The Undisputed

Highlight of the boxing weekend in the UK, with world title ramifications, is the big light-heavyweight (12st, 7lbs/175lbs) showdown between undefeated, ranked contenders Joshua Buatsi and Dan Azeez.

The long awaited clash between the two Britons, cancelled from October 2023, will now be held at the historic Wembley Arena, London, scene of many a memorable championship fight.

Both are resident south Londoners with 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Buatsi from Croydon, and current British, European and Commonwealth champion Azeez from nearby Lewisham. In all intents and purposes this could be a ‘turf war’. 

It is however, more a contest between opponents who are familiar with each other from hours of sparring and have utmost respect in each other’s abilities. Their friendship, at least until close to fight time with barbs exchanged in recent days, will be put on hold for the scheduled twelve rounds.

The problem, and attraction, is that both want the same thing – a world title !

The matchup is a throwback to the light-heavyweight contests of yesteryear in British rings; from Chris Finnegan versus John Conteh in the 1970’s to Dennis Andries against Tony Sibson in the 1980’s.

It’s a ‘trade’ fight that given the undefeated records, local rivalry, and obvious potential is expected to add to that long history.

Buatsi, age 30, with proud Ghanaian heritage and possessing their fighting spirit, has waited patiently for the opportunity to launch himself further into the mainstream and onto a world title fight. First he must clear up one of the outstanding domestic arguments.

Azeez (20-0, 13 KO’s), age 34, is the ‘blue-collar’ fighter of the two, with ‘Marvelous’ Marvin Hagler his inspiration. He has indicated, ala Hagler, this fight will be ‘War’ and is attempting to break through too and onto a world title challenge.

Azeez is the busier of both fighters, building his pace and momentum as his fights progress and wears his opponents down. Buatsi (17-0, 13 KO’s), is the more polished and so far world decorated of the two. They are ranked #5 and 6 by The Ring magazine, and recognised similarly by the multiple ‘world’ sanctioning bodies.

It will be a battle of mind as well as resilience, as both are talented and cerebral. Experience at the world level, which Buatsi possesses from the amateur code, may be the telling factor. We pick him to win a very competitive fight on a close points decision.

Top of the tree in this division are Russia’s Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KO’s) and Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KO’s) who seem on a domestic collision course of their own. No match has yet been made for them.

The Briton who emerges victorious over the next 12 months out of Buatsi and Azeez, two-time world challenger Anthony Yarde and a glut of other light-heavyweights will be top of the pecking order to challenge when the Bivol-Beterbiev dust has finally settled.

Saturday’s event is promoted by BOXXER and will be shown live on Sky Sports in the UK and on NBC’s Peacock streaming channel in the US. It’s also available on TalkSport radio in the UK.

The full card features a plethora of promising , undefeated talent, including such notables as Ben Whittaker at light-heavyweight, Adam Azim at junior-welterweight and female lightweight world title contender Caroline Dubois. All are entertainers and will be attempting to ‘steal the show’.

The night promises quality and potential fireworks all round !

Teak tough unified light-heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KO’s) from Dagestan, Russia, currently based in Canada, showed his undoubted class and superiority when successfully defending his multiple sanctioning body 175 lbs ‘world’ titles against England’s Callum Smith (29-2, 21 KO’s).

It took place in Quebec City, Canada on an excellent Top Rank show Saturday night (13^th).

Beterbiev, just shy of his 39th birthday, is a former amateur world champion who competed at the London 2012 Olympics, losing to eventual gold medallist and current unified world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. On Saturday, he further enhanced his awesome reputation with an emphatic victory.

The stoppage came on 2 minutes of round seven after Smith had been dropped twice in the round and with his chief second James ‘Buddy’ McGirt waving it off, the referee simultaneously stopped the contest. The official result was a TKO.

Smith competed well for the fully completed rounds but was eventually overwhelmed by the Russian’s intensity, momentum and punch accuracy.

The small 18 foot square ring proved no place to hide and almost restricted the rangy Smith to fighting in a telephone booth. The challenger’s body is such that he just couldn’t maximise the benefit of his long limbs to keep the required distance from the champion. After a competitive effort with bravery and some success, most notably rounds two and five, the challenger was simply overwhelmed in the end.

The impressive Beterbiev possesses the only 100% KO record of any current world champion and this was added to on Saturday.

The ‘Beast’ of the division, he is authentically tough, to the extent that he’s almost a ‘throwback’ fighter to a bygone age. This is complimented by his outstanding amateur pedigree, going over 300 fights undefeated and being a former world champion and Olympian in the unpaid code.

Beterbiev was simply too tough and technically sound for Smith to have any real prolonged success. On the fight’s conclusion being interviewed on ESPN, champion Beterbiev humbly paid his respect to his challenger and said amazingly, “It’s because of luck. It’s my coach (Marc Ramsay). My team works hard with me, too. Maybe that’s why, too. But I think it’s because of luck”. His understating of his dominance and nature of victory was refreshing but perplexing.

He continued, “We had a couple strategies. We always have more than one. We need to be prepared for several strategies. He gave me a good fight. He stayed strong. Thanks to him. Today, luck is on my side.

Attention now switches to a unification fight with fellow Russian, Dmitry Bivol (22-0, 11 KO’s) who holds the WBA title (the only one Beterbiev doesn’t yet possess). The taller Bivol is too at the elite level and was The Ring magazine fighter of the year for 2022. A ‘superfight’ potentially awaits and Top Rank CEO and hall-of-fame promoter Bob Arum is confident this will be after Ramadan and held in Saudi Arabia. All of boxing will hold it’s breath that this mouthwatering match comes off soon.

Finally, on being questioned on the prospect of facing his fellow compatriot Beterbiev added “Yes, of course {I want the Bivol fight}. I need another belt. It would mean a lot to me.”

Smith, only 33, from the English fight city of Liverpool, and a former 168 lbs super-middleweight unified champion was not disgraced and his stock was upheld by a brave showing under such firepower and class. He will though return to domestic level for the time being.

The division is red hot in the UK with world ranked Brits facing off and vying for superiority across the board. First up is Joshua Buatsi (17-0, 13 KO’s) against Dan Azeez (20-0, 13 KO’s) scheduled for January 27 in London, England.  There are also good fights to be had between these two, former double world title challenger Anthony Yarde and Manchester’s Lyndon Arthur.

On the undercard on Saturday was also a real ‘barnstormer’ with Australian Jason Moloney (27-2, 19 KO’s) retaining his WBO bantamweight world title with a majority decision over Saul Sanchez (20-3, 12 KO’s) in a back-and-forth tussle. One judge scored it 114-114, which was overruled by two scores of 116-112.

It was a brilliant contest and early contender for fight of the year.

The new boxing year gets off with a bang tomorrow night in Quebec City, Canada in the light-heavyweight (175 pound/12st,7lbs) division.

Current IBF, WBC and WBO champion Artur Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KO’s), arguably one of the finest boxers in the world, meets former unified super-middleweight (168 lbs/12st) champion Callum Smith (29-1, 21 KO’s) in an excellent match up.

Promoted by Top Rank it’s a world class contest almost a year in the making. The original fight date was postponed due to Beterbiev sustaining a jaw infection. The quality of both boxers though is undeniable and their differing physical stature and skillsets point towards an intriguing fight.

Beterbiev, age 38, from Dagestan but a naturalised Russian, is a former amateur world champion who competed at the London 2012 Olympics at heavyweight (91kg). He didn’t medal, losing to the eventual gold medallist and current unified professional world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. This was his last defeat.

The Russian’s pedigree before, and since turning professional, is outstanding. He possesses the only 100% KO record of any current world champion and is considered the ‘boogieman’ of the division, a real ‘beast’ of a fighter. His power is substantial and the nature of his emphatic stoppage wins prove it. He tends to meticulously work his way forward throwing power shots and either takes his opponents out with a single blow or eventually grinds them down.

He has though shown earlier fallibility by being dropped by another Briton Callum Johnson a few years ago. He did though get up to win emphatically.

To give Smith further hope, for a time in Beterbiev’s last world title defence against Anthony Yarde in London a year ago, his muscular opponent was able to withstand the Russian’s power before ultimately succumbing in the eighth round. Whether the challenger has he physical and mental toughness to do similar and prevail himself is the conundrum. Smith has power of his own and his big punch is the left hook which he lands from all angles, preceded by a strong jab which he maximises due to his 6ft 3in frame.

Smith, from Liverpool, England, at 33, is clearly the younger man, being effectively ‘born’ into the sport. He has a family of siblings who’ve all boxed at world level, some winning titles. He’s less miles on the clock than his opponent and this could be a factor. Whether it influences and determines the outcome is a key unknown.

Beterbiev, as dominant and imposing as he’s been in recent years could be close to the end of his professional career, but it would take a brave person to bet against him. Tomorrow the Russian has a chance to silence any doubters.

The ‘alternate’ WBA 175lbs champion is other Russian, Dmitry Bivol (22-0, 11 KO’s) who was The Ring magazine fighter of the year for 2022. A unification ‘superfight’ potentially awaits between both Russians, but is depended on Beterbiev being successful tomorrow. That, in itself, puts additional pressure on him going in but as of now he’s seemed undeterred by it, preferring not to look ahead.

At Thursday’s final press conference the height differential was noticeable with the Brit towering above the champion. Both fighters appear confident and in today’s weigh in both came in comfortably (Smith 174.6 and Beterbiev 175 lbs).

Beterbiev, after spending the first three weeks of training camp in the Russian mountains on arrival in Canada was honed by local trainer Marc Ramsey who’s been with him for the majority of his North American career. The Russian has earnt well but is now on the cusp of the Bivol showdown.

Smith has regrouped since losing his world super-middleweight (12st/168lbs) titles to modern legend Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. He has won two fairly non-descript fights since moving up a weight class. Now is the ‘acid-test’.

He was known for his toughness and concussive power as a twelve stoner and the key will be whether he can carry that up and absorb the older mans shots. He’s prepared for this fight with respected US trainer and ex-world champion James ‘Buddy’ McGirt who will have knocked off any edges Smith possessed and instilled in him a mental toughness and street mentality. Plus he will have devised an effective game-plan.

We see this being an excellent fight; developing by the mid-rounds into a toe-to-toe shootout with the tougher, attritional Beterbiev ultimately prevailing by stoppage. Smith will be ‘game’ throughout and have his successes, but the Russian will work to the Brit’s long torso and systematically break him down. We predict this by the ninth round.

The Liverpudlian will not be disgraced and come out of the contest with his stock raised further to keep him on at the elite level, albeit temporarily domestically.

The division is red hot in the UK with world ranked Brits facing off and vying for superiority across the board. First up is Joshua Buatsi (17-0, 13 KO’s) against Dan Azeez (20-0, 13 KO’s), scheduled for January 27 in London.  There are also good fights to be had between these two, former double world title challenger Anthony Yarde and Manchester’s Lyndon Arthur, among others.

By the early hours of Sunday morning (UK time) we will know how things have shaken out on the world level and whether Russia truly is dominant in this division. It will be fun whilst it lasts. Enjoy.

The event will be broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports (3am GMT) and on ESPN+ in the US.

It was a weekend when one fighter emphatically sealed his star status, one showed his grit and another took one more step towards potential stardom.

Main story of the weekend was the complete shutout by Devin ‘The Dream’ Haney in securing a ‘world’ title in a second weight class by defeating WBC super-lightweight (140lbs/10st) champion Regis Prograis in San Francisco, USA on Saturday. It was thought going in that the champion from New Orleans would provide a stiff test as challenger Haney had just stepped up from unifying the 135lbs (9st, 9lbs) lightweight division. The extra poundage and expected harder hitting from Prograis was never a problem though.

The 25 year old Haney (30-0, 15 KO’s) dropped Prograis in round three and from there on in the contest was effectively won. Haney dominated his southpaw opponent by following up his classy jab with straight right hand power shots, a clear way to victory against most southpaws. The always brave, but never effective Prograis, was simply unable to get in the fight. Haney won 120-107 on all three scorecards and the win and performance was so emphatic that he must be well in the pound-for-pound best mix.

The world looks to be an oyster for Haney as he seeks to secure further pay-per-view headline events, whereas the respected and magnanimous in defeat Prograis, dropped his record to 29-2 (24 KO’s). He’s likely out of future world title honours, having previously held the WBA title, narrowly losing it to Scotland’s Josh Taylor in 2019.

Haney made an big statement after looking even more impressive than recent wins against George Kambosos Jr. and Vasiliy Lomachenko.

On Sunday in Bournemouth, England, an attritional seven completed rounds resulted in Chris Billam-Smith (19-1, 13 KO’s) making a successful first defence of his WBO cruiserweight (200lbs/14st, 4lbs) world strap against Poland’s Mateuz Masternak (47-6, 31 KO’s). The Pole was ahead on two scorecards and the contest hotting up after a good Billam-Smith round in the seventh, before it was prematurely ended with Masternak unable to withstand a late body attack, despite a one minute rest. The contest was waved off when it appeared he didn’t want to come out.

The 33 year old Billam-Smith who was extended for the early rounds said post-fight “I made it hard for myself to be honest” but knew he’d hurt his opponent to the body in the seventh round and that the finish was nigh.

Watching ringside was the WBO number one contender Richard Riakporhe (the only man to defeat Billam-Smith) and a fight next between the two Brits is a natural. Both are promoted by BOXXER so it should be easy to make. The vocal Bournemouth crowd may result in it going there in summer 2024.

Knockout of the weekend was registered by Ben ‘The Surgeon’ Whittaker (5-0, 4 KO’s) who poleaxed Albanian Stiven Leonetti Dredhaj (11-3-1, 3 KO’s) with a straight right paw, concussive left hook combination after 0:54 of the fourth round. Whittaker was in a competitive contest for a few rounds as Dredhaj was high on agression but low on skill. the fight was extended four rounds probably as a result of Whittaker’s showboating and willingness to impress leading to a lapse in concentration. Once he got down to business it was ‘Goodnight Vienna’.

The Wolverhampton, England man Whittaker, continues to lay small foundation bricks to what promises to be an entertaining and title packed journey. The fact that esteemed trainer SugarHill Steward has been brought on board from debut emphasises Whittaker’s star potential. Enjoy the ride !

Once upon a time the 140lbs (10st) junior-welterweight division had a unified world champion. That man was Scotland’s Josh Taylor. Then, he was gradually denuded of that title by having to relinquish one of the sanctioning belts and later had others removed. When he faced, and lost to Teofimo Lopez, only a few remaining belts were up for grabs. He was beaten convincingly in his first defeat.

Since then, like in many weight divisions, the title has become splintered and many organisations call their champion the world champion. Such is the frustration and dichotomy of modern boxing.

On Saturday (9 Dec) in San Francisco, California one of Taylor’s ‘victims’ defends his WBC title against a recent deserter of the lightweight (135lbs/9st 9lb) division. Here, New Orleans’ Regis Prograis (29-1, 24 KO’s) will aim to defeat former undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney (30-0, 15 KO’s).

Prograis, a southpaw is an elite fighter and former WBA title holder. Haney is an orthodox stylish boxer and will be fighting at home. He is a marginal favorite going in. Stylistically and talent-wise it promises to be an excellent contest.

Haney is The Ring magazine lightweight champion and in recent bouts has added the names of Vasiliy Lomachenko and George Kambosos Jr. on his win record. There is a ten year age gap between the two, with Prograis being the older at 35. Haney has looked the more impressive of the two in their most recent bouts.

The contest will be on the DAZN streaming site. Watch it if you can, early Sunday morning (UK time), because who knows ? .. we might just be on our way to re-unifying the title. Wishful thinking I’m sure.

In a far less glamorous setting, but of some world significance there are attempts to bring together the cruiserweights (200lbs, 14st 4lbs) with the latest outing of WBO champion Chris Billam-Smith (18-1, 12 KO’s). Fighting in his hometown of Bournemouth, England, he makes a first defence of the title he won last summer in the same city outdoors against Lawrence Okolie.

‘The Gentleman’ meets Poland’s tall Masteusz Masternak (47-5, 31 KO’s) on Sunday (10 Dec). There is currently a plethora of top cruiserweights in the UK, but The Ring magazine and IBF champion is Australia’s Jai Opetaia (23-0, 18 KO’s), who is the man to beat in this weight class. It should be an exciting two years to see who rises from the dust to be top dog.

Also on the BOXXER promoted bill is the awaited return of Tokyo Olympic silver medallist and undefeated prospect Ben ‘The Surgeon’ Whittaker (4-0, 3 KO’s). The Wolverhampton, England man looks to have all the class and charisma to succeed but he needs to keep busy and winning in the early stages of his pro’ career. He should come through safely but the key will be more how he looks having been out since July and with his clear promise.

The full BOXXER show will be televised in the UK on Sky Sports and in the US on the Peacock (NBC) channel.

Main headline and star of the show last weekend has to be the now two-weight undisputed female world champion Katie Taylor.

The 37 year old Irish boxing legend further added to her outstanding achievements winning a breathtaking contest to relieve Northampton, England’s Chantelle Cameron of The Ring magazine 140lb (10st) championship and the numerous sanctioning body belts also up for grabs.

In a raucous atmosphere on Saturday (Nov 25) Taylor’s Dublin faithful just got her over the line in a ‘ding-dong’ contest that was a candidate for fight of the year.

The Irish woman navigated an early trip to the canvas, which was controversially not scored a knockdown, when Cameron seemed to connect with a strong right-hand lead. Despite this, Taylor eventually won a majority decision (95-95, 96-94 and 98-92), which to us appeared far too wide in her favour on the final card given the action, skills and ferocity shared. Both boxers deserve praise and Cameron’s grievance on the final decision is understood. We do though feel Taylor was the victor.

The champion coming in was cut on the forehead early in the fight and although a distraction it was well contained and didn’t seem to overly trouble her. There were repeated head clashes throughout the fight, adding to the drama, but it was really a clash of height and advancing styles rather than anything malicious.

Taylor (23-1, 6 KO’s), an exceptional amateur and London 2012 gold medallist, successfully avenged last year’s defeat to Cameron and there will be much calling for a trilogy ‘rubber match’ to determine the better fighter.

After last year’s reverse against Cameron, when much was expected of Taylor, she proudly said after Saturday’s outcome “This was my homecoming…the real me”. She called out for a trilogy to be held at Croke Park, the national 80,000 monolith stadium. It is sure to pack the place out should it happen.

Cameron (18-1, 8 KO’s) should be given full credit for the way she fought, with tenacity and bravery and will in the eyes of many be a favourite in the inevitable ‘trilogy’ match.

The contest further added to the now total credibility of female boxing; who legitimately have equal standing. It was a contest that can rightly stand with any male fight for the year. Promoted by Matchroom and shown on the DAZN streaming platform it was a momentous homecoming for the Irish lady and success for female boxing.

Honourable mentions at the weekend also go to an excellent fight on a Queensberry promotion at York Hall, Bethnal Green, east London where lightweight Mark Chamberlain (14-0, 10 KO’s) won by tenth round KO against Latvian Artjoms Ramlavs (16-3, 8 KO’s). This kept the Portsmouth fighter’s unbeaten record intact and the prospect of a fight against fellow 135lb up and comer Sam Noakes looks mouthwatering.

After a competitive fight Chamberlain just came through Ramlav’s experienced and rugged showing, plus negotiating a difficult cut on his right eyelid which threatened to stop the fight earlier. The end came dramatically at 1:21 of the tenth and entertained all in attendance and watching on TNT Sport in the UK.

The undefeated Sam Noakes (11-0, 11 KO’s) is due to fight at the same venue this Friday (Dec 1).

The final piece of the jigsaw will be pressed firmly into place on February 17 2024 when the World Heavyweight Champion is finally determined in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The promotion named ‘Ring of Fire’ will see Britain’s Tyson Fury face Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk for all of the sanctioning body belts and the ultimate accolade of what we consider the ‘ultimate prize in sport‘. The fact that this website carries such an illustrious and self proclaiming title is that we believe many things in this world should be ‘Undisputed’ and although most things in life are subject to conjecture and opinion, that, in itself is modern life; this title, is what we consider to be the beacon that leads the sport. Nuff said.

The journey to this point has been a long and arduous one. The final road to the defining moment was officially announced in a packed press conference in central London last Thursday (16 November). Both main protagonists were in attendance, accompanied by Saudi royalty, some boxing hierarchy and, Rocky Balboa himself ! (aka actor Sylvester Stallone).

The fractured nature of the sport has led to a splintering of titles with the proliferation of multiple sanctioning bodies claiming that their champion is the man. Business and vested interests has generated this muddled scenario. For the record, both fighters have undefeated professional logs; Fury 34-0-1 (24 KO’s) and Usyk 21-0 (14 KO’s). The Brit is recognised by the WBC as their champion and Ukrainian by the IBF, WBA and WBO as theirs.

To add further garnish Usyk is the esteemed The Ring magazine champion having recently been awarded that title by their ratings panel. Fury brings his lineal status to the party by virtue of being, the man who beat the man, who beat the man etc’. It is contentious how The Ring title changed hands without them having met in the roped square until now. They have their reasons.

What’s important is that we are nearly there. The money being earned by both fighters is astronomical, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia who will pay for the privilege to host the event will be handsomely rewarded in worldwide exposure and the prestige that follows. This will be enhanced should the contest be an unforgettable event and be consigned to the sporting annals of time like The Rumble in the Jungle.

To this observer it was disappointing to see the over 100 year history of the title being demeaned by some of the lack of respect and language that Tyson ‘The Gypsy King’ Fury used in the press conference towards his opponent. He (Usyk) whose country we know are in the midst of defending their sovereign rights, and who throughout his career has exuded class and professionalism.

Usyk took his reference to being told he was gonna get his “face punched in” and being called a “sausage” with his usual smile and a shake of his head. He expected Fury to steal the show to promote the fight, and in the modern world that may be necessary to sell pay-per-view and streams, but it would have been nice to witness the dignity of a Rocky Marciano-Joe Louis or ‘Jersey’ Joe Walcott press conference for this historic event, but times have changed !

Let’s just look forward to what is being billed as, and indeed is, a “historic event”. As co-promoter Frank Warren rightly introduced in the press conference “It doesn’t get any better than this”.

When Fury and Usyk have their final face-off it will eventually result in crowning a World Heavyweight Champion for the first time this century ! That indeed is worth determining and ultimately celebrating.

After postponement mid-last week of the Joshua Buatsi v Dan Azeez light-heavyweight headliner by BOXXER promotions, a result of Azeez sustaining a back injury, there was still plenty of quality action over the weekend in British rings.

The remaining scheduled card for the O2 Arena was quickly shifted to the much smaller but atmospheric York Hall, Bethnal Green, east London, with an excellent main event.

This saw Isaac Chamberlain (16-2, 8 KO’s) defeat Mikael Lawal (17-1, 11 KO’s) by unanimous decision to win the vacant British and Commonwealth cruiserweight (14st, 4lb/200lbs) titles. Returned scores were 119-111, 118-111 and 118-111 in Londoner Chamberlain’s favour.

The division is hot in the UK at the moment with Bournemouth’s Chris Billam-Smith the current WBO ‘world’ champion and south London’s hard hitting Richard Riakporhe highly world ranked, among other domestic notables.

Up in Liverpool, north west England, Matchroom Boxing promoted an excellent international match-up at junior-welterweight (10st/140lbs) which saw England’s Jack Catterall (28-1, 13 KO’s) defeat former three division ‘world’ champion Jorge Linares (47-9, 29 KO’s), also by unanimous points decision. Returned scores were 117-111, 116-112 and 116-112 in the Englishman’s favour.

Southpaw boxer Catterall, at 30 years old, controlled the fight but always showed Linares the respect his record, skills and accomplishments warranted. The Englishman from Chorley, Greater Manchester now moves up the world rankings and attempts to gain a second crack at a ‘world’ title, after controversially dropping a decision to former unified champion Josh Taylor in 2022. Catterall is currently rated #6 by The Ring magazine which is a good guide of his class and promise. He remains the #1 contender for the WBO ‘world’ title.

Venezuelan Linares, now 38, and following his fourth consecutive defeat, announced his retirement after Saturday’s defeat. He contested many fights of world significance in many countries, almost becoming a modern day ‘road warrior’ and retires a decorated and respected former champion. We wish him well.

Highlight of this fight week in the UK, also with world ramifications, is the lead in to a big domestic light-heavyweight (12st, 7lbs/175lbs) showdown between ranked contenders in London on Saturday (21st).

Both billed from Croydon, south London; 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Joshua Buatsi faces British multi-champion Dan Azeez. It’s a fight between opponents who are familiar from hours of sparring and have the utmost respect in each other. The problem, and draw, is both want the same thing – a world title !

It’s a real throwback to the light-heavyweight match-ups of yesteryear in British rings; from Chris Finnegan against John Conteh in the 1970’s to Dennis Andries v Tony Sibson in the 1980’s.

Buatsi, originally from Ghana and emphasizing their proud fighting heritage, has waited patiently for the opportunity to launch himself further into the mainstream and onto a world title fight. First, he must clear up one of the domestic arguments. Azeez, known to be the more ‘blue-collar’ of the two with hero ‘Marvelous’ Marvin Hagler providing his inspiration, is also attempting to break into the mainstream and onto world recognition.

It’s a ‘trade’ fight that given the undefeated records, local rivalry, and their obvious potential will likely add to that long history of British twelve and a half stone confrontations.

On face value, Azeez (20-0, 13 KO’s) is the more workmanlike of both fighters, steadily building his pace and momentum as his fights progress. Buatsi (17-0, 13 KO’s), although equally cerebral, is the more polished and world decorated of the two. They are respectively ranked #6 and 5 by The Ring magazine and recognised equally by the multiple ‘world’ sanctioning bodies.

Top of the tree are Russia’s Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KO’s) and Artur Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KO’s) who seem on a domestic collision course of their own. No match has yet been made but for them, but the Brit’s who emerge victorious over the next 12 months, out of Buatsi and Azeez, former 12st (168lbs) ‘world’ champion Callum Smith, twice world challenger Anthony Yarde and IBO champion Lyndon Arthur will be lining up to collect the world silverware left.

It truly is a big period ahead for the world ‘175 pounders’ and it all starts at the O2 Arena, North Greenwich, London on Saturday. Promoted by BOXXER it is also available live in the UK on Sky Sports and on Talksport radio. Look for the hype to build over the coming week.

Today marks the thirtieth anniversary of an iconic domestically contested world title fight; the rematch between ‘Dark Destroyer’ Nigel Benn and self-proclaimed ‘Simply the Best’, Chris Eubank Sr. at Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium.

The event was for the world super-middleweight (12st/168 lbs) title, outdoors before a captivated crowd and, shown live ‘free to air’ on ITV Sport. Those indeed were halcyon days for boxing fans.

On Saturday, those ‘privileged few’ at the Sheffield Arena and viewing on streaming site DAZN witnessed a modern day equivalent with WBA world featherweight champion Leigh Wood dramatically defending his nine stone (126lbs) title with a 7th round stoppage to conclude a sensational /fight with former IBF world champion Josh Warrington.

The contender from Leeds, England, an underdog coming in, and deemed to be having his ‘final hurrah’, was arguably five rounds up on the cards before walking into a devastating right hook followed by an array of follow up shots. It was a riveting toe-to-toe contest throughout with Warrington’s power punching landing more regularly against the southpaw champion and forcing the pace towards Wood.

The Leed’s man bouyed on by this usual fervent support and attempting to regain a version of the nine stone title was perpetual motion and seemingly able to penetrate Wood’s defence at will. However, Wood’s shots back were respectable and keeping his challenger at bay, but he looked to be too reckless, regularly finishing exchanges by leaving his chin ‘out to dry’.

The common consensus was the champion was tight at the weight and this would be his final performance as a featherweight. This was verbally confirmed by his team at the end.

The facts of the night were referee Michael Alexander called a halt to proceedings at the end of round seven after Warrington didn’t show the necessary strength or coordination to recover after the bell rang. Warrington’s performance up to that point was excellent and he looked to have re-ignited his career. It was five years since he defeated former world champion and 2016 The Ring magazine fighter of the year Carl Frampton.

Wood, sensational in victory, rose his record to 28-3 (17 KO’s) and Warrington, a two-time IBF ‘world’ champion, dropped to 31-3-1 (8 KO’s).

It was a fight and event that deserved to be compared to the Benn-Eubank Sr. matches, possibly most similar to their first encounter which resulted in a dramatic late stoppage victory for Eubank, but although worthy of a rematch seems as though it would have to happen at 9st, 4lbs (130lbs) if that ever materialises. The recovery and long term condition of Warrington will likely dictate that but with the massive fan bases of both combatants would seem a natural and sure to be big box office.

For now, both fighters take a bow for what what we consider to date has been fight of the year in British rings. Try to catch it if you can on DAZN or other social media outlets.