Turki Al-Alshikh’s plans of staging a Queensberry versus Matchroom card have got the official go-ahead, which pits five of Frank Warren’s fighters against five from Eddie Hearn’s stable.
Saudi powerhouse Al-Alshikh released a press release that confirmed both Warren and Hearn have signed for the one-of-a-kind event, which Warren has offered to add increased incentives to.
Whilst a date is unconfirmed, it will be announced during the Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou fight week, as well as the full card of competitors selected by the rival promoters, but here’s some potential names for how the fight night could look.
Nathaniel Collins (14-0) vs Hopey Price (12-0) – British Featherweight Title
Fans have already seen a British title fight take place in the Kingdom, and British featherweight champion Collins has been ordered to face his mandatory challenger Price in the coming months.
This was one of the first bouts mentioned after news broke of the card and Hearn has admitted that he would be prepared for it to happen in the Kingdom.
Liam Davies (15-0) vs Shabaz Masoud (12-0) – Super-Bantamweight
Another clash spoken about by Hearn is a showdown between Liam Davies and Shabaz Masoud, who are each trying to prove that they are world title threats in the super-bantamweight division.
Davies is ranked in the top fifteen by each of the four sanctioning bodies, whilst Masoud is only in one, although his #3 position with the WBA could be enough to tempt Davies into the fight.
However, the contest hinges on the success of Davies in his upcoming fight, as he meets Erik Robles for the IBO World Title on March 16th.
Denzel Bentley (18-3-1) vs Felix Cash II (16-0) – Middleweight
Felix Cash knocked out Denzel Bentley in the third-round back in 2021, but looked unconvincing in the two fights that followed, edging out points wins against Magomed Madiev and Celso Neves in 2022, and failing to appear in 2023.
Meanwhile, Bentley bounced back with three successive wins and claimed the British title, before putting together a spirited performance against Zhanibek Alimkhanuly in a challenge for the WBO title.
Returning to the domestic scene, Bentley seemingly convinced fans that he was a world level competitor with a first-round knockout of Kieran Smith, but suffered a shock defeat to Nathan Heaney in November, where he lost his British title.
With both men in need of a statement win, and Bentley keen to avenge his loss, a second dance between he and Cash would make for a tantalizing affair with a heap of jeopardy involved.
Joe Joyce (15-2) vs Justis Huni (8-0) – Heavyweight
It’s safe to say that the announcement of Joe Joyce’s comeback fight against Kash Ali has disappointed fans, despite his obvious need to get back in the winning column following two destructive defeats to Zhilei Zhang.
Once his confident is regained, he will surely seek to return to the top fifteen rankings in the division and whilst only 8-0, Justis Huni could prove to be the perfect next step for the ‘Juggernaut’.
The 24-year-old Aussie is ranked by three of the sanctioning bodies and fights in Saudi on the Joshua-Ngannou card. A strong performance there could endear him to the Kingdom, and a name such as Joyce could be the breakthrough fight that he needs.
Anthony Yarde (24-3) vs Callum Smith (29-2) – Light-Heavyweight
Last but certainly not least is the main-event, where two of Artur Beterbiev’s most recent conquests could meet. Both men were stopped by Beterbiev in the last twelve months and each represent a great opportunity for the other to get back into world title mix.
The bruiser versus technician stylistic battle is one that never fails to appeal to fans around the gloves, and this one in particular has been touted to appear on the bill by most speculators.
The one stumbling block will be whether Yarde continues to remain at 175lbs, after rumours that he could move up to the cruiserweight division to pursue world honours against the likes of Chris Billam-Smith. #
Yet, for now at least, the hard-hitting Londoner is staying put, with a light-heavyweight fight scheduled against Marko Nikolic on the Hamzah Sheeraz vs. Liam Williams card in three weeks’ time.