Ringside Report’s Fight Report of Recent Results and Upcoming Bouts Around The World
By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart
UK – biggest and most notable
We are all now at peace. One of the biggest fights that British fans wanted to see has now been seen. In the end, on Saturday, the 19th of February, in Manchester, at catchweight, Amir Khan was taken apart by Kell Brook. The atmosphere and the hype were bettered by the drama in the ring. It was all that we had hoped it would be.
It took referee, Victor Loughlin to call a halt in the sixth round but Khan was hurt, and he was struggling. The speed was gone, a distant memory which left him all but defenceless against the aggressive Brook who simply wanted it more. Khan is likely to retire with his legacy intact, a reminder of the last hurrah which the likes of Luke Campbell, Carl Frampton and others have suffered before: it was just one fight too many.
For Brook, there is a fight with Connor Benn or perhaps Chris Eubank Jr. which many are calling for as a domestic fight with either young pup would capture similar crowds. They might, but Brook should do an Anthony Crolla. Crolla retried with one final fight, which he headlined, fought at home and left the stage with a win and with his health intact. But that ain’t the way of the boxing political game and you can see the Benn or the Eubank jr. fight being made, a younger gun taking Brook apart and aside from the pay cheque not much else to add…
Under the radar
On the same bill as Khan/Brook the WBO female title fight at super welterweight between Natasha Jonas and late replacement, Chris Namus ended up being a suitably dramatic entre for the main event. At the third time of asking, Jonas came out her corner and blew Namus apart. Namus was on the canvass at the tail end of the first and then when it happened again within 30 seconds of the second round, Namus was finished. Jonas, incredibly emotional afterwards, as it was her third attempt to win a world title, was an exceptional winner and next could be some tasty unifications.
International – most intriguing
Whilst we had a couple of crackers in the UK, also on Saturday the 19th of February, in Ekaterinberg there was the WBC silver lightweight fight between Zaur Abdullaev and veteran three weight former world champion, Jorge Linares which was finished in the 12th round. Abdullaev made up for taking his time to get started by ending the contest with referee intervention in the final round. It was a win that sees Abdullaev in pole position in an eliminator for the WBC belt which thrusts him back onto the world stage. Linares? There may be a card needing depth for former world title contenders in Sheffield that could offer him a package…?
International headline in the UK
Also on Saturday the 19th of February, in Mexico, middleweight Jaime Munguia retained his undefeated status as he stopped D’Mitrius Ballard in the third round for the WBO intercontinental belt. For Munguia, ranked highly by both the WBO and WBC, a world title should be next though people believed that this was a steppingstone towards challenging for the IBF belt held by Gennady Golovkin. It could, however, be Demetrius Andrade or Jermall Charlo next but either way, whether Golovkin or the other two, Munguia, despite a long layoff, looked like a serious contender.
Mentioned in Dispatches…
Last weekend, on the Friday, the 18th of February, Scotland’s super welterweight prospect Kieran Smith was back to winning ways in an 8 round points win against Gabor Gorbics on the Ayrshire coast at Turnberry, then on the 19th, on the Manchester Khan/Brook undercard Olympic bronze medalist, Frazer Clarke got his debut win with a first round stoppage of Jake Darnell, who only wanted a ticket for the big night, and ended up featuring on it!
Fast Forward – the week to come as viewed from one side of the Atlantic
This coming Saturday the 26th of February in Glasgow, Josh Taylor brings all the belts at super lightweight to the SSE Hydro and will defend them against Jack Catterall in the biggest contest in the square circle in a Scottish show since the heyday of Ricky Burns. It is difficult to truly understand the significance of this unless you are in the UK, but this is a massive homecoming for Taylor to show us what kind of a star he can become. Catterall is there through merit and shall be a tough test but there is little doubt that we have a pound for pound star in Taylor who has already shown his abilities, and this shall be yet another opportunity for him to show it again. Once this has been got over as a mandatory defence, should Taylor win, he will be looking to move up and move on.
Under the radar
Also on Saturday the 26th of February, on the same bill as Taylor/Catterall we have a fascinating title fight at heavyweight. This is for a title which has lain vacant for an incredible 71 years. Nick Campbell faces Jay MacFarlane for the Scottish belt. Campbell is a former rugby union player who has played professionally for the Glasgow Warriors and in Jersey and is determined to become the first ever Scot to win the British heavyweight title. To get there he has to get past a man who has spent time in a Caribbean orphanage – when he was a child – and whose 23 years on this earth have been nothing short of a rollercoaster. Campbell is the most fancied, but MacFarlane is promising that he shall put on a display. MacFarlane is a fighter who has adopted the Dave Allan, promise much, deliver something else and be a tremendous character, sort of schtick and was at one time trained by Allen. Storylines and gimmicks aside, however, this looks like Campbell’s to lose.
International – most intriguing
On Saturday the 26th of February, having heard that the Las Vegas fight at super featherweight between Roger Gutierrez and Chris Colbert for the WBA belt is off, we are looking to the WBC interim super bantamweight title fight in Lusaka, Zambia between Catherine Phiri and Kudakwashe Chiwandire. Both are completely unknown to me but are in a weight category which includes Britain’s Rachel Ball who won this title in 2020 in November but has not boxed since.
International headline in the UK
Also on Saturday the 26th of February, in Dubai we shall be wondering what Guillermo Rigondeaux has left as he takes on Vincent Astrolabio for the WBC international belt at bantamweight. At one point Freddie Roach lauded Rigondeaux as “probably the greatest talent” he had ever seen. After losing on his stool against Lomachenko, the legacy that he had built up took a bit of a battering: what is left is very intriguing.
Mentioned in Dispatches…
There are 3 cards in Birmingham, Barnsley and Leeds on the Friday, and on the Saturday, there is the WBC international silver super flyweight title fight between Marcus Braithwaite and Scotland’s very own Scott Allan in Liverpool. The undercard at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow also has super lightweight Cori Gibbs against Carlos Perez and super lightweight Craig Macintyre is back. There are also contests in Newcastle, Birmingham and Leeds.
On Sunday, DAZN is back, at the 02 in London, with Lawrence Okolie headlining as he defends his WBO cruiserweight title against Michal Cieslak. The undercard has featherweight Karim Guerfi v Jordan Gill for the EBU belt, middleweight Anthony Fowler in against Lukasz Maciec, and Galal Yafai fighting Carlos Vado Bautista for the WBC international title on his debut alongside the debut of Cheavon Clarke.
Future History – and the week to follow…
UK – biggest and most notable
Friday 4th March
There is a Fightzone card in London which has no big names but plenty of incredible fights on the card.
Under the radar
Saturday 5th March
Let’s just take a minute to celebrate 46 small hall fights in 6 venues, including York Hall across the UK. Whilst the big names get the headlines, the sport needs this to survive and thrive. Boxing. Is. Back.
International – most intriguing
Friday 4th March
In Fresno, Jose Pedraza faces Jose Ramirez.
International headline in the UK
Saturday 5th March
Julio Cesar Martinez takes on yet another veteran fighter in Roman “El Chocolatito” Gonzalez. With Linares, Khan, Rigondeaux and Brook already having been in the ring in 2022, it seems the day of the veteran and last hurrah is entirely fashionable – this is happening in San Diego.