Boxing Picks 2023- Nick Ball vs Isaac Dogboe (November 18th)

There was much excitement on Wednesday with the announcement of a deep card in Saudi Arabia to take place a couple of days before Christmas, but the reality is that it is a card filled with favourites that are expected to win and move onto bigger and better things in 2024.

On Thursday it was different.

Every single Boxing fan has been clamouring for the big boys to finally have an Undisputed Bout to determine a single Champion and on Saturday 17th February, we will have our answer.

Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk has finally been signed off in what is expected to be the first of two fights and the fans are going to be the winners.

The press conferences are likely to be one-sided with Fury dominating the exchanges, but Oleksandr Usyk is not interested in the verbals, while English not being his primary language means the Ukrainian can simply allow Tyson Fury to get on with things.

Understandably Tyson Fury is going to be the favourite, but he is a much bigger price than those taking part on the 23rd December and it is a bout that everyone should be looking forward to.

It has been a tough year for the Boxing Picks after the winning 2022 and it will be something that needs to be improved in 2024.

There are still some big weekends to get through before the end of the calendar year and some top fights to come, so any improvement needs to begin now.

This weekend three cards with some real prospects take place and there are also a number of fighters who are ready to move onto the World level. The Magnificent Seven card run by Queensberry looks a lot of fun, while Diego Pacheco is back in action and this is a serious looking fighter who will be involved in a lot of big fights over the next couple of years.

Nick Ball vs Isaac Dogboe

He has only lost three times at the very elite level and Isaac Dogboe is in a rare situation where he will be the taller fighter, but keeping Nick Ball away is not going to be easy.

Ultimately it feels like a top headliner on the Magnificent Seven card in Manchester with the expectation that Ball and Dogboe are going to be involved in a firefight.

Isaac Dogboe has shown plenty of toughness in going the distance with Emanuel Navarrete before being Stopped in the Twelfth Round in the rematch. He won four in a row, albeit never convincingly with two Majority Decisions and a Split Decision, before Dogboe was put down in the Twelfth Round and ultimately beaten widely on the cards by Robeisy Ramirez.

Those losses are against quality opponents so this is a big step up for Nick Ball, who is a super prospect as far as his promoters are concerned.

The winner is going to be in line for a World Title shot in 2024 so there is plenty on the line, while Ball will be plenty confident that he can wear down Isaac Dogboe.

Two of the last three wins have been with a Twelfth Round Stoppage that underlines the fact that Nick Ball will carry his power late on and you have to factor in the wars that Isaac Dogboe has already had in his career.

Nick Ball is likely going to have to weather some big shots, but the feeling he can land plenty of his own and stopping a former World Champion and World Title Challenger will be a huge achievement. We have seen Isaac Dogboe show plenty of resiliency in the past and against big hitters, but Nick Ball can just push forward enough to break down this opponent and secure another Knock Out, while making a statement to the rest of the Division.

Solomon Dacres should be able to find a Stoppage against unbeaten Michael Webster in an English Heavyweight Title bout, while Nathaniel Collins can secure another relatively early defence of his British Featherweight Title.

After a stunning finish of Jason Cunningham, Liam Davies faces an unbeaten Italian in defence of his EBU European Super Bantamweight Title. Vincenzo La Femina will be confident, but over the distance, you have to believe Davies can break down and secure another Stoppage as he continues to build towards a World Title.

The chief support in Manchester is a British Middleweight Title clash between Denzel Bentley and Nathan Heaney.

There is much to admire about Heaney and he is going to be supported by a huge amount of people, but this is also a considerable step up.

Denzel Bentley may have lost his World Title fight against Janibek Alimkhanuly, but it was a really close fight that went the distance against the 'bogeyman' of the Middleweight Division. The latter has gone on to Unify a couple of World Titles, but Bentley feels he deserves to belong at that level and he will come out looking to make a point.

He hits very, very hard and the feeling is that Denzel Bentley can go through the gears early and have Nathan Heaney out of there before the bell rings for the Seventh Round.

Franck Petitjean vs Adam Azim

After the big news conferences coming out this week to announce two big cards in Saudi Arabia, it was noticeable that Boxxer were not involved.

Matchroom and Queensberry have not seen eye to eye very often, but both were represented and so there will feel like a gap has developed between those promotions and Boxxer who have a card featuring on Sky Sports this weekend.

A fighter like Adam Azim can bridge that gap as he looks to continue his development as a professional. The last couple of fights have been tougher than expected, but Azim is stepping up his level of competition and will be looking to win the European Title this weekend.

Franck Petitjean is an experienced veteran, and has only ever been Stopped once, but the feeling is that he has struggled to get down to the weight this time.

It will be an opportunity for Adam Azim to make a statement by getting back to winning by Stoppage and he can do that by turning things on in the second half of this one with plenty of body work expected.

Another Boxxer fighter who might have been thinking he could be called up for the Saudi Arabian card is Richard Riakporhe who returns this weekend looking to get his career moving.

Criticism has been levelled at Riakporhe for not taking up an opportunity to face Jai Opetaia for the right to be called the top Cruiserweight in the world, while he has not built on his crushing win over Glowacki back in January.

He is expected to stop Dylan Bregeon, but Richard Riakporhe may have to wait until he gets into the second half of this contest. The opponent has been the full Twelve Rounds with Chris Billam-Smith and a full Eight Rounds against Isaac Chamberlain, so the feeling is that Richard Riakporhe may have to be patient before showing off the power to break Bregeon down.

Tyler Denny will be looking to send the home fans happy by winning the European Middleweight Title, but veteran Champion Matteo Signani could still be a threat.

Ultimately Denny should be too fresh for a 44 year old, although the prices are plenty short.

Over in the United States, Matchroom have put together a card featuring two very highly touted prospects.

Marc Castro is fighting for a second time in 2023 and he can get the better of Gonzalo Fuenzalida in the first half of a scheduled Ten Rounder.

There is so much excitement around Diego Pacheco who is a very big Super Middleweight and making rapid rises up the World Ranking. He might be the best of the young talent coming through under the Matchroom banner, but they do want to see him tested.

Veteran Marcelo Coceres has been given the call up and he has pushed some prospects even in losing efforts. He put down Edgar Berlanga in the Ninth Round and looked to have gotten the better of Billy Joe Saunders before being Stopped in the Eleventh Round, but Diego Pacheco may be better than both of those fighters.

It still may take a little longer than we have become used to seeing from Diego Pacheco, but eventually his pressure should tell.

A small interest on Diego Pacheco getting this done at around halfway looks the play against a canny veteran.

MY PICKS: Nick Ball to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 3.40 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Solomon Dacres to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Nathaniel Collins to Win Between 1-6 @ 2.50 William Hill (2 Units)

Liam Davies to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 1.80 Coral (2 Units)

Denzel Bentley to Win Between 1-6 @ 2.87 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Adam Azim to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 1.72 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Richard Riakporhe to Win Between 5-8 @ 3.10 Bet365 (2 Units)
Marc Castro to Win Between 1-5 @ 2.75 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Diego Pacheco to Win Between 5-6 @ 6.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Boxing 2023: 53-96, - 28.77 Units (275 Units Staked, - 10.46% Yield) 

Boxing Picks 2023- Tim Tszyu vs Tony Harrison (March 11th)

At the time of writing, it sounds like the back and forth between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk may end up with the two looking to Unify the Heavyweight Division in late April.

It looked like the fight was going to bite the dust, at least for now, but there looks to have been a break in the negotiations and we may yet see the biggest fight in the Division at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 29th April.

This is a huge fight and the winner will likely go down as the best Heavyweight of their generation with both Fury and Usyk unbeaten and looking like the strongest players in the weight class.

I just hope we get an official announcement early next week so we can really begin to look forward to a first Undisputed Heavyweight Champion since Lennox Lewis.

The injury to Callum Smith has robbed one of the cards set for this weekend of the main event, but there are some big fights to come as the 2023 Boxing season continues with a pace.

The biggest fight of the day comes from Australia where Tim Tszyu takes on former World Champion Tony Harrison in a really good looking bout. Winning this one will set the fighter on a path to face Jermell Charlo, who withdrew from an Undisputed bout against Tszyu with an injury, and I think the 154 Division is a fascinating one that will have plenty of interested eyes on this big fight.

This has been a slow start to the year for the Boxing Picks, but last weekend was a good one with a 2-1 record and a big winner in the Lewis Ritson-Ohara Davies fight in Newcastle.

Hopefully this is the weekend to turn things around completely and get back into a profitable position after the 2022 winning year.

Tim Tszyu vs Tony Harrison

The local time will be sometime in the afternoon on Sunday, but this big WBO Interim World Title fight has been scheduled to make sure it is shown in the United States at a time they have become accustomed to watching Boxing on a Saturday evening.

That isn't helpful to us over in the United Kingdom with the bout scheduled for the early hours of Sunday morning, but the Tim Tszyu vs Tony Harrison fight looks like one worth staying up for.

Both of these fighters will enter the ring with a lot of confidence in their ability- Tim Tszyu is still unbeaten and fighting in front of his own fans, while Tony Harrison is a former World Champion and the sole boxer to have beaten Jermell Charlo, albeit controversially.

He lost the rematch with Charlo and that was the third time Tony Harrison had not only lost a bout, but the third time he had been stopped in the second half of the contest. Once again he had been leading on one of the cards, as Harrison had been against Jarrett Hurd, and the question for the American is whether he can keep Tim Tszyu at bay.

We all know what Tszyu wants to do and I do think the early Rounds will be dominated by Tony Harrison who has the reach and the sound boxing skills to pick off the unbeaten opponent as he is coming in.

Winning a Decision in Sydney will not be easy, but I do think it will be a fight where Tony Harrison can build a lead.

However, keeping the younger, hungry Tim Tszyu from coming forward and beginning to lay down some big shots is going to be very difficult.

No one can dispute that this is a big step up for Tszyu as he looks to really come out of his father's shadow, but he has to believe he can break down Harrison who has shown that vulnerability late in fights as he slows down. At 32 years old, Tony Harrison might be at the back end of his career having had some tough fights in his career, while the win over Sergio Garcia was impressive, but against an opponent who doesn't have the same bullish power as Tim Tszyu will bring into the ring.

I did think Tony Harrison could take the game plan that Terrell Gausha brought into the fight with Tszyu and the former can do a little bit more all around.

However, the late thoughts ahead of this Interim World Title fight is that Tony Harrison could be bulled and broken down by Tim Tszyu through the second half of this one.

Tony Harrison has power that has to be respected and great boxing skills, but Tim Tszyu will bite down on the gum shield and he will be willing to come forward throughout this one. That pressure has worn down Harrison in previous defeats and I can't shake the fact that Tszyu will find a way to hurt him late and perhaps earn a controversial finish with an overenthusiastic referee calling it off prematurely.

Earning a Decision in Australia will be hard for Tony Harrison, but he has the skills- the biggest test for him in this one may be keeping himself out of trouble in the Championship Rounds.

There are a couple of other cards being broadcasted in the United Kingdom on Saturday night- one of those is from Liverpool on DAZN, the other from Paris on Sky Sports.

Callum Smith was supposed to headline in Liverpool, but an injury has forced him out and there is every chance that he goes directly into a World Title fight with Artur Beterbiev.

Instead Diego Pacheco has an opportunity to underline his status as one of the top prospects on the Matchroom roster when he takes on Jack Cullen.

Seventeen wins, fourteen by Stoppage has really gotten the fans excited about the Super Middleweight and none of the last four opponents have been able to last more than Five Rounds against Diego Pachecho.

For all of the heart and guts we have seen from Jack Cullen, he has lost three times and all by Stoppage.

The move up from Middleweight has not seen Cullen carry much power to this Division, while he was crushed by Kevin Lele Sadjo a couple of fights ago. This is an opportunity for Jack Cullen to make a big statement and turn his own career around, but Eddie Hearn has likely sensed he is the perfect opponent for a huge hitter like Diego Pacheco to show off all that is good about himself and that will lead to a relatively early night.

The Light Heavyweight Division is thriving both domestically and in the world, and British fighter Dan Azeez looks to continue his steady rise to join the likes of Anthony Yarde and Joshua Buatsi as a World level contender.

He is already highly Ranked in three of the four organisations, but Dan Azeez will arrive in Paris with the intention to add the European Light Heavyweight Title to the British and Commonwealth belts he already has in his possession.

At 33 years old you do want Dan Azeez to make the big steps forward and this is an important year in that regard, but this is a very tough Division as Yarde has already found out.

I do think Azeez will have too much for Thomas Faure, and the wearing style of the British fighter will see him break down the home hope.

This feels a considerable step up for Faure who has not fought for over a year and the pressure of Dan Azeez could see him win this fight before needing to get into the second half of the contest.

It has been ten months since Tony Yoka took a pretty big beating from Martin Bakole as he lost his unbeaten record in the professional ranks, but he is headlining this card in Paris against veteran Carlos Takam.

A once durable fighter, Takam has been Stopped in three of his last four losses, although he did become the first to go the distance with Arslanbek Makhmudov in a losing effort.

I do think there will be some demons to exorcise for Tony Yoka in this one, but I expect him to start going through the gears once the first couple of Rounds are over.

A few years ago you could have made a real case for Carlos Takam to spring the upset, but the veteran is a faded force these days and Yoka has the skills to get the referee to step in as he looks to get his pro career back on track.

MY PICKS: Tim Tszyu to Win Between 7-12 @ 3.75 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Diego Pacheco to Win Between 1-5 @ 1.80 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Dan Azeez to Win Between 1-6 @ 2.87 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Tony Yoka to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 2.87 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Boxing 2023: 5-8, - 2.34 Units (24 Units Staked, - 9.75% Yield)