The Week: Billam-Smith vs. Riakporhe is signed, Joyce admits he considered retiring, and Taylor says he’s “not a million miles away” from agreeing Catterall rematch

By Declan Taylor

Wednesday, January 17

TURKI TALK

On the birthday of each Muhammad Ali and Oleksandr Usyk, it was one of many burgeoning icons of this era that sat down and gave his first actual interview since principally turning your entire sport on its head.

Turki Al-Alshikh, the chairman of the Saudi Arabia General Entertainment Authority and the person behind the Kingdom’s seismic arrival on the scene, spoke for almost 20 minutes to Ade Oladipo on DAZN’s Youtube channel. Some get.

For a lot of 2023, we’ve been advised by others about how a lot he likes boxing, that he is simply a enormous fan like the remainder of us, however this was the primary time Al-Alshikh has personally defined what he and Saudi Arabia are as much as. “If the question is, why [in] Saudi Arabia?” He stated of boxing’s greatest fights. “Then why not Saudi Arabia?”

He additionally spoke of his want to work with Al Haymon, thus far absent from all Saudi dealings, in 2024, the present plan to make Artur Beterbiev towards Dmitrii Bivol and additionally declared: “please, we don’t want any Youtuber fights again.”

Geezer appears alright in spite of everything doesn’t he?

Thursday, January 18

DEALS AGREED

Sticking on that theme for one more day, however on Thursday, Al-Alshikh was at it once more, this time getting the proposed Queensberry v Matchroom present signed and sealed, together with a image of Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren signing the contracts.

Over at Boxxer, in the meantime, on Thursday Ben Shalom confirmed that the anticipated, all-British rematch between Chris Billam-Smith and Richard Riakporhe is now additionally signed and sealed, though there is presently no date or venue agreed however it’s going to possible happen through the summer time open air at both AFC Bournemouth or Crystal Palace. Given Billam-Smith’s military of followers on the coast, and the actual fact he is the champion, it appears unlikely that Boxxer will take that battle away from Bournemouth.

Also, after lunch on Thursday, The Week trundled right down to London Bridge for a Queensberry press convention to formally announce their Birmingham March 16 Magnificent Seven present, topped by Nathan Heaney towards Brad Pauls with a very stable undercard to help it. “Our Magnificent Seven show in Manchester last year was the British promotion of the year,” Warren advised Boxing News. “This is a format we will be doing much more regularly.”

Friday, January 19

JUGGERNOT DONE YET

The Week additionally had a chat with the returning Joe Joyce, as he makes an attempt to place his horror 2023 behind him and get again in the direction of the highest of the heavyweight pile in ‘24. He was stopped not as soon as however twice by Zhilei Zhang final yr and he admitted that he had considered retirement earlier than deciding to present the Juggernaut a contemporary lick of paint and one other tank of diesel.

“I did have a moment getting into camp this year where it did cross my mind,” Joyce stated of retirement. “I’ve been training hard for a long time now, I was on GB for five years. I’ve been doing it for 15, 16 years so it’s a long time. But I still haven’t achieved what I set out to in the sport. And I don’t feel much different to how I did when I was in my late 20s. I haven’t got too many miles on the clock, I’m an exciting fighter, who can come again and I will come again.”

Of his comeback battle, towards Kash Ali, as soon as famously DQd for biting David Price, Joyce added: “He’s unpredictable – and can be a bit bitey.”

Meanwhile in Liverpool on Friday, Natasha Jonas and Mikaela Mayer, two boxers who’ve historical past in a lot lighter weight lessons, have been comfortably contained in the welterweight restrict forward of their Saturday showdown. Jonas was 146lb whereas Mayer was 146.3lb.

Saturday, January 20

MERSEY ASIDES

As Natasha Jonas and Mikaela Mayer mixed to serve up one other fantastic advert for ladies’s boxing in Liverpool on Saturday evening, at ringside and its surrounding areas, Boxing News have been harvesting information about a variety of future fights.

One of them is the long-awaited rematch between Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall, which the latter claimed was already finished, however the former insists is not fairly there but.

“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Taylor stated of Catterall’s suggestion. “I don’t know where he’s got that from. We’re getting somewhere now with negotiations and stuff – I don’t think we’re a million miles away. Hopefully it gets done, it gets sorted and we can get this shit put to bed.”

Of course no battle on the Liverpool Arena is full with out no less than one Smith brother in attendance and Callum, a week on from his numbing defeat to Artur Beterbiev, was there.

“I never really planned on being sat here in this position,” he stated. “I planned on sitting here as world champion, going and fighting Bivol then retiring on my terms. I’m not making any decisions yet – I want to be a two-weight world champion and I think I’d find it hard walking away knowing I never fulfilled what I set out to do. I’ll take some time out, I’m getting married in the summer, then I’ll make a decision on my future after that.”

Callum Smith (Getty Images)

Sunday, January 21

SUGAR RAY BIVOL

On the topic of light-heavyweights, the Sabbath introduced with it a contemporary interview with Bivol through the Matchroom Youtube channel. With his job finished towards Lyndon Arthur on December 23 and Beterbiev’s finished towards Smith – to not point out a truckload of Saudi thousands and thousands – the all-Russian 175lb megafight is now seemingly upon us.

Beterbiev went 20-0 with 20 fast because of his win towards Smith however Bivol says he can be channelling a former nice to be able to beat braun together with his mind.

“I love to watch Sugar Ray Leonard fight,” Bivol stated. “His battle towards Roberto Duran. He might lose, he might win, it is determined by how he was in coaching camp. The first time he misplaced, the second time he received. It was an fascinating battle for me. I really like this battle and additionally his battle towards Marvin Hagler, such a highly effective puncher. I hope it’s a comparable battle with totally different types.

“We are all human, we all have weak sides and good sides. Even him, we saw some of the moments where he wasn’t good. I just need to create as many moments as I can that are not comfortable for him. That’s it. It’s easy to be honest. But these are details I should talk about with my coach, not with you in public.”

Monday, January 22

JAI IN THE OINTMENT

Twitters’ legs went on Monday morning after it was reported that cruiserweight beast Jai Opetaia left Tyson Fury’s Saudi Arabia coaching camp after simply 5 rounds of sparring to return to Australia.

Opetaia will field on the undercard of Fury v Oleksandr Usyk on February 17 and, given his fashion, had been introduced in to camp to offer the Gypsy King with good prep for Usyk. However, a put up from Tasman Fighters, his administration group, stated Opetaia left attributable to a lack of orthodox sparring which was not best given his plan to rematch Mairis Briedis subsequent.

Twitter, nevertheless, disagreed. Claims ranged anyplace from the suggestion that Opetaia floored Fury and acquired despatched dwelling, to Opetaia elbow dropped Isaac Lowe after a notably ill-tempered recreation of energy slap through a hearsay that the 200lber really ram-raided the fitness center with a Maserati. Chances are, we’ll by no means know the reality.

Speaking of Twitter, that is the place Mayer launched a assertion on Monday morning following her controversial break up determination defeat to Jonas. “I’m hoping Natasha feels the pressure,” typed Mayer. “And does what a stand-up champion would do in this situation and that’s agree to a rematch. I deserve it, the fans deserve it and I believe her legacy depends on it.”

Tuesday, January 23

GORILLA IN THE MIDST

It was nonetheless darkish on Tuesday morning when The Week checked in with our visitor columnist for this version, John Ryder, who is eight hours again in Los Angeles the place he has been ending off his newest coaching camp.

The Gorilla faces Jaime Munguia in Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday evening in a battle that kicks off a massive few weeks for the Tony Sims steady. After Ryder, in Las Vegas, Conor Benn, Jimmy Sains and George Liddard are out on February 3 whereas Joe Cordina bins two weeks later in Saudi.

“Right now it feels like a brotherhood and we are all in it together,” Ryder stated. “We’ve all suffered over Christmas, now it’s time to get our rewards.”

A number of hours later, in Japan, the ‘Amazing Boy’ Kenshiro Teraj, the light-flyweight No.1, needed to dig deep to retain his two belts after a spirited effort from Carlos Canizales on the Edion Arena in Osaka. One choose had it 113-113 whereas the opposite two scored Kenshiro, now 23-1 (14), a 114-112 winner. In phrases of a Tuesday lunchtime, this is about nearly as good because it will get with each males combining to serve up a Fight of the Year contender.