It’s March. We’re approaching another weekend of boxing cards up and down the country, with one in particular being shown on Sky Sports and another on BT Sports. We are consistently told that boxing is in a good place, here in the UK. Recent events have me questioning the accuracy of that assessment.
Are we now, as a boxing public, coerced into accepting mediocre events? Because Anthony Joshua fights twice a year, do we have to accept the padding of cards either side as stocking fillers for the main event? In recent interviews, articles or press releases, there is an implication that boxing fans should be happy with the content they are receiving, on platforms they pay to subscribe. The purpose of this article is to merely point out the state of play in Britain and for you to ask yourself the question – is British boxing really booming?
DAZN and Fast Eddie…
With the announcement of Eddie Hearn and Matchroom USA’s jaunt across the Atlantic almost a year ago, there were as many fanciful match-ups discussed as there were zeros on what seemed a fictional or optimistically disproportionate budget. The young, charismatic figurehead lapped up the headlines as he was dubbed boxing’s ‘Billion Dollar Man’ and proclaimed himself the man to compete, if not save a stale American market.
The introduction of DAZN, owned by the monstrously large Perform Group, was met with excitement as it seemingly meant more money for fighters, a higher quality of shows which in turn would surely satisfy boxing’s long-suffering fans. During a two-week spell before the Christmas just past, the streaming platform ran two events with the following fights as headline attractions; Kell Brook v Michael Zerafa; Rocky Fielding v Canelo Alvarez. You’ll notice that my first and second sentences don’t compliment one another.
Last weekend, Matchroom USA ran their show in Philadelphia, a wonderful boxing city known for fictional fighters as well as actual greats. Tevin Farmer, the IBF super-featherweight world champion, defended his title against Jono Carroll. Yes, the very same Jono Carroll that struggled to salvage a draw when scrapping life-and-death with little known Frenchman, Guillaume Frenois. Farmer had also previously dismantled the tough, but ultimately unproven James Tennyson, another fighter affiliated with Matchroom here on home soil. After beating Carroll soundly, who should call out the Philadelphian next? Martin J Ward. Strap yourself in folks, that belt is staying in-house…
We don’t have to dissect the quality of the shows being left behind in the UK after the many, many discussions following the Ted Cheeseman v Sergio Garcia show at London’s O2. Now, on April 20th, we have a heavyweight double-header. Dereck Chisora is facing Senad Gashi. If you don’t know who Chisora is, he knocked out Carlos Takam brutally in July. If you don’t know who Gashi is, he was then knocked out by Takam in December. Booming.
Let’s be Frank…
Now, don’t assume that Matchroom [USA] or Eddie Hearn are the focal point of my disillusionment with the sport. We’re just getting started.
As talks have apparently began between WBO light-heavyweight champion, Sergey Kovalev and undefeated ‘lion in the camp’, Anthony Yarde, it seems fitting to discuss Frank Warren and his young stable plying their trade on BT Sports. It’s worth pointing out that Frank has staged some interesting fights, using Josh Warrington to excite fans and responsibly bringing Tyson Fury back to the top of a bubbling heavyweight division.
However, his work with the unbeaten Yarde, a young man who is determined to capture a world title is cause for concern. He has openly admitted shielding Yarde until he can position him for a title without risk of defeat. That isn’t concerning, it’s caring and understandable. But it only goes so far. The way Yarde and co. had danced around the potential or proposed fights with Callum Johnson, Hosea Burton and Joshua Buatsi was embarrassing – particularly when considering the Ilford man is considered to be one of the country’s greatest professional prospects. Warren’s switch between ‘WBO number one challenger’ and ‘the young man with only twelve amateur fights’ was irritatingly flicked on camera: leaving fans hoping that Yarde would, I don’t know, just fight someone worthwhile?
I understand that opponents have pulled out and that sometimes can’t be helped, but to have both manager and promoter looking happy because ‘he’s never faced a left-handed fighter’ does grate slightly. Looking at the viewers reaction to videos of Tunde Ajayi and Anthony Yarde now is to notice a shift in the public’s opinion of a commercially coveted fighter. Most recently, we were told that Yarde would not fight Kovalev unless it was in the U.K. – a strange demand from a mandatory challenger and his team.
If British boxing is booming and if Billy Joe Saunders is the world’s best middleweight, then why did Frank manoeuvre a world title shot at super-middleweight against a man we have NEVER heard of? Of course, Mexican champion Gilberto Ramirez decided (for the time being, at least) against moving up and relinquishing his belt, which has, in turn, made the whole affair look ridiculous, but the very plan and how it was proposed made a mockery of our understanding of world class talent.
Saunders should be fighting at the highest level, yet again is being given unusual direction as he begins work with new trainer, Ben Davison. The fight with Demetrius Andrade was on the table with a nice enough narrative: earning back the belt they felt was robbed behind the scenes. Fans could get behind that. But, instead, he was paired with Shefat Isufi in a show that has unsurprisingly been pushed back – most likely awaiting the outcome of would-be-former-champion-Ramirez’s bout against Tommy Karpency on April 12 in his light heavyweight bow.
Where does Saunders go from here? It’s unclear, but Saunders should be in the peak of his career, celebrated as one of our most gifted fighters. Instead, he’s issuing apologies bi-monthly and scraping his reputation together.
WBSS tumbleweed…
British boxing may have fallen short in recent months, but at least we have our fighters taking part in an outstanding competition, destined for acclaim and sustainability throughout its second season. Right? The World Boxing Super Series has scheduled its semi-finals – however, Scottish prodigy Josh Taylor has been eerily quiet about his fight with IBF champion Ivan Baranchyk.
The remaining bouts have had their ticket sales dates released, meanwhile all seems quiet on the Glasgow show, now just under two months away. The chance for a British fighter to capture a belt and propel himself into massive fights could be about to slip away for Taylor: but we wouldn’t know, because no-one has told us anything.
For every success story or every sold out stadium, we are faced with five or six underwhelming events. It seems that slapping an intercontinental trinket on a domestic clash has upped the ante, with fans expected to stand, mouths agape as Richard Riakporhe battles Tommy McCarthy for a world ranking that is accompanied with an invoice. No offence to either man, by the way.
Fighting in Peterborough on a Matchroom show? Having to rearrange your ticket sales because Frank has cancelled another card? Don’t panic – boxing is booming. Spare a thought for those chasing their dreams without the assistance of these promotional powerhouses.
Article by: Craig Scott
Follow Craig on Twitter at: @craigscott209