As the mouthwatering ‘Last Crescendo’ card looms, it begs the question: is this the most stacked fight card ever assembled in the history of boxing? Chinese powerhouse Zhilei Zhang looks to remain amongst the top of the pile of current heavyweight challengers, whilst Agit Kabayel, who has quietly dispatched dangerous heavyweights in Sanchez and Makhmudov on the lower end of Riyadh Season’s stacked cards, looks to beat the ageing southpaw and set up title opportunities for himself. Whilst there aren’t world honours on the line, the bout provides an intriguing clash of styles and the result will have severe repercussions for either man’s career.
Joshua Buatsi takes on the seasoned former world champion Callum Smith in an all-British dust-up, an interesting clash that could headline any arena in the UK. Will the freshness and sharpness of the younger man prevail over the experience Smith has compiled against the likes of Canelo or Beterbiev?
Hamzah Sheeraz’s meteoric rise to world level has been a joy to watch, particularly over the last year. The massive middleweight will bid to become the division’s WBC champion against the Dominican Carlos Adames. Whilst Sheeraz is a notable favourite, there are many underestimating the champion, who has already compiled decent names on his resume.
Pound-for-pound star and multi-division champion Shakur Stevenson is set to show off his elite skillset against Floyd Schofield, whilst Ukbekistan’s former amateur standout and light-middleweight Israil Madrimov, who gave Terrence Crawford one of his toughest fights, will battle the extremely exciting and explosive Vergil Ortiz, in the fight I’m looking forward to most on the card. All of these, and we haven’t even reached the co-main event!
In his first defence since demolishing Anthony Joshua to become IBF heavyweight world champion, Daniel Dubois will face the tough challenge of Joseph Parker, who, likewise, has been on an impressive career resurgence. Will the powerhouse steam through the ex-champion, or will Parker’s stubbornness, skills and strength be enough to out-hustle the crown from Dubois? [Since this article was written, Floyd Schofield and Daniel Dubois have both been pulled from the card – Ed].
And of course, we have the main event, although this time it’s a rematch, it’s still the most compelling fight in boxing. Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol two. The duo are undeniably the division’s best fighters and have been for a while.
Their first fight was a masterclass of elite boxing on both the front and back foot and the decision a razor-thin victory for the Chechen aggressor. Will we see much of the same? Can Beterbiev close the show in style, or will Bivol nullify the champion’s pressure, setting up the tantalising rubber match for all the belts?
As I write this, I drool over each individual clash and find it difficult to imagine a card has surpassed this beast. However, there have been some that match and potentially surpass the depth of star power on this mammoth card.
SuperFly Card – 9/9/2017 – California
Notable fighters on Card: Roman Gonzalez, Naoya Inoue, Juan Francisco Estrada, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Carlos Cuadras, Brian Viloria.
Having emerged as the best pound-for-pound fighter in boxing a few years prior, phenomenal Nicaraguan legend Roman Gonzalez had been defeated by the hard-hitting Thai fighter Srisaket Sor Rungvisai on points. He looked to reclaim the titles in the rematch, but Rungvisai showed he had Chocolatito’s number when a perfectly timed right hook knocked Gonzalez out for the only time in his career.
Gonzalez’s earlier pound-for-pound success had provided a spotlight for the smaller weight divisions’ superstars. The sport’s future king, Naoya Inoue, proved the monster rumours were true as he stopped Antonio Nieves in his US debut.
Fellow pound-for-pound star Juan Francisco Estrada also battles the highly-rated champion Carlos Cuadras in the co-main event. Talented multi-weight champion Brian Viloria also scored a victory on the card.
Jack Dempsey vs Billy Miske – 6/9/1920 Michigan
Notable Fighters on Card: Jack Dempsey, Harry Greb, Sam Langford, Billy Miske.
When Jack Dempsey is the lowest-rated fighter on his own headlining card, during the time period he single-handedly dragged boxing’s popularity to the forefront of American culture, you know you’re witnessing something rare. On a September Monday in Michigan, two of the men who have the strongest claim to the Greatest of All Time status performed before the Heavyweight Champion.
Sam Langford, a man who beat all of the greats from lightweight to heavyweight (yes, you read that correctly), lost to big Bill Tate. The unstoppable Harry Greb, fresh from his maniacal 1919 campaign, in which he went 45-0 in that year alone, was on a follow-up 56-fight unbeaten streak.
His victory over Chuck Wiggins undoubtedly applied more pressure on the card’s main star, as during this time, Greb, a future Middleweight Champion, relentlessly harassed Dempsey for a title shot. Dempsey dispatched the overmatched, albeit Hall of Famer Billy Miske, in three rounds.
Epic Explosion – 28/9/1979 – Las Vegas
Notable Fighters on Card: Earnie Shavers, Larry Holmes, Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, Wilfredo Gomez, Jimmy Young, Michael Dokes.
Hellacious knockout machine Earnie Shavers landed the hardest right hand I’ve ever seen to knock out the legendary Larry Holmes in seven rounds, cementing himself as the Heavyweight Champion of the World. Or so everyone thought for those few seconds Holmes lay on the floor as if he had been hit by a truck.
Amazingly, he got up, rewrote the script and stopped Shavers in the 11th round, displaying the most remarkable recuperative abilities ever displayed. Sugar Ray Leonard unleashed a blistering combination to stop Andy Price in one round in his final fight before becoming a World Champion.
Roberto Duran, at the absolute peak of his powers just months removed from his previous masterclass against Carlos Palomino, outpointed Zeferino Gonzalez, four fights below the main event. Murderous puncher Wilfredo Gomez retained his title with a 26th consecutive knockout. Future Heavyweight Champion Michael Dokes defeated the underrated former George Foreman conqueror, Jimmy Young.
Star Spangled Glory – 8/5/93 – Las Vegas
Notable fighters on the card: Julio Cesar Chavez, Lennox Lewis, Tony Tucker, Gerald McClellan, Hector Camacho, Meldrick Taylor, Julian Jackson.
This card was billed as three world champions, three world title fights, but with hindsight, it was far more stacked. All-time great speedsters Hector Camacho and Meldrick Taylor both notched victories on the undercard. Julio Cesar Chavez, at the pinnacle of his career, stopped Terrence Ali in the last fight in which he would hold a 100 per cent win ratio, extending his record to a mind-boggling 87-0.
Whitaker took him to a draw in his following fight. Lennox Lewis improved his record to 23-0 by outpointing Tony Tucker, whilst Gerald McClellan knocked out equally formidable puncher Julian Jackson in front of a half-empty venue.
Friday the 13th, Resurrection – 13/06/1986 – New York
Notable Fighters on the Card: Mike Tyson, Julio Cesar Chavez, Hector Camacho, Edwin Rosario.
The aggressive Hector Camacho never fought with as much vigour after defeating the hard-hitting Edwin Rosario over a gruelling 12-round split decision. Before the Puerto Rican duo fought, both men’s future conqueror Julio Cesar Chavez improved his record to 52-0, when he TKO’d Refugio Rojas in the fifth successful defence of his Super Featherweight Title.
The enigmatic superstar Mike Tyson scored his 22ndvictory within a 15-month span, as the 19-year-old stopped Reggie Gross with one of his most eye-catching shots, having evaded all by two of the 20 punches Gross fired off in the combination that left the opening for a left hook.
