Nathan Heaney 18-0 (6) v Brad Pauls 18-1 (10)
British Middleweight Title
ONE of British boxing’s tales of 2023 was Nathan Heaney upsetting Denzel Bentley to remove his British title in Manchester final November.
Richie Woodhall advised TNT Sport viewers afterwards: “Nobody expected him (Heaney) to get to the last round, never mind win the contest.”
Heaney received a deserved majority factors vote and makes his first defence in opposition to Brad Pauls, a 30-year-old nicknamed ‘The Newquay Bomb’.
Pauls can punch and was too robust for Mitchell Frearson after they fought for the vacant English title final September, getting on high of him after some aggressive early rounds to cease him in eight.
In a earlier bid for the St George’s belt, Pauls had been outpointed by Black Country southpaw Tyler Denny, now the European champion.
He fought arduous till the ultimate bell in opposition to Denny at Wembley Arena final February and anticipate the identical from him this weekend.
Pauls left his Cornish dwelling for Essex to pursue his boxing profession, saying: “I have moved away from my family and missed family birthdays to chase this dream.”
In Heaney, he faces a brand new British champion who is bettering and three inches taller at 6ft 1ins.
Heaney outpointed Bentley by boxing round him and selecting his punches and might do the identical to Pauls.
Liam Davies 15-0 (7) v Erik Robles 15-1 (9)
Super-bantamweights, 12 rounds
DAVIES sees this as “the toughest fight out there,” other than Naoya Inoue, the undisputed champion at 122lbs.
British audiences bear in mind Robles outpointing Lee McGregor in Edinburgh final July, beating the Scot with a powerful begin and end to win unanimously on the playing cards.
The 23-year-old Mexican has fought solely as soon as since, a factors win over Cesar Vaca Espinoza final December. Espinoza was the sixth fighter to sacrifice his unbeaten file to Robles.
Robles, who has eight first-round wins, is a handful. The southpaw stance shouldn’t bother Davies given he’s handled Marc Leach and Jason Cunningham lately and the way in which Robles comes ahead swinging in an identical strategy to Ionut Baluta, who Davies outboxed over 12 rounds in hometown Telford in November 2022.
McGregor was capable of outbox Robles for spells and Davies will likely suppose he can accomplish that for the total 12 rounds.
Davies, down for the primary time as a professional when Italian Vincenzo La Femina scored a flash knockdown in Manchester final November, says the plan is to “box and pick my moments and if I catch him, I want to take him out.”
Davies can win on factors.
Zach Parker 23-1 (17) v Tyron Zeuge 27-1-1 (15)
Super-middleweights, 10 rounds
REWIND to the summer time of 2017 and the 12-0 Parker went to Germany to spar the WBA super-middleweight belt-holder.
Parker was pencilled in to spar six rounds with Tyron Zuege on the primary day adopted by two extra eight-round periods. After six rounds, Parker was advised he wouldn’t be wanted anymore. He mentioned on the time the spar was “easy” and he loved a “holiday” after being given the remainder of the week off.
They meet once more in Birmingham in a crossroads combat.
Parker will look to combat Billy Joe Saunders and Anthony Yarde up at 175lbs, supplied he beats the 31-year-old from Berlin. The German, who misplaced his world title to Rocky Fielding in his fourth defence, was out between June 2019 and February 2023, and has had three wins since returning.
Parker was out for 301 days after a fractured metacarpal bone in his proper hand dominated him out of his combat with John Ryder after 4 rounds, a loss that price him a shot at Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.
Parker returned final September and the rangy, spiteful change hitter from Woodville, Derbyshire, scored a seven-round retirement win over Frenchman Khalid Graidia.
He can stroll Zeuge onto punches as properly and cease him by the center rounds.
Dennis McCann 14-0-1 (8) v Brad Strand 11-0 (3)
British and Commonwealth super-bantamweight titles
PROMOTER Frank Warren says this combat is his “personal favourite.”
It was Strand’s thought!
Asked after beating Joshua John in December who he needed to combat subsequent, Strand known as for McCann or Liam Davies. McCann replied on social media with, ‘LOL,’ however they meet for the British tile vacated by Davies. McCann additionally defends his Commonwealth belt.
McCann has made a change since his technical draw with Ionut Baluta at a steaming York Hall final August, leaving coach Alan Smith for Joe McNally in Liverpool.
The 23-year-old southpaw from Maidstone has tried to push Strand’s buttons within the construct up by claiming he has a much bigger fan base in Strand’s dwelling metropolis.
Strand didn’t chunk. The 27-year-old from Kirkby is extra straight speaking than the chatty and cheeky McCann. He had a career-best win final day out, dominating John over 10. For spherical after spherical, Strand stored the Welshman quiet together with his jab.
Strand appears to be like to field positively behind his jab, whereas McCann likes to gradual it down, wait and choose his moments. McCann did that properly sufficient to steer on the playing cards in opposition to Baluta earlier than heads clashed within the seventh and he can edge out Strand.
Joe Joyce 15-2 (14) v Kash Ali 21-2 (12)
Heavyweights, 10 rounds
JOE JOYCE says the plan is to: “Get a great win and get folks asking, who does he combat subsequent?’
This is greater than a PR train. Joyce must rebuild his confidence after these two losses to large Chinese southpaw Zhilei Zhang.
The rematch defeat was arduous to swallow, the rock-chinned Joyce despatched crashing for the total rely within the third.
Ali is pondering he may very well be in the proper place on the proper time and the 32-year-old has some thought of what he faces having sparred Joyce forward of his combat with Bryant Jennings in 2019.
Joyce was with Adam Booth on the time and has appointed Steve Broughton – a longtime member of Team Joyce – as head coach, changing Ismail Salas.
What scars has Zhang left on the 38-year-old from Putney?
He now is aware of he could be knocked out and so does Ali, educated in Rotherham by ex-heavyweight Richard Towers.
Ali was overwhelmed himself in his final combat, Ukrainian mover Bohdan Myronets outpointing him over six final July. Further again, Ali, who was born in Birmingham, was thrown out for biting David Price and if there are cracks in his psychological make-up, Joyce will discover them.
Joyce wins by the halfway stage.
Pierce O’Leary 13-0 (7) v Hovhannes Martirosyan 16-0 (10)
Super-lightweights, 10 rounds
THIS appears to be like just like the hardest take a look at thus far for O’Leary, the standard box-puncher from Dublin who’s switched gyms since his factors win over Kane Gardner final September.
O’Leary has left Alan Smith on the iBox Gym in Bromley for Joe McNally in Liverpool, explaining that it was too expensive in Kent and too removed from his younger household.
As O’Leary was leaving iBox, Martirosyan was arriving, to spar Sam Noakes forward of his British title combat with Lewis Sylvester,
The Belgian made a great impression. Those who noticed the sparring say he was properly schooled and hard sufficient to offer Noakes rounds, no simple job.
Martirosyan boxed solely six weeks in the past, an eight-round stoppage of Tony Rashid, however he misplaced rounds to Nicaraguan southpaw Robin Zamora, taken out in two by an O’Leary proper hand three months earlier.
O’Leary additionally had a neater evening with one other widespread opponent, Jan Marsalek. He flattened the Czech with a left hook within the second and it took Marirosyan six rounds 20 months later.
O’Leary, who was lower in opposition to Gardner, is devastating with brief punches and good at creating the openings for them.
The Irishman is at all times a cultured boxer with a great jab and might field his strategy to a factors win.
Eithan James 12-0 v Owen Cooper 9-0 (3)
Vacant English welterweight Title
JAMES and Cooper have been born a day aside and have grown up in boxing collectively.
They have been roommates when representing England, made their professional debuts a day aside and their solely message to one another on the press convention was: “All the best, mate.”
This is a combat that doesn’t require needle. The 23-year-olds are unbeaten, recent and types will gel.
Cooper says: “Staying on the inside, getting close and trading, that’s my game,” whereas James (Northampton) mentioned: “My game is not to stand and trade.”
Though Cooper says “10 rounds is a long time to keep moving,” James did it in his final combat. He regarded very sharp when outpointing Wigan’s James Moorcroft over 10 final July, his first take a look at at 147lbs after shifting up.
James, 2016 European Junior silver medallist throughout his 70-6 newbie profession, had the primary and final say. Cooper (Worcester) appears to be like tougher to hit than Moorcroft and heavier handed.
The lead hand is robust, the punches are available mixtures and the shot choice is good.
James was down within the first spherical in opposition to Sheffield southpaw Keanen Wainwright, a light-weight who took the combat at 24 hours’ discover, however Cooper struggled pinning down Robin Zamora final day out.
James on factors is the choose.
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