James DeGale, Matthew Macklin & Tony Bellew Highlight Undercard on Warren’s 30th Anniversary Card:
Boxing fans will be spoiled for choice this weekend with a number of big shows vying for their attention. We have the first round of the Showtime Bantamweight tournament, the attractive HBO Junior Welterweight double header and Frank Warren’s 30th anniversary celebration card in Liverpool, England.
The ‘Gr8 Britain v The World’ card in Liverpool is Warren’s second successive event to showcase Britain’s best young talent and attempt to create the next wave of stars. While this card lacks the top to bottom quality match-ups of Warren’s first ‘Magnificent 7’ promotion it is still a rare treat nowadays to see so many of the country’s top talents on one show and Saturday’s event living up to its predecessor’s entertainment is almost guaranteed. Still scheduled for Saturday night are Kell Brook, Commonwealth Light Heavyweight champion Tony Bellew, European Middleweight Champion Matthew Macklin, Paul Smith’s defence of his British Super Middleweight against Olympic gold medallist James DeGale and Nathan Cleverly’s fight for the WBO interim title.
The bill is being screened on SKY TV’s pay per view platform as part of a huge night for British boxing. Subscribers will not only see the marathon from Liverpool but also Amir Khan’s intriguing WBA 140lbs clash with Marcos Maidana. Dereck Chisora’s attempt to shock the world and take Wladimir Klitschko’s heavyweight title was due to be screened but sadly Klitschko’s apparent torn muscle means the Londoner will have to wait a bit longer for his chance.
When putting together such a long card there are bound to be problems along the way, and as well as Klitschko’s late withdrawal, this week has seen Britain’s 2007 amateur world champion Frankie Gavin pull out of his clash with Dean Harrison after suffering a bout of flu. Rumors that Nathan Cleverley’s opponent for the WBO interim World Title, Alejandro Lakatus, finally proved to be true as well, and now Cleverly will be facing Nadjib Mohammedi (23 (12)-1), the European belt holder.
With all of that said let’s look at three of the fights on the Liverpool bill which may find themselves buried under the deluge of great fights this weekend but are well worth taking an interest in.
THE COMMONWEALTH LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
TONY BELLEW vs. OVILL McKENZIE
Regular readers of ProBoxing-Fans.com may have read our recent exclusive interview with Bellew when he spoke about hoping to fight for the British Light Heavyweight title on the Liverpool bill. That opportunity didn’t materialize but ‘Bomber’ does face former Prizefighter champion Ovill McKenzie in defense of his Commonwealth belt. McKenzie is a far better fighter than his 18-9 record suggests and is capable of giving any of the domestic light heavyweights problems. Nicknamed ‘The Upsetter’, McKenzie beat 3 former champions on his way to lifting the Prizefighter title and shouldn’t be taken lightly.
This bout is really a showcase for Bellew though. After a disappointing performance last time out when he had to pick himself up off the floor to claim a point’s victory over Bob Ajisafe, Bellew (14(9)-0) will relish the chance to fight in front of his hometown supporters on a big show. With his rival Nathan Cleverly fighting for the WBO interim world title on the same card, the hard punching scouser will be keen to make a big impression and put himself in the mix for some major titles. Bellew is always exciting to watch and McKenzie should be the perfect opponent for him to impress against.
THE MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP OF EUROPE
MATTHEW MACKLIN vs. RUBEN VARON
Although this isn’t the most attractive bout on the card, it is a crucial one for Macklin. He makes the second defense of his European Middleweight title against the unheralded Spaniard Ruben Varon and simply cannot afford to slip up. While his stablemate Cleverly seems destined to get his world title fight sooner rather than later, one gets the impression that Macklin is going to have to really earn his shot. Having toiled away for years, it would be criminal if Macklin’s career went the same way as his former opponent Jamie Moore and he never got his shot at a big title.
Varon is just 31 but has been around for years. He came out on the wrong end of a points decision when challenging Felix Sturm for the WBO belt way back in 2003 and probably his best win (against current European light middleweight champion Lukas Konecny) came over 6 years ago. It is unclear how Varon qualifies for a shot at the European belt. Since being knocked out in 4 rounds by Sebastian Zbik ,he has won 4 fights in a row against opponents with a combined record of 15-54.
Macklin needs to dispose of Varon as quickly and impressively as possible and then hope Frank Warren can use his influence to manoeuvre him into a world title fight.
THE SUPER-MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP OF GREAT BRITAIN
PAUL SMITH vs. JAMES DEGALE
The clash between British super middleweight champion Smith and Olympic gold medalist DeGale is easily the most eagerly awaited bout on the card. For Smith (29-1) it is a voluntary defense of the title he claimed 2 fights ago with a split decision victory over local rival Tony Quigley. The 28 year old Liverpudlian is surprisingly seen as the underdog in the fight but is fiercely proud of his title and with 10,000 fans solidly behind him will be fired up to give the performance of his career. Smith’s talent is more than matched by his toughness but he has disappointed on occasion. It is as if he needs a big fight to bring out the best of him. He gets it this weekend.
DeGale is taking a huge step up in class in just his 9th professional fight. To take such a tough fight so soon is commendable and indicates just how confident a fighter DeGale is. Southpaw DeGale has not yet been forced to go beyond 5 rounds but seems like the type of fighter who will rise to the level of his opponent. After being booed on his professional debut he has developed a more crowd pleasing style and 6 stoppages have followed. It remains to be seen how he will cope with the 12 round trip but with conditioning fanatic Jim McDonnell in his corner it is safe to assume no stone has been left unturned in preparation.
This is a classic battle. An experienced tough champion defending his title against the flashy new kid on the block. Has the step up in class come too soon for DeGale? We will find out on Saturday.
So, although there are plenty of fights happening in the United States this Saturday, why not take the time to check what’s happening across the Atlantic. It should be well worth your time.
