There have been some top nights, but it is clear that Matchroom, Queensberry and Boxxer promotions are all well aware that more nights are needed to keep fans engaged and attending events, especially if there is ever a moment that the Saudi Arabian authorities decide they are going to pull back from the sport.
For now that looks far from the case with another big night planned on Saturday 21st December to round out the year and with the Ring Magazine purchased, while other sources that are important to the sport have had offers, including Boxrec.
Those have been resisted for now, but it is clear there are no immediate plans for Turki Alalshikh to slip behind the scenes.
In fairness to the face of the Saudi promotion, Turki Alalshikh has been able to announce a hugely impressive card for Saturday 22nd February back in Riyadh- it is a card that features three or four fights that could be headline acts alone and with solid support around those, while Alalshikh admitted there are at least two other bouts that had to be removed to just ensure fans are not having to sit down for too long to take it all in.
Those bouts removed will be announced for a March card according to Turki Alalshikh and there are plenty of other big fights that he wants to put together, which can only be good news for fans.
And with Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren both joining forces on DAZN, an announcement for their first quarter fight nights in 2025 are also expected soon, which should only be further positive news.
In reality, by the time the Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury rematch rolls around later this month, the first quarter of the Boxing calendar for 2025 should have a few weekends filled out and there should be much to look forward to.
For now the concentration is on another big weekend with three decent cards across three different parts of the world.
World Titles are on the line, and World eliminators will be fought out and it all begins in the early evening in London before the action shifts to the United States and Puerto Rico.
Emanuel Navarrete vs Oscar Valdez II
There will be plenty of eyes on the main event in San Juan where Liam Paro defends his World Title against Richardson Hitchins, but the layers are not having an easy time separating the two.
In reality, a World Title may be on the line but it looks like a terrible match up and one that is only really designed to set the winner up for a big bout in 2025.
Liam Paro might have a slight edge, and the hope is that he comes through with a more attractive style compared with Richardson Hitchins, although the latter has plenty of attributes that could see him edge this one. My hope is to be pleasantly surprised by the quality of the fight, but it is not one where my expectatons are all that high.
Instead the main focus from the two late cards will be the one that Top Rank have put together.
The headline is a rematch between Emanuel Navarrete and Oscar Valdez and it really feels like a bout where the losing fighter may struggle to determine a good path back to relevancy.
It is easy to make the argument that this World Title bid means more to Oscar Valdez who lost the first fight with Emanuel Navarrete without really putting a dent in the Champion. The defeat was the second in three fights for Oscar Valdez against truly world class opponents, but he bounced back with a Stoppage of Liam Wilson earlier this season to earn a second crack at the WBO World Title.
Since that win, things have not been the same for Emanuel Navarrete, which has perhaps made this rematch a bit more intriguing considering the strong win he had in the first bout in August 2023.
A Majority Decision draw with Robson Conceicao to retain his title was followed by a very tight defeat to Denys Berinchyk in the Lightweight Division, which has forced Navarrete back to the Super Featherweight Ranks.
It was a poor night for Emanuel Navarrete and there is a concern that the miles on the clock have added up and perhaps put him on the decline in his career. Going back down to 130 Pounds will help, and Navarrete has admitted has work to do in order to improve his technique.
There is also a feeling that Emanuel Navarrete needs to work harder to achieve what he wants, but the power that did not carry up to Lightweight should be much more telling back at Super Featherweight. Some have suggested that ha had not put in the kind of effort you would expect in training camp, but a loss should just refocus the defending Champion and he might be all the better for that.
In their first meeting, Emanuel Navarrete took away some of the Oscar Valdez heart and a hand injury perhaps hindered his chances of pushing through and eventually Stopping the challenger who has come up in weight.
Oscar Valdez is definitely on the back nine of his own career and we will learn how much he still wants it when he has to come through some stormy moments.
The feeling is that Emanuel Navarrete has a bit more in the tank and his extra power should start to break down Oscar Valdez, whose time at this level feels much closer to the end than the Champion. He was getting a little beaten up in the first meeting and that was against a Navarrete with an injured hand with the suggestion that this time the power is a bit more telling and can force a Stoppage in the final quarter of the contest.
The co-main event on this card is another rematch when Rafael Espinoza defends his WBO World Featherweight Title against Robeisy Ramirez.
The defending Champion won the World Title in an upset of Ramirez almost exactly twelve months ago and Rafael Espinoza is tall and awkward for this Division. However, that has led to some suggestions that the unbeaten fighter is thinking of moving up to Super Featherweight and could have potentially had some issues making weight.
His work ethic saw Espinoza overcome a Fifth Round Knock Down and later put Robeisy Ramirez on the floor in taking a Split Decision win.
The former Champion has stated that he was not ready for the first fight and Robeisy Ramirez was perhaps looking past Rafael Espinoza at potentially bigger bouts that could have been ahead. Boxing is a sport where losing focus can end up with a real punishment and Ramirez will be very keen to make up for the defeat.
He can redeem himself, even set as the underdog and Rafael Espinoza's suggestion that he needs to move up in weight after this one could mean the body work is where the title can be reclaimed by Robeisy Ramirez.
The Cuban had Rafael Espinoza hurt the first time around, and the extra focus for this remaatch should see Robeisy Ramirez bounce back and reclaim his World Title with an impressive performance.
Over in London, Frank Warren and Queensberry Promotions have put together another of their 'Magnificent Seven' cards and there are a host of their potential stars in the making on show.
The headliner is a WBO World Title eliminator and there is a real feeling that Warren is hoping to set up a huge Unification between two British fighters at the back end of 2025 if the names on his roster can bring home World Titles over the next six months.
There is a decent undercard, which is expected, and the return of Lawrence Okolie under a third different promotional banner is intriguing, if only because the former Cruiserweight and Bridgerweight Champion has now officially entered the Heavyweight ranks.
It is tough to really have great expectations of Okolie in this Division, but he should get some big opportunities to prove a lot of people wrong over the next year.
He has come in very heavy, but should have too much for Hussein Muhamed and likely gets the job done before the second half of the fight.
Another Heavyweight is making a return from a fourteen month layoff (even though it feels a lot longer than that) and David Adeleye is looking to bounce back from the one-sided loss to Fabian Wardley in October 2023. He is with a new trainer now, Adam Booth, but Adeleye is not going to be entering a tune up.
Instead it is unbeaten Solomon Dacres in front of Adeleye, but the feeling is that the latter's power edge will prove to be telling.
Big things are expected of Sam Noakes who is in the chief support position on the card and he continues his progression towards the World level.
He has earned plenty of experience from his last two fights at European level and he is the naturally bigger man compared with Ryan Walsh, who has veteran experience and will feel he has nothing to lose as the B side.
However, it is far from ideal preparation to have just five Rounds under the belt since March 2022 and Ryan Walsh's record of never being Stopped in a professional ring will be under serious threat.
In reality, Ryan Walsh is unlikely to have been hit as hard and consistently as he will when facing Sam Noakes and this could be a real statement performance in an impressive 135 Pound Division.
The main event was mentioned above and both Denzel Bentley and Bradley Pauls have a massive opportunity in front of them with the winner becoming mandatory for the WBO World Title held by Janibek Alimkhanuly.
This is a rematch that Bentley has wanted ever since pushing the Champion to a defeat on the cards, but his stock dipped after losing his British Title to Nathan Heaney.
While trying not to make excuses, Denzel Bentley has made it clear that all was not right on that night and he has won two fights in a row to earn this opportunity to regain the British Title that was lost.
It is Bradley Pauls who holds it after beating Nathan Heaney in a Twelfth Round Stoppage in a rematch of a controversial draw between the two. Credit has to be given to Bradley Pauls after bouncing back from the defeat to Tyler Denny, but there is a feeling that Denzel Bentley at his best is a significant step up from the level of Pauls, Heaney and Denny.
The Londoner can be frustrated at times depending on the style, but this main event looks like it will mesh pretty well with Pauls looking to come forward.
Ultimately that could lead to his downfall against someone who hits very hard like Denzel Bentley and the feeling is that the former Champion can earn the British Title again and then push for the rematch with Alimkhanuly in the first half of 2025 with the hope that eventually there could be a Unification against Hamzah Sheeraz to be arranged.
MY PICKS: Emanuel Navarrete to Win by KO/TKO @ 3.75 Paddy Power (1 Unit)
Robeisy Ramirez to Win by KO/TKO @ 4.50 William Hill (1 Unit)
Lawrence Okolie to Win Between 1-5 @ 1.80 Sky Bet (2 Units)
David Adeleye to Win by KO/TKO @ 2.50 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Sam Noakes to Win Between 1-6 @ 4.00 Paddy Power (1 Unit)
Denzel Bentley to Win By KO/TKO @ 2.62 Bet Fred (1 Unit)
Boxing 2024: 31-58, + 5.74 Units (115 Units Staked, + 4.99% Yield)
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