Former World Lightweight Champion Anthony Crolla takes a look at the Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol card and more.
Another mega fight card has been announced, and again it’s the Saudi’s bringing the big names together. I’ll get to the that shortly, but first I have to address the exhibition nonsense we witnessed with Floyd Mayweather and John Gotti III last weekend.
I just don’t get it. Why would anyone want to watch a legend like Floyd have an exhibition with a mobster’s grandson, where he just referees his own fight? You’ve got to be some kind of creepy superfan to pay to watch that!
From the ridiculous to the sublime then, and the latest show fight fans can look forward to as part of Riyadh season is a belter. Obviously, we’ve had Crawford v Madrimov in Los Angeles, and we’ll soon be at Wembley for AJ v Dubois and that bumper card. On top of that, we can now look forward to another big show back in the desert in a few weeks.
Top of the bill is Artur Beterbiev v Dmitri Bivol and Turki Alalshikh made it very clear that that fight was always going to be in the Kingdom.
You’ve got a master boxer in Bivol who has unbelievable feet and is so technically correct, but does he hit hard enough to stop Beterbiev marching forward? At this moment in time, I’m siding with Beterbiev. He’s right near the top of any pound-for-pound list.
There are some very interesting fights on the undercard, but the Chris Eubank Jr fight against Kamil Szeremeta is a bit underwhelming. It’s a keep-busy fight that not too many people are going to be interested in.
Shakur Stevenson and Joe Cordina is a great fight. Joe Is moving up to 135lbs after his loss to Anthony Cacace and I think Joe will be much better at that weight. Elsewhere on the undercard you’ve got Jack Massey who has a real challenge on his hands in the shape of Jai Opetaia. Jack will be wary of the Aussie’s power, but he has been in with big men before, he won’t be going in just to make up the numbers.
I’m looking forward to seeing a rerun of arguably the British fight of the year when the big lads do it again. It’s a shame Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke aren’t fighting over here, but it cannot fail to be a great fight.
There’s a real contrast of styles in the female world title fight between Skye Nicolson and Raven Chapman. That’ll pose a lot of questions on both sides. And I’m absolutely delighted that Liam Cameron gets his big chance against the very talented Ben Whittaker. I think Ben has to make a statement as people will put up with the showboating and enjoy it even, but not for ten rounds. He has to get his opponents out of there, like Prince Naseem Hamed used to do.
Liam’s had an unbelievably hard time out of the ring, serving a very harsh four-year ban when a trace of a recreational drug was found in his system, and then losing his stepdaughter in a traffic accident. He spiralled into depression and addiction but has come back from being suicidal and very overweight, so it’s great to see him get an opportunity like this. His story is an inspiration to anyone who’s having a tough time.
Before all that, there is an interesting Matchroom card in California this weekend. I really like Diego Pacheco and he’s ticking all the boxes as he progresses towards a world title shot. Maciej Sulecki has only lost in very good company in Jacobs and Andrade, but I think Pacheco can make a big statement. I watched him in Liverpool against Bolton’s Jack Cullen and there’s a lot to like about him.
It’ll also be good to see Chev Clarke get a runout over in the States. I’m a big Chev fan and I think he’s done well being fast-tracked as a professional. He’s answered all questions asked of him and has impressive wins against good operators like big Davie Jamieson, Tommy McCarthy, and Ellis Zorro. I’ll be honest, I don’t know much about his opponent Efetobor Apochi from Nigeria, but Chev’s been matched well, and I expect him to make another statement.
Finally, we’re in for a treat on Tuesday morning when Naoya ‘the monster’ Inoue defends his world titles against tough Irishman TJ Doheny. I’d love to be wrong, but I can see no other outcome other than Inoue winning inside four rounds.
But I do love these Japanese shows and even though the gym will be busy, I always stop training and have a little pause so me and my fighters can watch Inoue when he’s on!
Anthony Crolla is brand ambassador for Freebets.com, the home of the best betting sites.
