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Brad Pauls vs. Denzel Bentley
Brad Pauls puts his British middleweight title on the line against Denzel Bentley, and the vacant European belt will also be at stake on Saturday at the SSE Arena, Wembley.
Frank Warren’s Queensberry is promoting the Pauls vs Bentley fight on TNT Sports in the UK, while DAZN is broadcasting the event in the US.
After setting an undefeated record mainly in the south in his hometown of Newquay, Pauls (19-1-1, 11 KO) ventured into this arena last February and was not stalled after dropping points in his English title fight against Tyler Denny ’emu.
“The Newquay Bomb” won the same award seven months later, stopping Mitchell Frearson for the vacant strap in the eighth round, earning him a shot at British champion Nathan Heaney in March.
It was a thriller and gripping fight with no winner and the fight declared a draw. The head-to-head rematch in July was incredible, with 31-year-old Pauls ultimately defeating Heaney, landing last punches in the final round to claim a celebrated victory.
His first defense is against Bentley (20-3-1, 17 KO), who has already held the Lonsdale belt twice.
“2 Edged” first won the belt against Mark Heffron, but then lost it in the third round, losing to Felix Cash in his first defense, and regained it again in May 2022 with a split decision against Linus Udofia.
Then came a thrilling WBO world title defeat that saw him overtaken by unified champion Janibek Alimkhanuly, and after defending his British crown in just 45 seconds, the 29-year-old was then upset by the aforementioned Heaney on the undercard last November.
Since then, there have been two second-round victories, with Danny Dignum defeating him in May for the vacant WBO International belt, and Derrick Osaze blew up in August.
Prediction: Pauls had no trouble getting into the trenches when needed, and Bentley will likely pile on the pressure early on. I think Bentley can outlast his man and win in the later rounds.
Noakes fights Walsh
Thrilling talent Sam Noakes headlines the undercard and defends his British, Commonwealth and WBO International lightweight titles against the experienced Ryan Walsh.
Noakes (15-0, 14 KO) has performed almost flawlessly so far. Only Yvan Mendy gave him 12 rounds, losing them all in April, and the last time he was eliminated was in September, defending his European champion title in a victorious match against Gianluca Ceglia.
Walsh (29-4-2, 13 KO) has had a long career and has only boxed twice in over two years, and during the September warm-up before this fight, he destroyed Reece Mold in one round.
Prediction: Noakes is becoming more and more impressive with each passing fight and I think he will be able to tardy down Walsh in the first half of this fight.
Okolie meets Muhamed
Lawrence Okolie makes his heavyweight debut in Queensberry and will face Hussein Muhamed.
Okolie (20-1, 15 KO) recovered from his only professional defeat against his former stablemate, Chris Billam-Smith winning the WBC bridgeweight crown with a first-round victory over Łukasz Różański in May.
“The Sauce” relinquished the belt in pursuit of heavyweight honors, and first in line is Muhamed (18-1, 14 KO), who suffered one defeat himself, as well as a third-round knockout defeat to Zhan Kossobutski in November 2022 year.
Prediction: Okolie should mark his heavyweight arch with a victory over the scheduled ten-round distance.
Dacres-Adeleye fight for the English heavyweight crown
An captivating fight for the English heavyweight title may be close to being decided as David Adeleye challenges Sol Dacres.
Adeleye (12-1, 11 KO) is looking to rebound from a loss to British champion Fabio Wardley last October, while Dacres (9-0, 3 KO) defended his title following a seventh-round stoppage over Michael Webster in July.
Prediction: Adeleye should win the title after the break.
Undercard remaining
Sean Noakes (8-0, 4 KO) is the second Noakes in action of the evening and can defend his English welterweight title for the first time by defeating Mathew Rennie (14-0-1, 1 KO).
Aloys Junior (8-1, 7 KO) is a figure to watch in 2025 and beyond, and the cruiserweight should be able to pick up another stoppage victory, this time against Lewis Oakford (6-1).
Royston Barney-Smith (12-0, 6 KO) will be able to end his year with a super featherweight victory against Andres Navarrete (12-2, 3 KO).
The next highlight in the super featherweight division should be the victory of Billy Adams (4-0), this time against Jonatas Rodrigo Gomes de Oliveira (6-16, 5 KO).
The only four-rounder will be the debut of Billy Crotty, who can defeat Dylan Courtney (2-17-2, 1 KO) on points in the lithe heavyweight division.
Many observers believe that Philadelphia fighter Jaron Ennis is the best welterweight fighter, although he holds only one of the four recognized world titles at that weight.
Ennis has been the IBF champion since November 2023, after his interim status was upgraded following the sanctioning body’s decision to strip former undisputed 147-pound king Terence Crawford of his belt.
In the 14 months he has been a full-fledged title champion, the 27-year-old has failed to achieve the much-sought-after unification, although according to reports, multiple offers were made to WBO belt holder Brian Norman Jr, but all were rejected.
But a fighter widely considered to be “Boots'” toughest test in the welterweight division has thrown his hat into the ring this week.
WBA world champion Eimantis Stanionis has called for a fight with Ennis, which he believes he will “survive” if they meet this year.
“He is quick, powerful and skilled, but I believe in myself and my ability to outlast anyone in the ring.
“The fans are asking for this fight and I want it to become a reality.
“Unification struggles like this define a legacy.”
While a clash with Ennis would almost certainly be the most financially lucrative for the Lithuanian pressure fighter, he also assured that he would have no problem uniting with the previously mentioned Norman or WBC champion Mario Barrios.
“Brian Norman Jr. he has proven that he is among the best and is getting better.
“I know he’s hungry to show the world what he’s capable of. This fight would be a high-stakes fight between two fighters who refuse to back down. I’m ready to put my belt on the line to make this happen.
“Mario Barrios is a mighty champion who brings toughness and heart to the ring.
“A fight between us would be explosive. I respect what he has achieved in sport, but I believe that my skills and determination will make the difference.
“Let’s give the fans a war they will never forget.”
With the likes of Crawford and Errol Spence Jr moving up to welterweight, the welterweight division is now wide open to a modern face who could be a top contender in 2025.
Many experts were convinced it would be Ennis, but question marks emerged after his shaky performance in the November rematch with Karen Chukhadzian.
Tyson Fury has reportedly said he will continue fighting despite his second straight loss to Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury failed to overturn the only loss on his professional record when that was the case defeated on points against Usyk in Riyad last month, seven months after the same result befell the champion Ukrainian.
Some prominent figures called for the “Gypsy King” to hang up his gloves once and for all, although he refused to comment on his future immediately after the defeat.
The 36-year-old took an almost three-year absence after dethroning Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, battled depression and addiction, and retired after defending his WBC heavyweight world title with a win over Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium in April 2022 to return eight months later.
According to SunFury told close friends he has no plans to give up the sport, insisting “it’s not over yet.”
The lure of an all-British fight with long-time rival Anthony Joshua could be a key factor in persuading Fury to pursue a fight that has been desired for years but has failed to materialize on several occasions.
Joshua is coming off a devastating fifth-round knockout defeat to IBF heavyweight world champion Daniel Dubois and, according to his promoter Eddie Hearn, the 34-year-old will return in May or June with a fight against Fury or a rematch with Dubois at the event at the top of his charts.
A fight against fellow former two-time world heavyweight champion “AJ,” who also lost twice to Usyk, is the “only” fight that matters for the “Gypsy King,” according to Hearn.
“The reality is that Tyson Fury only has one fight,” the Matchroom boss said DAZN.
“And this is Anthony Joshua.
“It’s probably the biggest fight in British boxing history.
“Everyone will always want to see it.
“It wasn’t Tyson Fury who looked finished.
“It wasn’t a bad performance, it wasn’t a bad performance.
“He didn’t look shy, he didn’t look like his toughness was in question.
“So I think Tyson Fury is still at the top of his game, but he’s not good enough to beat Oleksandr Usyk tonight.
“But for me, the best solution is AJ against Furia.
“It’s the one at Wembley [Stadium] and then we come back here for the Riyad season [for the rematch]”
George Groves believes that Moses Itauma will be a tougher fight for Oleksandr Usyk than the rematch with Daniel Dubois.
Itauma made a cruel statement about Usyk’s second straight victory over Tyson Fury on Saturday: destroying Demsey McKean during Riyad’s round, with Dubois watching her from ringside.
Dubois, who was stopped by Usyk in nine rounds last August, stormed into the Ukrainian’s post-fight interview, demanding a rematch.
But former super middleweight world champion Groves believes rising teenage star Itauma, who turns 20 at the end of this month, will be his most tough task.
“I don’t see anyone beating him,” the 36-year-old said on his podcast George Groves Boxing Club.
“If you said to me: make a list of people who could challenge Oleksandr Usyk, you would answer: ‘Exactly, Daniel Dubois.’
“I think Moses Itauma is a tougher fight than Daniel Dubois is for Usyk.
“I really mean it.
“Who wants this fight?
“No one wants this fight.”
Kent is already sixth in the WBO rankings, behind Usyk, who holds the belt and the WBC and WBO crowns, and Dubois will defend his IBF belt in a fight against Joseph Parker on February 22.
The 19-year-old has said he wants to break Mike Tyson’s record and become the youngest ever world heavyweight champion, but Groves suspects securing fights for him could be tough.
“We are now getting to the point where we need to put him in the company of real gatekeepers,” he added.
– Is that Dillian Whyte?
“Is that Joe Joyce?
“None of these guys want to try Itauma.
“They have to pay them like it’s a gigantic title fight because they’re not hiding from anything.”
Usyk said he would have no problem fighting Dubois again if he prevails over Parker, and the fight would give him a chance to make more history by becoming the first-ever two-time undisputed heavyweight champion.
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