The Matchroom vs Queensberry 5 vs 5 clash has officially been signed and sealed, with bout announcements to land on the Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou fight week. 

It marks an astonishing time for boxing, in which Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren have set aside their once-sour rivalry to deliver a series of huge events across the Riyadh Season. 

Once upon a time, a Team Hearn vs Team Warren 5-a-side would have been considered the Rangers vs Celtic of the boxing world. 

But as the 0’s in the contracts grew, so did the goodwill, compassion, and cooperation between two of the sport’s biggest promotional rivals. Money really is medicine. 

Let’s talk the fights. 

Main Event: 

Call me boring, call me predictable, but it would be almost discourteous to not lead with Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua. A near-decade story that reads purse split disputes, missed deadlines, untimely defeats, and a three-year Fury hiatus could be bedded once and for all. 

Of course, both men have their respective jobs to do against Oleksandr Usyk and Francis Ngannou, which, if navigated successfully, would also turn the Battle of Britain into an undisputed one. 

Chief-support: 

There are no medals for valiance in the sport of boxing, but if there were, both Anthony Yarde and Callum Smith would have been recipients after their showings against the division’s number one.  

With no wiggle room at the top of the 175lb scene, a meeting between these two is not just tasty, but also convenient. 

It offers Smith a chance at a swift return to the world level rung, and Yarde an opportunity to prove he is the best Britain has to offer. What it gives us? Well, pure violence of course. 

Undercard: 

There is only a week between both Nick Ball and Raymond Ford’s world title challenges, as the pair look to put a dent in what is a young and thriving featherweight scene.  

Ball’s task comes in the form of WBC champion Rey Vargas, who will be wilting himself back to 126lbs after an unsuccessful leap to super-featherweight last year. 

Ford’s task comes in the form of the highly doubted Otabek Kholmatov, who was due to fight Leigh Wood before the two-time world champion vacated in search of more financially rewarding opportunities. 

Providing both are to see their job through, then a Matchroom vs Queensberry, Britain vs America, Ball vs Ford unification makes sense in every aspect of the word. 

Hamzah Sheeraz and Ammo Williams is a fight which speaks for itself. 

Like the others, there are stipulations that could either make or break such a fight. Sheeraz needs to overcome another Williams, in Liam, next month, whilst Ammo heads to Las Vegas to fight the unbeaten Connor Coyle. 

If they are to take care of their business successfully, there is no reason why attention can’t turn to one another, a fight which would in no way disappoint. 

Sitting on seven victories (five inside the distance) is really the only similarity between Ezra Taylor and Khalil Coe. Whilst Taylor achieved at regional level as an amateur, Coe donned the US vest, and boasted wins over the likes of 2018 Rio gold medallist Mikhail Dauhaliavets. 

So far, the paid ranks have been kind enough to both, who have gained enough experience to warrant a step-up in opponent levels. There is no better time, and stage, than now. 

Team Matchroom versus Team Queensberry. An event literally nobody could have seen coming. 

Yet here we are.

Whoever said money can’t buy happiness simply didn’t know where to go shopping. 

Oscar Bevis

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