Both events are taking place in London and it is the Queensberry card headed up by Hamzah Sheeraz and Liam Williams which is going to potentially take a young star to the next level. That will be the hope, but Williams will know that this is his last chance to try and get back into the mix with the elite fighters at Middleweight having come up short previously.
A number of young fighters are hoping to show they are ready for the next step in their careers, but overlooking opponents can cause a slip and that can slow down any progress being made.
While these fights are not of the level we were hoping to see next week, they are solid events and will certainly have fans tuning in to see how prospects are developing.
Hamzah Sheeraz vs Liam Williams
There are a couple of young prospects coming through who were born in Slough, but Hamzah Sheeraz fights out of East London rather than his birthplace like Adam Azim.
Last weekend Azim continued his rise and this weekend it is Hamzah Sheeraz who gets the chance to impress as he continues pushing up the Middleweight Rankings.
He was fortunate to get away with some foul play against Bradley Skeete in 2021, but that was a fight at Light Middleweight and Sheeraz clearly felt his best would be seen at the Division above. The move has been rewarded with four straight wins and there is no doubt that he has looked very strong as he continues to grow into his body.
This is another step up for Hamzah Sheeraz as he goes up against Liam Williams, who has fought for a World Title previously.
It is a last chance opportunity for Liam Williams who suffered back to back defeats to Demetrius Andrade and Chris Eubank Jr and the Welshman has had just three Rounds in the last two years. The defeat to Andrade was spirited, but Liam Williams was dropped four times by Chris Eubank Jr and there are clear questions about his punch resistance ahead of a bout with an opponent who hits very hard.
Nobody has heard the bell for the Sixth Round against Hamzah Sheeraz since he moved into the Middleweight Division.
This is the toughest test Sheeraz will have had in the weight class, but the feeling is that Liam Williams has been selected at a time when the belief is that his best days are behind him and the resistance may not be anywhere near it once was.
Unlike Chris Eubank Jr or Demetrius Andrade, it is unlikely that a young, hungry, fresher fighter is going to take a backwards step if he has Williams in trouble. With the power that Hamzah Sheeraz continues to display, this feels like an opportunity for him to really make a statement as he moves closer to the mandatory position in both the WBO and WBC organisations.
There is a real belief behind Hamzah Sheeraz and how far he can go as a professional and he looks to be in the right Division with the void at the top of the Middleweight Rankings. Janibek AlimKhanuly looks to be the man to beat, but Queensberry have seen him at close hand when Denzel Bentley faced him and there is a confidence that Sheeraz is the man that can unseat the Unified Champion in the next eighteen months.
Winning impressively will give Hamzah Sheeraz an opportunity to call out some of the bigger names in the Division and he has the power to get the better of a veteran that should not be that hard to find.
Inactivity is always a disappointment to see and that has to be the only negative against Anthony Yarde who has shown he is capable of mixing with the very best in the Light Heavyweight Division.
However, he has not really backed up his position after pushing Artur Beterbiev harder than most and this is only his second fight in thirteen months since that great effort.
Bigger fights are on the horizon if reports are to be believed- both Callum Smith and Joshua Buatsi have been linked with Yarde- and he should be able to win this very early against an opponent who has mixed in the Super Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Divisions. There is a big gap for Marko Nikolic to bridge and that looks incredibly unlikely against a big hitting opponent.
Masood Abdulah should have too much for Qais Ashfaq in a scheduled Ten Rounder and the former has shown he has Stoppage power since turning pro.
Of course Ashfaq has shown his own amateur pedigree as a pro, but he has not been able to hold a shot and Abdulah could finish this without the judges to really make a statement to domestic rivals.
There is also a big fight at the domestic level between Sam Noakes and Lewis Sylvester and both bring unbeaten records into the contest.
Headlines will be made by someone who is continuing to stop opponents as Noakes has been doing, but he will be aware of the qualities that Lewis Sylvester will bring to the ring.
Expect a lot of movement from the underdog, but Sam Noakes has shown he has the punch power to break through opponents and he can finish this one before halfway and then turn his attention to the some of the biggest domestic names in the Division.
The Matchroom card being put out this weekend is not quite up to the same level as the Queensberry one, but Craig Richards is making a long awaited return to the ring.
He should be able to beat Boris Crighton and shake off some ring rust as Spider tries to get back into the mix in the thriving Light Heavyweight Division. Solid performances against Dmitry Bivol and Joshua Buatsi have not been built upon as Craig Richards should have done, but a return early in 2024 should mean a lot more activity from him going forward.
The headliner is Reece Belotti taking on unbeaten Liam Dillon and it feels like the last chance for the former to really fulfil the kind of potential many believed he had.
Three wins in a row offers him a chance to add the British Title to his Commonwealth Featherweight Belt and Reece Belotti is the favourite after beating an unbeaten opponent in his last fight.
Liam Dillon has had a couple of tight wins and may not have the pop to keep Belotti from trucking forward.
It should be a decent main event and the chance for Reece Belotti to put together enough punches to force a Stoppage.
MY PICKS: Hamzah Sheeraz to Win Between 1-6 @ 3.75 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Anthony Yarde to Win Between 1-2 @ 2.20 Coral (2 Units)
Masood Abdulah to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 1.66 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Sam Noakes to Win Between 1-6 @ 2.87 William Hill (2 Units)
Reece Belotti to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 2.87 Bet365 (2 Units)
Boxing 2024: 5-9, + 0.81 Units (21 Units Staked, + 3.88% Yield)
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