At this stage there is little doubt that anyone associated with Benn will ever admit the error made by Conor, but it just doesn't seem right that there is this continued insistence that he is 'innocent' having tried to blame everyone and everything over the last fifteen months.
My feeling has long been that Benn has been serving a ban that Matchroom have not wanted to get into the public light, although the leaks around this case would suggest I am wrong. You would have expected someone to have evidence of a backdated ban having been served if that was the case, and the BBBC have continued to state that Benn has not been fully cleared right now with an appeal over the last outcome set to be heard.
It has been a long, drawn out experience for Conor Benn, which is not fair either, but he will be back this weekend and Eddie Hearn and Matchroom will be hoping that they can push on for the fight with Chris Eubank Jr that was postponed last year.
Chris Eubank Jr is back in business after his win over Liam Smith in a rematch earlier this month and it is up to Joe Joyce to try and do the same to get back on track.
There was a feeling that Eubank Jr's career was on the line in the rematch with Smith and the same can eb said for Joe Joyce. You would struggle to think where he would be able to go at 38 years old with two losses on his resume to Zhilei Zhang, although Joyce has to prove he has learned from the first time around.
The undercard has some decent names on it, but largely in one-sided bouts, while there is also the card in Orlando that will be broadcasted by DAZN.
And a big month is going to be wrapped up next week when Jermell Charlo moves up two Divisions to challenge Canelo Alvarez for the Undisputed Super Middleweight crown with a solid looking undercard to keep things ticking along.
Zhilei Zhang vs Joe Joyce II
It was almost remarkable what we were seeing when these two met earlier in the year- a solid amateur, it was quite surprising to see Joe Joyce move his head very little and be completely bamboozled by the southpaw stance of Zhilei Zhang.
Big Bang could barely miss his left hand and ultimately the lack of head movement cost Joyce as his eye swelled up and forced the doctor's hand as the bout was stopped in the Sixth Round.
Looking back at my pre-fight thoughts ahead of the first bout, I did mention the fast hands that Zhang has, while also speaking about how much Joyce is going to be tested, especially early on. In saying all that, the feeling was the Joe Joyce would begin to take control of the fight after the first Four Rounds and eventually break down his opponent.
I also mentioned that Joe Joyce had come in surprisingly light, but he is much heavier for the rematch and you have to believe the British fighter has been concentrating on getting out of the way of that left hand that caused some much damage when they met in April.
Once again you have to believe that Zhilei Zhang will make a fast start and he will be dangerous early. There were some signs of him slowing down in the Sixth Round when the fight was stopped the first time around, but Joe Joyce can only really have a chance to turn the screw if he has avoided some of the damage that was caused in the initial bout.
The eye injury was a bad one and it is going to be targeted by Big Bang again, but the feeling was that Joe Joyce would have the stamina to outlast him the first time around. With some changes to the game plan, Joyce should show a bit better this time and overcome what was a bad day in the office, especially with a bit more weight that we have been used to seeing Joe Joyce bring into the ring.
You have to give Zhilei Zhang a lot of credit for the way he upset the odds in April, but it does feel like the layers are putting too much stock into that fight. There were a few things that looked off for Joe Joyce and the feeling is that he can follow Chris Eubank Jr in earning revenge for a surprising defeat earlier in the year.
A number of the Queensberry promoted fighters will get a chance to shake off some of the cobwebs on the undercard of the fight to take place at Wembley Arena.
One of those is Zach Parker who returns to the ring for the first time since breaking his hand and having to retire on his stool against John Ryder last November. That meant missing out on a big payday against Canelo Alvarez, while also seeing Parker give up his unbeaten record, but this is a chance to get back on the horse.
He should have too much for Khalid Graidia, but the 40 year old has gone the distance against the likes of Karol Itauma and Dan Azeez in 2023 and will be having his fifth bout of the calendar year.
As strong as the Zach Parker performances had been before the injury suffered against John Ryder, he might need a bit of time to break down Khalid Graidia who has only been Stopped once before in twelve losses.
Coming off an injury, Parker will have to shake off some of the ring rust and Khalid Graidia might be able to show off his veteran wiles by making sure he reaches the scorecards.
It is also good to have Anthony Yarde back out in the ring, although it does feel like he has not built on the momentum from the efforts against Artur Beterbiev as most would have liked. There are some big domestic Light Heavyweight fights that could be arranged after this tick-along bout, but Yarde has proven he deserves to be at World level.
The long lay-off is a bit of a concern, but the hope is Yarde can put a couple more fights on the resume before the end of the calendar year. The question will be how does he move forward after this relatively straight-forward contest- he should really be targeting Dmitry Bivol who has been without a dance partner and with World Titles on the line, especially as most in and around Anthony Yarde look to be tied up for the foreseeable future.
While the DAZN broadcasters will likely be focusing on the return of Conor Benn, the rest of the card in Orlando deserves to be given plenty of respect.
Sandy Ryan is going to be facing Jessica McCaskill in a big World Title fight and some may feel it is coming too soon for the British fighter.
There is no doubt that Jessica McCaskill has the edge in terms of experience, but she has been out of the ring for almost twelve months following a loss to Chantelle Cameron. That was a World Title bid in which the American dropped down a Division to take on Cameron before losing a tight Decision on the cards, but at 39 years old you do have to wonder how much Jessica McCaskill has in the tank.
Sandy Ryan has bounced back from an upset loss and this does feel like a crossroads fight with Ryan improving and McCaskill perhaps having had her best days.
It is a 'pick 'em' contest, but Sandy Ryan can do enough to edge this one on the cards before targeting a domestic Unification against Natasha Jonas.
But talking about the aforementioned Benn, there is going to be a lot of pressure on him on his return to the ring.
In recent years, Matchroom and other promoters in Britain have mistakingly chosen to fight Mexican fighters that have not been well known in the United Kingdom and seen some of their biggest names come unstuck. This is unlikely to be the case on Saturday when Rodolfo Orozco steps in with Conor Benn with the 24 year old Mexican having never fought outside of his own country and with very limited experience of anything near the level he will be going in with in this bout.
A couple of Rounds may be needed to shift the ring rust, but Conor Benn will be asked to look explosive to set up the potential clash with Chris Eubank Jr later this year and he can get this one done in the first half of the scheduled Ten Rounds.
Although I doubt that will leave a good taste in the mouth for many.
MY PICKS: Joe Joyce to Win @ 2.10 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Zach Parker to Win by Decision/Technical Decision @ 3.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Sandy Ryan to Win @ 1.91 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Conor Benn to Win Between 1-5 @ 1.72 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Boxing 2023: 40-74, - 22.72 Units (214 Units Staked, - 10.62% Yield)
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