The Week: “Big Baby” finds himself in more hot water, Lopez returns against Ortiz, and Weeks goes rogue

By Declan Taylor

Wednesday, January 3

BABYJACKER

While The Week was lastly sprucing off the final of the Celebrations, dumping all remaining stilton right into a broccoli soup and tossing the dishevelled tree off a third-story balcony, the game of boxing was already motoring into the brand new yr in some type.

Perhaps a poor alternative of phrases there as essentially the most shocking information of the day got here when Jarrell Miller, the Big Baby himself, was arrested in Florida and charged with carjacking with out a firearm or weapon and housebreaking with assault or battery. His bond was set at $30,000.

According to an area tv station, Miller stole a Black Dodge Ram pickup truck from a automotive dealership in Hollywood after continuing with what prosecutors described as a deliberate assault on one of many workers. What a begin to the yr for Miller, who suffered the primary defeat of his skilled profession on the again finish of 2023.

That story got here hot off the heels of the information that Polish southpaw Krzysztof Glowacki, who was stopped by Richard Riakporhe in 4 rounds 12 months in the past, has been banned for 4 years by the BBBoC after testing constructive for the anabolic steroid boldenone following that defeat. Well I by no means, somebody cross me a miniature Twix instantly.

Thursday, January 4

TAKEOVER CONTINUES

It was confirmed on Thursday that Teofimo Lopez will return to the ring on February 8 (which is, because it occurs, one other Thursday) to face Jamaine Ortiz on the Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas on ESPN.

Lopez has not boxed since producing one of many performances of 2023 to outpoint Josh Taylor at Madison Square Garden in June – his one and solely battle of the yr. But it appears to be like like he might be set for a busy 2024 and will get off and working early subsequent month on the Thursday earlier than the Super Bowl, which additionally takes place in Vegas. That needs to be a quiet week in Sin City.

One man who won’t be in Vegas anymore, nevertheless, is Joe Joyce as he confirmed on Thursday that he’ll now not be getting ready beneath Ismael Salas however can be staying in England to work with Steve Broughton. The Juggernaut, who was stopped twice by Zhilei Zhang final yr, is hoping to bounce again with ‘two or three’ fights in 2024 as he makes an attempt to plot a path again in the direction of the highest of the heavyweight tree, which brings us properly onto Friday.

Friday, January 5

TIS THE SEASON (AGAIN)

Yet more proof, if it had been ever wanted, on Friday that we live in the Saudi Arabia era of boxing because it was revealed that Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou will meet in a 10-round heavyweight attraction as a part of Riyadh Season.

Eddie Hearn took to Twitter to verify the information late in the day, revealing {that a} press convention to verify all the small print will happen on January 15. “Tonight we confirm it’s a done deal!” Hearn stated. “Anthony Joshua v Francis Ngannou collide on a huge night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.”

It is known that the battle will land on the second weekend of March, possible on Friday eighth, as a result of grand prix in Saudi on the ninth. This encounter will symbolize Joshua’s fourth outing in simply 11 months – which is exercise he has not achieved since method again in 2015.

While AJ’s earnings throughout that interval has reportedly risen into 9 figures, it was a a lot smaller sum which piqued The Week’s curiosity elsewhere on Friday because it was confirmed by Boxing News that Boxxer supremo Ben Shalom has pledged £5,000 to the Ringside Charitable Trust after assembly with their founder Dave Harris late final yr. The pair will meet once more this month to debate a more long-term plan too. Bravo.

Saturday, January 6

40-YEAR-OLD AT VIRGIN

The most notable card on the primary preventing Saturday of 2024 was on the Virgin Hotel in Las Vegas however the two important fights each lasted lower than three minutes.

At the highest of the invoice, Vergil Ortiz Jr, the previous welterweight prodigy, boxed for the primary time in almost 18 months in what was his debut at 154lbs. Ortiz’s profession has been rocked by some main well being issues however he’s stated to be secure to field on the new weight and did the enterprise against Fredrick Lawson in the primary spherical. But referee Tony Weeks acquired criticism for a way rapidly he stepped in to cease the battle – more on Weeks on Monday.

Before that, there have been few complaints in regards to the pace at which referee Celestino Ruiz stepped in to cease Ismael Barroso’s first-round beatdown of Hackney’s Ohara Davies on the Virgin Hotel. The 40-year-old southpaw from Venezuela dropped Davies early and, though he acquired again to his toes, he was by no means capable of reestablish a foothold in the battle.

“It’s a fight I saw myself winning,” Davies stated afterwards. “I made a mistake and I paid for it. I just want to say I’m sorry, I didn’t see this coming and I don’t think anyone else did. This isn’t how the script is meant to go.”

Ismael Barroso (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)

Sunday, January 7

BENN, IN THE USA

On the topic of Las Vegas, one other Brit who can be in Nevada in Q1 is Conor Benn. The Destroyer had been hoping to battle Chris Eubank Jr, or anybody really, at Tottenham on February 3 however when these plans did not materialise, Team Benn determined to hit the street once more.

He landed on American soil on Sunday and will now put the ending touches on his preparation to face Peter Dobson on the Cosmopolitan on February 3. Before the flight, The Week caught up with Benn, who was in philosophical temper after a testing 2023.

“I’d say 2022 was the worst year for me but 23 was a year of learning and growing,” he stated. “I’d say I became more accepting of the situation I was in. I found out I was having a little daughter, which is a blessing and spent a lot of time with my dad. For me it was a year of growth personally. This really has made me a better man.”

While Benn makes his Vegas debut in a matter of weeks, Australian Tim Tszyu is predicted to do the identical in March. And following his victory over Fredrick Lawson, it was Vergil Ortiz who spoke up a possible conflict with the Australian. “There’s a lot of fighters I want but Tim Tszyu, with all due respect, I want him next.”

Monday, January 8

WEEKS’ VOLUMES

There’s nothing like a very good, old style Twitter meltdown however that’s precisely what occurred on Monday morning after it appeared that referee Tony Weeks gave his aspect of the Vegas story over on Facebook.

The publish uploaded to Week’s account, which has now been deleted, learn: “What the public didn’t know that prior to the fight they did a brain scan on him and it came up that he had an aneurysm, and they did a test again, and the same aneurysm camp up. Another doctor was brought in and gave him the same examination and he test negative for the aneurysm, they cleared him to fight.”

It is a really gorgeous paragraph, which didn’t final very lengthy on his Facebook however was circulated extensively throughout Twitter and goes some technique to explaining why Weeks appeared to cease the battle earlier than Ortiz had actually landed something of any notice cleanly.

Golden Boy, in the meantime, responded with a noticeably brief assertion of their very own, which learn: “Fredrick Lawson was cleared by a Nevada State Athletic Commission sanctioned doctor to fight on Saturday night.”

And if all of that was not sufficient, Jarrell Miller (bear in mind him?), additionally determined to hit social media for a spot of explaining. “GOD gives the toughest battles to HIS strongest soldiers,” a part of the assertion learn. “I am prayerful and look forward to a favourable resolution of this case.”

Tuesday, January 9

WORDS, SMITH

On the day on which scientists confirmed that 2023 was formally the most well liked yr on file, huge Callum Smith might need been questioning what occurred to Quebec City, the place temperatures sat at round -12.

Smith, after all, is there on enterprise as he prepares for Saturday’s conflict against arguably the No.1 light-heavyweight on the planet, Artur Beterbiev who’s 19-0 with 19 knockouts. The pair had been supposed to fulfill again in August however the battle was pushed again as a consequence of issues following some dental surgical procedure for Beterbiev.

“Mentally it’s a little bit tougher,” stated Smith of the postponement. “I’ve had Beterbiev on the brain for a long time. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for nearly two years now. But I’ve always watched him and felt I had the style to beat him. I like my chances in this fight.”

Elsewhere, Errol Spence uploaded a video to his Instagram the place he gave the impression to be getting pushed round in a wheelchair with a bandage over his proper eye. On Twitter he wrote: “You can kill the retire shit tho. Yea I got my ass beat, shit was past due. I didn’t live exactly like a boxer for the most part lol”.

And with that, The Week 2024 roadshow was formally up and working. Until anyone carjacks us, anyway.