Since that evening, reports have now come out that the Saudi Arabian authorities will be looking to make a big bid to bring the various promoters under the same banner and create a 'League' which is rumoured to be similar to the UFC model.
It will be interesting to see how the various organisations take to the suggestion/idea and that is because each Division would now likely have a single Champion with the top contenders fighting one another to be in line to knock off the king, very much like what we see in the UFC. It would mean fighters are matched up in very competitive outings, although I do wonder how the development of young, up and coming Boxers would be handled.
Perhaps those developments continue in the manner they have been for years and once a fighter hits a certain level, they are then invited into the Saudi League where they can look to be come the Champion within their Division. This is something that may be more explained when the actual model and format comes out, which could be as soon as the end of the month when a card at Wembley is expected to be announced with a full press conference too.
After a relatively quiet weekend, we have a couple of big shows in the United States that follow a decent Saturday night card put together by Boxxer on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom.
It is a shame that the rumoured Anthony Yarde vs Joshua Buatsi headliner could not be signed off, but there are some big names out on Saturday and fighters who will likely be targeted for solid fights under the Saudi banner in the weeks and months ahead.
Gervonta Davis vs Frank Martin
It has been fourteen months since Gervonta Davis finished Ryan Garcia and there is little doubt that Tank is one of the top American Boxing names out there. He is very much at the forefront of the mind of many Boxing fans and the only real criticism you could have of Davis is that he is not a bit more active.
Gervonta Davis has won a World Title in the Light Welterweight Division, but he has mainly been spending his time in the Lightweight Division in recent times.
While a match up with Devin Haney has yet to materialise, and may not be on the radar after his controversial defeat to Ryan Garcia, there are names like Shakur Stevenson and Vasyl Lomachenko holding World Titles in the Division and the hope is that Davis will look to chase those bouts if he can get through this one.
This weekend Gervonta Davis is facing unbeaten Frank Martin who only fought once in 2023 and who needed a Twelfth Round Knock Down to secure a narrow win on the cards. Frank Martin himself has admitted he was not at his best against Artem Harutyunyan last July and he believes that performance has provided this opportunity, while the American has taken unbeaten records away from his last two opponents.
However, those have not been against someone with the power and quality of Gervonta Davis and the feeling is that Frank Martin does not hit with enough force to deter Tank from walking him down.
Early on the feeling is that Martin can use his skills to give Gervonta Davis something to think about, but we have seen Tank make the in-fight adjustments and that has seen him find a way to break down opponents.
With the power in the punches, Gervonta Davis is dangerous throughout this fight, but he did need to get into the second half of the bout to earn his last two wins. Rolly Romero lasted until the Sixth Round before Davis was able to find the punch to finish that contest, and it is going to be tough for The Ghost to steer clear of the Champion's shots as the bout moves into the Championship Rounds.
Gervonta Davis did put Ryan Garcia down in the Second Round and it feels like Frank Martin could be deterred pretty early and slowly broken down. Much will depend on the kind of punishment that Martin could be willing to take, but the expectation is that Tank will finish this before the judges are needed.
A really good looking Light Heavyweight fight takes place on the undercard when Mexican Monster David Benavidez takes on former World Champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk.
Before Oleksandr Usyk and Vasyl Lomachenko became World Champions and pound for pound entrants, Gvozdyk beat Adonis Stevenson to become the WBC Champion in the Division. Eventually he ran into the buzzsaw called Artur Beterbiev and the Ukrainian was broken down and beaten in the Tenth Round before heading into retirement.
Four years passed and Oleksandr Gvozdyk returned in 2023 to win three fights in a row, albeit at a lower level than facing someone like David Benavidez, even if the latter is moving up in weight.
David Benavidez has been trying to tempt Canelo Alvarez into an Undisputed Fight in the Super Middleweight Division, and produced some big wins in order to do that, but Canelo seemingly has little interest in the bout. Even the hope that the Saudi Arabians will put in the money to bring that event together is looking weak with the ideas put forward by Turki Alalshikh for the two fighters involving different names.
Instead of sitting and waiting for an opportunity, David Benavidez has chosen to step up in weight and a win over the former World Champion might see him in line to face the winner of the upcoming Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol Undisputed Fight.
This is far from an easy fight, but the feeling is that Benavidez can come through some tough moments and just have too much youth for The Nail at 37 years old.
Both hit very hard and it could be a really good fight for the fans, while the toughness of both cannot be underestimated.
Eventually I can see a situation where David Benavidez has more in the gas tank and begins to tee off on Oleksandr Gvozdyk and that may force the referee or the corner to step in and protect the former Champion. The Nail does hit hard, but Benavidez may end up forcing the Stoppage in the second half of this very good chief support.
There is some excitement in the Light Welterweight Division with some solid fights to be made, but the focus for Subriel Matias is to retain his IBF World Title before targeting some of the other Champions.
Teofimo Lopez, Devin Haney and Isaac Cruz are the other Champions within the Division, but Matias has to focus on the Challenger in front of him and avoid any slips.
He will be backed by the home Puerto Rico support when taking on Liam Paro, an unbeaten Australian fighter who upset Montana Love in December.
Boxers representing Australia have shown plenty of toughness and grit, but this is a huge test for Liam Paro to stand up to the power that has been displayed by Subriel Matias.
The Champion avenged his sole loss with a Stoppage and Subriel Matias has shown his dominance by forcing Retirements from his last two opponents after Five and Six Rounds respectively.
Liam Paro has shown enough to believe he can at least pose some threat, but keeping Subriel Matias off him will be tough and the feeling is that the Champion can give the home fans plenty to smile about with another mid-fight ending.
Over in the United Kingdom, Chris Billam-Smith and Richard Riakporhe meet in a rematch, but this time with a World Title on the line rather than both being up and coming prospects.
The layers are favouring a repeat with the Challenger becoming the new World Champion, and that does feel like the right fighter to back.
Chris Billam-Smith has plenty of wear and tear on him and that is perhaps going to be a factor in this one, although he is gritty and determined and that has to be respected.
We have seen the power that Richard Riakporhe carries, while the win on the cards over Billam-Smith will still give him confidence if this fight reaches the Championship Rounds.
It is a tough one to call with any certainty and the prices for a Riakporhe win in any fashion looks short enough to be left alone.
Isaac Chamberlain is going in with Jack Massey on the undercard after his original opponent withdrew, but this looks a tough test for him.
And we also have a surprising rivalry bout when Ben Whittaker returns- his opponent gatecrashed a presser earlier in the year to force his way into the picture.
We really don't know much about Eworitse Ezra Arenyeka.
He is unbeaten, but he has fought in multiple different countries and this is only his second fight in the UK, despite being a resident here.
There is clearly some irritation from Ben Whittaker that someone has been able to sign a fight with him without really 'deserving' it, and the feeling is that a spiteful performance could be produced by a boxer who will also looking to create a show for the fans.
MY PICKS: Gervonta Davis to Win Between 7-12 @ 2.62 William Hill (1 Unit)
David Benavidez to Win Between 7-12 @ 2.80 William Hill (1 Unit)
Subriel Matias to Win Between 5-8 @ 3.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Subriel Matias to Win Between 5-8 @ 3.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Ben Whittaker to Win Between 1-5 @ 2.10 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Boxing 2024: 23-38, + 13.42 Units (84 Units Staked, + 15.98% Yield)
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