All eyes are on North London this weekend across the Boxing world, although fans across the pond will have two big cards next weekend, including the shut down of Times Square, which is sadly not open to the wider public.
Canelo Alvarez is back next week too as he makes his debut in Saudi Arabia before likely moving back to the United States to take on Terence Crawford later in the year, assuming he is not upset next Saturday evening.
It has been a disappointing couple of weeks for the Boxing Picks, although things were very close to being significantly different. That is a case of what might have been and the focus now is to turn things around and get the total ticking back towards the black with the selections from the card to come on Saturday.
Credit has to be given to Dalton Smith in continuing his path towards a World Title shot, and he will benefit from having the Rounds in the bank, while Ben Whittaker really did impress with a surprising early finish in the rematch with Liam Cameron.
You could see the pressure valve released at the end of that victory and Ben Whittaker could be in line for another step up in level of opponent when expected to be out in September. Getting his career back on track was very important for Whittaker and it was a solid finish, even if some felt the referee might have been a touch early in stepping in and stopping the fight.
The next opponent could be quite interesting with the balance needed between development, but also not pushing too far ahead too quickly. Ben Whittaker sounds like he would be happy to take on all comers, but fans may still want to see how he handles going deeper into fights and it will be important for his promotion and management team to find someone who can test the relative youngster.
Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn
Two and a half years have passed since Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn were supposed to meet in London.
Just days before they were going to step into the ring, a journalist broke the news that Benn had failed a couple of tests and ultimately the fight had to be cancelled.
There will be plenty of doubters about the Conor Benn story about why he failed his drugs test and this continues to overshadow the contest. Some would love to have seen this narrative buried, but Chris Eubank Jr refuses to play ball and his decision to smash an egg in Benn's face has just sparked a deeper and more personal rivalry.
In reality this was initially a fight built on the legacies that were created by the fathers of each man, and Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn's two fights in the early 1990s continue to be remembered with fondness. Now there is a personal rivalry between the sons with Jr and Conor Benn both making it pretty clear that there is little they like about the other.
No one should confuse this for a fight between two Boxers at the top of their Divisions.
Since returning from the what had been a suspension, Conor Benn has not really impressed and he has been operating way above the 147 pound limit that his promoter continues to point out when suggesting Benn is moving up two weight Divisions. That is simply not the case with Conor Benn last fighting at the Welterweight limit three years ago in April 2022 and questions remain about the failed drugs test because of the struggles in going twenty-two Rounds in earning Decision wins over Rodolfo Orozco and Peter Dobson.
Some of that may be down to moving up against naturally bigger men, but there have to be questions about Conor Benn's power at this weight.
He does look decent enough at the weight, but the inactivity could also be an issue for the unbeaten fighter with so much to prove.
At the same time, you can be critical of Chris Eubank Jr's activity with a single fight last year having failed to follow up the revenge win over Liam Smith in September 2023 as many hoped he would. He may not be everyone's cup of tea, but Eubank Jr is far from a dislikable fighter, although even his biggest supporters would admit that he has perhaps not fulfilled the kind of career that those around him believed he would.
Chris Eubank Jr has been up and down between the Middleweight and Super Middleweight limit and the weight cut and rehydration clause that has been put in place will be testing the 35 year old. The positive news for Eubank Jr is that he has made the Middleweight limit in each of his last four fights, but it is the uncertainty about the rehydration clause that has frustrated Chris Eubank Sr and meant a falling out between father and son.
It is a potentially dangerous spot for Chris Eubank Jr, but this is a dedicated fighter and it would not be a surprise if he made weight on Friday and then decided to ignore the clause in place and accept the fine.
For all the criticism faced by Chris Eubank Jr, he has faced the tougher opponents compared with Conor Benn and has been involved in big World Title fights. Yes, he has come up short in the biggest moments, but Chris Eubank Jr has some very good wins on his resume too and the naturally bigger man should have an edge (even if he does not want people to talk about size, but instead focus on skill).
The defeat to Liam Smith in the manner it came was stunning, but Chris Eubank Jr made amends by beating the Liverpudlian in the rematch and his victory over Kamil Szeremeta last October is solid, if unspectacular, form.
Chris Eubank Jr hits plenty hard and Conor Benn is likely going to want to come out steaming and throwing plenty of leather of his own.
A smaller ring size has been agreed and the feeling is that both men are going to want to fight, rather than box, and that could lead to a fun, entertaining contest for all tuning in on Saturday evening.
It really does feel like it will come down to how much the weight cut has taken from Chris Eubank Jr, especially without being able to refuel as he would like in the hours afterwards. That raises some doubt and Conor Benn looks pretty solid, but the power has not looked as destructive as it was in the fights before the failed drugs test and that is very hard to ignore.
He will come forward and that should create an entertaining evening, but that could also be dangerous if Chris Eubank Jr is near to his top level. Since losing to George Groves back in 2018, Eubank Jr has had nine fights and he has regularly put opponents on the canvas in those.
Stoppage wins in his last two will have given Chris Eubank Jr some momentum and he might be able to come through the early pressure Conor Benn provides to start catching him with big shots as he comes forward. It may see the bigger man pick his shots and start putting enough combinations together to break down Benn and the feeling is that Chris Eubank Jr can push through for a second half Stoppage in this rivalry bout, perhaps the first of two between them this year.
The reality is that the weigh in drama from Friday makes it much more difficult to back that outcome with any real certainty- everything has been designed to drag Chris Eubank Jr down and you can understand why his father has been so disgusted with all around this fight. The rules should have mandated a Middleweight fight without all of the extra clauses about rehydration and amount that can be put on the morning of the fight, especially as this is a non-title bout.
The feeling remains that Eubank Jr may just show his qualities- Conor Benn now has an excuse about weight being missed- but you just hope that both fighters return home without any lasting damage sustained.
This is the first Ring Magazine card that has been put together and they have some big events coming up.
It has been made clear that the events are only considering solid fights from top to bottom and the undercard at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is a decent one.
Opening up with Chris Billam-Smith returning from losing his World Title underlines the point.
The Gentleman considered his future in the sport for a brief moment when losing to Gilberto Ramirez in a pretty one-sided contest, but he is still highly Ranked and a win on Saturday may actually push Billam-Smith in line to fight for the WBC World Title in his next outing.
However, as mentioned, the card is put together by a team that wants to see good fights and Chris Billam-Smith is up against Brandon Glanton who is a top five World Ranked opponent with a couple of the organisations. A Split Decision loss to David Light likely cost Glanton an opportunity to face Lawrence Okolie for a World Title, but he has won his last three fights and all by Stoppage and the 33 year old American is looking for one more opportunity.
You have to mention the fact that those wins have not been against anyone that is of the level of the British fighter and so this is a big step up for Brandon Glanton.
Chris Billam-Smith clearly still speaks with real motivation to win World Titles and his resume is much deeper than the one the opponent brings into the ring. You can perhaps have some concern about how much is left in the tank after the loss to Gilberto Ramirez at the end of a run of tough fights, but the feeling is that Billam-Smith may still have enough to grit through this contest.
Having someone like Shane McGuigan in his corner is a huge help and you have to believe Billam-Smith will be well advised. He will be careful about Brandon Glanton who carries his power as late as it is needed, but Chris Billam-Smith may just show off his own experience at the top level and this could be one of the fights of the night with the former World Champion coming out on top with a Stoppage victory after a back and forth contest.
In December 2024, Cheavon Clarke lost his unbeaten record and was not able to win the vacant European Cruiserweight Title.
He was Knocked Down in the First Round and all credit has to be given to him for managing to hear the final bell at the end of the Twelve Rounds, although he was well beaten on the night and the Split Decision was harsh on his opponent.
The rebuild starts this week and the Arsenal fan is defending the British Cruiserweight Title against an unbeaten Viddal Riley, a Tottenham Hotspur fan who believes it is his destiny to win that Belt in his favourite team's home Stadium.
There has been some uncertainty as to what kind of a professional career that Riley wants, but the win over Mikael Lawal is arguably the best either fighter has produced.
However, it feels like Cheavon Clarke is being overlooked after the defeat last time out and his amateur pedigree should give the underdog, and Champion, the edge. It is something of a surprise that Viddal Riley is such a big favourite and the Champion may just spring the upset thanks to his stronger professional and amateur experience.
Another underdog on the card is Liam Smith and he is ending a run of over eighteen months since he was last in the ring losing to Chris Eubank Jr in their rematch. Last year he was supposed to face Josh Kelly on the Anthony Joshua-Daniel Dubois card at Wembley, but an illness forced a late withdrawal and there are questions about how much is left in the tank.
The same was asked of brother Callum Smith before his upset of Joshua Buatsi earlier in the year and Liam Smith still feels he has enough motivation to end the run of an unbeaten fighter in front of him.
Aaron McKenna has won all nineteen previous fights and is looking to take the next step in his development by getting the better of a former World Champion.
It does feel like a big step upwards in terms of level of opponent, but McKenna will be confident with the belief that he is the naturally bigger man.
Neither is going to need to go looking for the other, but the veteran Liam Smith may still have one more big run in him. He has shown he can upset the odds before with wins over up and comers as well as those of his own generation and Smith may just have the know-how to break down McKenna in this one.
Again, the money has seemingly come in on his opponent, but Liam Smith will not care one jot about that and can push his way to the front of the queue when it comes to World Title shots in what has been an open Division for a long time now.
Finally, the undercard is expected to be rounded off by Anthony Yarde facing Lyndon Arthur for a third time having split two previous bouts.
Just after the Covid pandemic, Lyndon Arthur was able to upset an out-of-sorts Anthony Yarde in December 2020 as he earned the nod on the cards. While excuses are not something that Yarde relies upon, it was clear that he had other things on his mind and the flatness of an occasion without fans did not help the Londoner from really getting down to the task at hand.
The rematch came almost exactly a year after their first fight and this time Anthony Yarde had something to prove with a Fourth Round Stoppage.
Another World Title shot ended in a late Stoppage defeat, this time to Artur Beterbiev, but Anthony Yarde did not capitalise on what many felt was a top performance. A fallout with promoter Frank Warren has not only meant inactivity, but Anthony Yarde has not had the big fights so many expected following that battling loss to what was then considered the best Light-Heavyweight in the world.
Anthony Yarde had two easy enough wins in 2024, but the idea is to produce a statement and then call out some of the top names in the Division. We know the top two are busy, but the likes of Callum Smith and David Benavidez bring great interest, while some will still want to see the Yarde-Joshua Buatsi fight that has long been talked about.
Following the loss to Yarde the second time around, Lyndon Arthur won four fights in a row and took Dmitry Bivol the full Twelve Rounds in a loss to the now Undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion. The Mancunian has had one fight since that defeat in December 2023 when earning a Split Decision win over Liam Cameron in June last year and that inactivity has to be a concern.
He has felt the power that Anthony Yarde has so the game plan for Arthur may be to try and frustrate the favourite, but that feels like it is going to be a tough one to execute with the ring size that has been agreed between the main event fighters.
Keeping away from an Anthony Yarde that comes swinging from the opening bell will be tough and Lyndon Arthur may not have all of the skills he needs to survive much longer than when losing to this opponent in December 2021.
A first half Stoppage looks likely for a second time in a row between these fighters and we may yet have some kind of face off to suggest what Anthony Yarde will be thinking of doing next time out.
MY PICKS: Chris Eubank Jr to Win Between 7-12 @ 6.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Chris Billam-Smith to Win by KO/TKO @ 6.50 Paddy Power (1 Unit)
Cheavon Clarke to Win @ 2.50 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Liam Smith to Win @ 2.37 Bet Victor (1 Unit)
Anthony Yarde to Win Between 1-6 @ 2.62 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Boxing 2025: 15-36, - 15.73 Units (63 Units Staked, - 24.97% Yield)
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