British Boxing News
photo by Lawrence Lustig – Callum Smith, 17-0 (12KO’s), and Rocky Fielding, 21-0 (12KO’s), will meet on Saturday in their eagerly anticipated clash for the vacant British super-middleweight title in Liverpool’s Echo Arena.
There’s nothing quite like a British title fight, especially one involving two local rivals in their own parish. However, this fight goes far beyond the coveted Lonsdale strap, with both fighters sight firmly fixed on World honours.
IBF super middleweight champion, James DeGale (21-1,14ko), says that assuming he gets past his Nov. 28 date with Lucian Bute in Canada, then a big unification with WBC champion, Badou Jack is firmly on his radar.
The Londoner, who is with influential advisor, Al Haymon, won his title on the PBC platform against Andre Dirrell in Boston back in May, and makes the maiden defence of his IBF trinket out in the veteran’s Canadian backyard, also under the PBC banner.
Ryan Farrag, 14-1 (3KO’s), made good on his long standing promise that the better the opponent the better Farrag you will see, stopping seasoned multiple World title challenger Stephane Jamoye in 9 rounds, 28-7 (16KO’s), in Belgium to claim the EBU (European) Bantamweight title.
In doing so, he confirmed an unwavering belief within his inner circle that Farrag has everything it takes to move seamlessly through the levels and achieve something special within the 118lbs division.
Spike O’Sullivan’s trainer, Paschal Collins, claims that mind games will be a big factor in his fighter’s clash with Chris Eubank Jr, as they were in his brother, Steve’s 1995 fight with Jr’s father, Chris, now wishing to be known simply as, ‘English.’
For that fight, the ‘Celtic Warrior,’ Collins, famously employed the services of a sports psychologist, though led English to believe he was under an intense hypnosis that would lead him to be unrelenting on the night, actions that led to unsettling English in the build up to such a degree that he had wanted to pull out.
Unbeaten British heavyweight prospects Anthony Joshua (14-0, 14ko) and Dillian Whyte (16-0, 13ko) met head-to-head for the first time ahead of their Dec. 12 ‘Bad Intentions’ fight today in London, with Whyte placing his hand on Joshua’s heart, saying ‘we’re gonna do this.’
The two will square of on an as-yet-unconfirmed, though what’s expected to be PPV, bill from the O2 Arena, in what promoter Eddie Hearn today called ‘the biggest UK fight of the year.’
The wait for UK fans is at last over as it’s been officially announced that super-bantamweight rivals, Carl Frampton and Scott Quigg are set to meet in a huge IBF/WBA unification early next year.
After much to-ing and fro-ing between the two camps over recent weeks and months, a February 27th date for the fight at the Manchester Arena was announced live on Sky Sports News in the UK this afternoon.
Next month in Liverpool, unbeaten local super middleweight rivals Callum Smith (17-0, 12ko) and Rocky Fielding (21-0, 12ko), contest the (vacant) British 168 lb title in a fight for city bragging rights and the opportunity to move on to bigger and better things, yet their respective trainers have started a war of words reflective of what’s at stake, with shots publicly fired back and forth between them.
WBO 160 lb challenger, Billy Joe Saunders (22-0, 12ko), Marbella bound for camp ahead of his crunch world title challenge to Andy Lee on Dec. 19, has again verbally laid waste to bitter rival Chris Eubank Jr (20-1, 15ko), comparing his former opponent to fake goods sold at Dagenham market!
Eubank last week headlined an absolute shocker of a card from Sheffield, in which he destroyed hopelessly overmatched 39 year old American, Tony Jeter in around four effortless minutes, and while his new handlers at Matchroom have been hyping their signing to the hilt ahead of his December clash with Spike O’Sullivan (22-1, 15ko), Saunders remains completely unconvinced, given he has beaten both men in the past.
Ryan Farrag, 13-1 (2KO’s), will travel to the little known Hall Omnisport de La Préalle in Liege, Belgium on Friday night, bidding to claim the currently vacant EBU (European) Bantamweight title when he faces former World title challenger Stephane Jamoye, 28-6 (16KO’s), – very much behind enemy lines.
Much like his weight class contemporaries, current interim IBF Bantamweight champion Lee Haskins, Ross Burkinshaw and to a lesser extent – these days at least – multiple World champion and reigning WBA ruler Jamie McDonnell, he will do so with a level of anonymity seemingly reserved in Britain for the 118lbs weight class.
Matchroom boxing boss, Eddie Hearn, has one eye on a huge UK super-middleweight unification between IBF champion, James DeGale and recent signing Martin Murray, provided both come through their next outings.
Murray challenges for Arthur Abraham’s WBO 168 lb strap in Germany on Nov.21, while DeGale defends his IBF strap a week later against former champ, Lucian Bute in Canada, and the Beijing 2008 gold medalist has stated that unification fights are on his mind for the future – including one against Murray should he prevail.