Boxing Picks 2023- Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou (October 28th)

The rumours continue to swirl that we may yet have an announcement for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship fight to take place at the end of 2023, but before that Tyson Fury, the WBC Champion, will be taking part in an exhibition against a novice opponent who was a King in the Octagon.

These crossover fights are appealing to some, but the reality is that something crazy will have to happen for Fury to lose.

Most important is to avoid any injury that would delay the bout with Oleksandr Usyk into 2024 and that will be at the forefront of all associated with putting that Undisputed Heavyweight Fight together.

It is a decent enough undercard to the main event with some solid Heavyweight action- some of the fighters will be looking to get into World Title fights within the next twelve months, while others are rebuilding and there is a big bout at domestic level between two unbeaten fighters looking to grow while the top names fight it out for the World Titles.

We are a week on from a couple of decent, if unspectacular cards, and you cannot help feel that Jack Catterall failed to really impose himself on Jorge Linares, a veteran who clearly had one foot in retirement before the fight. It looked like a showcase fight for Catterall, but Eddie Hearn has to be wondering how he can position a fighter that has a less than fan-friendly style and who doesn't have a World Title to at least entice others to step into the ring with him.

The rematch with Josh Taylor perhaps makes best sense for both the former Undisputed Light Welterweight Champion and Jack Catterall with the easy build we would have. A catchweight of around 143 pounds would make sense for both and that might be the best avenue to explore after a less than impressive time for either fighter since their first meeting in the ring last year.

Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou

It says plenty that we have yet to really be given clear indication whether the main event in Saudi Arabia is a professional fight or an exhibition.

To make things that much more murky, the Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou fight will not be taking place in the same ring as those competing on the undercard. A part of the reason is that there are other events taking place in the 'main' Arena before Fury and Ngannou head out, but it again raises some questions as to how 'competitive' this one is going to be.

Without the signed fight against Oleksandr Usyk in place, you would imagine that Tyson Fury would approach this with plenty of show-business behind him as he did on his return from a long lay off. Even between the Deontay Wilder fights, Tyson Fury would take on relatively easy touches and spend as much time preparing the show to get to the ring as he would in preparing for his opponent.

More has to be expected in Saudi Arabia, but the potential for the Usyk fight to land in December, just eight weeks after this fight, means Tyson Fury should be more focused and looking to make a statement.

The reality is that this fight is going to go as far and long as Tyson Fury wants.

Francis Ngannou deserves the money he is making and you cannot begrudge him that considering the hard route taken to become UFC Heavyweight Champion before he walked away from the company. It still feels like he will have a route back to that company in the months ahead, even after Jon Jones picked up a serious injury, but you also have to accept that Francis Ngannou is a complete novice when it comes to boxing at this level.

Some of the names on the Tyson Fury resume have been criticised by his naysayers, but Francis Ngannou would be an underdog against most of them and the nuances of this discipline will mean anything other than a Fury win would be a surprise.

Will he want to go Rounds and give the fans a bit of entertainment? Or does Tyson Fury have a look in the First Round and quickly move through the gears to make sure he is not leaving anything to chance to scupper that Undisputed Heavyweight Fight that could take place before the end of the year?

My feeling has to be with the latter and the Heavyweights will find it much harder to carry one another like Floyd Mayweather seemingly did against Conor McGregor.

Tyson Fury was able to keep Dereck Chisora going into the Tenth Round, but he has beaten the likes of Sefer Seferi, Tom Schwarz and Dillian Whyte much more quickly than that. He won't harbour too many ill-feelings towards Ngannou, but Fury will likely know that he cannot risk any cut or injury that pushes back the fight with Usyk and the feeling is that he quickly turns on the style to win this one relatively early.

A Heavyweight undercard has been put together, which should provide some entertainment for those tuning in for more than the crossover bout at the top of the card.

One of the big prospects in British Boxing has a chance to showcase his talent to a wider audience and Moses Itauma is expected to make full use of that. He is in with an opponent who was Stopped by a journeyman in his last fight, almost a year ago, and Itauma should quickly make his power tell.

There was a time when Carlos Takam was plenty resilient and capable of testing fighters, while he is in off an upset of Tony Yoka. However, Martin Bakole cannot continue to call out the big names if he cannot win a fight like this one in impressive style.

You have to say that Bakole has been guilty of not really backing up his own upset of a then unbeaten Yoka, while the almost 300 pounds he weighed in at is a concern. In saying that, Martin Bakole has carried plenty of weight and kept the punches going in recent bouts and the feeling is he can 'Joe Joyce' Takam into submission.

One of the fighters that will back up the Carlos Takam resiliency is Arslanbek Makhmudov who is 17-0 with sixteen Stoppages and the only exception being the Decision win over Takam. He has had a couple of early nights since the Decision win against Carlos Takam and Arslanbek Makhmudov is expected to have another.

And former World Champion Joseph Parker should be able to showcase some of the 'mongrel' in a shoot out with Simon Kean.

Finally we get to the chief support on the undercard where the British Heavyweight Title is on the line as Fabio Wardley and David Adelaye finally get to meet in the ring.

It has been a feisty build up between two unbeaten fighters hoping to win on a big platform and use that to move closer to World level over the next twelve to eighteen months.

Both have combined to win all twenty-eight professional fights and twenty-six have been inside the distance.

You have to feel that Wardley is further along in his development compared with Adelaye, but the Challenger is plenty confident. There has also been some signs of vulnerability when Fabio Wardley has fought and it would be a real surprise if this doesn't catch fire pretty quickly.

David Adelaye has to know that Wardley has looked vulnerable early, but the former has also shown he can be hurt and this could be a fun fight with some Knock Downs and a first half finish, either way, looks very likely.

Over in Mexico, Matchroom are putting on a card where the winner of the main event could soon be tempted to head over to the United Kingdom for a Unification with Joe Cordina.

It is the undercard of interest with Justis Huni expected to show there are other Australian talents coming through. The Heavyweight is facing Andrew Tabiti, who had been out of the ring for fourteen months and only in his second fight in the Division having moved up Cruiserweight.

You have to believe that more is expected from Huni having needed the cards in his last couple of outings and Tabiti was Stopped in his sole previous defeat. The naturally bigger man has enough Rounds to force a Stoppage in this one as Matchroom continues to build talent from Down Under before organising a big card for the home fans in Australia.

MY PICKS: Tyson Fury to Win Between 1-5 @ 2.50 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Moses Itauma to Win Between 1-2 @ 2.20 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Martin Bakole to Win By KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 1.95 Bet365 (2 Units)

Arslanbek Makhmudov to Win Between 1-2 @ 2.00 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Joseph Parker to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 1.80 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Fabio Wardley-David Adelaye to End Between 1-6 @ 2.37 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Justis Huni to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 1.72 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Boxing 2023: 49-87, - 20.37 Units (251 Units Staked, - 8.12% Yield) 

Boxing Picks 2023- Anthony Joshua vs Jermaine Franklin (April 1st)

The build up had been fantastic and the actual fight did not let us down, even if the refereeing was questionable to say the least.

Kenny Bayless aside, Caleb Plant and David Benavidez gave the fans what they wanted to see and there is no doubt that Benavidez deserves his shot at the Undisputed Super Middleweight crown. I am not sure he will get that opportunity next with the suggestion that Canelo Alvarez is going into a rematch with Dmitry Bivol later this year, but a Canelo vs Benavidez clash for Cinco de Mayo in 2024 looks like it could be a huge event.

I think Caleb Plant can come back too, despite losses to Canelo and Benavidez, but it was a tough loss and it will not be easy to overcome. He seems like a man with a lot of self-confidence though and I do think we will see Plant back in with some big names and especially if the World Titles end up fracturing over the next twelve months.

Seeing Jose Carlos Ramirez win his eliminator was all well and good, but I do hope he is now going to push for the shot at Regis Prograis... I won't be holding my breath having turned down that opportunity on a couple of occasions already.

In the UK, it is not going to be a big surprise to anyone that Lawrence Okolie was criticised in a number of quarters after a less than impressive win over David Light, but I think it is the Okolie style that can lead to these kind of fights. He can be very good on his best day, but I do think inactivity contributed to the performance and I am expecting a lot better with some big tests to come in the Cruiserweight Division before what feels an inevitable move up to the Heavyweight Division.

Th Undisputed Heavyweight clash has fallen apart, but we do have one of the top Heavyweights returning after back to back losses to Oleksandr Usyk.

Anthony Joshua headlines back in the O2 Arena on Saturday evening in London and that is the headline fight of the week.

A Friday night offering featuring a Eubank will draw some eyes, and in the United States there is an headline bout that will have the vacant WBO World Title on the line.

An up and down run for the Boxing Picks last week ended with a slight losing record, although the overall numbers for 2023 have just about remained in the black. The three 'two unit' selections all lost, but Ramirez securing a late Stoppage prevented it from being a really bad day and we will move on into the busy April schedule featuring some big names and the Super Fight between Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia.

Anthony Joshua vs Jermaine Franklin

You are never going to be too far from being criticised by those who live to watch you fall, especially if you're an elite athlete in the limelight.

Anthony Joshua will have always known that was possible ahead of his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk and losing a narrow Decision to one of the best Boxers in the world was not going to be good enough. I thought he made some decent adjustments between the two fights with Usyk, but I also thought the Unified Heavyweight Champion was the stronger performer down the stretch and deserved his win.

I am not that surprised that people are going to question Joshua's motivation as he prepares to return this weekend- however, I do think there is plenty to get your teeth stuck into in a vibrant Division where fans will be clamouring to see Anthony Joshua in the ring with Joe Joyce, Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury, with or without the World Titles.

Becoming a three time World Champion would place his name amongst some of the greats, even if this is the age of the fractured World Title.

All of the above could come crashing down if Anthony Joshua is beaten on Saturday, but I like the decision he made to join up with Derrick James and heading out of his comfort zone to train in Texas will do him the world of good. In Texas no one is going to really care too much about a Heavyweight from Britain and I do think Anthony Joshua will be able to work on his craft under the tutelage of a top trainer and amongst some top Boxers.

I expect to see all of that on Saturday and I do think Anthony Joshua will do what many expected Dillian Whyte to do when he faced Jermaine Franklin last November.

The then unbeaten American came over with little support, but Jermaine Franklin impressed against Whyte and might have been unfortunate to not head back Stateside with a Decision win in his pocket. Jermaine Franklin looks in better shape now than he did, but I think the comparisons to Andy Ruiz Jr are overplayed and the performance against Dillian Whyte is not one that massively raises his stock in my eyes.

I do have a lot of time for Jermaine Franklin- he is a really nice guy and I do wish him the best.

But I think he is standing in front of a caged lion this weekend and Anthony Joshua is bigger, stronger and much more likely to test Franklin's resolve than Dillian Whyte.

Wins over Rydell Booker and Jerry Forrest are pretty solid, but Jermaine Franklin is going to have to show something more to keep Anthony Joshua from getting on top of him.

This does feel like a fight that Matchroom have put together to make Anthony Joshua look good and the Jermaine Franklin performance against Dillian Whyte made him an easy choice for the 'comeback' to begin. It makes it easy to create the narrative around the size of the challenge, but Anthony Joshua can make a big statement and pretty early in this scheduled Twelve Rounder.

You could argue that this is Joshua's 'easiest' fight since 2016 when he drilled Eric Molina- the early Knock Outs have gone since then, but that is not surprising when you think of the kind of names he has fought and I think we well get an 'old' performance from AJ. He hurt Kubrat Pulev early in his win over the Bulgarian in 2020 and also put down Andy Ruiz Jr in the Third Round before everything fell apart in that first fight at Madison Square Garden almost four years ago.

I expect him to hurt Franklin early too, but I am not sure the American will have the same resolve to get through the difficult moments with Anthony Joshua now working with a trainer who will be pushing for the statement win.

There are a number of young, up and coming fighters on the undercard and many of them have already spoken about the honour of being on an Anthony Joshua card.

Promoters are always on the look out for the next big star and Eddie Hearn will be hoping that some of his younger talent can continue their development and try and 'steal the show' in London.

I do think the card could have been stronger, but injury and illness have forced Felix Cash and Craig Richards from performing.

It is a shame, but there are still some decent fighters on the cards in bouts where they will be expected to impress.

Campbell Hatton has a lot to live up to as he continues his development in the professional ranks, but no one is rushing him right now. Ricky's son is unbeaten in ten fights and has been on cards in Gibraltar, Spain and the Middle East as well as a number of UK events, although the lack of Stoppages is perhaps a concern.

He is a prospect and this is a learning curve, but I do think Hatton has an opponent on this undercard who can be beaten inside the distance as Campbell Hatton prepares for his first Eight Rounder. Louis Fielding has been Stopped four times in his seven defeats and some of those defeats have been against Boxers that have not displayed a huge KO ratio from their previous wins, much like Hatton.

Another young, developing professional on the undercard is John Hedges and the Light Heavyweight can end the resistance of Daniel Bocianski inside the scheduled Eight Rounds.

At 20 years old, Hedges is still growing into his body and his power will likely come, while he is facing an opponent who has been Stopped once before and who was put down by Tommy Fury in the Fifth Round in their Sixth Rounder that ended with a Decision win for Tyson's younger brother.

John Hedges may feel he is further along than Tommy Fury and his two Stoppage wins have occurred in the last three fights he has had, perhaps another sign that he is growing into his body.

Daniel Bocianski will give it a go, but that may work in favour of Hedges who can secure an early Stoppage in this one.

I am also expecting a relatively early night for Galal Yafai who was supposed to be fighting on Matchroom's card next week, but has had his fight brought forward after Felix Cash was taken ill.

The change should not affect Yafai as much as Moises Calleros, who would have been preparing for this bout to take place in San Antonio. The late decision means having to travel to the United Kingdom and Calleros was well beaten when facing Julio Cesar Martinez three years ago.

The Mexican has won three fights in a row since then, but those have been at a lower level and I think Galal Yafai will have too much for him. The difference in level should be evident pretty quickly and I do think the change in venue is likely going to be a big factor in how quickly this one is entered into the books.

Any fighter coming out of Mexico has to be respected, and we have had some major upsets from Boxers coming over to the UK from that nation. However, Moises Calleros has been Stopped four times and a couple of those have been early, including the loss to Martinez, and I think Galal Yafai can get this one done within the first half of the fight.

A similar outcome is expected from both Fabian Wardley and Austin 'Ammo' Williams.

The latter is setting himself up for a big grudge bout with Felix Cash later in the year, and I think he can get back to Stopping opponents having needed the cards in each of his last two wins.

This time he is up against River Wilson-Bent, which is a step down from the last two opponents and it feels like he has been picked to make Williams look strong. Hamzah Sheeraz beat Wilson-Bent in Two Rounds and I don't think the Coventry fighter will have the pop to keep Austin Williams from getting on top of him early in this one.

Fabian Wardley may have things a little tougher against Michael Polite Coffie, but I still think he will win this contest before we get into the second half of the fight. Fourteen straight Stoppages have given Wardley momentum and he could soon be in a major domestic fight to prove he should move to the next level, while Polite Coffie has lost three of his last four and is a late notice replacement.

The American was once considered a real prospect, but he is 36 years old and he has been out of the ring for almost a full twelve months. Michael Polite Coffie is likely going to give this a go and Fabian Wardley has shown his defences need tightening up, although those vulnerabilities may not be exposed just yet as he continues his progress up the World Rankings.

This should be fun while it lasts, but Wardley has shown he hits plenty hard and has only been past the Fifth Round once in his career. Once he gets going, Fabian Wardley can quickly get on top of the older fighter and he can force the Stoppage in the first half.

On late Saturday night/early Sunday morning, Robeisy Ramirez will be looking to complete his rapid climb towards becoming a World Champion when he faces the tough Isaac Dogboe for the vacant WBO World Title.

The Cuban has bounced back from a surprising loss on his professional debut and has won eleven in a row, including a redemption win over Adan Gonzales. As he has stepped up his level of opponent, Robeisy Ramirez has looked better and better and this is another step up when facing a former World Champion.

Isaac Dogboe has not allowed his two losses to Emanuel Navarrete define him and he has won four in a row since following his old foe up to the Featherweight Division. The last three wins have either been in Majority or Split Decisions though and Dogboe might struggle with someone who looks to be a bit more natural at the weight class.

He is tough though and Dogboe won't stop trying, but I think this is an opportunity for Robeisy Ramirez to really impress in the second half of the fight and he can break down the Ghanaian born, United States resident who is representing the United Kingdom.

Robeisy Ramirez does carry power, but he is someone who is likely going to wear down Isaac Dogboe in this World Title tilt and I can see him forcing a mercy Stoppage late in the contest that is set for Twelve Rounds.

Another Friday night offering is also available in the United Kingdom this week following Lyndon Arthur's return last week. Like that bout, a late replacement has been needed to face Harlem Eubank who is looking to move onto some big fights.

His recent showings have seen Eubank try to move out of the shadow of Uncle Chris Eubank and cousin Chris Eubank Jr and that has led to Harlem Eubank just sitting down on shots and looking for the Stoppage.

At 29 years old Harlem Eubank is trying to step up his competition in the Light Welterweight Division and there are some potentially big domestic fights to be had.

The late replacement is Miguel Cesario Antin who has eleven losses on the record and just under half of those inside the distance. He has not fought since last September and I think Harlem Eubank should be able to come out and make a solid statement before asking his promoter for a fight or two that can push him up the World Rankings or potentially chasing a showdown with British Champion Dalton Smith.

MY PICKS: Anthony Joshua to Win Between 1-6 @ 2.62 William Hill (2 Units)

Campbell Hatton to Win By KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 1.72 Sky Bet (2 Units)

John Hedges to Win Between 1-4 @ 2.75 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Galal Yafai to Win Between 1-5 @ 2.87 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Austin Williams to Win Between 1-5 @ 1.91 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Fabian Wardley to Win Between 1-5 @ 1.72 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Robeisy Ramirez to Win Between 7-12 @ 3.30 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Harlem Eubank to Win By KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 2.05 Bet365 (2 Units)

Boxing 2023: 9-14, + 0.34 Units (41 Units Staked, + 1% Yield)