I am still hopeful that both can get back to the negotiation table at the end of this calendar year and try and sign for a fight in the first quarter of 2023, although Boxing never surprises me these days when it fails to deliver the bouts we want to see the most.
Better news came out in the latter part of the week as Caleb Plant and David Benavidez are set to face off for the interim WBC Super Middleweight World Title after Canelo Alvarez suggested he will be out until September. That is a truly massive fight at 168 pounds, while we will be a step closer to an Undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion at the end of this weekend.
So there are things to look forward to in the next calendar year even if the 2022 calendar looks to be finishing with a whimper having threatened to go out with a bang.
Dmitry Bivol vs Gilberto Ramirez
Artur Beterbiev's crushing win over Joe Smith Jr has been followed by time out of the ring to clear up an injury, but the return is set to be against Anthony Yarde in late January.
The winner of that is likely to be matched with the winner of this one between Dmitry Bivol and Gilberto Ramirez as two quality operators face off. The two are both unbeaten and this is a fight that Ramirez has been calling for ever since he moved up from Super Middleweight as he looks to become a two weight World Champion.
Some big money fights were left behind at Super Middleweight and it is hard to really gauge where Gilberto Ramirez is considering his level of opponent since moving to 175 pounds.
Momentum is certainly with Dmitry Bivol having upset Canelo Alvarez earlier in the year, a win that has raised his stock to a whole new level.
However, I have been a little critical of Bivol in the past in the way he can take his foot off the gas when he feels he is in control of a fight. He didn't do that against Canelo knowing he was not going to be given any favours by the judges and it says plenty that his strong finish proved to give him the narrow win on the cards, even though most watching would have said Bivol had largely dominated.
This time Dmitry Bivol is on the 'A' side and I think the judges are going to favour him in close Rounds.
And there will be close Rounds.
Despite coming up from Super Middleweight, Gilberto Ramirez is a big Light Heavyweight and Dmitry Bivol simply is not.
While the normal view would be the fighter coming up in weight would be the smaller man in the ring, in this case I think the size advantage is with Gilberto Ramirez. He bangs pretty well and will look to rough up Dmitry Bivol, although the stronger technique is definitely something that the World Champion will use to try and control the fight.
The layers are obviously not going to take any chances opposing Bivol after what he did earlier this year, but I think this is going to be very, very close.
His technique and superior Boxing should win out, but easing off the gas will be a bad mistake against Gilberto Ramirez and this is a bout that is likely to be settled on the cards. The latter looks a big price for the upset, but I will be having a watching brief and enjoying what should be a cracking Light Heavyweight World Title fight.
The undercard is a pretty decent one in Abu Dhabi.
A returning Khalid Yafai should have too much for Jerald Paclar- the last time we saw Yafai, he was being stopped by Chocolatito in what was supposed to be his break out fight in February 2020.
It has taken some time for Khalid Yafai to get over that fight, but Roman Gonzalez has shown he has had plenty in the tank and this is a massive step down. Some time will be needed to shake off the ring rust, but Yafai can prove tough enough to break down his man and earn the Stoppage.
His younger brother Gal Yafai is also on the undercard and he can make it three stoppages from three professional fights as he looks to continue his speedy progress up the World Rankings.
Zelfa Barrett is travelling to Abu Dhabi on short notice as he takes Joe Cordina's place in this World Title fight against Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov and the Mancunian will be highly confident of securing the upset.
This is a considerable step up for him though and the short preparation time may not be ideal as he puts his unbeaten record on the line against an opponent who has yet to taste defeat.
Shere Khan hits plenty hard, but Zelfa Barrett does have a win over Kiko Martinez who has gone on to beat Kid Galahad and give Josh Warrington plenty to think about since then.
I don't doubt the toughness of Barrett, but Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov has enough time to break him down in this one to become the full World Champion before defending against Joe Cordina next year.
Jessica McCaskill comes down to the Light Welterweight limit to try and become an Undisputed World Champion in a second weight class, but Chantelle Cameron is going to be a big favourite ahead of this bout.
The British fighter is comfortable at the weight and Chantelle Cameron can open the door to some very big fights if she is able to win.
At 31 years old, Chantelle Cameron is seven years younger than Jessica McCaskill and I do wonder if the American is able to shift the extra pounds and still feel strong at her age.
Since losing to Katie Taylor, Jessica McCaskill has been on a roll and I think she can give Cameron all she can handle. The unbeaten World Champion will be confident and the winner of this one has the additional motivation of perhaps being next in line to face Katie Taylor in the first half of next year.
I can make a case for the older fighter to edge this one, but I think Chantelle Cameron may be more comfortable at the weight and can box to a plan that sees her remain unbeaten and take home all the Belts.
MY PICKS: Khalid Yafai to Win by KO/TKO/DQ @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Gal Yafai to Win by KO/TKO/DQ @ 1.72 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov to Win by KO/TKO/DQ @ 2.50 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Boxing 2022: 33-64, + 5.91 Units (167 Units Staked, + 3.54% Yield)
No comments:
Post a Comment