give it a good-go for as long as it lasts. He’s been a top contender for close to a decade and can also bang a bit himself. His fighting pride and quality at the highest level will not allow him to be humiliated (ala Ken Norton by an emerging Gerry Cooney or Gerrie Coetzee by Frank Bruno).
In many ways Itauma-Whyte is the most intriguing fight on a good bill, but the likely ‘fight of the night’ will be the co-main event between undefeated featherweights Nick Ball and Sam Goodman. It pits an English world champion, in Ball, as recognised by the WBA, against an Australian. The summer before an Ashes cricket winter will draw out the best from undefeated fighters from these two proud sporting nations.
‘Wrecking’ Ball from Liverpool, England has compiled a 22-0-1 (13 KOs) record and Goodman is at 20-0 (7 KOs).
The KO ratio favours the Brit and he’s competed at the higher level to date. This should be a real slugfest as Ball fights at a high pace, continually coming forward. We expect him to prevail in a very competitive fight.
Another good match-up is between two heavyweights who’ve some question marks against their ability to break through to world title contention, in Britain’s David Adelaye (14-1, 13 KOs) and Croatian Olympic medallist Filip Hrgovic (18-1, 14 KOs).
Hrgovic has the better resume having only lost to former IBF world champion Daniel Dubois. Both can still compete and eat at the heavyweight table, but a win is essential for either to push on. This is a pick ’ems in our view.
The fights are available on the DAZN streaming site, as a pay-per-view (box office) package. The main fights can also be heard in the UK on talkSPORT radio. Either should be worth considering.
When Chris Lessing died on June 1, 1976 at the age of 43 at Garden City Clinic in Johannesburg he left behind a superb collection of boxing books, autographed photos of famous boxers, 16mm films and museum memorabilia including statuettes, trophies and signed gloves.
Subsequently his collection was donated to the South Africa Boxing Board of Control who established a Chris Lessing Boxing Hall of Fame which was housed at their offices in the Fattis and Monis Building in Johannesburg. The museum was under the curatorship of long time sports writer Bill Bosch.
On October 12, 1979 at the official opening of the museum and the first ever South African Boxing Hall of Fame ten boxers were inducted into the Hall and it was reported that elections to the Hall of Fame would be held on an annual basis.
The Boxing Hall of Fame was divided into three categories. The Pioneer Group for boxers who were active before the first World War, the Oldtimers Group for boxers who fought between the two World Wars, and the Modern Group for boxers who were active after the second World War.
The first ten ring greats to be honoured were:
Pioneer Group – James Robertson Couper and Arthur Douglas.
Oldtimers Group – Don McCorkindale, Ben Foord, Willie Smith and Laurie Stevens.
Modern Group – Vic Toweel, Arnold Taylor, Jake Tuli and Pierre Fourie.
Subsequently the museum was down sized when the Boxing Control Board moved offices to Nasrec and Midrand.
It is believed that over the years a lot of the memorabilia has disappeared but there are still were still a number of items held by Boxing South Africa at their offices in Pretoria.
However, over the years many items have gone missing and there is a story which has never been substantiated that at one time a leading boxer visited museum and remarked that the gloves which were marked as being those of the Welshman Jimmy Wilde, considered by many to be the greatest world flyweight champion all-time were not a pair of gloves as they were both left hand gloves.
What has happened the items is unknown.
Rather sadly in recent years there has been very little interest in establishing a South African Boxing Hall of Fame.
Some time ago a South African Boxing Hall of Fame was established at the Sun City Resort in the Pilansberg in the Northern Province.
However this is was not a Hall of Fame in the true sense as there are not annual elections in the various groups. Brian Mitchell South Africa’s most successful boxer of all-time was the host and conducted interviews with well-known South African fighters, which went down well with everyone. It made up for the time being.
