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B
elow is a list of ten British domestic fights that I believe boxing fans
would love to see in the near future.
I have
arranged them in order from 1-10,
with 1 being the most anticipated fight and
10 being the least anticipated (but when the
time is right to make that fight, it will generate a great deal of interest...in my
opinion anyway). You may or may not agree
with my list and you may not agree with the
order. You may have other fights that you
think should be included in the top 10. That’s
what makes this so great, because you have
so many fights to choose from and you
could easily take one out and add another
fight in (and it’s not as easy as it seems to
compile a top 10 either!). Enjoy!
1) Billy Joe Saunders vs Chris Eubank
Jr
This fight is going straight in at number one!
Why, you ask? Well, Eubank Jr has finally put
pen to paper and signed on the dotted line.
He will take on Saunders this November in
what promises to be an explosive domestic
grudge match!
There is a feeling of intense hatred between
the two 25-year-old middleweights, with
each of them promising to knock the other
out. Saunders has even said that he would
retire if he could not beat Eubank Jr, but I
think you have to take that with a pinch of
salt. What we do know is that Saunders does
not need to take this fight, but he wants to
shut Eubank Jr up before moving on to bigger and better things.
Eubank Jr is stepping up in class by some
way, having not faced anyone in the top 50 in
Europe and not boxed past eight rounds.
Saunders is currently ranked in the top 10 in
Europe and holds the British, Commonwealth
and European middleweight titles. He is far
more proven than Eubank Jr and favoured
by many to shine when they finally come to
blows, but, this is boxing and Eubank Jr may
have what it takes to silence his critics.
My pick is Saunders here. I think the experience he holds over Eubank
Jr will lead him to victory.
JM
2) Carl Frampton vs
Scott Quigg
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NOVEMBER 2014
issue #14
These fighters have to
collide in 2015. When
Carl Frampton beat Kiko
Martinez to join Quigg
as a World Champion,
everything fell into place
for this fight to happen. A
fight in either Manchester or Belfast would sell
out in minutes and has
all the ingredients to be
the fight of the year. We
have heard time and
DREAM DOMESTIC DUST UPS
time again that styles make fights and the
brash come forward
style of Frampton
is a perfect fit for Quigg’s calculated classy
style. This is the biggest fight in the division
for both fighters. Neither is likely to make the
step up to face the
dangerous Guillermo
Rigondeaux, and apart from a fight with Leo
Santa Cruz, this is the biggest fight out there.
Let’s just hope that Eddie Hearn can strike a
deal with Frank Warren and Barry McGuigan
to make this happen. MH
weight division and should the Groves fight
happen, it would be a chance to win a World
title in only his 17th fight. MH
3) Kell Brook vs Amir Khan
Many have tipped Smith, 24, to become a
future world champion and at the rate he is
disposing of his opponents, he will get that
shot much sooner rather than later. But let’s
face it, tougher tests will come and more
questions will be asked of him. At the minute, he is unbeaten and his stock is rising
dramatically with each passing fight. Groves
would pose a formidable test and if these
two do lock horns, you can expect there to
be fireworks as both possess a knockout
punch!
JM
Let’s face it, there is no love lost between
Brook and Khan. Over the years the pair have
fired
insults towards one another, with each man
confidently predicting a win over his domestic
rival. Before, Brook-Khan was like stew in a
pan on the hob simmering slowly, but now,
the matchup has reached boiling point and
boxing fans demand they end their war of
words and finally get it on! It makes perfect
sense to make the fight happen at Wembley
in early 2015.
Brook, 28, now holds the IBF welterweight
belt and Khan, 27, now fights at the 147.lb
limit. There would a great deal of money to
be made for both fighters and stylistically it
would be a one hell of a contest! JM
The prospect of Groves and Smith sharing a
ring together whets your appetite. Groves,
26. is well known in the UK and has a large
fan base, even more so now after his two
epic battles with Carl Froch. Having unfortunately been knocked out by Froch in May,
Groves is on the comeback trail, hungry still
to claim a world title.
5) Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury
Joshua’s pro career has started perfectly...8(8)-0 to be exact. The 24-year-old is a
mountain of a man, in the shape of his life,
producing stunning performance after stunning performance. His popularity is growing
4) George Groves vs Callum Smith
by the second, but Joshua is the type of person who keeps his feet firmly on the ground.
This fight is a little way off but there is a very He doesn’t have a brash or cocky persona.
possible chance of it happening. Callum The same can’t be said about Fury. You eiSmith fights Nikola Sjekloca on November ther love him or loathe him.
22nd, and should he win, he will fight in a
final eliminator for the WBC title. The final A potential fight between these two
eliminator will mean he would face the win- heavyweights would be huge in Britain and I
ner of current champion Anthony Dirrell and see no reason why they can’t get it on a year
George Groves. Groves was catapulted into or two down the line.
the big time after 2 huge fights with Carl
Froch. He lost both but his stock in the box- You can imagine Fury would be the one to
ing world is still pretty high. Callum Smith is do most of the talking at press conferencthe new golden boy for the Super Middle- es. Joshua, on the other hand, would be
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