Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London sees a heavyweight crossroads clash at the top of a Frank Warren-promoted card, with Joe Joyce taking on Derek Chisora over a scheduled 12 rounds.
TNT Sports broadcast Joyce vs Chisora in the UK, with ESPN+ show the bout in the USA.
2106 Olympic Silver medallist, Joyce (16-2, 15 KOs) was fast-tracked after turning professional, and had gained significant momentum in the division from 2020 in particular, beginning with a tenth round knockout of Daniel Dubois.
The 38-year-old also claimed the interim version of the WBO title in September 2022, knocking out Joseph Parker in 11 rounds in Manchester, and it looked as though he was on the cusp of elite level.
Those notions came crashing down in April last year, when he was broken down by Zhilei Zhang in six rounds, stopped by the doctor with a damaged eye.
A rematch was expected to go the way of the ‘Juggernaut’, but the China native put in an even more devastating performance, wiping Joyce out in the third round to leave the Putney man’s career at a crossroads.
He returned in March against Kash Ali, and laboured in parts before getting the knockout in the tenth and final round.
Chisora (34-13, KO23) is a fighter that will just not go away. The Zimbabwe-born Londoner has been in with a who’s who of the division, but with 13 losses now on the slate, and time against him, it’s difficult to see what other than financial gain is motivating ‘War’.
After losing to Tyson Fury in December 2022 in a trilogy match that nobody wanted or needed, the 40-year-old is coming off a ten round decision victory against another faded force in Gerald Washington last August.
The loser of this one surely has nowhere else left to turn in the sport.
Prediction: This is one no-one can afford to lose, and although Chisora is as game as they come, his ambitions are surely limited at this point in his career. I think Joyce will be switched on, and can take a retirement or stoppage win in the later rounds as Chisora starts to tire.
McCann-Baluta rematch
An intriguing rematch heads the undercard, with Dennis McCann taking on Ionut Baluta for the vacant European super bantamweight title.
The two met in August last year, and Baluta produced a typically rugged performance to give McCann (15-0-1, 8 KOs) plenty of problems, and the fight was curtailed in the ninth round due to a cut sustained by ‘The Menace’.
The contest went to the cards, and they couldn’t be separated in a technical draw.
McCann returned in March to take the British title on the cards against Brad Strand, while Baluta (16-4-1, 3 KOs) hasn’t been out since.
Prediction: This was a cracker first time around and McCann was tested to the limit like never before. If he can box to orders, he can take a close points win.
Garner battles Sharp
Another potential cracker sees Archie Sharp challenging Ryan Garner for the WBC International super featherweight title.
Sharp (25-0, 9 KOs) has seen a promising career, where he was highly ranked with the WBO, come to a standstill, and his last outing in May saw warning signs, as he was dropped twice in the opening round of his clash with Facundo Arce.
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The 28-year-old did rally to drop the Argentine, and then win clearly on points, but it certainly sent alarm bells ringing.
Garner (15-0, 8 KOs) starts as the favourite for this one, and he is fresh off a wide points win against former British champion, Liam Dillon.
Prediction: I think Garner can box his way to a points success.
Itauma steps up against Wach
Moses Itauma is still only 19, and he steps up in levels here, but should still have too much for veteran former world title challenger, Mariusz Wach.
Prediction: Wach (38-10, 20 KOs) went the ten round distance with Frazer Clarke last June, but I feel Itauma (9-0, 7 KOs) is young and hungry, and can remove the Pole from battle around the halfway mark in this heavyweight ten rounder.
Remaining Undercard
Raven Chapman (8-0, 2 KOs) makes her first appearance of 2024, and ‘The Omen’ can defend her WBC International featherweight title with a clear win on the cards against Yohana Sarabia (10-0, 6 KOs), who has never been past eight rounds.
In eight rounders, Brandun Lee (28-0, 23 KOs) makes his Queensberry debut, and the American super lightweight can halt Juan Ancona (11-0, 6 KOs) inside schedule, while Royston Barney-Smith (10-0, 5 KOs) can take his first professional title, the WBC Youth super featherweight bauble, by outscoring Brian Barajas (7-0-1, 3 KOs) over eight rounds.
Welterweight prospect, Sean Noakes (7-0, 4 KOs) steps up to ten round level for the first time, and he can hand a first stoppage loss to Inder Bassi (12-1, 1 KO), while Umar Khan (9-0, 1 KO) should seal another points win, this time against Kaddour Hmiani (4-2-2, 2 KOs) over eight at featherweight.
Four round contests round off this bill.
Aadam Hamed (1-0, 1 KO), son of the legendary Prince Naseem Hamed, can stop Gerogi Velichkov (4-21-1, 3 KOs) in their super lightweight meeting, and lightweight debutant Jermaine Dhilwayo, nephew of Chisora, should record a points win against Engel Gomez (8-32-3, 4 KOs).
