Boxing Picks 2022- Artur Beterbiev vs Joe Smith Jr (June 18th)

We should have had the return of Jermall Charlo this weekend, but the Middleweight bout against Maciej Sulecki has been postponed.

It will mean that we have not seen Jermall Charlo in the ring for over twelve months as he waited out an opportunity to face Canelo Alvarez, but that doesn't look like coming to fruition any time soon and the American needs to be more active.

His absence has come at a time when twin brother Jermell has become an Undisputed Champion in the Light Middleweight Division and arguably become the more sellable of the two. Considering where the two would have been placed a year ago, you can see how inactivity has hurt Jermall and we will have to wait a little while longer before he is involved in a big fight.

While this is feeling like a quieter weekend of Boxing after some of the solid shows we have had over the last couple of months, there is still a massive Undisputed fight taking place in the Light Heavyweight Division.

Dmitry Bivol has already shown the world the kind of calibre of Champions in this Division when he comfortably beat Canelo Alvarez, but Artur Beterbiev has long been considered the King of the 175ers.

Joe Smith Jr is another popular name and their Unification is going to move the Light Heavyweights that much closer to a Super Fight with all of the belts on the line either later this year or early in 2023.

Artur Beterbiev vs Joe Smith Jr

Right now you would say there are three Light Heavyweights that will have to duke it out to see who is the best of the best in the 175 pound Division.

More critical people may even suggest it comes down to a straight shoot out between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev to decide the King of the Light Heavyweights and that argument could be made when you think Bivol holds a win over Joe Smith Jr, the opponent facing Beterbiev this weekend who also holds one of the World Title Belts.

Gilberto Ramirez and Callum Smith may have something to say about who should be the headliner in the Division, but the reality is that we are likely one fight away from determining the best fighter in this weight class. And that will be the winner of this one on Saturday facing off against Dmitry Bivol with all four World Titles on the line.

I am hopeful we will get there and this Unification on Saturday has all of the makings of a brutal slugfest.

Not many would choose to stand trade with Artur Beterbiev who has yet to hear the final bell in his pro career and who has fought and stopped some solid names. However, one person who shouldn't be too hard to find is Joe Smith Jr, who buzzed Dmitry Bivol late on in what was otherwise a one-sided win for the WBA World Champion.

That power cannot be underestimated and we did see Beterbiev put down by Callum Johnson and look pretty hurt, although that is the only time we have really seen that happen.

There is no doubting the heart that Joe Smith Jr will likely show too, but I cannot help think that he is not going to have faced someone who hits as hard as Artur Beterbiev. Standing in front of the Russian fighter just seems a bad move all around, but Smith Jr only fights one way and I think that is going to lead to a dismantling and an eventual stoppage in favour of Artur Beterbiev.

Joe Smith Jr has to be respected and has some decent wins behind him, but I think a crude, pretty basic style is going to be tailor-made for Artur Beterbiev who hits plenty hard.

Artur Beterbiev is 37 years old now though and you always have to wonder if Father Time will catch up with on any given night. He hasn't had a lot of wear and tear on his body though, but I do think the age has meant he has taken a little longer to perhaps get into his groove and really start digging home with the big shots.

Only two of his first fourteen opponents were able to make it out of the Fifth Round, but each of his last three have lasted at least Nine Rounds. Some of that is down to the increased level of competition, but Adam Deines and Marcus Browne are perhaps a tier or two below Joe Smith Jr in terms of their ability to stick in a fight and I do think the American will not go down easily.

Ultimately everyone has eventually gone down.

Only one fighter has even made it to the last Round against Artur Beterbiev, but I would be surprised if he is able to get Joe Smith Jr out of there much earlier than his last three opponents. Joe Smith Jr was stopped in the Fourth Round early in his career, and there was a feeling that Dmitry Bivol could have forced a stoppage in the second half of their fight before being buzzed late on.

I just don't think Artur Beterbiev is nearly as likely to 'coast' in this one as it felt Dmitry Bivol was doing late on and I think he will get this fight won in the second half of the scheduled Twelve Rounds.

The main undercard bout features stand out amateur Robeisy Ramirez continue his pro career.

He has bounced back from a debut defeat and Ramirez is clearly on a fast track to the top of the Featherweight Division, but this is not going to be an easy test against the undefeated American Abraham Nova.

Both will feel this is a step up in their level of competition, but the feeling is that Ramirez has the skills to edge past Nova in what should be a very good undercard bout. He has made up for that sole loss on the record by beating Adan Gonzalez over Six Rounds, and I just think he will flash at times to impress the judges, although the Boxing Pick will solely come from the main event.

On Friday evening, we have the latest of a series of boxing events that are going to be shown on UK terrestrial television that are being promoted by Wasserman Boxing.

It is the chance to try and build some big local names and two fighters are on the same card in Liverpool looking to put a spark back in their careers.

Both Josh Kelly and Nathan Gorman were earning some big headlines before devastating Knock Out losses on their resumes.

Josh Kelly certainly had a big reputation and looked to be fast tracked into the World Title scene, but after a fifteen month lay off during the Covid pandemic, he was obliterated by David Avanesyan in Six Rounds. The feeling was that the fight was coming too soon, but the manner of the loss would have really hurt and he has not been out since that defeat in February 2021.

He returns having had an opponent pull out of a bout at the last minute last month, but Josh Kelly is now operating at the Light Middleweight limit. You have to expect he is going to be given an opponent that can help shake off some of the ring rust, although they have picked Peter Kramer who has been pulled down from the Middleweight Division.

Peter Kramer has fought a couple of times in the UK over the last ten months and took opponents to the cards on both occasions, although those were over Six Rounds and this has been scheduled for Ten. His two previous stoppages have come pretty early, but one of those was in the Fourth Round against Sam Eggington and it may take Josh Kelly a little bit longer to really get his timing and feeling back in the ring.

The layers expect an early night, but Josh Kelly may need a little longer than that and I think it is worth a small interest in this one getting a few Rounds under his belt before finding a Stoppage somewhere in the middle of the contest.

Nathan Gorman's career has really stalled since his early defeat to Daniel Dubois and this is only his third fight since that defeat all the way back in July 2019.

It has been fifteen months since we last saw Gorman in the ring when he was beating Pavel Sour in the Second Round and he is fighting another Czech on his return.

Tomas Salek has won the Czech Heavyweight Title and defended that in a Ten Rounder on the cards against the aforementioned Sour last time out.

However, Salek should not pose too many problems for Nathan Gorman having been stopped in the Third Round by Kash Ali and I expect the fast hands of the British fighter to get this one done pretty quickly. If his promoters have any sense, Nathan Gorman will be fighting at least two more times in 2022, and perhaps even throwing a third fight, and the boxer himself has talked about getting into the mix in a deepish Heavyweight Division so will know he needs to be as active as possible.

I am not expecting too many problems for Gorman and I will look for this contest to end before the Fourth Round begins.

MY PICKS: Artur Beterbiev to Win Between 7-12 @ 2.20 Bet365 (2 Units)

Josh Kelly to Win Between 5-6 @ 4.50 Paddy Power (1 Unit)

Nathan Gorman-Tomas Salek Under Four Rounds @ 2.00 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Boxing 2022: 24-36, + 20.86 Units (109 Units Staked, + 19.14% Yield)

Boxing Picks 2018- Vasyl Lomachenko vs Jose Pedraza (December 8th)

Any time I come back from a vacation it feels like months have passed when realistically it has only been days.

This time last week I was sitting in Los Angeles and just hours away from seeing one of my bucket list moments come true when watching two unbeaten Heavyweight Champions fight for the Number 1 position in the world.

It was amazing to be out in Los Angeles for the fight but even more so when you think of how dramatic it was and I can't wait to see Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder do it all over again.

The undercard was quality too with the opportunity to see Joe Joyce, Luis Ortiz and Jarrett Hurd in action.


Of course there was some controversy about the scoring in the Wilder-Fury main event which saw the Draw announced. My feeling is that the Draw wasn't the worst aspect of the scoring as some of the early Rounds were very close to call and it doesn't take a lot for those thinking Fury was a clear winner to have a draw on their own cards after the two Knock Downs in the 9th and 12th Round.

However it feels much like the first Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin fight when there was a card that felt WAY out of sync and in this case it was the 115-111 Wilder card. If we had seen two 113-113 scores and one 114-112 to Fury I don't think there would have been as much annoyance at the way the fight was eventually scored, but we will get a chance to see it all again in 2019.

Both will made adjustments and I am very interested to hear Wilder is looking to put on around 30-40 pounds of weight the next time he faces Fury. It could be work against him with his athleticism important, but the American believes it will be the key factor in turning around a fight many thought he had lost.

Tyson Fury was a winner regardless considering where he was mentally and physically twelve months ago and I am proud of the way he has come back. Don't ask me how he got up in the 12th Round though and the power of recovery was so impressive, while I also think he can only be improved the next time round.

I do think the rematch will be next for both Wilder and Fury, although where is the big question- I would love to see them do it in England, but I think the more realistic venues are either Vegas or New York and I think I could be tempted to make another trip across the pond for that one.

That's a matter for another day and we move onto another week when a pound for pound star makes his return to the ring on Saturday.

Vasyl Lomachenko is as good as it gets in Boxing and he will be ready for a Unification fight this weekend before looking for more big challenges in 2019. Also this weekend is the return of Kell Brook and I will have my thoughts on his fight as well as the mess being made by Amir Khan in setting up the fight we all want which can be read below.

Over the next month we have some more big fights to come to wrap up a quality year in the sport, but 2019 is shaping up nicely if the announced fights for the first few months of the year are anything to go by. More of those big fights will likely be set in stone before the end of the 2018 calendar year too and I don't think Boxing has been in a better place for a long time through the Divisions.

Kid Galahad vs Brayan Mairena

The Featherweight Division is loaded with some serious talent and the unbeaten Kid Galahad very much wants to be mixing with the top names in 2019.

This is seen as little more than tick along fight for the Sheffield man who will be out for the third time in 2018. He admitted himself that he wants to get into the ring four times in 2019 and is hoping Eddie Hearn can set him up with someone like the winner of the upcoming Josh Warrington-Carl Frampton fight to take place later this month.

Leo Santa Cruz, Abner Mares, Oscar Valdez and Gary Russell Jr are other top names in the Featherweight Division, but those names will all be out of reach if Kid Galahad is upset by Brayan Mairena on Saturday.

Mairena came over to the United Kingdom with a single loss from his previous fight having only been involved in bouts in Nicaragua. The defeat to Limber Ramirez has sparked a run of four consecutive losses for Mairena and his last three fights have taken place in the United Kingdom.

First up was the stoppage defeat to Gal Yafai who is recovering from the first loss of his career and Mairena has been little more than someone who is being paid to try and offer a few Rounds to British fighters. This is the fourth time Mairena is fighting since the beginning of September and I think Kid Galahad is likely going to get him out of there double quick.

You have to give Mairena credit for going the full Six Rounds with Reece Bellotti who had built a reputation for his punching power. However Yafai stopped him and felt he could have gotten Mairena out of there very early on if he had not suffered a bicep injury which limited the right hand.

Kid Galahad did see his run of six stoppages in a row come to an end in October at the TD Garden in October, but I expect him to return to that kind of form even against what looks a durable fighter in Mairena. Yafai got Mairena out of there in the Seventh Round but thought it would have been significantly earlier if he had not injured himself and I think Kid Galahad will be the able to do the same in the first half of this fight.

A fourth fight in three months is tough on Mairena and I think a small interest on Kid Galahad putting in a strong performance and securing a first half of the fight stoppage is worth backing. It is only an Eight Round fight so the stoppage needs to come in the first Four Rounds, but I do think Kid Galahad can put it on Mairena and find a way to get it done before heading into 2019 chasing the really big fights.

Josh Kelly vs David Avanesyan

There are some bright prospects in the British Boxing scene at the moment and one of the leading names tipped for the very top of the sport is Josh Kelly.

The last time we saw Kelly it was dismissing Walter Fabian Castillo in the First Round on the undercard of the Oleksandr Usyk-Tony Bellew fight in November and this has to be seen as a big step up for him.

Kelly also has beaten Carlos Molina, a former Light Middleweight World Champion, but Molina has seen better days and David Avanesyan is a different sort of test. Unlike Molina, who was World Champion back in 2014, Avanesyan was a Welterweight World Title interim holder just last year when he was beaten on points by Lamont Peterson although he has since been stopped with some believing his best days are now behind him.

I expect him to be tough and determined, but Kelly is being tipped for much bigger things and I do believe he is going to showcase his talent by breaking down Avanesyan over the course of the fight. Making a statement and getting him out of there is going to be the goal, but Kelly showed in the win over Molina that he won't be too worried if he has to go the full way to beat a rugged opponent with the Rounds all adding to the experience he is earning in each passing fight.

A Ten Rounder does make it more difficult to push on and earn the stoppage, but I think the corner could sympathise with their man if Avanesyan is beginning to be peppered with shots. In the first half of the fight I think Kelly uses his speed to make sure he is hitting Avanesyan and knocking some of the fight out of him and I expect the British fighter to turn it on in the second half of the fight.

The Welterweight Division has long been one of the most glamorous in Boxing and there are some huge names that could be on Kelly's list in 2019. Winning the WBA International Title will move him up the Rankings and I think Kelly could be looking at someone like Jesse Vargas if he is able to win this fight.

Adam Booth won't let Kelly overlook anyone though and I think he puts in a statement kind of performance by breaking down Avanesyan and stopping him in the second half of this fight.

Kell Brook vs Michael Zerafa

Kell Brook is back this weekend as he fights for the second time in 2018 and there seems to be a new fire in the belly of the former World Champion. While I can't imagine he has overlooked Michael Zerafa, Brook has been speaking about rematches with current WBC Champion Shawn Porter as well as Errol Spence Jr who remains the IBF Champion after taking that belt from Brook at Bramall Lane last year.

There is also the potential Brook will move up to Light Middleweight for a shot at one of the big name Champions in that Division, especially as this fight is a final eliminator for a crack at Jarrett Hurd's WBA World Title.

Big things are ahead, but none of that will matter if Brook can't beat Australian Michael Zerafa who has not really mixed in the best company.

The best name on his record is Peter Quillan who was able to stop Zerafa in the Fifth Round in the Middleweight Division. This is the fourth fight down at Light Middleweight for the Australian, but it is a huge task for him against Kell Brook and I really don't think this is going to be a really long night for the Sheffield man.

You would like to think Brook would want to get some Rounds under his belt having had just a couple of Rounds against Siarhei Rabchanka since losing his World Title to Errol Spence in May 2017, but Brook looks in fantastic shape and he seems very comfortable with his team which should mean he can produce a big performance.

You know anyone coming from Australia is going to have heart and I expect that from Zerafa, but I can't see this getting into the second half of the fight and will be backing Brook to finish things early and make sure the other big names remember who he is.

I've mentioned some names that could be next for Kell Brook, but the one most wanted to see was Amir Khan who signed with Eddie Hearn earlier this year for a three fight deal. Most assumed it was the last major obstacle in the way of a grudge domestic fight which would have made both Khan and Brook significant money and arguably more than anything they could earn fighting anyone else.

Khan went life and death with Samuel Vargas but ultimately won the first two fights in his deal with Hearn and last month it seemed like some sort of agreement had been reach between the fighters.

Since then other issues have arisen and I am now convinced Khan just simply does not want this fight. The talk is he has been offered a fight with Terence Crawford at Madison Square Garden in the first quarter of 2019, but it also sounds like it will be for less money than what he would earn fighting Brook.

Ultimately I think Khan just doesn't believe he can beat Brook and barring a huge U-turn, I would now be surprised if these two fighters ever get in the ring to face each other. Eddie Hearn has said if it doesn't happen next it won't happen and I very much tend to agree with him as the British public won't want to see it if either fighter was to lose again.

I don't think Khan is the fighter he once was so Crawford will be a huge favourite if that is the direction that the Bolton man goes. It is a shame if we don't get Brook and Khan and with both blaming each other for the failure to reach a deal I think the horse may already have bolted for this one.

Isaac Dogboe vs Emanuel Navarrete

He is from Ghana by birth, but Isaac Dogboe is one of the British World Champions although perhaps not as well known as some of the others out there. That may have something to do with the fact he is promoted by Bob Arum and have never fought on a card in the United Kingdom, but British Boxing fans will be proud of him.

Dogboe is a dual national with Ghana and Britain and both countries will be very pleased to see how he has moved through to the top of the Super Bantamweight Division. Two top performances in America with two stoppage wins behind him will have increased Dogboe's stock, particularly as one of them came against Jessie Magdaleno who had been an unbeaten home fighter before being stopped in the Eleventh Round in what was a good fight.

The other Champions will be on the mind of Dogboe going into 2019, but he must remain focused as he takes on Emanuel Navarrete who comes from Mexico and has a strong record on paper. This is the first time Navarrete will be fighting outside of his home country but Jaime Munguia showed that there are some seriously talented fighters from that country who may not quite have made their name outside of Mexico just yet.

Like Munguia, Navarrete does look tall for the Division and he has a strong Knock Out ratio which has to be respected, although unlike Munguia he does not have an unbeaten record.

It may take Dogboe some time to get to grips with the height of Navarrete and I would not be surprised if the early Rounds are a little difficult for the Champion. However Dogboe has plenty of power of his own and I will be looking for him to wear down Navarrete over the course of the Twelve Rounds and eventually begin to break him down in the second half of the fight.

This could be an interesting bout on the undercard of the main event at Madison Square Garden and I am looking forward to seeing Dogboe again. He can extend his run of six stoppages in a row and I will look for the World Champion to find the finish in the second half of the fight as he hurts Navarrete to the body and slows him down enough to put the finishing touches on him.

Vasyl Lomachenko vs Jose Pedraza

There will be a few names bandied about when you hear talk about the 'Pound for Pound' Number 1 in Boxing, but for me Vasyl Lomachenko should be top of the list.

The Ukrainian returns on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden after recovering from an injury suffered in the win over Jorge Linares and Lomachenko will be involved in his first Unification fight. It's more about legacy than World Titles for Lomachenko who is chasing the biggest names and who is willing to go up the Divisions to find them.

Not many have been able to stand with Lomachenko who is all rhythm and movement, while having enough pop to break the heart of so many who face him. The referee had to stop the last fight between Lomachenko and Linares, but prior to that four straight fighters had called it a day on their stool which is a remarkable sequence.

There have been some very strong names on the Lomachenko resume in that time too and I am not convinced Jose Pedraza is amongst those elite fighters even if he is the WBO Lightweight Champion. I have to credit Pedraza for recovering to this level having seen Gervonta Davis beat him up over Seven Rounds, but this is as tough a challenge for the Puerto Rican and I think it would be a morale victory if he is able to last the full Twelve Rounds.

It's going to be tough to do that and Lomachenko's comments in the lead up to the fight suggest he is feeling very healthy and is ready to put this fight to bed very quickly. He has compared it to his win over Miguel Marriaga and believes Pedraza's style is similar and Lomachenko was able to get the win in the Marriaga fight in Seven Rounds.

I feel this fight is going to reach the midway stage before Lomachenko is able to turn the screw and get the job done. I can see the early Rounds just seeing Lomachenko getting comfortable in the ring again having not fought since May, but by the Fourth he should be beginning to exert all control.

The ending may come a little after that and I can see Lomachenko surpassing Gervonta Davis and perhaps getting rid of Pedraza a Round or two earlier. Backing the Ukrainian star to finish this fight between the Fifth and Eighth looks about right to me and I will look for Lomachenko to do that, perhaps with another 'NoMasChenko' moment.

MY PICKS: Kid Galahad to Win Between 1-4 @ 4.00 Paddy Power (1 Unit)

Josh Kelly to Win Between 6-10 @ 2.37 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Kell Brook to Win Between 1-6 @ 2.10 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Isaac Dogboe to Win Between 7-12 @ 2.20 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Vasyl Lomachenko to Win Between 5-8 @ 3.25 Sky Bet (2 Units)