Saturday, 19 April 2025

Boxing Picks 2025- Ben Whittaker vs Liam Cameron II (Sunday 20th April)

One more second was needed for the selection from last weekend to return as a winner and make a serious dent in overcoming the poor start to the season for the Boxing Picks.

However, as a fan of the sport, the feeling is that the Eimantas Stanionis corner did their best for their fighter by pulling him out of the contest at the end of the Sixth Round.

As expected, Jaron Ennis was out to make a statement and he proved too big and, most importantly, too good for the unbeaten Lithuanian who had been put down in the Sixth Round. The reality was that there was no realistic pathway towards winning the bout and so Stanionis can be prepared to fight another day.

Inactivity did not help, but I am not sure it would have made much of a difference against Boots who is the natural successor to Terence Crawford in the Welterweight Division.

We know that Ennis would love to be put in with Crawford, but Bud is preparing for a shot at Super Middleweight against Canelo Alvarez and is simply not coming back down to Welterweight or even Light Middleweight.

This does make it easier for Jaron Ennis to forge his own path and that begins by taking on the remaining two Champions at 147 and then moving into the Light Middleweight Division himself. The size of Ennis suggests he is capable of going up to Middleweight too and there are some big fights out there for even without Terence Crawford.

Firstly he would love to get Brian Norman Jr and Mario Barrios into the ring with him- these really need to happen over the course of the next twelve months and then Ennis can look to move up into the Light Middleweight Division where the hope is that Jermell Charlo will be back having spent time away following his own bid to dethrone Canelo Alvarez.

Both Charlo brothers could be back in the ring over the next few weeks and that will give the 154 and 160 pound Divisions a bit of a boost.

Of course there is the bout with Vergil Ortiz Jr that feels even bigger than if they had taken on that challenge earlier this year, while Tim Tszyu has begun his rebuild.

Make no mistake, the future looks very bright for Boots after a dominant performance and the key is to make sure he does not lose the momentum that he will have earned.


Last weekend's main event was a Unificiation bout in the Welterweight Division, but the focus over the next few days is on UK fighters that want to be in the kinds of fights that Jaron Ennis just had.

On Saturday Dalton Smith takes another step towards his first World Title bout- most expect that to be next as long as he can avoid any slips.

And then on Sunday there is a huge rematch at domestic level when Ben Whittaker and Liam Cameron meet for a second time following a controversial ending to their first fight in Saudi Arabia. Both are decent, if unspectacular, cards and this is the final weekend before all of the build up to the Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn fight taking place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next Saturday.



Ben Whittaker vs Liam Cameron II

The controversial ending to the first fight in Saudi Arabia has set the table for this rematch.

Some felt Ben Whittaker was looking for a way out having perhaps underestimated the tenacity and will to win that Liam Cameron was bringing to the ring on the night. It was clearly not Whittaker's best night in the office, but he could have moved on from Cameron and has to be given some credit for taking the immediate rematch.

Critics may feel that Ben Whittaker had no other choice, but the potential next star in British Boxing has a big chance to make amends and get this career back on track.

A mistake in the contract that was sent to Queensberry and Liam Cameron meant there had been some dispute about number of Rounds set for the fight, but that has finally been cleared up and a Ten Rounder has been agreed.

Liam Cameron has to be respected and he is someone who is willing to dig deep to try and get the best out of his career. He will put in the hard work and Cameron is going to have taken a lot of confidence from the way the first fight was developing, especially as he feels Ben Whittaker did not have much left when the premature conclusion came about.

Things were certainly not going Ben Whittaker's way in October, but the expectation is that he will have learned plenty about the professional game on that day.

While he may not openly be discussing his reasons for the relatively poor performance, Ben Whittaker is with a new team and he should be much better prepared for what is to come. This time he should be patient and not looking to blow past a tough, rugged opponent, and that should see Ben Whittaker's skills come to the fore and lead to a victory to right what he will feel were the wrongs of six months ago.

Liam Cameron's recovery story has made plenty of headlines and he comes across a likeable fighter who should give a good account of himself to create further opportunities.

However, he has come up short against Lyndon Arthur in a Split Decision and The Surgeon may be able to bank the early Rounds with a bit more authority to earn the nod on the cards.


Tyler Denny and Frazer Clarke should both win scheduled Ten Rounders on the day with the former more likely to need the cards and the latter perhaps forcing a late Stoppage as he returns from major surgery.

The best fight on the undercard could be the one between Lee Cutler and Sam Eggington and it does not look easy to call.

You have to believe Cutler will be too fresh for Sam Eggington, but the latter has a habit of ripping up the script unexpectedly and it should be fun for however long this one lasts.


On Saturday evening, Dalton Smith looks to take another step towards bringing a World Title fight to his home town later in the year.

There is so much to like about Smith and his development and he should have too much speed and quality for Mathieu Germain.

The Canadian fighter has won seven in a row, but Germain will know time is running out at 35 years old and so he has perhaps been looking for an opportunity like this one. However, this is a big step up for Mathieu Germain and the feeling is that Dalton Smith will be able to move through the gears and put together another statement making victory before targeting Alberto Puello and his WBC World Title next.

Dalton Smith has shown he can move through the gears pretty quickly when at his best and he can secure another relatively quick Stoppage.


A card being hosted in Sheffield has Yorkshireman Josh Warrington looking to begin one more big run having suggested he was moving into retirement after losing his last contest.

He should have enough to either force a very late Stoppage or a wide points Decision when returning this week, while another Yorkshireman, Josh Padley is back and looking to return to winning ways after losing to Shakur Stevenson earlier this year.

MY PICKS: Ben Whittaker to Win By Decision/Technical Decision @ 1.91 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Dalton Smith to Win Between 1-6 @ 2.10 Bet365 (2 Units)

Boxing 2025: 15-34, - 11.73 Units (59 Units Staked, - 19.88% Yield)

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