Interviews
Meet Frank Warren’s potential clients who want to shine at the Copper Box
Frank Warren on Saturday at the Copper Box Arena will showcase many of its prospects on a cumulative bill, live on BT Sport.
On the undercard of Hamzah Sheeraz’s main event against Hall of Fame promoter Francisco Torres, Warren will fight 11 fights featuring some of the most highly touted juvenile fighters.
Nick Ball, fresh off his brutal fight against Isaac Lowe at Wembley Stadium in April, looks set to continue his scorching streak as he defends his WBC Silver featherweight title against Nathanael Kakololo, and the 25-year-old has WBC world champion Rey Vargas in his sights .
Dennis McCann is also looking to extend his undefeated streak by winning the WBC International featherweight title against James Beech Jr, while Lennox Clarke and Mark Heffron will face off in their highly anticipated British and Commonwealth super middleweight title clash.
Here we look at five potential candidates we met over the week who are keen to take center stage in Hackney.
Massood Abdullah
Masood Abdullah is hoping to claim a fifth straight knockout victory when he meets another undefeated prospect, Tinko Banabakov.
The Islington fighter moves up to super bantamweight and hopes to win the title before the end of the year.
Abdullah (4-0, 4 KO), who stopped Sandeep Singh Batti in six rounds at Wembley Arena in March, has tasted top-level sparring with world champions such as Leigh Wood and Joe Cordina and insists he wants to leave his mark on his career a prospering national scene that includes Queensberry stablemates Brad Foster, Chris Bourke and Jason Cunningham, among others.
When asked which fighter he learned the most from, Abdullah said: “It would be Joe Cordina, a phenomenal boxer.
“Every time he boxes, he has a great fight IQ.
“Every time I spar him, I try to steal little things here and there.”
Umar Khan
Umar Khan is also looking to maintain his undefeated record against Nicaraguan Engel Gomez.
Khan (3-0) is fighting for the fourth straight year at the Copper Box Arena, having dominated his opponent early in his career.
The 20-year-old moved to the professional ranks after an impressive run in the amateur category, during which he won one national title, and the super bantamweight prospect has moved training to Spain, where he is working with former Roberto Duran coach Bernardo Checa.
Khan hopes to make two more appearances in his first six rounds of competition after Saturday’s performance.
“They are tough [Nicaraguan fighters].
“I train in Spain. It’s kind of like their base there, where everyone is Nicaraguan.
“That’s why I spare them a lot, they’re tough.”
Sonny Liston Ali
Sonny Liston Ali has a name few will forget, although he insists his family did not give him the names of two former heavyweight champions to encourage him to pursue the sport.
The 3-0 super lightweight has performed brilliantly as an amateur, winning two national titles and two British crowns, and is proving to be a complex boxer in the professional ranks.
On Saturday, the 23-year-old will take the next step in his early career when he faces highly experienced journeyman Chris Adaway, who has only been stopped eight times in his 72 defeats.
The Essex player says he wants to focus more on his striking in the match against Adaway.
“You haven’t seen the best of Sonny Liston Ali yet.
“I hope [on] On Saturday night that will happen because of course you can only be as good as your opponent.
“So when they come, they come to survive, it’s challenging to look good.
I know he comes to win, he comes to fight, so I pray he comes and we fight the good fight.
“I want to show a little malice. I want to show that I’m not just a classy boxer.
Sean Noakes
Sean Noakes (1-0) is part of a fighting family and has joined his brother Sam as part of the Queensberry stable.
Sean, the older of the pair, won the Haringey Box Cup as an amateur and on Saturday he fights for the second time as a professional against experienced journeyman MJ Hall.
The Maidstone fighter says he wants to box at least twice as much by the end of the year, and the 27-year-old has future plans to share the bill with his brother, who won his first nine fights by stoppage.
“I would love to get on the same card [as Sam].
“We haven’t boxed together since 2013.
“It’s been a long time since we fought on the same show.
“Hopefully when he fights for the British title or something essential like that, I’ll get on the card and we can do it together.”
Khalid Ali
Khalid Ali is a fighter with a huge fan base, and over 200 of his followers will be packing the Copper Box Arena for his third professional fight.
Ali (2-0, 1 KO) describes himself as a “versatile fighter” with “power, class and speed” and will face Des Newton on Saturday.
The welterweight fighter intends to be suspended twice more after Saturday, and his goal is to fight at York Hall.
Ali came to the attention of Frank Warren thanks to Hamzah Sheeraz’s father, and he admits that Sheeraz was a great inspiration to him.
“I feel he is a huge inspiration to the Queensberry players.
“He started out just like me, starting shows.
“One fight, two fights, he can sell tickets and move up the rankings, and now he’s headlining the show.”
Although the rematch between Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua has not been officially announced yet, it seems more likely that it will happen.
Dubois defeated Joshua in five rounds last month at Wembley Stadium, making the first defense of his IBF World Heavyweight Championship in style.
AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn he insisted that his protégé wanted to take another bite at the cherry, even though some observers urged him to go in a different direction – or even put his professional career on hold.
If another fight for the world title with “Dynamite” is to be the next event for the Watford fighter, according to IBF regulations it will have to take place by April 22.
Rule 5.A.2 of the IBF regulations for the heavyweight division states that “all optional defenses and all other fights by the champion must be completed at least 60 days prior to the date of the champion’s mandatory fight.”
Dubois will be informed of his mandatory appearance for June 21 in the spring and will likely be the winner of the recently ordered final eliminator between Agit Kabayel and Martin Bakole.
While there has been early speculation that Joshua might opt out of another domestic spat with the 27-year-old and perhaps focus on fighting the likes of Deontay Wilder and Dillian Whyte, that now seems unlikely.
“WILL 𝙅 DESERQUE BE 𝙅 BY LETTING A STRAIGHT BACHTA IN THERE?” 🤔
🥊 @Carl_Froch accounts @joeboxerparker & Zhilei Zhang should try to beat Daniel Dubois @anthonyjoshua 👀#Box #AnthonyJoshua #DanielDubois (By @frochonfighting) pic.twitter.com/9QYxA9bRSv
— Professional boxing fans (@ProBoxingFans) October 3, 2024
Matchroom boss Hearn also claimed that Saudi boxing boss Turki Alalshikh is interested in a second fight with Dubois.
“We are struggling with the season in Riyad. One of our options is to fight Daniel Dubois again and we have a contract with them.
“His Excellency [Turki Alalshikh] he will deal with Frank and Daniel and lead to this fight. The terms will have to be agreed with them.
“WILL 𝙅 DESERQUE BE 𝙅 BY LETTING A STRAIGHT BACHTA IN THERE?” 🤔
🥊 @Carl_Froch accounts @joeboxerparker & Zhilei Zhang should try to beat Daniel Dubois @anthonyjoshua 👀#Box #AnthonyJoshua #DanielDubois (By @frochonfighting) pic.twitter.com/9QYxA9bRSv
— Professional boxing fans (@ProBoxingFans) October 3, 2024
“We have already agreed our terms, we have the option of a rematch with Dubois.
“Our meetings with His Excellency, he wants a rematch. AJ will always want a rematch.
“Daniel also wants a rematch.
“This is the most essential fight for him and they will definitely enjoy it.”
Dubois’ promoter Frank Warren revealed yesterday that there are other options for his fighter, but it’s conceivable that a rematch with “AJ” is by far the most lucrative.
Artur Beterbiev became the undisputed lithe heavyweight champion, adding the WBA and IBO belts to his collection after a thrilling majority decision victory over Dmitry Bivol in Saudi Arabia.
Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KO) entered this fight on the back of 20 straight wins, winning a slew of world titles along the way, with the last one coming in January, beating Callum Smith in seven to Bivola (23-23-KO). 1, 12 KO) in his last fight in June, he stopped Malik Zanid in six rounds.
Bivol landed some decent counters and combinations in the first round, and after a serene second, the Russian was successful again, scoring more combinations in the third round.
However, Beterbiev moved forward and the fourth one increased the pressure, but his rival remained behind a tight guard.
39-year-old he was busy, but many of his punches were landing on Bivol’s gloves, though the sheer amount of work he was doing was starting to get him a few rounds.
Beterbiev began to apply pressure in the seventh set, landing several solid punches, but the 33-year-old WBA champion responded matter-of-factly, wobbling the unified champion with his left hand.
Beterbiev was told in his corner that he needed a knockout in the championship rounds and he responded to that advice as he had a very robust penultimate frame, landing several shots that troubled the tiring Bivol, but both boxers made it to the final bell in an extremely absorbing contest.
The 114-114 draw was broken by scores of 116-112 and 115-113 in favor of Beterbiev, who received the nod and walked away with all the belts.
Wardley destroys Clarke in the rematch
The long-awaited rematch between Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke ended emphatically as Wardley defended his British heavyweight title in less than a round.
The pair played at the O2 Arena in March in a thriller that ended in a draw, but Wardley (18-0-1, 17 KO) let the judges off the hook this time, defeating Clarke (8-1-1, 6 KO) with a barrage of weighty punches. that put him on shaky ground and he finished in style.
The right-hand hammer struck the Burton man’s senses and the referee waved his hand to end the fight.
Opetaia sails from Massey
Jai Opetaia did almost everything he wanted in his fight against Jack Massey, defending his IBF cruiserweight title for the first time in his second term as champion after the Briton threw in the towel in the sixth round.
Opetiaia (26-0, 20 KO) was in dominant form and although Massey (22-3, 12 KO) put up a brave challenge, he never actually took part in the fight and after being broken by punches to the head and body after the sixth hour, coach 31 -year-old Joe Gallagher found it necessary to withdraw his charge from the battle.
Eubank Jr burns Szeremeta
Chris Eubank Jr won the vacant IBO middleweight title against Kamil Szeremeta, scoring four knockouts in a seventh-round victory.
Szeremeta (25-3-2, 8 KO) landed a right hand in the first round, and in the sixth round he knocked him out with the same shot.
In the seventh round, the Pole lost twice more, and the referee wisely ended the action.
Eubank Jr (34-3, 25 KO) faced Conor Benn after the fight, with both hoping to reschedule the fight after it was infamously postponed to fight week in October 2022.
The Whittaker-Cameron fight ended in a strange draw
There was a controversial and bizarre ending in the lithe heavyweight division as Ben Whittaker and Liam Cameron (23-6-1, 10 KO) there was a technical draw after five rounds.
In the fifth set, both started aggressively clinching on the ropes and both fell out of the ring on the top rope.
Whittaker (8-0-1, 5 KO) performed worse, injured his leg and was unable to continue competing, and the fight was deemed an accidental foul.
The score of 58-57 for each fighter was deemed redundant as the third judge scored it 58-58 after five completed rounds.
Nicolson defeats Chapman
Skye Nicolson successfully defended her WBC featherweight world title for the second time, winning half the distance and scoring points over Raven Chapman (9-1, 2 KO).
Nicolson (12-0, 1 KO) defended her belt by two points 98-92 and third by a score of 99-91 in the historic first women’s world title fight in Saudi Arabia.
Super featherweight debutant Mohammed Alakel (1-0, KO0) started a winning four-round fight against Jesus Gonzalez (3-3, KO0) by scoring points.
Carl Froch has shared his predictions for this weekend’s undisputed lightweight heavyweight world title clash between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
Froch will be one of millions of viewers as Russian compatriots Beterbiev and Bivol finally settle the score and decide who is the best 175-pound fighter in the world.
The fight has been described by many as the best in the sport, and the boxing world is seemingly split down the middle.
And two days before the evening’s fight, “The Cobra” revealed that he supports WBA champion Bivol, who will emerge with all his might in Riyad.
In a recent message to Froch on the fightThe 47-year-old explained:
“I think Bivol will do business.
“I just think that Father Time waits for no one and Beterbiev is approaching 40 years ancient.
“Bivol is 33 years ancient. I would expect 33-year-old Bivol to outwork and outlast 40-year-old Beterbiev.
“It will be a tough fight because Beterbiev will not stop trying. He will continue to come forward and throw massive bombs.
“But if I had to have a massive wedge in the bet, I would say that Bivol will beat Beterbiev on points, but there is always a chance that he will manage to win.
“This is boxing and Beterbiev is a powerful puncher.
Beterbiev and Bivol were scheduled to fight in June, but the fight was postponed after the former suffered a torn meniscus and required surgery.
“Anyone can get knocked out.” 💀@ABeterbiev There is NO reason to doubt your strength before the game @bivol_d on Saturday evening 🔥#Box #BeterbievBivol #ArturBeterbiew pic.twitter.com/GnNImVca5D
— Professional boxing fans (@ProBoxingFans) October 8, 2024
This is not the first injury suffered by “King Arthur” and some believe that he may play a key role in the clash with Kyrgyzstan Saturday night.
Bivol is the bookmakers’ slight favorite, but it would be foolish to write off Beterbiev, who has stopped all 20 of his opponents and is considered perhaps the most feared fighter in boxing.
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