As far as British shows are concerned, there is little for fans to get behind until the Wembley showdown between Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois in five weeks’ time. However, one domestic champion is seeking to use this period as an opportunity to make a name for himself across the pond, as he is expected to travel stateside to fight on an American bill before the end of August.
Cheavon Clarke knocked out Ellis Zorro on the Taylor-Catterall II undercard in Leeds back in May, picking up the vacant British cruiserweight title that previously belonged to Isaac Chamberlain.
Such success has come after just nine professional bouts for ‘C4’, who has very much been fast-tracked through the domestic rankings due to his amateur pedigree and age of 33-years-old but has delivered on each occasion that he has stepped up in class.
The Jamaican-born cruiserweight picked up the silver medal at the 2017 European Championships and bronze at the 2018 Commonwealth Games before turning professional and has taken to the professional ranks like a duck to water, unbeaten in nine and winning seven by knockout.
Clarke has been moved intelligently during this time and his stoppage win over Zorro has positioned him well in the world rankings, sitting at #4 and #7 with the WBA and IBF respectively, and he previously dreamt of winning a world title in his tenth contest.
“I’ve only had seven fights. Could I become a world champion in 10? There’s not a lot of people that’s done that so I could be in a small club.
“There’s a few guys ahead of me because they’ve been pro longer than me but in terms of quality and skills, it’s just a matter of time until you see my name at the top of that list.
Although, it appears as though Clarke will instead made a landmark U.S. debut in his tenth bout, being touted to face Efetobor Apochi (12-2). This clash is expected to take place on the Pacheco-Sulecki Matchroom undercard in California on August 31st, after Apochi posted a ‘mock poster’ for a scrap between he and Clarke onto his Instagram, as reported by Everything Boxing,
🚨 CLARKE-APOCHI ON AUG 31?
👀 Efetobor Apochi has revealed that his next fight will be on Aug 31
😤 Apochi has also posted a mock poster for a bout with Chev Clarke on that date
✅ MR are expected to have a "British champion" on their Aug 31 LA show pic.twitter.com/8l4GLpZ2Up
— EverythingBoxing (@EverythingBoxi2) August 13, 2024
“CLARKE-APOCHI ON AUG 31?
“Efetobor Apochi has revealed that his next fight will be on Aug 31
“Apochi has also posted a mock poster for a bout with Chev Clarke on that date
“MR [Matchroom] are expected to have a “British Champion” on their Aug 31 show.”
Aside from Clarke’s trip to the Golden State and the blockbuster Wembley card, the only other major showcase of British boxing in the upcoming weeks is this weekend’s York Hall bill, where hard-hitting Denzel Bentley (19-3) takes on Derrick Osaze (13-1), whose only defeat came at the hands of the current European champion Tyler Denny, live on TNT Sports.
Elsewhere on that bill, cruiserweight prospect Aloys Youmbi (7-1) takes on undefeated Italian Oronzo Birardi (8-0), whilst highly-rated amateur Luke McCormack (1-0) returns for his second bout since making the switch to the professional ranks, as he aims to put the super-lightweight division on notice after knocking out Robin Zamora in the second-round of his debut.
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