A Glimpse Into The Future
In Birmingham, Olympic gold medallist Galal Yafai will be aiming to continue to put world boxing on red alert as he defends his WBC International Flyweight title for the fourth time.
After losing out in the round of 16 at the 2016 Rio Olympics, the youngest of three Yafai brothers went into Tokyo 2020 tipped for a medal, but even those who backed him to go all the way probably couldn’t have predicted what the Olympics would have in store for him.
With five wins from five, Galal was faultless in every fight and claimed Olympic gold. If the iconic Val Barker trophy was up for grabs, he would have been well in with a chance of winning that too.
Thrown into the deep end as a pro, it was confirmed that he’d fight for the WBC International title on his debut in a 10-rounder against Carlos Vado Bautista. However, Galal only needed five rounds to claim the belt and since then he has continued to show just why he is one of the most exciting prospects in the world with wins over Miguel Cartagena, Gohan Garcia and Moises Calleros, all in the space of 14 months.
He now continues his assault on the flyweight division by taking on former British champion Tommy Frank. A more than capable opponent, there will be question marks over whether or not Frank has the durability possessed by some of Yafai’s previous opponents. It’s a test for Yafai, no doubt, but it’s one he should be passing with flying colours if he wants a world title shot in early 2024.
Another busy undercard sees the undefeated Cyrus Pattinson take on the tough Conah Walker whilst Jordan Flynn faces Kane Baker in a rematch of their fight-of-the-year contender on the Joshua/Franklin card back in April.
English champion Sol Dacres will be looking to make another statement following his stoppage win over Robert Ismay with Khaleel Majid, Aaron Bowen and Muhammad Ali all looking to extend their unbeaten records in the pro ranks. There are also professional debuts for Ibraheem Sulaimaan and Sahil Khan as Matchroom Boxing’s future stars descend on the country’s second city.
If this weekend goes to plan for the promoters, it could well turn out to be a weekend we look back on in a few years as a significant weekend for the climate of British boxing.
