A closer than anticipated fight took place in Saudi Arabia, although the feeling remains that Tyson Fury was far from his best rather than Francis Ngannou being some sort of world level Heavyweight.
He did better than expected, but the said expectation was pretty low and the feeling is that Ngannou would still come up short if he was to fight any top name that has been bandied about in the aftermath of his Split Decision defeat to Fury.
It will mean any future opponent is unlikely to look past Francis Ngannou and that is going to make things that much more difficult for the former UFC Heavyweight Champion- Eddie Hearn has long spoken about the unknown being a factor for Tyson Fury and that has proven to be the case, even if calls of a 'robbery' feel wide of the mark considering the real robberies Boxing fans have witnessed over the last several months, let alone several years.
Francis Ngannou will get another crack in the ring, which he deserves, and hopefully we all all set on the road to Undisputed in the Heavyweight Division. December 23rd seemed a push, even if Fury had won in a Round, but the gruelling contest last week means that bout with Oleksandr Usyk is now expected to go around February.
Once that date is locked in, it should make things much clearer for those who are hoping to position themselves in World Title fights in 2024- Anthony Joshua is hopefully back soon to keep ticking over in his quest to lure a big name like Deontay Wilder into the ring, but the likes of Zhilei Zhang will hopefully look to build on the momentum earned this year and make sure he is not allowed to become inactive.
It is inactivity that is holding back many in the Division, but the hope is that things will change once the Undisputed World Title and the Belts are locked down for a few months.
The card in Saudi Arabia was decent, although it needed better timing with a long gap between the chief support and the main event.
A Heavyweight night will have given winners, like Martin Bakole, a big platform, but it is up to those victorious fighters to take the momentum forward.
While the crossover card took place in Saudi Arabia, a really good looking Super Featherweight World Title fight was scheduled for Mexico.
O'Shaquie Foster defended his World Title against Rocky Hernandez in stunning fashion- if you have not seen the fight, you need to find it.
The Eleventh Round will win 'Round of the Year' barring something special over the last two months of 2023, while a rematch is something almost all will want to see.
All, but not the winner of the main event in Monaco this weekend when Joe Cordina defends his World Title with the potential Unification with Foster perhaps next on deck. All of a sudden, the Super Featherweight Division looks a good one with Leigh Wood entering and another World Champion in Emanuel Navarrete around, at least for now.
Avoiding an upset will open the door for Cordina to take in those big fights he is demanding, while there is also a couple of cards being run in the United States.
Joe Cordina vs Edward Vazquez
After a couple of big time wins and once again becoming the Super Featherweight IBF World Champion, Joe Cordina would have perhaps hoped for a bigger fight than the one he will be facing on Saturday.
In something of a surprise, Cordina is actually defending his World Title in Monte Carlo, rather than a more logical choice of being in the United Kingdom, most notably in Wales.
The whole feel of this main event is that it is to keep Joe Cordina active and not many will give Edward Vazquez much of a shot at scoring the upset. He has only lost once before, but the American is the naturally smaller man and has only won three of his sixteen professional fights inside the distance.
His power is not going to concern Joe Cordina and the Champion should be able to impose himself in this contest.
Motivation is perhaps going to be the biggest opponent for Cordina this weekend- he has made it clear that the big money spinning fights is the focus and this is not exactly an opponent that is going to have gotten many sitting up and taking notice.
He will have to be aware that an upset would derail a lot of the plans that his promoter may have for him going into 2024, but Joe Cordina is too good for that. Instead the hope for his supporters is that Joe Cordina can round out 2023 with a flashy performance and a statement making win and that has to be the target for the Champion.
Power has been displayed against elite level fighters in his last two wins and there are some big names in and around the 130 pound Division that will be able to give Cordina all he wants in the next twelve to eighteen months. That should keep Joe Cordina invested in producing his best in this fight and the feeling is that the Welshman will be able to break down Edward Vazquez and force a Stoppage at some point through the Twelve Rounds scheduled.
There are some intriguing bouts on the undercard, but the one that looks to have received the majority of attention is the rematch between Ramla Ali and Julissa Alejandra Guzman.
The Mexican upset Ali in devastating fashion when they met in June and it is perhaps a surprise that the latter has chosen to go right back in with her.
Julissa Alejandra Guzman will have taken a lot of confidence from the brutal Stoppage produced and she will feel her power will tell again.
Two minute Rounds and Ten Rounders make it hard to find the time to find those big punches, but Ramla Ali is going to have to be switched on at all times and backing Julissa Alejandra Guzman to find those shots again looks an inviting price.
Some of the bouts organised for cards in the United States may begin to separate the contenders from the pretenders in the Cruiserweight and Heavyweight Divisions.
However, there is also an opportunity to see Raymond Muratalla who returns for the first time since crushing Jeremiah Nakathila in May.
With Devin Haney likely to be leaving the Division, Muratalla could fighting for a World Title in 2024 as long as he can avoid an upset here.
An unbeaten Mexican will be standing across the ring, one who has seventeen Stoppages in eighteen wins, but Diego Nunez has never fought outside of his home country, nor has he beaten anyone of note.
He is unlikely to take a backwards step, but that may leave him open to the big punching ability of Raymond Muratalla who can round of his 2023 with another early night's work before targeting big name opponents early next year.
MY PICKS: Joe Cordina to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 2.10 Bet365 (2 Units)
Julissa Alejandra Guzman to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 3.00 Bet Victor (1 Unit)
Raymond Muratalla to Win Between 1-5 @ 3.75 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Boxing 2023: 53-90, - 18.77 Units (265 Units Staked, - 7.08% Yield)
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