Frank Warren promotes shows on consecutive days this week, starting with Friday’s offering from the Copperbox Arena in London.
Sadly, as has been a common theme with Frank Warren shows in 2021, the headliner for Friday’s bill has been postponed, with British and Commonwealth Super Lightweight champion, Akeem Ennis-Brown, forced to withdraw from his defence against Liverpool’s Sam Maxwell due to injury.
The card again goes on, and the new bill topper sees the WBO Super Middleweight number one contender.
Zach Parker (19-0, KO13) makes his debut under the Queensberry Promotions banner, and the Derby Super Middleweight, ranked highly with the WBO, takes on a ten round assignment against American, Vaughn Alexander (15-4, KO7).
It’s hard to say just how good Parker is or can be, but he has passed every test available to him this far.
Coming to prominence with a one round stoppage of Luke Blackledge in September 2017, and was signed by Sauerland Promotions, who featured him on various world title and World Boxing Super Series bills.
Parker picked up the vacant British belt with a split decision win over Darryll Williams in November 2018, but never defended, instead focusing on building his ranking.
He has been out twice since, his last appearance coming in March last year, stopping Rohan Murdock in Manchester on a Matchroom show in eleven rounds to pick up the vacant WBO Intercontinental strap.
That belt is not on the line here against Alexander, and the St Louis, Missouri-based 35-year-old comes to London having never been stopped, but he has lost four of his last seven fights.
He is certainly durable though, having gone ten rounds five times, but last time out he lost all ten rounds against the 3-0 Bektemir Melikuziev in December 2019. Parker can do something similar here, and post a wide points win.
Recent frank Warren recruit, Danny Ball (9-0-1, KO4), defends his WBC International Silver title for the first time against his fellow unbeaten challenger in Sam Gilley (11-0, KO5).
The contest is scheduled for ten. Both men are green as professionals, and the pair have only faced men with winning records in two of their bouts.
Ball was held to a draw by Kaisee Benjamin in a bid for the Midlands Area belt in March 2019, but then picked up his current WBC belt in his last fight, impressively stopping the much favoured Mason Cartwright in three rounds in October of the same year.
That was the last time the Kingswinford 24-year-old was seen, and he has another test here in Gilley.
Londoner Gilley is also coming off his best win last time out, dropping Curtis Felix Junior in the tenth and last round before sealing a close points win to win the vacant Southern Area title in March last year.
Prediction: This is a tough one to call, with both men still in relative novice positions currently.
It should be an entertaining clash though, and I lean towards Ball, who has the impressive recent form and momentum, to take a close win on the scorecards, but wouldn’t be surprised if the verdict went the other way.
The aforementioned Sam Maxwell (14-0, KO11) is now involved in an eight rounder, taking on the never previously stopped Midlander, Ben Fields (10-9-2, KO0).
Maxwell has frustration to take out, and he could well take Fields out inside the distance in this one.
Brad Foster (13-0-2, KO5) makes a first appearance of 2021, and the British and Commonwealth Super Bantamweight champion goes down the continental route this weekend.
The vacant IBF International belt is the prize, as Foster takes on Spain’s Alvaro Rodriguez (10-3-1, KO1) over ten.
Former kickboxer Foster has made good progress since turning professional in 2015, and has reigned as British champion since March 2019.
The 23-year-old Lichfield native was last in action in July 2020, defending his two belts in an entertaining points win against James Beech Junior.
Rodriguez is no stranger to British shores, but has lost in his previous two visits, to Thomas Patrick Ward in July 2018, and Tyrone McCullagh in May 2019, both widely on the cards.
Rodriguez won the Spanish title last time out, back in July 2019, but Foster should be too good here, and a clear points win is expected.
There is plenty of talent on offer here, and excitement is building with every fight Dennis McCann (8-0, KO5) takes part in. The Kent Bantamweight is in with Luis Moreno (9-1, KO6) over eight rounds.
Moreno fights outside of Mexico for the first time, and was stopped in five in his only career defeat. McCann can repeat that trick with a win in the first half here.
David Adeleye (4-0, KO4) continues his education, and the talented Heavyweight should have more than enough to deal with Bulgarian trier, Mladen Manev (2-8, KO1) in a scheduled six rounder. Adeleye hasn’t been past three rounds before, and should need less than that to stop Manev.
There are three debutants featuring here, each taking part in four rounders. At Middleweight, Jason Harty may need the distance to see off Kearon Thomas (1-10-1, KO1), while at Welterweight, Edward Donovan and Matthew King face each other on their pro bows.
