Andrade and the quest for respect

Article first appeared on gambling.com

Demetrius Andrade, the 35-year-old from Rhode Island with an unblemished 32 (19ko) – 0 record and an unrequited longing for fulfilment, has finally secured the marquee match missing from his 15-year career.

He will box the giant American Super-Middleweight David Benevidez, 27 (23ko) – 0, at the Michelob Arena, Las Vegas on Saturday night. A fight broadcast by Showtime. This will be the organisation’s final night in the boxing business and all the leading betting companies carry markets for this elite match up between two unbeaten fighters.

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November 25, 2023 0

Welsh tough Liam Williams back with a win

Article first published at BigFightWeekend.com

Flinty Welsh Middleweight Liam Williams, 25 (20ko)-4-1, returned from a year of inactivity with a one punch knockout victory against the over matched Florin Cardos at the York Hall, London. A win that reveals little; Williams has always been a powerful hitter, but serves as a reminder to Hamzah Sheeraz, the tall and rangy 24-year-old Middleweight prospect, that their proposed fight for 2024 will feature all of Williams’ trademark intensity.

Age 31, Williams still has time to feature in high profile bouts in a weight class lacking the profile fighters traditionally associated with the historic division. In short, despite losses to Liam Smith, Chris Eubank Junior and Demetrius Andrade, Williams retains international prospects and will entertain the public in pursuit of more illustrious scalps. Whether that quests proves forlorn or successful.

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November 24, 2023 0

Ball and Dogboe face off in crossroads contest

First published on Gambling.com

In Manchester this Saturday, Liverpool’s ‘Popeye piranha’, Nick Ball will attempt to leap several spaces on boxing’s uniquely chaotic hierarchy of ladders and snakes when he boxes Isaac Dogboe in a WBC Featherweight eliminator.

The event is staged by Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions and will be broadcast live by TNT, formerly BT Sport, in the UK. For those inclined, leading betting companies offer markets on this fascinating and potentially thrilling crossroads bout.

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November 17, 2023 0

Cordina too close in the ring and on the cards

Cordina wins in Monte Carlo in tougher than expected defence

Welshman Joe Cordina successfully defended his IBF Super Featherweight in Monte Carlo, beating American Edward Vazquez over 12 competitive rounds. It was closely contested, Judge Jeremy Hayes arrived at a 114-114 score which struck this observer as generous but was in keeping with DAZN pundit, and former Cruiserweight champion, Tony Bellew’s card.

Closer than widely anticipated; Cordina made the mistake of not offering Vazquez the space to make his own.

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November 5, 2023 0

Low hanging fruit. Cordina looks to higher branches

Joe Cordina will tip toe toward the potential riches of 2024 this weekend when he faces American Edward Vazquez in the first defence of his IBF Super-Featherweight title. The fight takes place in Monte Carlo, a frequent sojourn for Matchroom, and is constructed to help Eddie Hearn further showcase the 31-year-old Welshman as one of British boxing’s most important attractions.

Cordina 16-0 (9ko), needs to be active to foster that type of interest and to gather the momentum required to fulfil his undoubted pedigree. Troubling for his promoter is Cordina’s desire for unification. Domestic profile opponents and unheralded contenders from the lower reaches of IBF’s top-15 will not suffice. Cordina is choosy, in a good way. Vazquez represents an uneasy compromise between the two agendas of legacy and financial return.

The aim is for the two to converge in 2024.

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November 4, 2023 0

Myth, mirth and miracles. Fury finished or unfocused?

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Muhammad Ali turned 36 a few weeks before his loss to novice professional Leon Spinks. A man with as many gaps in his smile as fights on his ledger. Tired and compromised, Ali was a poorly coordinated confection of numb defiance and flickering memory by the early Spring of 1978. The shuffle, the rope-a-dope all danced and lumbered into view. No more than crowd-pleasing catchphrases from what had once been masterful soliloquies.

Spinks’ victory, following a paltry 7 wins and a draw from a little over 12 months as a professional by way of preparation, remains one of heavyweight boxing’s greatest upsets.

On Saturday, another ageing champion faced a novice. And surprise visited boxing once again.

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