TANK TAKES AIM ON AN ACTION-PACKED WEEKEND OF BOXING
After last week’s relatively quiet boxing schedule, world title action is back this weekend with SIX cracking fights from across the globe in the space of 10 hours.
Tonight, it’s destination Selhurst Park as Chris Billam-Smith rematches old foe Richard Riakporhe, looking to defend his WBO World Cruiserweight Title for the second time.
The first fight between the pair took place nearly five years ago and it was a contest filled with controversy.
Both 9-0 going into the fight ,with eight KO victories to their name, it was very much touted as a 50/50 and so it proved.
Riakporhe got the better of Billam-Smith claiming a split-decision win but the now-defending world champion received a count in the seventh round when referee Bob Williams deemed that the ropes had kept him up after an exchange.
Had that count not been given, the fight would have likely been scored a draw and if that was the case, we probably wouldn’t have had to wait five years to see the pair go at it again.
Either way, we finally get to see it tonight and now there’s even more on the line with Billam-Smith’s WBO world title.
The Bournemouth man goes into the rematch off the back of 10 straight victories since that defeat, including a career-best performance to defeat Lawrence Okolie for the world title back in May of last year. He did, however, very nearly come unstuck against Mateusz Masternak in the first defence of his world title in his last fight. Down on the cards after eight rounds, the experienced Masternak retired in his corner due to a rib injury. Relief for Billam-Smith but certainly a fight in which he’ll need to improve massively to come out on top.
Riakporhe, meanwhile, has continued to add to his undefeated record since that victorious night in July 2019.
Seven straight victories including five via KO, his partnership with Angel Fernandez has been an absolute godsend. He’s no longer just a puncher, he’s a much more rounded boxer who can do a bit of everything to an extremely high standard.
Even though this is their second dance, both fighters have improved considerably since their first meeting so prepare for a couple of cagey rounds. However, these are two fighters who can really whack and if they revert to type, it could be a similar contest to the first one.
Either way, come Sunday morning, we’ll have a definitive answer to who is the best cruiserweight in the country and more excitingly, we’ll have someone in prime position for a unification date with Jai Opetaia.
On the undercard at Selhurst Park, Isaac Chamberlain takes on Jack Massey in another 50/50 cruiserweight clash that could go either way, with the European and Commonwealth titles on the line, whilst the exciting and enigmatic Olympic silver medalist Ben Whittaker faces the toughest test of his career so far in the shape of the 12-0 Ezra Arenyeka.
With the main action from the UK out of the way, we take a trip to Manati, Puerto Rico as the hard-hitting Subriel Matias makes his Matchroom Boxing debut and aims to make a second successful defence of his IBF World Welterweight Title.
Very much an integral part of the iconic ‘Who needs them?’ club, prior to his victory over Petros Ananyan in 2022, Matias earned himself a shot at the vacant IBF 147lbs title and boy did he grab that opportunity with both hands.
Matched with the 30-0 Jeremias Ponce, he quite literally punched him into submission with the Argentine quitting on his stool at the end of the fifth round.
Another convincing win followed for the Puerto Rican as he once again made his opponent quit with Shohjahon Ergashev this time the man to call it a day after a five-round beating from Matias.
Two world title fights, two wins and two opponents forced to quit. It’s easy to see why it’s bloody hard to match this man.
On Saturday night, though, he comes up against another undefeated fighter and one with a point to prove as Aussie Liam Paro steps into the Lion’s Den in his bid to become world champion at the first time of asking.
Another fighter who very much went under the radar in his early days, he went viral back in 2022 when claiming a highlight-reel KO win over the then-undefeated Brock Jarvis.
Then, having been thrown in with the highly rated American Montana Love, he dropped him twice in round six before unloading a barrage of punches which saw referee Thomas Taylor step in and wave the contest off.
Matias, who’s fighting on home soil for the first time since 2019, is going to bring the heat and if Paro is going to stand any chance of winning this fight, he’s going to need to use the slight reach advantage of his and tire the Puerto Rican out with his movement. If he decides to fight fire with fire at any point, it could end badly for him.
The final stop of our world tour this weekend is the quiet and subdued city, Las Vegas, and what a night of world title action they have in store there.
The return of Gervonta Davis as he faces the undefeated Frank Martin with super-middleweight sensation David Benavidez stepping up to light-heavyweight to take on former world champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk, and that’s the fight we’ll take a look at first.
A deadly finisher with 24 stoppages from 28 wins, Benavidez has well and truly been on a pursuit for an enthralling showdown with Canelo Alvarez but so far to no avail.
Victories over top contenders like Caleb Plant, Demetrius Andrade and David Lemieux were seemingly deemed as good enough to make the dangling carrot irresistible to Canelo but, as of yet, the Mexican is yet to take the bait.
With no sign of the Canelo clash happening, Benavidez has decided to step up to 175lbs in pursuit of an undisputed clash with the winner of Beterbiev vs Bivol or maybe even a battle of the undefeated with the exciting Cuban David Morrell Jr, who has also decided to step up to light-heavyweight following a frustrating lack of high quality challengers down at 168lbs.
Standing in the way of Benavidez, though, is the 2012 Olympic bronze medalist and former WBC 175lbs world champ Oleksandr Gvozdyk.
A product of the highly successful Ukrainian boxing team from the 2012 Olympics which saw them take home two golds, one silver and two bronze, he made a fantastic transition to the paid ranks winning his first 17 fights and becoming world champion in the process.
He was dethroned in his 18th fight by the monster that is Artur Beterbiev and after a brief retirement, which saw an absence of three-and-a-half years outside of the ring, he’s returned with a hat-trick of victories in the space of just over a year including stoppage wins in his last two.
What Gvozdyk offers is something which Benavidez is yet to have faced. Size, skill, power, boxing IQ and experience all in one fighter.
If this was the Gvozdyk before the Beterbiev fight, then he’d be a lot shorter than the 5/1 odds in which the bookies have priced him up at but now 37 with plenty of miles on the clock, it’s easy to see why Benavidez is a big favourite.
However, the undefeated American cannot afford to overlook Gvozdyk. He needs to start faster than he usually does. He needs to stop the Ukrainian finding his rhythm and range. He needs to make this fight dirty. If he does that, and does it early, then the stoppage will come.
Onto the main event, and what a fight it is: 29-0 vs 18-0. One of the deadliest punchers in the game against one of the trickiest southpaws. This may well turn out to be a game of chess, but it’ll be one that you cannot take your eyes off.
Gervonta Davis, one of a select few fighters on the planet who can claim to be the face of the sport. Dynamite in both hands and the flamboyance outside of the ring to match his ability inside of it. This is a dangerous man. A two-weight world champion by the age of 25, his unbeaten streak is now at 29 and with names like Yuriorkis Gamboa, Mario Barrios, Pitbull Cruz, Leo Santa Cruz and Jose Pedraza on his record, he may well have one of the best resumes in the sport.
In Frank Martin, though, he faces his fourth undefeated opponent in five fights and one who may well turn out to be his trickiest.
Martin had a fairly routine rise to the top before nearly coming unstuck against Artem Harutyunyan in his last fight. He wasn’t at the races on that occasion but as any elite level fighter does, he found a way to win.
A sharp, awkward and elusive southpaw who is currently under the tutelage of the great Derrick James, he poses a threat like no other to Davis.
It may well turn out to be a hard night at the office for Tank.
Despite Davis being the bigger puncher out of the two, Martin packs power too and he needs to earn Davis’s respect early on if he’s going to have any chance here. Tank has, to his credit, matured over the years and started to take his time a lot more, evident in his recent performances.
Just one of his last five wins has come in the first half of the fight and against someone as tricky as Martin, it would be no surprise to see that become one in his last six.
Martin needs to be switched on for 36 minutes of this fight and if he isn’t, it could well be lights out for him.
Either way, this is a legitimate test for Davis and one that he cannot afford to overlook.
On the undercard are a couple more world title fights and a star of the future. Gary Russell faces Albert Puello for the WBC ‘Interim’ World Super-Lightweight title whilst Carlos Adames defends his WBC World Middleweight crown against Terrell Gausha.
One fighter to really keep an eye on though is the 16-0 21-year-old middleweight Elijah Garcia who faces Kyrone Davis. He has won 13 of his 16 fights by stoppage and in his preferred southpaw stance. A big KO win could set him up nicely for a world title shot.
What a weekend of boxing ahead!
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