NO TIME TO PULL PUNCHES
Boxing is bringing us two five-star battles this weekend, as Las Vegas and Dublin both house fights with undisputed repercussions.
For Chantelle Cameron and Katie Taylor, Saturday’s eagerly anticipated rematch is as simple in objective as it will be difficult in practice.
Quite simply, the winner will walk away undisputed champion. Yet after a gruelling first clash in May, both are of the understanding they might just have to punch through walls to do so.
For Taylor, it is a place she will be willing to go in order to re-establish her superiority. She is after all, a great, and, like all greats do, she seeks challenge.
It is for that reason that we are back here, even after a conclusive win for Cameron last time out.
In fact, last time out wasn’t just a convincing win, but also a glance into the erosion of the once relentless Taylor. On her homecoming night, she was beaten at her own game.
Cameron’s frantic pace teased a fight that the Taylor of two years ago would have flourished in. Instead, she was beaten by the buzz of a younger, fresher, and stronger Cameron.
Let’s also not forget, Cameron’s boxing brain is brilliant. She is a puzzle-solver, who’s think-on-the-feet approach makes for an adaptable and fluid fighter.
It was, in all honesty, the sort of fight that looks immutable. Taylor, at 37, will have to come up with something extraordinary in order to wrestle control of all four belts.
That isn’t to say Cameron walks away without obstacles. Taylor’s counterpunching expertise can catch even the swiftest in transition. Cameron’s jab could be the nullifier of the night.
Whichever way it plays, I hope more than anything it is a fight which delivers to the penetrating atmosphere it will receive.
Whilst the ladies tussle for undisputed status, former two-time title holders David Benavidez and Demetrius Andrade are battling to be even in the vicinity of the 168lb division belts.
Just earning a shot at undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez has become its own form of achievement, and a victory on Saturday moves either Benavidez or Andrade into the catbird seat.
It will without doubt be a fascinating clash of styles in the ring too.
Let’s start with Andrade. Brisk on his feet and efficient in attack, he is a fighter who understands the value in maintaining distance between himself and his opponent.
It is a style so nightmarish it has actually worked against his want for big fights.
And I get it, why on earth would you want to fight someone so accomplished in the art of avoidance? He is the boxing equivalent of a pickpocket.
Yet in Benavidez, he will meet a man whose linear aggression and combination punching will probe every inch of his boxing artistry. Such persistent pressure can make even the most disciplined waver.
Perhaps Andrade will realise early on that he cannot fight this fight risk-free.
I think it highlights what a great fight this is, that we expect a fighter of Andrade’s level to divert from his usual style to tolerate his opponent’s threat.
Benavidez himself may well have to navigate through a taxing period too. Andrade, unlike others before him, will not just sit in the pocket and let the Mexican register blow after blow.
It is a real intriguing fight.
Now let’s just hope both men deliver.
Oscar Bevis
